Category Archives: R&B

JON SAVAGE’S 1986-1990 ROLLIN’ UNDER THE MELODY.

Jon Savage’s 1986-1990 Rollin Under The Melody. Label: Ace. Format: 2 CD.  Jon Savage’s 1986-1990 Rollin Under The Melody is the final compilation in what’s been, a long running series. This is the eleventh compilation in a series that began in 2018. However, does the series end on a high? During the period between 1986-1990, …

Continue reading

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JOHNNY ADAMS.

The Life and Times of Johnny Adams. Johnny Adams’ recording career lasted exactly forty years. His career began in early 1958, when he released his first single ‘I Won’t Cry’ on Ric. It was a hit single in New Orleans and the Southern states. For the twenty-six year old soul man this was the start …

Continue reading

NEW BREED R&B – MONEY TALKS.

New Breed R&B – Money Talks. Label: Kent Dance. Format: CD. Nowadays, DJs and soul connoisseurs continue to collect and seek out new breed R&B. For those who haven’t heard of this new relatively new musical movement, it’s an offshoot of Northern Soul. The tracks that are sought out by collectors are from the fifties, …

Continue reading

PAUL WELLER PRESENTS THAT SWEET SWEET MUSIC.

Paul Weller Presents That Sweet Sweet Music. Label: Ace Format: CD. Release Date: 28th March 2025. From an early age, soul music has played an important part in Paul Weller’s life. He grew up listening to, and buying soul singles. This was just the start. Then during his ten years with The Jam, the group …

Continue reading

BOB STANLEY PRESENTS LIVERPOOL SUNSET: THE CITY AFTER MERSEYBEAT 1964-1969.

Bob Stanley Presents Liverpool Sunset: The City After Merseybeat 1964-69. Label: Ace. Format: CD. By 1969, many of the artists and groups from the Merseybeat era were no longer enjoying the same commercial success. When they released new singles they failed to trouble the charts. It was changed days for The Searchers, Billy J Kramer …

Continue reading

THE LIFE AND CAREER OF GREGORY CARROLL.

The Life and Career Of Gregory Carroll. John Wayne Carroll a.k.a. Gregory Carroll was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on 19th December 1929. He was one of six children born to Upsher and Sally Carroll. By the time he was a teenager at Frederick Douglass High School, he formed the vocal group, The Metronomes. They would …

Continue reading

THE LIFE AND CAREER OF SONGWRITER AND PRODUCER RON MILLER.

The Life and Career Of Songwriter and Producer Ron Miller. Ronald Norman Gould was born in Chicago, Illinois, on October, 5th, 1932, the only son of Sue and Harry.  He lived with mother and two sisters. His parents had divorced when he was young, and life was tough for the Goulds who lived in poverty, …

Continue reading

NEW JILL SWING 1988-94.

New Jill Swing 1988-94. Ace. Release Date: 27th, September 2024. Format: CD. In the mid-eighties, a new genre of music was born, new jack swing or swingbeat. It was a fusion of jazz, funk, rap and R&B and incorporated the production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop. Producers who pioneered this new musical movement included …

Continue reading

JOHN SAVAGE’S SECRET PUBLIC-HOW THE LGBTQ+ AESTHETIC SHAPED POP CULTURE 1955-1979.

Jon Savage’s The Secret Public-How The LGBTQ+ Aesthetic Shaped Pop Culture 1955-1979. Label: Ace. Format: CD. Release Date: 31st May 2024. Ever since the birth of rock ’n’ roll, homosexuality has been part of popular music. However, in the fifties, it wasn’t talked about openly. That was the case right through to the sixties, where …

Continue reading

FREDDIE SCOTT-THE VERY BEST OF FREDDIE SCOTT.

Freddie Scott-The Very Best Of Freddy Scott. Label: Playback Records. Format: CD. Freddie Scott was born on April ’24th,’ 1933, in Providence, Rhode Island. Music was part of his life from an early age. He sang around the house, at school, at church and by the time he was twelve, he was touring England with …

Continue reading

JOHNNY ADAMS-RELEASE ME.

