0 Howard Hewett Heads back to the Spotlight

• News
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 09/14/2006

Former Shalamar member Howard Hewett has been what he calls a "weekend warrior" these past few years, performing over 120 live shows annually for fans. His history of hitmaking includes "I'm For Real," his first #1 hit in 1986, "Stay," "I Commit To Love," "Strange Relationship," "Once, Twice, Three Times," and "Show Me." Hewett's fans also can't get enough of his original modern gospel classic "Say Amen." He released the inspirational album The Journey in 2003, and has recorded over the years with Babyface, George Duke, Brian Culbertson, Joe Sample, and The Rippingtons. Hewett is cool with the term "comeback" to describe the new project he's currently writing and recording for Groove Records. Howard is co-executive producing the as yet untitled album, his first strictly R&B/pop recording since 1994's It's Time, with Ralph Johnson, the Grammy winning Hall of Famer and founding member of Earth, Wind & Fire. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Southern Soul Sweetheart Candi Staton

• Biography
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 09/13/2006

Highlights from Candi Staton's official biography... There are southern soul voices and there are southern soul voices. Raw and ravaged, Candi Staton's is one of the signature sounds of the genre. It's a voice with a tear in it, the cry of a woman wounded by life, by men, by woes turned inward. Born Canzetta Maria Staton in Hanceville, Alabama, Candi was from a farming family. When they weren't harvesting crops or picking cotton, they were in church. As a child, Staton sang in the choir. "The crowds would get very emotional," she recalls. "At the time I didn't really know why they were crying so much...once I remember, the audience got so emotional, throwing their pocket books at my feet and so on, that I got really scared and ran off to my mother." Her brother dared her to sing on amateur night at the 27/28 Club in Birmingham, Alabama. She went up and sang "Do Right Woman" and won a booking to open for Clarence Carter, her future husband. He liked her and asked her to open for him on the road. After hooking up with Clarence, Candi enjoyed smash Top 10 classic soul R&B hits such as: I'd Rather Be An Old Man's Sweetheart (Than To Be A Young Man's Fool) Sweet Feeling Stand By Your Man He Called Me Baby Mr. & Mrs. Untrue Too Hurt To Cry In The Ghetto (which won a Grammy nomination) After 1976, Candi became a princess of disco with "Young Hearts Run Free," "Victim," "Nights On Broadway," and "When You Wake Up Tomorrow." Following producer Dave Crawford out to California, she made her third marriage - to Tyrone Davis' former promoter, and commenced a period of domestic misery and abuse (not her first). Crawford's song 'Young Hearts Run Free' was inspired by the painful stories that Candi told him. "We would sit down and I would tell him the horrors I was going through in the marriage I was trying to get out of," Staton remembers. "I would bring David incidents, and little did I know he was making mental notes and writing all that stuff down." A masterpiece of marital grief - "You count up the years/and they will be filled with tears" - 'Young Hearts' also placed Staton in the middle of the 1976 dance music revolution. In 1977, she recorded the Bee Gees 'Nights on Broadway.' By the early 80s Staton was in limbo, and drinking heavily. "I had such low self-esteem when I started in the entertainment world," she says. "I had no one in my family to show me any confidence. Alcohol enabled me to get out there in front of all those people and sing. I couldn't even think of going onstage without being at least a third drunk." She was also coming to terms with the patterns of abuse and subjugation in her life, tracing them back to the experience of growing up with an alcoholic father. "Your real role model is not an artist or an entertainer, it's your parents," she reflects. "And what you see them do, usually it comes down through the generations.? "I saw how my father would drink and abuse my mother and they would fight all the time. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew it wasn't right, but you pick those same kind of men." "I've married the same man over and over again. He just looked different and wore different clothes." In 1982 Staton saw the light, and knew she had to quit drinking. "I had allowed alcohol to take my life over," she says. "I was destroying everything in my body.? "One day I just went cold turkey and said, "I'm not gonna do this anymore'." Instead she returned to the church of her childhood, forsaking soul music for the gospel of her formative years. In time she established her own ministry and television show. How, one wonders, will the gospel faithful view her reconciliation with secular music on "His Hands." "There will be some religious folk that will come against me, and even maybe some DJs," Staton says. "They'll be disappointed maybe that I'm singing love songs. But I call them life songs. Just because you go to church you're not alienated from life." A third wind in Staton's secular career came in 1991 when club act The Source sampled a gospel track she had recorded for comedian Dick Gregory. 'You Got The Love' has twice been a UK hit for Staton, giving her a whole new profile. "When the song didn't happen in America, I thought, 'Oh well, another one bites the dust'," she admits. "And then I got a call from London saying the song was on the charts. The good thing was, they couldn't pay me so they gave me half the publishing!" "You Got The Love" was remixed and became a Top Ten British hit and sold two million copies. The song was reissued in both 1997 and 2006 and charted in the British Top Ten again each time. After witnessing so many divorces in the church, Staton decided to go into the studio and record a relationship music CD entitled "His Hands" (Astralwerks/Honest Jons) that was released in Spring 2006. "In the church we sometimes focus so much on the spiritual things that we neglect the natural things," Staton says. "That's not balance. While we're on earth, we have to take care of our spouses and our kids and be there for them. We can't be in worship all day or we won't be doing what God has called us to do, so that project talks about issues that everyone goes through - including Christians. The songs point to things that you should see as signs of a problem in your relationships. I know some in the church still won't understand it, but I have Biblical scriptures to back me up and if they want to argue with scriptures, that's their choice." ---------- The Candi Staton website has much more. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Classic Soul Summit Summons Gordy, Gamble, Huff & Bell

