0 Beyonce? Punk'd by PETA

• News
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 06/20/2006

Guest who came to dinner with Beyonce'? PETA, - the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals group. PETA recently placed an anonymous winning bid in an eBay auction for the chance to dine with Beyonce'. When Miss Knowles showed up for the dinner engagement, PETA confronted her about fur in her wardrobe and in her clothing line. Maybe PETA will be happy with this Destiny's Child shot (left to right) of Kelly Rowland, Beyonce', and Michelle Williams, as it features "faux-croc" leather (designed by B's mother, Tina Knowles). This is one of the silliest stories of the year. If PETA has issues with Beyonce', they should have gone through the proper channels with her management, rather than stealing a "fantasy" dinner away from one of Beyonce's fans. A couple of years ago when PETA took on fast food chicken giant KFC, PETA posted some troubling videos on their website taken by some of their undercover operatives at chicken processing plants. Stealth confrontation by Peta is nothing new. The animal rights group said it had previously attempted to reach Beyonce' through faxes, letters, and at rallies outside of her concerts. Clearly, PETA used shrewd theatrics to get some cheap publicity for their cause with this dinner stunt. You cross a fine line when you use manipulative tactics to take advantage of the goodwill of others. PETA's cause may be a noble one, but some of their sympathizers are turned off when the organization exploits others just for it's own gain. As of this writing, Beyonce' has had no comment on this incident. Previous Post | Next Post

0 India.Arie, Janet Jackson, and Beyonce'

• News
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 06/15/2006

India.Arie, Janet Jackson, and Beyonce' all have new releases rolling out in the coming months. India's, "Testimony: Volume. 1, Life & Relationship," due June 27th, is her third studio album, and her first since 2002?s acclaimed "Voyage To India" (winner of two Grammy Awards). Miss Janet will be releasing "20 Years Old," September 26th. The title is a reference to the staying power of the youngest Jackson sibling. Her Control album was released in 1986. 2004's Damita Jo wasn't as well received as 2001's "All For You," so Janet Jackson will have to set the bar high for "20 Years Old." It's Beyonce' who's on the hot streak. Her "B'Day" CD is scheduled for release on September 5th, to coincide with her 25th birthday. The tease promotion for "B'Day" on Beyonce's website is a little over the top, with a bee repeatedly flying around the computer screen across her larger than life logo (to the beat of Beyonce's music). These three highly anticipated releases will certainly be in the race for 2007 Grammy Awards. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Al Green's Red White & Blue Fourth

• News
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 06/14/2006

Al Green headlines a free Independence Day evening bash in downtown Newport News, Virginia at Superblock and Victory Landing Park on Tuesday, July 4. Reverend Al has navigated between the worlds of classic soul and gospel music since delivering his string of consecutive number one hits in the early 1970's. In 1974, he was ordained minister at the Full Gospel Tabernacle Church in Memphis, Tennessee. Lucky for his R&B fans, Green has recently returned to performing his trademark soul hits. New albums from 2003 and 2005 feature the vintage Al Green sound. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Tracy Chapman and Joan Armatrading: June Jewels with Guitars

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

Cleveland, Ohio's Tracy Chapman was the most successful folk based artist to emerge in the 1980's (left photo). Do you remember this Tufts University graduate's biggest hit, "Fast Car"? She won three Grammy Awards in 1988, including Best New Artist. ---------- Joan Armatrading hails from St. Kitts in the West Indies (right photo). She eventually relocated to England, where she's found most of her success. Three of her albums in the 1980's made the top 10 in the UK. Her 1977 song, "Show Some Emotion," received considerable exposure in America, however Joan never had a single appear on the USA R&B charts. Tracy and Joan are still touring, making music, and strumming up a storm using their fabulous guitars. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Billy Preston's Signature Song

