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    0 Bobby Bland Finds Love in American Gangster

    One of my favorite Bobby Bland tunes is "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City." This song appears on his 1974 album, Dreamer. The tune "Ain't No Love..." is prominently featured in the trailer for the new Denzel Washington - Russell Crowe drama, American Gangster. Denzel stars as Frank Lucas, a Manhattan, New York City drug dealer who is smuggling heroin into the USA inside of the coffins of dead soldiers returning from the Vietnam War. Given the backdrop of the 1970's, "Ain't No Love in the Heart of the City" is the perfect R&B - pop - blues hybrid to dramatize the theme of the movie. I once saw Bobby Bland perform in front of approximately 25 people at a large Southern New Jersey nightspot. Needless to say, with so few people there, many performers would have just gone through the motions, but not Bobby Bland. He's a legend in blues, R&B, and soul. It's great to see a song he made famous exposed again in the backdrop of American Gangster, scheduled to open this November on the silver screen. Previous Post | Next Post

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    0 Is there R&B/Soul in Live Earth?

    R&B/soul and hip-hop seem to be underrepresented this weekend in the 2007 global "concerts for a climate in crisis," Live Earth. The same observation was made in 2005 during Live 8, the 20th anniversary concert marking Live Aid, the 1985 benefit to raise awareness about African famine. Alicia Keys, Akon, Kanye West, and Ludacris are scheduled to appear at Giants Stadium in New Jersey, Saturday, July 7th. John Legend and Black Eyed Peas are on the bill in the United Kingdom at Wembley Stadium. Rihanna touches down in Japan to sing at Makuhari Messe, the concert venue in Tokyo. In South Africa, Angelique Kidjo, Joss Stone, and the Soweto Gospel Choir turn up the volume. 150 musicians across 7 continents in the United States, United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, China, Japan, Germany, and Australia are coming together during the 24 hours of Live Earth to encourage individuals to take action to solve the climate crisis. Here are the host cities: New York London Johannesburg Rio de Janeiro Shanghai Tokyo Sydney Hamburg Sirius Satellite Radio, XM Satellite Radio, and Worldspace (satellite radio) will broadcast coverage. During the 24 hour concert period, the main television network NBC, along with MSNBC, CNBC, Bravo, Sundance, Telemundo, UNI HD, and MUN2 will offer coverage. Sundance channel has the earliest coverage, starting at 4 am Eastern. Bravo will start their broadcast at 9 am Eastern. The other channels will offer some coverage during the day. NBC will anchor their coverage from 8 pm - 11 pm Eastern, Saturday night. Previous Post | Next Post

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    0 Save Internet Radio

    We'll join thousands of webcasters today, (Tuesday, June 26, 2007), for approximately 24 hours, to raise awareness in support of the SaveNetRadio.org coalition. Our two online music streams Powerhouse Radio and FabFourSoul will benefit from this mobilization when the U.S. Congress takes action to avert an impending July 15, 2007 crisis: the end of online radio for thousands of webcasters. I completely support the Save Net Radio movement, and since you're a fan of online classic soul, you should too. Today's action is an extremely important political statement. Find out how you can help by visiting SaveNetRadio.org. Thank you! Previous Post | Next Post

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    2 Beyonce' and Mary J. Blige Summer Tour Tickets Top the Charts

    It's a high roller payday for Beyonce' and Mary J. Blige as their Summer tours get ready to cash in on fans who can't get enough of these charming ladies. My eyes almost popped out of my head when I peeped the prices for Beyonce's Saturday, August 11th, 2007 performance at the Trump Taj Mahal Arena in Atlantic City, NJ: $195.75, $165.75, and $95.75 at the low end. Mary J. Blige, at the Borgata on Saturday, July 28th, also in A.C., isn't much better: $135.00, $115.00, and $95.00. These prices are out of control! What happened to reasonably priced live entertainment from these headline performers? Not that long ago, I went to see Patti Labelle at the Trump Taj Mahal Arena in Atlantic City, and the cost of the top ticket was about 1/5th of today's prices. What has happened to drive prices up almost 500%? There are a lot of legitimate reasons, but greed plays a large part in the process as our pockets continue to be picked. Last Summer, (2006), when Madonna tickets were going for around $300 each, people did a double take. Let's face it, at the time, Madonna wasn't burning up the charts to command such a premium. It's time to get real. Beyonce', Mary J. Blige, and other acts are pricing their non-affluent fans out of the market to attend live concerts. The cost factor difference between a music download for .99 cents, a CD for $20, and a $200 concert ticket is mind boggling. Concert ticket prices reflect a growing cultural divide between the bling crowd who can afford the luxury, and working class people who deserve a better break at seeing these acts perform live (who they helped make famous). If you've got the cash, tickets for Beyonce's August 11th show in Atlantic City go on sale this Saturday, June 16th, at 12 noon. Another option is to pray that you score free tickets from a radio station promotion. Now that will be just like hitting the lottery! Previous Post | Next Post

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    0 Are The Whispers Unappreciated?