• News
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 09/12/2006

Condensed From Frost Illustrated, Fort Wayne, Indiana... "Philadelphia International Records recently released editorial sound bites and photos of an extraordinary forum that brought together for the first time the four men collectively responsible for the rise of the R&B/classic soul genre... The hit making machine brain-trust are Motown founder Berry Gordy, Philadelphia International Records founders Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, and Stax Records founder Al Bell. The historic question and answer session held at the landmark Gamble-Huff recording studio in Philadelphia, provided an intimate setting for industry trailblazers Gordy, Gamble, Huff and Bell to collectively reflect on their musical genius. "To have the four architects of classic R&B/soul together in one room, under one roof at the same is beyond belief," said Philadelphia International Records Executive Vice President Chuck Gamble, who orchestrated the forum as one of several special events taking place in 2006 to celebrate The Sound of Philadelphia's 35th anniversary. "We are still digesting it." That's because Gordy, Gamble, Huff and Bell are responsible for countless hits recorded by many of the world's top artists including Motown's: Temptations Supremes Stevie Wonder Smokey Robinson Marvin Gaye Philadelphia International Records: O'Jays Patti LaBelle Teddy Pendergrass Lou Rawls Billy Paul Stax Records: Issac Hayes Al Green Otis Redding The Staple Singers . The rare gathering of these pioneers was videotaped in front a live audience that included Motown R&B songwriting veterans Brian and Eddie Holland; Claudette Robinson of the Miracles; Chubby Checker; Bunny Sigler; Chuck Jackson; and William "Poogie" Hart of the Delfonics. Also present was actor Clifton Davis who wrote the 1971 Motown hit single "Never Can Say Goodbye" recorded by the Jackson 5, and some of the young R&B hitmakers of today including: Andre Harris and Vidal Davis (Dre and Vidal) who have created music for Usher, Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige and Will Smith. Carvin Haggins and Ivan Barias who have produced songs for Musiq and Faith Evans. Prolific songwriter and renowned Motown artist Smokey Robinson made a surprise appearance at the gathering and immediately joined Gordy, Gamble, Huff and Bell in the discussion. Audience members watched as the men who brought classic soul music into their lives humbly and eloquently took turns reflecting on their unmatched successes, thousands of songs created, countless artists recorded, and friendly behind-the-scenes label rivalries. "Gamble and Huff would come out with these songs that would amaze us and we'd say man, how did they get that," said Gordy as he called the Motown-Philly relationship a "loving competition." Moderated by veteran Philadelphia radio personality Dyana Williams, the three-hour discussion was lighthearted in terms of content but passionate as it related to the many reflections shared. R&B crooner Gerald Levert encouraged today's songwriters, producers and artists to "bring back to the industry the camaraderie" that Gordy, Gamble, Huff and Bell exhibited at the forum. Levert noted that although the four icons were steering three separate record labels at one time and were in essence competing for music sales, "they still shared a bond with one another at the end of the day." "Who knows?" said Chuck Gamble, when asked what happens next. "Maybe next time, we'll go to the world-renowned Motown Hitsville studios in Detroit or to the venerated Stax museum in Memphis. We can't let this die. We have to keep it going." Previous Post | Next Post

