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    0 The Brothers: Isley

    Here are original Isley guys Rudolph, O'Kelly, and Ronald on the cover of their 1969 T Neck album, The Brothers: Isley. "I Turned You On" and "The Blacker The Berrie" are 2 uptempo hits from this release. On the back cover of this vinyl LP, liner note writer Richard Robinson describes the entrepreneurial spirit of the business oriented Isley Brothers who created their own record label (T Neck), management firm, and television production company. O'Kelly Isley, who died in 1986, explains in the liner notes that "we do all types of music but until we owned our own record company we had to stay in the particular bag that was selling at the time. Now we can do whatever we want, be it gospel, country and western, or rock." The rest as they say is history, as the Isley Brothers successfully morphed through 6 decades of music generating hit after hit. In the late 1980's, Chris Jasper, a former member of the expanded Isley Brothers, also went on to form his own independent record label, Gold City Records. Gold City has recently featured the latest contemporary gospel recorded by Chris Jasper. Previous Post | Next Post

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    0 The Presidents Sing Classic Soul by the Numbers

    In the world of one hit wonders, The Presidents stand out for serenading the 1971 music scene with their hook-heavy classic soul favorite: "5-10-15-20 (25 - 30 Years of Love)." "The Hustle" hit man Van McCoy, producer of winning tunes for Faith, Hope, & Charity, The Stylistics, and others, produced "5-10-15-20" for The Presidents. McCoy energized this ballad with his perky production style, adding just enough sparkle to the smooth vocals of these Presidents (who hailed from Washington, DC). I still have the original "5-10-15-20" 45 RPM vinyl single on the Sussex label, digitized a few years ago by yours truly to be featured for online play via Powerhouse Radio and live365. (Online play sunset in 2016). Previous Post | Next Post

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    0 Solid Gold Dance Party Hit Makers Reunited

    During the Summer of 2007, Peaches & Herb, Maxine Nightingale, Anita Ward, A Taste of Honey, France Joli, and the Village People spread some love Across the USA and Canada. J.T. Taylor of Kool & the Gang fame, and Tavares, also joined the fun. The 15 city tour, called The Solid Gold Dance Party, brought back some of our favorite energetic hit makers to entertain live from coast to coast. Since 2006, there's been a variation on the dance party theme by the promoters, Front Row Productions, to kick the summer into high gear. Tavares, from New Bedford Massachusetts, struck gold with "More Than a Woman," "Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel, and "It Only Takes a Minute (To Fall In Love)." Janice Marie Johnson of A Taste of Honey handles her red bass with the golden touch of "Boogie Oogie Oogie..." From left to right, J.T. Taylor, Maxine "Right Back Where I Started From" Nightingale, and Ms. "Ring My Bell," Anita Ward: Previous Post | Next Post

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    0 Blowfly is King of the Funky Soul Party

    The original rappin' classic soul comedic super hero, Blowfly, is about as raunchy and as far away from politically correct as you can get. The alter ego of producer Clarence Reid, Blowfly has busted some nasty moves since the 1970's behind his dynamite microphone. You would never hear unedited Blowfly records on the radio in the USA, as airing them would guarantee a quick visit from the federal authorities. You would hear few Blowfly tracks, period. However, in basement party land, Blowfly reigned supreme, rocking the house with danceable dialogue guaranteed to make a sailor blush due to extremely salty language.       My favorite Blowfly track of all time is "Blowfly's Rapp," an amusing story about truckers, rednecks, and heathens not appropriate for the faint at heart. It's the "B" side of the 12" single, "Rapp Dirty." Clarence "Blowfly" Reid's other work is equally noteworthy, as he's produced and written big hits for Betty Wright, Gwen McCrae, and KC & The Sunshine Band. Blowfly represents a musical underground that was off the radar screen of many music fans. Unlikely other non-musical but equally expressive personalities including Richard Pryor and Redd Foxx, Blowfly's burlesque traveled in smaller circles but had impressive impact among comedy lovers who gravitated toward blue beat delivered high energy laughs. Previous Post | Next Post

