Category Archives: Funk
LEROY BURGESS-ANTHOLOGY VOLUME 1: THE VOICE.
LEROY BURGESS-ANTHOLOGY VOLUME 1: THE VOICE. Starting as the lead vocalist in Black Ivory during the early seventies, Leroy Burgess would go on to become one of the most successful men in music. Leroy wasn’t just a singer, he was a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, arranger and producer. His career started as lead vocalist of Black Ivory, …
CEU-CARAVANA SEREIA BLOOM.
CEU-CARAVANA SEREIA BLOOM. Back in 2005, when Céu released her eponymous titled debut album Céu on Opius Music I’ve been following her career with interest. Since then, she’s released two further albums, 2009s Vagarosa and 2012s Caravana Sereia Bloom. Given just how talented a singer, songwriter and musician Céu is, I’ve always felt that she …
TOM BROWNE-MAGIC.
TOM BROWNE-MAGIC. The story of jazz trumpeter Tom Browne’s career is a quite remarkable one. Born in Queens, New York in 1954, Tom’s first choice of instrument wasn’t the trumpet. Aged eleven he’d originally started learning the piano, before being inspired to switch to the trumpet by his collection of jazz albums. By 1975, Tom …
PATRICE RUSHEN-PATRICE.
PATRICE RUSHEN-PATRICE. By the time Patrice Rushen signed to Elektra Records after releasing three jazz albums for Prestige she decided to change her style and sound. Previously, the three albums she’d recorded for Prestige, 1974s Prelusion, 1975s Before the Dawn and 1976s Shout It Out had been traditional jazz albums. Now signed to Elektra, Patrice …
THE POINTER SISTERS-SERIOUS SLAMMIN.’
THE POINTER SISTERS-SERIOUS SLAMMIN.’ When The Pointer Sisters released their fourteenth album Serious Slammin,’ it was their ninth and final album to be produced by Richard Perry and their final album for RCA. Serious Slammin’ marked a change in their sound, with Richard Perry giving The Pointer Sisters a harder electronic, funky sound. This meant …
PHAROAH SANDERS-LOVE WILL FIND A WAY.
PHAROAH SANDERS-LOVE WILL FIND A WAY. During a solo career that started in 1964, with the release of his debut album Pharoah’s First, Pharoah Sanders has released over thirty solo albums. As if this isn’t impressive enough, he’s accompanied jazz legends John and Alice Coltrane, McCoy Tyner and Don Cherry. Pharoah’s other collaborations have included …
RENE AND ANGELA-RISE.
RENE AND ANGELA-RISE. By 1983 Rene and Angela were about to release their third, and what would become their most successful album, Rise. This was Rene Moore and Angela Winbush’s follow-up to their 1981 album Wall To Wall. Their had started with their 1980 eponymous album Rene and Angela. Like their second album, Wall To …
DONNA MCGHEE-MAKE IT LAST FOREVER.
DONNA MCGHEE-MAKE IT LAST FOREVER. Before embarking on her solo career, Donna McGhee got her first break singing with The Fatback Band. Later, she found herself touring with Chaka Khan, Crown Heights Affair and Teddy Pendergrass. By 1977, Donna found herself signed to the disco label Red Greg Records, releasing Make It Last Forever in …
SYLVESTER-STEP II.
SYLVESTER-STEP II. A year after signing a record contract with Fantasy Records in 1977, and releasing his debut solo album Sylvester, produced by legendary Motown producer Harvey Fuqua, Sylvester would release his second album Step II. On Step II was a track that would forever be synonymous with Sylvester, You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real). …
BLACULA-MUSIC FROM THE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK-GENE PAGE.
BLACULA-MUSIC FROM THE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK-GENE PAGE. Forty years ago, in 1972, it was a classic year for Blaxploitation films and soundtracks. Starting with Super Fly, with a seminal Blaxploitation soundtrack provided by Curtis Mayfield, Across 110th Street was the next big Blaxploitation film, with none other than Bobby Womack providing the soundtrack to the movie. …
MATHIAS STUBO-MATHIAS STUBO.
MATHIAS STUBO-MATHIAS STUBO. During the first few months of 2012, BBE Music have been on a roll, releasing a mixture of compilations and artists albums, which have included some great releases. Among the compilations, there’s been the release of Al Kent’s five disc disco Magnus Opus The Best of Disco Demands, Henry Street Records’ founder …
BUDDY MILES-ALL THE FACES OF BUDDY MILES.
BUDDY MILES-ALL THE FACES OF BUDDY MILES. During his career, Buddy Miles was a member of Ruby and The Romantics and The Ink Spots before founding The Electric Flag with Mike Bloomfield in 1967. Then in 1969, Buddy Miles became the drummer for Jimmy Hendrix’s newly formed The Band of Gypsys. Although the band was …
ANDRE CYMONE-SURVIVIN’ THE 80’S.
ANDRE CYMONE-SURVIVIN’ THE 80’S. Having released his debut solo album Living In The New Wave in November 1982, less than a year later, in September 1983, Andre Cymone released the follow-up album, Survivin’ the 80’s. His debut album Living In The New Wave had reached number forty-nine in the US R&B Charts, with both singles …
CLIFFORD COULTER-THE BETTER PART OF ME.
CLIFFORD COULTER-THE BETTER PART OF ME. During a ten year period, Clifford Coulter released three solo albums. The first two of these albums 1970s East Side San Jose and 1972s Do It Now! Worry About It Later, were both released by one of the most prestigious jazz labels, Impulse Records. After this, it would another …
TEENA MARIE-STARCHILD.
TEENA MARIE-STARCHILD. In 1983, Teena Marie released her fifth album Robbery, which was the first album for her new record label Epic. Robbery hadn’t matched the commercial success of her three previous albums for Motown, only reaching number 119 in the US Billboard 200 and number thirteen in the US R&B Charts. Undeterred, Teena Marie …
LUTHER VANDROSS-NEVER TOO MUCH.
LUTHER VANDROSS-NEVER TOO MUCH. Luther Vandross’ route to a solo career which saw him sell over 25 million albums, including his debut solo album Never Too Much, is a quite fascinating story. Born in April 1951 in New York, Luther grew up in a musical family. He started playing piano aged three, joined the group …
FAC. DANCE: FACTORY RECORDS 12” MIXES AND RARITIES 1980-1987.
FAC. DANCE: FACTORY RECORDS 12” MIXES AND RARITIES 1980-1987. Between 1978 and November 1992 when Factory Records became insolvent, Factory proved to be one of the most influential and innovative British labels. Indeed, it wouldn’t be exaggerating to say that Factory’s influence spread much wider, influencing independent labels worldwide. During this period, Factory Records were …
ANDRE CYMONE-LIVIN’ IN THE NEW WAVE.
ANDRE CYMONE-LIVIN’ IN THE NEW WAVE. Andre Cymone and Prince had been childhood friends, growing up together in Minneapolis and even shared a house. Later, Andre became the bassist in Prince’s band, before they became The Revolution. Then, by 1981, the year Prince released the platinum selling album Controversy, Andre thought it was time to …
TEENA MARIE-ROBBERY.
TEENA MARIE-ROBBERY. After releasing here fourth and final album for Motown It Must Be Magic in 1981, Teena Marie signed for Epic Records in 1982, where she’d release five albums. Her time at Motown was the most successful period of her career, resulting in a gold album for her final Motown album, It Must Be …
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