Soul, Funk and R&B
Ketty Lester: New to the Charts: Ketty Lester Sang 'As Herself' To Notch Hit
Profile by Alan Smith, NME, April 1962
A SUDDEN decision to sing "in my own style" has brought instant success for chart newcomer Ketty Lester, whose 'Love Letters' stands at No. 27. ...
Sam Cooke: Sam Ploughed Money Into Act
Profile by uncredited writer, NME, October 1962
SAM COOKE is currently one of America's hottest disc properties. Since he scored his first hit with 'You Send Me', Sam has had a pretty ...
Shirelles, The: The Neglected Shirelles
Profile by Norman Jopling, Record Mirror, January 1963
"I MET HIM on a Sunday" sang Addie, Doris, Shirley, and Beverly. They were heard by a class-mate at Passiac high school during a rehearsal ...
Little Eva: Alan Smith Says 'Welcome, Little Eva'
Interview by Alan Smith, NME, February 1963
THE GIRL who put a new twist into the twist – Little Eva – arrives in London today (Friday) for her first tour of Britain. ...
1963: Rhythm And Blues Made The News
Overview by Norman Jopling, Record Mirror, December 1963
THIS HAS been THE year for rhythm and blues fans. There is no doubt about it. At the beginning of the year the R & ...
1963: Year Of Rhythm & Blues #2
Overview by Norman Jopling, Record Mirror, December 1963
Part two of a series spotlighting all the important events in the R & B world this year. ...
Crystals, The: The Crystals' Story: Their Sound, Their Career And Their X-Certificate Disc
Profile and Interview by Norman Jopling, Record Mirror, February 1964
Norman Jopling talks to the group with the hottest U.S. hit sound ...
James Brown, Solomon Burke: Solomon Burke: The Burke v. Brown Feud
Interview by Norman Jopling, Record Mirror, July 1965
"TELL ME," I said, "all about you and James Brown. There was a two-second hush, and then Solomon Burke, king of rock & soul, launched ...
Booker T & The MGs: College Comes First For Jones
Report and Interview by Ann Moses, Rhythm 'n' News, August 1965
FEW FULL-TIME college students could find enough time, energy or initiative to record and promote a record like the 1964 hit 'Green Onions'. But Booker ...
Ike & Tina Turner: Mother of Four Rocks in Revue
Interview by Ann Moses, Rhythm 'n' News, September 1965
IT ALL HAPPENED by accident. Tina Turner explained it this way: "While watching Ike on stage in St. Louis one night (he played the organ ...
Nina Simone: The Troubadour, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Ann Moses, Rhythm 'n' News, October 1965
Nina Knocks Out With 'Pastel Blues' ...
Jackie Wilson: Wailing Wilson Fishes, Hunts
Interview by Ann Moses, Rhythm 'n' News, November 1965
JACKIE WILSON'S career (past, present, and future) may be accurately summed up in one word — determination. ...
Mel Carter: Swingin' Mel Carter Setting New Goals
Interview by Louise Criscione, KRLA Beat, January 1966
WHEN HIS heart sings it really sings. His name is Mel Carter and he is one of the few remaining ballad singers who continues to ...
Fontella Bass: British Trip Caused Heartaches For Fontella
Interview by Keith Altham, NME, January 1966
AS A RESULT of her recent British visit I found that sensitive "soul" Fontella Bass suffering from a big back-ache and a little heartache just ...
James Brown: Two Sides of James Brown
Report and Interview by Ann Moses, NME, March 1966
JAMES BROWN. Such a plain name – they call him Mr. Dynamite. They are one person. But there are two faces to the entertainer. Thousands ...
James Brown: The Soul Of Mr. Brown
Interview by Dave Godin, Record Mirror, March 1966
JAMES BROWN has at last been to Britain. His all too brief stay had just about the maximum impact that it could have had. It ...
Ike & Tina Turner: Ike And Tina Deep And High
Profile and Interview by uncredited writer, KRLA Beat, May 1966
'River Deep, Mountain High', Ike and Tina Turner have signed with Phil Spector and there's no telling what fantastic sounds they'll come out with now! ...
Dobie Gray Into The Acting Bag
Interview by Rochelle Reed, KRLA Beat, July 1966
THE "LEADER of the 'In' Crowd" came into The BEAT office this week and almost didn't get out. ...
Otis Redding: Mr Cool and The Clique From Memphis
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, September 1966
OTIS REDDING is unbelievably cool. Or is it just travel-weariness. Who knows? When he landed on English soil last week to introduce himself and prepare ...
Otis Redding at Tiles: 16.09.1966
Live Review by Bill Millar, Soul Music Monthly, October 1966
OTIS SHOULD receive a mention in the Financial Times this year. The attendances on his recent our, especially in the London area, were quite phenomenal. ...
James Brown Says 'I'm A Dynamo!'
Interview by Rochelle Reed, KRLA Beat, October 1966
Mr. Soul Speaks Out On Himself, His Music, His Points of View... ...
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Smokey Robinson: The Other Smokey Robinson — Songwriter
Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, October 1966
BACK IN 1957 Bill "Smokey" Robinson, then 17, bumped into Berry Gordy Jr. Smokey had a stack of about 100 songs he had written, and ...
Four Tops, The: NME Chart News Woke Up The Four Tops In Record Time!
Interview by Alan Smith, NME, October 1966
THE PHONE rang eleven times in Room 3055 at New York's Hilton Hotel before Lawrence Payton roused himself from his slumbers and dragged it towards ...
Lou Rawls: Greatest Thing Since Black Pepper
Profile and Interview by Louise Criscione, KRLA Beat, November 1966
THEY CALL IT Blues but really it's a large spoonful of mother earth. All heaped up and occasionally spilling over. When it spills over it's ...
Lou Rawls: Royal Tahitian, Ontario CA
Live Review by Louise Criscione, KRLA Beat, December 1966
Rawls 'Live' At Tahitian Recalls 'Death' In Florida ...
Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding: Atlantic '67
Report and Interview by Bill Harry, Record Mirror, December 1966
FRANK FENTER is a tall, tanned, talkative South African who has a way of expression with his hands that would do credit to an Italian. ...
Robert Parker: Shakespeare Hotel, Woolwich, London
Live Review by Bill Millar, Soul Music Monthly, January 1967
THE NUMBER OF blues and blues-based artistes touring the UK in the autumn months is quite absurd and not everybody will have the time or ...
Solomon Burke: The Marquee, London, 18th July 1966
Live Review by Bill Millar, Soul Music Monthly, February 1967
JUST OVER a year ago, Solomon Burke made his first appearance at the Marquee and was greeted with incredible scenes of enthusiasm. Before he had ...
Four Tops, The: Four Tops Plan a Motown Choir
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, February 1967
SWINGING London was practically rocked off its hinges the first time the famous Four Tops descended among us last year – the year of 'Reach ...
Garnet Mimms: Whisky A Go Go, London
Live Review by Bill Millar, Soul Music, April 1967
MANY ENTHUSIASTS feel that Garnet Mimms is the best of the current crop of soul-ballad vocalists and if we pretend that "soul" is an idiom ...
Booker T & The MGs, Otis Redding, Sam & Dave: Otis Redding et al.:
Live Review by Bill Millar, Soul Music, April 1967
It was perfectly clear that every performer on the Stax show was going to receive the most sympathetic applause should he or she subsequently turn ...
Supremes, The: The Supremes: Cocoanut Grove, Ambassador Hotel, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by uncredited writer, KRLA Beat, July 1967
Diana Ross: 'Thin Is In!' ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, October 1967
GREAT THUNDERING jackanapes! An all-round good show at the Saville: No goofs, no curtains falling down, great music, a nice audience and even, wonder of ...
Arthur Conley: The Prince Of Sweet Soul Music
Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, October 1967
THE WORLD of Pop is pretty crazy. And it's pretty crazy when a twenty-one-year-old singer is 'discovered' twice in his twenty-one-year-old life by two of ...
Interview by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, November 1967
A DOUBLE Dynamite Duo with a tradition to live up to. That's Sam and Dave – and their tradition is hit records. Hits like 'Soul ...
Eddie Floyd: Knocking On The Wrong Wood
Profile and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, December 1967
EDDIE FLOYD IN A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY ...
Otis Redding: Otis, The King Of Soul
Report by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, December 1967
OTIS REDDING, voted as the worlds number one male vocalist in this year's MM Pop Poll, died in an air crash on Sunday night. A ...
Aretha Franklin: A History Of Soul Queen Aretha Franklin
Profile by Derek Boltwood, Record Mirror, December 1967
WELL, WHAT'S going to happen in 1968? New faces? New stars? Of course. But as we step gingerly over the threshold into the new year, ...
Foundations, The : Alan Smith Finds Foundations An Unusual 'Bunch'
Interview by Alan Smith, NME, February 1968
THE BEATLES had it. So did Gerry "Engelbert Humperdinck" Dorsey, the Four Tops and Tom Jones. I'm talking about faith — an artist's faith in ...
Otis Redding: Otis New Hit His Greatest Tribute
Comment by Alan Smith, NME, March 1968
DURING HIS all-too-brief lifetime, Otis Redding was respected by the world of music — and virtually ignored in his own home town of Macon, Georgia. ...
Tina Turner, Ike & Tina Turner: The Ike And Tina Turner Revue: Streatham Locarno, London
Live Review by Bill Millar, Soul Music Monthly, April 1968
IN SEPTEMBER 1966, some seven thousand people saw the Rolling Stones and like & Tina Turner at the Royal Albert Hall and – judging by ...
Aretha Franklin: Lady Soul in London
Live Review by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, May 1968
FRIDAY, MAY 10th, marked the long overdue arrival in Britain of America's first Lady of Soul, the remarkable Miss Aretha Franklin: an event which soul ...
Aretha Franklin: Aretha's Artistry
Profile by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, May 1968
THE YOUNG lady who has probably had more effect on the r&b scene in the U.S.A. than anyone else during the past year, who has ...
Interview by Norman Jopling, Record Mirror, May 1968
SOME PEOPLE are going around saying that Aretha Franklin is the Queen Of Soul, many people are buying her records, and one person (show compère ...
Interview by Dave Godin, Blues & Soul, July 1968
ONE IS always apprehensive about meeting artists for whom one has a great admiration or burning passion – I deliberately avoided meeting the one and ...
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Smokey Robinson: Smokey Robinson
Profile and Interview by Michael Lydon, Rolling Stone, September 1968
SMOKEY ROBINSON is the reigning genius of Top-40. Since the Beatles and the Beach Boys dropped out of the single-then-follow-up-album pattern aimed at the AM ...
Supremes, The, Diana Ross: Diana Ross: A Talking Instead Of Just A Walking Doll
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, November 1968
DIANA ROSS is a living doll. But as an all-talking living doll, her new image came as quite a surprise to the pop scene last ...
Sam & Dave, Johnny Winter: Sam & Dave: Fillmore East, New York NY
Live Review by Mike Jahn, New York Times, December 1968
Soul Team Plays 'South of the Border' ...
Review by Greil Marcus, Rolling Stone, May 1969
IKE AND TINA TURNER have been packing suitcases and riding buses for years, playing the Sportmen's Clubs and the Showcase Lounges, sometimes making it into ...
Overview by Charlie Gillett, Record Mirror, May 1969
THERE WAS a time, not so long ago, when almost all the writing about popular music was descriptive or informative. ...
Chuck Willis: I Remember Chuck Willis
Review by Greil Marcus, Rolling Stone, August 1969
EVERY ONCE IN a while something happens that reminds one of the incalculable contribution Atlantic Records has made to rock and roll and rhythm and ...
The Apollo Theatre and the Fillmore East: Black and White Music in NYC
Comment by Loraine Alterman, New York Scenes, September 1969
MORE THAN Central Park and city blocks separate the Apollo Theatre in Harlem and the Fillmore East in the East Village. ...
Frederick "Shorty" Long: Shorty Long
Retrospective by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1969
FREDERICK (SHORTY) Long drowned in a boating accident on Sunday, June 29. Also killed in the same accident was Shorty's friend, Oscar Williams, who also ...
James Brown: Telling The Natural Truth
Interview by Charlie Gillett, Record Mirror, September 1969
'SAY IT LOUD – I'm Black and I'm Proud' sold 20,000 copies in Britain, although the BBC played it only once. Is James Brown surprised? ...
Ike & Tina Turner, Sam & Dave: Felt Forum, New York NY
Live Review by Mike Jahn, New York Times, November 1969
Soul Selections Get Sensual Treatment From Tina Turner ...
Percy Sledge: The Best Of Percy Sledge
Interview by Charlie Gillett, Record Mirror, December 1969
PERCY SLEDGE is here for a three-week tour, and to coincide with it Atlantic have released a single, 'True Love Travels On A Gravel Road', ...
Wilbert Harrison: Bring Back The Fifties
Column by Charlie Gillett, Record Mirror, 1970
EVERY YEAR, the manager of the Apollo Theatre in Harlem stages an 'oldies' show, in which almost forgotten stars of R&B relive their past for ...
Temptations, The: The Temptations: The Talk Of The Town, London
Live Review by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1970
ON ENTERING the exclusive surroundings of London's most popular dinner and entertainment club, my mind was engaged on the description that most journalists from the ...
Temptations, The: The Temptations Came, Saw And Almost Conquered
Report and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1970
AND SO, it's all over. The Temptations, first ambassadors of Soul and Motown have been and gone again. The question now is whether it was ...
Live Review by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1970
IT STARTED out as a most exciting way to start the 70's for every British Soul lover. But after three weeks on the road it ...
Miracles, The: The Miracles: Thank The Beatles
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1970
SMOKEY ROBINSON and the Miracles flew into London specifically to appear on Tom Jones TV show. Even if many Soul fans disapprove of what Mr. ...
Doris Troy: Dave Godin Meets Mother Soul
Interview by Dave Godin, Blues & Soul, February 1970
WHEN EDITOR John Abbey asked me if I would do a feature interview with Doris Troy to coincide with her forthcoming single release on Apple, ...
Live Review by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, March 1970
THE HAMMERSMITH Odeon has been the scene of great jubilation and triumph for many top r&b/soul artists in the last few years and soul fans ...
Jimmy Ruffin: I Nearly Became A Temptation
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1970
AND SO, the news is out that the Ruffin brothers, David and Jimmy, could well be linking up in the States as a double act. ...
Richie Havens: Stonehenge (Stormy Forest)
Review by Ben Edmonds, Fusion, March 1970
THE SUBJECT OF Richie Havens is always sure to provoke an argument. Those who tend to dislike him do so with a great deal of ...
Wilbert Harrison: One Man Band
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1970
ALMOST WITHOUT WARNING, Wilbert Harrison arrived in London during mid-April to appear with Creedence Clearwater at London's Royal Albert Hall concerts. Wilbert was chosen by ...
Dionne Warwick: The Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Dave Godin, Blues & Soul, May 1970
THE "PRINCE Albert Hall" (as Dionne so charmingly referred to it) is the most peculiar venue in London for a recording artist to play. ...
Isaac Hayes: The Most Important Soul Man Of Today
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1970
JA: How did you first get together with David Porter, in the very beginning? ...
Inez Foxx Speaks Frankly To B and S
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1970
...and tells the truth about her first solo tour and its problems ...
Temptations, The: The Temptations: Psychedelic Shack (Tamla Motown)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, June 1970
SHAME, SHAME, shame... Motown's sold its soul for a spoonful of wah-wah guitar. Actually that's not quite true, because you can't totally obliterate the true ...
Booker T & The MGs: McLemore Avenue (Stax)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, June 1970
NICE IDEA – they play all the tunes from Abbey Road, and imitate the sleeve of that album by picturing the four MGs crossing McLemore ...
Overview by Charlie Gillett, Record Mirror, June 1970
I'M NOT sure why, but I'm more often moved by men singing than by women. Somehow I can identify with a much larger range of ...
Sheila E, Flirtations, The: The Flirtations: In Pursuit Of That Elusive Hit
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1970
DESPITE THE fact that the beautiful Flirtations virtually live on our doorstep, the British public has inexplicably ignored their many fine records, despite the fact ...
Sam & Dave: The Split — The Story
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1970
AFTER 10 YEARS, Sam and Dave have finally parted company. They both intend to continue in the business, yet neither is certain of exactly which ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1970
IT WAS ONLY because one member of Atlantic's London office staff had particular faith in Otis Leavill's R&B hit from the States, 'I Love You', ...
Clarence Carter, Candi Staton: Clarence Carter & Candi Staton: Clarence and Candi and Rick Hall
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1970
WHEN WE heard the good news of Clarence Carter's impending marriage to his protege, Candi Staton, we felt we had to get in touch with ...
Aretha Franklin: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1970
WHEN THE second house of Aretha's only London date started half an hour late, it did at first appear a bad sign. However, since the ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1970
OUTSIDE OF the States, Bobby Womack does not really mean a great deal. On listening to his current American album, My Prescription, this is indeed ...
Report and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, August 1970
THE ARRIVAL in Britain of the Queen of Soul was, naturally, a Red Letter day in the 1970 Soul calendar. After all, this was only ...
Voices of East Harlem, The: The Voices of East Harlem: The Black Pride Of 13 Hip Kids
Profile and Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, August 1970
BLACK PRIDE, as a kind of more inner-directed companion to Black Power, is rapidly becoming a force in our musical world. "Black Is Beautiful" was ...
Impressions, The, Curtis Mayfield: Curtis Mayfield: No Longer An Impression
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1970
AS EXCLUSIVELY reported in Blues & Soul some 4 months ago, Curtis Mayfield has officially left the Impressions after 12 years. When we finally tracked ...
Isley Brothers, The: The Isley Brothers
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1970
The Isley Brothers, Ronnie, Rudolph and O'Kelly, have spent well over a decade at the top. Their success culminated in the formation of their own ...
Chairmen Of The Board: The Chairmen of the Board
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1970
FOR MANY YEARS, I have been singing the praise of a certain Norman Johnson, who was the lead voice with the Showmen. ...
Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd St. Rhythm Band: Express Yourself
Profile by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1970
THOUGH THE Watts 103rd St. Band are not yet a big act in Britain, they have established themselves as one of the top attractions in ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1970
ONE OF the most promising talents to emerge in the States this year has been R. B. Greaves. His multi-million seller, 'Take A Letter Maria', ...
Freda Payne: The Story Behind Band Of Gold
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1970
"THAT'S REALLY funny, because I was only talking to the office yesterday asking if 'Band Of Gold' had made any charts overseas – especially Britain". ...
Curtis Mayfield, Impressions, The: Curtis Mayfield: Curtis; The Impressions: Check Out Your Mind
Review by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1970
Curtis Mayfield: Curtis (Curtom) ...
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: Smokey Can Do All The Tamla Jobs —
Interview by Ann Moses, NME, September 1970
– but still finds time for his golf! ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1970
PERCY SLEDGE made a fleeting visit to London recently on his way to Holland to receive an award. Naturally, B&S got together with him and ...
Clarence Carter: Am I A Bit Of A Fraud?
Interview by David Hughes, Disc and Music Echo, October 1970
CLARENCE CARTER is beginning to think perhaps he's a bit of a fraud! So many people are rushing out to buy his first British hit ...
Sly & The Family Stone: Lyceum Ballroom, London
Live Review by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, October 1970
THE APPEARANCE in London of the much-heralded exponents and instigators of psychedelic soul – only their second ever British date; the first being at the ...
Live Review by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, October 1970
The Voices That Raised The Roof ...
Mar-Keys, The, Memphis Horns, The: The Memphis Horns
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1970
HOW MANY of you have listened to the Memphis records and thought to yourself how great the brass is? Every Sam & Dave record, or ...
Glass House, The: The Glass House
Profile by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1970
ALREADY, Holland-Dozier-Holland have introduced us to Freda Payne and the Chairmen of the Board this year via their Invictus label. It is highly likely that ...
Four Tops, The: The Four Tops: Changing Times
Report and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1970
IN THE FIVE short months that have passed since the last time the Tops came to Britain, a great deal has happened to them. ...
Delfonics, The: The Delfonics: Sexy Soul
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1970
GENERALLY, all forms of American music finally break through in Britain. But, to date, there has been one outstanding exception in that the smooth groups ...
Esther Marrow: Newport News Virginia
Review by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1970
BRITISH SOUL FANS could be for-given for having never heard of Miss Esther Marrow a month or so ago since Miss Marrow has, to date, ...
Swamp Dogg: 'Whistle Dixie Out Your Ass': Swamp Dogg
Report and Interview by John Morthland, Rolling Stone, October 1970
SAN FRANCISCO – Swamp Dogg had just finished taping a four-song set for a quadraphonic television show, and now everyone was up in the control ...
Patti LaBelle: Pattie Labelle and Bluebelles: Fly-IN High
Report and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, November 1970
IT HAS gone virtually unnoticed in the British musical press that Pattie La Belle (or Patty La Belle or Patti La Belle!) and her Blue ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, November 1970
ROBERTA FLACK sings. In fact, as Les McCann so aptly put it in the liner notes of her first album for Atlantic Records, titled First ...
Tom Dowd: The Reluctant Master
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, November 1970
"COLUMBIA DIDN'T record Aretha badly, it was just that what they did was untimely. Aretha Franklin is incapable of making a bad record." ...
Clarence Carter, Candi Staton: Clarence Carter: 'Patches' An Ideal Album Track
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, November 1970
OWN UP, all those who didn't give Clarence Carter's 'Patches' even an outside chance of making the U.K. charts; let alone actually make the Top ...
David Porter: Gritty Groovy Now He's Got It
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, November 1970
REMEMBER THE big Soul boom of last year when every second record on the pop chart was a revived Soul sound? Naturally, everyone saw this ...
Ray Charles, Raelets, The: Ray Charles and The Raelets In Concert
Live Review by Dave Godin, Blues & Soul, November 1970
THE ANNUAL concert featuring Ray Charles, his Orchestra and The Raelets is an event which usually draws S.R.O. crowds and this year was no exception. ...
Mary Wells, Chairmen Of The Board: Motown: Still Making It?
Comment by Charlie Gillett, Record Mirror, November 1970
FOUR years ago, there were a lot of people who made a point of going into their local record shops and asking, can I hear ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, December 1970
DEE DEE Warwick has been turning out good records now for half a decade and she really hasn't received the acclaim she warrants. However, her ...
Garnet Mimms: Reflections On Garnet Mimms
Overview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, December 1970
NEW YORK SOUL '64 TO '67 ...
Interview by Charlie Gillett, Rock's Backpages Audio, 1971
From scuffling in the clubs and studios of late-'50s New Orleans, to his reinvention as Dr. John in mid-'60s L.A., Mac Rebennack tells the whole story - the gangsters, the drugs, the hard times and the high times. And, of course, the music, always the music.
File format: mp3; in 6 parts, total file sizes: 157.1mb, total interview length: 2h 51' 32" sound quality: ***
Report and Interview by Philip Norman, Sunday Times, 1971
JAMES BROWN will die on the stage one night, on the moving staircase of his own feet in front of a thirty-piece band; and then ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1971
JERRY WEXLER is without doubt, one of the great producers who revolutionised Rhythm and Blues music in the 50's and 60's. ...
Booker T & The MGs: Booker T And MG's: Still Very Much Together
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1971
IN THE British music press of late, there have been numerous rumours that Booker T. and the M.G.s have split up or are about to ...
Profile by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1971
CAROL WOODS made her British debut recently on the Ember label with 'If I Let You' and, whilst this particular record has been unable to ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1971
THERE IS always a curious under-current in Soul music in this country for certain artists who don't mean too much in their own country. ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1971
THERE ARE numerous vocal groups that never make the Top 10 of the National Chart. Most of these acts simply fade into obscurity or carry ...
Nina Simone: Nine Simone: Super Star For 1971
Report by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, January 1971
AS HAS been noted by her many fans and soul people generally, there has been a marked silence from the High Priestess of Soul for ...
Donny Hathaway: Everything Is Everything (Atco)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, January 1971
A USEFUL glossary of soul terms occurs during the title track, a warm, friendly if somewhat meaningless piece of philisophy. ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1971
No U.K. release for 2 years but still a great favourite ...
Ike & Tina Turner: Workin' Together #1
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1971
Part One ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1971
"'If I Were Your Woman' is the long awaited follow up to 'Grapevine'" says Gladys Knight ...
Ike & Tina Turner: Deutches Museum Hall, Munich
Live Review by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1971
TO WITNESS the Ike & Tina Turner Revue is an experience in itself but, to make certain that a revue of the show got into ...
James Brown: The Sugar Shack Club, Boston
Live Review by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1971
The Greatest Showman In Soul ...
Curtis Mayfield: The Bitter End, NYC
Live Review by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1971
Curtis Mayfield's Solo Debut ...
Jackie Moore: Precious 8 Months Later A Hit
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1971
BRITAIN HAS always been quick to accept a new Soul sister and, if anything, the respect accorded to a female singer in this country far ...
Spinners, The: Motown's Spinners
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1971
AFTER NEARLY ten years of trying, the Spinners finally achieved their break-through in this country via the first Stevie Wonder production of them. The song ...
William Bell: Wow…William Bell
Review by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1971
WHEN IT comes to be rated as the most under-appreciated man in Soul music, one William Bell must rank as hot favourite. ...
Ike & Tina Turner: Workin' Together #2
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1971
Part Two: The Ike Turner Story ...
Vicki Anderson: Ready To Quit Unless Something Big Comes Along
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1971
VICKI ANDERSON made a lot of friends in this country with her part in the James Brown Revue. On record, she is best known for ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1971
WITH JOE Simon's signature, Spring Records have gained their first real entry into the super-star league. Joe's first for the label, 'Your Time To Cry', ...
James Brown, Bobby Byrd: Bobby Byrd
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1971
IF YOU'VE ever wondered who the second voice is on James Brown's 'Sex Machine', we can put your mind at rest for it is none ...
Review by Dave Marsh, Creem, March 1971
SAM COOKE HAS always seemed, to me at least, the most underrated (or simply ignored – you don't really rate these people) of all the ...
Chairmen Of The Board: Chairman of the Board: In Session (Invictus)
Review by Dave Marsh, Creem, March 1971
THIS IS REPUTEDLY a live set, recorded in Harlem at the Apollo but I doubt that. But regardless of that little caveat emptor, the Chairmen ...
James Brown: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, March 1971
IF ARETHA is the Queen of Soul and Otis was the King of Soul, James Brown must qualify as the Super-King of Funk! On the ...
James Brown: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, March 1971
The clockwork king of soul? ...
Freda Payne: The Heart and Soul of Freda Payne
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1971
WITHOUT A DOUBT, the most exciting and worthwhile 'new' discovery of 1970 was Freda Payne. Exciting because she is just that; worthwhile because she will ...
Funkadelic, George Clinton: Funkadelic
Profile by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1971
IT'S RARE that a tour by an American R&B group can cause controversy that makes headlines in the more general pop music papers. But that's ...
Profile by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1971
WHEN IT comes to female Soul singers, you've got to look south of the Mason-Dixon line. It's in the South that you'll find the girls ...
Eddie Kendricks, Temptations, The: Eddie Kendricks: A Temptation No More
Report and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1971
A MOTOWN News Release, dated March 19, 1971, confirmed something that we had been hearing about for several weeks – namely that Eddie Kendricks, lead ...
Margie Joseph Makes A Big New Impression
Report and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1971
FOR THOSE of you who haven't noticed, the fastest rising album on the American chart over the last month or so belongs to one Margie ...
Donny Hathaway: Donny Hathaway
Review by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1971
WITH THE natural progression of our music, for the first time we are able to claim musical genius within Soul Music. ...
Ike & Tina Turner: Ike and Tina Turner: Carnegie Hall, New York NY
Live Review by Mike Jahn, New York Times, April 1971
The Turners Shift To a New Category Called Porno Soul ...
Baby Huey: The Baby Huey Story: The Living Legend
Review by Lenny Kaye, Rolling Stone, April 1971
BABY HUEY never made it; not really. At his peak, when he was the stellar attraction of a rhythm and blues circuit that stretched from ...
Raelets, The: The Stars Behind The Stars: The Raelets
Profile by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, April 1971
THE ART of vocal back up work – the vocal accompaniment which so often complements and assists the names out front to obtain the exact ...
Isaac Hayes: Isaac Hayes... To Be Continued
Review by Loraine Alterman, New York Times, April 1971
The 'Black Moses' Should Move Ahead ...
Sweet Inspirations, The: The Sweet Soul Of The Sweet Inspirations
Profile by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, April 1971
IN THE first part of this short series, we covered the role of The Raelets. In this article, the work of the most important group ...
Brook Benton: Either You Got It Or You Don't Got It
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1971
ONE OF the most pleasing successes of 1970 was Brook Benton with what to me was probably the most soulful record of that year, 'Rainy ...
Aretha Franklin: Aretha's Thank You To B&S Readers
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1971
ANOTHER VISIT PLANNED FOR THE END OF THE YEAR ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1971
"YOU'RE JOKING. It's just like a dream. God, it must have been five...no, six years ago that I made that record." Those were the first ...
Parliament, Funkadelic: Parliament/Funkadelic: A Parliafunkadelicment Thang
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1971
RARELY DOES an R&B act cause any controversy or speculation prior to making a British tour. But the one exception in recent years is Funkadelic, ...
Lee Dorsey: Yes We Can (Polydor)
Review by Charlie Gillett, Cream, May 1971
LEE DORSEY's one of the easiest singers to underestimate: he seems to be completely unassuming, apparently equally prepared to sing good blues like 'Get Out ...
Wilson Pickett: In Philadelphia (Atlantic) and If You Need Me (Joy)
Review by Charlie Gillett, Cream, May 1971
IT SEEMS AS if Wilson Pickett's been the number two soul singer ever since the term was coined. Ray Charles, James Brown, Otis Redding, and ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1971
YOU HAVE probably noticed a record by a group called Fuzz, which has been on the American Top 100 now for some three months or ...
Funkadelic: It's Just To Get People's Attention
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, May 1971
EVER since Keith Emerson set fire to an American flag on the stage of London's Royal Albert Hall, the banning of groups from that particular ...
Nina Simone: Carnegie Hall, New York NY
Live Review by Mike Jahn, New York Times, May 1971
Throng Welcomes Nina Simone, Back After Long Absence ...
Ike & Tina Turner: The Stars Behind The Stars: Part Three — The Ikettes and Others!
Overview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, May 1971
IN THE last part of this series about vocal back-up girls, we'll deal with the numerous ladies who don't belong to any particular group plus ...
Interview by Phil Symes, Disc and Music Echo, May 1971
IT'S NOT been all peaches and cream for Freda Payne since she had a worldwide hit with 'Band Of Gold'. As she says: "Until recently ...
Funkadelic: The Speakeasy/The Roundhouse, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, May 1971
Fun with Funkadelic ...
Chambers Brothers, The: The Chambers Brothers: New Generation
Review by Ben Edmonds, Rolling Stone, May 1971
AT THE OUTSET, the Chambers Brothers were a warmly exciting gospel act (catalogued on a series of fine albums released by Vault), but they apparently ...
Elgins, The: The Elgins: Down Tools, Folks, It's A Lucky Strike
Report and Interview by Phil Symes, Disc and Music Echo, May 1971
The dispirited Elgins quit in 1967 and took up humdrum jobs in industrial Detroit. And then it all happened... ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1971
ALTHOUGH ARTHUR Conley is acknowledged as being one of the finest young entertainers on today's Soul scene, it's quite a while since his last really ...
Dixie Flyers, The: The Dixie Flyers: The Guys Behind The Hits
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1971
THE FIRST real opportunity that R&B fans had to know of Dixie Flyers collectively was when they turned up on Aretha's Spirit In The Dark/Don't ...
Garnet Mimms: In Search Of A Record Outlet
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1971
SOME FOUR years ago, Garnet Mimms was just about the hottest R&B entertainer in the States. Then his contract with United Artists Records expired and ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1971
SIX MONTHS ago, we featured a young lady in our magazine who had just made her British debut on the recording scene; her name was ...
Report and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1971
HAVING HAD three consecutive chart records in this country and with 'Pay To The Piper' gradually edging its way into the Top 30, the Chairmen ...
Funkadelic: When The Circus Hit Town
Interview by Phil Symes, Disc and Music Echo, June 1971
FUNKADELIC man George Clinton casually made the understatement of the year. There they were, the five front men of the year's most outrageous band, dressed ...
Tami Lynn: Tami Worked Hard For Overnight Success!
Profile and Interview by Phil Symes, Disc and Music Echo, June 1971
"IT'S LIKE a Cinderella or Alice in Wonderland story. Just when you think it's all over it starts to happen." ...
Marvin Gaye: A Study of Marvin Gaye's Liberation
Interview by Phil Symes, Disc and Music Echo, June 1971
MARVIN GAYE is a mystery man. Most people know him as the singer who made the biggest-selling Motown record ever – 'I Heard It Through ...
Esther Phillips, Bettye LaVette: Lelan Rogers
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1971
LELAN ROGERS first sprang to prominence as the man who brought national success to Esther Phillips with 'Release Me'. In the decade that has passed, ...
Beginning Of The End, The: The Beginning Of The End
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1971
"NASSAU'S GONE funky; Nassaus's gone Soul" is how the Beginning Of The End bounce into the history-making hit, 'Funky Nassau'. History? This is the best ...
Curtis Mayfield, Fascinations, The: The Fascinations
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1971
IT'S ONE of the strange things about the music world when a record that is five years old and is making its third bid for ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1971
WITH THE initial success of King Floyd's 'Groove Me', Soul music spotlighted the relatively small town of Jackson, Mississippi, and the record's producer, Wardell Quezergue. ...
Curtis Mayfield: The Gentle Genius
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1971
FEW – IF ANY – people have contributed as much to the progression of what is generally regarded as Soul music as has Curtis Mayfield, ...
Curtis Mayfield: The Speakeasy, London
Live Review by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, July 1971
THE ALL-too-brief, spur-of-the-moment appearance of Curtis Mayfield at London's Speakeasy club must surely rank as a historic event in the history of soul music in ...
Bill Withers: Bitter End, New York NYC
Live Review by Mike Jahn, New York Times, July 1971
Bill Withers Plays In Soul-Folk Style ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1971
AFTER less than a year apart, Sam Moore and Dave Prater – alias Sam & Dave, the Dynamic Duo – are back together. The decision ...
Obituary by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1971
CURTIS OUSELEY – known the world over as King Curtis – was fatally wounded and died on Friday, August 13 only a few yards away ...
Donny Hathaway: Donny Hathaway (Atco)
Review by Loraine Alterman, New York Times, August 1971
EVER SINCE Otis Redding's tragic death in 1967, record companies have been searching for the great black hope to fill his shoes. Whenever a new ...
Clarence Carter: Slippin' Away With Clarence Carter
Interview by Joel Selvin, Rolling Stone, August 1971
SAN FRANCISCO – Clarence Carter leaves his Holiday Inn room on the arm of his road manager, who looks familiar. It's Rodgers Redding, and it's ...
Dionne Warwicke: Is She The Same Girl?
Comment by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, August 1971
THE RELEASE of four Dionne Warwicke albums by Decca – Soulful, Motion Picture Hits, Promises Promises and Very Dionne has sparked off some renewed interest ...
Tami Lynn: Tam Lynn's Debut Album
Review by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, August 1971
IT IS very difficult to analyse a debut album from any artist, since an artist's potential is often judged on their first album as opposed ...
Chi-Lites, The: The Chi-Lites Are Deep But Not Too Deep
Profile and Interview by Phil Symes, Disc and Music Echo, August 1971
WE'RE ALL familiar with the Detroit "sound." Well it seems the next big American industrial city to become famous for its music will be Chicago. ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1971
IT'S ALMOST five years to the day since I first met Clarence Burke Sr., better known the world over as Papa Stairstep. At the time, ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1971
IF YOUR'E looking for an ultra-funky record, then Simtec & Wylie's 'Gotta Get Get Over The Hump' is perfect for you. The record is currently ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1971
IT IS, indeed, very rare for an American artist to make a short visit to this country and immediately score a hit single in the ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1971
THE LAST time I talked to Al Green, he was riding high with his adaptation of the Temptations' 'I Can't Get Next To You'. Now, ...
Kool and the Gang: Kool And The Gang
Profile by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1971
CONSIDERING THAT Kool & The Gang have only ever had one British release they have an incredible following. That release – well over a year ...
Sonny Til & the Orioles: Sonny Til and the Orioles: Sonny Til and the Orioles (RCA)
Review by Greg Shaw, Phonograph Record, September 1971
BACK IN THE FIFTIES there was something called The New York Sound. It was classed as R&B, but unlike the tough, electrified R&B of Ike ...
Profile by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1971
DESPITE HAVING been one of Soul's leading acts for close on five years now, The Intruders have yet to make any serious impression on the ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1971
WITHIN EVERY Invictus and Hot Wax group there is a winner. General Johnson showed up with the Chairmen, Steve Mancha turned up singing lead for ...
Booker T & The MGs: Booker T and M.G.'s
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1971
DONALD 'DUCK' Dunn, best known in R&B circles for his invaluable contribution to our music via Booker T. & The M.G.'s, was recently in London ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1971
IF EVER there was a record destined to become an in-demand oldie, it is the Detroit Emeralds' 'Do Me Right', which somehow managed to avoid ...
Temptations, The, David Ruffin: David Ruffin
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1971
THE TEMPTATIONS without David Ruffin, Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams! Strange, but true – that is the sad situation as of today. There was enough ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1971
THE MOST successful of all of this year's re-issues has undoubtedly been The Tams' 'Hey Girl Don't Bother Me', which, prior to being re-released on ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1971
IN ALL honesty, it was strange to see Fred Cash and Sam Gooden flanking a new "leader" and central figure of The Impressions. Sadly, the ...
Carla Thomas: The Memphis Queen
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1971
RIGHTLY, CARLA Thomas is the Memphis Queen. ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1971
TROY KEYES had a very successful single in 1967, 'Love Explosions', and has been conspicuous by his absence ever since. "I spent a year with ...
Impressions, The: The Impressions: Live
Live Review by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1971
THE DEACON'S Rap, Sam and Fred's superb harmonics, Leroys faultless lead, all combined with Curtis' lyrics gave us what must have been the greatest show ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1971
MABLE JOHN, one of the most charming people in the whole record industry, bounded into London once more as leading lady with the Ray Charles ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1971
THERE ARE a handful of American artists who don't need a current record to provide them with sufficient work in this country. Frequently, this is ...
Diana Ross, Jackson 5, The: Diana Ross
Review by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, October 1971
MOTOWN'S MUCH-heralded first independent production centred on Diana Ross, proved to be all it was cracked out to be – and more! Screened on B.B.C. ...
Coasters, The: Lecherous, Indolent, Stupid…and Comical: The Coasters
Retrospective by Bill Millar, Record Mirror, October 1971
THERE IS A passage in the Coasters' 'Sweet Georgia Brown' where the lead baritone flies off on the immortal line "she gotta walk that make ...
Al Green, Bill Black Combo, The: Al Green: Now Green Smashes The Big Memphis Monopoly
Profile and Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, October 1971
MEMPHIS HAS long been accepted as capital city of rock 'n' soul, but to the casual fan this means just Elvis on the rock side ...
Johnny Otis: Doin' That Hand Jive With His Feet
Interview by John Morthland, Creem, November 1971
When the Johnny Otis Show appears on stage, it brings years and years of rhythm and blues history with it. ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, November 1971
ALREADY BEING tipped as a potential giant R&B record in this country is Ann Peebles version of 'Slipped, Tripped And Fell In Love'. The only ...
Profile by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, November 1971
IN THE States, there is as much confusion over The Platters as there has been over The Drifters with numerous groups touring the country using ...
Profile by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, November 1971
FUGI Is a name that will mean absolutely nothing to virtually every reader of B&S. So let's start by telling you that Fugi – pronounced ...
Review by Greg Shaw, Phonograph Record, November 1971
CLYDE MCPHATTER is one of the best singers to come out of the early 50s vocal group tradition. After a stint with Billy Ward and ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, November 1971
IT'S QUITE a few months now since Jimmy Ruffin was last in the British charts following a run of about one year when his name ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, November 1971
AFTER SIXTEEN years of trying hard, Freddie North has broken through into the proverbial good time – and it couldn't happen to a nicer guy. ...
William Bell: The Real William Bell
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, November 1971
AFTER MANY years of having a fake William Bell on hand, the real McCoy finally arrived in Britain recently in the form of a suave, ...
Temptations, The: The Temptations: Introducing Damon Harris and Richard Street
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, November 1971
MUCH HAS been written in B&S lately about the departure of Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams from the Temptations and, in all fairness, a lot ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, November 1971
WITHOUT DOUBT, Valerie Simpson is one of the most important talents to emerge this year. Her debut album, Exposed made some considerable impression on both ...
Profile and Interview by Roger St. Pierre, Beat Instrumental, December 1971
WITH AL Green's 'Tired Of Being Alone' Decca's subsidiary London label has notched its first chart entry in more than 18 months. It's quite a ...
Main Ingredient, The: The Main Ingredient
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, December 1971
RCA RECORDS has never had a good reputation as an R&B label. However, quietly they have recently built up quite a roster of good R&B ...
Denise LaSalle: Denise La Salle
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, December 1971
THE LAST twelve months have been extremely successful for new female Soul artistes. The most recent success belongs to Chicago's Denise La Salle, whose 'Trapped ...
Aretha Franklin: Greatest Hits – on Atlantic and Columbia
Review by Pete Wingfield, Cream, December 1971
ON ATLANTIC: Greatest Hits illustrates the power that fourteen condensed, concise, definitive musical statements can exert – particularly in the soul/R&B field, totally geared until ...
Review by Pete Wingfield, Cream, December 1971
THIS DOUBLE ALBUM set of Etta James' hits from Chess seems uncharacteristically enlightened, despite a commercially suicidal price-tag (£3.99, enough to make even ardent soul ...
Supremes, The: The Supremes: Soulfully Supreme
Report and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, December 1971
2008 introduction: The Supremes were in the UK for their first post-Diana Ross tour with Jean Terrell as the group's new lead singer and Motown ...
Curtis Mayfield, Impressions, The: Curtis Mayfield: Soul Music's Elusive Dynamo
Interview by Phil Symes, Disc and Music Echo, December 1971
CURTIS MAYFIELD is a hard man to catch these days. If he's not locked away in a studio all night recording himself, the Impressions, or ...
Al Green: You're Never Alone With Al
Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, December 1971
THERE WAS no chance of Al Green getting tired of being alone when Decca Records welcomed him to Britain with a turkey and Christmas pud ...
Live Review by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, December 1971
DUE TO lack of publicity, the International Children's Aid Charity concert on Tuesday November 30 at the Royal Albert Hall was not as well attended ...
Doris Troy: This Little Lady Is Miss Troy
Profile and Interview by Roger St. Pierre, West Indian World, December 1971
Doris Troy is one helluva woman. Almost, she's the ultimate soul sister, big, bouncing, warm-hearted, sincere and certainly talented. ...
Ann Peebles: Will Princess Ann Be Queen
Profile and Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, 1972
ON THE distaff side, soul music has produced a long run of superb girl singers and these soul sisters have found it far easier to ...
Roberta Flack, Gladys Knight, B.B. King, Stevie Wonder: Soul on Fire
Report by Philip Norman, Sunday Times Magazine, 1972
STEVIE WONDER crosses the hotel lobby, resting on the elbows of two other people. That he is blind, has been blind from birth, is nonetheless ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1972
1971 HAS been a remarkable year for group's names and none has been more imaginative than Chocolate Syrup, five young men who are currently enjoying ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1972
MILLIE JACKSON has had one of the most meaningful songs of 1971 in her current hit, 'A Child Of God (It's hard To Believe)'. Not ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1972
PEOPLE'S CHOICE 'I Likes To Do It' has been one of the most consistent selling Mojo singles to date – it has never achieved the ...
Brenda & The Tabulations : Brenda and The Tabulations
Profile by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1972
OVER THE past five years, Brenda & The Tabulations have been Philadelphia's most consistently successful act. Since the first time that she showed up on ...
Billy Preston: The Troubadour, Los Angeles
Live Review by Richard Cromelin, Phonograph Record, January 1972
IT'S NOT EASY to be uncompromisingly religious in a den of drugs, drink and iniquity like the Troubadour, but Billy Preston has both the Power ...
Isaac Hayes and The Platinum Pirates
Report by Roger St. Pierre, Record Collector, January 1972
BOOTLEG RECORDS have become a familiar part of the music scene in the past few years but a far more serious problem for record companies ...
Honey & The Bees: Honey and The Bees
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1972
HONEY and the Bees are four beautiful young ladies from Philadelphia who have just come off their biggest hit to date. 'It's Gonna Take A ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1972
BRITAIN HAS always been a happy hunting ground for Rufus Thomas, right back to his first tour in 1967, not so long after notching up ...
Staple Singers, The: The Staple Singers
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1972
IF I HAD to select the most satisfying thing to me personally of 1972 (within the realms of our music!), I would be more than ...
Dionne Warwick: "...The Holy Ghost, Of Course."
Overview by Nick Tosches, Fusion, January 1972
ONCE THERE was a little pickaninny girl from East Orange, N.J. She used to play organ and sing in the choir at the church of ...
