Tag Archives: Ace Records
DJ SNOWBOY PRESENTS THE GOOD FOOT.
DJ SNOWBOY PRESENTS THE GOOD FOOT. Mark Cotgrove was just fourteen when he made his DJ-ing debut. This was at Deanes School, in Thundersley, Essex. The future DJ Snowboy assisted his metalwork teacher on the wheels of steel. This could’ve, and should’ve, been the start of his DJ-ing career. It wasn’t. By the time Mark …
COLD COLD HEART-WHEN COUNTRY MEETS SOUL VOLUME 3.
COLD COLD HEART-WHEN COUNTRY MEETS SOUL VOLUME 3. For the past fifty years, country music has influenced soul music, and soul singers. Many soul singers grew up listening to soul music. This would later influence and help shape their careers. Later, when their careers began, many soul singers would pay homage to how country music …
NO MORE DOGGIN’ THE RPM STORY VOLUME 1 1950-53.
NO MORE DOGGIN’ THE RPM STORY VOLUME 1 1950-53. Jules Bihari, a Hollywood based musical entrepreneur, founded Modern Music with his brothers Saul, Joe and Lester in 1944. Little did anyone realise, that within a few years the nascent Modern Music would become one of the most successful independent labels. Modern Music made its name …
JIMMY HUGHES-STEAL AWAY.
JIMMY HUGHES-STEAL AWAY. Fifty years ago, Jimmy Hughes released what was the first album to bare the Fame Records logo, Steal Away. It was released after the title-track, Steal Away gave Jimmy Hughes the biggest single of his career. On its release, Steal Away gradually climbed the charts. Its rise wasn’t meteoric. Instead, it was …
HADDA BROOKES-QUEEN OF THE BOOGIE AND MORE.
HADDA BROOKES-QUEEN OF THE BOOGIE AND MORE. When Hadda Brookes released her debut single, Swingin’ the Boogie in 1945, she was billed as Queen Of The Boogie. This wasn’t hype. Far from it. Hadda Brookes was the real deal. That’s why she enjoyed the longevity that she did. Hadda’s career lasted over fifty years. She …
BILLY HAWKS-THE NEW GENIUS OF THE BLUES/HEAVY SOUL!
BILLY HAWKS-THE NEW GENIUS OF THE BLUES/HEAVY SOUL! When Bob Weinstock founded Prestige Records in 1949, he’d no idea that his nascent label would become one of the most important, influential and innovative labels in jazz music’s history. So much so, that nowadays, Prestige Records sits proudly beside Atlantic, Blue Note, Columbia, Impulse! and Verve …
DANA GILLESPIE-CAT’S MEOW.
DANA GILLESPIE-CAT’S MEOW. Dana Gillespie has packed a lot of living into her sixty-five years. She’s been an actress, singer and songwriter. Her singing career began in the mid-sixties. Initially, Dana was a folk singer. Before long, Dana became a teen pop idol and released her debut album, Foolish Seasons in1967. Since then, Dana’s musical …
L.C. COOKE-THE COMPLETE SAR RECORDINGS.
L.C. COOKE-THE COMPLETE SAR RECORDINGS. Although Sam Cooke made his name as a singer and songwriter, he was also a successful producer. So much so, that Sam formed his own record label SAR Recordings. This made sense. He needed a vehicle for the various artists he was producing. They included some big names. Among them …
THE MASQUERADERS-EVERYBODY WANNA LIVE ON.
THE MASQUERADERS-EVERYBODY WANNA LIVE ON. Although The Masqueraders’ roots can be traced back to 1958, they never released their debut album until 1975. That was the Isaac Hayes’ produced Everybody Wanna Live On, which was recently rereleased by Ace Records. Everybody Wanna Live On was the result of a long journey for the five Masqueraders. …
BLUESIN’ BY THE BAYOU-ROUGH ’N’ TOUGH.
BLUESIN’ BY THE BAYOU-ROUGH ’N’ TOUGH. Usually, when a compilation reaches its eighth instalment, the quality starts to suffer. Not the Bayou series. Just like a good wine, it appears to mature with age. That’s apparent from listening to the eighth instalment, Bluesin’ By The Bayou-Rough ’N’ Tough, which was recently released by Ace Records. …
NIGHT WALKER-THE JACK NITZSCHE STORY VOLUME 3.
NIGHT WALKER-THE JACK NITZSCHE STORY VOLUME 3. The name Jack Nitzsche means different things to different people. To some people, Jack Nitzsche is a remembered as a critically acclaimed producer and arranger. Others remember Jack as a singer and songwriter. Film fans remember Jack for the film soundtracks he composed. Then there’s a generation who …
THE CONTOURS AND DENNIS EDWARDS-JUST A LITTLE MISUNDERSTANDING-RARE AND UNISSUED MOTOWN 1965-68.
THE CONTOURS AND DENNIS EDWARDS-JUST A LITTLE MISUNDERSTANDING-RARE AND UNISSUED MOTOWN 1965-68. Three years after The Contours were founded in 1959, they were one of the biggest soul groups. Their 1962 single, Do You Love Me, reached number one and sold over one million copies. The Contours had come a long way in the two …
ROBBIE BASHO-ZARTHUS.
ROBBIE BASHO-ZARTHUS. The last time I wrote about Robbie Basho, I described him as a trendsetter and innovator. That was the case throughout his career. However, some of the most innovative and groundbreaking music Robbie Basho released was at Vanguard Records. Robbie’s Vanguard Records debut was The Voice Of The Eagle, which was released to …
PEE WEE CRAYTON-TEXAS BLUES JUMPIN’ IN LOS ANGELES.
PEE WEE CRAYTON-TEXAS BLUES JUMPIN’ IN LOS ANGELES. Musically, Pee Wee Crayton was a late developer. He only started playing the guitar seriously in 1935, when he was twenty-one. That just so happened to coincide with Pee Wee Crayton moving to Los Angeles. He’d moved to Los Angeles from Rockdale, Texas. That had been home …
MORE LOST SOUL GEMS FROM SOUNDS OF MEMPHIS.
MORE LOST SOUL GEMS FROM SOUNDS OF MEMPHIS. During the sixties and seventies, Gene Lucchesi’s Sounds Of Memphis label was one of the most important Southern Soul labels. It was one of two labels Gene founded. The other was XL Records, which he founded in 1964. A year later, in 1965, his nascent label released …
CATFISH HODGE-DIFFERENT STROKES-THE COMPLETE EASTBOUND AND WESTBOUND RECORDINGS.
CATFISH HODGE-DIFFERENT STROKES-THE COMPLETE EASTBOUND AND WESTBOUND RECORDINGS. Great things were expected of Bob “Catfish” Hodge. He was born into a musical family in Detroit, and began playing in clubs when he was still in high school. Before long, he was a regular in Detroit’s clubs. Despite not being able to read music, music came …
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