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- Concerts
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 03/29/2023
Folks were flocking into the record store. I was excited to see scores of music lovers throwing down their dollar bills. Forty-five-RPM-fans were even rewarded (by getting some change back) for grabbing vinyl singles. One particular song you are about to discover was very popular! I was eighteen years old working part-time at Triboro Records in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. Singer - songwriter Rufus Thomas was in the spotlight. Thomas had a two-year run with a lot of hits during my tenure selling musical delights at the store. Thomas was no stranger to the record game. His first charted R&B hit was "Bear Cat" in 1953. Ten years later he dropped "The Dog" and "Walking The Dog" into the marketplace. After another seven year lull, Rufus, the father of singers Carla and Vaneese Thomas was back with a vengeance. With the exception of "Bear Cat," all of the Rufus Thomas hits were recorded by Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee. Mr. Thomas had a solid history in the town. He was a WDIA AM Memphis radio DJ from 1953 - 1974. For a deeper Stax background, see these two updates: Stax 50 Delivers Classic Soul Grand Slam Hits and The 20 Best Stax Records Songs Stax should get as much reverence as Motown or Philadelphia International Records receives. Often, because of the bluesy core of their music, Stax doesn't. Then again, number one Stax pop crossover hits weren’t poppin' as much as their Philly and their Detroit brethren. The very popular Rufus Thomas song I alluded too is “(Do The) Push And Pull Part 1.” It spent fifteen weeks on the R&B charts and was a number one song for two weeks in December, 1970. Songs with suggestive titles always do well. The double entendre goes into overdrive. "My Ding-a-Ling,” Chuck Berry’s number one pop hit cover," and “Milkshake” by Kelis, a number four R&B hit are two additional examples. When a song connected with an audience, I could tell. Streams of fans would come to the record store and pay money to pick up and take home discs. While I worked at Triboro Records, "(Do The) Push And Pull Part 1" was a big Rufus Thomas favorite. "Woman To Woman" by Shirley Brown, a number one R&B song in 1974 was another chart topper that I distinctly remember generating an avalanche of sales at the record store. The back cover of my Mom's Rufus Thomas "Walking The Dog" album from 1963. Back to Stax. 2023 is the 50th Anniversary of the WattStax music festival held at the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1972. The plan is to re-release recordings and some video of the L-A event. Here's a terrific look back at WattStax on its 50th Anniversary by NPR. Previous Post | Next Post
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0 4 More Concerts for Soulful Summer Sounds
- Concerts
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 06/01/2010
Here are 4 more (international) concert picks for classic soul fans to enjoy. Smokey Robinson Saturday, June 12, 2010 Avalon Ballroom Theatre Fallsview Casino Resort Niagara Falls, ON, Canada 9:00 pm Lionel Richie Friday, June 25 Salle Wilfrid- Pelletier / Place Des Arts Montreal, QC, Canada 7:00 pm Angelique Kidjo Thursday, July 1 Toronto Star Stage at Nathan Phillips Square Toronto, ON, Canada 8:00 pm Erykah Badu Tuesday, July 13 Heineken Music Hall Amsterdam, Netherlands 8:00 pm Previous Post | Next Post
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0 4 Concerts for Soulful Summer Sounds
- Concerts
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 05/27/2010
Summertime will be here in just a few short weeks. Here are 4 USA concert picks for classic soul fans in each region around the country. Next time, 4 international picks. Jill Scott / Maxwell Friday, June 4, 2010 Oracle Arena Oakland, CA 7:00 pm Patti LaBelle Saturday, June 12 Miller Stage Milwaukee, WI 10:00 pm Erykah Badu Monday, June 14 Verizon Theatre At Grand Prairie Grand Prairie, TX 7:30 pm Earth, Wind & Fire Thursday, June 24 Uptown Ampitheatre at The Music Factory Charlotte, NC 7:30 pm Previous Post | Next Post
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0 Sister Sledge featuring Kathy Sledge Marches On
- Concerts
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 04/20/2009