Bloodstone: Diggin' Bloodstone
Interview by Phil Symes, Disc and Music Echo, January 1972
IF THE reaction to Bloodstone's first London appearance – at the Rainbow Theatre on a recent Soul concert – is anything to go by, then ...
Chi-Lites, The: The Chi-Lites Step Out Of The Shadows
Profile and Interview by Phil Symes, Disc and Music Echo, January 1972
THANK heaven for the Chi-Lites. This four-man Chicago-based outfit has brought back to soul music two elements missing from it for too long – good ...
Sly & The Family Stone: There's A Riot Goin' On (Epic)
Review by Phil Symes, Disc and Music Echo, January 1972
SYLVESTER STEWART and Sly Stone (OK so you know they're one and the same but the sleeve credits insist this album was written, arranged and ...
Bloodstone: The Bloodstone Sound Spectrum
Profile and Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, January 1972
THERE'S BEEN a growing flood of black American artists to these shores over the past few years, and more and more of them have decided ...
Stevie Wonder: Audiences Will Accept New Things From Me, Says Stevie Wonder
Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, January 1972
MUSICAL BARRIERS are tumbling down – that's the reckoning of Stevie Wonder, currently on another 20-date European tour. "Audiences used to have a pre-conception of ...
Stevie Wonder: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Danny Holloway, NME, January 1972
STEVIE WONDER is the first artist to make Motown work for him rather than vice-versa. He has full control over his music and has acquired ...
Stevie Wonder: Stevie's Moog Music...
Profile and Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, January 1972
"I NEVER did realise it would take me so long to lose that 'Little' Stevie Wonder tag. There are times when I wish I'd only ...
Bloodstone, Curtis Mayfield: Curtis Mayfield, Bloodstone: Rainbow Theatre, London
Live Review by Roger St. Pierre, NME, January 1972
WITH THE Curtis Mayfield/Bloodstone show, the Rainbow Theatre proved conclusively that the Albert Hall has lost its place as the capital city of bad acoustics. ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1972
SINCE EMERGING as an important solo entertainer, Curtis Mayfield has also emerged as the president of a successful record company, due mainly to his basic ...
Last Poets, The: The Last Poets
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1972
THE LAST Poets have enjoyed success in the States via two albums, The Last Poets and This Is Madness, both on the Douglas label. However, ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1972
HERE'S AN unbelievable story – would you believe that Donnie Elbert's 'Where Did Our Love Go' is three years old, was recorded in London and ...
O'Jays: The O'Jays: Together For More Than A Decade
Profile by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1972
OF ALL the so-called lesser known American vocal groups, the O'Jays are one of the most remarkable. Not only have they been together for well ...
Profile by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1972
CONTINUING THE success story of former Golden World/Ric Tic artists are The Dramatics, who were recently awarded their first Gold Disc for million-plus sales on ...
Maceo Parker and All The Kings Men
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1972
MACEO & All The King's Men, currently on the U.K. Singles chart with 'Got To Getcha' and 'Thank You', didn't come into existance until March ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1972
THE UNIFICS main claim to fame in this country is via their in-demand oldie, 'Court Of Love', a record that sold close on a million ...
Stevie Wonder: A Little Too Far Out?
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, February 1972
ALL IN ALL, 1971 was not a big year for Stevie Wonder in this country, and his appearances in the chart were, in fact, few ...
Billy Preston: Working The Way God Planned It!
Report and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, February 1972
BILLY PRESTON has been here all the time, yet he's only just arrived; and after many years of building his way up the bumpy road ...
Curtis Mayfield In The Talk-In
Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, February 1972
WHEN YOU first used strings on your early work with the Impressions it was something of a breakthrough in soul music. Did you find any ...
Stevie Wonder, Bags Of Chips And Clapton
Report and Interview by Fred Dellar, NME, February 1972
NME calls in at all-night recording session ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1972
WHEN ATLANTIC recommences battle in this country following the switch from Polydor to Kinney's distribution, one of the records that will receive maximum support is ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1972
DESPITE spending a week or so in this country, it is doubtful whether many British citizens had an opportunity to see Hot Wax' successful trio, ...
James Brown: Talking Loud And Saying Something
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1972
JAMES BROWN is renowned for being a leader of his people and never more so than right now. During his long and successful career, he ...
Wilson Pickett, Jackie Moore: Copacabana, NYC
Live Review by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1972
CAN YOU imagine seeing Wilson Pickett at the Talk of the Town in London, complete with middle-aged folks having a night out, coach parties from ...
Persuasions, The: The Persuasions: Streetcorner Music
Profile by Richard Cromelin, Phonograph Record, March 1972
THE MUSIC-BUYING public (which has something – how much or how little is a matter of opinion – to do with determining the trends) can ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1972
IT'S FUNNY the way that you run into people by surprise. On planning a quick interview with Curtis Mayfield, I discovered that his road manager ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1972
AS EXCLUSIVELY reported in B&S, the Chairmen Of The Board are back working but as a trio. ...
Profile and Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, March 1972
TOMMY HUNT is a name you'll be hearing a lot of if the best laid plans of the entertainment business don't go astray. More than ...
Isaac Hayes: The Aloof Mystique of Isaac Hayes
Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, March 1972
...but he's part of the people in his gold-plated Rolls Royce ...
Michael Jackson: The One Who Got Away
Interview by Phil Symes, Disc and Music Echo, March 1972
THE MOST amazing thing about little Michael Jackson's solo success is how calmly he's taking it all. "I think it's great," is all he says ...
Michael Jackson, Jackson 5, The: Michael Jackson: Schmaltz or Genius?
Comment by Roger St. Pierre, NME, March 1972
In his day perhaps they thought Mozart was a hype ...
Ben E. King Why Ben Stopped Drifting
Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc and Music Echo, March 1972
KEEPING abreast of the times, says Ben E. King, is one of the most important and difficult jobs for a singer. He's been singing and ...
Temptations, The: Temptations Special: Damon Harris and Richard Street
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1972
Rappin' with Damon Harris... ...
Temptations, The: Temptations Special: Dennis Edwards
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1972
THE PAST year has seen some traumatic changes for the Temptations, changes that would certainly have wrecked any normal group's career to the point where ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1972
WHEN 1971 is finally evaluated in years to come, historians will look back and acknowledge Bill Withers as one of the most significant and important ...
Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway: Donny Hathaway: Aiming High
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1972
AS WAS written in the Bill Withers feature in the last issue of B&S, there have been a handful of new talents in the 70's ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1972
OF ALL the stalwart American groups, the most hard done-by title surely goes to the Moments, three young men with a string of hits that ...
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: From The Beginning…
Report and Interview by Dave Marsh, Creem, April 1972
SMOKEY IS LEAVING the Miracles. This may mean more to those of us in Detroit, who've watched the Miracles almost, but never quite, make the ...
Jackson 5, The: The Jackson 5: Greatest Hits
Review by Dave Marsh, Creem, April 1972
MOTOWN HAS ALWAYS been known for its little ones more than its big ones, and the Jackson Five are no exception. This is undoubtedly their ...
Temptations, The, Carla Thomas: The Temptations, Carla Thomas: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Roger St. Pierre, NME, April 1972
IF ELVIS himself had stepped onstage at the Hammersmith Odeon on Friday he could hardly have created more excitement than the Temptations stirred up with ...
Denise LaSalle: Denise La Salle: Trapped By A Thing Called Love
Review by Dave Marsh, Creem, May 1972
IF THIS ISN'T THE best soul album this year, someone is going to have to come up with something really amazing. Denise La Salle is ...
Betty Wright: I Love The Way You Love (Alston)
Review by Dave Marsh, Creem, May 1972
SOMETIME LAST spring, a single appeared called 'I Love the Way You Love'. One of the people I live with bought it; she said, "This ...
Wilson Pickett On African Soul
Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, May 1972
WILSON PICKETT is back — as big and brash as ever, and if his press reception this past week at WEA Records (nee Kinney) is ...
Frederick Knight: Success From Out Of Left Field
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1972
REGULAR READERS of B&S will already be more than aware of how we occasionally jump on a record right from when it becomes available in ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1972
IT'S NOT very often that a basically Soul single is talked about as being an instant British hit but that's the way Love Unlimited's first ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1972
IT'S BEEN many months since Candi Staton was last featured on the charts in the States. Now, to confound everybody, she has two singles at ...
Report and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1972
PROBABLY THE MOST eligible superstar to join our ranks over the past twelve months is Al Green, an unpredictable artist and an equally unpredictable man. ...
Stylistics, The: The Stylistics
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1972
IN THE past year or so, we have been blessed with more genuine talent acceptance for our music and those who make it than at ...
Manhattans, The: The Manhattans
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1972
REGULAR readers of B&S who follow the U.S. charts have probably noticed that every now and then a record comes on the charts then drops ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1972
WE'VE SAID it before and we'll no doubt say it again – Britain's soul fans are far more loyal to their favourite girl singers than ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1972
IF WE had to nominate the most asked after Soul artist who is outside of the super league of the Hayes/Mayfield/James Brown/Motown and ilk, it ...
Staple Singers, The: The Staple Singers: Soft Sounds That Burn Deep
Profile by Roger St. Pierre, NME, June 1972
JAMAICAN SINGERS have yet to follow up their undoubted success in Britain with a similar impact in the States but neverthelless reggae is making a ...
Little Willie John: Willie John: A Soul Who Died In Jail
Retrospective by Bill Millar, Record Mirror, June 1972
THE DEATH of Little Willie John is chronicled in the June 8th 1968 edition of Billboard. Datelined Walla Walla, Washington, May 27th, the notice reads: ...
Persuasions, The: The Persuasions: Street Corner Symphony (Island)
Review by Charles Shaar Murray, International Times, June 1972
THE PERSUASIONS are a five-strong black vocal group who perform acappella. Their album Street Corner Symphony is just what it says: a set of songs ...
Gladys Knight: Gladys and Her British Problem
Interview by Phil Symes, Disc and Music Echo, June 1972
"UNDERRATED" is a fond word of Press agents and record companies to explain away lack of success for their artists. So when someone uses the ...
Chi-Lites, The: The Chi-Lites: The Windy City Sound
Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, June 1972
IF ANY outfit holds serious aspirations to usurping the Temptation's crown as the world's leading soul group then it must surely be Chicago's Chi-Lites who ...
Profile and Interview by Andrew Tyler, Disc and Music Echo, June 1972
THE SANCTIFIED Sisters, four beautiful black ladies Joe Cocker collected in the US for his British homecoming, are more than visual relief from all those ...
Jimmy Castor Bunch, The: The Jimmy Castor Bunch
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1972
"YOU KNOW, we recorded the album for Columbia but they just did not want it. They were too busy with Sly and Chicago; Santana and ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1972
DESPITE the fact that she has never been properly represented in this country on record, Laura Lee is certainly one of the most requested female ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1972
BELIEVE IT or not, this September marks the 20th anniversary of Gladys Knight and the Pips. Before you let your imagination run away with you, ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1972
CURRENTLY ENJOYING his first national success is Little Royal, whose 'Jealous' single currently stands high on the American Soul charts. Although it's his debut on ...
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas: Martha Reeves Goes Solo
Report and Interview by Phil Symes, Disc and Music Echo, July 1972
MARTHA REEVES is going solo. After 10 years fronting one of Motown's most successful groups, Martha and the Vandellas, Miss Reeves is stepping out alone. ...
Esther Phillips: Twenty-Five Years A Star
Profile by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, July 1972
A MORE apt title could surely not have been found for the initial Kudu set by Miss Esther Phillips. From A Whisper To A Scream ...
Interview by Danny Holloway, NME, July 1972
SMOKEY ROBINSON is a hell of a lot more than just a giant of soul or Motown. For more than a decade, his original and ...
Richard Berry: Echoes: Richard Berry
Retrospective by Bill Millar, Record Mirror, July 1972
"They took me to see that friend of mineyeah District court-room two-twenty-ninethe judge said 'your payments are way behind'I said 'Don't worry Daddy it won't ...
Average White Band: Above Average White Band
Profile and Interview by Andrew Tyler, Disc and Music Echo, July 1972
THIS PIECE, unless I serve a personal restraining order and keep my legs firmly crossed, is likely to develop into a hysterical citation of the ...
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1972
EVERY YEAR, there are only a handful – maybe six – records which go on to become all-time personal favourites, records that get played at ...
Report and Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, August 1972
WITHIN a year of its composer Bill Withers taking it high up the American chart, 'Ain't No Sunshine' has become firmly established as a soul ...
Sam Cooke: Who Remembers Him Now? Sam Cooke
Retrospective by Roger St. Pierre, NME, August 1972
"NOT 'ALF Sam Cooke's been an influence on me," Rod Stewart was saying in his NME interview last week, adding that the inclusion of 'Twisting ...
Bill Withers: Leanin' On Bill Withers
Profile and Interview by Phil Symes, Disc and Music Echo, August 1972
THAT OLD saying "never too late" is certainly true in the case of Bill Withers. Withers is just about the hottest male singer in America ...
Mary Wells, Cecil Womack: Mary Wells And Her Guy Still Making Hits
Profile and Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, August 1972
IT WAS PAST five in the afternoon but Mary Wells was still fast asleep, recovering from the rigours of her whistle stop British tour and ...
Mel & Tim: Starting All Over Again
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1972
SINCE EXPLODING on to the scene some two years ago with two consecutive million sellers, Mel and Tim's recording career fell into a period of ...
Profile by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, September 1972
BARBARA LYNN is probably best known for her composition of 'You'll Lose A Good Thing', which she recorded herself in 1962 and gained a Gold ...
Isaac Hayes, Bar-Kays, The, Rufus Thomas, Staple Singers, The: Wattstax
Live Review by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1972
THE whole idea of WATTSTAX '72 was splendid. It enabled more than 100,000 people to attend a seven hour concert at the Los Angeles Coliseum ...
Bill Withers: Morale Music For The People In The Ghetto
Interview by Ian MacDonald, NME, September 1972
A TELEPHONE CABLE that runs off the edge of Britain, down under the Atlantic, and up again into the heart of North America to St. ...
Review by Loraine Alterman, New York Times, September 1972
Stephen Stills: Manassas (Atlantic); The Impressions: Times Have Changed (Curtom); The Staple Singers: Be Altitude: Respect Yourself (Stax); Tom Rush: Merrimack County (Columbia) ...
Curtis Mayfield: Where He's Been And Where He's Going
Profile and Interview by Roger St. Pierre, Let It Rock, October 1972
AFTER SUCH COMMITTED, socially conscious compositions as 'This Is My Country', 'Mighty Mighty, Spade and Whitey' and 'Choice Of Colours' Curtis Mayfield believes the time ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1972
DESPITE BEING relatively cold in the States right now, The Drifters are having their most successful year ever in this country. They currently are on ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1972
I MAKE no apologies for stating that Mark IV's 'Honey I Still Love You' is by far my favourite record of the moment. Equally so, ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1972
THEIR ALBUM sleeve note begins: "Most of us became aware of The Persuaders via their monster single recording of 'Thin Line Between Love And Hate'. ...
Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose, The: The Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1972
WHEN AN act has a million seller first time out, it is highly unusual for the public to have to wait eleven months for the ...
Thom Bell, Delfonics, The: The Delfonics
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1972
PHILADELPHIA'S Delfonics are probably the innovators of the city's famed sound, dating back to their earliest Philly Groove hits such as 'La La Means I ...
Jackie Wilson: The Rainbow Theatre, London
Live Review by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, October 1972
THERE ARE very few performers whose career can span a good fifteen years and continue to be chart names and still draw crowds, particularly in ...
Jerry Butler, Allen Toussaint: Jerry Butler and Allen Toussaint: The Spice Of Life
Profile by Roger St. Pierre, NME, October 1972
IT'S NOT so long since soul albums were merely collections of singles, plus a few make-weight tracks. ...
Bobby Womack: Understanding (United Artists)
Review by Loraine Alterman, New York Times, October 1972
ALTHOUGH HE'S one of the most respected rhythm 'n' blues guitarist/songwriters, Bobby Womack hasn't yet hit the big time the way an Isaac Hayes or ...
Archie Bell and the Drells: Archie Bell & The Drells: Here They Go Again
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, November 1972
IT'S BECOMING commonplace these days for Britain's pop public to turn on to American soul acts at a time when the artists' career is quiet ...
Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose, The: Cornelius Brothers And Sister Rose (United Artists)
Review by Wayne Robins, Creem, November 1972
BASICALLY, THERE ARE two Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose (CB&SR) sounds. One is the basic, upbeat piano sound layered with tight, spiraling harmony, as in ...
Stylistics, The: The Stylistics: The Sound Of Sweet Soul
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, November 1972
PERHAPS ONE of the most significant 'happenings' this year has been the much-deserved chart success of the sweet-soul-sounding Stylistics who have undoubtedly been hailed as ...
Junior Walker & The Allstars: Junior Walker
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, November 1972
CURRENTLY enjoying very considerable success with his very cleverly put together maxi-single of 'Walk In The Night', 'Right On Brothers And Sisters' and 'Gotta Hold ...
Live Review by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, November 1972
TO QUOTE the title of one of his famous Atlantic recordings, a virtually guaranteed event is the annual visit of the Ray Charles revue with ...
Jackson 5, The: The Jackson Five: The Talk of the Town, London
Live Review by Caroline Boucher, Disc and Music Echo, November 1972
TWO DAYS after they arrived, the Jackson Five had the unenviable task of doing a 45-minute spot to the British press at a champagne party ...
Dennis Coffey: The White Soul Guitar
Profile by Phil Symes, Disc and Music Echo, November 1972
DENNIS COFFEY is a white man who plays soul music. Ask any soul fan. Regular pop fans might not be acquainted with his name but ...
Jackson 5, The: The Jackson 5: Caroline Boucher Meets The Father Of A Phenomena
Report and Interview by Caroline Boucher, Disc and Music Echo, November 1972
THE TWO rival fan factions swarm round the Churchill Hotel, Osmond Brothers fans to the left waving up to those windows, Jackson Five ones massed ...
Bill Withers: Lots of Sunshine for Bill Withers
Profile and Interview by Phil Symes, Disc and Music Echo, November 1972
MOST SONGWRITERS dream of one day writing a standard. Singers dream of establishing one. Bill Withers does both – frequently. You only have to look ...
Gladys Knight: Soul Perfection In Person
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, November 1972
IT'S A VERY rare treat to meet an artist whose work you admire and whose in-person appearances you find exciting and who on top of ...
Bill Withers: Making Music Till He Drops
Report and Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, November 1972
THE QUEST for that intangible magic with which so few of us are blessed, can often entail a very long journey indeed. And whilst Bill ...
Bettye LaVette: Betty Lavette: First Album Due After Ten Years…
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, December 1972
BELIEVE IT or not, Betty Lavette is celebrating her tenth year as a recording artist and yet it is only now that she really feels ...
Bob & Earl: Back On The Road Again
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, December 1972
IT'S MORE than three years since Bob & Earl were last here but much has happened for the duo in that time. ...
Fontella Bass, Bill Withers: Bill Withers/Fontella Bass: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, December 1972
IN THESE days when it's applied with alarming frequency to practically every new talent that emerges, the word "genius" as with so many other superlatives ...
Live Review by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, December 1972
THE FIRST ever visit of Motown's Jackson Five is something which numerous people won't forget in a hurry: the staff at the hotels that the ...
Jackson 5, The: The Jackson Five: Five Pranksters Puppets
Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, December 1972
TAUNTS THAT the Jackson Five are nothing more than carefully manipulated puppets just aren't borne out by the facts. Five minutes in the company of ...
Review and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, December 1972
IT'S ALWAYS a very gratifying and rewarding experience to see an artist in whom you have particular faith and in who you strongly believe, finally ...
Merry Clayton: The Triumphant Acid Queen
Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, December 1972
MERRY CLAYTON is the girl who stopped the show at the London Rainbow performance of Pete Townshend's rock opera Tommy earlier this month. Even the ...
Isaac Hayes: Live At The Sahara Tahoe
Review by Bob Fisher, Cream, 1973
IGNORING the Shaft soundtrack, Isaac Hayes blew it with the Black Moses double set. This followed three good and original albums, although you could still ...
Stevie Wonder: Man Of Today And Tomorrow
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, January 1973
ONE OF THE most rewarding and exciting aspects of taking any serious interest in any field of music is observing the artistic development and progress ...
Gamble-Huff, Thom Bell and the Philly Groove
Overview by Pete Wingfield, Let It Rock, January 1973
On a balmy night in the late summer of ’67, while the world was wearing flowers in its hair, I was sinking into my seat, ...
Blue Mink: Out of Preaching Bag
Profile and Interview by Keith Altham, NME, January 1973
UNTIL THE advent of Blue Mink and hits like the current 'Stay With Me' and 'Melting Pot' — which established them a couple of years ...
Nina Simone: Emergency Ward (SF 8304)
Review by Roger St. Pierre, NME, January 1973
LOGGING A BIG pop hit sometimes does more harm than good to artists who previously had a rather specialist appeal. ...
Claudia Lennear: Brown Sugar Lady
Interview by Andrew Tyler, Disc and Music Echo, January 1973
A CLUSTER of fly-bursting, brown-skinned ladies has become pretty much standard roadshow equipment for plenty of white rock bands these past few years. The lead ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, February 1973
2008 intro: Eddie Kendricks had enjoyed critical acclaim with his groundbreaking 1972 People, Hold On album. The former Temptation had to experience a commercial mainstream ...
Bobby Womack: Understanding Bobby Womack
Interview by Steven Rosen, LA Free Press, February 1973
TWELVE YEARS AGO Bobby Womack migrated to California, looking for the riches that he thought were there. "I came out here like the pioneers searching ...
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas: Martha Reeves: A Lady With A Big Future
Report and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, February 1973
IT WOULD surely be true to say that every fan must have one or two records that they will always treasure – the special one ...
Roberta Flack: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Roger St. Pierre, NME, February 1973
MAJESTIC, CERTAINLY, with a voice as clear as crystal – but I'm afraid to say that Miss Roberta Flack, in concert, is something of a ...
Isaac Hayes: Rainbow Theatre, London
Live Review by Charles Shaar Murray, NME, February 1973
ISAAC HAYES, they tell me, is the leading light of the new black life-style. Black Moses, yet. ...
Isaac Hayes: The Man They Call Moses
Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, February 1973
IMAGES DON'T come much heavier than that surrounding Isaac Hayes. But take away the dark shades, the heavy chains, the robes, the immense mink coats, ...
Isaac Hayes: The Day Moses Came To Town
Report and Interview by Roger St. Pierre, West Indian World, February 1973
THE LONDON Hilton's high-speed lift whisked me up 27 floors into the super-soul world of Isaac Hayes, the original "Black Moses". ...
Hall & Oates: Nutritious Music: Daryl Hall & John Oates
Report and Interview by Jim Esposito, Zoo World, February 1973
DARYL HALL, one half of Whole Oats, decided that Philadelphia can lay claim to one of the most innocuous music scenes in the entire country. ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1973
GROVER WASHINGTON Jr. became one of Kudu's brightest lights by a complete one in a million accident. "I was called in to do a background ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1973
ALTHOUGH AL Green claimed to be a little surprised about being voted No. 1 Male Vocalist in our annual poll. I think that few other ...
Supremes, The, Arthur Conley: The Supremes, Arthur Conley: Kilburn State, London
Live Review by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, March 1973
AWARE OF all the 'changes' that have been going on with the Supremes of late, it was natural to hope that some of the new, ...
Report by Pete Wingfield, Let It Rock, March 1973
THE NAMES Ashford and Simpson should ring a bell with anybody that reads the small print on Motown records: Nicholas and Valerie have chalked up ...
Clydie King: Ready Willing And Certainly Able
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1973
I SUPPOSE it's true to say that Clydie King is best generally known in this country for her successful duet hit with Jimmy Holiday, 'Ready. ...
Johnny Williams: Slow Motion To The Top
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1973
JOHNNY WILLIAMS and his first release on Philadelphia International provided us with one of the most interesting statistical records of last year. Apart from the ...
Profile and Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, March 1973
IT'S EASY TO detect a strong jazz influence in Billy Paul's vocal on 'Me And Mrs. Jones'. The reason is simple enough. Paul, now 35, ...
Cornell Dupree: The Boss Guitar of Cornell Dupree
Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, March 1973
CORNELL DUPREE's name will mean nothing to the general public, but those who scan LP sleeve credits will recognise him as one of America's busiest ...
Eddie Kendricks: When Temptation Got The Best Of Eddie Kendricks
Interview by Phil Symes, Disc and Music Echo, March 1973
IT'S A big decision quitting a world-famous group, especially when they're on top, and look like sitting pretty for a long while. So it was ...
James Brown: He Ain't Slowing Down
Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, March 1973
SOUL BROTHER Number One leaned back in his chair, adjusted his robe, and expounded: "Back in 1969 King Records didn't want to know. They said ...
James Brown: Rainbow Theatre, London
Live Review by Charles Shaar Murray, NME, March 1973
SOUL BROTHER Number One's in town, and the James Brown Revue's gettin' down and gittin' it on at the Rainbow. Bop through to the stalls ...
Isaac Hayes: A Man Of The People
Interview by Roger St. Pierre, Beat Instrumental, April 1973
ISAAC HAYES certainly lives up to his 'Super-star' title. During his recent British visit the Black Moses spent £38,000 on jewellery and another £30,000 on ...
Barry White: A Potential Superstar
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1973
ANYONE WHO has heard Barry White's first album on 20th Century will undoubtedly concur on the point I am about to make – he is ...
Sylvester: Stardom as Lifestyle
Profile by Richard Cromelin, Music World, April 1973
Of course, there's nothing more ancient or honorable than the old shamanistic transvestite that we see running up and down Greenwich Avenue. There's something very ...
Profile and Interview by Steven Rosen, Music World, April 1973
BOBBY WOMACK HAS been making music for twenty long years, an odyssey that carried him from the working quarters of Cleveland to the rocking corners ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1973
OLDIES HAVE always played a major part in the British Soul scene and it is quite amazing how many of these in-demand items come from ...
Review by Dave Marsh, Creem, April 1973
SOCIOLOGISTS LIKE TO talk about black people mimicking whites, and I suppose that it is inherent in the presumptions most of us make about black ...
Diana Ross: Rapping with Lady D
Report and Interview by Charles Shaar Murray, NME, April 1973
THE DISTINGUISHED-looking old gentlemen in the red braided uniform accepts my coat with an expression of mild distaste and ushers me into the Pine Room ...
Roberta Flack And All That Jazz
Interview by Danny Holloway, NME, April 1973
DANNY HOLLOWAY talks, in New York, to the lady who made the big transition from jazz to mass acclaim. ...
Diana Ross, Curtis Mayfield: Black Music
Comment by Dave Marsh, Let It Rock, May 1973
SOMETIME LAST fall, John Percy Boyd, Mark Bethune and Michael Brown, a trio of black college students in Detroit, decided to put an end to ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1973
A NEW page in the seemingly long and successful career of Gladys Knight & the Pips is about to begin with the group's debut release ...
Stylistics, The: The Stylistics
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1973
IT REALLY wasn't such a surprise to B&S readers that the Stylistics' first album should come out as top album in the annual B&S Poll. ...
Billy Paul: The Age Old Problem Of The Follow Up
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1973
BILLY PAUL exploded on an unsuspecting public with the tale of 'Me And Mrs. Jones', a record that sold more than 2 1/2 million copies ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1973
AT A time when a lot of talented girls are beginning to surface again, it is also worth noting that there are a few completely ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1973
IN THESE sceptered isles, of course, Dobie Gray is best known in the Northern disco circuit where 'The In Crowd', 'Out On The Floor' and ...
Leon Haywood: The Good Times, The Bad Times And The Times In Between
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1973
IN OUR quest to track down the select band of artistes who are always there in the background but never seem to get the right ...
Timmy Thomas: Breaking the rules: Timmy Thomas
Report and Interview by Pete Wingfield, Let It Rock, May 1973
IN THE American record business, like any other, it’s the biggies with the bread that rule the roost. But every so often, an obscure record ...
Lost Generation, The: Lost Generation
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1973
THE LOST GENERATION is four young men – two sets of brothers – who exploded to fame two years ago with 'The Sly, Slick And ...
Bunny Sigler: On To A Winning Streak
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1973
THERE ARE honestly very few people within our musical sphere who I really want to interview and who I have missed. But one such person ...
First Choice: Everybody's First Choice
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1973
IT'S NOT very often that we Europeans get the opportunity to appreciate an American Soul record in advance to the native Americans, but in the ...
Sly & The Family Stone: Fresh (Epic)
Review by Jonh Ingham, NME, May 1973
SLY IS an interesting enigma. Top soul dj-turned-musician, he singlehandedly influenced the course of soul music with a sound that owed more to acid than ...
Jerry Butler: The Iceman Talking: The Life And Times Of Jerry Butler
Interview by Norman Jopling, Cream, June 1973
BUTLER'S MUSIC Workshop is upstairs in a tatty warehouse building in Chicago's South Side, very near Chinatown and uncomfortably near Lake Michigan so it gets ...
Review by Charlie Gillett, Rolling Stone, June 1973
THE MORE I listen, the less I understand. A year ago Bloodstone was just one of any number of black groups who could excite a ...
Bill Withers: Live At Carnegie Hall (A&M)
Review by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, June 1973
FIRST TIME I saw Bill Withers live he was appearing at the huge Louisiana State Fair in Baton Rouge to a matter of about 20,000 ...
Sly & The Family Stone: Fresh (Epic)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, June 1973
Sly (just being mice elf again) ...
Curtis Mayfield: Back To The World (Curtom)
Review by Wayne Robins, Zoo World, July 1973
WITH ALL courtesy to the self-proclaimed Black Caesar, Curtis Mayfield's Superfly was the musical equivalent to Mario Puzo's novel The Godfather. Both were nearly as ...
War: The Battle Against 'Unlove'
Interview by Keith Altham, NME, July 1973
THIS IS the story of war declared but not yet unilaterally. Approximately two years ago, when the American 'jazz-rock-blues-soul' band appeared in the U.K. with ...
Pointer Sisters, The: The Pointer Sisters: The Pointer Sisters
Review by Ian MacDonald, NME, July 1973
ANITA, RUTH, JUNE and Bonnie Pointer come to us with the fervent recommendations of seemingly everybody in America. But with the best will in the ...
Sly & The Family Stone: White City, London
Live Review by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1973
"SLY STONE to appear at White City Festival". After reading various articles concerning Sly Stone, you imagine the feeling of reading this headline. ...
Smokey Robinson: Miracles And Meditation
Report and Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, August 1973
IT'S JUST on a year since Smokey Robinson split from the Miracles to spend more time as an executive of the Motown Corporation. Now, he ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, August 1973
WHEN APPRAISING an artist of the stature of Stevie Wonder, there seems nothing worse than to hark back to previous triumphs and make comparisons. ...
Hot Chocolate: Chocolate Brown
Interview by Charles Shaar Murray, NME, August 1973
THERE IS absolutely no getting away from the fact that it was an excessively hot and sticky afternoon. Sweaterama incarnate. Clothing stuck unpleasantly to the ...
Donny Hathaway: Reassessing His Musical Life
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, September 1973
2008 intro: Donny Hathaway was in London on vacation after completing work on a new album, Extensions Of A Man and took a brief time ...
Diana Ross: Talking With Diana Ross
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, September 1973
PRE-CONCEIVED notions are always hard to forget and when one has been continually conditioned to a particular notion, time makes it that much harder to ...
Aretha Franklin: Hey Now Hey (Atlantic)
Review by Bob Fisher, Cream, September 1973
IT'S BEEN HIP for mainstream rock critics to knock Miss Franklin for some time now, in much the same way the current vogue is to ...
Review by Bob Woffinden, NME, September 1973
I COULDN'T find the name 'Dobie Gray' in any of the rock encyclopaedias. Presumably after 'The In Crowd' he became one of those half-forgotten names ...
Review by Bob Fisher, Cream, September 1973
THERE MUST be some crap music coming out of the States, or is it me? Can't I discern between the good, the bad and the ...
Lou Courtney, Howard Tate: Howard Tate and Lou Courtney: The Blues and Dance Men
Profile by Roger St. Pierre, NME, September 1973
TWO ARTISTS of widely different appeal, Howard Tate and Lou Courtney both deserve inclusion in this series because although only modestly successful even in the ...
Candi Staton: Foxy Lady Of Soul
Profile and Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, September 1973
RIGHT FROM the days when Bessie Smith, Ma Rainey, Ida Cox and later the ladies Holliday, Vaughan, Fitzgerald and Washington ruled the blues/jazz roost there ...
Billy Preston: God Planned It Good
Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, September 1973
AFTER YEARS spent as a session man for an astonishing roster of star names the Beatles, the Stones, Barbra Steisand, Ray Charles, Little Richard, Sam ...
Review by Lenny Kaye, Rolling Stone, September 1973
THE GREENING OF MOTOWN continues apace, with performers who once flourished under the company's autocratic guidelines (the Four Tops, Gladys Knight) seeking success elsewhere while ...
Marvin Gaye: Let's Get It On (Tamla)
Review by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1973
UNLESS A veritable monster soul single rears its head during the final quarter of this year, Marvin Gaye will have the pleasure of having the ...
Soul Foundations: Twenty Essential Soul Records
Guide by Pete Wingfield, Let It Rock, October 1973
OH LORD – I'M GONNA GET SHOT down for this. ...
Dionne Warwicke: Just Being Herself
Report and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, November 1973
THAT CERTAIN entertainers decline or prefer not to give interviews is an incomprehensible fact that frequently puzzles both journalists and the public. ...
Sly & The Family Stone: The Palladium, Los Angeles
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, November 1973
HOLLYWOOD: Will he? Won't he? Will he? Won't he? Sly Stone's reputation is too firmly etched for these questions not to be asked when he's ...
Aretha Franklin: Aretha: Supersoulstar
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, December 1973
2008 introduction: Aretha Franklin had just enjoyed major success with the Stevie Wonder composition 'Until You Come Back To Me'. She was in contract re-negotiations ...
Live Review by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, December 1973
MOST INITIAL comments that I overheard on my way out from the Philly Package concert at London's Hammersmith Odeon theatre were slightly tinged with disappointment. ...
Ashford & Simpson: Really Somethin' Else!
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, December 1973
OVER THE last five years, the emergence of producers-turned performers has been a phenomenon which brought into the limelight some of the finest creative forces ...
Sylvester and the Hot Band: Bazaar (Blue Thumb)
Review by Richard Cromelin, Phonograph Record, December 1973
WHEN SYLVESTER'S first album came out, his supporters' only defense was to say, "Well, he's a great live act." Now, in his second one, he's ...
Essay by Dave Marsh, Let It Rock, January 1974
LET'S GET one thing straight. Otis Redding's posthumous rise to the Kingship of soul is highly suspect. He earned the accolade a little too easily ...
Retrospective by Roger St. Pierre, NME, January 1974
SOUL MUSIC and the blues have boundaries which are largely indefinable — a factor which has allowed many artists to straddle the two. ...
Review by Wayne Robins, Zoo World, January 1974
IF THERE'S two movie theatres in your town, and one is showing some foreign art movie like Elvira Madigan or The Heartbreak Kid and the ...
Stevie Wonder: Rainbow Theatre, London
Live Review by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, February 1974
IT'S BEEN said before but it's got to be said again: Stevie Wonder is, firstly, one of the most creative talents in the musical world ...
Staple Singers, The, Linda Lewis: The Staple Singers/Linda Lewis: Royal Festival Hall, London
Live Review by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, February 1974
IF ANYONE ever asked for a definition of soul, the best advice you could give them would be to go to a concert by the ...
Review by Bob Woffinden, NME, February 1974
COME TO THINK about it, I always did rate Gladys Knight very highly. ‘Take Me In Your Arms and Love Me’ especially was one of ...
Isley Brothers, The: The Isley Brothers: 3+3 (Epic)
Review by Bob Fisher, NME, February 1974
BLACK MUSIC is currently well entrenched in the process of mixing recent rock forms into the standard sound of soul, a process in which the ...
Gloria Jones: Sharing Her Soul
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, March 1974
HOW MANY times, I wonder, do we hear that old worn out cliché from visiting Americans about how much they dig this country and how ...
Love Unlimited, Barry White: Barry White, Love Unlimited: Rainbow Theatre, London
Live Review by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, March 1974
Triumph at the Rainbow ...
Real Thing, The: The Real Thing: Gulliver's, London
Live Review by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, March 1974
MAKING ONE of their rare appearances in London, Liverpool's Real Thing put on an entertaining performance which demonstrated their vocal capabilities but did not show, ...
New York City Band: Playboy Club, London
Live Review by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, March 1974
SOMETIMES THE atmosphere or the vibes, whatever you want to call it, can have a profound effect on the performance of entertainers and if you're ...
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, March 1974
PERHAPS MORE than any other female group around today, The Supremes have undergone what seem like almost regular personnel changes and to my mind, it's ...
Review by Bob Woffinden, NME, March 1974
Seven years in the shadow of Diana Ross ...
Doris Troy: Stretchin' Out and Gettin' Ahead
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, April 1974
AS WE promised in the last 'TALA', we're gonna be checking out a few of the American artists who have decided to make their home ...
Ann Peebles: Hangin' On To Success
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, May 1974
ALL OF a sudden, it seems like the whole world is talking about the talents of a magnificently soulful young woman and she puts it ...
Jerry Butler: Power Of Love (Mercury)
Review by John Swenson, Zoo World, May 1974
JERRY BUTLER is unquestionably the King of Chicago-style cool R&B (the name Ice Man didn't come for nothing – at a time when Pickett epitomized ...
Dr. John: Dr John: Finally In The Right Place
Interview by John Swenson, Crawdaddy!, June 1974
From Gris Gris to Gumbo to the Top of the Charts, with "goofer dust an' powders an' oils an' sachets an' lotions an' candles an' ...
Sly & The Family Stone: Sly Stone: Super Sly
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, June 1974
HE EXTENDED A HAND but looked elsewhere. Who could tell where his eyes focused beneath those silver shades? He gripped and I felt pain through ...
Gladys Knight, Curtis Mayfield: Gladys Knight: Claudine (Original Soundtrack)
Review by Bob Woffinden, NME, June 1974
IT MUST have seemed a good idea. Amalgamating the talents of Buddah stablemates Gladys Knight and Curtis Mayfield for the sound-track of Claudine. ...
Rufus & Chaka Khan: Tellin' Something Good
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, July 1974
2008 introduction: The group Rufus had released its first album on ABC in 1973; by the following year, the Chicago-based team was on its second ...
Oscar Brown Jr.: Man With A Message
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, July 1974
HIT RECORDS are funny things. An artist can go in the studio, work for hours, use the best musicians, spend lots of money and think ...
Supremes, The: The Supremes: Anthology
Review by Ian MacDonald, NME, July 1974
I NEVER COULD understand why so many Rock Critics (sic) couldn't stomach The Supremes. ...
George McCrae's Last Chance – A Smash
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, July 1974
STRANGE how chance plays its part in the record business. If George McCrae hadn't decided to have one last try at making a hit record ...
War: A Street Rod on the Boulevard of Soul
Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Rolling Stone, July 1974
"SOMETIMES I TELL myself: I'm B.B. Dickerson and I'm in War so I'm going to pull up in front of the Continental Hyatt House in ...
Profile by Cliff White, Black Music, August 1974
EIGHTEEN MONTHS ago Warner Brothers issued an album that re-introduced a name from the early sixties. Arthur Alexander (BS.2592) had been a long time coming. ...
Viola Wills: Struggling For The Truth
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, August 1974
IT CAME as something of a surprise to the lady to learn that her name was already familiar to a hard core following of fans ...
Jackson 5, The: The Jackson 5: Madison Square Garden, NYC
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, August 1974
NEW YORK: There's something about Michael Jackson that is almost frightening to behold. How can it be possible for a kid that age to be ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, September 1974
LIVING IN the footsteps is a problem which daunts performers from time to time when they come from a successful musical family – we all ...
Sly & The Family Stone: Sly Stone Finds Domestic Bliss with Small Talk
Profile and Interview by Michael Gross, Circus, September 1974
Two years ago, Sly Stone's future looked bleak. Now, after an acclaimed album, a woman, and a son have come his way, Sly's entire life ...
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, September 1974
THERE ARE but a handful of names that seem to have an almost magical effect on soul folk everywhere. For some, the name is held ...
Lorraine Ellison: Lorraine Ellison
Review by Bob Woffinden, NME, September 1974
THE STORY so far: in 1966 Lorraine Ellison made one vast contribution to popular mythology with 'Stay With Me, Baby', unquestionably a classic (maybe this ...
Billy Preston: The Busiest Soul In Showbusiness
Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, September 1974
THANKS TO his prodigious session-work, as well as his own tours, Billy Preston is one of the most frequent American soul visitors to our isle; ...
KC & the Sunshine Band: KC & Sunshine Band: Let The Sunshine In
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, September 1974
ALTHOUGH it has yet to register in the US Top 100, 'Queen Of Clubs' by K. C. and the Sunshine Band represents the second big ...
Review by Loraine Alterman, New York Times, September 1974
A Rising Star Needs a Setting ...
Jimmy Castor Bunch, The: Jimmy Castor: The Everything Man
Review by Chris Salewicz, NME, September 1974
SUBTLE ONE, that title. See, in the centre of the sleeve there's a picture of the dude who is presumably Jimmy Castor wearing a standard ...
Millie Jackson: Sayin' What Comes Naturally
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, October 1974
IF THERE is truly any justice, 1974 will see the final emergence of the magnificent Mille Jackson right at the top of her field, where ...
LaBelle: Tomorrow's Brightest Stars
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, October 1974
2008 introduction: In person interview conducted by David Nathan in the kitchen of Vicki Wickham's apartment in midtown Manhattan. Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx and Sarah ...
Lorraine Ellison: Heart And Soul
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, October 1974
David Nathan talks to the 'Stay With Me' lady, who's set to unleash her talents and become much more than just a singers' singer ...
Ann Peebles: Sweet and Soulful
Report and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, October 1974
David Nathan reports on Ann Peebles' London gigs and talks shop with the delectable lady. ...
Retrospective and Interview by Cliff White, Black Music, October 1974
WHEN is a Drifter not a Drifter? That is the question. ...
Ann Peebles: The Biba Rainbow Room, London
Live Review by Philip Norman, Times, The, October 1974
APPLAUSE IN this sybaritic cafeteria is always a little suspect, being related to how far the performer can corroborate the Biba audience's good opinion of ...
Review by Ian MacDonald, NME, October 1974
MARTHA AND The Vandellas never really made the grade. ...
Interview by David Rensin, Rolling Stone, October 1974
LOS ANGELES – Along with many of the stars and hopefuls at Chicago's 1971 Black Expo, Minnie Riperton waited patiently backstage to approach the blind ...
Johnny Bristol: Hang On In There, Baby
Review by Bob Woffinden, NME, October 1974
HEY, THIS cat's a whole lot better than Barry White. ...
Ann Peebles: I Can't Stand The Rain
Interview by Harry Doherty, Disc and Music Echo, October 1974
BRITAIN has been bitten by the Ann Peebles bug and, in a typical reciprocal move, our very own famous bug (commonly known as 'flu) has ...
Ann Peebles: Gulliver's, London
Live Review by Ray Fox-Cumming, Disc and Music Echo, October 1974
CONCERTS at the ultra-trendy Biba's Rainbow Room almost invariably, for some reason or other, turn out to be disappointing and, from the reviews I've read ...
Meters, The: The Meters: Funk From The Crescent City
Profile and Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, October 1974
THERE'S ALWAYS been something unique about New Orleans music, whether it's the jazz of Louis Armstong, the boogie-woogie blues of Champion Jack Dupree, the lopping ...
Commodores, The: The Commodores: Machine Gun
Review by Fred Dellar, NME, October 1974
THE COMMODORES, a sextet who compare roughly with Kool And The Gang and the Ohio Players, appeal to me in a limited way. ...
Sly & The Family Stone: Sly Stone: Small Talk
Review by Pete Wingfield, Let It Rock, November 1974
BY SLY'S SLUGGISH standards, it's not that long since the last album, Fresh; maybe married life has given him a creative surge. ...
Bobby 'Blue' Bland: Bobby Bland: Dreamer
Review by Bob Fisher, NME, November 1974
ONE DAY last week I tuned into Noel Edmunds and I heard it – and fell back into bed. ...
Barry White: Can't Get Enough (20th Century)
Review by Gene Sculatti, Zoo World, November 1974
YOU KNOW, I've heard people say that too much of anything isn't good for you. But I don't know about that, 'cause the fact is, ...
Stevie Wonder: Further Fulfillingness
Interview by Wayne Robins, Melody Maker, November 1974
STEVIE WONDER had to know: should he, could he, release part two of Fulfillingness' First Finale at the end of November? ...
Miracles, The: The Miracles: Miracles Never Cease…
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, November 1974
LOS ANGELES: "I really loved touring with the English groups, back in 1963 and 1964. We used to tour with the Rolling Stones and people ...
Review by Bob Woffinden, NME, November 1974
CAN AL GREEN recover his credibility and save the world after all?, is the theme of today's programme. ...
Aretha Franklin: With Everything I Feel In Me (Atlantic)
Review by Loraine Alterman, New York Times, November 1974
Aretha, You're the Top ...
