Category Archives: Soul
DEE DEE WARWICK-FOOLISH FOOL.
DEE DEE WARWICK-FOOLISH FOOL. Although Dee Dee Warwick’s career started in 1963 when she recorded You’re No Good for Jubilee Records, produced by Leiber and Stoller, it wasn’t until she signed for Mercury Records and began working with producer Ed Townsend that her career took-off. Before that, Dee Dee had recorded for a variety of …
THE DYNAMIC SUPERIORS-YOU NAME IT.
THE DYNAMIC SUPERIORS-YOU NAME IT. Although The Dynamic Superiors were formed in 1963, it wasn’t until 1975 that they signed to Motown Records. It was for Motown, that The Dynamic Superiors released four of their five albums. For their first two 1975 albums The Dynamic Superiors and Rare Pleasure, Ashford and Simpson produced these albums. …
ODYSSEY-HANG TOGETHER.
ODYSSEY-HANG TOGETHER. Not only was Odyssey’s 1977 eponymous debut album Odyssey, the group’s most successful album, it featured their biggest hit single, Native New Yorker. This was a song that would forever become synonymous with Odyssey, reaching number twelve in the US Billboard 100 and number six in the US R&B Charts. Spurred on by …
CISSY HOUSTON-PRESENTING CISSY HOUSTON.
CISSY HOUSTON-PRESENTING CISSY HOUSTON. During Cissy Houston’s long musical career, she’s worked with some of the biggest artists in music, singing backing vocals on some of the biggest most successful albums. This includes Aretha Franklin’s Lady Soul, Van Morrison’s Moondance, Donny Hathaway’s Donny Hathaway and David Bowie’s Young Americans. That’s not forgetting albums by Roberta …
ENCHANTMENT-ENCHANTMENT.
ENCHANTMENT-ENCHANTMENT. After being formed in 1966 at Detroit’s Pershing High School, Enchantment signed their recording contract in 1969. This came about when the group won a local talent contest sponsored by the local Detroit radio station WCHB. However, it would be another eight years before the group would release their debut album Enchantment, which will …
BILLY PAUL-GOING EAST.
BILLY PAUL-GOING EAST. After releasing Feelin’ Good At the Cadillac Club on Gamble Records in 1968 and Ebony Woman on Neptune in 1970, Billy Paul signed to a newly formed label in Philadelphia, founded by two songwriters, musicians and producers. The label was Philadelphia International Records and the two founders were Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff. …
THE MANHATTANS-THE MANHATTANS.
THE MANHATTANS-THE MANHATTANS. By the time The Manhattans were about to release their seventh album The Manhattans, success had eluded the group. The most successful of their six previous albums had been their previous album 1974s There’s No Me Without You, which reached number 150 in the US Billboard 200 and number nineteen in the …
BILL WITHERS-JUST AS I AM.
BILL WITHERS-JUST AS I AM. How Bill Withers came to become one of the biggest artists of the seventies and eighties, is a fascinating story. Born in 1938, in Slab Fork, West Virginia, Bill’s father died when he was twelve years old. Aged eighteen, Bill joined the US Navy, where he spent nine years. It …
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 …
THE FUTURES-PAST, PRESENT AND THE FUTURES.
THE FUTURES-PAST, PRESENT AND THE FUTURES. While reviewing the forthcoming Philadelphia International Records-The 40th Anniversary Box Set and the recently released Philadelphia International Records-The Tom Moulton Remixes, I came across tracks by The Futures, a group who were one of Philadelphia International Records’ nearly men. They released two albums for Philadelphia International, 1978s Past, Present …
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. …
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