0 Roy Ayers Good Vibrations

• Biography
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 09/07/2006

Roy Ayers puts on a killer live show. He's a unique musician who plays a unique instrument. I've partied to the "Roy Ayers Ubiquity" sound at an unusual show place: the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Ayers hasn't slowed down. Kevin Johnson tells us what R-A's been up to... "New Generation of Artists Drives Rebirth of Roy Ayers" written by Kevin C. Johnson - STLtoday.com (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) ---------- "Jazz and R&B music lovers have been digging Roy Ayers' vibe - make that vibes - ever since he came into the music world in the '60s. Still, for some, it's like he's just getting started. The Los Angeles-bred artist, scheduled to perform as part of the 2006 Missouri Black Expo, is one of music's most popular, respected and sampled vibraphonist players - despite the surprising fact he's never won a Grammy or had a gold record. His '70s heyday included a fruitful period of collaboration with flautist Herbie Mann; fronting his own band, Ubiquity; and hits such as "Running Away," "Searching" and "You Send Me." There was also his seminal 1976 album, "Everybody Loves the Sunshine," featuring a memorably bright yellow cover. In a phone interview from London, Ayers said: "I think my greatest achievement was with that song." Ayers was also among the special breed of 1970s soul artists, including Curtis Mayfield and Isaac Hayes, who created classic soundtracks for popular "blaxploitation" flicks of that era. He was behind Pam Grier's "Coffy." "They called and asked me if I could do a soundtrack, and I'd never done one - though I said, 'Of course,' like I had done one, because I wanted to do one," he said. "When 'Jackie Brown' came out, Quentin Tarantino used some of my music from 'Coffy,' and I didn't know it. If they hadn't put my name on it at the end, I would have sued." Still, "Everybody Loves the Sunshine" and "Coffy" were three decades ago, several lifetimes in the music industry. Ayers has made much music since then, including his 2004 album "Mahogany Vibe." But his classic material is what's driving the career rebirth. A new generation of R&B performers and hip-hoppers, including Mary J. Blige, Erykah Badu, A Tribe Called Quest, Common and 2Pac, have discovered his music and made him an icon all over again. "They all find a degree of spirituality to my music, a spiritual essence, and it doesn't have to be about God. But it is about the things that God has produced, like the sunshine," Ayers said. Blige probably made the best use of Ayers' music when she liberally incorporated portions of "Everybody Loves the Sunshine" as the backdrop to her signature song and CD, "My Life." Blige also used Ayers' "Searching" in her song of the same name. "I was very thrilled about that," Ayers said. "She's a very talented artist." The renewed attention has led to him being conferred with titles such as "Godfather of Neo Soul" and "Godfather of Acid Jazz." And he said he's fine with that. "It doesn't matter," he said. "All of them are positive." Ayers' rebirth also is providing an outlet for music he recorded decades ago but never released. Labels have come to him with deals to distribute the music, and there's plenty to choose from; he has hundreds of unreleased recordings. "I was obsessed with recording. I recorded so much music on myself and on other artists it was amazing," Ayers said. "I had a contract with PolyGram and had to do two albums a year, so I did all those recordings and would pick out the best and they would use it. "I forgot about the rest. I never thought that music would see the light of day, or that I would ever do anything with it." Roy Ayers on... How the vibes hooked him: "I was always fascinated with the sound of that instrument, being from a family that loved Lionel Hampton... you could feel his rhythm and intensity and joy and happiness, and I still applaud his greatness. He's the main reason why I do this, as well as my mother, who inspired me all my life." Herbie Mann's influence: "He taught me how to be a leader. I didn't want to play in too many groups. It was always my objective to be a leader, not to put anybody down, but I had that installed in me." Vibe players today: "A lot of the young vibe players pattern themselves after Bobby Hutcherson. They sound like him, and I'm glad they sound good. But I want to hear the new vibe players get their own sounds." Previous Post | Next Post