• News
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 06/08/2006

With the passing of Billy Preston at age 59, today we look back on his impact on popular music. We detailed Billy Preston's health problems, and some highlights of his career, back in April, 2006. Musicians like Preston who lived in different musical cultures are unique. Billy Preston was playing keyboards with gospel giant Mahalia Jackson when he was ten years old. He was featured as young musician W.C. Handy in the Hollywood movie, St. Louis Blues, when he was only twelve years old. As the organist on the Beatles album, Let It Be, he picked up the nickname, "the fifth Beatle," a title that stuck, but one that does not accurately reflect his broad contribution to music. These are just three examples of Preston's amazing range: gospel, blues, and pop. His classic soul/pop hits are almost an after thought: "Will it Go Round in Circles," "Nothing from Nothing," "Outa-Space," and "You Are So Beautiful." Billy Preston toured with Little Richard, was a regular on the 60's TV show Shindig, jammed with King Curtis on the classic R&B live track "Memphis Soul Stew," and was the ultimate musician everyone wanted on their session. Always at the core of Billy's musical spirit was his gospel roots. That leads me to the song I think of as Billy Preston's signature: "That's the Way God Planned it." I recently played one of the live versions of this song on my Saturday 4pm Eastern 1pm Pacific radio program, (ironically, just a few days before Preston would lose his long battle with complications from kidney disease). "That's the Way God Planned it" really captures the strength of Billy Preston. It's a showcase for his church roots, his soul style, and his pop mastery. The song starts slowly, then builds in speed and rhythmic intensity, until it ends in a powerful vocal climax. He recorded several versions of this song. One of the best is the live version included in his "best of" millennium CD. This version moves the song closer to a soulful prayer meeting, probably what he originally intended when he wrote it. Billy Preston did it all, and that's the way God planned it. Previous Post | Next Post

1 Toni Braxton Revealed in Vegas

• News
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 06/07/2006

Toni Braxton is following in the footsteps of the legendary Gladys Knight, with an extended trailblazing engagement at the world famous Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, beginning August 3rd. From February 2002 until November 2005, Knight, headlined her own show there several nights a week. Gladys lives in Las Vegas. Toni Braxton will be booked in Vegas for several months, giving her fans plenty of opportunities to catch her act. Toni hit the music scene big time in 1992 when she was featured in the soundtrack from the movie Boomerang, starring Eddie Murphy, Robin Givens, Halle Berry, Martin Lawrence, and Grace Jones, among others. Her first CD was released in 1993 and it was an across the board chart topper. Braxton has two Grammy and two Soul Train Music Awards in her trophy case. It wasn't "Just Another Sad Love Song" for Toni either when she received an Echo Award in Hamburg Germany in 1998 for Best International Female Artist. Miss Toni got her first shot acting in feature films in 2001 along side of LL Cool J in Kingdom Come. She also appeared in Play'd, a VH1 vehicle in 2002. Good luck to Toni Braxton Revealed in Las Vegas. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Get Closer to Maxi Priest

• News
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 06/06/2006

This article recently appeared in the Jamaica Observer. Various reporters contributed to the story. Reggae Sunsplash 2006 is coming to Jamaica in August. ---------- "Reggae crooner Maxi Priest says he eagerly awaits a return to the Reggae Sunsplash stage. According to the Grammy Award winning singer, the original reggae festival holds a special place in his heart. "It made me truly sad and disheartened that Reggae Sunsplash ever went away. It is a foundation type of thing," Priest told Splash as he relaxed at the Norman Manley International Airport before taking a flight to Miami earlier this week. Priest, who is known for his silky voice and soulful melodies is set to perform in Scotland and Manchester in England before embarking on a six-week United States tour with internationally acclaimed Reggae Band, UB40 and veteran entertainer, Toots, who are also featured on the festival. But his mind will not allow him to forget the first time he performed on a Reggae Sunsplash stage. "Oh my gosh, it was my first time performing in Jamaica. The reception I received was mind-blowing," said Priest, "I felt at the time that I had delivered something". According to Priest, this year he will be going all out to please the thousands who are expected to turn out at the large expanse of Richmond Estate where Reggae Sunsplash will be held this year." ---------- Richmond Estate is a sprawling 200 acre property on the edge of the Caribbean, with Jamaica?s Blue Mountains as its backdrop. The large area is located in Priory, in the garden parish of St. Ann, home of the world famous Dunn?s River Falls and the birth place of both Marcus Garvey and Bob Marley. ---------- Priest continues..."I intend to make this year a very special one for the fans at Reggae Sunsplash. This is a world-class festival which deserves a world-class performance from any artist who is billed to perform. I have a few aces up my sleeve," he said. Reggae Sunsplash will be held from August 3-6 and will feature over 100 acts performing for over 56 hours. At present the singer says he is putting the finishing touches on his latest album. Already, a single has been released and its causing a stir in entertainment circles. The song, entitled "Makes Me Wanna Hollah," is a soulful effort which should go a far way in signaling the return of the British-based singer to the top echelon in the competitive entertainment field. Maxi Priest is the eighth of nine children. When he was a child, his parents moved to England from Jamaica where his father was employed as a steelworker in a factory, while his mother was a missionary at a Pentecostal Church and lead singer for the church choir.His formative years in music were dominated by gospel, reggae, R&B and pop music. He worked as a carpenter building speaker boxes for sound-systems, while using his nights to sing at live dancehall sessions. In 1984 Maxi combined with Paul 'Barry Boom' Robinson to produce Philip Levi's "Mi God Mi King," the first UK reggae tune to reach number one status in Jamaica. Since then he has produced 10 solo albums. The first effort, Maxi, was recorded in Jamaica by Virgin Records who garnered the services of musicians Sly Dunbar, Robbie Shakespeare, and Willie Londo. Maxi scored with singles like "Some Guys Have All the Luck," a cover of Cat Steven's classic Wild World and a duet with Beres Hammond, "How Can We Ease The Pain." The album propelled him into the international spotlight and in 1990 the album, Bonafide, sold gold, and the single "Close To You" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart and number two on the Hot R&B Singles chart. He also had collaborations with Roberta Flack, "Set The Night To Music," and with Shabba Ranks, "Housecall," the latter being part of the gravel-toned DJ's Grammy-winning album. But with all his achievements, Maxi Priest remains humble and is focused on the road ahead. "The hype has never gotten to my head. Right now, I am just focusing on doing what I do best," said Maxi Priest." Previous Post | Next Post