    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

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    0 James Brown Inspires New Classic Soul

    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

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    0 Black Music Review Flashback

    For the next 5 Wednesdays we'll be featuring five interesting magazine covers from my personal magazine archive. The last cover will be the focus of a contest you can participate in. We kick it off with a real collector's item from 1969. Issue Vol. 1, No.1, of Black Music Review. Editor Richard Robinson brought this project to life, along with feature writers Lillian Barlow, Margaret Robin, and Lisa Mehlman. Issue Vol. 1 contained great articles on Joe Simon, The Impressions, Eddie Floyd, Sly & the Family Stone, Albert King, and Booker T. & the MG's members Donald "Duck" Dunn, Steve Cropper, and Al Jackson Jr. Lillian Barlow wrote a great piece, "Soul Women of America," featuring spotlights on Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Maxine Brown, and The Sweet Inspirations. Broad in it's survey of diverse "black music," you won't find this kind of magazine (or approach) around today. Black Music Review is long gone, but fondly remembered. Vol. 1 No. 1 critiqued the amazing influence of Jimi Hendrix in a series of headline articles and features. Sam & Dave and Johnnie (as Johnny) Taylor are both mentioned on the cover, but are no where to be found in the premier issue! This is Magazine Flashback part 1 of 5 See Magazine Flashback part 2 of 5 See Magazine Flashback part 3 of 5 See Magazine Flashback part 4 of 5 See Magazine Flashback part 5 of 5 ----- Previous Post | Next Post

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    0 Little Richard, Sly Stone, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Ray Charles, & Prince

    The first live popular music concert I ever attended as a 10 year old featured Little Richard as the headliner. His act was an eye-opener. Little did I realize then the historical importance of "Little Richard" Penniman to the history of rock and roll. When comparing Little Richard, Sly Stone, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Ray Charles, and Prince, here's a question for you...who has had the most lasting influence? All six have certainly been remarkably successful! All six have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: James Brown - 1986 Little Richard - 1986 Ray Charles - 1986 Jimi Hendrix - 1992 (The Jimi Hendrix Experience) Sly Stone - 1993 (Sly and the Family Stone) Prince - 2004 I can seriously argue for five of the six. Prince would have to be eliminated first, although "Mr. Purple Rain" is James Brown, Little Richard, Jimi Hendrix, and Sly Stone rolled into one unique package. Ray Charles and James Brown are very close, but I'll have to go with the "Godfather of Soul" as the most influential artist on the list. Sly Stone and Prince both expanded on "Mr. Dynamite," J.B.'s groove, to produce some funky Hendrix influenced rhythms. Ray Charles may have been a more versatile artist, but James Brown, "the hardest working man in show business," changed the face of soul music forever. I'd argue that Brown's influence in R&B has been more dominant than Hendrix's influence in rock. Jimi can't be short changed however for his amazing contributions. Let's not dismiss the legacy of the living legend, Little Richard. You see and hear more of him today primarily on television commercials, but Little Richard raised the bar on flamboyance in music. I could name 10 artists that patterned their act from the flashy eccentric mannerisms of Little Richard's stage persona. Oh yes, his music was pretty good too. Good Golly Miss Molly, it's James Brown by a nose as the most influential personality among our list of super greats. What do you think? Previous Post | Next Post

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    0 7 R&B Grammy Award Picks

    The 49th Annual Grammy Awards will be held this Sunday, February 11, 2007, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Here are my quick picks for possible winners in the R&B category. Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: "Be Without You" Mary J. Blige, The Breakthrough Best Male R&B Vocal Performance: "I Call it Love" Lionel Richie, Coming Home Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals: "Everyday (Family Reunion)" Chaka Khan, Gerald Levert, Yolanda Adams & Carl Thomas, Madea's Family Reunion Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance: "I Found My Everything" Mary J. Blige featuring Raphael Saadiq, The Breakthrough Best R&B Song: "Be Without You" Mary J. Blige, The Breakthrough Best R&B Album: The Breakthrough Mary J. Blige Best Contemporary R&B Album: B'Day Beyonce' Check back on Monday, February 12, to see if I have any psychic abilities. I don't think I'll be too embarrassed, because the 2007 Grammy Awards will be the year of Mary J. Blige. Previous Post | Next Post

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    0 Prince Electrifies Big Game without getting Electrocuted

    Two thumbs up to Prince for his electrifying halftime performance during a pouring rain at Super Bowl 41. He looked good, sang with spirit, played with energy, and gave one of the best Super Bowl halftime performances ever. Playing by the rules and delivering his hits clicked for pure entertainment. No suprises for the censors, although the sequence of a silhouetted Prince with his Purple Rain guitar behind a wind blown curtain got suggestive if you were watching carefully, will the halftime performer next year at Super Bowl 42 be able to top Prince? Previous Post | Next Post

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