Tag Archives: The Sweethearts of Sigma
CULT CLASSIC: THE MANHATTANS-THERE’S NO ME WITHOUT YOU.
Cult Classic: The Manhattans-There’s No Me Without You. Like so many other soul groups, success took time to come The Manhattans’ way. The Manhattans had already released seven albums before making a commercial breakthrough with 1976s The Manhattans. It was certified gold, and 1977s It Feels So Good and 1980s After Midnight repeated the feat. However, …
THE MANHATTANS-THERE’S NO ME WITHOUT YOU.
THE MANHATTANS-THERE’S NO ME WITHOUT YOU. Like so many other groups, success took time to come The Manhattans’ way. Indeed, The Manhattans released seven albums before making a commercial breakthrough with 1976s The Manhattans. It was certified gold, and 1977s It Feels So Good and 1980s After Midnight repeated the feat. However, before their 1976 …
DISCO RECHARGE-JOHN DAVIS AND THE MONSTER ORCHESTRA-NIGHT AND DAY AND UP JUMPED THE DEVIL.
DISCO RECHARGE-JOHN DAVIS AND THE MONSTER ORCHESTRA-NIGHT AND DAY AND UP JUMPED THE DEVIL. One of the phenomenon’s of the disco era, was the arrival of the disco orchestra. Obviously, the best known and without doubt, best, and most successful was The Salsoul Orchestra. It was founded by Vince Montana Jr, in 1975 and played …
CAROL WILLIAMS-‘LECTRIC LADY.
CAROL WILLIAMS-‘LECTRIC LADY. In late 1975, Carol Williams became the first Lady of of Salsoul. Carol, one of the original disco divas, became the first female singer to sign for Salsoul. At Salsoul Records, Carol worked with Vince Montana Jr, the man behind the rise and rise of The Salsoul Orchestra. With Vince at her side, Carol Williams disco …
THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA-HOW HIGH.
THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA-HOW HIGH. The Salsoul Orchestra were formed in 1974 by members of Philadelphia International Records’ legendary studio band M.F.S.B. They left Philadelphia International Records after a dispute with Gamble and Huff over finances. Gamble and Huff’s loss would prove to be Salsoul’s gain. It’s fair to say that between their formation in 1974 …
THE DETROIT SPINNERS-MIGHTY LOVE.
THE DETROIT SPINNERS-MIGHTY LOVE. When The Detroit Spinners signed for Atlantic Records and hooked up with producer Thom Bell there was a huge turnaround in their fortunes. Their first two albums, 1967s The Original Spinners and 2nd Time Around in 1970, hadn’t been commercial a success. Only 2nd Time Around had charted, reaching number 199 …
MAJOR HARRIS-MY WAY.
MAJOR HARRIS-MY WAY. For a member of a successful group, it’s always a risk to leave and embark upon a solo career. Often, the success they’ve enjoyed becomes a distant memory. Conversely, the success they’ve enjoyed is often surpassed upon embarking on a solo career. Everyone will have examples when an artists decision to embark …
WILSON PICKETT IN PHILADELPHIA.
WILSON PICKETT IN PHILADELPHIA. By 1970, when Wilson Pickett released Wilson Pickett In Philadelphia, his recording career was eight years old. He’d released his debut single If You Need Me in 1962, and since then, had enjoyed four number one US R&B singles. The first of these was his 1965 classic In The Midnight Hour, …
THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA-UP THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD.
THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA-UP THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD. For Salsoul Records and The Salsoul Orchestra, Up The Yellow Brick Road would prove to be the end of an era. Up The Yellow Brick Road proved to be last Salsoul Orchestra arranged, produced and featuring the sound of vibes virtuoso Vince Montana Jr. It also proved to …
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY-LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY.
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY-LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY. When Loleatta Holloway came to record her fifth album, and third for Gold Mind Records Loleatta Holloway, she encountered a very different company. Gone was Norman Harris who’d previously run Gold Mind and who’d been at Loleatta’s side every step of the way, during her Gold Mind career. Norman Harris wasn’t the …
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY-QUEEN OF THE NIGHT.
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY-QUEEN OF THE NIGHT. Having signed Loleatta Holloway to Gold Mind Records in 1976, Loleatta’s producer and mentor Norman Harris set about giving Loleatta a makeover. He started transforming the Southern Soul singer in the a disco diva on her debut album Loleatta. After her Sasloul debut Loleatta was released, Loleatta Holloway’s makeover to …
CHARO AND THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA-CUCHI-CUCHI.
CHARO AND THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA-CUCHI-CUCHI. Having been discovered by bandleader Xavier Cugat Maria del Rosario Mercedes Pilar Martinez Molina Baeza, or Charo as she became, went on to become one of the highest paid performers in America during the early seventies. Reputedly, actress, singer and guitarist Charo was paid as much as Rat Pack members …
THE A-Z OF THE BEST REISSUES OF 2013 PART 6.
THE A-Z OF THE BEST REISSUES OF 2013 PART 6. THE CURTIS COUNCE QUINTET-EXPLORING THE FUTURE. One of jazz’s best kept secrets is hard bop and West Coast jazz double bassist Curtis Counce. He may not have enjoyed the longevity of many of his contemporaries, but was one of the leading lights of West Coast …
HAROLD MELVIN AND THE BLUE NOTES-REACHING FOR THE WORLD.
HAROLD MELVIN AND THE BLUE NOTES-REACHING FOR THE WORLD. Wake Up Everybody marked the end of an era for Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes. Not only was To Be True the last Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes’ album to feature Teddy Pendergrass, but it was their last album to be released on Philadelphia International …
THE SPINNERS-COULD IT BE I’M FALLING IN LOVE.
THE SPINNERS-COULD IT BE I’M FALLING IN LOVE. Forty years ago, on the 9th November 1973, Could It Be I’m Falling In Love, the third single from The Spinners’ third album Spinners, reached number one in the US R&B Charts and number four in the US Billboard 200. It sold over one million copies and …
THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA-MAGIC JOURNEY.
THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA-MAGIC JOURNEY. By 1977, The Salsoul Orchestra had established their reputation as disco’s premier orchestra. They’d been formed in 1975, and had already released a trio of albums, where disco, Philly Soul, funk, jazz, Latin and classical music were seamlessly fused. Much of the emphasis was on individual members stepping into spotlight and …
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY-LOVE SENSATION.
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY-LOVE SENSATION. There’s a certain symmetry that in return for Loleatta Holloway adding a vocal on what became one of Dan Hartman’s biggest hit singless, Relight My Fire, that Dan returned this favor by writing one of Loleatta’s most successful singles, Love Sensation. This story starts back in 1979, when Dan Hartman was about …
BUNNY SIGLER-LET ME PARTY WITH YOU.
BUNNY SIGLER-LET ME PARTY WITH YOU. Bunny Sigler seemed to have been around the Philadelphia music scene forever, by the time he signed to Norman Harris’ new label Gold Mind Records, where he’d release his fifth album Let Me Party With You in 1978. Eleven years before, Bunny had released his debut album Let the …
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