Delfonics, The: The Delfonics: Developments In The Delfonic Dilemma
Profile and Interview by Bob Fisher, NME, November 1974
MENTION THE Philly sound, and people will start thinking about The O'Jays, Billy Paul, The Intruders or The Three Degrees. ...
Profile by Bob Fisher, NME, December 1974
Some things turn me on...like the way you might say a word or the way you wear your hair and have a certain smile on ...
Otis Redding: A Legend During His Lifetime, Or Only After His Death
Retrospective by Roger St. Pierre, NME, December 1974
The former, argues ROGER ST. PIERRE, in this appreciation of OTIS REDDING, who died seven years ago this month – the Boss Man soul music ...
Edwin Starr: The Thespian Anglophile And The Motown Machine
Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, December 1974
EDWIN STARR has a rather special place in the British soul scene, since none of America's top soul acts can match his record of some ...
Solomon Burke: The Solomon Burke Story
Retrospective by Cliff White, Black Music, 1975
IT'S ALWAYS good to see neglected talent straighten up and fly right after seemingly falling by the wayside, especially when the talent is as undeniable ...
Review by Bob Fisher, NME, January 1975
Black is busting out all over ...
Gil Scott-Heron: Survival Kits on Wax
Profile and Interview by Sheila Weller, Rolling Stone, January 1975
NEW YORK – At the age of 25, he has to his credit two published novels, one published collection of poetry and four albums of ...
Review by Dave Marsh, Rolling Stone, January 1975
TWO YEARS AGO, while working for another magazine, I rejected a rambling interview between black poet Nikki Giovanni and singer Gladys Knight. The interview wasn't ...
Cher, LaBelle: LaBelle: It Happened In Hollywood
Report by Charles Shaar Murray, NME, January 1975
IT HAPPENED in Hollywood.To be precise it happened on The Cher Show. ...
Review by Bob Fisher, NME, January 1975
RELUCTANTLY, ONE MUST admit that Aretha Franklin has now lost her crown as America's top female singer to Miss Knight. Gladys and her Pips have ...
Righteous Brothers, The: The Righteous Brothers - Give it to the People
Review by Charles Shaar Murray, NME, January 1975
ANOTHER ILLUSION SHATTERED. ...
Sly & The Family Stone, Larry Graham: Larry Graham: Platform For Station
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, January 1975
OAKLAND: Few people can ever have listened to a Sly Stone record without experiencing a gut feeling as the bass guitar runs through its paces, ...
Tower of Power: Tower Of Power
Profile by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, January 1975
BY FAR THE biggest ensemble to be visiting Europe on the Warners tour is Tower of Power, the Oakland based blues and soul outfit whose ...
Report by Mick Farren, NME, January 1975
That’s SOUL TRAIN, a TV showcase not only for the cream of US soul acts, but for the stuff-struttingest most fashion conscious kids on the ...
Soul (Style): Baggy Trousers Will Not Be Admitted
Report by Bob Fisher, NME, January 1975
THE STYLISTIC rivalry between soul fans in the North and South of England has been well publicised. But what magazine odes to regional soul tend ...
Profile and Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, January 1975
STUDENTS OF the currently emergent Miami Sound will have noticed the proliferation of album credits, both as writer and musician, for one Willie Hale. ...
Ashford & Simpson: Ashford and Simpson: Nick and Val
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, February 1975
IT'S PRETTY hard to believe that the young, unassuming couple seated comfortably in their smart New York apartment-and-office are the masterminds behind a whole string ...
Syl Johnson: Barbarella's, Birmingham
Live Review by Bob Fisher, NME, February 1975
MOST OF the soul artists who do the one-nighter round of the UK and USAF bases have some kind of hit going for them, or ...
Report and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, February 1975
ALMOST INEVITABLY, the one line of questioning that any interviewer takes with Syl Johnson involves Al Green, Willie Mitchell and Hi Records. Which is understandable ...
The Platters, Johnny Otis, Jackie Wilson: Johnny Otis, Platters, Jackie Wilson Reissue Albums
Review by Bob Fisher, Cream, February 1975
Johnny Otis: Pioneers of Rock: Vol. 2The Platters: The Best of the PlattersJackie Wilson: Greatest Hits ...
Ohio Players, The: Ohio Players: Fiery, Freaky and Funky
Profile by Bob Fisher, NME, February 1975
CURRENTLY THE HOTTEST item on Billboard's album chart is The Ohio Players Fire (Mercury). Phonogram must have burnt their fingers in the rush get it ...
Review by Bob Fisher, NME, February 1975
THE BIGGEST MISTAKE Don Covay made with this album was in making 'It's Better To Have' track one, side one. ...
Review by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, February 1975
DON COVAY'S resurrection as an artist was one of the brightest events of last year. His 'It's Better To Have' made number 21 in the ...
Interview by Bob Fisher, NME, February 1975
IT'S A SOMEWHAT perplexed Chi-Lites who recently embarked on their second and most extensive UK tour of Clubs and Cabaret. ...
Review by Ian MacDonald, NME, February 1975
THE AVERAGE WHITES broke the ice with their second album and Kokomo will be the first of the beneficiaries. ...
Review by Charles Shaar Murray, NME, February 1975
ONLY ONE OBJECTION to this album, so let's put it right up front. ...
Bobby Womack: I Can Understand It
Review by Bob Fisher, NME, February 1975
CALLED IN America Greatest Hits, this album simply illustrates the unsatisfactory position that Bobby Womack finds himself in in England. Hitless. ...
Dionne Warwicke: Right Back On Top
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, March 1975
ASIDE FROM 'Then Came You', her million-selling, Thom Bell-produced duo with The Detroit Spinners which catapulted to the higher echelons of the pop & soul ...
Hues Corporation: The Hues Corporation: The Love Corporation
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1975
'LOVE CORPORATION' really is an apt title for the Hues Corporation's new single because this L.A.-based trio literally ooze love for their fellow men and ...
Tymes, The: The Tymes: A Tyme Piece
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1975
THERE ARE two specific reasons why it is always a pleasure for me to interview and then present a feature on the Tymes. Firstly, because ...
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, March 1975
IT IS EXCEPTIONALLY refreshing and highly unusual in this world full of phoney and plastic people to meet anyone with the honest, sensitive and just ...
Impressions, The, Curtis Mayfield: Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions: Big Sixteen
Review by Bob Fisher, NME, March 1975
IT'S PLEASING to see Anchor pushing out this classic compilation, as it's been unavailable for several years. It was originally issued on the old HMV ...
Chaka Khan, Rufus: Rufus, featuring Chaka Khan: Rufusized (ABC Dunhill)
Review by Idris Walters, Let It Rock, March 1975
RUFUS DATE back to 1968. They were called the American Breed. They had 'Bend Me Shape Me' for a hit record. The American Breed became ...
Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, March 1975
BETTY WRIGHT IS, as they say, a lot more than just a pretty face. She's also got a voice that's stacked with burning southern soul, ...
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, March 1975
AIN'T IT just like the February sunshine to play tricks with the mind? Here I am, sat aboard the Long Island Railroad Express, rattling out ...
LaBelle: Voulez-Vous Coucher Avec Moi Ce Soir?
Report and Interview by Charles Shaar Murray, NME, March 1975
"THE RE-VO-LU-SHUN...will not be televaaaaaazed," declaims Patti LaBelle, staring into the audience from the stage of the Congressgebouwe in the Hague. ...
Moments, The, Shirley & Co.: Shirley & Co. and The Moments: The Carpenters Are My Real Faves
Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, March 1975
Al Goodman, A & R man for All Platinum label. So what are you doing on the Soul page with Shirley & Co., Al? ...
LaBelle: Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London
Live Review by Ian MacDonald, NME, March 1975
THE PROVERBIAL BREATH of fresh air. ...
Al Green: Love, Happiness And Convictions
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, April 1975
2008 introduction: Known as the "Prince Of Soul," Al Green had built up a strong audience thanks to a string of hit singles and best-selling ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1975
THE QUESTION that every B&S reader has been asking of late has been: Where is War? Correct me if I'm wrong, but the last War ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1975
ODIA COATES is now a lady with two claims to fame. Her actual discovery as far as the world is concerned is that she was ...
Drifters, The: The Drifters: Still Drifting
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1975
TRYING TO interview the Drifters sometimes proves an almost impossible task but it is one that I relish every time it is made possible because ...
Ann Peebles: Learning To Cope With The Rain
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1975
BEING THE recording artist for a classic can have almost as many pitfalls as advantages. The history of our music is littered with names who ...
Melba Moore: Soulful Sophistication
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, April 1975
LIKE MOST everyone else, you're probably under the impression that the name Melba Moore is more synonymous with Broadway, Las Vegas, supper clubs and Hollywood ...
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, April 1975
IF YOU talk about supergroups these days, it is inevitable that The Spinners will enter your conversation. In the relatively short space of four years, ...
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, April 1975
"POSITIVE THINKING and a high energy level" are, according to Benny Diggs, what make Revelation what they are. If you ever feel that you want ...
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, April 1975
TALKING WITH Mr. Walter Heath midway during his recent stay in New York on the bill at the Uris Theatre with Seals & Crofts is ...
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, April 1975
IT'S BEEN more than a while since we heard from one young lady whose consistently good records seemed to never hit quite as big as ...
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, April 1975
THE TRULY amazing dynamism of the four lovely ladies who make up Philadelphia's own SISTER SLEDGE are finally getting the kind of recognition which their ...
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, April 1975
"TO BE a moon, not just a star" is the collective ambition of five, talented young guys from the City of Brotherly Love. Known as ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1975
VERNON BURCH may be a new name to you but his past is littered with success since he was one of the contributing members of ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1975
ONE HARDLY is likely to forget the name of Dooley Silverspoon and that really was the main purpose behind Dooley – whose actual surname is ...
Review by Simon Frith, Let It Rock, April 1975
I'D BETTER DECLARE myself: I like Philly Sound, the Stylistics, Barry White even (or, rather, sometimes); I don't think Norman Whitfield mangled Motown: I do ...
Moments, The: The Moments and All Platinum Records: Moments To Remember
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1975
I'M SURE THE Moments will understand my meaning when I say that I am absolutely dumbfounded to be able to write a feature on them ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1975
When 'Swing Your Daddy' exploded on to the scene, everybody was saying they knew the name of Jim Gilstrap – but where from? ...
Jimmy Castor Bunch, The: Jimmy Castor: Boogieing To The Top
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, April 1975
JIMMY CASTOR confesses that, right now, he is feeling elated. And one look at the charts or a few hours listening to nearly every r&b ...
Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, April 1975
"WHERE ELSE BUT in America could a person own a Rolls-Royce, an Eldorado Mark IV, a Mercedes limousine, an estate in Long Island, an apartment ...
James Brown: Reality and Breakin' Bread
Review by Bob Fisher, NME, April 1975
A WORD OF advice. Never attempt to review James Brown product whilst the records are actually playing. It's impossible either to write or type when ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, April 1975
MINNIE RIPERTON is as fizzy as a soda bottle shaken on a hot summer day. Life, it is reassuring to know, can be enjoyed even ...
Report and Interview by Bob Fisher, Roger St. Pierre, NME, April 1975
From the great lost soul label of Atlantic it came, writhing with synchronized funk, its many black heads chanting and wailing. Nothing like it had ...
Al Green: Eaten Something Funny Al?
Interview by Bob Fisher, NME, April 1975
"L.O.V.E. SPELLS LOVE," says Al Green on his current NME chart rider of the same name, while according to Jimmy Witherspoon's current US hit, it's ...
Syl Johnson: A Whole Lot Of Whiplashes And Scars…
Interview by Bob Fisher, NME, April 1975
NOT MANY artists hot on the US Soul charts have had the apprenticeship of Syl Johnson. ...
Bernard Purdie: Purdie's School of Drumming
Interview by Pete Makowski, Sounds, April 1975
Pete Makowski talks to top American session drummer Bernard Purdie ...
LaBelle: ...How The West Was Won — Nearly
Report by Penny Valentine, Sounds, April 1975
A few days in the life of LaBelle. Penny Valentine reports from America's West Coast where the critics are a harder nut to crack than ...
Gladys Knight & The Pips: Midnight Train To Harlem
Report by Penny Valentine, Sounds, April 1975
Blowing it at the Apollo means you haven't really made it at all. After a heart-stopping false start, GLADYS KNIGHT went on to prove that ...
Allen Toussaint: Southern Nights
Review by Ian MacDonald, NME, April 1975
IF ALLEN TOUSSAINT ever wants to make the great album he's obviously capable of, he'd be best advised to first take a year's sabbatical from ...
J. J. Barnes: The Groovesville Masters
Review by Bob Fisher, NME, April 1975
DESPITE A couple of very successful tours of the Midlands and the North, JJ seems dogged by bad luck. ...
Johnny Bristol, Allen Toussaint: Johnny Bristol and Allen Toussaint: Producers 'N' Performers
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, May 1975
IT SEEMS that it's an increasingly notable fact that more and more producers, after scoring successfully in that field, are turning their attention to the ...
Three Degrees, The: The International Three Degrees
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1975
THE MOST successful banner carriers on behalf of the Philly Sound are undoubtedly the beautiful and talented Three Degrees, Sheila Ferguson, Valerie Holiday and Fayette ...
Main Ingredient, The: The Main Ingredient: Reaching Out For New Horizons
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, May 1975
IT IS JUST conceivable that you're one of these people who take The Main Ingredient for granted. They're the kind of group, you figure, who've ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, May 1975
WHEN WE all take a good reflective look back at 1975, one of the records which will unquestionably stand out as one of the biggest ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1975
CARL GRAVES is a young man currently making his name on a worldwide basis via a lovely debut solo recording on A&M Records, 'Baby Hang ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1975
IF SHEER beauty could ensure a hit record, then Ms. Tamiko Jones would simply never yield the top spot. However, as well as having something ...
Profile by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1975
IT WOULDN'T take a genius to notice that Loleatta Holloway's delectable US hit, 'Cry To Me', is simply one of my favourite sounds of all ...
Jimmy Castor Bunch, The: Jimmy Castor: The Everything Man Really Has Everything
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1975
ON REFLECTION, the two most successful names to emerge from the highly successful Atlantic Super-Soul concert tour were Jimmy Castor and Sister Sledge. ...
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, May 1975
THERE CAN be very few self-respecting soul fans around who don't own a record which has featured the name "Van McCoy" somewhere along the way. ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1975
THOUGH THEY bear the name of The Newcomers and this is their Debut Feature in B&S, the trio are in fact far from being a ...
Jimmy Jones: Timin' Is The Thing
Retrospective by Penny Reel, Let It Rock, May 1975
What would have happened if you and IHadn't just happened to meet?We might have spent the rest of our livesWalking down misery street. ...
Chairmen Of The Board: Chairmen of the Board
Interview by Bob Fisher, NME, May 1975
IT WAS THE Chairmen of the Board's umpteenth tour of the UK, but this time round, the venues were a little classier, with week long ...
Average White Band: The Spirit is High as The Average White Band Go Out to Haunt the Strip
Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, May 1975
Success to these guys means getting better, smoking Rothmans and a few extra patches on their denims. Barbara Charone reports from Los Angeles ...
Earth Wind and Fire: Earth, Wind and Fire
Profile by Bob Fisher, NME, May 1975
LIKE EVERY OTHER sub genre of soul seems to do, the current blockbuster – jazz-funk, bump-funk, party street-dance, or whatever you care to tag it ...
Review by Bob Fisher, NME, May 1975
'SUPERNATURAL Thing Pt. 1' marks the first occasion on which Ben E. King has hit the American Top twenty since 'Don't Play That Song' in ...
Barry White: Villa Park, Birmingham
Live Review by Bob Fisher, NME, May 1975
THERE'S BEEN some controversy about the prices on Barry White's English gigs – £5 was the top price at Birmingham. ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, June 1975
BEING THE daughter of such an internationally famous man as the late Nat King Cole could conceivably pose a problem for any budding star. After ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1975
SINCE IT'S a proven fact that rare talent cannot stay hidden indefinitely, you really shouldn't be at all surprised that Sister Sledge are currently reaping ...
Dramatics, The, Dells, The: The Dells and The Dramatics: A New Beginning
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, June 1975
TWO OF America's top vocal groups were in New York recently for a concert at The Felt Forum and we got the chance to talk ...
Average White Band: Winterland, San Francisco
Live Review by Mitchell Cohen, Phonograph Record, June 1975
THERE ARE THOSE who have had Average White Band pegged from the start as the best blue-eyed soul band since the Young Rascals, and these ...
Curtis Mayfield: Love To The People
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1975
I ADMIT THAT I always eagerly look forward to the bi-annual interview time with Curtis Mayfield because it never quite seems like an interview. ...
Barbara Mason: This Girl Is A Woman Now
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, June 1975
YOUR IMPRESSIONS of Ms. Barbara Mason may well be restricted to the young girl of the tender age of 16 singing her own composition, 'Yes ...
Joe Simon: The Reluctant Superstar
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1975
IN TERMS of actual record sales and box office figures, Joe Simon has only one or two peers over the past decade or so. Yet ...
Hamilton Bohannon: Insides Out
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1975
WHEN, BACK in January we became the first British magazine to interview the talented Hamilton Bohannon, I confess I didn't expect to ever have to ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1975
THE NAME Leonard Caston should already be more than familiar to B&S devotees because he has contributed a good deal to the furtherance of our ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1975
WITHOUT A shadow of doubt, one of the most controversial records of all time within our musical sphere is Valentino's 'I Was Born This Way'. ...
Exciters, The: The Exciters - Dark Clouds Over the Black Country
Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, June 1975
INTERNAL DISSENSION IS the bane of any cult, and though the Northern Sounds soul movement might seem healthy from the outside, in reality it's torn ...
Candi Staton, Bettye Swann: Candi Staton and Bettye Swann: Broken Hearts, Do Right Women
Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, June 1975
EVERY TIME I hear Bettye Swann's pained 'Don't You Ever Get Tired Of Hurting Me' I'm so moved I want to go and punch that ...
Ronnie Wood, Bobby Womack: Now Look Here! This is Bobby Womack
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, June 1975
BOBBY WOMACK is confused. Suffering from an overdose of in-the-studio-excitement and jet lag, he sits on the bed of his hotel room cubicle at Blake's, ...
Allen Toussaint: Southern Nights (Reprise)
Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, June 1975
Toussaint's Night Flight ...
Curtis Mayfield: America Today
Review by Ian MacDonald, NME, June 1975
THREE YEARS AGO, Curtis Mayfield was one of the golden boys of New Wave soul, having broken with marketing formats (The Impressions) and joined the ...
Smokey Robinson: Smokey's Backatcha
Profile and Interview by Bob Fisher, NME, June 1975
MOTOWN announced the retirement of William "Smokey" Robinson in January 1972. ...
Stax - The Stax Story - Volumes I & II
Review by Ian MacDonald, NME, June 1975
SINCE THE 32 tracks collected here were cut after the 1968 Stax/Atlantic split it would be unwise to take the over-all title of this two-record ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1975
ALMOST without notice to the soul community, Rufus arrived and departed our shores towards the end of last month simply to appear on BBC-TV's Top ...
KC & the Sunshine Band: KC and The Sunshine Band: The Miami Innovation
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1975
A GREAT deal has been written about the emergence of the Miami Sound via names such as George and Gwen McCrae, Little Beaver and, of ...
Brecker Brothers, The: The Brecker Brothers
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1975
NOW THAT the colour barriers have been well and truly broken down within our music, odds are that at any given moment, you'll find two ...
Eddie Kendricks: The Hit Man Hits Again
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1975
IF EVER an album was aptly titled it is the new Eddie Kendricks' Tamla set – The Hit Man. ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1975
ACTUALLY, ALTHOUGH we are acclaiming Ms. Linda Carr as a "B&S Debut Feature", we are being technically incorrect because Linda was featured way back in ...
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, July 1975
IT SEEMS that there will always be that small coterie of artists you will always find falling under that elusive category, "the singer's singer". ...
Impressions, The, Leroy Hutson, Curtis Mayfield: The Impressions
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, July 1975
WITHOUT OVERSTATING the fact, you could justifiably say that The Impressions have come a long way! ...
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, July 1975
CURRENTLY WOWING audiences on their tour with fellow Curtom recording artists, The Impressions, the four-man Natural Four are creating more than a little impact and ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1975
NEW YORK-based group, the Moment of Truth, currently have one of the hottest disco properties in their Roulette outing of 'Helplessly'. The record – their ...
Profile by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1975
WITHOUT A shadow of doubt, one of Britain's most played disco sounds of the day is by Ernie Bush. Entitled 'Breakaway', the disco folk are ...
Profile by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1975
WITHOUT DOUBT, one of the prettiest and classiest ballads currently on the American charts comes from Detroit-based Ronnie McNeir and is entitled 'Wendy Is Gone'. ...
Earth Wind and Fire: Earth, Wind & Fire: A Creative Explosion
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, July 1975
TO UNDERSTAND the true power of Earth, Wind & Fire, you have to understand that these are nine people with a message. A universal message ...
Shirley Goodman, Shirley and Lee: Shirley Goodman: Good Times Roll Again
Profile and Interview by Bill Millar, Let It Rock, July 1975
JET-BLACK RINGLETS and bra-busting cuddliness; nothing about Shirley Goodman tells you that she used to resemble the waif-like teenager on the front of those old ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1975
IT'S STRANGE to think that without Barrett Strong, it is quite conceivable that the whole Motown empire would have never gotten off the floor because ...
New Birth: The Re-Birth Of New Birth
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1975
FRANKLY, ANYONE who has not in the past become totally confused with the New Birth, Niteliters and Love, Peace & Happiness triangle should apply immediately ...
Ohio Players, The: The Ohio Players: Honey
Report and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1975
OVER THE past year or so, I can't think of a group who has made as much impact on our music as the Ohio Players. ...
Dionne Warwick: Worries of the Warwick sisters
Interview by Roger St. Pierre, NME, July 1975
WE'RE A LONG way on from 1964 and 'Walk On By' but, despite the profusion of instantly forgetable records Dionne Warwick has turned out since ...
Righteous Brothers, The: The Righteous Brothers - Sons of Mrs. Righteous
Review by Mick Farren, NME, July 1975
IT REALLY DOES seem that the greater part of the Righteous Brothers was their uncle Phil Spector. ...
Average White Band: Cut The Cake (Atlantic)
Review by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, July 1975
Hamish Stuart (guitar, vocals), Alan Gorrie (bass, vocals), Onnie Mclntyre (guitar), Roger Ball (keyboards, alto and baritone saxophones), Malcolm Duncan (tenor saxophone), Stephen Ferrone (drums, ...
Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, July 1975
A CLUTCH of nubile girls are usefully spending their school holidays hanging around outside the Bell Record Company offices in the hope of a glimpse ...
Wilson Pickett - Join Me and Let's Be Free
Review by Cliff White, NME, July 1975
FIRST OF ALL you have to picture the scene. There he stands, up to his elbows in stagnant water, a faraway look in his eyes, ...
Bobby Womack - I Don't Know What The World Is Coming To
Review by Ian MacDonald, NME, July 1975
FROM 1964, FOLLOWING the death of his mentor Sam Cooke, to 1969, when he finally began to record under his own name, Bobby Womack was ...
Isaac Hayes: Black Moses Back From The Wilderness
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1975
A SIGN OF TRUE GREATNESS in terms of an entertainer is surely the ability to stay. Think about it – how many names can you ...
Esther Phillips: The Time Is Now
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, August 1975
CERTAINLY one of the most gratifying experiences is to see an artiste you've admired over a period of years finally get that long overdue recognition ...
Profile by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1975
YOU CAN never keep a good man down and that old saying certainly applies to ol' Swamp Dogg! Over the past decade, there's hardly been ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1975
IT'S FUNNY how some women are genteel yet others may be quite the opposite – yet still manage to retain their femininity. ...
Stylistics, The: The Stylistics: Sing, Baby, Sing!
Profile and Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, August 1975
ABUSE COMES too easily. The Stylistics are the masters of sweet soul, the kings of lush sentiment, and the lords of overstated romance. Even their ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1975
AS BRITAIN gradually develops its own soul character, an ever-increasing list of names are attracting interest on this side of the Atlantic before they break ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1975
WITH SO much interest in the Philly disco sound, Detroit has been put pretty much into the shadows as far as dance music is concerned ...
Review by Ian MacDonald, NME, August 1975
"WHITE ROCK", OBSERVED CSM last week in his Wailers review, "lays its beat on you; the Wailers' music allows you to find your own rhythm ...
Four Tops, The, Jackson 5, The, Supremes, The, Junior Walker & The Allstars: Tamla albums round-up
Review by Cliff White, NME, August 1975
FIRST, THE GOOD NEWS. The Supremes' new LP is a winner. ...
Junior Walker & The Allstars: Junior Walker
Interview by Cliff White, NME, August 1975
CONSIDERING THAT THEY'D only checked in at 4 a.m. that morning – that they hadn't been notified of our appointment for an interview – and ...
Supremes, The: The Supremes: The Supremes (Tamla Motown) (32.16)
Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, August 1975
SIX PRODUCERS on one record? Is this some kind of a joke? I've heard of Rick Derringer dreaming of a different producer for each song ...
Ben E. King - The Ben E. King Story
Review by Cliff White, NME, August 1975
ATLANTIC, YOU'RE NOT fooling anyone. ...
James Brown - Live at the Apollo Vol.1
Review by Cliff White, NME, August 1975
EVERY SO OFTEN an album comes along that is more than just another good, bad, or indifferent release from the artist concerned. ...
Brecker Brothers, The: The Brecker Brothers: Everythin's All White
Profile by Roger St. Pierre, NME, August 1975
...
Stevie Wonder - Blind, Gifted and Loaded
Report by Bob Woffinden, NME, August 1975
THERE HAS BEEN an official silence about Stevie Wonder's plans since he publicly announced in March last year that he was to retire in 1976 ...
Smokey Robinson: Building A Quiet Storm
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1975
WILLIAM 'SMOKEY' ROBINSON has been referred to as the "greatest poet of our decade" and when one listens to the unique lyric style that the ...
Allen Toussaint: Feel Like Staying Home
Profile and Interview by John Morthland, Creem, September 1975
NEW ORLEANS, LA – Allen Toussaint has moved into the pop spotlight lately via Labelle and Paul McCartney but it's not his first time there. ...
Kool and the Gang, Kay-Gee's: The Kay-Gee's
Profile by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1975
IF YOU'RE talking of funky disco groups today, you're sure to mention Kool & the Gang, B.T. Express, the Fatback Band – and the Kay-Gees. ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1975
WHEN IT comes to disco funk, James Brown is perhaps no longer unrivalled since the arrival of the B.T. Express, who are proving to be ...
Faith Hope & Charity: Faith Hope Charity And Success
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, September 1975
THE NAME "Faith, Hope & Charity" may well be familiar to avid soul fans who remember their big hit of a couple of years back ...
Jackie Moore: More Precious the Second Time Around
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1975
Jackie Moore is a pleasing young lady who exploded on to the scene back in 1971 with a multi-million worldwide selling single called 'Precious Precious' ...
Fantastic Four, The: The Fantastic Four
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1975
AS FAR as Britain is concerned, the mere fact that you've made a record for the legendary Ric Tic label is sufficient to make you ...
Smokey Robinson: A Quiet Storm
Review by Pete Wingfield, Let It Rock, September 1975
COULD THIS BE Smokey's What's Going On – the album to elevate him, like Marvin Gaye, from a singles-orientated soul veteran to an across-the-board contemporary ...
Fatback Band, The: The Fatback Band: Yum Yum
Review by Bob Fisher, NME, September 1975
"MY NAME is Yum Yum, Gimme some!" ...
Review by Cliff White, NME, September 1975
LEAPING ONTO THE dance floor of American's all-pervasive disco, Simon recovered from a slump in popularity by intoning "Get down, get down" about fifty-nine times ...
Moments, The, Chi-Lites, The: The Chi-Lites: Half a Love and The Moments: Sharp
Review by Ian MacDonald, NME, September 1975
IF IT WERE ONLY for All Platinum's second certifiable classic – The Moments' 'Dolly My Love' – this group's new album would need to be ...
Orchestral Soul: So When Was the Last Time You Saw a Black Cello Player?
Overview by Cliff White, NME, September 1975
SOUL: the emotional part of man's nature, or the seat of the feelings or sentiments.SOULFUL: of, or expressive of, deep feeling or emotion. ...
Natalie Cole: Meet Nat Queen Cole
Profile by Bob Fisher, NME, September 1975
WITH 1975 almost certain to establish itself as a most uneventful year for soul, it's refreshing to come across a 45 by a newish singer ...
Supremes, The: The Supremes at Hammersmith Odeon
Live Review by Vivien Goldman, NME, September 1975
NEXT TIME YOU have the opportunity, check out Motown's Anthology of Diana Ross and the Supremes' Greatest Hits. Unless you're an avid fan whose every ...
Chi-Lites, The: The Chi-Lites at Hammersmith Odeon
Live Review by Cliff White, NME, September 1975
AFTER AN HOUR or so of the kind of entertainment that tempts freeloading reviewers to demand their non-existent money back, any halfway-decent act is a ...
Johnny Nash: Tears On My Pillow
Review by Cliff White, NME, September 1975
ANYONE WHO CAN cheerfully sing "be careful how you hold her, please don't even scold her, she's my cream puff" either deserves a hefty kick ...
Review by Charles Shaar Murray, NME, September 1975
FOR ALL PRACTICAL purposes, Phoenix is Labelle's third album. Forget anything prior to Pressure Cookin': those albums were by some other people and are of ...
Ohio Players, The: The Ohio Players - Honey
Review by Cliff White, NME, September 1975
EARLIER THIS YEAR Ralph 'Pee Wee' Middlebrook, trumpeter with The Players, admitted in an interview "now we've made it after all that scuffling I suppose ...
Profile by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1975
HAILED AS the unrivalled Queen of the Discos, the delicious Ms. Gloria Gaynor has certainly spread her wings on her second MGM album, Experience. ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1975
Although 'Van McCoy: The Artist' has really only just arrived in terms of commercial acceptance, Van's creative influence has played a major role within the ...
People's Choice: The People's Choice
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1975
WITH THEIR 'Do lt Anyway You Wanna' perched atop the world's R&B and pop charts, the Philadelphia band of the People's Choice are literally just ...
Lonnie Liston Smith: Visions Of A New World
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1975
With the tremendous upsurge in jazz over the past couple of years, the strange thing is that remarkably few genuine 'new' names have benefitted. ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1975
"Let me talk to the Lone Ranger – and pronto!" ...
Temptations, The: The Temptations
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1975
WHEN IT comes to successful vocal groups, the stalwart Temptations really have no peers. For over a decade now, they have reigned virtually uninterrupted over ...
George McCrae: George McCrae (TK)
Review by John Morthland, Creem, October 1975
GEORGE McCRAE and the TK studio hands don't sell songs on his albums, they sell a mood, an ambience. ...
Isley Brothers, The: Isley Brothers: Heat's Still On Isleys
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, October 1975
LOS ANGELES: The Isleys' latest album, The Heat Is On, recently hit number one in America, but for as long as there's been rock and ...
Ike & Tina Turner: Tina Turner: Acid Queen
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, October 1975
"WE TOURED FOR years with all the English groups and I always liked what they were singing about. ...
Esther Phillips: Laissez-Faire in Bouffant Hair
Interview by Fred Dellar, NME, October 1975
ESTHER PHILLIPS doesn't get too knocked out when she scores with a hit single. ...
Review by Cliff White, NME, October 1975
REMEMBER WHEN YOU were young, listening to Radio Luxembourg under the bedclothes by torchlight? ...
Temptations, The: The Temptations: Moving With The Times
Interview by Kevin Allen, Record Mirror, October 1975
IT'S SURE tough work being a Temptation. Before replacing Damon Harris in soul music's top fivesome, Glenn Leonard not only had to learn the group's ...
Stevie Wonder: Technology and R&B: Get Arp And Get Down
Overview by Davitt Sigerson, Black Music, November 1975
Arps, Moogs, Rhythm Boxes... the sounds of black music have never been more complex ...
MFSB, Krispy And Company: Krispi And Company, MFSB: More Disco Madness
Profile by Davitt Sigerson, Black Music, November 1975
What kind of madness is it when two bands adopt different names to record versions of a 30s showtune called 'Brazil'? Just put it down ...
Millie Jackson: Gettin' Her Piece
Interview by John Morthland, Black Music, November 1975
MILLIE JACKSON raps. That's what her fans come to see her for, she figures, and she'll rap about anything—though, nowadays, she raps most often about ...
Undisputed Truth, The: The Undisputed Truth: Their Aim Is Higher Than High
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, November 1975
WITH THE increasing use of theatrics within the sphere of our music, it is interesting to note that Motown's Undisputed Truth were just about the ...
Impressions, The: The Impressions
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, November 1975
Ever since I became interested in our music, I can hardly remember a time when the Impressions have been absent from the charts. ...
Natalie Cole: Whatever Will Be Will Be
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, November 1975
It's rare, very rare, for the son or daughter of a superstar to make it in his or her own right. The pressures are intense ...
Ike & Tina Turner: Ike and Tina Turner: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Chris Salewicz, NME, November 1975
WELL, TO BE quite frank I thought they were fairly dreadful. ...
Sam & Dave: Sam & Dave: Back At' Cha!
Review by Dave Marsh, Rolling Stone, November 1975
IF ANYTHING SYMBOLIZES the decline of the Stax Records era (recently brought to a probable close with the indictment of president Al Bell for bank ...
Review by Charles Shaar Murray, NME, November 1975
THIS IS IT funk y'allThis is it right hereThis is it do ya hear me girlsAnd well they can't do it forya no nastier than ...
Temptations, The: The Temptations: House Party
Review by Cliff White, NME, November 1975
IT'S COMFORTING TO have a few acts that you can rely on to keep supplying the goods, and The Temps certainly do deliver. ...
Rufus: Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan (ABC)
Review by Penny Valentine, Street Life, November 1975
AMERICAN BLACK music (that which is loosely termed 'soul') has been going through a disturbing period. It continues to do so. Where once the arm ...
Chaka Khan, Rufus: Rufus' Chaka Khan: Golden Lady
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, December 1975
IT'S DIFFICULT to believe that much of the power, strength and soul that you hear when you hear Rufus stems from anyone as petite and ...
Thom Bell, Dionne Warwick: Dionne Warwick and Thom Bell: Hitting The Road Together
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, December 1975
WITHOUT ANY question, one of the most significant musical marriages of our decade was the one that brought the team of Dionne Warwick, Burt Bacharach ...
George McCrae: Growing Pains But It's Worth It All
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, December 1975
IN SOME ways, George McCrae has attained the impossible. Because if you consider the past, you'll find that virtually every artist who literally explodes on ...
Profile by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, December 1975
TRYING TO interview Jimmy Bo Horne is a strange mixture of a journalist's idea of paradise and bedlam because whilst for half of the time ...
Profile by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, December 1975
THOUGH IT hasn't developed into being the monster success that we predicted, Mike & Bill's highly commendable (and danceworthy!) 'Somebody's Gotta Go' has established the ...
Profile by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, December 1975
WITH THE interest in home-grown soul now reaching the point where it's acceptable to feature British based artists and groups in the soul charts, one ...
Profile by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, December 1975
IT'S AMAZING how many of today's super-soulstars can be traced back to the Ric Tic-Golden World family for their very first step into showbiz. The ...
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, December 1975
WE OFTEN hear tell of child prodogies – those rare breed that begin their careers at some more than tender age! Frequently, in the crazy ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, December 1975
ONE OF the major disappointments in what has otherwise been a very good year for our music was the cancellation of the proposed All Platinum ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, December 1975
WITH OLIVER Sain's current double headed hunk of disco funk climbing into the British charts at his customary high placing, the timing could not be ...
Ohio Players, The, Kool and the Gang: Kool and the Gang: Spirit Of The Boogie; Ohio Players: Honey
Review by Richard Williams, Let It Rock, December 1975
OCCUPYING ROUGHLY the same area in the impressively wide spectrum of contemporary Black music, these two orchestras both play for dancers but nevertheless perform entirely ...
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas: Martha Reeves: Our Martha Aims Higher And Higher
Interview by Kevin Allen, Record Mirror, December 1975
"IF I won any fans over here on my first trip I still have them. They're so much more devoted than the people back home, ...
Staple Singers, The: The Staple Singers: Let's Do It Again
Review by Cliff White, NME, December 1975
IF MAYFIELD'S lyrics are anything to go by, this film must be whole lots of scenes of funky loving in which they do it again ...
Review by Ian MacDonald, NME, December 1975
IF EVERYONE HAD a pair of disco turntables as well as a telly, this record might sell a million. ...
Miracles, The: The Miracles: City Of Angels
Review by Cliff White, NME, December 1975
WHAT A LETDOWN. ...
Review by Joe McEwen, Rolling Stone, December 1975
ON HER FIRST two albums, Betty Davis staked out a peculiar brand of kinky, tongue-in-cheek funk that garnered her a cult following in Philadelphia and ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, December 1975
BOBBY WOMACK is the kind of guy who lights up a room when he enters, and this suite in the Plaza Hotel is no exception. ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, 1976
"This young lady has gusto, tenderness, sweetness, and Soul... all the qualities to make her more that just another singer – a Star!" David Nathan ...
Margie Joseph: The Real Divine Miss M
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, January 1976
ONE MAJOR criticism which is frequently levelled at the bigger record companies is how, with a relatively large roster, some of their strongest potential stars ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, January 1976
IT'S ALWAYS a pleasure to run into someone who is as warm and real as they are talented. Ms. Maxayn Lewis is one of that ...
Three Degrees, The: Three Degrees: Universal Stars
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, January 1976
IN THE realm of female groups today, you would be hard put to name any set of ladies who can emulate the current popularity and ...
Blackbyrds, The: The Blackbyrds
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1976
THE FIRST really big soul occasion for the year so far has been the recent highly successful concert appearances of Donald Byrd and the Blackbyrds. ...
Temptations, The, David Ruffin: David Ruffin
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1976
IF YOU check your American charts this week, you'll find that David Ruffin – after a break of some two years – is riding both ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1976
FOR EVERY successful sound, there always has to be a pioneer. For Motown and Detroit, I guess it was Smokey Robinson and the Miracles; for ...
Review by Joe McEwen, Rolling Stone, January 1976
THIS IS AN encouraging album. After a celebrated re-signing with Motown last year, the ponderous Norman Whitfield-produced Me 'n Rock 'n Roll Are Here to ...
Johnny Guitar Watson: Beware The Guitar Gangster
Profile and Interview by Kevin Allen, Record Mirror, January 1976
SUPERSTAR? MAYBE not. But despite a lack of any major hits, Johnny 'Guitar' Watson has long been acknowledged as a super-talent of the black American ...
Thom Bell, Dionne Warwick: Dionne Rings The Changes
Report and Interview by Kevin Allen, Record Mirror, January 1976
SINCE IT was the arranging/production and inspiration of Thom Bell which took Dionne Warwick (no final "e" these days) back into the charts after a ...
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, January 1976
From obscurity to a hit in two moves...just luck? Not true, Sheer Elegance tell HARRY DOHERTY ...
Earth Wind and Fire: Signs Rise for Shining Stars
Interview by David Rensin, Rolling Stone, January 1976
LOS ANGELES – "Music is a sacred thing and we take it very seriously," Earth Wind & Fire founder/percussionist Maurice White offers during a rehearsal ...
D.J. Rogers: Songs Of Love And Hope
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, February 1976
A young man whose West Coast reputation is spreading fast. ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, February 1976
WHEN THE time comes to chronicle the names of some of the top producers and songwriters of the sixties and seventies, there is no question ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, February 1976
He's worked with Barry White, Marvin Gaye, Diana & the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Aretha, the J5, Martha Reeves, and many others. Now it's time to ...
Freda Payne: Wanna Get Re-acquainted
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, February 1976
ACCORDING to the lovely lady herself, "the public is just getting re-acquainted with Freda Payne!" and if her latest album on A.B.C. is anything to ...
Eddie Kendricks: The Philly Connection
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, February 1976
B&S undercover agent probes Soul star's defection to another town ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1976
GETTING A record banned by the dear of BBC is as surefire a way of getting a hit as I know of and it's a ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1976
MAKING HER debut in the British soul charts this week is vivacious Jean Plum, whose London release of 'Look At The Boy' has been hotly ...
Gil Scott-Heron: Good Evening, Here Is The News
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1976
The 'Jo'burg' man has a reputation for telling it like it is. However, John Abbey had his pre conceived notions of Gil completely and pleasantly ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1976
WITH THE Chicago Soul Road-show only weeks away from kicking off its British tour, the timing of 20th Century's Evelyn Thomas could not be better ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1976
I'M NOT prone to making rash statements (as most readers of B&S of any long-standing will bear witness) but I am going to predict that ...
Trammps, The: The Trammps: Zing Went Bummie And The Bums
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1976
THIS FEATURE could so easily have been devoted to – wait for it! – Bummie & the Bums! Who is this Bummie character I can ...
Blackbyrds, The: The Blackbyrds: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Cliff White, NME, February 1976
BETCHA DIDN'T know there's such a thing as Black-byrdomania. Neither did I until this concert, when a quietly slumbering stalls suddenly became a heaving sea ...
Kokomo: Grown Some Funk Of Our Own
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, February 1976
THE SUBDUED shufflings of a hotel chambermaid were gradually coaxing Alan Spenner, Kokomo's friendly grizzly bear of a bass payer, out of sweet slumber. ...
Earth Wind and Fire: Earth Wind & Fire: Gratitude
Review by Cliff White, NME, February 1976
PROOF AT LAST that EWF deserve all the acclaim that's been heaped on them in the last couple of years. ...
Comment by Kevin Allen, Record Mirror, February 1976
JUST ONE glance at the pop charts over the past decade is sufficient to indicate the domination of black music in general and soul music ...
Gladys Knight: The Best Of…, A Little Knight Music, Gladys Knight And The Pips
Review by Bob Woffinden, NME, February 1976
DON'T BE MISLED – The Best Of... actually refers to the best of Gladys and the 'Pips' Buddah output, but such is the strength of ...
Isley Brothers, The: The Isley Brothers: Twist And Shout, Super Hits
Review by Cliff White, NME, February 1976
SOME RECORDINGS CRY out to be reissued. In fact they never should have been deleted in the first place. Others should never even have been ...
Salsoul Orchestra, The: The Salsoul Orchestra: The Salsoul Orchestra (Epic)
Review by Miles, NME, February 1976
I ASKED Paul Atkinson, who decides these things at CBS, why he was releasing this album here. ...
Kokomo, Kursaal Flyers, The: Kokomo/Kursaal Flyers: Guildford
Live Review by John Tobler, NME, February 1976
A VERY strange billing, Kokomo as support to the Kursaal Flyers. Now that seems to say something about relative popularity and the length of time ...
Live Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, February 1976
"HEY, BRIAN, it's sold out – there's a line in front of the theatre!" That's one of the Midnight Band's glamorous female entourage calling out ...
O'Jays: The O'Jays: Family Reunion (Philadelphia International)***
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, February 1976
THERE'S A HIT on this record, in case you're interested – 'I Love Music'. I needn't elaborate on that one, as if you're reading this ...
Review by Cliff White, NME, February 1976
IN 1968 IN Memphis, Tennessee, Willie Mitchell succeeded to the board of an ailing record company called Hi. ...
KC & the Sunshine Band: KC and Sunshine Band
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Phonograph Record, March 1976
"I'd just put out the George McCrae album, and I kept hearing one of my tunes come busting through the wall up there." H.W. Casey ...
Ashford & Simpson: Ashford and Simpson: At Peace With The World And Themselves…
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, March 1976
Ashford and Simpson are back in business after a lengthy sabbatical. Here they expound on their new album – how it reflects the changes they've ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, March 1976
ANY LIST of legendary 'deep soul' sisters would be totally incomplete without the name of a young lady from Detroit whose emotion-packed recordings have been ...
Hugh Masekela: Africa's Ambassador To The USA
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, March 1976
Our diplomatic correspondent in Los Angeles talks to Hugh Masekela, one of Africa's favourite sons. ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1976
ROOT-RAPPIN? Whassat? Well, it's like this...John Abbey got to talking with Bobby and the conversation drifted to his very early days – his roots! ...
Mighty Clouds of Joy, The: The Mighty Clouds Of Joy
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, March 1976
HALF A Million Hustlers Can't Be Wrong. That's how many buyers Eddie Drennon attracted for 'Let's Do The Latin Hustle' – in the States alone. ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1976
ACTUALLY, I must confess that when you ask me about hat-tricks from Blackpool, the first name to spring to mind would be Stanley Mortenson. But ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1976
COMPLETING THE other half of Ian Levine's winning double hand from Chicago, is L.J. Johnson who is comfortably placed in the higher echelons of both ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1976
MS. PHILLIPS feels that new doors have opened up for her since 'Day'. She deeply regrets the cancellation of her Euro tour but looks forward ...
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes: Wake Up, Everybody (Philadelphia Int.)
Review by Davitt Sigerson, Black Music, March 1976
'Wake Up Everybody'/'Keep On Lovin' You'/'You Know How To Make Me Feel So Good'/'Don't Leave Me This Way'/'Tell The World How I Feel About 'cha ...
