Powerhouse Radio Blog

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

0 TSOP Philly Flashback

Flashback
by Kingsley H. Smith
04/18/2007

We've been featuring interesting magazine covers from my personal magazine archive on recent consecutive Wednesdays. Today is the 5th of a 5 part series with an October/November 1980 cover of Blues & Soul saluting Philadelphia International Records. It's a TSOP Philly Flashback. I have removed the names of some of the artists from the lower left-hand panel. Can you identify all 10 artists on the cover? 2021 Update: Contest is over and we selected a winner. If you can, we'd like to reward you, (a true 'Philly Sound' lover), with some Memphis soul! The first person to name all 10 artists on this cover will win a copy of the new 2 CD set, Stax 50th Anniversary Celebration. Leave your guess in a comment. All 10 artists must be named in the same comment. This is Magazine Flashback part 5 of 5 See 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 ----- Previous Post | Next Post

0 Manhattans Mark Mellow Memories

Website
by Kingsley H. Smith
04/17/2007

Winfred "Blue" Lovett, Richard Taylor, Kenny Kelley, George "Smitty" Smith and Sonny Bivins were the original Manhattans. I always enjoyed seeing them perform live in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania region. The Manhattans moved to Columbia Records in 1973, where they collaborated with producer Bobby Martin on a string of hits... "There's No Me Without You" "Hurt" "Kiss And Say Goodbye" (a 1976 platinum selling #1 pop and R&B hit) Occasionally on Powerhouse Radio, (but not very often), I'll play the "X" rated version of "Kiss and Say Goodbye," a special 45 RPM vinyl DJ only version featuring a hilarious intro by "Blue" Lovett who laments in racy language the end of the affair (that the song is all about). In 1985, The Manhattans added a female vocalist to the act: Regina Belle, who would later sign with Columbia as a solo artist in 1986. On February 25, 1999 The Manhattans were inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame. In 2004, they celebrated their 40th anniversary. Previous Post | Next Post

0 Does Sly Stone know the way to San Jose?

News
by Kingsley H. Smith
04/12/2007

First it was the recent surprise March 31st appearance in Las Vegas. Now Sly Stone is heading for San Jose, California, scheduled to appear in a July 7, 2007 event billed as "Back in the Day, Summerfest 2007." "Scheduled to appear" is always the operative phrase with Sly. With the reissue of the Sly & the Family Stone catalog, I'm not surprised that Mr. Stone is once again venturing to boldly go where Sly hasn't dared to go for almost two decades? live concert performances. His Las Vegas appearance was a big hit. Just in case 'the new Sly' does some 'old Sly' no-show backsliding, here is the rest of the line-up for "Back in the Day, Summerfest 2007," at Arena Green Park in San Jose, California: Average White Band Malo El Chicano Jorge Santana Tierra Previous Post | Next Post

0 On Tape Flashback Plugs 8 Track and Cassette Catalogue

Photo
by Kingsley H. Smith
04/11/2007

We've been featuring interesting magazine covers from my personal magazine archive on recent consecutive Wednesdays. Today is the 4th of a 5 part series with a Spring 1972 cover in the spotlight. This is volume one, number one, of On Tape, a magazine billing itself as the "complete tape guide." On Tape is unusual in that the first eight pages of the magazine contain editorial content, the next 75 pages list only 8 track and cassette music/spoken word items in a directory, and the last eight pages contain additional editorial content. A typical On Tape listing looks like this: Staple Singers Soul Folk in Action STX ST8-2004 (8 track) STC-2004 (cassette) $5.98 This premier issue glorified 'Four-channel Stereo' in an article by Robert Angus. Also known as quadraphonic sound, the passing fad of four-channel stereo tried to reproduce the concert hall experience by recording four separate channels. Drummer, vocalist Buddy Miles talks candidly in the featured cover article. Of all the people he's played with, Buddy says Otis Redding had the biggest influence on him. Buddy Miles has played with them all, discover more about him, and listen to my interview with Buddy Miles recorded at the famous Bottom Line club in New York City. This is Magazine Flashback part 4 of 5 See Magazine Flashback part 1 of 5 See Magazine Flashback part 2 of 5 See Magazine Flashback part 3 of 5 See Magazine Flashback part 5 of 5 ----- Previous Post | Next Post

0 Whitney Houston - VIP

Website
by Kingsley H. Smith
04/10/2007

In the past few days, top 10 icon Whitney Houston has moved her official website to a new address, WhitneyVip.com. ----- 2021 Update: Of course that ego driven u-r-l didn't make any sense. A bad manager's idea? Now it's WhitneyHouston.com which makes a lot of sense! ----- Whitney's career is in "comeback mode." Her website move is hopefully in anticipation of some big things to come. In an April 3rd message from Dionne Warwick on Dionne's official website, Ms. Warwick, (related to Whitney), says... "For all that have been asking about Whitney, she is doing fabulously well and is in the recording studio getting ready to send you all her wonderful gift again, and I have passed all of your thoughts and prayers for her on to her." Previous Post | Next Post

1 9 Classics from Dionne Warwick

Songs
by Kingsley H. Smith
04/05/2007

9 classic Dionne Warwick albums will be reissued on CD this May by Collector's Choice Music. Her first six albums will be reissued. In all, nine of her first 10 classic pop and soul releases will hit the street this May 15th. These are Dionne's great tracks from her Scepter and Warner Brothers years, remastered from the original tapes, featuring most of her amazing work with the Burt Bacharach - Hal David songwriting team. 1) Presenting Dionne Warwick: From 1963 including Dionne's first single, "Don't Make Me Over," and "Wishin' and Hopin'," (later a huge hit for Dusty Springfield). 2) Anyone Who Had a Heart: Released in 1964, features Dionne's first Top Ten hit "Anyone Who Had a Heart." 3) Make Way for Dionne Warwick: Released in 1964, featuring the Bacharach and David classics "Walk On By," and "Close To You," (a hit for the Carpenters in the 1970's). 4) The Sensitive Sound of Dionne Warwick: From 1965, featuring "Who Can I Turn To?" from the Broadway play The Roar of the Greasepaint -- The Smell of the Crowd. 5) Here I Am: Released in late 1965, containing nine Bacharach-David compositions out of 12 songs on the album. 6) Dionne Warwick in Paris: This is a remaster. Called "The Black Pearl" by her Parisian fans, Dionne Warwick was very popular in France before becoming a stateside favorite in the USA.Her first live album was recorded at the Olympia Theater in Paris. Dionne Warwick in Paris was recorded on January 18, 1966. 7) Here Where There Is Love: Released in 1966. Ms. Warwick's first Top 20 pop charting album, and a No. 1 hit on the R&B charts.Bacharach and David gems "Alfie," "What The World Needs Now," "Trains and Boats and Planes," and "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" are all here, along with a cover of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind." 8) The Magic of Believing: A departure from her pop success and a tribute to her gospel roots, inspired by her mother Lee, a founding member of the Drinkard Singers with Cissy Houston. 9) Love at First Sight: Her last album for Warner Brothers Records in 1977, featuring New York City Brill Building songwriters Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. Dionne Warwick fans, spread the word. Previous Post | Next Post