Category Archives: R&B
DIRTY WORK GOING ON-KENT AND MODERN RECORDS BLUES INTO THE 60s VOL 1.
Dirty Work Going On-Kent and Modern Records Blues Into The 60s Vol 1. Label: Ace. Format: CD. As the fifties gave way to the sixties, musical tastes were changing and soul music’s popularity started to grow. By then, new labels were being launched across America and labels like Stax, Atlantic and Motown were among the …
NEW BREED R&B-SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIAL.
New Breed R&B-Saturday Night Special. Label: Kent Dance. Format: CD. In 2001, Ady Croasdell coined the phrase New Breed R&B when he was compiling a new compilation for Kent Dance. This was New Breed R&B: Soulful 60’s Blues For Today’s Dancers, which featured a selection of songs from the original Kent and Modern labels. When …
THE SOUL OF THE MEMPHIS BOYS.
The Soul Of The Memphis Boys. Label: Kent Soul. Somewhat belatedly, the Memphis Boys are starting to receive the recognition that they deserve. After all, they were one of the top studio groups of the sixties. They were the house band at Chips Moman’s American Studios and are up there with the studio groups at …
SHE’S ALL RIGHT WITH ME! GIRL GROUP SOUNDS USA 1961-1968.
She’s All Right With Me! Girl Group Sounds USA 1961-1968. Label: Ace Records. Format: LP. Over the last few years, Ace Records have released many lovingly curated volumes of their Beat Girl, Girl Group Sounds and Where The Girls Are compilations. Recently, Mick Patrick who is responsible for so many of these compilations, compiled She’s …
DR JOHN-DR JOHN’S GUMBO.
Dr John-Dr John’s Gumbo. Label: Music On Vinyl. Release Date: ‘29th’ May 2020. Success didn’t come overnight for the late, great Dr John. His first three albums failed to chart and his fourth album The Sun, Moon and Herbs stalled at 184 in the US Billboard 200 in August 1971. This was progress for one of music’s great survivors. He was on his way and returned in …
DR JOHN-IN A SENTIMENTAL MOOD.
Dr John-In A Sentimental Mood. Label: Music On CD. There aren’t many musicians who enjoy the longevity that the late, great Dr John enjoyed. His career lasted the best part of sixty years and he released thirty studio albums and nine live albums. Dr John also won six Grammy Awards and was inducted into the …
DR JOHN THE NIGHT TRIPPER-THE SUN, MOON AND HERBS.
Dr John The Night Tripper-The Sun, Moon and Herbs. Label: Speaker’s Corner. By July 1970, twenty-nine year old Dr John was about to begin recording his fourth album for Atco which eventually became The Sun, Moon and Herbs which has just been reissued on vinyl by Speaker’s Corner. Dr John had written six new track …
CULT CLASSIC: LONNIE MACK-THE WHAM OF THAT MEMPHIS MAN!
Cult Classic: Lonnie Mack-The Wham Of That Memphis Man! By 1963, twenty-two year old Lonnie Mack was already an experienced musician. He had been making a living as a musician since he was thirteen. That was when Lonnie Mack quit school, after getting involved in an argument with a teacher. For most thirteen year olds, this …
THE CLARK SISTERS-YOU BROUGHT THE SUNSHINE-THE SOUND OF GOSPEL RECORDINGS 1976-1981.
The Clark Sisters-You Brought The Sunshine-The Sound Of Gospel Recordings 1976-1981. Label: Ace Records. By the late-sixties, both jazz and blues were no longer as popular as they once had been. That was when it dawned on some mucicians that unless the music they loved evolved, is risked becoming irrelevant. Both jazz and blues evolved …
CULT CLASSIC: DR JOHN-DESITIVELY BONAROO.
Cult Classic: Dr John-Desitively Bonnaroo. When a copy of Dr John’s debut album Gris Gris was sent to Atlantic Records’ founder Ahmet Ertegun he disliked the album so much, that he was reluctant to even release the album and said: “how can we market this boogaloo crap?” This wasn’t the response that Dr John had …
CULT CLASSIC: THE BONNIWELL MUSIC MACHINE-THE BONNIWELL MUSIC MACHINE.
Cult Classic: The Bonniwell Music Machine-The Bonniwell Music Machine. In 1955, Sean Bonniwell’s life changed when he heard The Platters’ Only You and decided to become a musician. Eventually, his dream became a reality, and he became one of the most influential and innovative musicians of the mid-sixties. With his band The Bonniwell Music Machine, Sean …
THE LONDON AMERICAN LABEL YEAR BY YEAR 1967.
The London American Label Year By Year 1967. Label: Ace Records. For a generation of British teenagers who embarked upon a lifelong love affair with music during the fifties and sixties, the London American Recordings will forever have a place in their heart. London American Recordings was the label that introduced a British music lovers …
JIMMY HOLIDAY-THE ACCIDENTAL SINGER-SONGWRITER AND ONE OF MUSIC’S BEST KPET SECRETS.
Jimmy Holiday-The Accidental Singer-Songwriter and One Of Music’s Best Kept Secrets. Jimmy Holiday never set out to make a career out of music, and instead, he wanted to be a boxer. He got as far as fighting in the annual Golden Gloves competition, and then Jimmy started to get beat. That wasn’t in his plans. Realising he was …
HORN ROCK AND FUNKY GUITAR GROOVES 1968-1974.
Horn Rock and Funky Guitar Grooves 1968-1974. Label: BGP. Nowadays, music historians regard 1968 as the year that American rock returned to its soulful roots. The man responsible, was one of the true legends of music, Bob Dylan, who joined forces with The Band, and they went in search of a chimerical America, and what …
FAREWELL DR JOHN AND A GUIDE TO HIS MUSIC:PART 1-THE ATCO YEARS 1968-1974.
Farewell Dr John and A Guide To His Music: Part 1: The Atco Years 1968-1974. A month ago, on the ‘6th’ of July 2019, Dr John, who was born Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. on November the 20th 1941, in New Orleans, which he still called home, passed away aged seventy-seven. That day, music lost one of the greatest musicians of his generation. The next day I …
RHYTHM AND BLUESIN’ BY THE BAYOU-BOP CAT STOMP.
Rhythm and Bluesin’ By The Bayou-Bop Cat Stomp. Label: Ace Records. Nowadays, the compilation market is without doubt, one of the most competitive in the music industry. Every week hundreds of compilations are released by labels in America, Europe and Britain. Some are released by major labels, while others are lovingly curated and released by …