Fatback Band, The: The Fatback Band: Ain't No Such Thing As We Don't Sounds BAAAD
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, March 1976
"WHEN WE get a groove we hate to quit!" shouted out Bill Curtis. His voice carried over inexorable waves of sound, cookin', stampin', and gettin' ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, March 1976
IT IS, I GUESS, the third time around for Dobie Gray who, at the present moment, is stretched out full length on a bed on ...
Gladys Knight & the Pips: Gladys Knight and the Pips (DJM)
Review by Simon Frith, Street Life, March 1976
SHE'S JUST GONNA have to get used to it. When you're the greatest pop singer in the world (and she is) and have been together ...
Barry White: The Discreet Charm Of the Black Bourgeoisie: Barry White and Company
Review by Penny Valentine, Street Life, March 1976
WHEN YOUNG American blacks threw off their jeans, gave them to the white kids, and emerged supercool in their three-piece suits, brogues and cashmere sweaters ...
Bobby Womack: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, March 1976
THIS MUST RANK as the most Perplexing gig I've ever seen. All I was left with at the end was a burning desire to rush ...
Bobby Womack: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Cliff White, NME, March 1976
POLE-AXED BY SKIN-CRAWLING hot and cold flushes, with a head full of demented panel-beaters, the last thing I wanted to do was travel 50 miles ...
Diana Ross: Breakfast With Lady Diana
Report and Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, March 1976
THIS IS the story: it's a champagne breakfast for Diana Ross, being held at a Top London Hotel. Which means that everybody drags in bleary-eyed ...
Parliament, Funkadelic: Parliament-Funkadelic: Mothership Connection
Review by Joe McEwen, Rolling Stone, March 1976
WITH THE "Parliafunkadelicment thang", leader George Clinton has succeeded in creating two distinct identities for one band—the mystical voodoo of the Funkadelics and the stabbing, ...
Bobby Womack: That's All Y'All
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, March 1976
2010 note: this is the copy as printed. There is a section of text missing (possibly due to subediting error). This is marked by *** ...
Live Review by John Swenson, Sounds, March 1976
YOU WON'T find a better textbook example of what's gone wrong with R&B over the past few years. Ticket prices, scaled from $10.00 down, were ...
Review by Cliff White, NME, March 1976
IF YOU WANT to do Bobby Womack a favour, you'll ignore this album. ...
Gil Scott-Heron: You Won't Be Able to Tune In, Turn On and Cop Out...
Interview by Davitt Sigerson, Black Music, April 1976
Davitt Sigerson goes to New York to rap with the angry poet of revolution, Gil Scott-Heron ...
Al Jarreau: Look Out, Al Jarreau's On His Way
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, April 1976
IT SEEMS like but a short time since we last spoke to a talented gentleman who has been hailed by many of his peers and ...
Larry Graham: Graham Central Station: The Graham Standing at Platform 3 Will Call At All Stations
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, April 1976
"Constant change is the key these days," says Larry Graham of Graham Central Station. Having recently made inroads into the 'crossover' market, they're now striving ...
Crusaders, The: The Crusaders: Crusaders Have Their Fingers On The Pulse Of Crossover Potential
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, April 1976
Since dropping the 'Jazz' tag from their name, the group have made their mark in many musical areas. David Nathan talks to drummer Stix Hooper... ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, April 1976
Having experienced the whole J5 explosion, how are things with Jermaine Jackson since goin' out on his own? Well, seems things are pretty fine, as ...
Impressions, The: The Impressions: Imps In The Mood For Love
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, April 1976
With everyone into disco music, the Impressions concentrated on a love mood for their Loving Power set. And that move seems to have paid handsome ...
Live Review by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, April 1976
A special report by David Nathan on the on-stage and behind-the-scenes activities at Warner Brothers' special "California Soul" series of concerts during end of February ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1976
VERY FEW of the soul super-groups break through into the really big time without serving a kind of apprenticeship and, with out wishing to blow ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1976
...AAH, WHERE were we now? Oh, yeah, Bobby and the Valentinos had just got to their first real hit with 'It's All Over Now' on ...
Staple Singers, The: The Staple Singers
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, April 1976
ONE OF the most welcome sights of recent months has been the re-appearance in the pop and R&B charts of that much-loved and extra-soulful family ...
Shirley Goodman: Shirley Goodman: Remember Shirley and Lee? Now it's Shirley and Jesus!
Profile by Cliff White, Black Music, April 1976
The 23-year tale behind Shirley and Company's 'Shame Shame Shame' smash. ...
J.A.L.N Band, The: The J.A.L.N. Band
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1976
IN THE PAST, whenever a British-based band has attempted to create some genuine funky music, it has generally been sneered at and bypassed. But with ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1976
AFTER SOMETHING like twenty years of continuous success in the States, Brook Benton looks like finally achieving the breakthrough that has eluded him during the ...
Bobby Womack Sings Through Clenched Teeth
Interview by Mick Brown, Street Life, April 1976
IT PROMISED to be, in that time-honoured cliche of showbusiness hyperbole, a 'star-studded occasion'. His publicist said Bobby Womack would be dropping off in the ...
Brook Benton: Brook's No Hero Of The Past
Report and Interview by Roger St. Pierre, Record Mirror, April 1976
LIKE RAY CHARLES, Fats Domino and precious few others, Brook Benton's pulling power as one of the father figures of black American music continues despite ...
Al Green: Full Of Fire (London) ****
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, April 1976
AL GREEN stands in the middle of the ring, caught in combat between an elastic rhythm section and a resilient horn section. Producer/engineer Willie Mitchell ...
Archie Bell and the Drells Still Dance All Night
Profile and Interview by John Morthland, Rolling Stone, April 1976
NEW YORK – Archie Bell interrupts his rushed, businesslike replies for a moment and works up the faintest trace of a smile: "I didn't know ...
War: A Walk On War's Wild Side
Interview by Steven Rosen, Sounds, April 1976
FAR OUT Productions, besides being War's Hollywood headquarters, seems to be a favourite hangout for streetwalkers. They seem to think that all the black gentlemen ...
Al Jarreau: Jarreau Gig At La Coupole Goes Molto Bene
Report and Interview by Cliff White, NME, April 1976
"THERE'S NO reason for my deserving this interview any more than the man out there pouring drinks, except that I try to say something through ...
Ike & Tina Turner: Her Man, His Woman
Review by Cliff White, NME, April 1976
RECORDED AND FIRST released as the Get It, Get It L.P. on the L.A. Cenco label circa 1965, this album was snapped up by Capitol ...
Diana Ross: New Victoria, London
Live Review by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, April 1976
WHEN WILL THE real Diana Ross sing up and be counted? ...
Smokey Robinson: Smokey's Family Robinson (Tamla Motown) *****
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, April 1976
"A VOICE on the stereo singing softly, Describing what I feel about you, The singer seems to know all about it, Seems like the writer ...
Review by Cliff White, NME, April 1976
THAT THIS ALBUM has already been such an overwhelming success in America must surely be due to US Columbia's marketing techniques rather than the music, ...
Brook Benton: This Is Brook Benton
Review by Cliff White, NME, April 1976
THIS MONTH'S MIND-BLOWER: The Benton basement tapes surface after 18 years in the can and turn out to be a bag of fun for all ...
Melba Moore: Okay Melba This Really Is It
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, May 1976
No messin' this time – the lady means business! Ms. Moore's Peach Melba album paved the way and now she's really cracked it with her ...
Mandrill: They Did It Their Way
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1976
Hey caramba, the boys are really grabbing some attention with their 'Disco Lypso' cut. And they've proved it never pays to give in. They've continued ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1976
YESSIREEBOB, VENUS and Mars are alright tonight! The past year has been relatively quiet for Edwin Starr but he seems happier than at any time ...
Manhattans, The: The Manhattans: Kiss And Say Hello To The Manhattans
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, May 1976
The Manhattans have been kinda bubbling under for a long time. Now destiny has caught up with them and their new osculatory single is currently ...
James and Bobby Purify: Their Two-Timing Puppet
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1976
Discerning U.K. record buyers have shown their mettle once again. The Purify boys' recut of 'I'm Your Puppet' has virtually been passed over in the ...
Hampton and Banks Caught In The Act
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, May 1976
'Caught In The Act' happens to be the title of Carl Hampton and Homer Banks' initial single for Warner Bros. When it comes to writing ...
Al Jarreau: A Man And His Laundry
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, May 1976
"IT DON'T make no moth a fugging difference what happens to me, Going to be there in my own time, in my own way..."– Al ...
Maxine Nightingale: Maxine — Right Back At The Top
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, May 1976
NEW YORK: Maxine Nightingale, who comes from Wembley, seemed neither over-awed nor surprised that her record 'Right Back Where We Started From' was topping the ...
Marvin Gaye: I Want You (Tamla Motown) ****
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, May 1976
MARVIN GAYE is in the fortunate or unfortunate position of being regarded as a prophet-cum-saviour. ...
Gladys Knight & the Pips: New Victoria, London
Live Review by Cliff White, NME, May 1976
HORACE SILVER to Brain Case, NME, May 1st 1976. "I'd prefer just reports on concerts rather than a critique." Quite right too, Horace. O.K. then. ...
Gladys Knight and the Pips: New Victoria, London
Live Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, May 1976
HAVING BEEN privileged to see two out-of-London sets of G. K. and the P's, I was rather more picky than most of the London audience. ...
Temptations, The, Marvin Gaye: Soul Albums Reviewed
Review by Simon Frith, Street Life, May 1976
Temptations: Wings of LoveMarvin Gaye: I Want YouLee Garrett: Heat For The Feets EVEN SOUL musicians grow old and, though black music has never ...
Temptations, The: The Temptations: Wings Of Love (Tamla Motown)****
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, May 1976
VERY NEAT structure to the new Temps release. Side one has all the funk, all the dancers, and Side two has what you could call ...
Average White Band: Edinburgh, Scotland
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, May 1976
"I'VE GOT an announcement to make," Alan Gorrie told a sold out Edinburgh audience the night after Scotland had beaten England. "If there's any dodgy ...
Profile and Interview by Cliff White, NME, May 1976
Meet the man who put dues-paying into the big league: LEE GARRETT. Born blind into a poor family and a drifter by his teens, Garrett ...
Average White Band: Young Rascals Searching For Your Soul
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, May 1976
Barbara Charone talks to Scotland's most famous sons, the Average White Band'I'm sure people will put us down...I hope they don't put us down but ...
Willie Mitchell, Al Green: Willie Mitchell: Changing Sounds In Memphis
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, June 1976
Willie Mitchell's distinctive Memphis sound has been the driving force behind many golden hits over the years. Now he feels it's time for a change. ...
Isley Brothers, The: The Isley Brothers: Reflections Of Love And Life
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, June 1976
The Brothers Isley are really tuned in to life around them and this awareness is the prime source of inspiration in their music. Eavesdrop as ...
Luther Vandross: Luther Are Good For The Soul
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, June 1976
2008 introduction: "Luther are three girls and two guys whose debut single for Cotillion is attracting a lot of attention. They are not headliners yet, ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1976
"SAY MAN, do you think these shades make me look just a little like Bootsy Collins? Eh?" ...
Archie Bell and the Drells: Archie Bell & The Drells
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1976
ITS AN old saying that you can't keep a good man down, right? Well, that saying has never been better proven than by our old ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1976
ANY LONG-TERM reader of B&S will know what I mean by a "backbone of our music singer". They are the artists who don't attain superstar ...
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, June 1976
WHEN PAT, Angie, Olympia, Edmund, Leon, James, Ricky and Foster (with Charmaine off sick that day) were seated around the table in Capitol's conference room, ...
Real Thing, The: The Real Thing
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1976
AT A time when being black and British seems to be in vogue, it is important that we don't forget a group who have been ...
Spinners, The: The Detroit Spinners: Spinners Wynner
Interview by Davitt Sigerson, Black Music, June 1976
The Detroit Spinners have recently celebrated twenty years in the music business. Their leader, Philippé Wynne, talked to Davitt Sigerson in New York about his ...
O'Jays: The O'Jays Mind Their Own Business
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1976
At a time when big-name tours have become economically prohibitive, the trio took it on themselves to underwrite their own nationwide tour. Eddie Levert explains ...
Meters, The: The Meters: Restless Days In New Orleans
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1976
By rights, the band should be right up there at the top. But, it seems they have hassles and problems to contend with. On their ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1976
WITH THE greatest respect in the world to the delightful Candi Staton, I would have taken virtually any odds against ever seeing her sitting on ...
Natalie Cole: Natalie (Capitol) 35 mins ***
Essay by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, June 1976
IF YOU get right down to it I suppose pop/rock is composed of a set of quite different musical idioms within which almost everyone sounds ...
Millie Jackson: Free And In Love
Review by Cliff White, NME, June 1976
OOWEE, LORD HAVE mercy. This girl just turns me to jelly every time she opens her mouth. ...
Emotions, The: The Emotions: Happiness Is…
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, July 1976
Happy days are here again for Wanda, Jeanette and Sheila. They learned a lot from the quiet times and that knowledge is serving them well ...
Crusaders, The: The Crusaders: 26 Years Young And The Best Is Yet To Come
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1976
'Tis strange to think that the Crusaders were laying down their distinctive sounds before some of their fans were even a twinkle in their daddies' ...
Tavares' Third Era Brings UK Breakthrough
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1976
If Heaven is missing an angel, then that winged spirit must be smiling down on the brothers Tavares. They've really broken through internationally and plans ...
Barrabas: Rappin' with Barrabas
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1976
IN NEW YORK to finish the mixing on their next album for Atlantic recently were members of Barrabas, the Madrid-based group who've enjoyed success throughout ...
Ohio Players, The: The Ohio Players: The Spirit of '76
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1976
IT HAD to be more than just coincidence. Here I was in Ohio Player Satch Satchell's luxurious hotel suite overlooking Grosvenor Square writing for our ...
Marlena Shaw : Marlena Shaw: Let's Hear It For The Good Guys and Gals
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1976
"Who Is This Bitch, Anyway?" Hey man, we're not being abusive...that was the title of Marlena Shaw's breakthrough album and serves to introduce this background ...
Al Green: Soul Minister Al Aims To Get Next To You
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, July 1976
Right now, Al Green's planning his future lifestyle. He wants more than hit records. He aims to show folks the key to divinity. Heavy stuff? ...
Philly Devotions: A Story Of Patience And Dedication
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, July 1976
Everything comes to he who waits, they say. Well, these guys are hanging in there with the confidence that success will come when their talent ...
Ted Taylor: Bespoke Soul Taylor Made Hit Steals Up Chart
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1976
Ted Taylor's contribution to Soul goes back further even than the Soul charts themselves – his early experience being gained with the original Mighty Clouds ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1976
The lowdown on the New York group who have hustled into both the U.S. and U.K. charts. A B&S expose by John Abbey who strongly ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1976
Spotlight on the man who made the classic 'Love Don't Come No Stronger'. Jeff and his four brothers spearheaded a very talented family, as John ...
B.T. Express: BT Express: Still Groovin' On The Right Track Baby
Report and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1976
They came from virtually nowhere last year and set the whole world a-dancin'. Now, with the CBS promotion machine behind them, they're making the big ...
Millie Jackson: Free And In Love (Spring/Polydor) ****
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, July 1976
MILLIE JACKSON has purchased a slinky new catsuit for the sleeve of this album, suitable for a liberated courtesan. And she can afford it too, ...
Crusaders, The: Crusaders: New Victoria, London
Live Review by Max Bell, NME, July 1976
THE HELL WITH it, let's be dogmatic and lay down a truth that was already manifest before their historic visit. When it comes to pumping ...
Jerry Butler: The Iceman Cometh, Yet Again
Profile and Interview by Roger St. Pierre, Black Echoes, July 1976
IT WAS deejay George Wood who originally tagged Jerry Butler "The Iceman" because of his on-stage cool and it's still an especially appropriate nickname, not ...
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, July 1976
Vivien Goldman explains why she's been drooling over Johnny 'Guitar' Watson for the past month. ...
Johnny Guitar Watson: When You're Hot You're Hot
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1976
Johnny 'Guitar' Watson has three singles riding the current chart, but he just couldn't believe that one of them is his old duet with Larry ...
Margie Joseph: Haven't I Paid Enough Dues?
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, August 1976
Though Margie Joseph feels she still has a lot more promise to fulfill, she thinks she's already done enough to be up there in the ...
Hamilton Bohannon: Bohannon Boogies Into Phase Two
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1976
Hamilton's free from the pressure he was under following his UK trip, and he's 'bad' no more! He's entering a new era and feels that ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, August 1976
Okay folks, this is it....the lady gives her views on the music biz, artistic temperament, women in business, hit records, coping with success, and other ...
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, August 1976
C. M. Lord offers a diverse range of talent...a little bit of everything. But the little lady aims to avoid being pigeonholed when a hit ...
Silver Convention: Take Three Girls
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1976
...three girls who look good and sound good; dub them Silver Convention; groom them and create for them the perfect disco-soul setting. That's what Silvester ...
Mark Radice: The Reluctant Disco Star
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1976
Mark recording at the tender age of 7, and was groomed in the pop stakes. However, his new album features back-ups from Brass Construction and ...
Lou Rawls And The Philly Pay Off
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1976
Lou was beginning to feel he'd never happen big in Britain but his CBS-Philly tie-up has paid a big divvy. Now he's planning a trip ...
Don Covay: Travelin' In Heavy Traffic
Review by Cliff White, NME, August 1976
AN APPRAISAL OF THE VIRTUES OF MR. DON COVAY ...
Sam Cooke: Twistin' The Night Away
Review by Cliff White, NME, August 1976
BETWEEN 1960 and 1963 more Twist albums hit the market than the total spinoff products from Elvis, The Beatles and Jaws. ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, August 1976
THOUGH Tavares are scoring for the first time in Britain with 'Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel', the quintet of brothers has been together as ...
Impact: 4 Happy Men Make An Impact
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1976
AFTER WHAT can only be termed a false start with 'Happy Man', the rich promise of new Atco quartet, Impact is reaching fruition rather rapidly ...
Al Wilson: Something For Everybody
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, September 1976
Mr. W. doesn't regret not putting all his eggs in one basket. Because he's been able to adapt, he's kept working, as he explains to ...
B.B. King: Keepin' The Blues Alive
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, September 1976
THE WORD "blues" has become almost synonymous with the word "king", be it Albert, Freddie or B.B. The blues as a musical form has existed ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, September 1976
David Nathan gets the feedback from leader Bill Risbrook on how the band view things now that they're off and running with CBS. ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, September 1976
'Doctor's Orders' created a big demand for Carol in Europe and she still has a heavy working schedule. The lady took time out to bring ...
Roy Ayers: The 35 Year Success Story
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, September 1976
Mr. A's been in the biz for 3 decades and right now he's enjoying more success than ever. Black music is the heart of American ...
Thelma Houston: Thelma's Heading For The Silver Screen
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, September 1976
IT'S BEEN said time and time again but one of the most underrated female vocalists around is Ms. Thelma Houston. When Thelma first hit the ...
Real Thing, The: The Real Thing
Interview by Cliff White, NME, September 1976
THE REAL THING seems to be an apt name for a trio who are determined to succeed on their own merits and not as a ...
Emotions, The: The Emotions: Flowers
Review by Joe McEwen, Rolling Stone, September 1976
SALVAGED FROM THE debris of the Stax bankruptcy, the Emotions have reemerged with one of the year's most refreshing soul albums. Producer Maurice White, who ...
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, September 1976
I WAS SUFFERING an unprecedented fit of nerves as I stood clutching my dime by the pay phones in Little Lucy's El Adobe Restaurant in ...
Interview by Stephen Demorest, Circus, September 1976
"I Hate The Blues!" Snaps Chaka Khan ...
Fatback Band, The: Fatback Band: Givin' The People What They Want
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1976
For their new Night Fever album, the band have concentrated on what the fans seem to like most – happy up 'n' dancin' music. John ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, October 1976
David Nathan talks of this 'n' that with Henry and Pervis of the Atlantic supergroup... ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, October 1976
CURRENTLY CREATING much excitement and interest throughout the States with their own brand of music are a group of young men known as Blacksmoke. ...
Moon: Is This The Dark Side Of The Moon?
Interview by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, October 1976
"ARE YOU using Memorex?" asked Moon's Noel McCalla, leaning quizzically over my cassette machine. "You gotta use Memorex for us, you know. Only the best, ...
Live Review by Cliff White, NME, October 1976
IT'S 1 A.M. and I've just about survived a ludicrous Sunday, beginning at some ungodly hour I never knew existed and exercising patience I never ...
Meters, The: The Meters: Trick Bag
Review by Cliff White, NME, October 1976
DAY ONE: can't get past the third track. Before reaching it, 4.08 mins of 'Disco Is The Thing Today' revealed a commercial, characterless leap onto ...
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, October 1976
MARVIN GAYE's chosen an interesting stage of his career to re-visit these shores after a 12-year absence. ...
Marvin Gaye: The Marvin Gaye Interview: Earthly Fights and Mystic Flights
Interview by Cliff White, NME, October 1976
"HOW ARE you? I must say you have the patience of Job." ...
Natalie Cole, Tavares: New Victoria Theatre, London
Live Review by Cliff White, NME, October 1976
NATALIE COLE is an MOR sophisticated lady, right? An exceptional singer in the mould of Aretha Franklin who's chosen to, or been persuaded to, don ...
Marvin Gaye: Cool Soul Genius Wows Albert
Live Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, October 1976
Marvin Gaye: Royal Albert Hall, LondonTHERE HAS to be a reason for hiring the Albert Hall. It's true that information sometimes gets lost over the ...
Stevie Wonder: Songs In The Key Of Life
Review by Bob Woffinden, NME, October 1976
RUMOURS THAT the New Musical Express has deliberately pursued a course of hostility towards Stevie Wonder are, of course, utterly without foundation; but (even at ...
Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield: Aretha Franklin: Sparkle (Atlantic)****
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, October 1976
SUBTITLED 'Music From The Motion Picture', Sparkle is a soundtrack album, that plays like a record. It doesn't, unlike most of the genre, hang limply ...
J.A.L.N Band, The: The J.A.L.N Explosion
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, November 1976
After a spluttering start, Britain's black explosion is now gathering momentum and the J.A.L.N. Band look set to establish themselves as consistent hitmakers ...
Tavares: The Supergroup Of All Time
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, November 1976
The five brothers are really buzzin' at this moment in time. Will they go on to become the biggest Soul group of all time? ...
Bobby Byrd: Past Present And Future
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, November 1976
WITH MR. Bobby Byrd, currently set for a tour of the U.K. (November 19 thru December 5), it seemed an appropriate time to get with ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, November 1976
Wild Cherry used to be into heavy rock. Now they play that funky music and their hit single has gone platinum... ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, November 1976
It's full speed ahead for Ms. Vega, who's being hailed as the most dynamic white female singer around. ...
Whispers, The: The Whispers're Getting Louder
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, November 1976
CURRENTLY ENJOYING, by their own admission, the most successful period in their career (in fact, as we write this article, radio station WBLS in New ...
Meters, The: The Meters: Paul's Mall, Boston
Live Review by Joe McEwen, Rolling Stone, November 1976
THE METERS may well be the finest performing American band. Without resorting to such modern pop trappings as smoke bombs and gyrating pianos, the Meters ...
Bee Gees, The: Bee Gees: Children of the World
Review by Joe McEwen, Rolling Stone, November 1976
FROM MUSHY pop ballads through late-Sixties psychedelia and low-key rock, the Bee Gees have demonstrated a chameleonlike ability to adapt to disparate pop trends. These ...
Gil Scott-Heron And Brian Jackson: It's Your World (Arista) ****
Review by Mick Brown, Sounds, November 1976
WITH IT'S Your World – his fourth English but sixth American album – Gil Scott-Heron takes another step in carving out his singular niche as ...
Johnny Guitar Watson: Newcastle Polytechnic
Live Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, November 1976
THE GIG at Newcastle Poly was Johnny Guitar Watson's first British date for a decade. ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, December 1976
AFTER a couple of years working The Impressions, Ralph Johnson decided earlier in the year to move on. Rather than just making a bid for ...
Johnny Guitar Watson: Rappin' With Johnny Guitar Watson
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, December 1976
HIS RECENTLY COMPLETED EUROPEAN TOUR: "It was simply the greatest tour of my life! I don't think I've ever enjoyed myself on the road as ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, December 1976
TO TRY and describe Curtis Mayfield's enormous contribution to the music world would take far more adjectives than we have at our disposal. ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, December 1976
Bobby's now with Columbia Records and he's brim full of confidence to conquer the world. An' the good news for U.K. fans is that he's ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, December 1976
IT WAS with a great deal of anticipation and curiosity that everyone waited patiently for the second Brass Construction album on U.A. Perhaps no one ...
Billy Butler: On The Right Track
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, December 1976
AFTER many years in the background, it seems that Curtis Mayfield has persuaded Billy Butler (brother of Jerry) to step out front and put his ...
Billy Davis and Marilyn McCoo: Very Much Together
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, December 1976
AFTER ALMOST ten years with The Fifth Dimension, Billy Davis and Marilyn McCoo announced in November of last year that they'd decided to go it ...
Originals, The: The Originals: Down To Hitsville
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, December 1976
David Nathan talks to Freddie Gorman, once a single act and writer with Ric-Tic, who has been churning out hits with the Originals for 12 ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, December 1976
John Abbey talks to the dazzling new group who have just hit the top spot on the U.S. singles chart ...
James Wells: First Time Around
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, December 1976
THE LATEST output from the Levine Machine is James Wells, who recently made a lightning trip to London to add some vocals for a new ...
Skip Mahoney & the Casuals: Skip Mahoney and The Casuals: Well, Bless My Soul
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, December 1976
QUIETLY MAKING quite a name for themselves in the States and now in this part of the world, too – are Washington's premier vocal group, ...
Ritchie Family, The: The Best Ritchie Family In Town
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, December 1976
TRULY IN the vanguard of the disco set of entertainers are the three ladies who make up The Ritchie Family. No, they are not sisters ...
Quincy Jones, Brothers Johnson: Brothers Johnson: Good To Ya, Good For Ya
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, December 1976
ONE OF the success stories of 1976 in terms of 'newcomers' on the scene is concerned must involve George & Louis Johnson. Although they'd worked ...
Review by Joe McEwen, Rolling Stone, December 1976
NOW THAT the Staples are unabashed sex merchants, the O'Jays are pop's foremost message mongerers. But the O'Jays don't write or produce their albums, so ...
Earth Wind and Fire: Earth, Wind & Fire: Spirit
Review by Joe McEwen, Rolling Stone, December 1976
THE SONGS OF Earth, Wind and Fire combine pure urban fantasy with the type of facile brotherhood messages that also crop up in the music ...
Bobby Womack: Home Is Where The Heart Is (Columbia)****
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, December 1976
WHEN BOBBY's excursion into country'n'western finally made it into the racks this summer, his long-cherished project met with mixed reviews. ...
Phil Spector, Ike & Tina Turner: Ike and Tina Turner
Profile by Bob Woffinden, NME, December 1976
THAT THE Tina Turner-Phil Spector combination should have produced one isolated tour-de-force 45 was perhaps not surprising; after all, Tina more than anyone else was ...
Parliament, Funkadelic: Parliament/Funkadelic: Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans
Live Review by Wayne Robins, Rolling Stone, December 1976
A GOLD PYRAMID glitters onstage. Light beams, like giant mutant insect eyes, stare down at the audience. Musicians dressed for a Halloween party in some ...
Wilson Pickett: Return of the Wicked Pickett
Report and Interview by Michael Lydon, unpublished, 1977
"I’VE ALWAYS WANTED to be a star," said Wilson Pickett. He clapped his hands and fell back into a deck chair behind his house in ...
Barry White: I'm in a Beautiful Mood
Report and Interview by Philip Norman, Sunday Times, 1977
BARRY WHITE is the singer who turned black Soul music into a product closer akin to soggy white blancmange. ...
Rose Royce Clean Up With Car Wash
Report and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1977
With Norman Whitfield in the driving seat, the 10-piece outfit currently have two titles in the UK chart, both from the Car Wash movie. ...
Meters, The, Art Neville: The Meters: Twenty Years on the Funk Meter #1
Retrospective and Interview by Cliff White, Black Music, January 1977
THE METERS' ART NEVILLE gives his personal account of New Orleans R&B in the first part of a mammoth feature by CLIFF WHITE ...
D.C LaRue: DC LaRue: Gay Clubs Give Birth To Hetero Hit
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1977
PERHAPS THE final bolt in the ages old controversy about soul and colour was nailed in just a month back when D.C. LaRue's 'Cathedrals' topped ...
Boney M: The Newest Darlings Of Euro Disco
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1977
FRANCE: No. 1. West Germany: No. 1. Sweden: No. 3. Switzerland: No 1. ...
Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band
Profile and Interview by Davitt Sigerson, Black Music, January 1977
Davitt Sigerson Probes Into The Mind Of Stony Browder Jr. ...
Tower of Power: Tower Of Power: Ain't Nothin' Stoppin' Us Now
Review by Max Bell, NME, January 1977
THIS IS essentially transitional meat from Oakland, Soul City's finest. ...
Average White Band: The Average White Band: Person To Person
Review by Tony Stewart, NME, January 1977
WELCOME BACK the musically credible and eminently excellent Average White Band with this defiant poke in the ear for all those people who seven months ...
Gladys Knight: In A Changing World, There's Always Gladys Knight
Live Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, January 1977
Gladys Knight and The Pips: New Victoria, London ...
Gladys Knight & The Pips: New Victoria, London
Live Review by Cliff White, NME, January 1977
THERE IS AN unwritten guarantee with every ticket for a Gladys Knight & The Pips concert. A guarantee of aural, visual and emotional satisfaction. I've ...
Review by Joe McEwen, Rolling Stone, January 1977
IF HIS RECORDS ARE ANY indication, Al Green is a troubled, no, haunted man. ...
Gladys Knight And The Pips: The Family That Eats Together Hits Together
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, January 1977
Since their last visit eight months ago, nothing much has changed for Gladys Knight and the Pips. ...
Kokomo: The Roundhouse, London
Live Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, January 1977
WELL, JOE Cocker wasn't there. At least I don't think he was. After a very hard weekend of various rock 'n' roll activities the strain ...
Sylvers, The: The Sylvers: Something Special
Review by Lester Bangs, Circus, January 1977
WHAT'S WRONG with disco music? All my friends hate it, so I know there must be something good about it. They say it's inhuman; I've ...
Dynamic Superiors, The: The Dynamic Superiors: Superiority Complex
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, February 1977
David Nathan raps with the Dynamic Superiors about this, that 'n' the other...an' particularly their new album, You Name It. ...
Art Neville, Meters, The: The Meters: Twenty Years on the Funk Meter #2
Retrospective and Interview by Cliff White, Black Music, February 1977
THE METERS Story told in Part Two of Cliff White's mammoth interview with ART NEVILLE ...
Report and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, February 1977
ONE OF the more dramatic announcements of 1975 came when The Jackson Five made it known that they had concluded a new recording pact with ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1977
Pssst! Didja hear th' one 'bout th' Polish Kung Fu fans?With 'Kung Fu Fighting', Carl Douglas scored one of the best-selling singles of all time, ...
Blackbyrds, The: The Blackbyrds: Awright, we're back to settle some unfinished business!
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1977
The Blackbyrds' keyboards ace, Kevin Toney, explains the delay in getting their new album together, and the new directions they're heading in... ...
Leon Ware: Motown's Musical Masseur
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1977
Some guys get all the best album sleeve sessions! With his Musical Massage set, Leon Ware has come to the fore of Motown's influx on ...
Bar-Kays, The: Euro Rumpshakers Get Hip To The Bar-Kays
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1977
The group so nearly made the big Euro breakthrough a decade ago with their 'Soul Finger' anthem. Now 'Shake Your Rump To The Funk' has ...
Cate Brothers, The: Cate Bros' Blue Eyed Soul
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1977
ALTHOUGH SCOTLAND'S Average White Band are credited mostly for the pulling down of that old colour barrier that used to segregate white soul acts away ...
Odia Coates: Coates Of Many Colours
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1977
IT'S FUNNY how some people look much better in real life than on photo. To date, I really haven't seen a good, accurate photograph of ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, March 1977
David Nathan catches up with the lovely lady and reports that she's feelin' on top of the world. And there's news of her upcoming album ...
O'Jays: The O'Jays' Philly Decision
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1977
'Magic' is how the O'Jays describe their success with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and they want to continue working with them. But they want ...
L.T.D.: LTD: Love Togetherness And Devotion
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, March 1977
David Nathan talks to L.T.D.'s Billy Osborne, who traces the group's history and explains their philosophy ...
Phyllis Hyman: This Lady's Got Star Karma
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, March 1977
"This lady's got star karma...The buzz about Phyllis Hyman started amongst the superstar elite. It hasn't taken long for the word to get around..." ...
Chambers Brothers, The: The Chambers Brothers: High Energy Encapsulated
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, March 1977
AFTER A fairly lengthy absence from the charts – although they've by no means been absent from the music scene in general – The Chambers ...
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, March 1977
"We're still singin' like we're starvin'"!Starvin' they ain't, but the Dramatics still put every ounce of effort into their work. Over the years, they've scored ...
Heatwave: The Hardest Working Band In The Land
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1977
"We have always worked hard and that won't change because of a hit record. In fact, we may end up working harder" ...
Alvin Cash: The Ali Connection
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1977
Alvin's friendship with Muhammad Ali goes way back and 'The Ali Shuffle' is his updated tribute to his good buddy. With the action the disc's ...
Walter Jackson: Feelin' Good an' He Does Ya Good
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, March 1977
FOR ALL those deep soul folk who've been treasuring their collection of his Okeh records, the news that Mr Walter Jackson is really back and ...
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes: Harold Melvin and Blues Notes: The Inside Story
Report and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1977
The Blue Notes split was one of the big Soul stories of '76. Harold Melvin talks to John Abbey and gives the lowdown on what ...
Edwin Starr: Under Rated Super Starr
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1977
Edwin Starr consistently makes the charts, yet he's still somewhat underrated. He talks to B&S about his new album recorded at Chipping Norton and how ...
Bobby Caldwell: The Final Breakthrough
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1977
IF PATIENCE is a virtue, then TK's Bobby Caldwell is a virtuous being. ...
Tavares: Kickin' Up A Storm Internationally
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, April 1977
The guys say a big thank you for their B&S award and talk about their hectic schedule in coming months...records, tours, a movie. They've really ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1977
You can't keep the good guys down and the Moments have popped up again with their 'Jack In The Box' monster. They talk to B&S ...
Billy Paul: It's The New Billy Paul, Let 'Im In
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1977
Billy's bubblin' over about his new recordings. He tells B&S about his hopes for them, and about his new act, his production plans, and his ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, April 1977
PERHAPS ONE of Motown's most underrated artists must be Mr. G. C. Cameron. With the release of several singles and now with two albums firmly ...
Profile by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1977
CURRENTLY ENJOYING their first major nationwide success is the five-man vocal group from Detroit, Enchantment, and though they appear under the Roadshow banner (via United ...
James Brown: After 21 Years, Still Refusing To Lose...
Report and Interview by Cliff White, Black Music, April 1977
A MONTHLY magazine cannot attempt to match the ephemeral topicality of a weekly news-sheet, particularly, a monthly magazine that works within the rigid structure of ...
Miracles, The: Miracles 'Spy' Sensation
Report and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1977
Uncle Sam has taken exception to the group's 'Spy For Brotherhood' and it's being withdrawn. "Rebellious", "Sacrilegeous", say the men in high places. "We're innocent", ...
Timmy Thomas: The Sweet Smell Of Success Revisited
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1977
Timmy Thomas is back in chart business with his 'Stone To The Bone' disco giant. He reflects on his previous success and how he's learned ...
Deniece Williams: This Really Is Niecy
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1977
Spotlight on a charismatic new star, Ms. Deniece Williams ...
Spider's Webb: The Soulful Saga Of Spiders Webb
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1977
How a one-time Hully Gully exponent met and wed a Motown sessioness, and how as the frontrunners of Spiders Webb they wooed and won the ...
Manhattans, The: Rappin' With The Manhattans
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1977
AT THE end of their recent highly successful debut British tour, we managed to corner the genial quartet of Manhattans just long enough to bring ...
Spinners, The: The Spinners: Today and Tomorrow
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, April 1977
David Nathan talks to the boys as they unfurl the dawning of a new era with the addition of John Edwards to replace lead singer ...
Ronnie Spector: Hi There, Big Boy! Wanna "Interview" Me?
Interview by Cliff White, NME, April 1977
Mmm-mm. Eighty-eight pounds of compact yumminess on parade for all you heavy guys out there. CLIFF WHITE, hot from New York, on delectable RONNIE SPECTOR's ...
Interview by Michael Lydon, Rock's Backpages Audio, May 1977
After Michael Lydon's swift intro, an avuncular Wilson Pickett talks about his gospel roots, The Falcons, hooking up with Atlantic and working in Memphis and Muscle Shoals.
File format: mp3; in 2 parts, total file sizes: 42.3mb, total interview length: 46' 10" sound quality: ***
Teddy Pendergrass: The Whole Town's Talking 'Bout Teddy
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1977
...Mr. Pendergrass, that is. B&S's John Abbey began whistlin' the toons from Teddy's album within minutes of first hearing it, an' that's the most accurate ...
Kool and the Gang: Kool and The Gang: The Gang's Still Kool Baby
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, May 1977
Kool & the Gang have been through a period of transition recently and undergone personnel changes. But in continuing with their Disco-Funk material they're still ...
Earth Wind and Fire: Maurice White of Earth Wind and Fire
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1977
JUST AS their American run of successes seems to be on a temporary wane, so supergroup Earth Wind & Fire achieve their British breakthrough – ...
Brass Construction: The Brains Behind Brass Construction
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1977
B&S SuperEd, John Abbey, goes a-rappin' with BC's Superleader, Randy Muller... ...
Junior Walker & The Allstars: Time Out With Junior Walker
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, May 1977
ONE OF the most consistently popular Motown artists of all time has to be Jr. Walker. His ratio of chart records may not be what ...
Michael Henderson: Here There And Everywhere
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, May 1977
ALTHOUGH YOU'RE probably totally unaware of it, there's probably been some point in your musical 'life' when you've heard Michael Henderson! ...
Rufus: They're Rufusizing Buckingham Palace
Report and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, May 1977
....and Chaka Khan's going down with Alice! Or, to be less obscure, June 11 will see Rufus and Chaka Khan playing one of the Queen's ...
Chi-Lites, The: The Chi-Lites: Theatre Royal, London
Live Review by Paul Rambali, NME, May 1977
THE HOUSE LIGHTS dimmed and the musicians took their places. There was a buzz of activity on the darkened stage for a minute or so ...
Joe Tex: The Soul Of An Underdog
Profile and Interview by Joe McEwen, Boston Phoenix, May 1977
THE SHOW was held at South Philadelphia's Spectrum, still a brand-new facility in 1969, but it could well have been the fare at North Philly's ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, June 1977
Stints with the likes of EW&F, Norman Connors and Duke Ellington provided Jean with a wealth of experience. Now, with Gamble and Huff in Philadelphia, ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, June 1977
Ms. Staton was well pleased with her B&S award for '76's Record Of The Year. She's very self-critical and tries to look at everything she ...
Bo Kirkland & Ruth David: Bo and Ruth Get Next To You
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1977
PROBABLY THE biggest selling import single of all time is Bo Kirkland & Ruth Davis' epic 'You're Gonna Get Next To Me'. ...
Arthur Prysock: Arthur Socks It To Ya
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, June 1977
AS RECENTLY noted in B&S' review of Mr. Arthur Prysock's 'When Love Is New', the time seems right for a number of gentlemen who've been ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, June 1977
ANGLO-SAXON Brown. A brand of shoes? A new company brewing beer? Tailors? No, just eight very talented people who, after several years of standing in ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1977
The brothers have graduated with honours from their teeny bopper image. They still retain the respect and adulation of their younger fans but now the ...
Simon Soussan: Simon's 'Uptown Festival'
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1977
THE NAME of Simon Soussan is synonymous with the authentic British Northern disco scene/sound. Before joining the "brain drain" and defecting to America (Los Angeles, ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1977
BRITAIN HAS always been a happy hunting ground for the more soulful American singers and though they may not all see their name in lights, ...
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, June 1977
IT'S UNLIKELY that anyone would disagree that the soul world has seen its fair share of changes in recent times. Not only the music itself ...
James and Bobby Purify: The Purified Anglophiles
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1977
"Audiences? British are best...." Who says so? Messrs. James and Bobby, the Purify Brothers. Read on folks... ...
Detroit Emeralds: The Detroit Emeralds: Resurrection
Report by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1977
Abe, James and Ivory are back in harness and the Detroit Emeralds are riding high again. B&S gets together with the guys and catches up ...
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, June 1977
IT WOULD hardly take much research to see that there is a whole new core or breed of musicians and groups who are breaking through ...
George Benson: It's A Man's Man's Man's Man's World
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, June 1977
"YOU'RE SAYING that women are equal to men and all that crazy stuff!" George Benson laughed in astonishment.Hold on a second I must be hallucinating ...
Funkadelic, Parliament: Parliament: Live: The P-Funk Earth Tour
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, June 1977
"THEY SAY the bigger the headache the bigger the pill!" Dr. Funkenstein shouts. ...
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, June 1977
THERE'S NOT much doubt that Elkie Brooks is going to be around for ever and ever. Elkie's a singer, simply as that. But there's still ...
Jimmy Bo Horne: Seems To Me This Man's Gonna Happen
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1977
John Abbey talks to cyclist-cum-Soulman, Mr. Jimmy Bo Horne ...
Evelyn Thomas: Some Enchanted Evelyn
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1977
Evelyn Thomas, a recent visitor to Britain, talks to B&S about her new album sessions. ...
Jerry Butler: The Return The Ice Man
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1977
There were those who felt Jerry Butler might fade into obscurity. But, you can't keep a good man down and he's back with a vengeance...a ...
The Platters: When Is A Platter Not A Platter
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1977
When he leaves the group, it seems Herb Reed says he's been unable to use the name even though he first thought of it. But ...
Aretha Franklin: Aretha Still Rules Okay
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, July 1977
A rare and exclusive interview with David Nathan. Aretha tells B&S about her new album, her movie and tour plans, and life on the West ...
George McCrae: Okay George Diamonds Are Forever But
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1977
In search of a new sound, George McCrae moved to New York to record his Diamond Touch album. But U.S. sales ain't been all they ...
Brainstorm: UK Soulcharts Have A Brainstorm
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1977
Although Brainstorm did well enough in the States with their debut single, Britain woke up to them first and they established themselves to a greater ...
Ralph MacDonald: King Of The Skins
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, July 1977
Ralph McDonald, the leading session percussionist and now a recording star in his own right. ...
Floaters, The: "We're Floating along on the crest of a wave…"
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1977
'Float On', the Floaters' disco monster was planned as an instrumental. But James Mitchell of the Detroit Emeralds dreamed the guys should ad-lib some vocals. ...
Supremes, The: New Supremes Will Spearhead New Motown Era
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1977
The rumours suggested that the Supremes might soon be no more. But, though Mary is leaving to go solo, Susaye and Scherrie will continue with ...
Facts of Life, The: The B&S Guide To The Facts Of Life
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, July 1977
Hey, hold on friends, we ain't about to explain all about naughty parts! No, no....this is the Facts Of Life group who are currently burnin' ...
Average White Band, Ben E. King: Ben E. King/Average White Band: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Cliff White, NME, July 1977
THIS ISN'T an original thought but it bears repeating: Ben E. King is an excellent singer, and highly individual with it – unmistakeable in a ...
Kenny Gamble: Kenny's Gamble Pays Off
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1977
John Abbey talks to Kenny Gamble about the success of the Philadelphia International project which spearheads the whole 'Clean Up The Ghetto' campaign. ...
Garnet Mimms: Mr. Mimms Comes Truckin' On Back
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, August 1977
Garnet Mimms, already assured of a place in Soul's Hall of Fame, is back in business after a two-year lay-off spent cooling out and reflecting ...
Randy Crawford: The Coming Of Age Of A Star
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, August 1977
PROVIDING ONE of the highlights for a recent sell-out concert in New York which featured Grover Washington Jr., was a young stylist who is quickly ...
Hitchhikers, The: The Hitchhikers
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, August 1977
WITH THE increased number of albums being released by record companies generally and with so many of the albums being of such an increasing high ...
Trammps, The: Best Dressed Trammps You Ever Did See
Interview by John Abbey, David Nathan, Blues & Soul, August 1977
"WE FEEL that maybe this one is going to go straight to the top!" exclaims Harold 'Doc' Wade, one member of the five-member Trammps who ...
Smokey Robinson: Smokey Hits The Big Time
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1977
Smokey Robinson talks about his movie projects, recording and tour plans....and of his intention to visit Britain soon! ...
Brothers Johnson: Those Prolific Brothers Johnson
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, August 1977
With their 'Strawberry Letter 23' smash, George and Louis have consolidated their sensational breakthrough of last year. David Nathan caught up with them in New ...
Bob James: A Profile Of Mr Low Profile
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, August 1977
FIRST, there was One. Then Two. Naturally, then, Three And now there's Four. ...
T-Connection: The Nassau Connection
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, August 1977
Meet T-Connection, another slab of talent from funky Nassau. Their 'Do What You Wanna' is disco dynamite, but they plan to develop the serious side ...
