0 Beat-Master Bo Diddley

• Biography
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 05/17/2007

Bo Diddley's publicist says the singer is hospitalized and in "guarded" condition after suffering a stroke. He's in intensive care and his condition is listed as guarded. Diddley is a 78 year old pop music icon of enormous influence, who continues to perform and thrill fans. His last performance was this past Sunday, May 13, in Council Bluffs, Iowa. His songs have been covered and recorded by the Rolling Stones, the Animals, Manfred Mann, the Kinks, the Yardbirds, Quicksilver Messenger Service, the Doors, Tom Rush, and Bob Seger, (among many others). Diddley's custom-made rectangular guitar, and his playing style, complete with distorted amplification, became a trademark by the mid 1950?s. He was born in McComb, Mississippi, on December 30, 1928. Ellas McDaniel, also known as Bo, received his nickname from his early years as a boxer. He played the blues clubs of Chicago, Illinois, in the 1940's and 1950's. Diddley's early legendary recordings were made for the Chess label. His collection of hits include "Who Do You Love," "Hey! Bo Diddley," "Pretty Thing," and "Hush Your Mouth." Bo played on several Chuck Berry classics including "Memphis, Tennessee," and "Sweet Little Rock N' Roller." Diddley's 1959 "Say Man" was a rap styled dialogue 20 years ahead of its time. In 1962, he performed for President John F. Kennedy at a private set at the White House. He toured Great Britain in the 1960's and 1970's, performing on shows with the Everly Brothers, the Rolling Stones, and the Clash. Diddley continued his presence through the 1980's, with a film appearance in Eddie Murphy's Trading Places (1983). Bo's music was featured in films including La Bamba (1987), and Dirty Dancing, (1987). Diddley was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. He performed for President George Bush at the Inaugural Gala in 1989. Diddley rocked at 1992's Democratic National Convention celebration for Bill Clinton. In February of 1996, Bo Diddley received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, an acknowledgment, for among other accomplishments, pioneering the famous "Bo Diddley beat." 2021 Update: Bo Diddley passed away on June 2, 2008. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Felton Pilate's Con Funk Shun Energy

• Website
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 05/15/2007

Con Funk Shun - (left to right), Ron Moton, Eric "EQ" Young, Michael Cooper, Karl Fuller, Felton Pilate, Brian Collier, Kurt "KC" Clayton. High school friends Michael Cooper, Louis "Tony" McCall, Karl Fuller, Paul "Maceo" Harrell, Dennis Johnson, Cedric Martin, and Danny "Sweet Man" Thomas formed the original Con Funk Shun in Vallejo, California. Felton Pilate would join the group soon after. Con Funk Shun worked with the Stax label in the early 1970's as the backup band for the Soul Children. Mercury Records signed Con Funk Shun in 1976. "Ffun," their first hit, was written by Michael Cooper. Cooper and Pilate would eventually share the lead vocal work on most of the Con Funk Shun hits. I've always admired the style, sound, and precision of this group. They definitely are a crowd pleaser. Con Funk Shun Entree: "Ffun" "Got to be Enough" "Love's Train" "Indian Summer Love" (instrumental) Previous Post | Next Post

0 10 Classic Soul Picks for Mother's Day

• Songs
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 05/12/2007

"A Real Mother For Ya" - Johnny Guitar Watson "I'll Always Love My Mama" - Intruders "(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean" - Ruth Brown "Mama Told Me Not To Come" - Wilson Pickett "Mama Used To Say" - Jr. "Mama's Pearl" - Jackson 5 "Mom" - Earth Wind & Fire "Mother Dear" - Supremes "Sadie" - Spinners "Tell Mama" - Etta James Put these on your Mom's iPod, or burn them to a CD. When it comes to classic soul, Mom never sounded better! Previous Post | Next Post

0 Are The Whispers Unappreciated?

• Commentary
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 05/10/2007

Belinda R.-T. submitted this comment:"Let's see, we have the Grammy Awards, The American Music Awards, The Essence Awards, The NAACP Image Awards and more importantly...The Soul Train Awards." "So why hasn't someone given the "Whispers" their due? Why hasn't an award show honored the Whispers? They are criminally under appreciated. If there is any way to get this to Don Cornelius, he needs to do this ASAP!" "And for that matter, the whole of the Solar Records roster (Lakeside, Shalamar, O'Bryan, The Sylvers and so on) should be at least recognized." OK Belinda. It goes without saying that you are a big Whispers fan, and so am I. Check out my September 2006 post about the Whispers. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Stax 50th Anniversary Show to Benefit the Stax Museum

• News
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 05/08/2007

Several Stax Record label legends are reuniting onstage Friday, June 22, 2007 at the Orpheum Theater in the shadow of Beale Street, Memphis, Tennessee. 2007 marks the 50th anniversary of Stax, the legendary hot house of southern soul. Isaac Hayes, Booker T & the MGs (featuring Steve Cropper & Duck Dunn), Eddie Floyd, William Bell, Mavis Staples, the Soul Children, and the Reddings (honoring the legacy of their father Otis Redding) will perform along with special guest Angie Stone (new to the Stax label in 2007). More Stax stars and special guests are still to be announced. Proceeds from the Orpheum extravaganza will benefit the Stax Museum of American Soul Music, the world's only soul music museum, located at the site of the old Stax headquarters on Memphis' historic McLemore Avenue. Previous Post | Next Post

0 James Brown Inspires New Classic Soul

• Commentary
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 05/03/2007

James Brown was born on May 3, 1933. Today, he would have been 74. 4 days after he passed away in 2006, I wrote an article for tbd.com called 7 Sensational James Brown Jams (2021 Update: tbd.com has shut down. We don't have the original article. Our bad!). His influence continues in the work reflected by new artists. British soul guy James Hunter, who I've recently seen perform live, borrows liberally from James Brown's vocal trademarks. On a new CD, Kaboom!, just released by The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker, the 10 tracks sound like a time warp featuring the best of James Brown inspired rhythm hooks and classic soul grunts. The legacy of the Godfather of Soul lives on. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Vocal Groups Sing Classic Soul Magic

• Website
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 05/01/2007

Before the popularity of the Motown sound, an assortment of talented vocal groups ruled the radio airwaves. Many of these legendary groups are still active today. I've chosen 3 at random who eagerly stay in touch with their fans through their compelling websites. Little Anthony and The Imperials The Platters The Coasters If you don't remember their hits, take a walk down memory lane for some real classic soul nostalgia. Previous Post | Next Post

0 John Legend Honored by Songwriters Hall of Fame

• Songs
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 04/26/2007

John Legend will be honored with the Hal David Starlight Award by the Songwriters Hall of Fame this coming June. Award recipients are gifted songwriters in the early years of their careers who are making a significant impact with their original songs. John Legend joins Rob Thomas, Alicia Keys and John Mayer (past recipients of the Hal David Starlight Award). In 2004, Legend premiered as a singer-songwriter-pianist-performer with his album Get Lifted. Get Lifted produced the hit "Ordinary People," and was a critical and commercial success, earning Legend eight Grammy nominations. He won Best New Artist, Best Male R&B Vocal Performance ("Ordinary People") and Best R&B album. In 2007, Legend won his 4th and 5th Grammy awards for Best R&B Vocal Performance for his album Once Again. John also captured the 2007 Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group Grammy for his collaboration with Van Hunt and Joss Stone on the Sly Stone tribute CD, Family Affair. Previous Post | Next Post

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

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