0 Keith Sweat makes it last Forever

• Biography
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 09/06/2006

A friend has been recently raving about how great it was to experience a live Keith Sweat concert. Keith was born in New York City in 1961. He worked as a Wall Street brokerage assistant before settling into the soulful pulse of classic R&B music. Sweat, one of the first R&B "new jack swing" artists, hit the scene with his debut release in 1987, "Make it Last Forever." The album sold over 3 million copies, and featured 4 top ten R&B hits, including the #1 winner, "I Want Her." Keith says "fans come up to me every day and tell me how much 'Make It Last Forever' meant to them." "LSG," the 2003 collaboration CD with Gerald Levert and Johnny Gill, proved that Sweat has staying power. Keith's official biography emphasizes his dominance as an important music industry player in Atlanta, Georgia. He's constructed his own recording studio, discovered new talent, and has become a sought after mentor in the ATL. His philosophy says it all, "I look at the entire Atlanta music scene as an extension of New York now." "With technology the way it is, and the growth of Atlanta, it's really part of the mainstream now. You can make music anywhere you want, which is a great thing." Previous Post | Next Post

0 Soulful Cover Girls Challenge Mr. Richie

• News
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 09/05/2006

Here are three very anticipated major releases coming your way this month? Beyonce' "B Day" (Tuesday, September 5) Lionel Richie "Coming Home" (Tuesday, September 12) Janet Jackson "20 Years Old" (Tuesday, September 26) Look for all three artists to get their promotion machines in high gear. Lionel Richie's been getting strong television exposure. Beyonce' and Janet Jackson have been recent cover girls for Essence and Vibe magazines respectively. I'm guessing Beyonce's release will be the most popular of the three. Both Janet and Lionel need strong comebacks. Can they do it? Previous Post | Next Post

0 Cheryl Lynn Star Love

• Biography
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 08/31/2006

A burst of energy best describes the powerhouse punch of Cheryl Lynn's belting voice. I caught her hot show in Houston, Texas, when her hit "Shake it Up Tonight," produced and arranged by Ray Parker Jr., was moving up the charts. Cheryl was born in Los Angeles, California on March 11, 1957. Her official biography notes that she harmonized her way through tiny tots choir in church all the way to the adult chorus years later. She traveled the circuit with gospel great James Cleveland in those early years. When Cheryl was 21 years old, she appeared on Hollywood's "The Gong Show," (television's original American Idol), getting a perfect score singing Billy Preston's "You Are So Beautiful." She signed with Columbia Records, and collaborated with Toto's David Paich, who co-wrote, arranged, and produced her first big hit, "Got To Be Real." The two also teamed up for Toto's hit, "Georgy Porgy," featuring Cheryl as the female lead. Additional projects with Luther Vandross, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, produced the hits "If this World Were Mine," and "Encore." Notable Number One Cheryl Lynn R&B hits: Got to Be Real Encore A personal favorite of mine - seven minutes and 23 seconds of "Star Love," another song arranged and produced by David Paich. "Star Love" showcases the amazing vocal range and ability of Cheryl Lynn. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Earth, Wind & Fire Heat up Summer

• News
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 08/30/2006

Earth, Wind & Fire wrap up a full Summer of touring this Labor Day Weekend in Florida. Look for them in Tampa, and West Palm, weather permitting.   Here are group members Verdine White, Philip Bailey, and Ralph Johnson (left to right). Relive our highlights of the Earth, Wind & Fire, Rufus and Chaka Khan 30th anniversary concert, 5 years ago this weekend, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Five Fine Phyllis Hyman Favorites