Johnny Adams-Release Me. Label: Playback Records. Format: CD. Johnny Adams’ recording career lasted exactly forty years. His career began in early 1958, when he released his first single ‘I Won’t Cry’ on Ric. It was a hit single in New Orleans and the Southern states. For the twenty-six year old soul man this was the …

Continue reading

BOB STANLEY PRESENTS LONDON A TO Z 1962 TO 1973.

Bob Stanley Presents London A To Z 1962 To 1973. Label: Ace Records. Format: CD. Release Date: ‘29th’ September 2023. During a discussion on the ‘20th’ September, 1777, Samuel Johnson said: “Why, Sir, you find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, …

Continue reading

CULT CLASSIC: THE COUNT BISHOPS-THE COUNT BISHOPS.

Cult Classic: The Count Bishops-The Count Bishops. During 1977, a genre that has continued to divide opinion was at the peak of its popularity, punk. This anti music was championed by critics and cultural commentators who were willing to overlook that many of the musical charlatans within punk bands could barely play their instruments and …

Continue reading

TRIBAL RITES OF THE NEW SATURDAY NIGHT-BROOKLYN DISCO 1974-5.

Tribal Rites Of The New Saturday Night-Brooklyn Disco 1974-5. Label: Ace Records. Release Date: 30th June 2023. Londonderry-born writer Nik Cohn moved to New York in 1975, and started writing for New York magazine. One of his first assignments was documenting a new underground movement in the clubs of Brooklyn and Queens. These discos were …

Continue reading

MILLIE JACKSON-MILLIE JACKSON

Millie Jackson-Millie Jackson. Growing up, life wasn’t easy for Millie Jackson. She was born in the city of Thomson, in Georgia, on July the ’15th’ 1944. Her father was a sharecropper and worked long hours for little reward. Life was tough for the Jackson family, and got tougher when Millie Jackson’s mother became ill and …

Continue reading

28 LITTLE BANGERS FROM RICHARD HAWLEY’S JUKEBOX.

28 Little Bangers From Richard Hawley’s Jukebox. Label: Ace Records. Format: CD. Release Date: ‘26th’ May 2023. 28 Little Bangers From Richard Hawley’s Jukebox is the first volume of the Sheffield-born singer-songwriter’s favourite singles. These are singles he’s collected during crate-digging expeditions as he’s travelled the globe. This includes singles he’s discovered in thrift shops …

Continue reading

WILLIAM BELL-THE MAN IN THE STREET.

William Bell-The Man In The Street. Label: Kent Soul. Format: CD. Southern Soul man William Bell was born William Yarbrough on July the ’16th’ 1939, in Memphis, Tennessee. Growing up, he sang in church and was inspired by the gospel group The Soul Stirrers, who at the time, were led by Sam Cooke. By the …

Continue reading

LOMA NORTHERN SOUL-CLASSICS AND REVELATIONS 1964-1968.

Loma Northern Soul-Classics and Revelations 1964-1968. Label: Kent Soul. Format: CD. Release Date: ‘27th’ January 2023. The Loma Records’ story began in March 1964. That was when Mike Maitland, the Warner Bros president, announced that the label was launching a new imprint. It was to be managed by former PR man and record producer Bob …

Continue reading

WHERE SOUL BEGINS…KENT MODERN-FOR DANCERS FORTY.

Where Soul Begins…Kent Modern-For Dancers Forty. Label: Kent Soul. Format: CD. Release Date: 25th November 2022. In 1982, a new label, Kent Records, released its first ever compilation, For Dancers Only to widespread critical acclaim. It was released to critical acclaim and was hailed a commercial success. This landmark compilation was also the start of …

Continue reading

A SNAPSHOT IN TIME.

A Snapshot In Time. Ace Records. Format: CD. Ever since the birth of rock ’n’ roll,  youth cults have come and gone. Some have proven to be nothing more than passing fads that nowadays, and nowadays, are mere footnotes in cultural history. Some youth cults have endured and played an important part in British culture. However, …

Continue reading