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    0 Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers Go-Go

    Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers circa 1979, Bustin' Loose with the Go-Go sound of Washington, DC. Chuck Brown jams with: "Bustin' Loose" "Boogie Up The Nation" "Blow Your Whistle" "We The People" Creator, founder, and doctor of dance floor strut Chuck Brown intimately reveals his funk powered manifesto for you while busting some thrilling literary moves at his official Go-Go website. Previous Post | Next Post

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    0 Aquarian Dream's Flight of the Phoenix

    You can never be sure what the exact formula is for success. Unlike the mythical bird reincarnated from its ashes, not everyone can reinvent themselves like the Phoenix. Aquarian Dream is one R&B group from the 1970s that had a well known personality promoting them to go along with their talent, but they never quite clicked with music fans. According to music critic Alex Henderson, none of Aquarian Dream's three albums have ever been reissued on CD. The ensemble recorded for the Buddah and Elektra labels, with limited success, releasing Norman Connors Presents Aquarian Dream, Fantasy, and Chance To Dance. Norman Connors attached his name to the debut Aquarian Dream album, a promotional technique often used to break new acts during this period. Think Motown when Diana Ross presented The Jackson 5 on their first release. You don't see this gimmick happening today, as there are many more ways for artists to expose their music in non-traditional ways. Listen to a little over 1 minute of Aquarian Dream singing their 1977 song "Phoenix." You might be reminded of the classic soul of Rufus & Chaka Khan or Atlantic Starr. Previous Post | Next Post

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    0 Classic Soul Cassette Widget in Tune with Technology

    December 18, 2008 update: Like many online projects, Mixwit did not last. They shut down operations on December 31, 2008, so the link to their site and the related audio is gone. ------------------- It's not April 1st yet, and this is not a joke. Here's a really cool flashback to the golden days of those cassette based songs, now reincarnated inside of a contemporary web based music player. I skipped over both music cassettes and 8-track tapes back in the day and went right from vinyl to CD, so finding this retro music widget reminded me of friends who always had their cassette tapes eaten by their car cassette players. This widget has lots of personality! The particular song I found and placed in the widget is "Funky Mule," written by Buddy Miles, performed by an unidentified band. If you know who the band is, please let us know. Mouse-over the picture to see the pause and stop buttons (after you press the start button). You can check the widget out from Mixwit. Previous Post | Next Post

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    0 Luther Vandross, Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, & Diana Ross on January 24th

    Here are some memorable moments credited to January 24th: 2004 - Janet Jackson & Justin Timberlake perform the "wardrobe malfunction" halftime act at Super Bowl 38 in Jacksonville, Florida. 1987 - Luther Vandross has the number 1 R&B song, "Stop To Love." 1982 - Diana Ross sings the national anthem at Super Bowl 16 in Pontiac, Michigan. 1970 - The Chairmen of the Board have their first and biggest hit, "Give Me Just a Little More Time" (#8 R&B, #3 pop). Previous Post | Next Post

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    0 Janet Jackson Flashback and Feedback

    10 years ago today in 1998, Janet Jackson received her 18th gold record for the song "Together Again." At the time, her accomplishment put her in first place among female artists with the most gold singles. Janet has just released a brand new single, "Feedback," available via iTunes and Yahoo! Previous Post | Next Post

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    0 Chuck D Celebrates Public Enemy's 20th Anniversary at CES

    Public Enemy is celebrating their 20th Anniversary with the release of How Do You Sell Soul to a Soul-less People Who Sold Their Soul? The album hit the streets in August, 2007. Chuck D, (bottom left in the Public Enemy photo, next to The Flavor of Love TV reality show star Flavor Flav), is in Las Vegas for the Consumer Electronics Show (CES - January 7 - 10) to promote the launch of the music web site Beyond.fm. The Hard Rock Hotel Las Vegas is hosting a special event for the Beyond.fm launch. Previous Post | Next Post

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