0 More Square Biz from Teena Marie

• News
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 05/11/2006

Teena Marie, the diminutive classic soul star, has a new gem to add to her collection of jewels. "Sapphire," is "Lady T.'s" new release, featuring several songs inspired by her friendship with the late Rick James. In the past, James and Marie collaborated on many tunes, including the electrifying classic, "Fire and Desire." Smokey Robinson, George Duke, and Teena's 14 year-old daughter, Alia Rose, are special guests on this new release. I saw Teena Marie once, headlining a show at The Spectrum arena in Philadelphia. In this kind of setting, it's sometimes hard for an artist to connect with their audience, but Teena was equal to the task. This Summertime show was a party jam, a performance in which Lady T. gave it her all. Coming soon, you'll be able to see Teena Marie live in her home town of Los Angeles, and in Atlanta, Chicago, and New York City, as she prepares a tour to promote her new album. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Jammin' with Damian Marley

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

Damian Marley, also known as "Junior Gong," has picked up six honors at the recently held International Reggae and World Music Awards. Damian was the center of attention at the 25th anniversary of this awards spectacular held in New York City at the world famous Apollo Theater. He's the youngest son of Reggae legend Bob Marley. Mr. Damian Marley walked away with prizes for: entertainer of the year recording artist of the year best song: "Welcome to Jamrock" best album: "Welcome to Jamrock" best music video: "Welcome to Jamrock" best songwriting award (with his brother Stephen Marley) Earlier this year, Damian became the first reggae artist to win a Grammy Award outside of the Reggae category for his Best Urban/Alternative performance: "Welcome to Jamrock" single. The 2005 CD also won a best reggae album Grammy. Marley is slated to appear at the four day Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, on June 16. He'll tour with Ben Harper, appearing August 10th in Phoenix, Arizona, and September 14th at World's Fair Park in Knoxville, Tennessee. Previous Post | Next Post

0 The Hardest Battle for Billy Preston

• News
• by Kingsley H. Smith
• 04/27/2006

Billy Preston is seriously ill in an Arizona hospital. Heart disease is among the latest of his medical problems. He's had several recent complicated surgical procedures. The legendary "fifth Beatle," who played organ on several Beatles hits, is also involved in a legal battle over his estate. Rodena Preston, Billy's sister, has petitioned Los Angeles Superior Court for control of the Preston estate. She contends that Billy's affairs are in a state of limbo due to the actions of his business manager, Joyce Moore. Over the past five years, Preston has had a series of health problems. In 2001 he suffered chronic kidney failure as a result of uncontrolled high blood pressure. A kidney transplant in 2002 ultimately failed, requiring several weekly dialysis treatments for the 59 year old keyboard legend. Why is Billy Preston important musically? Organs had been used in jazz and R&B music for years. Billy Preston pushed the envelope for both organs and synthesizers in pop music, using them creatively in his hits "Outa-Space," "Will it Go Round in Circles," "Struttin'," and "Nothing from Nothing." Billy isn't just keyboard flash and style alone. His ballad "You Are So Beautiful," written by Preston, (also recorded by Joe Cocker), features a nice sentimental vocal with Billy at the piano. He goes to church, kickin' out the gospel organ on "That's the Way God Planned It," one of his best "b" side tracks. Billy Preston has had more than a great solo career. He's also played with King Curtis, Tina Turner, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, James Cleveland, Sammy Davis Jr., The Rolling Stones, and more musicians than we can mention. Say a prayer for Billy Preston. He's fighting the battle of his life. Previous Post | Next Post