Shirley Brown: Counting Her Blessings
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, August 1977
ALL THOSE folk who dug the soulfully classic sound of Ms. Shirley Brown when the lady literally broke the charts up in 1974 (yes, it ...
Idris Muhammad: The Mountain Comes To Muhammad
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1977
Turn This Mutha Out brought runaway success to Idris Muhammad, but his roots go back 20 years when he was drummer in Larry Williams' band. ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1977
Maze are recognised as Capitol's premier jazz band; but they really cut right across the board and sell to disco, funk, pop and rock fans ...
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, August 1977
David Nathan traces the background of the rock, roots and reggae duo. ...
Deniece Williams: No Free Time For Niecy
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1977
THE SUCCESS story of 1977 certainly belongs to Deniece Williams. ...
Danny Williams: The Ensign's flyin' and Danny's back with a bang!
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1977
AS JUST about anyone will readily inform you, the current hit single of 'Dancin' Easy' is a parody of the well-known TV advert, for the ...
Minnie Riperton: 'Minnie Bird': The 5 - Octave Soprano Is Back
Report and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, August 1977
MINNIE RIPERTON'S press bio reads: "The lady with the five and a half-octave coloratura soprano voice is a star". Without taking away from her talent ...
Aretha Franklin: Queen Aretha #1 – From Detroit to The Columbia Years
Retrospective by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, August 1977
An appreciation of the career of Aretha Franklin ...
Aretha Franklin: Queen Aretha #2 – The Golden Years
Retrospective by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, August 1977
"THERE WAS a great zest, love and feeling for the music," states Jerry Wexler and when pressed further on the subject of that first session ...
Aretha Franklin: Queen Aretha #3 – Into the '70s
Retrospective by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, August 1977
1969 IS GENERALLY acclaimed as the year that saw something of a decline on Aretha's part. The decline was, in a sense, inevitable. The ridiculous ...
Marlena Shaw …and happy days (aaaaay!)
Report and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1977
AND SHORTLY after arriving back at her Las Vegas home, Marlena Learned that CBS were inviting her to their annual conference – held this year ...
Gap Band, The: The Gap Band: The Gap Band
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, August 1977
SO I PICKED through the albums lying in Master Barton's dusty drawer and there, amongst the dross, was a name I recognised. The Gap Band. ...
KC & the Sunshine Band, Latimore, Betty Wright: The Miami Transfer: Florida Soul
Review by Cliff White, NME, August 1977
AFTER SEVERAL year's of British release through President Records, earlier this year Henry Stone's Miami-based TK conglomerate switched outlets to RCA who have ...
Bootsy Collins: Space Bass Reveals Plans for Planetary Domination
Report by Cliff White, NME, August 1977
Bootsy's Rubber Band, Funkadelic: On video, from... Houston, Texas ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1977
John Abbey talks to Van McCoy who has just signed with MCA Records in a move to satisfy his desire to grow, as an artist ...
Emotions, The: Those Flowering Emotions Are Now In Full Bloom
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1977
The young ladies have finally cracked Britain, and with their single snuggled at the top of the B&S chart the way now looks clear for ...
Blackbyrds, The: The Blackbyrds
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, September 1977
David Nathan hears from Keith Kilgo and Joe Hall how the group plan to pass on their hard-earned experience to newer up-and-coming acts...B&S got a ...
Betty Wright: The Final Ascent To Those Dizzy Heights
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, September 1977
David Nathan gets up-to-date with the lady and prophesises big success for her in coming months ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1977
That risque sleeve: "I hadn't even thought of it that way," says Boney M's Marcia! ...
Teddy Pendergrass, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes: Teddy Pendergrass
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, September 1977
CURRENTLY fulfilling all the promise he's ever shown when with Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes with a flourishing solo career, we took a little ...
Aretha Franklin: Queen Aretha #5 – The Future
Comment by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, September 1977
David Nathan concludes his in-depth appreciation of Aretha Franklin ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1977
Exclusive inter-galactic communication with the Star Wars victor ...
Nona Hendryx: Nona's Found Her Piece Of The Rock
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, September 1977
Nona Hendryx talks about her first solo album since the break-up of Labelle ...
Aretha Franklin: Queen Aretha #4 – The Brand New Aretha
Retrospective by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, September 1977
Part 4 of an appreciation of the career of Aretha Franklin, by David Nathan... ...
Larry Graham: Graham Central Station: Undiscovered Pioneers
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, October 1977
David Nathan talks to a true innovator, Mr. Larry Graham ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, October 1977
David Nathan talks to Gary Byrd, one of New York's top deejays, lyricist for Stevie Wonder, and a young man with a mission or two ...
Stylistics, The: Stylistics Plead Guilty To Recent Lack Of Direction
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1977
The guys feel they have been out of tune with the market for a while now but they are planning steps to get their career ...
Isley Brothers, The: The Isley Brothers
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, October 1977
Go For Your Guns Amigo: Them thar Isleys are due back in town with a new album... ...
Eddie Henderson: Soul Transfusion Brings success To Doc Henderson
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1977
Eddie Henderson is a doctor of medicine and psychiatry, but currently he also has the hottest jazz-based album in the U.K. ...
Rose Royce: How Total Concept became Rose Royce
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1977
It was as Total Concept that the Rose Royce combo came to London a few years ago. There followed a spell on the road with ...
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, October 1977
WHEN the sun shines, it shines on everybody. Similarly, that's what the group bearing the same name want their music to do... ...
Jon Lucien: The Unique Mr Lucien
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, October 1977
"IT'S IN a developing stage. My career is moving to another level," are Jon Lucien's opening remarks the day before his New York appearance with ...
War: The Latest News From The War Front
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1977
John Abbey talks to War's keyboard maestro, Lonnie Jordan, about their recent signing with MCA. ...
Drifters, The: Ex Drifter Bill Chooses The British Way Of Life
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1977
THE BRITISH soul colony – an ever expanding group of ex-patriot Americans who have chosen the British way of life – has had a goodly ...
Hodges, James & Smith: Hodges James and Smith: A Soulful Sound And A Bit Of Razzle Dazzle
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1977
The ladies dislike any comparison with the Supremes and the Three Degrees but they have the charisma to take them right to the top. ...
Rose Royce Find Success The Norman Whitfield Way
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, October 1977
"IT'S KJLH, the station of Kindness, Joy, Love and Happiness," the deejay smoulders on the car radio, and goshdarn if you couldn't almost believe all ...
Deniece Williams / Lenny Williams: Rainbow Theatre, London
Live Review by Cliff White, NME, October 1977
REGULAR PATRONS of theatre gigs in Britain have become so wary, not to say weary, of suffering rent-a-stooge warm-up acts that many now don't bother ...
Brothers Johnson: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Cliff White, NME, October 1977
AS BONES OF contention go, there is currently none more fat and juicy than the one being wrestled between the main pack of legit music ...
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, October 1977
IF IT was Clive Davis, head of Arista, who's responsible for the release of Shirley Brown, I'd like to invite him to hold his next ...
Millie Jackson: Feelin' Bitchy
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, October 1977
HEY, MILLIE? This is Vivien.I'm writing to you 'cos I dig the way you move onstage. I saw you foolin' round with that guy onstage ...
Cameo: Still Going Strong After Rigor Mortis Has Set in
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, November 1977
B&S raps with the funky, funky 9-man band who play some pretty arresting music ...
Profile by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, November 1977
WHEN IT comes to our music, the fish-famed Scottish city of Dundee isn't exactly rivalling Detroit, Memphis or Philadelphia, is it? ...
Roy Ayers: The Ambidexterous Mind Of Roy Ayers
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, November 1977
IN AMONGST that unending list of people who've been patiently waiting in the wings for that catapult into the realms of superstardom is a gentleman ...
Funkadelic: Scifi Funkiness: Triple Threat Guitar From Funkadelic
Interview by Steven Rosen, Guitar Player, December 1977
ALMOST 20 YEARS AGO, a group of singers organized themselves from a rather large barbershop group into a pop/soul conglomeration called Parliament. They moved from ...
Barry White: Look Out For Barry In '78
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, December 1977
Barry White struck gold with his last single and album but he's set to surpass himself with his plans for next year ...
Earth Wind and Fire: Earth, Wind & Fire: Musical Giants
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, December 1977
ONE OF the gratifying success stories of this musical decade belongs unquestionably to a group who have literally become giants in the music world. We ...
Lamont Dozier: The Hitmaker Supreme Who Can't Read Or Write Music
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, December 1977
....but he's got a good ear and keeps cookin' up the goodies! David Nathan investigates the art of culinary composing, according to Lamont Dozier. ...
Bobbi Humphrey: Bobbi Means Business
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, December 1977
Ms. Humphrey knows that talent isn't always enough to achieve success. Thus, she's formed her own management company and now stands or falls on her ...
Archie Bell and the Drells: Archie Bell and The Drells
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, December 1977
Q. When is a Philly group not a Philly group?A. When they're a bunch of Texans known as Archie Bell & the DrellsJohn Abbey talks ...
Temptations, The: The Revitalised Temptations
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, December 1977
Some felt that the Temps wouldn't survive outside of Motown but the guys are happy with their initial tracks for Atlantic and plan to fight ...
Commodores, The: The Commodores: Live (Motown)
Review by Cliff White, NME, December 1977
So this is Christmas: The Voice of Young Amerika! ...
Millie Jackson: In Tune With The People
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, January 1978
Soul's upfront lady makes sure she stays on target by taking time and trouble to talk to the people and staying in touch with what's ...
ZZ Hill: ZZ and The Making Of A Soul Classic
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, January 1978
'Love Is So Good When You're Stealing It' is one of '77's most soulful sides. David Nathan talks to ZZ Hill about his earlier days ...
Fantastic Four, The: The Fantastic Four Are Back With A Bang
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1978
Courtesy of the disco boom, the Fantastic Four are back in business and scoring their biggest hit of all time... ...
Fatback Band, The: Fatback Band: The Master Dance Combo
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1978
John Abbey talks to Bill Curtis about the band that's not strictly a 'band' anymore ...
T-Connection Make It 3 In A Row
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1978
THOUGH THE disco boom of the past two years will no doubt have its negative after-effects, there can be no disputing the fact that it ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, January 1978
There's the man who goes on stage to work and the guy off-stage who's just a member of the public. "It's important those two people ...
Brenda & The Tabulations : Brenda and The Tabulations: Coming Back For More
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, January 1978
After five years of turning out soul classics, Brenda 'retired' to become a housewife. But now she's back in business and rarin' to go.... ...
Cissy Houston In Her Own Right
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, January 1978
Cissy has sung behind countless superstars, from Elvis to Aretha, particularly during her stint as leader of the Sweet Inspirations. She's now out front again ...
Commodores, The: The Commodores: Come Funk With Us! (But Bring Your Led Zep Records)
Interview by Howie Klein, Creem, January 1978
"NOW YOU take a group like Fleetwood Mac or the Zep," offered Benny. "It's another thing that the audiences get off into. I don't understand ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1978
FAT LARRY'S SLIMMING DOWN (BUT GETTING BIGGER!)Larry's losing weight, so he may be fronting Not-So-Fat-Larry's Band soon! Bat with their new Stax affiliation, he and ...
Controllers, The: The Controllers: Four Young Men With A Soulful Message
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, January 1978
ALMOST EVER since the term "soul music" was coined – and it might be interesting to find out just who coined it first! – there ...
Hot: When You're Hot You're Hot
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, January 1978
ONE OF the biggest international hits of 1977 belongs to three, very attractive, very intelligent young women who go by the name of Hot. ...
Drifters, The: The Drifters: We haven't sung soul since Clyde McPhatter left!
Report and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1978
GROUPS COME, groups go. One day it'll rain, next day it'll be sunny. But one thing that you can rely upon is the fact that ...
Report and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1978
VIRTUALLY everything that Earth, Wind & Fire touches turns to gold. One of the group's latest protegees consists of an eight-man aggregation known as Pockets. ...
Johnny Guitar Watson: The Ups And Downs Of Success
Report and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1978
Johnny has come up with 3 gold albums in little more than a year but it seems that life at the top isn't always one ...
Review by Paul Rambali, NME, January 1978
DID THEY really get what they wanted? They being black Americans. Gil Scott-Heron doesn't think so. He thinks that what they got came only on ...
Review by Andy Gill, NME, January 1978
SO NOW the whole Toussaint catalogue is available again, enabling listeners of taste to trace for themselves the development of the New Orleans man's approach, ...
Commodores, The: The Commodores: Hot At Home An' Zoomin' In Europe
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1978
SO, FOR the good news for European fans. The Commodores will definitely be touring Europe this April, and that is confirmed! ...
The Imperials: Old Doo Waps Never Die
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1978
The Imperials discover that Britain love 'em ...
Earth Wind and Fire, Emotions, The, Deniece Williams: Earth Wind & Fire: Maurice White
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1978
WITHOUT A shadow of doubt, Earth Wind & Fire is the most successful group that our music has ever given the world. In fact, after ...
Gladys Knight: The Pips: A Solo Album But No Split With Gladys
Report and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, February 1978
After twenty-five years together, Gladys Knight and The Pips have become virtually a musical institution. Now, a new chapter is opening in the history of ...
Detroit Emeralds: The Emerald Behind The Floaters Gem
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1978
HAVING FOUGHT their way back to prominence, the Detroit Emeralds are now set to consolidate themselves – not only in their own right but also ...
Millie Jackson: Mille Jackson: The Primal Scream Therapist Of Soul
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, February 1978
MILLIE JACKSON yanked me over to her side of the fence the first moment I heard her belting out some juicy slice of angst on ...
Millie Jackson: Odeons Birmingham And Hammersmth
Live Review by Cliff White, NME, February 1978
Millie's preoccupations, said The Guardian, are sex, sex and more sex; can't argue with that. ...
Millie Jackson: Another Day, Another Dollar
Report and Interview by Cliff White, NME, February 1978
A COLLEAGUE FROM another paper and I were swopping reactions about Millie Jackson. He'd interviewed her in London; I'd caught up with her a couple ...
Earth Wind and Fire: Earth, Wind & Fire: All 'n All
Review by Cliff White, NME, February 1978
CBS HAVE A problem. To be sure, it's the sort of ticklish little teaser that most record companies would be glad to scratch, but a ...
Earth Wind and Fire: Earth, Wind & Fire: Flying Sorcerers
Report and Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, February 1978
Earth, Wind & Fire are the biggest soul group in the world – their albums now go platinum. But Britain will have to wait until ...
Al Green: The King Is Dead Long Live The King
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1978
Al Green: the Logical successor to the title of King of Memphis... ...
Confunkshun: Memphians With California Bloodlines
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1978
The Magnificent Seven hail from the West Coast, but the band was born in Memphis ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, March 1978
Roberta Flack – the Star who likes to hang out just like everyday folks ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1978
The Bar-Kays put the city back on the world's musical map..."Shake your rump to the funk", the guys suggested, and the world tuned in to ...
Al Green, Willie Mitchell, Ann Peebles: Willie Mitchell: Gettin' Hi High Again
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1978
Willie Mitchell has virtually forsaken his own career in favour of running Hi Records and putting the label back up there... ...
Blue Notes, The: The Blue Notes wanna be the black Beatles!
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1978
The original Blue Notes, having endured the splits with Harold Melvin and Teddy Pendergrass, are aiming for versatility and the kind of musical freedom that ...
Judd Phillips: The Memphis Mercury Connection
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1978
NO, IT ISN'T a devious underworld operation; rather, it is the efforts of the Chicago-based Mercury organisation to be the first major to capitalise on ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1978
"Success can be the emptiest place in the world," says Freda..."Having a husband and now a son makes me realise just how empty my life ...
Biddu's Planning For The Future
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1978
WHEREAS MOST producers and artists are satisfied with concentrating on today, our old buddy. Biddu, is firmly trying to forge a new sound for the ...
Joe Simon: Mr Consistency That's Joe Simon
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1978
"I may not make more than one gold record a year," he says, "but every release sells about 300,000...and that's what keeps me going to ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1978
It took Maze around nine months to go gold with their debut album but their second set has equalled that feat in just six weeks ...
Harvey Mason: Have Funk Will Travel
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, April 1978
ONE OF the most interesting developments in recent years on the contemporary music scene has been the recognition and attention paid to those folk who ...
Kellee Patterson: Kellee Gets Fitted With Gold
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1978
WELL, IT has taken a full six month cycle but Kellee Patterson has finally won her Gold disc for the interestingly titled 'If It Don't ...
Hot Chocolate: City Hall, Newcastle
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, April 1978
IT WAS the funniest ending to a concert I've ever seen. Hot Chocolate said their goodbyes, walked off and, I imagine, stood in the wings ...
Live Review by Cliff White, NME, April 1978
ANGELA IS a slim, pretty, 16-year-old blonde with the kind of Camay complexion and wide-eyed innocent appeal that drives randy old journalists into that wretched ...
Bootsy Collins, Raydio: Bootsy's Rubber Band, Raydio: Felt Forum, NYC
Live Review by Cliff White, NME, April 1978
SELF-STYLED Player Of The Year, Bootsy Collins is hip to the dynamics of Showtime. As his music is a fantastic flight from bases built by ...
Parliament, Funkadelic: Parliament/Funkadelic
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, May 1978
After nearly twenty years together under the able guidance of Mr. George Clinton, Parliament and Funkadelic and associated entities have finally begun to receive the ...
Manhattans, The: The Manhattans: There’s No Good In Goodbye; It Feels So Good
Review by Joe McEwen, Rolling Stone, May 1978
IN A FIELD ONCE glutted with heavyweights, lightweights and pretenders, the Manhattans stand almost alone, a throwback to an era when an orange sharkskin suit, ...
Trammps, The: How Chaplin Helped Give Birth To The Trammps
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1978
The re-release of 'Disco Inferno', by way of its success in Saturday Night Fever, could give Trammps their first gold disc. B&S talks to Earl ...
Joe Tex: The Gut Feeling For A Hit
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1978
Joe stays close to the streets and the people who buy the records. Thus, he has a good instinct for what's a likely hit and ...
Mandre: 'Soular' Soul From Outer Space
Profile by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, June 1978
ACCORDING TO Motown Records' press release: "Unknown to but an enlightened few until now, we have been visited many times by denizens from the other ...
Manhattans, The: Manhattans Are Planning A Doo Wop Album
Report and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1978
The guys started out as a street-corner group and have always maintained an interest in the old doo-wap style. Now there's talk of them cutting ...
Village People: The Macho Answer To Women's Lib
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, June 1978
With a debut album that proved to be a big disco item in 1977 and a new album already making strong headway, the six guys ...
Gene Chandler: The Duke Of Earl Is Back
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1978
Having grown tired of working the chittlin' circuit, Gene went off the road to concentrate on the business side of things...and scored some notable successes. ...
Originals, The: The Originals: A New Chapter Begins
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1978
Until recently, the Originals had spent their career at Motown, and enjoyed great success. But, they felt it was time to move on and now ...
Sweet Thunder: Versatility Is The Name Of The Game
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1978
AS THEIR biography says, the name of Sweet Thunder does sound like a paradox but if you listen to their new and charted album – ...
Cuba Gooding Comes In From The Cold
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, June 1978
The former lead singer with The Main Ingredient has been away from the recording scene for just a year. In between, he's been busy preparing ...
Brass Construction, Rokotto: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Cliff White, NME, June 1978
...CLIFF WHITE sounds his Funky horn about what he sees as a lack of critical perspective... ...
Heatwave: West Runton Pavilion, Norfolk
Live Review by Ian Penman, NME, June 1978
Waiting for the Getdown gestalt ...
Bootsy Collins: 'Don't Leave Home Without Your F.U.N.K!'
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, June 1978
"I WANNA PLAY with the kids", Bootsy Collins said, yearning. Walking down the gravel path winding past the white neo-Classical pillars of Kenwood House, Highgate, ...
Bootsy Collins: Bootsy: Developments in the Popcorn Industry
Interview by Paul Rambali, NME, June 1978
...a.k.a. A Visit To The funk Factory a.k.a. A Meeting With A Black Man In Daft Glasses a.k.a. PAUL RAMBALI talks to superfunkster BOOTSY COLLINS ...
Millie Jackson Rings The Changes
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1978
Millie's new album is far more uptempo than any album she's ever done. Ironically, the track that most people are picking up on is a ...
Jimmy Castor Bunch, The: Jimmy Castor: Bertha Butt Meets Darth Vader
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1978
WHEN IT comes to novelty disco tunes, Jimmy Castor has proven himself to be irresistible. ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1978
John Abbey talks to lead singer Eddie Levert and newest member Sammy Strain, and reports on just why and how the O'Jays have remained in ...
Quincy Jones: Feelin' Great In '78
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1978
Quincy Jones finds that the ideas and his music are just flowing these days, he feels like a man on the sea, just going with ...
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas: Martha Reeves: Martha's Happier Than Ever Before
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1978
WE MEET AGAIN is the apt title for Martha Reeves stunning debut album for Fantasy Records because it reunites her with one of the men ...
Soul Children, The: The Soul Children: Back On A Good Thing
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1978
The threesome are back in business with David Porter and their 'Can't Give Up A Good Thing' single is lighting the way for the Stax ...
Evelyn "Champagne" King: Bubblin' Over
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, July 1978
Currently the recipient of numerous accolades and predictions is the young lady known as Evelyn "Champagne" King. She certainly deserves all the praise she's getting. ...
Faze-O Repay Ohio Player's Faith In Them
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1978
...and get SHE label off the ground! ...
Dexter Wansel: The Message In His Music
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1978
IF YOU take a look at virtually any album that comes out of Philadelphia International these days, you are almost certain to see Dexter Wansel's ...
Idris Muhammad: Idris Boogies On Up
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1978
Idris Muhammad's new album is a deliberate attempt to widen his horizons and is set to surpass all that his Mutha album achieved. B&S examines ...
Bobbi Humphrey: Bobbi's Jam with Stevie
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1978
Bobbi Humphrey tells B&S how Stevie Wonder came to play harmonica on her 'Home Made Jam' single in return for help she had contributed to ...
Bootsy Collins: Bootsy's Rubber Band: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Cliff White, NME, July 1978
A MESSAGE from the Mothership: "If you ain't gonna get it on, take your dead ass home." Some did...some of those dead asses...they couldn't cope ...
Boney M: By The Rivers (well…sands, beaches, coves, quays and bays) Of Babbacombe
Report by Penny Reel, NME, July 1978
TORBAY OR NOT Torbay – that is the question! I am standing at the barrier of Platform 2, Paddington, one chilly Saturday morning expressing Brandoesque ...
Ohio Players, The: Ohio Players Come Out Of Hibernation
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1978
John Abbey talks to Satch Satchell, the Ohio Players' spiritual leader. ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1978
The 8-piece outfit spent most of their time in the studio until recently but with their fourth Fantasy album taking off they are currently on ...
Average White Band: AWB Aim To Spread Their Wings
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, August 1978
Having signed an international deal with RCA records, the band plan to take their music around the world ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, August 1978
For her new album, Tasty, Patti has adopted a whole new approach. She tells David Nathan how she accepted the challenge of showing people another ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1978
The man himself talks to John Abbey about his second Fantasy album, his attitudes, and his aims for the future. Another B&S exclusive... ...
5th Dimension, The: The Fifth Dimension
Overview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, August 1978
AFTER A period of time out of the recording limelight, The Fifth Dimension are back – with a new album ("Star Dancing"), a new record ...
Margie Joseph: Margie's Feeling Her Way To The Very Top
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1978
Margie Joseph is using her God-given talent to the full. "My dream is to be a superstar," she says, "and I just don't want anyone ...
Taste Of Honey: A Taste Of Honey: Funky Unky Unky
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1978
Boogie Oogie Oogie has shot A Taste Of Honey to international stardom, but John Abbey discovers they are more than just pretty faces! ...
Raydio: Raydio & A Moon In June Reality
Interview by Cliff White, NME, August 1978
RAY PARKER Jr., creator and main man in Raydio, the American sextet who recently toured with Bootsy and are just scoring their second British hit ...
Interview by John Morthland, Rolling Stone, August 1978
IT IS A cruel irony that had she not been a junkie for thirteen of her forty years, Etta James would probably still be working ...
Etta James: Soul Punk Etta: Superstardom the Hard Way on a Dollar a Day
Profile and Interview by Cliff White, NME, August 1978
"THANKSGIVING DAY in November will be my silver anniversary: 25 years since I cut my first record and I haven't become a superstar yet. It ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, September 1978
In one of the very rare interviews she grants, Lady Soul gave this in-depth story to B&S' David Nathan at her beautiful Encino, California home. ...
Prince Phillip Mitchell: Prince Phillip's Makin' It But Good
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1978
As a songwriter, Phillip Mitchell has penned hits for such diverse talents as Millie Jackson, Candi Staton, Ben E. King and Joe Simon. Now he's ...
Johnny Bristol: Still Hangin' In There
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1978
'HANG ON In There Baby' remains to this day one of the best selling R&B based records of all time. It carried its creator, Johnny ...
Rose Royce: The Golden Success Story
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1978
The band's three albums have all gone gold, and then platinum – some achievement! Percussionist Terry Santiel tells B&S of the debt they owe to ...
Candi Staton: Disco Confuses Candi
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1978
As long as she can remember, people have been dancing to Candi Staton's records. "It's just a new word for an old style," she says ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, September 1978
WITH THE acceptance and success of Teddy Pendergrass' second solo album for Philly International Records, it seems that he has established himself in the forefront ...
Atlantic Starr: Meet Atlantic Starr
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1978
John Abbey talks to the 9-piece outfit who are storming the U.S singles and albums charts ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1978
The Queen of the Dancefloors, the inimitable Grace Jones ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1978
Having licked a serious drug problem, Etta is climbing to the top again and has been delighting audiences on the road with the Rolling Stones, ...
Stylistics, The: The Stylistics: Back 'In Fashion'
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1978
In Fashion just happens to be the title of the group's debut album for the Mercury label and it looks like giving them their biggest ...
Rick James: The Punk Funk Of Rick James
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1978
Rick's style has been dubbed Punk Funk in some quarters. He himself agrees the term might be apt as it signifies the rebellious aspect of ...
Commodores, The: The Commodores: Motown's Black Beatles
Profile by Cliff White, NME, September 1978
HOW'S about it, Expressways Moosik? We're broadcastin' at ya from the command module, Commodore Steamship, Commodore Country, sitting right down town, Tuskogee, Alabama, modulatin', right ...
Profile and Interview by Bill Millar, Melody Maker, September 1978
YOU CAN ENJOY Etta James as a throwback to the rockin' Fifties. You can admire her as the apotheosis of Sixties soul performing ghetto clubs ...
Impressions, The: The Impresssions
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1978
After more than 20 years as a group, the guys are now bigger than ever in Europe. Recordwise, plans are afoot for them to record ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1978
WHENEVER you think of the Miama Sound, the name of K.C. & the Sunshine Band immediately springs to mind. Via a long string of golden ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, October 1978
Thirteen years on in her career, Betty Wright has finally begun to gain acceptance outside of just R&B circles. David Nathan reports... ...
Randy Jackson: Solo Randy Will Always Be Part Of The Jacksons
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1978
THIS MONTH sees the release of the debut single by the latest of the super-talented children of Joe Jackson. Collectively, they are known to the ...
Profile and Interview by Cliff White, Black Music, October 1978
Etta James, a star of this year's Montreux Jazz Festival, visited London after her show there en route for her American home. While here, she ...
Jacksons, The: The Jacksons: No Signs Of Any Slackening
Interview by Paul Sexton, Record Mirror, October 1978
'Blame It On The Boogie' may not be the Jacksons most exciting single, but it's doing the trick again. PAUL SEXTON talks to Michael Jackson ...
Rose Royce, Stargard: Odeon, Birmingham
Live Review by Cliff White, NME, October 1978
IT SURE WUZ A GREAT PAAAARTY... ...
Crusaders, The: The Crusaders: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Cliff White, NME, October 1978
ON STAGE, as on record, The Crusaders an elusive synthesis of assorted musical elements which, although generally bonded in a cohesive sound that is unmistakably ...
Interview by Howie Klein, Rock's Backpages Audio, October 1978
Just having left Rufus, Chaka talks about making her solo debut (featuring 'I'm Every Woman'), her Chicago roots, her dislike of disco and her surprising love of punk rock.
File format: mp3; file size: 33.9mb, interview length: 36' 59" sound quality: ***
Rose Royce: Socio/Political Conscience? Waal, Ah'm Rilly Into Chutney
Interview by Danny Baker, NME, October 1978
"SO HOWS about up at number two, we have the one and only Rose Royce with 'Love Don't Live Here Anymore'...goodness gracious yes..." ...
Review by Penny Valentine, Melody Maker, October 1978
IT'S RARE FOR any artist to re-emerge successfully from a long period of musical sterility. Harder still, somehow, for black musicians, whose problems – brought ...
Mtume: Not Just Funnin', Mtume Mean Real Business
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, November 1978
Mtume's jumping off point came when two of the guys wrote a hit for Roberta Flack, but they are more than just a songwriting team ...
Sylvers, The: Golden Sylvers Look To The Silver Screen
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, November 1978
Edmund Sylvers tells David Nathan about the group's new record affiliation, their aims in the film world and plans for a European tour. ...
Loleatta Holloway: Queen Of The Night
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, November 1978
The 'Cry To Me' lady talks to B&S about her new disco following... ...
Jerry Butler: The Ice Man Returneth Home
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, November 1978
Jerry talks to B&S about his reunion with Gamble and Huff and his plans for the future... ...
Heatwave: Heating Up the Disco Crowd
Interview by Paul Sexton, Record Mirror, November 1978
TO COME back from a very successful American tour to see your new single shoot into the chart at No 36 while making healthy strides ...
Isaac Hayes: Chronicle/For The Sake Of Love
Review by Pete Wingfield, Melody Maker, November 1978
IT'S MY CONTENTION that, whatever bizarre circumstances caused the flurry of lawsuits circulating round Isaac Hayes prior to the demise of Stax Records, and the ...
Bernie Worrell: P-Funk: Bernie Worrell, The Keyboard King
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, December 1978
THE LATEST Parliafunkadelicment member to shoot solo shots is Bernie Worrell, the keyboard king of Funkadelia. Entitled All The Woo In the World, the album ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, December 1978
AS ONE would imagine, monogamy isn't in keeping with Dr. Funkenstein's image and so I guess it was only natural that when he launched his ...
Funkadelic: P-Funk: Mike Hampton – Kid Funkadelic
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, December 1978
REPRESENTING the younger generation of Funkadelicans is Mike Hampton, a long-haired extrovert who plays perhaps the meanest guitar within our musical sphere. "I am not ...
Funkadelic, George Clinton: George Clinton
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, December 1978
Coinciding with the arrival of the whole Parliafunk-adelicment entourage in Britain for concert dates, B&S concludes its exclusive interview with the mastermind of the whole ...
Funkadelic, George Clinton, Parliament: Parliament Funkadelic: Watch Out The Mothership Is Coming
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, December 1978
Beware, Britain – the Mothership is coming! George Clinton and those extra-terrestial beings, Parliament-Funkadelic, are about to descend on to your cities. It will be ...
Latimore: Benny Latimore: Diggin' Deeper
Interview by Cliff White, Black Music, December 1978
FROM THE earliest days of this supergroovalistic megamag we have brought you some of the most comprehensive black music inter/over-views ever published on a broad ...
Odyssey: The Native New Yorkers Hit The Road
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, December 1978
Odyssey held back from touring after their 'Native New Yorker' smash. But now, with their new single and album, they are eager to get out ...
Quazar: Outta The Woodshed An' Into The Charts
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, December 1978
The group spent some 6 years woodshedding (preparing themselves to face the public.) Now, as David Nathan reports, their hard work is paying handsome dividends... ...
Jacksons, The: The Jacksons: Destiny
Review by Pete Wingfield, Melody Maker, December 1978
THIS IS AN important album for the Jacksons – now five again, with a small letter at least, Jermaine's defection having been balanced by lil' ...
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, December 1978
DISCO, THE People's Music, is the modern blues: the truest expression of a generation's thoughts, bitter sweetness with a backbeat. The old blues celebrated the ...
Interview by Howie Klein, BAM, December 1978
LOS ANGELES – In the stately Beverly Hills suite of offices which houses B and B Associates, Chaka Kahn's prestigious management firm, the air is ...
Live Review by Mick Middles, Sounds, December 1978
THE WORLD funk extravaganza circus comes to Manchester. ...
Review by Charles Shaar Murray, NME, December 1978
IF ROCK stars had the kind of union that insisted on overtime bans and frowned on over-productivity, George Clinton would undoubtedly be the subject of ...
Live Review by Ian Penman, NME, December 1978
THE "MOTHERSHIP" arrives. Everybody gets on out of it and has a "party". And I dance. And slump. And dance and slump. ...
Chaka Khan: Chaka (Warner Bros.) ****
Review by Paul Sexton, Record Mirror, December 1978
NOW THEN, an album which the whole team involved has obviously spent a good deal of time thinking about. Chaka Khan needs songs which exploit ...
Al Jarreau: Days Of Future Past
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, January 1979
Since the release of his debut album three years ago, Al Jarreau has firmly established himself as a creative talent of the first order. He ...
Jean Carn: Happy Is The Only Way To Fly
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, January 1979
Jean's second album, Happy To Be With You, is winning friends with R&B and jazz fans alike...and happy also sums up the way she feels ...
Temptations, The: Temptations Thrive On Their New Found Freedom
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1979
AFTER A rather disappointing first year with Atlantic Records, it looks as though 1979 will see the mighty Temptations searching in earnest to regain their ...
Johnny Guitar Watson: Guitar Giant
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1979
AFTER THE comparative failure of Funk Beyond The Call Of Duty, Johnny Guitar Watson is back with a vengeance. ...
Cameo: Sitting Pretty With Their Ugly Ego
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, January 1979
If the group's second album was two steps ahead of their debut set, then the new one is five steps ahead of either, they feel. ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1979
LONDON, England, is hardly renowned for its temperate climate but it can boast one long and consistent Heatwave because it is – and probably always ...
Chanson: There's No Holdin' 'Em Back
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, January 1979
James and David have worked as session musicians on countless hits but now, with their debut on Ariola, they've become an instant success in their ...
Sarah Dash - Putting It Together Again
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, January 1979
After 16 years with the now legendary team of Patti Labelle & The Bluebelles (who after selling their hearts to the junkmen and disappearing over ...
Peabo Bryson Comes Into His Own
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, January 1979
With his debut album for Capitol, already certified as gold, Mr. Peabo Bryson is truly "reaching for the sky". His newest album, 'Crosswinds' looks set ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1979
As his new album implies, Marc Cerrone surely has that Golden Touch...in fact, the album reportedly shipped gold in seven countries! ...
Cheryl Lynn: Cheryl's Trip Down The Yellow Brick Road
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, January 1979
"I'M JUST excited about the whole thing!" bubbles Ms. Cheryl Lynn and she has every reason for feeling that way. Her debut Columbia album and ...
Report and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1979
WELL, it's time for a new Al Green album. Entitled, Truth 'n' Time", it is Al's first album since Belle, almost exactly a year ago. ...
Peaches and Herb: On A Groove Thing
Report and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, January 1979
THEY'RE BOTH agreed: Peaches and Herb state almost unanimously that working on their latest album with producer Freddie Perren (the album is on Freddie's own ...
Report and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, January 1979
"PEOPLE TEND to think that if you're not on the top of the charts, you fall flat on your face," states Dobie Gray. "Well, I've ...
Hot Chocolate: Everyone's a Moneyspinner
Profile and Interview by Davitt Sigerson, Melody Maker, January 1979
GREAT POPULAR music is generally not a cynical or synthetic product, but something personal to one individual that many, many others find appealing. ...
Review by Davitt Sigerson, Melody Maker, January 1979
WAR WAS a multi-platinum album act in America with such classic Top 40 streetfunk singles as 'All Day Music', 'Cisco Kid', 'The World Is A ...
Review by Davitt Sigerson, Melody Maker, January 1979
EDITOR'S NOTE: A couple of weeks ago, Vivien Goldman trashed Marvin Gaye's new album in these columns. A dissenting voice pleads to be heard ...
Chic: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Davitt Sigerson, Melody Maker, January 1979
Cheers for Chic ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1979
AFTER TWO rather varied albums, T-Connection have made up their minds that their about-to-be-released third album will be the one to kill the discos. ...
Rose Royce: A Very Satisfying Year
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1979
UNDOUBTEDLY, 1978 was The Year Of The Groups. Earth Wind & Fire, the Commodores and Rose Royce almost held a monopoly on the awards. Though ...
Gene Chandler: The Duke Is Back
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1979
RIGHT NOW, Gene Chandler's 'Get Down' is just about the biggest disco record in the country. Presently, Gene is touring the country promoting his biggest ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1979
WE GOT the opportunity to spear with Celi Bee (of Celi Bee & the Buzzy Bunch disco fame) on one of the lady's rare stopovers ...
Van McCoy Comes Out Of Retreat
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1979
Having now emerged from a somewhat less fruitful period, following his huge international smash, 'The Hustle', Van McCoy talks of his recent creative and emotional ...
Chuck Brown & the Soul Searchers: Chuck Brown and The Soul Searchers: Bustin' Loose
Profile by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1979
1979 HAS been acclaimed as the year that Funk would fight back. Proof of the truth of that statement can be found by simply looking ...
Obituary by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, February 1979
THE TRAGIC news of the death in mid-January of Donny Hathaway no doubt shocked the gifted singer-songwriter's many admirers across the world and it was ...
Neville Brothers, The: The Neville Brothers: A Family Affair
Report and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1979
THE NAME of Neville is synonymous with the whole New Orleans sound. The eldest brother, Art, has invested more than twenty years into the music ...
Brass Construction: Randy Muller: Dance To The Music
Report and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1979
"The new Brass Construction album will have the same kind of rhythm pulse and good groove as the first one..." ...
Instant Funk: The Return Of Funk
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1979
Into the winner's circle with a three year old recording, Instant Funk now look set to become 79's major funk success. Read on... ...
Jacksons, The, Jackson 5, The, Michael Jackson: The Jacksons: Ten Golden Years
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, February 1979
The guys recently celebrated ten years as a headlining act and B&S took the opportunity to talk to them individually and gather their thoughts on ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1979
The man triumphed in both Disco sections of the annual B&S Poll but, surprisingly, tells us that his next album might actually be his last ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1979
Lead vocalist Greg Williams explains how a chance meeting with Jermaine Jackson led to the guys achieving their big breakthrough. Now they're readying their second ...
ADC Band: The ADC Band: All Fired Up
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1979
THEIR BIOGRAPHY calls them a "funky renaissance band" and I guess that does just about sum up the ADC Band, Detroit's own band who have ...
Evelyn "Champagne" King: Evelyn Champagne King: A Bubbling Bundle Of Talent
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1979
From office cleaning to record stardom, the 'champagne' lady uncorks her story...and cites producer T. Life as the Rat in her life!!! ...
Commodores, The: The Commodores: 3 Times a Winner
Report and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, March 1979
Lionel Ritchie and the Commodores triumphed in 3 sections of the recent B&S Poll. Here Lionel, who won the award as Best Songwriter, tells why ...
Sister Sledge: We Are Family (Cotillion U.S. import)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, March 1979
I WAIT for new work by Chic's Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers in the way that I once waited for the latest items from Phil ...
Earth Wind and Fire: Wembley Arena, London
Live Review by Paul Morley, NME, March 1979
WOW!!! SHEER excellence!!! You weren't there? You are square!!! (you thought it was the other way round? You still living to those snobby chic guidelines? ...
Earth Wind and Fire: Earth, Wind & Fire: Wembley Arena, London
Live Review by Pete Wingfield, Melody Maker, March 1979
PITY THE poor reviewer covering a show of the astonishing calibre of Earth, Wind & Fire's weekend extravaganza at the Empire Pool. ...
Earth Wind and Fire: Earth, Wind & Fire: Maurice White's Band of Hope
Report and Interview by Vivien Goldman, Melody Maker, March 1979
There's more to America's biggest soul band than bread and circuses. VIVIEN GOLDMAN followed them to Staffordshire to talk about the Bible, spinal fluid, reincarnation, ...
Rufus, Chaka Khan: Chaka Khan: Chaka Really Is Every Woman
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1979
OVER THE years, we have covered just about every possible facet of Chaka Khan's career. So, during a break whilst recording a new album with ...
Bunny Sigler: A Disco Believer
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1979
After 12 years, writer, producer, singer Bunny Sigler finally has the creative freedom to pursue all avenues to his own satisfaction. ...
Patti LaBelle, LaBelle: The Real Raw Patti LaBelle
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1979
Patti is happier with her latest album than with anything she has ever done before, and feels that producer Skip Scarbrough has captured the real, ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1979
IN THREE short years, Natalie Cole has risen to the point where today she is a household name. In the past few months, Natalie has ...
Report and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, April 1979
Still maintaining their link with the departed Chaka Khan – Rufus now find their diverse talents sprouting in all directions.... ...
Bloodstone: Shining Brightly Six Years On
Report and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1979
WOULD YOU believe that it's six years since Bloodstone hit the world's record charts with their haunting 'Natural High' ballad – probably one of the ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1979
After a lengthy absence from the charts, Edwin's back with a vengeance. And he's well tuned in to disco as some folks acclaim 'Twenty Five ...
Creme D'Cocoa: Philly Versatility
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1979
VENTURE RECORDS was launched last fall and immediately attained its initial breakthrough with 'Do What You Feel', the debut release on a new quartet from ...
Sister Sledge: Family Breakthrough
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, April 1979
WHOEVER CAME up with the idea of putting that beautiful family quartet, Sister Sledge, together with platinum Chic hitmakers, Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers, is ...
Tavares: Madame Butterfly (Capitol)
Review by Simon Frith, Melody Maker, April 1979
MADAME Butterfly opens with the familiar dance floor sounds – brass riff, flowing strings punched out guitars, tightly strung percussion – but this isn't really ...
Percy Sledge: The Venue, London
Live Review by John Pidgeon, Melody Maker, April 1979
THE SIMPLISTIC idea that the fundamental difference between country and soul in the Sixties was that one music was made by poor whites in the ...
Review by Davitt Sigerson, Sounds, April 1979
IN A YEAR already generous with good R&B albums comes Ray Parker's second release, and it may be the best of all. ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1979
I DON'T know about you, but my impression of Joe Simon has always been of a sober, conservative character. Maybe it was his clean approach ...
Maze: The 'Inspiration' Behind Maze
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1979
B&S raps to Maze leader Frankie Beverly who reveals the formula behind their 'rapid' rise to stardom. ...
Tavares: Tired Of That Flip Flop Music
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, May 1979
UNTIL THEY got caught up in the mad disco scramble – though admittedly they were one of the trendsetting groups in that category – the ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, May 1979
CURRENTLY PROVING to be one of 1979's hottest records is a tune which has literally exploded on the pop and r&b charts almost simultaneously. ...
Millie Jackson: A Few Moments Pleasure
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1979
'I HATE to stay at home and not work,' says Millie, a confirmed workaholic. John Abbey talks to Millie about her new album, and her ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1979
War's newest member is rarin' to go...as part of a very enthusiastic band, and as a solo act ...
Manhattans, The: The Manhattans Zoom Back
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, May 1979
'Kiss And Say Goodbye' provided the Manhattans with a global hit, and now the enduring quartet look forward to continued success with their new album. ...
Review by Pete Wingfield, Melody Maker, May 1979
Steve Cropper/Pop Staples/Albert King: Jammed Together (Stax 3009) Booker T & The MGs: Time Is Tight — The Best Of… (Stax STX 3007) The Emotions: ...
Bobby Womack: Roads Of Life (Arista)
Review by Pete Wingfield, Melody Maker, May 1979
THE FORTUNES of gravel-voiced soul vet Bobby Womack have taken a dip of late. ...
Anita Ward: Anita Rings Chart Bell
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1979
'RING MY BELL' is just about the hottest dance property in the land right now and it introduces to the world a young lady from ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1979
ENCOUNTERED Gene Chandler, fresh from his European trek, where he was awarded a Silver Disc in London for sales exceeding 250,000 in the U.K. ...
Jimmy Castor Bunch, The: Jimmy Castor
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1979
AFTER AN absence of one album, the Jimmy Castor Bunch are back within the Atlantic family – this time on the Cotillion label. ...
Sister Sledge: We Really Are Family
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1979
THERE IS a certain closeness, a certain warmth about a family unit that is totally indestructible. It positively glows and when you are lucky enough ...
Mike Theodore: High On Success
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1979
WITH HIS second album on Westbound – High On Mad Mountain – seasoned producer/arranger, Mike Theodore is further consolidating on the success of his first ...
Narada Michael Walden: The Disco Awakening
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1979
ALTHOUGH he has just come off of one of Atlantic's biggest ever disco records – 'I Don't Want Nobody Else' – Narada Michael Walden wants ...
Prince Phillip Mitchell: Atlantic Crossing
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1979
AFTER TEN years of giving his best songs to other acts – notably 'Starting All Over Again' for Mel & Tim, 'Hurt So Good' for ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, June 1979
By way of many fine recordings and countless live performances, Grover has become acknowledged as one of the decade's most talented musicians. But what of ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, June 1979
David Nathan provides a penetrating and objective insight into the evergreen Dionne Warwick – an artiste of undisputed pedigree and longevity... ...