• Songs
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 08/29/2006

Phyllis Hyman was a remarkable talent. I was lucky enough to be the master of ceremonies for a concert she performed in Atlantic City, New Jersey, at Convention Hall on the boardwalk in the early 1980's. This shot was taken of us after the concert. The very statuesque Phyllis, resting after a dynamite show, is sitting on a small chair. She seemed pretty happy during this period of her life, as she was starting to get more well deserved recognition. The following five songs give you a nice snapshot of Phyllis Hyman the singer: Old Friend Betcha By Golly Wow Somewhere in My Lifetime You Know how to Love Me Kiss You All Over "Old Friend" is a wonderfully sung romantic salute to a special person just returning from a long absence who is the focus of some glowing unconditional love. Phyllis communicates with soul wrenching emotion inside of Thom Bell and Linda Creed's "Betcha By Golly Wow," recorded with Norman Connors. You might argue that there's too much production behind ?Somewhere in My Lifetime,? an elaborately arranged pop excursion produced by Barry Manilow. It's still a marvelous song that holds up well today. Phyllis makes it work. ?You Know how to Love Me? is a danceable classic, shared by many as a Phyllis Hyman favorite. The Exile hit "Kiss You All Over" is much sexier the way Ms. Hyman takes on the tune. I have nothing but great memories of Phyllis Hyman the person. Her strength as a singer speaks for itself. Tragically, she took her own life in 1995. Though her soul is at rest and her spirit is silenced, we have her songs to treasure forever . Previous Post | Next Post

0 The Fall and Rise of R&B Legend Ruth Brown

• Biography
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 08/24/2006

written by Paul de Barros (Seattle Times jazz critic)... ---------- Few popular music stars survive more than one trend. Against relentless odds, and with more bad luck than any one person deserves, Ruth Brown has managed to do just that. Known as "the girl with the tear in her voice," Brown virtually defined female R&B singing in the '50s, with sexy, fun hits for Atlantic Records like "Teardrops From My Eyes," "(Mama) He Treats Your Daughter Mean" and "5-10-15 Hours." But after R&B was re-marketed to white teenagers as "rock 'n' roll," Brown couldn't raise a dime. For nearly two decades, she worked as a domestic and a school-bus driver. Then, in 1977, the comedian Redd Foxx offered her walk-on parts on his TV show, "Sanford and Son," and a new theatrical talent was born. In 1989, Brown won a Tony Award for her role in the Broadway show "Black and Blue." (She also won a Grammy that year for her album "Blues On Broadway.") Along the way, she starred in Allen Toussaint's Off-Broadway gem, "Staggerlee" and played the white-wigged Motormouth Maybelle in the John Waters' film "Hairspray." Reached by telephone earlier this week at her home in Las Vegas, Brown was reading the script for the new John Sayles movie, "The Honeydripper," in which she'll play the part of a blues singer named Bertha. "I'm excited," she said in a voice still rich and vibrant, though congested from a recent hospital stay for fluid in her lungs. "Bertha has been singing the blues many, many, many years and she knows the history. Unfortunately, my character dies in the end of the story, but it's all right - I've got five songs in there." Brown is also proud of her new Hummer commercial, featuring the Bobby Darin classic "This Little Girl's Gone Rockin'. " Brown's career is unusual, in that she jumped the subtle but real class barrier between R&B and jazz. "There was a time they didn't want to say they knew Ruth Brown because she was an R&B singer," said the 78-year-old survivor. "They didn't respect you at all. Dinah [Washington] tried to insult me because of that." The great Billie Holiday, after hearing Brown imitate her at Cafe Society, "walked into the dressing room and read me out good," said Brown. "She said, 'You're pretty good, but there's only one Lady Day, and I'm it. If you want to steal my stuff, do it your own way.' " That's exactly what Brown's been doing all these years. The delicious, tongue-in-cheek twinkle of those '50s R&B songs matured into the sophisticated, theatrical sass of her "Black and Blue" showstopper, "If I Can't Sell It (I'm Going to Sit On It)." Brown has been beset by mishaps during her long career. Raised in Portsmouth, Virginia,(where a street and a new blues festival were named for her this year), Brown got into a severe car accident on the way to her first recording session in New York. After recovering from knee surgery, she had a stroke in 2000. Brown made a triumphant comeback in 2003, at Bumbershoot as well as an extended appearance at the Manhattan supper club Le Jazz Au Bar. Brown sings seated on her "throne" now, but there's no dearth of spirit coming from that voice. She does the old hits but also tunes from "Black and Blue" and from her excellent 1999 album, "A Good Day for the Blues" (Bullseye). "If I can't sell it, I'm going to sit down on it," she said, with a laugh. "Life turns around, and the truth comes down. It's amazing how many times I sang that song on Broadway. Now I have to sit down, anyway." Previous Post | Next Post