Category Archives: Soul
JIMMY HOLIDAY-THE ACCIDENTAL SINGER-SONGWRITER.
JIMMY HOLIDAY-THE ACCIDENTAL SINGER-SONGWRITER. Jimmy Holiday never set out to make a career out of music. instead, he wanted to be a boxer, and got as far as fighting in the annual Golden Gloves competition. Then Jimmy started to get beat. That wasn’t in his plans. Realising he was never going to be more than a contender, Jimmy …
KEB DARGE PRESENTS THE BEST OF LEGENDARY DEEP FUNK.
KEB DARGE PRESENTS THE BEST OF LEGENDARY DEEP FUNK. For any serious record collector, the thought of having to sell their record collection fills them with dread. Sadly, that happened to DJ and record collector extraordinaire Keb Darge. He was in the midst of a divorce, and was forced to sell of his extensive collection …
SYREETA-THE RITA WRIGHT YEARS: RARE MOTOWN 1967-1970.
SYREETA-THE RITA WRIGHT YEARS: RARE MOTOWN 1967-1970. When Rita Wright got a job as a receptionist at Motown in 1965, little did she realise that in the space of seven years her life would be transformed beyond all recognition. This transformation began when Rita Wright became producer Mickey Stevenson’s secretary. It was through him, that …
PIED PIPER -THE PINNACLE OF NORTHERN SOUL-VINYL EDITION.
PIED PIPER -THE PINNACLE OF NORTHERN SOUL-VINYL EDITION. There’s always been a degree of oneupmanship within record collecting circles. That’s still the case today, with some record collectors willing to spend thousands of pounds on a rare record. Especially within the Northern Soul scene. That’s not surprising, and has been for the best part of …
LET IT BE-BLACK AMERICA SINGS LENNON, McCARTNEY AND HARRISON.
LET IT BE-BLACK AMERICA SINGS LENNON, McCARTNEY AND HARRISON. In America, The Beatles are the best selling artists in the history of popular music. They sold an incredible, 178 million albums in America alone. What makes this all the more remarkable, was that America were latecomers to The Beatles. The first Beatles album to be …
BETTY HARRIS-THE LOST QUEEN OF NEW ORLEANS SOUL.
BETTY HARRIS-THE LOST QUEEN OF NEW ORLEANS SOUL. Betty Harris’ recording career lasted just eight years. It began in 1962 with the release of Taking Care of Business, and was over by 1970. After just three minor hit singles, Betty Harris called time on her career. The Florida born singer decided to retire from music, …
TED COLEMAN BAND-TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS-VINYL EDITION.
TED COLEMAN BAND-TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS-VINYL EDITION. It was in 1921, that the Leedy Manufacturing Company first began marketing the vibraphone in America. Since then, the distinctive sound of the vibraphone has featured on albums by Gary Burton, Milt Jackson, Roy Ayres, Bobby Hutcherson, Tito Puente and Cal Tjader. They’re among just a few of the …
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO ALICE CLARK?
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO ALICE CLARK? Far too often, hype and image has triumphed over talent. Meanwhile, commercial success and critical acclaim eludes truly talented artists. Chastened by the experience, many of these artists turn their back on the music industry. They’re content to return to civvy street, free from a world populated by A&R executives, …
SAM DEES-SOUL MUSIC’S BEST KEPT SECRET.
SAM DEES-SOUL MUSIC’S BEST KEPT SECRET. For many artists their career is a case of what might have been. That’s the case with Sam Dees. He had the talent and potential to become one of the biggest names in soul music. Sadly, Sam Dees didn’t enjoy the commercial success and critical acclaim they deserve. Instead, …
TIM MAIA 1971.
TIM MAIA 1971. Larger than life, charismatic and hugely talented describes Brazilian singer Tim Maia. He was also someone who lived life on the edge, and was determined to do things his way. Tim Maia also lived life to the full. Especially, after the success of his groundbreaking eponymous debut album. It was the first …
JAMES LUTHER DICKINSON-DIXIE FRIED.
JAMES LUTHER DICKINSON-DIXIE FRIED. All too often, artists spend days, weeks and sometimes even months recording their debut album. Eventually, the album is complete, and it’s delivered to the record company. Nervously and expectantly the artist awaits as the record company plan a marketing campaign. If the artist is signed to a major label, it …
EDWIN SANZ-OVERFLOW.
EDWIN SANZ-OVERFLOW. There aren’t many six year olds that leave home to become a dancer. That’s apart from Edwin Sanz. He was only six when he joined the Grupo Madera dance group, which promotes Afro-Caribbean and Afro-Venezuelan culture through dance and music. For the next twelve years, Edwin Sanz toured Venezuela and traversed South America and Europe. …
MARY AFI USUA-AFRICAN WOMAN.
MARY AFI USUA-AFRICAN WOMAN. When Mary Afi Usuah released her sophomore album African Woman on Clover Music in 1978, very few people outside of Nigeria heard the album. That was despite Mary Afi Usuah having performed in front of hundreds of thousands of music fans. Mary Afi Usuah had spent thirteen years touring Europe with …
SPACE ECHO-THE MYSTERY BEHIND THE COSMIC SOUND OF CABO VERDE FINALLY REVEALED!
SPACE ECHO-THE MYSTERY BEHIND THE COSMIC SOUND OF CABO VERDE FINALLY REVEALED! In the spring of 1968, dockers in Baltimore, loaded cargo onto a ship bound for Rio De Janeiro, in Brazil. For the dockers, it was just another day at the “office.” This was what they did, day in, day out. No longer did …
TIM MAIA: WORLD PSYCHEDELIC CLASSICS 4: NOBODY CAN LIVE FOREVER: THE EXISTENTIAL SOUL OF TIM MAIA.
TIM MAIA: WORLD PSYCHEDELIC CLASSICS 4: NOBODY CAN LIVE FOREVER: THE EXISTENTIAL SOUL OF TIM MAIA. Tim Maia was unlike most singers. Not only was he hugely talented and charismatic, but each day, he lived life on the edge. Defiantly, Tim Maia lived each day as if it was his last. By then, he was a cult hero in …
WILLIAM ONYEAEBOR MUSICIAN AND MAN OF MYSTERY.
WILLIAM ONYEAEBOR MUSICIAN AND MAN OF MYSTERY. Enigmatic. That’s the perfect word to describe synth funk pioneer, William Onyeabor. He is, without doubt, one of the most mysterious and elusive musicians. There’s a good reason for this, Much of William Onyeabor’s life is shrouded in mystery. After releasing eight albums between 1978 and 1985, William Onyeabor became …
dereksmusicblog