Lamont Dozier: Lamont Takes To The Road
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1979
Lamont Dozier is putting together a show to promote his new album and these will be his first live gigs for some 20 years! ...
Amii Stewart: Amii's Knockin' On Stardom's Door
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, June 1979
B&S talks to the very talented Ms. Amii Stewart ...
Crusaders, The, Randy Crawford: The Crusaders' Stix Hooper
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1979
B&S catches up with the Crusaders who have campaigned for jazz all over the world and whose new album is centred around 'street life'... ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, June 1979
2008 introduction:This interview was David's second face-to-face conversation with Minnie; at the time, she was dealing with health challenges – in 1976, she had been ...
Black Music Association: A Singular Voice For The Black Music Industry
Comment by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, June 1979
The Black Music Association has just celebrated its first anniversary. B&S outlines its concept and success as a vehicle to preserve, project and further Black ...
Mass Production: Purest Mass Production
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1979
ALTHOUGH THEY don't actually top the charts with their every release, Mass Production have established themselves over their three year recording stint with Cotillion as ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1979
KLEEER IS another of the new signings that Atlantic has come up with of late. The sextet's debut record, 'Keeep Your Body Working', has already ...
Tasha Thomas: The Glamor of Disco
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1979
AS WE have so often said, one of the great things about the disco boom is that it has brought to the surface a whole ...
Taste Of Honey Chase More Sweet Success
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1979
It ain't easy emulating the huge success of a record like 'Boogie Oogie Oogie' but the hit group are setting out to do just that. ...
Beck Family, The: The Beck Family
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1979
The family group explain how the Jacksons inspired them to switch from gospel to contemporary music. ...
McFadden and Whitehead: Ain't No Stoppin' Gene and John Now
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1979
The McFadden and Whitehead story began back in the 60's when they toured with Otis Redding as members of the Epsilons. Then, in the early ...
Bruce Hawes: Bruces Hawes: Young Gifted Determined
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, June 1979
Perhaps one of the most encouraging signs in the black music field right now is the slow but sure emergence of a whole crop of ...
Minnie Riperton: How Minnie's Cooking Tempted Stevie Wonder
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, June 1979
MINNIE RIPERTON has a new album out and it marks her debut set for Capitol Records. She's feeling justifiably pleased with it and has good ...
Mary Wells: Back On The Right Track
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, June 1979
Showing every sign of being ready to get right back into the swing of things, we recently had the opportunity to rap with Ms. Mary ...
Mary Wells: Back On The Right Track
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, June 1979
Showing every sign of being ready to get right back into the swing of things, we recently had the opportunity to rap with Ms. Mary ...
Ohio Players, The: The Ohio Players: Up An' Dancin'
Report and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, June 1979
"Arista are famous for their pre-programming scheme and they could afford us!" ...
James Brown: The Original Disco Man
Report by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, June 1979
'People are doing what I was doing ten years ago and calling it Disco' ...
Patti LaBelle: It's Alright With Me (Epic)
Review by Pete Wingfield, Melody Maker, June 1979
I GUESS it's all of eighteen years since I first heard 'Down The Aisle' by Patti Labelle and the Bluebelles – and when I put ...
Isley Brothers, The: The Isley Brothers: Winner Takes All
Review by Davitt Sigerson, Melody Maker, June 1979
3 + 3 DON'T MIND they just keep on jamming. Strings and horns? Uh-uh. They just go up to Bearsville. Ernie puts down the drums ...
McFadden and Whitehead: The Rise and Rise of McFadden, Whitehead and Ward (Anita)
Report and Interview by Danny Baker, NME, June 1979
EVEN THE Johnny Pearson Orchestra on Top Of The Pops couldn't ruin a song as strong as 'Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now'. ...
Interview by Paul Sexton, Record Mirror, June 1979
Anita Ward rings PAUL SEXTON'S bells ...
Commodores, The: The Commodores
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1979
THE COMMODORES have attained a peak that no black group before them has ever been able to attain. For 1978, they were the fourth best ...
Chic: An Interview with Nile Rodgers
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, July 1979
David Nathan talks to Nile Rodgers, co-founder of the fabulously successful Chic, whose new album is being tipped as another world-beater. ...
Earth Wind and Fire: Earth, Wind & Fire: Progress Is The Key
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, July 1979
THERE SEEMS TO BE absolutely no question that in terms of consistency, universal and international acceptance and popularity, Earth, Wind & Fire have no peers. ...
Emotions, The: Emotions Laid Bare
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, July 1979
The girls divulge how they came to duet with EW&F on 'Boogie Wonderland' and talk at length about their songwriting activities... ...
Obituary by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1979
JULY HAS been a devastating month for our music because of the tragic, sad deaths of Minnie Riperton and Van McCoy. Both were highly creative ...
Spinners, The: Eternal Spinners
Report and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1979
TIMING AND distinctive sound are two of our favourite comments when it comes to reviewing music in B&S. Timing (and the inborn knowledge when to ...
Floaters, The: The Floaters: Floating Into The Future
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1979
WE'VE MADE this point on numerous occasions before – sometimes, a blockbuster hit can be the worst thing that can happen to a new act. ...
Alton McClain & Destiny: Alton Meets Her Destiny
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1979
ONE OF this year's giant left field records comes from three absolutely beautiful young ladies, Alton McClain and Destiny (D'Marie Warren and Robyrda Stiger). ...
Jones Girls, The: The Jones Girls: Keeping Up With The Jones Girls
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, July 1979
Diana Ross and Gamble & Huff are useful people to have in your corner, and the talented trio openly acknowledge their gratitude and the belief ...
Sylvester: No Business Like Show Business
Essay by Simon Frith, Melody Maker, July 1979
ON HIS RECORD sleeves, Sylvester is definitely svelte. A pink shirt and a red rose. Spectacles and a cool look, like Arthur Ashe. My favourite ...
McFadden and Whitehead: Startin' 'N' Stoppin'
Interview by Paul Sexton, Record Mirror, July 1979
PAUL SEXTON winds up old phillybusters McFadden and Whitehead ...
Bootsy Collins: Bootsy's Rubber Band: This Boot Is Made For Fonk-n (Warners)
Review by Pete Wingfield, Melody Maker, July 1979
THE WORLD'S zaniest bass-player is back, whatever the truth of reports about a nervous breakdown; or, as he tells us himself: "I dug the concern ...
Johnny Guitar Watson: Johnny 'Guitar' Watson: What The Hell Is This ****½
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, July 1979
THIS IS a real mutha for ya, from the first seconds of the title track which go for your vitals with a rivet gun of ...
Barry White: The Message Really Is Love
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1979
IT'S an old criticism that so few people practice what they preach. But, in the case of Barry White, the title of his new album ...
Terry Callier's Poetry In Music
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, August 1979
Terry Callier is currently reaping the rewards of his considerable talents. But, save for a series of telephone calls from Elektra Records, it might have ...
Carol Douglas: Get Into Carol's Life
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1979
WITH THE release of her fifth album for Midsong International, Carol Douglas has reached a new stage in her career. ...
Michael Jackson: Michael Jackson's Peacock Music
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1979
INTERVIEWS with Michael Jackson are few and far between. However, after the Jacksons' Platinum Party, at which the whole family was presented with platinum awards ...
Commodores, The: The Commodores' William King
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1979
John Abbey meets Commodore William King ...
Double Exposure: Secrets From The Locker Room
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1979
B&S investigator probes behind the scenes and unearths the concept of the quartet's startling new album... ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1979
After her huge success with 'Woman To Woman', people expected Shirley to carry on rapping. Now she's resigned with Stax and her new album gives ...
Taka Boom: An Undisputed Talent
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1979
Taka spent a year and a half with Undisputed Truth and now she's capitalising on that experience with her solo career... ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1979
Pax Amantis?...the Custos Warriors?...Sun spokesman Byron Byrd explains all and then some... ...
Trammps, The: The Trammps: Disco's Favourite Sons
Report and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1979
IF THERE is such a thing as disco-land's favourite group, then that would surely have to be Trammps – five young men from Philadelphia who ...
Doris Jones And The British Link
Report and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, August 1979
BECAUSE OF the nature of the music business, situations occasionally arise that go totally against the usual course of events. ...
Minnie Riperton: Minnie (Capitol) ****
Review by Paul Sexton, Record Mirror, August 1979
THIS WAS going to be a happy, triumphant comeback album... ...
Earth Wind and Fire: Earth Wind & Fire: I Am
Review by Dave Marsh, Rolling Stone, August 1979
MAURICE WHITE, Earth, Wind and Fire's presiding genius, ranges across popular music like a robber baron, selecting only the tastiest artifacts for his collection. ...
Al Green: The Record Mogul In The Sky
Interview by Nick Kent, NME, August 1979
WHO CAN DENY that the Lord moves in mysterious ways? In this week of Mammon in hyperdrive – Quadrophenia, the rejuvenation of mods v. rockers ...
Al Green: Tired Of Being Alone
Report and Interview by Vivien Goldman, Melody Maker, August 1979
Al Green's London concerts last week were a puzzling mixture of the brilliant and the banal – and VIVIEN GOLDMAN discovered that his verbals are ...
L.T.D.: L.T.D.'s Devotion To Quality
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, September 1979
WITH THE disco boom now officially on the wane, maybe we can get back to normal business! But before we write off that whole dance ...
Mary Wilson: No One Can Sing 'Baby Baby' Like Mary
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, September 1979
"I'D REACHED a point where, in order to maintain the level we had reached with the original Supremes, I'd have to do something myself. I ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, September 1979
Leaving a successful group for a solo career can prove to be a daunting challenge, but Bonnie Pointer looks to have made the right decision. ...
Crusaders, The: The Crusaders: In Their Prime
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, September 1979
With 25 successful and productive years already accomplished, the Crusaders have only just begun! Drummer, Stix Hooper explains their formula for success and longevity, and ...
Candi Staton: The Four Phases Of Candi
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, September 1979
"It's about time that people realized that we can do more than change diapers and wash up dishes!" ...
Five Special: Something Special
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, September 1979
THERE'S NO doubt that having a famous brother as your producer can certainly help you get the foot in the door, but these days with ...
James Brown: Get Up, I Feel Like Being A Rap Machine
Interview by Nick Kent, NME, September 1979
JAMES BROWN is late for our appointment. But then it would almost be heresy on his part were he not a regal 45 minutes behind ...
Nina Simone: Royal Festival Hall, London
Live Review by Penny Valentine, Melody Maker, September 1979
NINA SIMONE has never been a comfortable musician to see live. A powerful performer, she is formidably dedicated to her art. It's hardly surprising, then, ...
Crusaders, The: The Crusaders: It's A Street Life In The Crusaders
Profile and Interview by Max Bell, NME, September 1979
IT'S THE MID-1950s in Houston, Texas, east of Galveston Bay and west of the River Colorado, and some of the local folks are having themselves ...
Walter Murphy: Louie's Yer Uncle
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1979
ONE OF the most unusual records currently climbing the lists is 'Full Tilt Boogie' by the even more strangely named group, Uncle Louie. ...
Billy Preston: No Longer Going Round In Circles!
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1979
B&S talks to Billy about his early days with Little Richard and Ray Charles, his development as a solo talent and his recent pacting with ...
Teddy Pendergrass: The Sex Symbol Of Seventy Nine
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, October 1979
Teddy continues to fill the major stadiums across the States and now he tells David Nathan what it'll take to tempt him to Europe... ...
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, October 1979
David Nathan takes a look behind the public image of Deniece Williams and reveals other aspects of the diminutive songstress... ...
Candido: Technicolor Yul Brynner
Profile by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, October 1979
IT TOOK the advent of disco to allow percussionists to come to the fore, and challenging Ralph McDonald for the leading role in commercial percussionists ...
Gladys Knight & the Pips: Memories of the Way We Were (Buddah); 20 Golden Greats (Motown)
Review by Barney Hoskyns, Melody Maker, October 1979
GLADYS KNIGHT has been turned into the spinster of soul. Her generous face seems to invite desertion. Yet with almost maternal dignity, she translates this ...
Ashford & Simpson, Diana Ross: Ashford & Simpson: Nick and Valerie's Hit Cure
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, November 1979
With the success of their recent albums and the ensuing singles hit, Ashford and Simpson have truly arrived. David Nathan finds out what makes them ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, November 1979
"TO ME, a punk is someone who says what's on his mind and who doesn't take no shit!" So says Rick James, one of our ...
Brothers Johnson: The Brothers Johnson
Interview by Steven Rosen, Guitar Player, November 1979
'PLATINUM' IS THE perfect word to precede 'record' when you’re a musician today. And with a three-for-three tally, the Brothers Johnson are decorating their walls ...
Rufus and Chaka Khan: The Beat Goes On
Report and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, November 1979
ANY CONFUSION you may have had about the exact status of the group Rufus should now be pretty much clarified in your mind – we ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, November 1979
TAKE A tip from me...Nature's Divine are going to be a supergroup! This ten-piece ensemble from Detroit are already well on their way with their ...
Fern Kinney: Fern's In The Right Groove
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, November 1979
POPPY SEEDS have been the source of at least one good thing in this world. In the 60's there was a group called the Poppies ...
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, November 1979
JEFFREY DANIEL, Jody Watley and Howard Hewett have quite a few good reasons to feel good right now. As the members of hit group Shalamar, ...
Tamiko Jones: Tamiko's Intercity Hit
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, November 1979
New York, Detroit, Atlanta, back to Detroit, on to Nashville. Those were the ports of call for Tamiko Jones. ...
Profile and Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, November 1979
RONN MATLOCK is the latest in an endless line of new talents who seem to be constantly emerging again from Detroit. Though his Hot City ...
Review by Paul Rambali, NME, November 1979
FILED SIDE by side, those titles read like the bookends of a wasted decade. In their predictably loud, plain language they seem to say that ...
Wilson Pickett: Land Of A Thousand Libels
Interview by Nick Kent, NME, November 1979
IN GUY PEELAERT'S Rock Dreams tome of some six autumns back, one of the artist's strongest slices of visualized popular music imagery went under the ...
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, November 1979
IT MUST BE A daunting prospect for anyone to make his or her performing debut, save for a couple of hometown Minneapolis tuneups, before an ...
Jupiter Beyond Another Philly Breakout David Nathan
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, December 1979
CURRENTLY CAUSING quite a stir on the U.K. soul singles' chart is a record that's literally come out of left field to make a strong ...
George Clinton: Mutiny On The Mothership — Uncle Jam Wants Out
Report and Interview by Richard Grabel, NME, December 1979
Drummer Jerome Brailey and Horny Hornsman Fred Wesley have already quit Funkadelic – and now George Clinton is giving up live performances. Richard Grabel reports ...
Interview by John Abbey, Blues & Soul, January 1980
John Abbey talks to the Music Band's harmonica ace, Lee Oskar ...
Interview by John Pidgeon, Rock's Backpages Audio, January 1980
John Pidgeon, via a 13-year-old Janet, hears from the King of Pop about how he linked up with Motown, learned about the studio, how he sees his future and his defense of disco
File format: mp3; file size: 9.2mb; Interview length: 10' 01"; sound quality: ****
Dan Hartman: Relight My Fire (Blue Sky) *
Review by Rosalind Russell, Record Mirror, February 1980
DAN HARTMAN has obviously learned all he knows from listening to TV theme music. Shame he didn't pay more attention to the master — Aaron ...
Review by Danny Baker, NME, June 1980
The hit factory calls in the new technology ...
Smokey Robinson: Warm Thoughts
Review by Robot A. Hull, Creem, August 1980
"The fireside, the lamplight intimate and low, reverie with finger at the brow, and eyes that lose themselves in answering looks..."– Paul Verlaine, ‘La Bonne ...
Review by Danny Baker, NME, October 1980
ANY GROUP can only pack so much stuff. The stuff that oils and inspires their moves, greases songs, a magic stuff that flows through a ...
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, January 1981
GIL SCOTT-HERON was widely viewed as a potential superstar in 1974 when he became the first performer signed by Clive Davis at Arista Records. The ...
Marvin Gaye: In Our Lifetime (Motown)
Review by Barney Hoskyns, NME, February 1981
SOMEHOW ONE forgives the sermonising in Marvin Gaye that irritates in other soul stars. Visually he fits the bill – he might almost be the ...
Marvin Gaye: For Once In A Lifetime
Interview by Paolo Hewitt, Melody Maker, February 1981
AFTER NEARLY two hours in that bedroom, Lydia finally gave up. By any standards she'd waited long enough for her Marvin Gaye interview – a ...
Michael Jackson, Jacksons, The: The Jacksons: The Great Greenland Mystery
Report and Interview by Danny Baker, NME, April 1981
For years scientists have been baffled by The Great Greenland Mystery. What is it that makes Greenland the only territory on earth where The Jacksons ...
Teddy Pendergrass: Attractive — Moi? Sexy — Moi?
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, NME, May 1981
Sex symbol Teddy Pendergrass shrugs off the impertinence of reporter Barney Hoskyns ...
E.S.G.: ESG: No Guile or Wile, Just Wallop
Profile and Interview by Richard Grabel, NME, May 1981
THESE DAYS, a lot of bands glorify the appearance of being what they are not. ...
Prince: A Dirty Mind Comes Clean
Interview by Andy Schwartz, New York Rocker, June 1981
WHO IS THE REAL Prince, anyway? The flashy, high-energy black pop star with the Stratocaster wearing Iggy Pop's underwear? Or the pleasant, soft-spoken fellow who ...
Prince: Strutting With The New Soul Monarch
Interview by Chris Salewicz, NME, June 1981
THIS FELLOW sitting across the table from me in an uptown Manhattan Holiday Inn room may be a Prince but he ain't no Charlie. ...
Live Review by Ian Penman, NME, June 1981
Make my funk the D-funkt ...
Interview by Danny Baker, NME, August 1981
Rodgers & Hart... Rodgers & Hammerstein... Rodgers & Edwards... The new age directors of organised rhyme get a witness in DANNY BAKER. ...
Profile and Interview by Geoffrey Himes, Musician, October 1981
Urban time warps and geomusical quantum leaps later, Kid Creole and his pal Sugar-Coated are washed up on a sandy Island with only their wits ...
Earth Wind and Fire: Earth, Wind and Fire: Living On A Met-Plane
Interview by Danny Baker, NME, November 1981
EARTH, WIND & FIRE'S MAURICE WHITE GETS METAPHYSICAL. BRINGING QUESTIONS OF HIS OWN DANNY BAKER ASKS: DO YOU BELIEVE MY FRIEND IN WHAT YOU CLAIM? ...
Aswad, Linx: Linx and Aswad: Shades of Black
Profile and Interview by Richard Williams, Times, The, November 1981
THERE IS A special role in British life for young black pop musicians, involving a task more serious than could ever be demanded of their ...
Interview by Kris Needs, ZigZag, December 1981
TEAR A STRIP off the sucker. Suddenly everybody's selfconsciously diving for the dancefloor. Most groups have got their 'funky number', even if they're not funky. ...
Stevie Wonder: Original Musiquarium I
Review by Lloyd Bradley, NME, 1982
FOUR MONTHS late, four sides long, only four tracks new but fortunately containing enough sterling old stuff to make it a realistic proposition (economicswise) comes ...
Nona Hendryx, Material: Nona Hendryx: Labelle-d By The Funk
Interview by Paolo Hewitt, Melody Maker, January 1982
Paolo Hewitt sees eye-to-eye with NONA HENDRYX ...
James Brown: Twilight Of The Godfather
Interview by Lloyd Bradley, NME, January 1982
APART FROM several Arsenal players, James Brown was my first hero. ...
Review by Glenn O'Brien, Interview, February 1982
IT'S BEEN ABOUT a year since the last CHIC album. Since then, half of the dance bag bands, in the world have come to resemble ...
Four Tops, The: Four Tops Don't Walk Away Ever!
Interview by Gavin Martin, NME, February 1982
MY FIRST TASTE of Motown music was many summers ago as I mulled away my school holidays in a sort of passive ignorance, more interested ...
Gil Scott-Heron: The Homeland Is Where The Hatred Is
Interview by Lloyd Bradley, NME, March 1982
JUST ONE CHANGE of buses, and the sound stages of Century City, Ca., where platinum-plated cowboys bite the props department dust, are replaced by the ...
Earth Wind and Fire: Earth Wind And Fire: Ecstasy At The Dawn Of Creation!
Live Review by Gavin Martin, NME, March 1982
Earth Wind And Fire: Wembley Arena, London ...
Maze: A Funk-Lite Labyrinth: Maze
Report and Interview by Barney Hoskyns, NME, March 1982
FRANKIE BEVERLY’S eight-man Maze could have come to Europe at any time in the last two years and met with the same phenomenal response they ...
Rick James: Blowing Out Tinsel Town
Interview by Lloyd Bradley, NME, April 1982
Not So Long Ago:THERE WAS a time when nearly everybody in the world owned a Motown record. Motown was like a baby's security blanket, warm, ...
Imagination: The Imagination Master Class
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, NME, April 1982
LEEE: YOUR NAME'S Barney Rubble. How long have you been interviewing? A year? So you're young, a spring chicken?BH: Why, do I look well-seasoned? ...
Junior Giscombe: Secret Life of a Streatham Soul-Boy
Interview by Paolo Hewitt, Melody Maker, May 1982
Paolo Hewitt rides the Soul Train to L.A. with Junior Giscombe ...
Defunkt: Too Fierce For Radioland
Interview by Kris Needs, ZigZag, June 1982
Joe Bowie, singer-songwriter-trombonist-leader talked to Kris Needs and Killing Joke bassist Youth. ...
Review by Barney Hoskyns, NME, June 1982
Various Artists: Lost Soul, Vols. 1-3 (Epic, import) ...
Review by Paolo Hewitt, Melody Maker, July 1982
IF THERE's one song that Donna Summer should be singing right now it's our current number one, 'Fame'. Tailor made for her, 'Fame' is glossy, ...
Larry Graham: The Sly Sound Of Success
Interview by Andy Gill, NME, August 1982
THE SOFA is sumptuous, the clothes casual; Larry Graham sits swathed in both, the epitome of affluent black America. We're in a hospitality suite in ...
Four Tops, The: The Four Tops: One More Mountain (Casablanca)
Review by Gavin Martin, NME, September 1982
WHEN MARVIN Gaye recorded What's Going On in the early '70s it was part of an important transition for the Motown label, its mixture of ...
Gil Scott-Heron: Moving Target (Arista)
Review by Charles Shaar Murray, NME, September 1982
GIL SCOTT-HERON is one of the most quietly effective performers currently working in popular music: his cool, firm underplaying makes the listener want to move ...
Time, The: The Time: What Time Is It? (WEA)
Review by Lloyd Bradley, NME, October 1982
TIME IT WAS AND WHAT A TIME IT WAS ...
Millie Jackson: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Cliff White, NME, November 1982
VOICE: robust and versatile, unique among name entertainers for its dynamic revitalisation of R&B and soul intonations of yesteryear. Humour: sardonic, self-deprecating, ego-crushing, uplifting; more ...
Interview by Geoffrey Himes, Musician, December 1982
LUTHER VANDROSS curled up in the stuffed arm chair with his Wizard-of-Oz red ruby shoes tucked under his massive bulk. When he described Dionne Warwick's ...
Michael Jackson: Thriller (Epic)
Review by Gavin Martin, NME, December 1982
ALMOST FOUR years ago Michael Jackson (ably assisted and abetted by producer Quincy Jones) unleashed the scorching fury of Off The Wall. It was the ...
Marvin Gaye: Mr Midnight In The City Of Angels
Interview by Gavin Martin, NME, December 1982
DON'T WALK along Sunset Boulevard, otherwise you'll end up as part of the freakshow on the sidewalk rather than a spectator at The Last Great ...
George Clinton, Funkadelic: George Clinton: Computer Games (Capitol)
Review by Lloyd Bradley, NME, December 1982
A GEORGE Clinton solo album? Not a bit of it. Right down to Pedro Bell's quirkily barbed sleeve artwork, this is a Funkadelic record. The ...
Shalamar: The Second Time Around
Profile and Interview by Paolo Hewitt, Melody Maker, December 1982
LATE LAST March, under the advice of a close friend, Jeffrey Daniels, one third of a group called Shalamar, took a walk down the Kings ...
Blue-eyed soul: Colour Me Soul
Overview by Bill Millar, History of Rock, The, 1983
The phrase 'blue-eyed soul' was coined by Georgie Woods, a black disc jockey on the WDAS radio station in Philadelphia. One of the major personalities ...
George Clinton: The Return Of Doctor Funkenstein
Interview by Lloyd Bradley, NME, January 1983
TWO YEARS AGO George Clinton was freeing the galactic ass at the head of an unparalleled funk troupe – Parliament, Funkadelic, Bootsy Collins, Sly Stone, ...
Imagination: The Glam Gladiators Fight Back
Interview by Gavin Martin, NME, January 1983
AT THE BOTTOM end of London's Marylebone Road, going towards the station, you pass numerous beauty salons, the type of establishment that's emerged in many ...
Arthur Alexander: A Shot Of Rhythm And Soul (Ace)
Review by Gavin Martin, NME, January 1983
THIS IS a welcome and important collection bringing together for the first time on one LP all the famous and not so famous songs recorded ...
Marvin Gaye: Midnight Love (CBS)
Review by Carol Cooper, Musician, February 1983
UPON RELOCATING to England in 1981, Marvin Gaye complained to London's New Musical Express that his last Tamla release, In Our Lifetime, was flawed because ...
Gap Band, The: The Gap Band: Star Spangled & Starry-Eyed
Interview by Gavin Martin, NME, February 1983
Gavin Martin meets The Gap Band, three of America's fortunate sons who just want to party and make people happy. ...
Earth Wind and Fire: Earth, Wind & Fire: Powerlight (CBS)
Review by Barney Hoskyns, NME, February 1983
I SAY, let's not groove tonight. Sometimes Earth, Wind & Fire get down on a groove and flashily mess it around. Sometimes they just lie ...
Yarbrough & Peoples, Gap Band, The: The Gap Band/Yarbrough and Peoples: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Dave Rimmer, Smash Hits, February 1983
Intrepid fans shuffle past a regiment of niggly security men and into the Hammersmith Odeon. On stage a whole troupe of compères bounce on and ...
In Search Of The L.A. Black Beat
Report by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, May 1983
LOS ANGELES IS the home of black music stars. Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Donna Summer, Lionel Richie, Dionne Warwick, Earth, Wind & Fire, ...
Prince Charles & The City Beat Band: Prince Charles (& The City Beat Band) Alexander
Interview by Simon Witter, Rock's Backpages Audio, May 1983
From the ghetto and gangs of Roxbury in Boston to the Lyceum ballroom: Prince Charles Alexander and his trusty Lyricon move on up.
File format: mp3; file size: 48mb, interview length: 52' 27" sound quality: ***
Prince: Someday Your Prince Will Come
Essay by Carol Cooper, Face, The, June 1983
THE THING TO BEAR IN MIND is that Prince does not do interviews. He certainly didn't do this one, nor any of a dozen others ...
George Clinton: the return of Dr. Funkenstein
Profile and Interview by Michael Goldberg, Rolling Stone, June 1983
HEADS TURN when George Clinton enters a room. Any room. At the moment, the people in the lobby of the Beverly Hills Hotel are staring ...
George Clinton: Putting On The Atomic Dog
Interview by John Morthland, Creem, July 1983
GEORGE CLINTON hunkers down into the couch in the conference room of Capitol's Manhattan offices, pours himself a tall noontime glass of orange juice, and ...
Nile Rodgers: Adventures In The Land Of The Good Groove
Review by Mitchell Cohen, Creem, July 1983
SINCE NILE RODGERS (A) is democratic enough to include Wall Street within the borders of good-groove land (see the map on the album cover), and ...
Freeez: Two's Company... Freeez A Crowd
Interview by Paul Sexton, Record Mirror, July 1983
PROFOUND STATEMENTS of our time, number 23. Let me introduce you to Freeez's John Rocca, who says assertively: "If you want a loaf of bread, ...
Smokey Robinson: Cruisin' with Smokey
Interview by Dave Marsh, Record Magazine, August 1983
In an exclusive interview, the master of the romantic vignette-in-song gets into some nuts-and-bolts talk about the creative process and gets down with some vintage ...
Rick James: Cold Blooded (Motown)
Review by Barney Hoskyns, NME, August 1983
IN THE freak funk stakes, high-livin’ devil-may-care Rick James rates as a bit of a clown. As you’ll know if you caught his Rockpalast ...
Level 42: Standing In The Light (Polydor)
Review by David Quantick, NME, September 1983
BRITFUNK... THERE'S a lot of it about. From the half-Bakered whine of 'AEIOU' to the anonymous disaster that is David Grant, these isles are responsible ...
Big Jay McNeely, Young Jessie, Chuck Higgins, Willie Egan: Electric Ballroom, London
Live Review by Penny Reel, NME, September 1983
I DOUBT WHETHER I am sufficiently qualified to pronounce on the merits or otherwise of the foregoing concert, considering I involve a substantial proportion of ...
Robert 'Bumps' Blackwell: Robert "Bumps" Blackwell
Interview by John Pidgeon, Rock's Backpages Audio, October 1983
Songwriter and producer 'Bumps' Blackwell looks back at his illustrious career in pop and R&B: on Sam Cooke and 'You Send Me', Specialty Records and the West Coast indie scene, and at great length about his major discovery Little Richard.
File format: mp3; file size: 41.3mb, interview length: 45' 08" sound quality: ****
Interview by John Pidgeon, Rock's Backpages Audio, October 1983
The Motown legends tallk about their partnership with Lamont Dozier; songwriting and production; Berry Gordy; their work with the Four Tops; crossing over to the pop market, and leaving Motown.
File format: mp3; file size: 37.2mb, interview length: 40' 35" sound quality: ****
James Jamerson: What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted?
Comment by Dave Marsh, Record Magazine, November 1983
"I walk in shadows, searching for light, Cold and alone, no comfort in sight. Hoping and praying for someone who'll care, Always moving and going ...
Profile and Interview by Chris Salewicz, Face, The, November 1983
IN THE HITCHHIKERS Guide To The Galaxy the number 42 is revealed as the clue to The I Meaning Of Life. This is the origin ...
Interview by Michael Goldberg, Musician, November 1983
THE FOUR women stood in the semi-dark recording studio. "Okay, let's go," said the producer. ...
Junior Walker & The Allstars: Junior Walker: The Shotgun Sherriff Rides Again
Interview by Gavin Martin, NME, November 1983
A Motown soul veteran for all seasons, Junior Walker has taken his sax appeal from small American clubs in the '50s to the heart of ...
Ray Charles, Fats Domino: Thorns In Velvet: Fats Domino and Ray Charles at the Capital Jazz Festival
Live Review by Mick Brown, Guardian, The, 1984
AMONG the collection of venerable antiques paraded for this year’s Capital Jazz Festival – couldn’t the organisers find anybody of note under the age of ...
Live Review by Barney Hoskyns, NME, 1984
IT HAS to be said that this plumpish, carrot-mopped bloke stomping around like a kid in a playpen hardly looks the part of STAR. And ...
Otis Redding: Otis Blue (Atco)
Review by Richard Cook, NME, 1984
AS WITH SUCH iconic records as Forever Changes and Anthem Of The Sun, time has eroded the stature of Otis Blue. ...
Sleevenotes by Bill Millar, Ace Records, 1984
DURING THE early '60s, Arthur Alexander wrote a famous clutch of compact, well-crafted country-soul songs. Stories of inconstant love and private gloom, they were covered ...
Lee Dorsey, Irma Thomas: New Orleans R&B Hits The Club Lingerie
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, January 1984
Bill Bentley and Harold Battiste hope to trigger renewed local interest in New Orleans music at Club Lingerie. ...
Michael Jackson, David Williams: David Williams: A Slight Case Of No Credit
Report by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, January 1984
Session guitarist David Williams' name was left off Thriller album. ...
Luther Vandross: Busy Body (Epic)
Review by Vivien Goldman, NME, January 1984
MY DADDY warned me about fellers like Luther Vandross. He gave me, rest his soul, two sage sayings: "Never run after a bus or a ...
George Clinton: You Shouldn't Nuf Bit Fish (Capitol)
Review by Gavin Martin, NME, January 1984
WHATEVER faults there may be in George Clinton's music, a limited horizon is not one of them. ...
Nina Simone: Diary Of A Princess Noir
Interview by Gavin Martin, NME, February 1984
GAVIN MARTIN DELVES IN BETWEEN THE SHEETS WITH NINA SIMONE – A SOULFUL PUSSYCAT WHO PRETENDS SHE'S AN ANGRY TIGRESS ...
Millie Jackson: E.S.P. (Extra Sexual Persuasion) (Spring)
Review by Vivien Goldman, NME, February 1984
I RESPECT Millie Jackson the way I respect a hooker who succeeds in booting out her pimp and buys a computer to do the accounts ...
Millie Jackson: How To Talk Dirty and Influence People
Interview by Richard Cook, NME, February 1984
WHAT'S HAPPENED to the great soul singers? ...
Womack and Womack: Love Wars (WEA)
Review by Gavin Martin, NME, February 1984
"ABSENCE MAKES the heart grow fonder", sing Cecil (brother of Bobby) and Linda (daughter of Sam Cooke) at the start of their epic 'Love Wars' ...
Michael Jackson: The Biggest Selling Solo Artist Of All Time
Report by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, March 1984
Quiet out there. Michael Jackson's record company is throwing a party and Ian Birch has got an invite. A few famous folk, dancers in top ...
Dr. John: A Shot of Rhythm 'n' Snooze
Interview by Gavin Martin, NME, March 1984
BACK IN New Orleans in the '50s, when he was one of the few white people involved in one of the last great watersheds in ...
Millie Jackson: Dominion, London
Live Review by Charles Shaar Murray, NME, March 1984
WHY IS this woman not in the movies? ...
Womack and Womack: Love Warriors
Interview by Gavin Martin, NME, March 1984
IT SHOULD really be no surprise that Cecil and Linda Womack's Love Wars LP is the most compulsive and acclaimed soul outing since the Marvin ...
Hot Chocolate: All Because The Lady Loves Hot Chocolate
Interview by Paolo Hewitt, NME, March 1984
FRESH FROM his evening shower and now only half an hour away from facing 2,000 of his most ardent supporters, Errol Brown, a white towel ...
Bobby Womack: The Poet II (Beverly Glen import)
Review by Richard Cook, NME, March 1984
AN OLD-FASHIONED man in the midst of a booming, disordered black music, Bobby Womack's journeyman career comes to a glorious peak with The Poet II. ...
Marvin Gaye: Death Of A Midnight Lover – A Tribute To A Trouble Man
Obituary by Paolo Hewitt, NME, April 1984
The romantic spirit of rising young black America in the '60s, Marvin Gaye evolved into a radical voice testifying pleasure and protest. A brilliant artist, ...
Dennis Edwards: Anyone For Dennis?
Interview by Paul Sexton, Record Mirror, April 1984
IT WAS very nearly the combination of the year. Dennis Edwards and Chaka Khan. But hold on: Dennis Edwards and Siedah Garrett – maybe it ...
Obituary by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, April 1984
With the death of MARVIN GAYE, black music lost one of its most eloquent voices. Colin Irwin documents a brilliant but tempestuous career. ...
Interview by Paolo Hewitt, NME, April 1984
HE LOOKS tired now, as if all that time spent playing, writing and dreaming up words and sound had finally drained him of life and ...
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, NME, April 1984
MOST EVERY year now Ms Jamesetta Hawkins – Etta to you – will at the behest of Dingwalls Boss (Goodman, that is) fly over ...
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, NME, April 1984
BARNEY HOSKYNS dials a late night dateline to RICK JAMES at Motown's LA offices. ...
SOS Band, The: The SOS Band: $O$
Interview by Paul Sexton, Record Mirror, April 1984
The selling of soul, by our financial staff, Paul Sexton ...
George Duke, Mtume: Mtume, Duke et al: Class Of '74 Pops Into The Mainstream
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, June 1984
LOOK AT WHAT 10 years can do to jazz mavericks. A decade ago, George Duke, James Mtume, Reggie Lucas, Ndugu Chancler and Stanley Clarke were ...
Tina Turner: Private Dancer (Capitol)
Review by Jack Barron, Sounds, June 1984
AM I the only person who thinks Tina Turner looks, um, more sensual when she's fully clothed rather than parading acres of well preserved flesh? ...
Marvin Gaye: No-One Quite Like Him
Obituary by Dave Marsh, Record Magazine, July 1984
Blessed with a cool born of control rather than emotional distance or reserve, Marvin Gaye was the artist who best expressed Motown's mix of disparate ...
Chic: Believer (Atlantic Records) *½
Review by Jack Barron, Sounds, July 1984
ANYONE FOR aural necrophilia? Like all dead boring musical activities, there is little mutual satisfaction to be gained here. ...
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, July 1984
APPARENTLY THE audience at this 1981 D.C. club date didn't realize that classic, gospel-rooted soul is hopelessly unhip, because it responds to Burke's impassioned performance ...
Review by Gavin Martin, NME, August 1984
THE PROBLEM with major league soul is not a lack of 'good' music. What has been lost is the ability, possibly the desire, to make ...
Jacksons, The: The Jacksons: Victory (Epic)
Review by Barney Hoskyns, NME, August 1984
NO-ONE SHOULD be too surprised that Victory is not a triumph. What's happened to the Jackson household since young Wacko came of age would screw ...
Michael Jackson: Inside the Jackson Dream Machine
Essay by Mick Brown, Sunday Times, August 1984
IN THE Helmsley Palace Hotel, New York – an establishment whose style is best described as neo-Liberace – the lobby was filling up with Michael ...
Jacksons, The: The Jacksons: Meadowlands Stadium, New Jersey
Live Review by Barney Hoskyns, NME, August 1984
SCARCELY HAD I touched down Stateside last week when I found myself bound in a bus for Meadowlands in a humid pocket of endless, endlessly ...
Obituary by Fred Dellar, NME, August 1984
ESTHER PHILLIPS died on 7 August. I read this somewhere in the small print of a national newspaper. "LOS ANGELES – Blues and jazz singer ...
James Brown, Afrika Bambaataa: James Brown (and Afrika Bambaataa): Sex Machine Today
Report and Interview by Gavin Martin, NME, September 1984
WHAT DO you think of when you think of James Brown? A stretcher case raddled with emotional pain dragging himself back from endless encores of ...
Dirty Dozen Brass Band, The: The Dirty Dozen Brass Band: Energetic Updating Of Brass-Band Sound
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, September 1984
NEW ORLEANS — This city is a hotbed of jazz tradition, but the Dirty Dozen Brass Band has come up with a new twist on ...
Denise LaSalle: Right Place, Right Time: The Return of Denise Lasalle
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, September 1984
DENISE LASALLE THOUGHT her singing career was over three years ago. The blues-soul singer, who appears at the Long Beach Blues Festival Saturday, was a ...
Report and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, September 1984
WASHINGTON – Ronald Reagan may preside over official Washington, but Trouble Funk rules the inner city surrounding it. ...
Stevie Wonder: The Woman In Red (Motown)
Review by Simon Witter, NME, September 1984
SO HERE'S a new Stevie Wonder album, but not THE new Stevie Wonder album, the one we've stopped holding our breath for (makes Aswad and ...
Bobby Womack: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Paolo Hewitt, NME, September 1984
YEARS AGO when Bobby Womack bought his raw but stylised music to this same venue it was more a case of disintegration than any cause ...
Johnny Adams Creeps Up On Some Recognition
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, September 1984
NEW ORLEANS — Sometimes talent alone isn't enough to forge a successful career in pop music. ...
Bobby Womack: Something Special (Liberty/EMI)
Review by Gavin Martin, NME, September 1984
ONE OF soul music's great iconclasts, recently repopularised and rediscovered with his two Poet sets, Bobby Womack's marvellous legacy from the late '60s and early ...
Bobby Womack: The Last Great Soul Man
Profile and Interview by Barney Hoskyns, NME, October 1984
Who's that stepping briefly into the limo – and life of – Bobby Womack? Why, it's blushing Barney Hoskyns, who, in the next 5,000 words, ...
Chaka Khan: I Feel For You (Warner Bros.)
Review by Don Snowden, Boston Phoenix, November 1984
CHAKA KHAN'S quest to distance her solo work from Rufus' sly, slinky funk led her into an electronic embrace with producer Arif Mardin Two albums ...
Review by Barney Hoskyns, NME, November 1984
MARY CHRISTINE BROCKERT is a tiny white California gal who makes big, beautiful black music. Her speciality is exuberantly sassy and happy music for the ...
Interview by Simon Witter, Rock's Backpages Audio, November 1984
From tailoring in Savile Row to 'Caribbean Queen' – Billy tells of his fight to break away from the cabaret circuit of his early days to score his mega-hits of the mid-'80s.
File format: mp3; in 2 parts, total file sizes: 55.1mb, total interview length: 1 h 00' 14" sound quality: ***
Interview by Paolo Hewitt, NME, December 1984
NOT EVEN the New York cool that infests a group like The Force MD's can prevent the obvious excitement that sweeps through them as Sylvester ...
Prince & The Revolution: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit
Live Review by Bill Holdship, NME, December 1984
IT TOOK The Star over 55 minutes to make his grand entrance following new paramour Sheila E's rhythmically exciting but lightweight opening set. The lights ...
Sam & Dave: Sam Moore of Sam & Dave (1985)
Interview by Simon Witter, Rock's Backpages Audio, 1985
Getting together with Dave Prater; Atlantic/Stax; the Stax-Volt UK tour; meeting the Queen; working with Lou Reed: the Soul Man speaks.
File format: mp3; file size: 38.5mb, interview length: 42' 01" sound quality: ***
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages Audio, 1985
Growing up in New Orleans, gospel roots, the country music connection and much more.
File format: mp3; in 2 parts, total file sizes: 57.1mb, total interview length: 1h 02' 15" sound quality: ***
James Carr, O.V. Wright: Roosevelt Jamison on James Carr (and O.V. Wright) (1985)
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages Audio, 1985
Roosevelt Jamison – friend, mentor and sometime manager – remembers deep soul greats James Carr and O.V. Wright.
File format: mp3; in 2 parts, total file sizes: 47.2mb, total interview length: 51' 37" sound quality: ***
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages Audio, 1985
The man who co-wrote all those great hits with Isaac Hayes remembers Memphis, and Stax, from back in the day.
File format: mp3; in 3 parts, total file sizes: 78.3mb, total interview length: 1h 25' 36" sound quality: ***
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages Audio, 1985
Rufus Thomas, between mouthfuls, talks about his youth in segregated Memphis, Minstrelsy, Ike and Tina Turner and his long involvement with Stax Records.
File format: mp3; in 3 parts, total file sizes: 70meg, total interview length: 1h 16' 23" sound quality: **
Fatback Band, The: The Fatback Band (1985)
Interview by Simon Witter, Rock's Backpages Audio, 1985
NYC's favourites talk about the genesis of the band, releasing THE first rap record, 'King Tim III', and how the band have survived and thrived with the funk.
File format: mp3; file size: 23mb; Interview length: 25' 09"; sound quality: ***
Overview by Pete Grendysa, Collecting Magazine, 1985
IT WOULD BE HARD to imagine a stranger combination of factors than those that brought about the formation of rhythm & blues. Crucial to ...
Sleevenotes by Bill Millar, Saxonograph Records sleevenote, 1985
IN AUGUST 1983 Big Jay McNeely flew to London for the R & B Jamboree at Camden 's Electric Ballroom where he topped a bill ...
Sleevenotes by Bill Millar, Charly Records, 1985
BILLY WARD'S DOMINOES, from whose personnel Clyde McPhatter and Jackie Wilson later emerged as star soloists, were the founding fathers of gospel-oriented doowop with a ...
If It Don't Go, It Ain't Go-Go!
Report by Simon Witter, NME, February 1985
IT'S RARE FOR AN excellent musical style to remain unknown for long, yet Washington's Go-Go scene has done just that despite us running Richard Grabel's ...
Shriekback: Funk's Fictional Threat
Essay by Simon Reynolds, Monitor, March 1985
1985, AND A GAGGLE of groups plough a well-furrowed, increasingly barren field. ...
Redds And The Boys: Groovin' To A Go Go
Profile and Interview by Simon Witter, NME, March 1985
CHUCK BERRY boogied on his finger, wiped it on the wall, and outraged America's upright citizens. ...
Luther Vandross: The Night I Fell In Love
Review by Barney Hoskyns, NME, March 1985
[2004 note: It makes me wince to look back and see my jejune critical self dismissing ‘The Other Side of the World’ as "tediously soupy". ...
Prince: Around the World in a Day
Review by Biba Kopf, NME, May 1985
The Return Of The Acid Reign ...
Dr. John: Nights For Trippin' With Dr. John At The Lingerie
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, May 1985
DR. JOHN SHOULD feel right at home this weekend at the Lingerie in Hollywood. ...
Ashford & Simpson: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Chris Roberts, Sounds, June 1985
REVELATION ONE. Ashford (Mr) gets down on his knees, and tells us the meaning: "Grrr nga nga nga huh witness!" Revelation Two. Ashford: "When I ...