Lead vocalist Kathy, along with her siblings Joni, Kim, and Debbie, used the Chic "Le Freak" rhythms of Edwards & Rodgers along with "We Are Family" values to power Philadelphia's Sister Sledge to the top of the charts. Today, Kathy keeps the beat going with her solo group Sister Sledge featuring Kathy Sledge. Attention Thursday night party people. Ms. Sledge lands in Hammond, Indiana at Horseshoe, just 20 minutes from downtown Chicago on April 30th, 2009, for a 7:30 pm performance at The Venue. The Venue opened in August, 2008, and has featured Alicia Keys, Gladys Knight, and others. Previous Post | Next Post
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0 Narada Michael Walden Foundation brings Sunshine Concert to San Francisco
- Concerts
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 04/09/2009
On the observance of Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, 2009, producer, musician and songwriter Narada Michael Walden will present Let the Sunshine In, a concert featuring: Mary Wilson (former Supreme) Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. (5th Dimension fame) Sting Earl Klugh Tevin Campbell Bob Weir (Grateful Dead) Maestro Michael Morgan David Grisman Shanice Wilson Lisa Fisher Jeanie Tracy Ralphe Armstrong Dale "Satchmo" Powers The Narada Michael Walden Band Several other musicians will participate. This special event will benefit Oakland, California's Christopher Rodriguez, an innocent 11 year old victim of gun violence, who was hit by a stray bullet while at a piano lesson and who is now partially paralyzed. The concert, to be held at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, will also support the scholarship fund of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and benefit the work of the Narada Michael Walden Foundation. Previous Post | Next Post
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0 Stevie Wonder & Aretha Franklin to Headline the King Dream Concert
- Concerts
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 07/26/2007
With another $20 million needed to finish the Martin Luther King Jr. Washington, DC National Memorial, the race is on to capture more support for the project. Radio City Music Hall in New York City will host the Dream Concert on Tuesday, September 18, 2007, at 8pm to benefit the DC King Memorial. Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Carlos Santana, Jessye Norman, Bebe & Cece Winans, and Robin Thicke will perform. Garth Brooks, Queen Latifah, Joss Stone, and Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds will also share the stage. Whoopi Goldberg will be a guest presenter for the evening. Tickets go on sale Monday, July 30th, at 9am, and are priced at $250, $500 and $1,000. The Martin Luther King Jr. Washington DC National Memorial project is running out of time to secure the rest of the money needed to finish construction. Groundbreaking took place on November 13, 2006 for the $100 million project. Muhammad Ali, Angela Bassett, Jamie Foxx, Cuba Gooding Jr., Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Kerry Washington, Ben Affleck, Shaquille O'Neal, LaDanian Tomlinson, and former New York City Mayor David Dinkins are on the host committee. Previous Post | Next Post
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0 Stephanie Mills Steps Out with Classic Soul Style
- Concerts
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 07/08/2007
5 Stephanie Mills Favorites: "Never Knew Love Like This Before" "Whatcha Gonna Do with My Lovin'" "Deeper" "Sweet Sensation" "Feel the Fire" Hit music maker and former star of Broadway's The Wiz Stephanie Mills steps out on the following 8 dates to share with you some sunshine during the remainder of 2007: July 14, Nashville, TN July 15, Louisville, KY July 20, Alabama July 21, Oklahoma City, OK July 28, Washington DC - Constitution Hall (with The Whispers) August 4, Atlanta, GA September 28, New York City - B.B. King's October 27, New York - North Fork Theater, Long Island You'll catch some delightful moments when you catch up with Stephanie Mills. Previous Post | Next Post
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0 Earth Wind & Fire 2007 Summer Tour
- Concerts
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 06/05/2007