Review by Simon Witter, NME, June 1985
POOR RICK has never been taken very seriously - a self-obsessed prima-donna of sophistifunk, as lascivious as Richard Pryor’s ear-screwing monkey. But the slick Dick ...
Prince: Around The World In A Day
Review by Max Bell, Times, The, June 1985
PRINCE, THE CURRENT court jester of American hippy soul, once wrote a song called 'Ronnie, Talk To Russia', a good message number that indicated this ...
Interview by Simon Witter, Rock's Backpages Audio, July 1985
The Cameo frontman goes back and forth over his influences, the band's formation and changes over the years, philosophy, race and all kinds of fascinating stuff!
File format: mp3; in 3 parts, total file sizes: 85.7mb, total interview length: 1h 33' 37" sound quality: ***
Al Green: The Pre-Godlike Genius Of Green
Review by Charles Shaar Murray, NME, August 1985
Let's Stay Together (Hi)I'm Still In Love With You (Hi)Call Me (Hi)Precious Lord (Hi) ...
Review by Don Snowden, Boston Phoenix, August 1985
SOME PEOPLE MAY cherish Holy Cow! (Arista) for making readily available a single-volume collection of Lee Dorsey's irresistible, sublimely lazy '60s hits like ‘Ya Ya’ ...
Stylistics, The: The Stylistics: Style Wars
Interview by David Toop, Black Echoes, August 1985
DAVID TOOP talks to the world's greatest soft soul harmony group – THE STYLISTICS ...
Bobby Womack: The Great Provider
Interview by Paolo Hewitt, NME, August 1985
"They call me a living legend/But I'm just a soldier who's been left behind/And now my heart can't take it/My feet won't make it/I'm the ...
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages Audio, September 1985
"I never did feel like a soul singer": from his youth in Texas to Nashville success, Dobie Gray talks about his crossover from R&B to country.
File format: mp3; in 2 parts, total file sizes: 43.9mb, total interview length: 47' 54" sound quality: ****
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages Audio, September 1985
A short chat with the country-soul legend, talking about writing 'Cry Like A Baby', producing the Box Tops, and on the sadly MIA Eddie Hinton
File format: mp3 File size: 9.2mb Interview length: 10 minutes Sound quality: ****
Report by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, October 1985
IS WASHINGTON'S explosive Go-Go funk Style destined to follow New York's rap/scratch/hip-hop brigade into the pop mainstream? ...
Morris Day, Time, The: Now Is The Time For Morris Day
Interview by Carol Cooper, Face, The, December 1985
He played the senior dude in Purple Rain, the one who nearly stole the show from his real-life hometown rival Prince. He calls his autobiographical ...
Dusty Springfield: Dusty In Memphis
Review by Charles Shaar Murray, NME, 1986
ONE OF THE pleasures of the recent rerun series of Ready Steady Go Starring The Dave Clark Five was the opportunity to be reminded that ...
Harlem’s Finest: The Apollo Theatre
Retrospective by Michael Lydon, unpublished, 1986
THROUGH A GAUZY silver curtain, multi-colored lights outline a band playing a mellow blues with a dancing beat. As the audience begins to cheer, the ...
Tommy Tate: Singing For The Soul Of It
Profile and Interview by Barney Hoskyns, NME, January 1986
BARNEY HOSKYNS meets Mississippi soulman TOMMY TATE, whose 'What gives You The Right' is one of the "Sweetest, saddest black pop records of all time". ...
Full Force: Young Business People Of The Year?
Interview by Paul Sexton, Record Mirror, January 1986
Well, they have created the biggest 12 inch record in CBS history and they are going to feature on a new tribute to Martin Luther ...
Stevie Wonder: In Square Circle
Review by Roy Trakin, Creem, February 1986
IT BUBBLES, it gurgles, it coos. You were maybe expecting ‘Fingertips Part III’? In Square Circle is a seamless piece of synthetic aural gratification that ...
Ruby Turner: Jewel In The Crown
Profile and Interview by Penny Reel, NME, February 1986
IT MIGHT be late to break nationally but in this man's town at least Ruby Turner's beefy update of 'If You're Ready (Come Go With ...
James Brown: He's So Good, He Says
Interview by Ben Fong-Torres, San Francisco Chronicle, February 1986
JAMES BROWN is a litany of hit songs and personal titles. He's the Godfather of Soul, the King of Soul, the Living Legend of Soul, ...
Merry Clayton, Rolling Stones, The: 'Shelter' from the Storm: Merry Clayton
Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, March 1986
MERRY CLAYTON'S spine-chilling vocal in the middle of ‘Gimme Shelter’ is one of the most electrifying moments in rock history but you couldn't blame Clayton ...
Alexander O'Neal, Cherrelle: Cherrelle, Alexander O'Neal: Fairfield Halls, Croydon
Live Review by Paul Sexton, Record Mirror, March 1986
THEY PACK 'EM in down Croydon way. A brace of shows by the Tabu twosome, no less, proving that Saturday love really stretches this far ...
Prince: Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles
Live Review by Mat Snow, NME, March 1986
GET A load of this guy. Five-foot-two in high heels, his tight black toreador pants stretch up to a fraction above his crack, hence a ...
Report and Interview by Richard Grabel, Creem, April 1986
THIS IS CRAZY. I'm in Cheriy's Roller Rink, in Northeast Washington, D.C. The place is filled with black teenagers, and even their younger brothers and ...
Interview by Gavin Martin, NME, April 1986
WHEN THE wheels of celebrity are set in motion the limousine windows are tainted; bystanders can see in but the star is blinded to life ...
Funkadelic, George Clinton: George Clinton: Fried Brains To Go
Interview by Simon Witter, NME, April 1986
"GEORGE WILL be with you in a minute, he's just playing with a raygun." (Clintonesque PR person). ...
Review by Davitt Sigerson, Rolling Stone, April 1986
WHO BUT PRINCE fills us today with the kind of anticipation we once reserved for new work by Bob Dylan, the Beatles and the Rolling ...
Solomon Burke: Soul Alive! (Rounder)
Review by Don Snowden, Boston Phoenix, May 1986
THE TRUE TRIUMPH of Solomon Burke's Soul Alive! (Rounder) was neither the spirited elan of performances that transcended mere revivalism nor the startling, albeit chart-invisible, ...
5 Star: Five Star: Sibling Soul
Interview by Paolo Hewitt, NME, May 1986
FIVE STAR are one of Britain's most successful chart acts, but their Dad still keeps them firmly in line. PAOLO HEWITT meets the stars who ...
Interview by Simon Witter, Rock's Backpages Audio, June 1986
He disapproves of drugs! He digs Yes! From being pushed by his father as a kid, via the P-Funk connection and the Ohio funk scene to his mad recording methods, Zapp frontman Roger Troutman tells all.
File format: mp3; file size: 56.5mb, interview length: 1h 01' 41" sound quality: ***
Zapp: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Simon Reynolds, Melody Maker, July 1986
ZAPP LIVE were perhaps the most extreme spectacle I have ever witnessed, with both band and audience abandoning inhibitions more extensively than at any rock ...
Peter Guralnick: Sweet Soul Music
Book Review by Charles Shaar Murray, NME, July 1986
FA-FA-FA-FA-FA-FAB ...
Rockin' Sidney, Denise LaSalle: Rockin' Sidney and Denise LaSalle: The Toot Toot Route
Report by Mike Atherton, Black Echoes, July 1986
Sidney Simien spent part of 1984 recording new songs at his home studio in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Unremarkable as this information may seem, it was ...
Interview by Larry Jaffee, Rock's Backpages Audio, August 1986
Scott-Heron talks about music and politics, Reron and B Movie, Sun City, Clive Davis and Arista/RCA, and ruminates on favourites old and new.
File format: mp3; file size: 18.1mb, interview length: 19' 42" sound quality: * (phoner)
George Clinton: Electric Spankatizer Yeah
Interview by Jack Barron, Sounds, August 1986
SPACE: THE FINAL FRONTIER OR THE GAP BETWEEN GREEN POINTY EARS? ...
Interview by Gavin Martin, NME, August 1986
"BIG? I WASN'T prepared for just how big Gwen Guthrie is. Unkempt too...hair straggly, dressed in just a white wraparound bathrobe, she's been bustled straight ...
Interview by David Stubbs, Melody Maker, August 1986
GWEN GUTHRIE, currently burning 'em up with 'Ain't Nothin' Goin' On But The Rent' explains to David Stubbs the genesis of 'Fly Girl' ...
Interview by Chris Roberts, Sounds, August 1986
Listen up! Ambition may be the result of having a possessive, overbearing mother, but just eat a big avocado salad and you'll be solid. And ...
George Clinton, Parliament: Parliament: Uncut Funk — The Bomb
Review by Barney Hoskyns, NME, September 1986
GEORGE CLINTON is one of the great people of the 20th century. Probably you know this already. He took the funk legacy of James Brown ...
Profile and Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, October 1986
"THERE COMES A time in a kid's life when they have to take over. It's hard for the parents to let go – and I'm ...
Lionel Richie: Dancing On the Ceiling
Review by Adam Sweeting, Q, October 1986
IT IS SAID THAT Lionel Richie's previous solo album, Can't Slow Down, sold an unthinkable 15 million copies, the kind of statistic that can cause ...
Jerry Butler: The Ice Man Cometh
Interview by Simon Witter, NME, October 1986
JERRY BUTLER – Chicago crooner, beer businessman and local politician – meets cool SIMON WITTER ...
Cameo: Word Up! (Phonogram/Club Records)***2/3
Review by Jack Barron, Sounds, October 1986
WORDS UPSIDEDOWN: Because you're not the only one whose heart has been broken and Blackmon's approach will serve to remind you of this – and ...
James Brown: Stay On The Scene Like An Answerin' Machine
Interview by Mark Sinker, NME, October 1986
MARK SINKER talks to God – alias JAMES BROWN – on the great black telephone. ...
Whitney Houston: Wembley Arena, London
Live Review by Chris Roberts, Sounds, October 1986
I WAS there. ...
Trouble Funk: Say What! Live In London
Review by Mat Snow, NME, November 1986
JUST THE other night I achieved a tiny slice of immortality when radio-jock Andy Kershaw played a 1960s Texan garage nugget of which he knows ...
Patti LaBelle: Patti Labelle: Labelle Of The Ball
Interview by Lucy O'Brien, NME, November 1986
"I LOVE Madonna. I do. I just don't like the way she stepped on my feet. We were at the American Music Awards, in the ...
Jesse Johnson: "Prince Is An Asshole"
Interview by Simon Witter, NME, November 1986
OF ALL THIS last decade's superstar black bands, which do you think has spawned the most solo success stories? The Jacksons? Earth Wind & Fire? ...
Kool and the Gang: Kool & The Gang (1986)
Interview by Simon Witter, Rock's Backpages Audio, December 1986
The Bell boys talk about the road from hard funk to pop-funk, changes of personnel, their jazz roots and describe a year in the life of the band.
File format: mp3; file size: 35.8mb, interview length: 39' 07" sound quality: **
Whitney Houston: The Long Road To Overnight Stardom
Report and Interview by Bud Scoppa, Billboard, December 1986
ONCE IN A BLUE MOON, a new artist emerges who simply takes over, in utterly decisive and undeniable fashion. So it was with Whitney Houston ...
Cameo Wins Funk Fans With Sly Wit
Live Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, December 1986
Cameo: Santa Monica Civic, Santa Monica ...
Interview by Paolo Hewitt, NME, December 1986
His codpiece was banned from TOTP, his new single 'Candy' has been banned by Radio One, but LARRY BLACKMON has still led Cameo to the ...
John Richbourg: The Grandaddy Of Soul
Retrospective and Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Soul Survivor, Summer 1986
OF THE MANY white disc jockeys who pioneered the airplay of black rhythm 'n' blues through the 1950s and 60s, perhaps the most influential in ...
Interview by Simon Witter, Rock's Backpages Audio, 1987
The First Gentleman of New Orleans on the city's music then and now, on Ernie K-Doe, Irma Thomas, Lee Dorsey and the Meters, and on songwriting, producing and performing.
File format: mp3; file size: 66.4mb, interview length: 1h 12' 30" sound quality: ***
Patti LaBelle: On Her Own: Patti Labelle
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Vogue, 1987
PATTI LABELLE HAS seen it all – lived through every phase of black American pop from the doo-woppy girl groups of the early 1960s to ...
Interview by Mat Snow, Rock's Backpages Audio, 1987
Drop The Bomb! The First Citizens of the Chocolate City talk about everything Go Go: the audiences, the live thing, getting energy from the people and the Washington DC scene.
File format: mp3; in 2 parts, total file sizes: 40.8mb, total interview length: 44' 24" sound quality: ***
Hank Ballard and the Midnighters: Hank Ballard (1987)
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages, 1987
From Alabama to Detroit, from The Royals to The Midnighters, the great Hank Ballard tells of Clyde McPhatter, Billy Ward, King Records and 'The Twist' and 'Work With Me Annie'
File format: mp3; in 2 parts, total file sizes: 42.2meg, total interview length: 46' 05" sound quality: ***
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages Audio, 1987
The gal with the Big Hair talks about hitting with 'On My Own', the making of her Winner In You album, and fondly remembers the old package-tour days and her time with LaBelle.
File format: mp3 File size: 16.1mb Interview length: 17 minutes 32 seconds Sound quality: ***
Johnny Adams: The Tan Nightingale (Charly)
Review by Barney Hoskyns, NME, 1987
CHARLY FOLLOW-UP their 1978 reissue of Johnny's Heart And Soul album with a wider-ranging retrospective on the man also known as the Tan Canary. (Given ...
Aaron Neville, ZZ Hill: Stateside Booty: ZZ Hill, Aaron Neville, Jimmy Holiday and Early Motown
Review by Barney Hoskyns, NME, 1987
THE FLOOD of soul reissues and compilations continues with four more from the vaults of EMI's Stateside subsidiary. First off, an album of mid-period (early ...
General Kane: Slamming The Crack
Profile and Interview by Simon Witter, NME, January 1987
Crack may have killed Applejack but GENERAL KANE leader Mitch McDowell won't touch the stuff: "I'm no saint, I've done a lot of things in ...
Interview by Caroline Sullivan, Melody Maker, January 1987
ANITA BAKER, the new queen of soul, discusses the dos and dont's of the bigtime with a sympathetic Caroline Sullivan. ...
George Benson: "If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It"
Interview by Adam Sweeting, Q, February 1987
KEN FRITZ, the slim, obsessively neat half of George Benson's management team Fritz & Turner, was worried that he may have caught a chill while ...
Interview by Paul Sexton, Record Mirror, February 1987
Hot House is one of the best new soul acts in Britain. Hot House was signed before their record company had even seen a picture ...
Luther Vandross: The Language of Love
Interview by Caroline Sullivan, Melody Maker, February 1987
So what does LUTHER VANDROSS, sex god to millions, do on a date? Does he even date at all? And what the hell happened when ...
Profile and Interview by Charles Shaar Murray, Q, March 1987
NEW YORK CITY 1985. The Rolling Stones are holed up in the studio cutting tracks for Dirty Work, their first album under their new deal ...
Janet Jackson: Complete Control
Interview by David Stubbs, Melody Maker, March 1987
'WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, I USED TO TALK TO THE ANIMALS... THEY'RE GOOD LISTENERS, AND I ALWAYS FELT THEY UNDERSTOOD.' SO SAYS JANET JACKSON, IN ...
Profile and Interview by Kathryn Flett, i-D, April 1987
IN THE TWO weeks between i-D's attempt to organise an interview with Hot House and actually getting to do it they became – such is ...
Chuck Brown & the Soul Searchers: Chuck Brown: Take The Money And Go-Go
Interview by Sean O'Hagan, NME, April 1987
CHUCK BROWN'S in Britain to stick up the go-go scene with his pioneering blast of bum-pin'. But as SEAN O'HAGAN finds out, he didn't get ...
Interview by Gavin Martin, NME, May 1987
Years of sweating his butt off for The G.F.O.S. James Brown have told on Mr Maceo. And now that his own MACEO AND THE MACKS ...
Review by Paolo Hewitt, NME, June 1987
Prince isn't a star, he's an event. And so is the release of his new double LP. Paolo Hewitt is let to the subterranean bunker ...
Profile and Interview by Steven Rosen, Guitar World, July 1987
A NATIVE OF Los Angeles, Paul Jackson, Jr. credits "The Lord" for his entry into the protected domain of the session player. While no one ...
Review by Lloyd Bradley, Q, July 1987
WHITNEY HOUSTON had a lot to live up to from the moment 'Saving All My Love For You' and its shiny video went public. Its ...
Luther Vandross: Wembley Arena, London
Live Review by Mat Snow, Sounds, July 1987
YOU CAN'T fake this kind of excitement. There can be no more exquisite thrill in live entertainment than a summery, scantily-clad soul crowd climaxing as ...
James Carr: At the Dark End of the Street (Blue Side)
Review by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, July 1987
Artist: James Carr.Album: At the Dark End of the Street (Blue Side). ...
Diana Ross: Red Hot Rhythm And Blues
Review by Charles Shaar Murray, Q, August 1987
Miss Ross: not exactly on the front burner, but cooking nonetheless. ...
Terence Trent D'Arby: The Great Contender
Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, August 1987
TERENCE TRENT D'ARBY isn't modest. But, as he's quick to point out, he has very little to be modest about. Two hit singles, a number ...
Interview by Charles Shaar Murray, Q, September 1987
"I'M VERY, VERY self-critical. I'm very critical of others, but I'm also very critical of my own work and there's no-one that could possibly put ...
Diana Ross: The Gospel According To Miss Ross
Interview by Charles Shaar Murray, Q, October 1987
"I'VE BEEN HERE so many times before," murmurs Diana Ross as she sweeps, surrounded by a clucking entourage, through the foyer of the EMI Records ...
Review by Davitt Sigerson, Rolling Stone, October 1987
MICHAEL JACKSON is a man. Agreed, he is a young man, emotional age about thirteen, with a young man's interest in cars, girls, scary movies ...
Retrospective by Pete Grendysa, Goldmine, October 1987
SHE HAS A TRANSLUCENT, flawless complexion, and her facial features are doll-like, suffused with an inner glow. Barely over five-feet tall, she holds herself oddly ...
Review by Tom Graves, Rock and Roll Disc, November 1987
IF MICHAEL JACKSON is not the most confusing entertainer of our time, you can't blame him for not trying. ...
Interview by Richard Cook, NME, November 1987
JAPANESE TOURISTS frantically snapping photographs of each other is a recurring scenario common to the lobbies of Europe's grandest hotels. Today is different. Stepping from ...
Sam & Dave: Sam and Dave: The Best of Sam & Dave
Review by Tom Graves, Rock and Roll Disc, December 1987
DURING THE HEIGHT of the Blues Brothers craze, I went to a small club to see the re-formed Sam and Dave. The dance floor ...
Roger Troutman, Zapp: Roger Troutman: Unlimited! (Reprise)
Review by Don Snowden, Boston Phoenix, December 1987
THE DAYTON, Ohio-based Troutman clan that has given us Zapp and now Roger has developed perhaps the most schizoid personality in black music. ...
Clyde McPhatter, Drifters, The: Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters
Sleevenotes by Pete Grendysa, Atlantic Records, 1988
FROM THE MOMENT the lights were dimmed in the old St. Nicholas Arena for Alan Freed's first New York Rock And Roll Show in January, ...
Review by Lloyd Bradley, Q, January 1988
THE SINGLE, 'SKELETONS', made a couple of bold statements: its earthy, chunky bass synth lines proved Stevie Wonder to have recaptured the simple approach to ...
Irma Thomas: Time On Her Side: Irma Thomas
Profile and Interview by Don Snowden, Los Angeles Times, February 1988
IRMA THOMAS' entrance into the music business is the kind of story rock dreams are made of. ...
Gladys Knight: All Our Love (MCA)
Review by Jack Barron, NME, February 1988
SINCE WINNING the Ted Mack Amateur Hour TV show at the age of eight and picking up $2000 for her rendition of Nat 'King' Cole's ...
Review by Roy Trakin, Creem, March 1988
THIS IS ALMOST as satisfying a return to form as Sugar Ray Leonard's victory over Marvelous Marvin Hagler and practically as much of an upset. ...
James Blood Ulmer: Pied Bull, Islington, London
Live Review by Jack Barron, NME, April 1988
DRUNK ON BLOOD ...
Joe Tex: The Clown Prince of Soul
Sleevenotes by Barney Hoskyns, 'The Very Best of Joe Tex' (Charly Records), May 1988
WHEN NASHVILLE publisher-producer Buddy Killen first met Joe Tex in 1961, the singer already had six years of recording and performing under his belt. They ...
Interview by Simon Witter, Rock's Backpages Audio, May 1988
Interviewed at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans after a storming performance at the Jazz & Heritage Festival, the Rev. ruminates on the conflict between the spiritual and the secular, his own return to the church, and the two Al Greens.
File format: mp3; file size: 35.4mb; Interview length: 38' 39"; sound quality: ***
Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones: Quincy Jones
Interview by Robin Eggar, Time Out, June 1988
The Jackson and Jones alliance has seen the transformation of a bubble-gum singer into the greatest musical phenomenon of his era. ...
James Brown: I'm Real (Polydor)
Review by Mark Sinker, NME, June 1988
HE ISN'T, of course. He's Mr James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, the Funky President, the Original Disco Man. He's a numbing backbeat tightened to ...
Jesse Johnson: Every Shade of Love (A&M)
Review by Roy Trakin, Musician, July 1988
YOU'D BE excused for mistaking one-Time guitarist Jesse Johnson for his former Twin Cities running mate, Prince. ...
Al Green: “I May Be From Another Planet…”: Al Green
Interview by Simon Witter, NME, July 1988
2005 note: I was in New Orleans in April/May 1988, filming items for German TV, when I heard that Al Green would be playing at ...
Michael Jackson: Wembley Stadium, London
Live Review by Mat Snow, Sounds, July 1988
A GIANT STEP FOR EVENT-KIND: Bringing his spectacular live show to the UK, MICHAEL JACKSON proves he can moonwalk and walk on water. MAT SNOW witnesses the Second Coming. ...
Review by Geoffrey Himes, Columbia Flyer (Maryland), October 1988
BOTH PRINCE and Michael Jackson came to the Capital Centre last week for a showdown between the two reigning giants of rock'n'soul. Appearing in the ...
Ray Charles: 40 Years of Genius: Ray Charles
Retrospective by Pete Grendysa, Record Collectors' Monthly, November 1988
YOU CAN RUN to the mountains and you can hide out in a dingy jazz club in SoHo, but you can't escape Ray Charles. ...
Memphis Horns, The: The Memphis Horns: All The Way From Memphis
Interview by Robert Gordon, Music & Sound Output, December 1988
The Memphis Horns Celebrate 25 Years ...
Earth Wind and Fire: Earth, Wind and Fire's Maurice White and Philip Bailey (1988)
Interview by Simon Witter, Rock's Backpages Audio, Fall 1988
Maurice White and Philip Bailey talk about latest album Touch The World, changes in the band, outside producers and record company politics. Plus a treatise on Egyptology!
File format: mp3; file size: 22.6mb, interview length: 24' 40" sound quality: ***
Interview by Christine Natanael, Reflex, 1989
GRABBIN' AND RIFFIN', skankin' and ska – there's a revolution happenin'. Combining all the noises, making them all one, Fishbone leads the masses to have ...
Interview by John McCready, Face, The, 1989
"ASK ME what you want, John. I can take it. I mean, what are you going to do — spank me?" ...
Bobby Womack: Doin’ It His Own Way: Bobby Womack
Sleevenotes by Barney Hoskyns, 'Womack Winners', 1989
WHEN BOBBY WOMACK called his seventeenth solo album The Last Soul Man and set out on 1987’s quasi-missionary tour of the same name, he was ...
Interview by Simon Witter, NME, January 1989
OVER THE PAST 12 months Universal City – the five square miles of North Hollywood dominated by the MCA/Universal studios – has yielded a crop ...
Luther Vandross, part 1 (1989)
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages Audio, March 1989
Luther Vandross talks about growing up in the Bronx and his early bands, his big break working on Bowie's 'Young Americans', meeting Marcus Miller and hanging out with Chic.
File format: mp3 File size: 33.6mb Interview length: 36 minutes 48 seconds Sound quality: ****
Luther Vandross, part 2 (1989)
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages Audio, March 1989
A master at work: Vandross talks to Barney Hoskyns about producing, recording and singing... and his privacy and sense of self.
File format: mp3 File size: 33.7mb Interview length: 36 minutes 54 seconds Sound quality: ****
Hot House: Town & Country Club, London
Live Review by Caroline Sullivan, Melody Maker, March 1989
THERE ARE, oh, a thousand or so people in London who know that Hot House have nothing to do with Chicago, or with Liam O'Maonlai ...
Luther Vandross: The Soul Survivor
Profile and Interview by Mark Cooper, Guardian, The, March 1989
Mark Cooper on the awesome presence that is Luther Vandross ...
Luther Vandross: What A World For The Lonely Kind: Luther Vandross
Profile and Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Times, The, March 1989
LUTHER VANDROSS is the pre-eminent mainstream soul performer of the 1980s. As a singer, songwriter and producer he is – with the possible exception of ...
Stevie Wonder: Breaking The Square Circle
Interview by Paolo Hewitt, NME, April 1989
Perhaps the most innovative musician of the '70s, STEVIE WONDER has enjoyed mixed fortunes in the '80s, dividing his time between duets with Dionne Warwick ...
Neville Brothers, The: The Neville Brothers: Yellow Moon
Review by Andy Gill, Q, May 1989
The Neville Brothers bring it all back home. ...
Interview by Nick Coleman, Time Out, June 1989
"Sometimes I wonder if you love me the way you say you do... Sometimes I just fold my arms and say... weeeee-eeeeh awooooah!" ...
Bobby Brown: Goodbye Cruel World
Report and Interview by David Stubbs, Melody Maker, June 1989
THE ALL-SINGING, ALL-DANCING WUNDERKIND IS CURRENTLY THE FASTEST RISING STAR IN AMERICA WITH HIS DEBUT ALBUM DON'T BE CRUEL. AT ONLY 20 HE IS SET ...
Bobby Brown: Bobby Bites The Bullet
Profile and Interview by Mark Cooper, Guardian, The, June 1989
Mark Cooper meets the young American soul star everybody's gunning for ...
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages Audio, July 1989
Soul legend Johnnie Taylor tells Barney Hoskyns about his background in gospel with the Highway QCs and the Soul Stirrers, Sam Cooke, Stax Records, having hits in the disco era, and finding a new home at Malaco.
File format: mp3 File size: 20.8mb Interview length: 22 minutes 45 seconds Sound quality: ****
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages Audio, July 1989
Bobby Bland talks about his influences, including MOR men like Perry Como and Andy Williams, and about the ups and downs of his career. Oh, and how C.L. Franklin gave him "the squall".
File format: mp3 File size: 15.8mb Interview length: 17 minutes 12 seconds Sound quality: ****
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages Audio, July 1989
Etta James tells Barney Hoskyns about her struggles with addiction, meeting Billie Holiday, making Seven Year Itch and staying contemporary.
File format: mp3 File size: 40.4mb; Interview length: 44 minutes 5 seconds Sound quality: **
Report by Lloyd Bradley, Q, September 1989
AT 11 O'CLOCK on Friday June 30, shoppers in Oxford Street's HMV Records noticed a growing number of predominantly female teenagers filing into the store. ...
Soul II Soul: Funki Bold Demeanour
Interview by Sean O'Hagan, NME, September 1989
• Current king of British clubs JAZZIE B is preparing to launch SOUL II SOUL even further ahead of the opposition-the summer soundtrack on both ...
George Clinton: Tales Of Kidd Funkadelic
Interview by Kris Needs, Dance Music Report, October 1989
AT LAST it seems like George Clinton is getting some just recognition after about a quarter century of being funk's most colourful and innovative character. ...
Janet Jackson: Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814
Review by Lloyd Bradley, Q, October 1989
IT'S ALMOST FOUR years since Janet Jackson's last album – Control The Remixes hardly counts – and nearly 12 months since she began recording this ...
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages Audio, October 1989
The giant of New Orleans singers looks back at his roots in the Crescent City: the hard times and the good times, being a Neville Brother, key vocal influences and more.
File format: mp3 File size: 29.2mb Interview length: 31 minutes 55 seconds Sound quality: ***
Neville Brothers, The: The Neville Brothers: At Last The Legend Lives
Profile and Interview by Mark Cooper, Guardian, The, October 1989
The Neville Brothers, long held in awe by fellow musicians, are finally selling records. Mark Cooper on the London-bound band. ...
Curtis Mayfield: The Palomino, Los Angeles
Live Review by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, October 1989
Mayfield Performs Cream of His Crop of Hits ...
Terence Trent D'Arby: Neither Fish Nor Flesh
Review by Charles Shaar Murray, Q, November 1989
"PEOPLE, LISTEN to me," announces Terence Trent D'Arby over the intro of 'I Don't Want To Bring The Gods Down', "this is not a film, ...
Alexander O'Neal: Wembley Arena, London
Live Review by Dele Fadele, NME, December 1989
THE LIFESTYLE stemming from competent professional soul is utterly despicable. Ostentatious displays of wealth inherent in the flashy cars and gaudily overpriced fashions turn my ...
Soul II Soul: Songs In The Key Of Life
Interview by Ian Gittins, Melody Maker, December 1989
WITH A STRING OF SUCCESSFUL SINGLES AND A STUNNING DEBUT ALBUM, SOUL II SOUL HAVE SPEARHEADED THE DANCE REVIVAL OF THE LATE-EIGHTIES AND LOOK LIKE ...
Patti LaBelle, Anita Baker, Aretha Franklin: Women Soul Singers
Essay by Barney Hoskyns, Vogue, 1990
FOR ALL THE LEGENDARY kings of soul music, the Sam Cookes and Otis Reddings and Marvin Gayes, the true spirit of this great black American ...
Irma Thomas: Something Good: The Muscle Shoals Sessions
Sleevenotes by Don Snowden, Chess/MCA Records, 1990
CHESS WAS pre-eminently a blues label and Chess was most definitely a Chicago-based label but Chess was also a hit-seeking label and that fundamental fact ...
Brook Benton: 40 Greatest Hits
Sleevenotes by Colin Escott, Polygram Records, 1990
BROOK BENTON'S music was a study in contrast. The lushness of the backings was juxtaposed against the contained passion in his voice. On ...
Quincy Jones: Back On The Block
Review by Charles Shaar Murray, Q, January 1990
ON THE FACE of it, this is where the man who was called 'Q' even before this magazine generously allows his address book to make ...
George Clinton & The P-Funk Allstars: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Simon Witter, NME, February 1990
GEORGE CLINTON once said, explaining his orchestration of an 18-piece band, "Offer great musicians the possibility of order and anarchy on the same plate, and ...
Overview by Charles Shaar Murray, Q, July 1990
He began making records as a control-fixated 18-year-old studio rat from Minneapolis. Ten albums later Prince had become the definitive pop icon of the '80s. ...
Neville Brothers, The: Neville Brothers: The Mississippi Mafia
Profile and Interview by Andy Gill, Q, August 1990
THE NEW ORLEANS Jazz & Heritage Festival makes most British music festivals, even the Readings and Glastonburys, look a bit sick by comparison. It's not ...
Neville Brothers, The: The Neville Brothers: Brother's Keeper
Review by Mark Cooper, Q, September 1990
AFTER SPENDING A decade producing four albums for as many labels, the four Nevilles finally got the bit between their teeth with the Daniel Lanois-produced ...
Profile and Interview by Kirk Silsbee, LA Reader, November 1990
AN OFT-REPEATED myth about American popular music is that the early 1960s were a fallow period, dominated by greasy teen idols named Bobby. Supposedly, domestic ...
Bobby 'Blue' Bland: Two Steps from the Blues: The Gospel According to Bobby 'Blue' Bland
Book Excerpt by Barney Hoskyns, From a Whisper to a Scream (Fontana Books), 1991
WHEN HOWLIN' WOLF left Memphis for Chicago in late 1952, Sun Records' Sam Phillips was left with a crop of younger blues singers who in ...
Interview by Lloyd Bradley, Q, 1991
"At least people know what I look like now." ...
Isley Brothers, The: AUDIO: The Isley Brothers' Marvin Isley (1991)
Interview by Steve Roeser, Rock's Backpages Audio, 1991
Second generation Isley Marvin looks back at his elder brothers' success in the late '50s, and the way he and brother Ernie and cousin Chris Jasper re-invigorated the band in the early '70s.
File format: mp3; file size: 83.8mb, interview length: 1h 31' 30" sound quality: ***
Whitney Houston: An Interview with Whitney Houston
Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, 1991
SO MUCH HAS BEEN written and said about Whitney Houston since she burst on to the recording scene in 1985 with 'You Give Good Love', ...
Allen Toussaint: The Collection
Sleevenotes by Don Snowden, Reprise Records, 1991
BY THE TIME Allen Toussaint released his first Warner Bros. album, Life, Love And Motion, in 1972, it was already impossible to look at New ...
Retrospective by Pete Grendysa, Goldmine, February 1991
"WE PAID OUR dues, singing on corners, at parties, driving all over the country, sleeping in cubbyholes where we had to take turns. ...
Dan Penn, Aretha Franklin: Dan Penn
Interview by John Pidgeon, Record Hunter, March 1991
DAN PENN WROTE his first hit ('Is A Bluebird Blue?' for Conway Twitty) at fourteen, and collaborated prolifically with Spooner Oldham, turning out mid '60s ...
Alexander O'Neal: All True Man
Review by Mark Cooper, Q, March 1991
ALEXANDER O'NEAL ONCE once remarked that he was successful because he helped "bring back masculinity to the black industry". ...
Review by Charles Shaar Murray, Q, May 1991
AN ASSEMBLAGE of 71 tracks and slightly less than five hours of music, weighing in at four CDs or cassettes (committed vinylists are, unfortunately, totally ...
Temptations, The, David Ruffin: Former Temptation David Ruffin Dies
Obituary by Michael Goldberg, Rolling Stone, July 1991
DAVID RUFFIN, a former lead singer for the Temptations, died of a drug overdose in the early-morning hours of June 1st at the Hospital of ...
Luther Vandross: Battle Of The Bulge
Interview by Mark Cooper, Q, August 1991
ON THE HOSPITALITY TABLE OF Luther Vandross's suite at Hollywood's Four Seasons Hotel, four untouched plates of king prawns lie waiting next to a half-demolished ...
Review by Andy Gill, Q, September 1991
"AAAH, IT'S JUST BEEN NON-STOP," says Seal of his virtual year-long bout of promotional chores. "I just wanna get out and play. I'm not interested ...
Prince & The New Power Generation: Diamonds And Pearls (Paisley Park/Warner Brothers)
Review by Gavin Martin, NME, October 1991
THERE WAS a time when Prince seemed to be the vital force acting on pop music's zeitgeist. A wily provocateur, the greatest singles artist of ...
Review by Robert Sandall, Q, November 1991
THESE ARE TESTING times for little PR Nelson. His Graffiti Bridge movie, due out last autumn, has never been publicly shown, and the accompanying double ...
Michael Jackson: Sound of Breaking Glass: Michael Jackson's Dangerous
Review by Chuck Eddy, Village Voice, December 1991
HEY, SO HOW COME nobody's compared the fucker to There's a Riot Goin' On? Well, maybe Riot without the cocaine. Or okay, okay, Fresh then, ...
Ray Charles: Rapping with Ray Charles
Interview by Robert Gordon, Interview, 1992
IN THE 1950s, Frank Sinatra tagged Ray Charles "Genius," an appropriate nickname for one of American music's most innovative figures. Charles brought a sophistication to ...
Review by Mat Snow, Q, January 1992
Michael Jackson: hip hop and gospel, Slash and God, sublime and ridiculous. ...
Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes: Southside Johnny Lyon: Greetings From Asbury Park
Interview by Nick Coleman, Time Out, February 1992
Unlike his old buddies Bruce Springsteen and Little Steven, Southside Johnny Lyon has forsaken the trappings of rock stardom for clapboard houses and the smell ...
Brand New Heavies: May The Funk Be With You
Profile and Interview by Kodwo Eshun, i-D, April 1992
The Brand New Heavies have moved into the forefront of a new musical uprising: clubs, bands and vintage denim. The revolution is here – and ...
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Q, May 1992
THERE ARE worse jobs than being Smokey Robinson. He's 52, with 2,000 songs down the pike, and still writing as easily as falling out of ...
Meters, The: The Meters: Uptown Rulers! Live on the Queen Mary (Rhino)
Sleevenotes by Don Snowden, Rhino CD, July 1992
SAY WHAT else you will about Paul and Linda McCartney, they sure knew how to throw a party back in 1975. ...
Report by Lloyd Bradley, Q, September 1992
IT'S NEARLY 1 AM ON A SUNDAY MORNING IN June. The paying audience for the opening show of Michael Jackson's Dangerous World Tour have long ...
Retrospective and Interview by Andy Gill, Q, September 1992
STEVIE WONDER NEVER REALLY HAD a say in the matter: right from, his first album, he was Little Stevie Wonder, The 12-Year-Old Genius; an assessment ...
Review by Andy Gill, Q, September 1992
Stevie Wonder reissued: from 12-Year-Old-Genius to I Just Called To Say I Love You. ...
Neneh Cherry: A Life In The Day Of . . . Neneh Cherry
Interview by Simon Witter, Sunday Times, September 1992
Born of a West African father and a Swedish mother, Neneh Cherry, 28, takes her name from the American jazz trumpeter Don Cherry, whom her ...
James Carr: The Lost Voice Of Soul
Report and Interview by Robert Gordon, Q, October 1992
WHEN IT WAS BUILT IN THE 1950s, Memphis's Mid South Building was probably stylish and sleek. Today, the blocky turquoise exterior pales next to the ...
Christians, The: The Christians: Blood On The Tracks
Report and Interview by Andy Gill, Q, November 1992
Song-sequencing is a small yet significant element of what experts call "the album-making process". Could Revolver have started with anything other than 'Taxman?' Should 'Madame ...
Prince and The New Power Generation: 0{+>
Review by David Sinclair, Q, November 1992
APPARENTLY UNAFFECTED by his elevation to executive status at Warner Brothers Records, Prince bounces back with yet another 75 minutes' worth of music celebrating his ...
George Clinton: Funkadelic: Doctor Funkenstein, I Presume
Report and Interview by Andy Gill, Q, December 1992
"Free your ass," he once advised the world, "and your mind will follow." Another song of his explored the fear of being eaten by a ...
Report and Interview by Mark Petracca, Creem, January 1993
As I reach the threshold of the mighty warrior, i feel a shudder pass through me. My self-worth is at stake. My shoes are too ...
Curtis Mayfield: The Anthology 1961-1977
Review by Joe McEwen, Rolling Stone, February 1993
CURTIS MAYFIELD and the Impressions: The Anthology, a two-CD, forty-song set, is a remarkable document. Lovingly assembled by Chicago-soul authority Robert Pruter, this collection connects ...
Young Disciples: Road to Freedom (Mercury)
Review by Amy Linden, Creem, March 1993
GET MORE than three Brits together in the same club and the next thing you know you've got yourself a whole goddamn movement, with accompanying ...
James Carr: At the Dark End of the Soul
Profile and Interview by Robert Gordon, L.A. Weekly, May 1993
THE WORLD LOST one of its most magnificent voices last Sunday, January 7, when James Edward Carr died of lung cancer at Court Manor Nursing ...
Charles & Eddie, En Vogue: Harmony Singing: You Have A Lovely Singing Voice
Report and Interview by Lloyd Bradley, Q, July 1993
Three years ago it had all but disappeared beneath the deluge of hard rap and technological beats. Now, from the choreographed trouser arousal of En ...
Prince: Birmingham National Indoor Arena
Live Review by Paul Moody, NME, August 1993
THE TINY FIGURE in silky lemon and black trouser-suit and Spanish heels is talking. ...
Report and Interview by Simon Witter, Sunday Times, December 1993
SAN FRANCISCO'S Oakland area has a history of producing great, energetic groups - from Sly & The Family Stone and The Pointer Sisters to Hammer ...
Parliament, Funkadelic: The Jazzy Funkateers: Life after James Brown and P-Funk
Report and Interview by Hank Bordowitz, American Visions, Winter 1993
AS THE SEVEN musicians on the stage at Tramps in New York launch into a instrumental version of 'Cold Sweat', six hundred voices in the ...
Parliament, George Clinton, Funkadelic: George Clinton: Funky 54
Retrospective and Interview by Frank Broughton, i-D, February 1994
PARLIAMENT-FUNKADELIC, P-Funk, The P -- Specially designed afronauts capable of funketizing entire galaxies. Their mothership long ago made its terrestrial connection and they are amongst ...
Righteous Brothers, The, Darlene Love: Bill Medley and Darlene Love: Righteous Brother and Sister
Retrospective and Interview by Jeff Tamarkin, Goldmine, March 1994
THERE'S A point during Darlene Love's one-woman show, Portrait Of A Singer, where she's talking about singing background vocals on the Righteous Brothers' 1966 #1 ...
Curtis Mayfield: No Sad Songs For Curtis Mayfield
Report and Interview by Steven R Rosen, Denver Post, March 1994
ANYONE CAN HAVE a paralyzing, life-diminishing accident at anytime - bad things happen to good people just as often as good things. You just accept ...
Level 42: The Most Famous Thumb in Rock
Interview by Stuart Maconie, Q, April 1994
NOW WHO would live in a house like this? one thinks, as the taxi traverses the length of the drive and passes between the ornamental ...
Nirvana: Kurt Cobain: The Heartbreak Kid
Overview by Phil Sutcliffe, Q, June 1994
KURT COBAIN was a great success. He wrote, he sang, he played lead guitar for the new band of the '90s. He made millions of ...
Aretha Franklin: The Columbia Years
Discography by David Nathan, Goldmine, July 1994
IN AN EFFORT to glorify the outstanding work that she did at Atlantic Records (1967-1979), musicologists and music industry pundits frequently refer to Aretha Franklin's ...
Dan Penn: Southern Soul Rises Again : Dan Penn's Do Right Man Out on Top Label
Report and Interview by Steven R Rosen, Denver Post, July 1994
IF THE RACIAL history of the American South was a book, it would be a tragedy - but not without inspirational chapters about black and ...
Interview by Mat Snow, Rock's Backpages Audio, September 1994
The sould legend from the Quad-cities, Tri-states area on Otis, Bobby Womack, his love of country music, and the making of the National Anthem of North-West Alabama, 'When A Man Loves A Woman'.
File format: mp3; in 3 parts, total file sizes: 74.8meg, total interview length: 1h 21' 39" sound quality: ***
Jamiroquai: Cardiff University, Wales
Live Review by Paul Moody, NME, November 1994
Champignon, The (Stevie) Wonder Hoarse ...
Jamiroquai: The Return Of The Space Cowboy
Review by David Sinclair, Q, December 1994
ONLY JAY Kay could come up with as naff a title as The Return Of The Space Cowboy and make it sound about right. A ...
Sam Dees: Whaddya Mean, You've Never Heard Of... Sam Dees?
Guide by Barney Hoskyns, MOJO, 1995
AT SIX FOOT FOUR and two-hundred-plus pounds, Sam Dees is a soul giant in more ways than one. One of black America’s premier songsmiths, he ...
Terence Trent D'Arby: Terence Trent D’Arby Vibrates
Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Rolling Stone (Germany), 1995
SITTING ON a four-poster bed framed by blood-red curtains, Terence Trent D’Arby sucks on a huge bottle of Evian water and talks. And talks and ...
Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd St. Rhythm Band: Charles Wright Expresses Himself
Interview by R.J. Smith, Grand Royal, 1995
YOU COULD see the 8x11 flyers when you got off the freeway north of downtown, or drove down Melrose, or about 100 other locations. Block ...
Review by Carol Cooper, Newsday, 1995
TWENTY-TWO-YEAR-OLD Faith Evans was already a successful songwriter before mini-mogul Sean "Puffy" Combs signed her as a solo act to his Bad Boy label. This ...
Freddie Jackson: Private Party/Christopher Williams: Not a Perfect Man
Review by Carol Cooper, Newsday, 1995
FREDDIE JACKSON and Christopher Williams are mature, polished performers with superb voices. Both were signed to their respective labels at a time when each record ...
Barry White: The Q 100 interview
Interview by Martin Aston, Q, January 1995
HOW THE devil are you?I'm fine. I couldn't be happier. Everything is beautiful in my life. I got a hit album and hit single. I'm ...
Sam Cooke: The Soul Stirrer: Sam Cooke
Retrospective by Barney Hoskyns, MOJO, January 1995
FEW ENTERTAINERS have fallen quite so far from grace as Sam Cooke did when he died, 30 years ago, at the Hacienda Motel in south-central ...
Interview by Kirk Silsbee, LA Reader, February 1995
VOCALIST DARLENE Love's career is filled with ironies. She is most closely identified with Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" recordings, made in Los Angeles in ...
Report by Pete Paphides, Time Out, March 1995
Prince has always been a bit weird, but lately he seems to have lost it completely. He's changed his name to 0+>, declared war on ...