Here are June and July 2007 tour dates for Earth Wind & Fire. June: Tuesday, June 5, Vienna, VA - Wolf Trap Thursday, June 7, Portsmouth, VA - Harbor Center Tuesday, June 12, Sterling Heights, MI - Freedom Hill Amphitheater Wednesday, June 13, Kettering, OH - Fraze Pavilion Friday, June 15, Chattanooga, TN - Riverbend Festival Saturday, June 16, Birmingham, AL - City Stages Sunday, June 17, Biloxi, MS - Beau Rivage Casino Tuesday, June 19, Fayetteville, AR - Arkansas Music Pavilion Friday, June 22, Aspen, CO - Jazz Festival Saturday, June 23, Rio Rancho , NM - Santa Ana Star Center Sunday, June 24, Prescott, AZ - Toyota Center Tuesday, June 26, Del Mar, CA - County Fair Wednesday, June 27, Phoenix, AZ - Dodge Theater Thursday, June 28, Tucson, AZ July: Tuesday, July 3, San Jauncito, CA - Soboba Casino Friday, July 6, Kelsieville, CA - Konocti Field Amphitheater Saturday, July 7, Bakersfield, CA - Brighthouse Amphitheater Sunday, July 8, Murphy's , CA - Iron Stone Winery Tuesday, July 10, Fresno, CA - Sarroyan Theater Friday, July 13, Lake Tahoe, CA - Harvey's Arena Saturday, July 14, Oakland, CA - Paramount Theater Sunday, July, 15, Costa Mesa, CA - OC Fair Wednesday, July 18, Sacramento, CA - Community Center Theater Friday, July, 20, Grand Ronde , OR - Spirit Mountain Casino Saturday, July 21, Grand Ronde , OR - Spirit Mountain Casino Sunday, July 22, Seattle, WA - Chateau Winery Previous Post | Next Post
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0 Concert Payday for B'Day & Beyonce'
- Concerts
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 04/25/2007
It's the repackaging of Beyonce' tunes, just in time for busy B's world tour experience, sponsored by Samsung and L'Oreal Paris. Her B'Day CD is being reissued with some new songs, including Spanish versions. B'Day is also getting a companion DVD with 8 music videos. Dig deep into your wallet, and line up for tickets now! Official Dates for Beyonce's 2007 North American Tour: Friday, July 6 - New Orleans, LA Superdome Saturday, July 7 - Memphis, TN FedEx Forum Sunday, July 8 - St. Louis, MO Savvis Center Wednesday, July 11 - Monterrey, Mexico Monterrey Arena Friday, July 13 - Dallas, TX American Airlines Center Saturday, July 14 - Houston, TX Toyota Center Sunday, July 15 - San Antonio, TX AT&T Center Wednesday, July 18 - Nashville, TN Gaylord Entertainment Center Friday, July 20 - Atlanta, GA Philips Arena Saturday, July 21 - Tampa, FL St. Pete Times Forum Sunday, July 22 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL Bank Atlantic Center Monday, July 24 - Orlando, FL AMWAY Arena Friday, July 27 - Charlotte, NC Bobcat Arena Saturday, July 28 - Raleigh, NC RBC Center Sunday, July 29 - Hampton, VA Hampton Coliseum Tuesday, July 31 - Albany, NY Pepsi Arena Wednesday, August 1 - Uncasville, CT Mohegan Sun Thursday, August 2 - To be announced Friday, August 3 - Meadowlands, NJ Continental Airline Arena Saturday, August 4 - NYC Madison Square Garden Wednesday, August 8 - Baltimore, MD 1st Mariner Arena Thursday, August 9 - Washington DC Verizon Center Friday, August 10 - Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Center Saturday, August 11 - Atlantic City, NJ (Trump Taj Mahal Arena) Sunday, August 12 - Boston, MA Fleet Center Tuesday, August 14 - Montreal, Quebec Canada Bell Centre Wednesday, August 15 - Toronto, Ontario Air Canada Friday, August 17 - Detroit, MI Palace Saturday, August 18 - Chicago, IL United Center Sunday, August 19 - Cleveland, OH Quicken Arena Wednesday, August 22 - Denver, CO Pepsi Arena Friday, August 24 - Phoenix, AZ US Airways Center Saturday, August 25 - Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Sunday, August 26 - San Diego, CA (venue TBD) Thursday, August 30 - Lake Tahoe, CA Harrah's Outdoor Theatre Friday, August 31 - Oakland, CA Oakland Arena Saturday, September 1 - Anaheim, CA Honda Center Sunday, September 2 - Los Angeles, CA Staples Center Wednesday, September 5 - TBD Thursday, September 6 - Calgary, Canada Pengrowth Saddledome Friday, September 7 - Vancouver, Canada GM Place Previous Post | Next Post
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0 Ashford & Simpson bring classic soul back to the Apollo
- Concerts
- by Kingsley H. Smith
- 04/24/2007
Nick Ashford & Valerie Simpson are appearing this Saturday, April 21st, at the world famous Apollo Theatre in New York City. Melba Moore joins the dynamic duo for an evening of classic soul hits. Special thanks to Ron Richardson who tipped us off about this show back on March 1, 2007. Previous Post | Next Post