Candi Staton: Journey From Sensuality to Salvation
Discography by Bill Carpenter, Goldmine, March 1995
When you get that old yearningTo come around knocking on my doorYou know I'm gonna let you inBaby just as sure as sin, as sure ...
Screamin' Jay Hawkins: That's Entertainment: Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
Retrospective by Bill Millar, MOJO, May 1995
Psst. Hey, bud, you want "cryptic tales of mojo-bones, constipation, the Mau Mau, cunnilingus and flannel lipped, bald-headed women"? You got it! Ladeez and gennelmen, ...
Van Morrison: Days Like This (Polydor)
Review by Mark Cooper, Q, July 1995
Although Van Morrison has enjoyed unprecedented commercial success since signing to Polydor in 1989, in creative terms it has been an uncertain period for him. ...
Interview by Carol Cooper, Rolling Stone, August 1995
The women of TLC stay cool under fire ...
Tower of Power, Lenny Williams: Lenny Williams
Sleevenotes by David Nathan, Ichiban Soul Classics LP, September 1995
These liner notes were originally written for the now out-of-print 1995 Ichiban Soul Classics CD Lenny Williams: 'Cause I Love You: The Best of Lenny ...
Pebbles: Straight From The Heart
Review by Carol Cooper, Fanfare, September 1995
PEBBLES IS one of the shrewdest women in show business. In 1987, this Bay area femme fatale exploded on the scene with the hit single ...
War: Delivering the Ghetto: War
Review and Interview by Lloyd Bradley, MOJO, November 1995
GIVEN THE CHOICE that exists in the Golden Earring department, it's scandalous that we've been forced to wait this long to hear War on CD. ...
Stylistics, The: In Praise of the Falsetto
Essay by Barney Hoskyns, Independent, The, November 1995
The castrato may be dead, if temporarily exhumed in the film Farinelli, but men continue to sing like women. Barney Hoskyns reaches for the high ...
Arthur Alexander: No Direction Home
Retrospective by Richard Younger, MOJO, December 1995
The Beatles, Stones and Dylan covered his songs. As a singer he was rated alongside Otis and Orbison. So whatever happened to Arthur Alexander? ...
George Clinton, Funkadelic, Parliament: The Story Of The Funk: George Clinton
Retrospective and Interview by Peter Murphy, Hot Press, 1996
IN THE BEGINNING was the word, and the word was Funk. Deep in the prehistoric bog, two microbes rubbed together, caused some friction, got frisky ...
Braxtons, The: The Braxtons' Right Risks: So Many Ways
Review by Carol Cooper, Newsday, 1996
THE STORY goes that The Braxtons originally were a quartet. Producers L.A. and Babyface pulled Toni Braxton out of the bunch, because, at the time, ...
Clarence Carter: I Caught You Making Love: The ABC Years
Sleevenotes by Don Snowden, Ichiban Soul Classics//Sony Music, 1996
SELF-TAUGHT ON guitar, formally trained on piano, a gospel church-bred singer, Clarence Carter combined a bluesman's flair for storytelling with a frankly lusty take on ...
ZZ Hill: Z.Z. Hill: Love Is Good When You're Stealing It
Sleevenotes by Don Snowden, Ichiban Soul Classics/Sony Music, 1996
Z.Z. HILL WORE many hats during a career that was cut tragically short by a heart attack in 1984. A songwriter who enjoyed early hits ...
Junior Walker & The Allstars: Junior Walker 1931-1995
Obituary by Geoffrey Himes, Rolling Stone, January 1996
IN EARLY 1965, a new single lit up American radio. It began with a gunshot, echoed by the snare drum that followed. Then a tenor ...
Curtis Mayfield: People Get Ready!
Review by Lloyd Bradley, MOJO, March 1996
THE LAST FIVE YEARS HAVE SEEN THE BOX-setting of James Brown, Marvin Gaye, Otis Redding, Bob Marley and a fair few other giants of black ...
Chic: Bernard Edwards 1952-1996
Obituary by Paul Lester, Melody Maker, May 1996
BERNARD EDWARDS of CHIC died last week. Paul Lester celebrates the life and work of a massively influential musician, producer and songwriter ...
Aretha Franklin: Return Of Soul Sister Number One
Comment by Carol Cooper, Pulse!, June 1996
ARETHA – a name so singularly musical that it rolls off the tongue like an incantation. Almost four decades after 1967’s ‘I Never Loved ...
Al Green, Ann Peebles, Willie Mitchell: Various Artists: Royal Memphis Soul – Hi Records
Review by Barney Hoskyns, MOJO, July 1996
When Muscle Shoals went flabby and Stax couldn't pay their taxes, Hi Records took up the soul baton. Barney Hoskyns says hello to a collection ...
Interview by David Sinclair, Times, The, July 1996
THE MAN WITH the most celebrated identity crisis in pop is installed on the 48th floor of a Manhattan hotel. The lift goes up so ...
Mark Morrison: Have You Paid For That, Sir?
Interview by David Quantick, Q, August 1996
I have actually – for I am Number 1 swingster Mark Morrison, former lodger at Her Majesty's pleasure, Leicester's most wanted and fully qualified (and, ...
Staple Singers, The, Pop Staples, Mavis Staples: The Staple Singers: God's Greatest Hitmakers
Retrospective and Interview by Bill Carpenter, Goldmine, August 1996
THERE'S NO question about it. Forget the Winans or the Hawkins Family, the Staple Singers are the most widely known, best-selling gospel group of all ...
Essay by Barney Hoskyns, MOJO, December 1996
"WHAT IS Soul?" sang Ben E. King in 1967, a year that began with Aretha Franklin’s first Atlantic session and ended with the death of ...
Curtis Mayfield: New World Order
Review by Barney Hoskyns, Request, December 1996
SIX YEARS AFTER the freak onstage accident that paralyzed him from the neck down, Curtis Mayfield, one of soul music's true titans, makes his debut ...
Profile by Ben Fong-Torres, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 1997
CALL THEM what you want – the Jackson 5, the J5, the Jacksons – they were, in the end, Michael and four of his brothers. ...
Sam Cooke: Live at the Harlem Square Club
Review by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages, 1997
MOST OF SAM Cooke's pop hits were sugary, blanched affairs. This album was the real deal, giving us the church-reared R&B singer who liked to ...
Sleevenotes by Pete Grendysa, MCA Records, 1997
Etta was just 21 years old when she came to Chess Records in 1960, but she was a seasoned show business veteran with six years ...
Fugees, The: The Fugees: Runaway Success
Report and Interview by Sonia Poulton, Muzik, January 1997
From healthy US hip hop act to global superstars in under twelve months, you could say 1996 has been a remarkable year for the FUGEES. ...
Puff Daddy: Sean 'Puffy' Combs: Multi-Million Dollar Man
Profile and Interview by Sonia Poulton, Muzik, January 1997
At 26, SEAN 'PUFFY' COMBS is reputed to be worth some $170 million. But that's not all the East Coast hip hop mogul has a ...
Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown: Denver Show Starts Celebration of 50th-anniversary Recording
Report and Interview by Steven R Rosen, Denver Post, January 1997
THIS YEAR is Clarence 'Gatemouth'' Brown's 50th as a recording artist, and virtually everyone is preparing to honor the blues musician. ...
Curtis Mayfield: New World Order (Warner Bros/All formats)
Review by Keith Cameron, NME, January 1997
HE SAW his people endure hard times and dedicated his life to evangelising alternative paths. He was a soul singer, a streetwise prophet, one of ...
Interview by Richie Unterberger, Perfect Sound Forever, February 1997
"If you know the extension of the party with whom you wish to speak, dial it and stop wasting our time! If you have money ...
Erykah Badu: Baduizm (Kedar Entertainment/Universal)
Review by Miles Marshall Lewis, Rolling Stone, February 1997
PERHAPS THE first thing you notice about Erykah Badu is her uncanny vocal similarity to Billie Holiday – from the very beginning of Baduizm, Badu's ...
Dorothy Moore: Giving It Straight To You
Retrospective and Interview by Bill Carpenter, Goldmine, March 1997
MISSISSIPPI HAS probably been trashed more than any other darn state in the union. It's been called the poorest state (which sho' ain't a crime, ...
Supremes, The: Mary Wilson on The Supremes
Retrospective by Johnny Black, MOJO, April 1997
"ONE DAY IN mid-April we were all summoned to berry’s home on Outer Drive," remembers Mary Wilson of The Supremes. "As I drove there, I ...
Mary J. Blige: Mary J Blige: Material World
Interview by Angus Batey, Vox, June 1997
WHAT'S THE most embarrassing item of clothing you've ever bought? ...
Profile and Interview by Paul Lester, Uncut, July 1997
"I'M FASCINATED WITH THE IDEA OF ART born of a disintegrated mind," says Lewis Taylor, all coal-black curls and kohl-kissed eyes, crouched in the semi-darkness ...
Interview by David Quantick, Q, July 1997
They are the quite spicy girls. A long time ago, they were manufactured by a pair of svengalis. Since then, they've had lorryloads of hits, ...
Michael Jackson: Wembley Stadium, London
Live Review by Chris Roberts, Melody Maker, July 1997
All You Need Is Glove ...
Inez & Charlie Foxx: Inez and Charlie Foxx: A Family Affair
Profile and Interview by Bill Carpenter, Goldmine, August 1997
A LOT of recording artists can say they've had hits, but few can say they've had a hit almost everyone knows the words to even ...
Interview by Bill DeMain, Performing Songwriter, September 1997
FUNK IS one of those words, like cool or hip, that is difficult to define. In music, it's an amorphous thing, an attitude, a looseness, ...
Michael Jackson: Don Valley Stadium, Sheffield
Live Review by Paul Lester, Uncut, September 1997
THE MOST FAMOUS performer on Earth has just been introduced, as per protocol, as "the King Of Pop", by the Chief Barker of the Variety ...
Earth Wind and Fire: Earth Wind & Fire: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Paul Lester, Uncut, September 1997
NO ONE levitates tonight. Nor are there any Sphinxes. And the sequinned Egyptological-spaceman costumes are conspicuous by their absence. But we do get 12 instrumentalists ...
Dave Godin and Deep Soul Treasures
Profile and Interview by Jon Savage, Guardian, The, September 1997
IN POP'S millenial time travel, the compilation has become an art form in itself: a highly practical method of mapping a history that is still ...
Janet Jackson: The Velvet Rope
Review by Chris Roberts, Uncut, November 1997
THIS TIME, it's raining the spectrum of starfish and streaming with tiger snakes. The last Jacksoness album, 93's janet, was a slink-fest of extraordinary ambition ...
Janet Jackson: Brave Heart: Janet Jackson's Velvet Rope
Review by Miles Marshall Lewis, L.A. Weekly, November 1997
ACCORDING TO Ralph Ellison in Shadow and Act, no jazz musician struggled harder to escape the role of grinning minstrel than Charlie Parker, with the ...
Booker T & The MGs: Memphis Sunset: The Mysterious Death of Stax Heartbeat Al Jackson, Jr.
Retrospective by Andria Lisle, Grand Royal, Fall 1997
July 31, 1975 – Booker T & the MGs drummer and Stax session musician Al Jackson, Jr. is shot in the chest with a .22-caliber ...
Dr. John: The Return Of The Native: A Conversation With Dr John, The Night Tripper
Interview by Joss Hutton, Bucketful of Brains, 1998
NEW ORLEANS-bred musician Mac Rebennack, better known as Dr John, has seen a lot hair-curling sights during his forty year career on the fringes. ...
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages Audio, 1998
On Otis and the making of 'Dock of the Bay', the disputed history of 'Green Onions', and on touring with Neil Young: the Memphis guitar-slinger gives the lowdown.
File format: mp3; total file size: 31.4mb, total interview length: 34' 16" sound quality: * (phone interview)
Grace Jones: Private Life - The Compass Point Sessions (Island)
Review by Amy Linden, Fi, 1998
OF ALL THE words that are over and misused, diva is surely at the top of the heap. Once an adjective related to describing the ...
Solomon Burke: Music To Make Love By
Sleevenotes by Colin Escott, Chess Records, 1998
SOLOMON BURKE'S ultimate triumph is that he's almost as great as he says he is, and has almost accomplished everything he says he has. He ...
Mary J. Blige: Amager Bio, Copenhagen ****
Live Review by David Quantick, Q, January 1998
Once grumpy and so hopeless live she'd get booed offstage. Now... Nice Girl ...
Retrospective by Chris Roberts, Uncut, February 1998
AN INSURANCE salesman, David Porter, visited a Memphis meat-packing factory in 1965. He tried to sell a policy to one of the meat-packers, a big ...
Terry Callier: Look At Me Now: The Return Of Terry Callier
Profile and Interview by James Maycock, Independent, The, February 1998
DEFINING THE "soul" part of soul music is a tricky issue – it's one of the bigger questions. The music's intangible qualities are often the ...
Bert Berns: The Soul Man with a Huckster's Heart
Retrospective by Barney Hoskyns, MOJO, March 1998
HE WAS, said Jerry Wexler, "a paunchy, nervous cat with a shock of unruly black hair". He looked like a vaguely disreputable cross between Gene ...
Aretha Franklin: Queen Aretha Holds Court
Report and Interview by Jeff Apter, nyrock.com, March 1998
THERE ARE few performers for whom one name is sufficient (and no, this list does not include Yanni). Think Bruce, Garth, Iggy, Janis. And, of ...
James Brown, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins: Bootsy Collins on Bootsy Collins
Interview by Marc Weingarten, MOJO, April 1998
‘Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine’James Brown (King single, 1970) ...
Bobby Womack: 10 Questions for Bobby Womack
Interview by Ben Edmonds, MOJO, July 1998
What were you up to in the studio last night? ...
Dr. John: Dr John: Voodoo Lounge
Interview by Gavin Martin, Uncut, July 1998
MAC REBENNACK, IS SLUMPED ON A chaise longue in an elegant London hotel suite, the ubiquitous walking cane by his side, a straw Homburg tilted ...
Prince: The Artist Formerly Known As Successful
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Q, September 1998
He wriggled away From Warners and the quality control went West. He swopped Prince for Victor for Slave for O(+>) and the fans just couldn't ...
Review by Ian MacDonald, Uncut, September 1998
Epic set of Sixties soul classics, formerly import-only ...
Curtis Mayfield: Superfly (Two-CD Special Edition)
Review by Ian MacDonald, Uncut, September 1998
ORIGINALLY RELEASED in 1972, Curtis Mayfield's album of music for one of the most notorious blaxploitation films of the Seventies is typically compassionate, melancholic, and ...
Retrospective by Pete Grendysa, DISCoveries, October 1998
A MUSICAL SAGE once quipped, "If you write music, you're a composer. If you write words, you're a lyricist. If you do both, you're Cole ...
Interview by Bill Carpenter, Goldmine, October 1998
MILLIE JACKSON'S name means a lot of things to a lot of different people. Pioneer or profiteer? ...
Marvin Gaye, Ed Townsend: Marvin Gaye: Ed Townsend Remembers Marvin Gaye
Profile and Interview by Bill Carpenter, Goldmine, October 1998
MOTOWN'S MARVIN GAYE more so than any other male soul singer, represented the essence of the seventies. ...
Interview by Precious Williams, Big Issue, The, December 1998
NINA SIMONE is furious that there is no alcohol left in the house. It's not even 11 o'clock in the morning and yet the 65-year-old ...
Review by Amy Linden, Vibe, December 1998
THERE ARE TWO WAYS to consider Dru Hill. One is that the Baltimore quartet is methadone for those experiencing a serious Jodeci jones. Not the ...
Curtis Mayfield - A Gently Sensitive Observer
Review by Ian MacDonald, Uncut, December 1998
SIX MAYFIELD albums on three CDs, from the great to the grottyCurtisGot To Find A WayRootsSweet ExorcistBack To The WorldLove ...
Eric Benet: Reluctant Love Man: Eric Benet
Interview by Amy Linden, Vibe, 1999
RUNDOWN AND slightly seamy, Venice Beach is teeming with rastas, hippies ,and muscle men pumping up at a beachfront gym. ...
Macy Gray, Shelby Lynne: Blue-Eyed Soul and Brown-Eyed Rock: Macy Gray and Shelby Lynne
Comment by Barney Hoskyns, Dig, The (Japan), 1999
TEN YEARS AGO I found myself sitting in a London hotel with Tommy Couch, boss of Malaco Records, a Mississippi label which was busy resuscitating ...
Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham #1: "Spend A Little Time With The Old Folks"
Interview by Joss Hutton, Bucketful of Brains, 1999
Joss Hutton shoots the breeze with the living legends behind some of Soul's greatest, Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham. ...
Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham #2: Memphis Women And Chicken
Interview by Joss Hutton, Bucketful of Brains, 1999
The concluding part of Joss Hutton's marathon interview with rhythm & soul legends Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham. ...
Interview by Dan Gennoe, Flipside, 1999
The girl who was discovered singing on a tube station at the age of 15, picked up 2 MOBOs and 1 Brit award, and scored ...
Sleevenotes by Bill Millar, Ace Records, 1999
ANY ONE ALBUM BY IVORY JOE HUNTER can only hint at the depth and breadth of a career which spanned five decades of entertainment experience. ...
Interview by Dorian Lynskey, Q, March 1999
This Houston teen foursome are produced by Timbaland for Missy Misdemeanour's label but it's not going to their heads. ...
Donny Hathaway: Half-life in the Bush of Ghosts: Come back, Donny
Retrospective by Kandia Crazy Horse, Creative Loafing, April 1999
My recent theory is that if the late soulman/scribe Donny Hathaway had been white he would be as (cult) famous as Cosmic American Gram Parsons; ...
Aretha Franklin: Jerry Wexler: Aretha And Me
Interview by Tom Cox, Guardian, The, August 1999
JERRY WEXLER, co-founder of Atlantic Records and in-house producer, was picking himself up off the floor of Muscle Shoals studio in Alabama when he received ...
Review and Interview by Kit Aiken, Uncut, September 1999
THE SNAZZIEST, JAZZIEST dance crew of the period. Their ‘one world’ spirituality, sunny mysticism and conspicuous musicality makes them a real genre one-off. Never as ...
Review by Barney Hoskyns, Rolling Stone, October 1999
ON WHAT IS something of a transitional album, the recently separated Mariah Carey moves still further away from the warmed-over Whitney Houston of Carey's early ...
Wilson Pickett: Still Wicked: Wilson Pickett's Raw Return
Report and Interview by Ted Drozdowski, Boston Phoenix, October 1999
THE HOWL is unmistakable. Raw as fresh meat, gritty and powerful as sandblasting. That's Wilson Pickett shouting thunder over the fatback grooves of a new ...
Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham: Penn & Oldham: Good Ol' Boys In The Hood
Interview by Nick Hasted, Independent, The, November 1999
DAN PENN'S writing credits read like a soul jukebox. Often working with his friend Spooner Oldham, Penn was behind many of the defining songs from ...
Review by Tom Cox, Guardian, The, November 1999
THE MOST DEFINITIVE summation of The Isley Brothers' career so far begins not with a song but a real, live shriek. ...
Ike Turner: Beneath All That Tarnish
Retrospective by Bill Wasserzieher, musicblitz.com, 2000
IKE TURNER – Tina’s ex-bad half – has a reputation for being the wicked prince of the blues. His former missus in her as-told-to/tell-all book, ...
Nappy Brown: Savoy Blues Legends: Nappy Brown
Sleevenotes by Colin Escott, Savoy Records, 2000
INCIPIENT SOUL. There's no other way to describe Nappy Brown. It's true that he gets into the statistic books for a couple of numbers that ...
Jimmy Smith’s Hammond Organ Revolution
Retrospective and Interview by James Maycock, Independent, The, January 2000
BEFORE JIMMY SMITH revolutionized the archaic Hammond organ, the lethargic sound this bulky, brown instrument emitted was frequently described, like an ailing patient, as "wheezing." ...
Review by Miles Marshall Lewis, Village Voice, January 2000
I WAS FOREWARNED, and chose not to take heed. You know, how prophecy can get mofos all wound up like Chicken Little with the sky ...
Review by Chris Roberts, Uncut, April 2000
Captivating Macy-worrying debut remarries hip hop and soul ...
Review by Ian MacDonald, Uncut, June 2000
Another Chic anthology — why buy? An intelligent sleevenote with participation from Nile Rodgers, full-length album cuts where applicable. La musique elle-meme ...
Stevie Wonder: The Electrification Of Soul
Overview by David Stubbs, Uncut, August 2000
"THERE'S NEVER BEEN a time when Stevie Wonder hasn't been relevant," said an associate of Wonder's on Channel 4's recent Top 10 Seventies Soul run-down. ...
Interview by Lulu Le Vay, Sleazenation, September 2000
Barry White invited us to join him poolside at his San Diego mansion so we could place a hand on his chest and feel that ...
Review by David Stubbs, Uncut, September 2000
Long-awaited second album from R&B retro whiz in lovelorn mode. ...
Nelly: Country Grammarian: Nelly
Interview by Geoffrey Himes, Baltimore City Paper, September 2000
THIS IS WHAT pop music is all about. A radio single with a sing-along hook so catchy and so danceable you can't resist it. A ...
Profile and Interview by Ben Thompson, Telegraph Magazine, November 2000
THE SOUND OF DISTANT laughter echoes up the corridor. As it comes closer - suffusing the chilly corporate air of Sony's West Soho HQ with ...
Swamp Dogg: Cover Story: A Dogg with Attitude
Special Feature by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages, November 2000
How a pint-sized pooch danced for his record label ...
Guide by Dave Godin, MOJO, December 2000
He’s helped turn on a new generation of fans to previously neglected soul stirrers. Now Dave Godin selects 20 of his favourite Deep Soul singers, ...
Kelis, D'Angelo, Erykah Badu: D’Angelo: Voodoo/Erykah Badu: Mama’s Gun/Kelis: Kaleidoscope
Review by Cleothus Hardcastle, Rock's Backpages, December 2000
SOMEHOW "SOUL" music lives on, clinging to life in the midst of the coldest, meanest materialism. Straight outta Brooklyn came two of the heirs to ...
Chic, Norma Jean Wright: Norma Jean Wright: Norma Jean
Review by Paul Lester, Uncut, December 2000
FIRST RELEASE on CD for Chic-album-in-all-but-name from 1978 ...
Irma Thomas: An Audience With The Soul Queen Of New Orleans
Interview by John Sinclair, Blues Access, Spring 2000
AS HER lengthy reign as the Soul Queen of New Orleans extends into the 21st century, the great Irma Thomas continues to grow as an ...
Jamiroquai: Jay Kay: The Esquire Interview
Interview by Dan Gennoe, Esquire, 2001
THERE ARE DOGS and there are dogs. The two German Shepherds growling and baring teeth on the drive of Jay Kay's Buckinghamshire estate, are the ...
Profile and Interview by Jim Irvin, MOJO, 2001
HARBOUR NO ILLUSIONS, stardom screws you up. Don’t get used to the luxury and attention, it could leave as quickly as it came. No matter ...
James Brown, Bootsy Collins, Funkadelic: Looking Back with Bootsy
Retrospective and Interview by Martin Herron, unpublished, 2001
'SEX MACHINE'; 'Superbad'; 'One Nation Under A Groove'; 'Tear The Roof Of Tha Sucker' – Bootsy Collins' bass is the foundation stone of the House ...
Big Maybelle: Candy! On Savoy 1956-59
Sleevenotes by Colin Escott, Savoy Jazz Records, 2001
RECORD COMPANY files tell the story in a haunting, elliptical way. Let's take 1957, for instance: January 8, fifteen dollar advance; same day, another fifty ...
Review by Dan Gennoe, dotmusic.co.uk, 2001
R&B’s ALL THE rage, yet memorable tunes like Sisqo's 'Thong Song' are few and far between. First single, 'Love Don't Cost A Thing', with its ...
Review by Dan Gennoe, Q, 2001
JAMIROQUAI/JAY KAY has shrugged off many a jibe about his disco-funk devotion – not to mention hats, dancing... But if 16 million album sales haven't ...
Interview by Bill Wasserzieher, Blues Revue, January 2001
GUITAR HEROES come cloaked in the mystique of the iconic loner. We call them guitar-slingers because they are like western heroes who ride into town ...
Erykah Badu: Brave Heart: Erykah Badu
Profile and Interview by Miles Marshall Lewis, Oneworld, January 2001
THE BEIGE, NONDESCRIPT couches at New York's LaGuardia Airport are surprisingly comfortable. Seven Sirius Benjamin-the adorably precocious three-year-old son of Erykah Badu and André Benjamin ...
Dave Godin's Deep Soul Treasures Volume 3
Review and Interview by Barney Hoskyns, MOJO, January 2001
"DEEP SOUL Records will be just what their name implies," the manifesto for Dave Godin's Deep Soul label declared when it launched in 1969. "Non-commercial ...
Johnnie Taylor: Lifetime: A Retrospective Of Soul, Blues And Gospel 1956-1999
Review by Richard Williams, MOJO, February 2001
LIKE MANY soul singers, Johnnie Taylor was only as good as the songs he was given. But when those songs were good – and most ...
Mighty Imperials, The: Keepers of the Flame, or a Retro-step too far?
Review and Interview by Mark Pringle, Rock's Backpages, February 2001
The Mighty Imperials: Jazz Café, London The Mighty Imperials – four white 18-year-olds from New York – blew into town this week ...
Review by Ian MacDonald, Uncut, March 2001
Four-disc overview for the label that brought you sweet soul music ...
Jaheim: Soul Boy Not Short On Confidence
Interview by Precious Williams, Evening Standard, March 2001
Jaheim Hoagland's smooth, soulful vocals have been likened to those of music legends Marvin Gaye and Luther Vandross – but he's not too happy about ...
Michael Jackson: Greatest Hits – History Volume 1
Review by David Stubbs, Uncut, April 2001
ONCE UPON a time, wise critics dubbed Michael Jackson pop's Peter Pan. ...
Black Eyed Peas: Mean Fiddler, London WC2
Live Review by Dele Fadele, NME, April 2001
NOW THAT hip-hop is a global lingua franca, anyone with the slimmest of credentials can lay claim to authenticity. ...
Destiny's Child: The Joys Of Child-ish Behaviour
Interview by Precious Williams, Evening Standard, April 2001
THE SASSIEST girl group in the world are slumped on a sofa lamenting the "awfulness" of how they look. Destiny's Child – Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly ...
Destiny's Child: Survivor (Columbia)
Review by Simon Warner, PopMatters, May 2001
POP HISTORY IS as slippery as a Tom Parker, as mysterious as a Brian Epstein, as mercurial as a Malcolm McLaren. Like its great managerial ...
Various Artists: Back To Black (Universal)
Review by Ian Penman, Uncut, May 2001
Ten-CD, 220-track History Of Black Music behemoth put together by Morgan 'Streetsounds' Khan in tandem with 35-strong industry committee ...
Review by Jim Irvin, MOJO, May 2001
SOME YEARS ago I interviewed Paul Buchanan of The Blue Nile for MOJO. A musician known for his restless lifestyle, I asked him if there ...
Git Down!! The 50 Funkiest Records Ever Made!!
Guide by Various Writers, Rock's Backpages, June 2001
Once upon a time there was Funk. THE Funk. The Rhythm of the One. Now it's all four-on-the-floor hard-house and techy trance, dance-muzik devoid of ...
Tales From The Funky Side Of Town: “Soul” and “Funk”, Then and Now
Essay by James Maycock, Independent, The, June 2001
"YOU'D BE SURPRISED how time can change the meaning of a word," rasped black comedian, Redd Foxx, during a performance at Harlem's Apollo Theatre in ...
Shuggie Otis: The Resurrection of Shuggie Otis
Retrospective and Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, June 2001
INSPIRATION INFORMATION disappeared shortly after its 1974 release, and the world soon forgot about Shuggie Otis, the promising young rock musician who made the record. ...
Usher: Rise of the House of Usher
Report and Interview by Ben Thompson, Telegraph Magazine, July 2001
APPEARING ON Channel 4's Richard Blackwood Show during his last visit to Britain, clean-cut US R&B star Usher Raymond IV startled the crowd with the ...
Aaliyah: The Highest, Most Exalted One: Aaliyah, 1979-2001
Obituary by Miles Marshall Lewis, Village Voice, August 2001
THREE WEEKS BACK, I lay in a sea-salted bathtub with candles, bubbles, and headphones, listening to Aaliyah. Lamenting the state of my love life during ...
Booker T & The MGs: The Backroom Boys: Booker T & the MGs
Retrospective and Interview by Barney Hoskyns, MOJO, August 2001
IF EVER THERE WAS a piece of music that deserved the epithet "timeless", it’s Booker T. & the MGs’ ‘Green Onions’. The most basic of ...
Review by Simon Reynolds, Uncut, August 2001
Two blasts of future freak-funk ...
Review by Simon Reynolds, Uncut, September 2001
R&B production team turn out politically-infused black rock'n'soul album ...
Maxwell: Now's the Time? Maxwell's Now
Review by Miles Marshall Lewis, L.A. Weekly, September 2001
MAXWELL. Not D'Angelo-Maxwell. Not Bilal-Maxwell. Not Musiq Soulchild, even. Maxwell. ...
Obituary by Sheryl Garratt, Observer, The, September 2001
AALIYAH DANA HAUGHTON was just 22 when she died last Saturday in a plane crash in The Bahamas, but she'd already been famous for seven ...
Ike & Tina Turner, Ike Turner: Ike Turner
Interview by Precious Williams, Scotland on Sunday, September 2001
"IF YOU KNOW ME, you love me," boasts Ike Turner, reclining in the sizzling sunshine and sipping a glass of water. An interesting claim ...
Alicia Keys: "I love Chopin… He's my dawg": Alicia Keys
Report and Interview by Ian Gittins, Guardian, The, November 2001
Stevie loves her, Oprah's after her and Prince is always on the phone. As Alicia Keys prepares to storm the UK charts, Ian Gittins meets ...
Bootsy Collins, Outkast: Funk: Bootsy Collins & OutKast
Interview by Angus Batey, Dazed & Confused, December 2001
What is funk anyway? A type of music? A sound? An attitude, a style, a feeling? ...
Interview by David Nathan, SoulMusic.com, Spring 2001
SOMETIMES, IT really, really pays to listen to your colleagues. ...
Terence Trent D'Arby: Where Are They Now: Terence Trent D'Arby
Report and Interview by Johnny Black, Q, Summer 2001
ONCE THE snake-hipped future of soul, Terence Trent D'Arby never quite capitalized on the enormous publicity that greeted his arrival in the mid-'80's, nor the ...
Interview by Johnny Black, Rock's Backpages Audio, 2002
On the road with Ike & Tina Turner; supporting the Rolling Stones; 'Tin Soldier' and The Small Faces; meeting Jimi; going out with Rod Stewart, plus countless superstar sessions: P.P. Arnold takes us on a trip back to Swinging London!
File format: mp3; in 2 parts, total file sizes: 56.7mb, total interview length: 1h 1' 57" sound quality: ****
Retrospective and Interview by James Maycock, MOJO, 2002
JOHNNY OTIS, the renaissance man of rhythm and blues, is somewhat ambivalent about entering his ninth decade. "I have two kinds of feelings," he concedes. ...
Retrospective and Interview by Angus Batey, Mojo Collections, 2002
STEVE SCIPIO pauses. The bass player and songwriter with Cymande is trying to recall what exactly his band's biggest hit, the reggae-funk masterpiece 'The Message', ...
Ray Charles: The Definitive Ray Charles
Review by Charles Shaar Murray, MOJO, January 2002
Forty-six tracks from 48 years – 40 of which are from the '50s and '60s, but them's the breaks – a definitive encapsulation of a ...
Michael Jackson: Invincible (Epic)**
Review by Chris Roberts, Uncut, January 2002
Distressingly dull comeback from disputed King Of Pop ...
Smokey Robinson: 10 Questions for Smokey Robinson
Interview by Bill DeMain, MOJO, April 2002
Bill DeMain speaks to Motown's legendary songwriter and singer about Billy Eckstine, Marvin Gaye, school plays and positive rap. ...
Mary J. Blige: Mary J Blige: Wembley Arena, London
Live Review by Gavin Martin, Independent, The, April 2002
IT WAS FOOLISH to think that the first lady of hip hop soul would abide by the title of her latest, and greatest-selling, album, No ...
Overview by Lulu Le Vay, Sleazenation, May 2002
80s soul: Black men and silky suits and silkier voices. White Essex casuals. Weekends at windswept holiday resorts. Luther Vandross. While the rest of the ...
Aretha Franklin: The Queen's Greatest Tracks
Review by Martin Colyer, Barney Hoskyns, Mark Pringle, Rock's Backpages, May 2002
"THEY USED to call me a jazz singer," Aretha told Val Wilmer in 1968. "Now I think what I sing is closer to R&B and ...
Joi, Kelis, Me'Shell Ndegeocello: Joi/Ndégeocello/Kelis: Walk on Gilded Splinters
Review by Kandia Crazy Horse, Village Voice, May 2002
Joi: Star Kitty's Revenge; Me'Shell Ndégeocello: Cookie: The Anthropological Mixtape; Kelis: Wanderland ...
Review by Devon Powers, PopMatters, May 2002
THERE'S A popular mythology out there that says that certain things–like pop divas and Fortune 500 companies–never die. ...
Solomon Burke: Go On Back To Him
Report by Don Waller, MOJO, June 2002
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "What's that noise in my earphones?" soul giant Solomon Burke calls into the studio control roost from the vocal isolation booth. "That's ...
Solomon Burke: The Bishop of Soul returns
Special Feature by Dave Schulps, Rock's Backpages, June 2002
MICK JAGGER may have insisted once upon a time that "it’s the singer not the song," but that doesn’t necessarily mean that even the greatest ...
Nina Simone: To Love Somebody/Here Comes The Sun/Emergency Ward/Black Gold/It Is Finished
Review by Jim Irvin, MOJO, June 2002
EUNICE WAYMON never intended to be a pop singer. Her ambition was to be the first great black female classical pianist. She took up playing ...
Review by Mark Anthony Neal, PopMatters, June 2002
WHEN TAKE 6 dropped their self-titled debut in 1988, contemporary R&B and gospel were both at crossroads and the idea of an a cappella gospel ...
Interview by Chris Bourke, Real Groove (New Zealand), July 2002
WHEN SOLOMON BURKE makes an entrance, it's obvious that royalty has arrived. I once witnessed the self-proclaimed King of Rock'n'Soul take the stage. It was ...
Interview by Marc Rowlands, Southport Weekender Programme, September 2002
I'VE NEVER seen an interview with Timmy Regisford before. I don't know if he seldom does them. I know he doesn't enjoy them, not that ...
Review and Interview by Andria Lisle, MOJO, September 2002
CATEGORISING RICK James isn't as easy as one might think. Sure, he's the bad boy of black pop, a groove-minded funkster with a nasty attitude, ...
Kid Creole & The Coconuts: Kid Creole: Calypso Facto
Review by Gavin Martin, Uncut, September 2002
OFF THE COAST OF ME***FRESH FRUIT IN FOREIGN PLACES*****TROPICAL GANGSTERS***DOPPELGANGER**(All Universal) ...
The Liberation of Detroit: The Motor City after Motown
Retrospective by Phil Mershon, Perfect Sound Forever, November 2002
WHEN BERRY GORDY JR. moved the Motown empire to Los Angeles in 1971, his plan was for the world’s premier record company to go into ...
Retrospective by Andria Lisle, MOJO, December 2002
"SOMETHING TOLD ME IT WAS OVER/When I saw you and here talking/Something deep down in my soul said, 'Cry, girl'/When I saw you and that ...
Solomon Burke: Solomon In All His Glory
Profile and Interview by Nick Hasted, Independent, The, December 2002
The greatest male soul singers are Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Marvin Gaye and Solomon Burke. But, unlike the others, Burke is very much alive, as ...
Interview by David Nathan, SoulMusic.com, 2003
AS I HAVE often commented, one of the wonders of the modern age was the invention of the compact disc. Not only has it revolutionized ...
Isaac Hayes: 10 Questions for Isaac Hayes
Interview by Bill DeMain, MOJO, 2003
DO YOU remember your first week at Stax? ...
Bothered Blue Once More: The Barrett Rude Jr. and the Subtle Distinctions Story
Sleevenotes by D. Ebdus, Motherless Records, 2003
"The singer’s role is deceptive; in identifying and exploring disintegration and other potentially destructive aspects of black American life he or she is performing an ...
Sleevenotes by Andy Schwartz, Private Music/RCA, 2003
NOTE: I was surprised and very saddened to learn that the great soul singer Howard Tate had died 12.2.11 at age 72, reportedly from complications ...
Earth Wind and Fire: Earth Wind And Fire: Beacon Theater, New York
Live Review by Kandia Crazy Horse, PopMatters, 2003
MY TRAGEDY AS a music fanatic has always been one of being a spirit out of time. I have spent a goodly portion of my ...
Ray Charles: 10 Questions for Ray Charles
Interview by Bill DeMain, MOJO, January 2003
Meeting Nat Cole, crafting genius songs on the spot and tips on sartorial cool. Bill DeMain gets the word from the emperor of soul. ...
James Brown: The Making Of James Brown Live At The Apollo
Retrospective by James Maycock, Daily Telegraph, February 2003
"ARE YOU READY for Star Time?" exclaimed MC Lucas "Fats" Gonder from the stage of Harlem’s Apollo on 24th October, 1962. The eager crowd ...
India.Arie: Hammersmith Apollo, London
Live Review by Pete Paphides, Times, The, March 2003
WHERE India.Arie is concerned, the journey to enlightenment will stop at nothing – not even hair. Shorn of her customary dreadlocks since her last British ...
Obituary by Phast Phreddie Patterson, Rock's Backpages, April 2003
SOUL SINGER Edwin Starr (61) died of a heart attack at his home in central England on April 2. Edwin Starr was one of Soul ...
Obituary by Phast Phreddie Patterson, Rock's Backpages, April 2003
SOUL SINGER and songwriter Homer Banks (61) died of cancer in Memphis on April 4. Banks achieved most of his fame from writing songs ...
Obituary by Phast Phreddie Patterson, Rock's Backpages, April 2003
NEW ORLEANS bluesman Earl King (69) died from diabetes related complications on April 17 at St. Charles General Hospital in New Orleans. He was ...
Solomon Burke, Van Morrison: Van Morrison/Solomon Burke: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Gavin Martin, Independent, The, April 2003
THE POTENTIAL that the double bill offered for a soulman super summit was certainly enticing – Solomon Burke, the veteran preacherman from Philadelphia, and George ...
Holland-Dozier-Holland: They Wrote The Songs
Profile and Interview by Roy Trakin, Hits, May 2003
An exclusive HITS dialogue with Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland by Roy Trakin ...
Macy Gray: Shepherds Bush Empire, London ***
Live Review by Adam Sweeting, Guardian, The, May 2003
HER RECORD COMPANY had spent the day warning everybody that she would be on stage at 9pm, not 9.15pm as advertised, but in the end ...
Macy Gray: Shepherd's Bush Empire, London
Live Review by Nick Hasted, Independent, The, May 2003
MACY GRAY'S RECORDS rarely seem to match up to her image: the flaky, funky, erratic, but traditional soul sister. This was the kind of entertainer ...
Marvin Gaye: Marvellous Marvin Reconsidered
Book Excerpt by Ian MacDonald, 'The People's Music' (Pimlico), July 2003
RARELY DID AN artistic persona run more counter to the truth than in the case of Marvin Gaye. Onstage, he was the quintessence of urbanity: ...
Sleevenotes by Barney Hoskyns, 'Country Got Soul' (Casual Records), July 2003
THERE WAS SOMETHING funky happening in the American South in the late ‘60s and you didn’t know what it was, did you, Mr Jones? ...
Donnie: Bowery Ballroom, New York
Live Review by Kandia Crazy Horse, PopMatters, July 2003
The Love Manifesto ...
Obituary by Daryl Easlea, Record Collector, August 2003
FEW ARTISTS CAPTURED the aspirational glamour of the 70s better than Barry White. ...
Beyoncé: Pop the Question, Jigga – Miss Fat Booty Gets Some, Gives Some Up Without Shame
Comment by Amy Linden, Village Voice, August 2003
UNLIKE THE B.Lo affair (so ubiquitous it practically has its own action figures), whatever is going on between Beyoncé Knowles and Jay-Z is under the ...
Mary J. Blige: The Ballad Of Mary J
Interview by Precious Williams, Scotland on Sunday, August 2003
MARY J BLIGE'S daunting reputation as a volatile, prickly diva has always threatened to eclipse her extraordinary vocal talent. Legend has it that her record ...
Profile and Interview by Sheryl Garratt, Evening Standard, October 2003
"WHEN WE WERE younger, we were always entertaining people," says Su-Elise Nash, at 22 the youngest member of the UK's most urban girl group, Mis-Teeq. ...
Parliament, Funkadelic, George Clinton: George Clinton: Motor Booty
Retrospective and Interview by Lloyd Bradley, MOJO, October 2003
In 1963 George Clinton took a first step toward funk overlordship. He shut his East Coast barbershop and flew to Motown. Lloyd Bradley finds out ...
Interview by Lulu Le Vay, Touch, November 2003
SONY HQ, Great Marlborourgh Street, London. The glorious June afternoon teasingly leaks out its golden rays through all the building's nooks, crooks and capacious office ...
Chic, Tony Thompson: Tony Thompson
Obituary by Daryl Easlea, Guardian, The, November 2003
TONY THOMPSON, WHO has died of cancer aged 48, was among the finest of all pop/rock drummers. Although his name is frequently absent from the ...
Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson: Brothers In Arms
Retrospective and Interview by James Maycock, MOJO, December 2003
IN THE LATE afternoon of 4th April, 1968, Martin Luther King was shot through the neck on the balcony of Memphis' Lorraine Motel. Pronounced ...
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages Audio, December 2003
James Brown talks about survival, mistrust, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Invention of Funk.
File format: mp3 File size: 28.5mb Interview length: 31 minutes 8 seconds Sound quality: ***
Michael Jackson: Thrills Before The Spills
Comment by Charles Shaar Murray, Independent, The, December 2003
IT'S THAT PHOTO, the official police mugshot taken when Michael Jackson finally turned himself in to answer charges of child molestation, which looks so scary. ...
Interview by David Nathan, SoulMusic.com, 2004
SHE IS quite simply, one of a kind, a phenomenon of sorts in the world of soul music. For an amazing twenty-five years – since ...
Isaac Hayes: Hot Buttered Soul
Review by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages, 2004
BY 1969 BLACK artists were following rock's lead and recording very long tracks. At the forefront of such experimentation was big bad Isaac Hayes, co-author ...
Review by Dan Gennoe, Q, 2004
BILLIE HOLIDAY crossed with ball-busting rapper Eve, Camden’s Amy Winehouse is easily the most entertaining product of the Sylvia Young stage school – admittedly she ...
Interview by Carl Wiser, Songfacts, January 2004
A masterclass in songwrting from a master songwriter: how his songs came into being, collaborations with others and how his life experiences are reflected in his lyrics.
File format: mp3; file size: 27.4mb, interview length: 29' 59" sound quality: ** (phone)
James Brown: Super Bad: James Brown
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Uncut, February 2004
JAMES BROWN’S road manager Charles Bobbitt takes me to one side and places a friendly paw on my forearm. ...
James Brown: Beat The Devil: James Brown's Demons
Profile by James Maycock, Observer Music Monthly, February 2004
DAMN! LIFE WAS sweet and dandy for the Godfather of Soul in the last few years. But James Brown's slippin' and slidin' once again – ...
N*E*R*D, Pharrell Williams: The Hit Man: Pharrell Williams
Profile and Interview by Paul Lester, Guardian, The, February 2004
He co-produced nearly 20% of tracks currently being played on British radio. But he is also a star in his own right - as a ...
Jamelia: Some Kind Of Superstar
Profile and Interview by Nick Hasted, Independent, The, February 2004
WHEN JAMELIA disappeared four years ago, it seemed her coronation as Britain's R&B queen might be postponed for ever. Four hit singles, including the Top ...
Chi-Lites, The: Legends of Songwriting: Eugene Record of The Chi-Lites
Profile and Interview by Bill DeMain, Performing Songwriter, May 2004
IN 1969, WHEN The Chi-Lites scored their first hit with 'Give It Away', it was a well-earned triumph. ...
Chi-Lites, The: The Chi-Lites: The Complete Chi-Lites on Brunswick, Vols. 1 and 2 (Edsel)
Review by Barney Hoskyns, Uncut, May 2004
Definitive comp of Windy City vocal-group soulsters beloved of Tony Soprano. ...
Interview by Gavin Martin, Rock's Backpages Audio, June 2004
The great lost voice of soul recounts his career, from childhood gospel in Philadelphia, through his '60s hits with Jerry Ragavoy, his leaving music behind and the dark years, right up to his recent rediscovery and revival.
File format: mp3; in 2 parts, total file sizes: 50mb, total interview length: 54' 36" sound quality: ****
Profile and Interview by Gavin Martin, Record Collector, June 2004
HOWARD TATE is sitting opposite me sipping black coffee in the bar of a West End Hotel and I can hardly believe it. Until recently ...
Ray Charles: 'As Frank Sinatra Said, He Was The Only True Genius In Our Business'
Obituary by Charles Shaar Murray, Independent, The, June 2004
FOR ALL PRACTICAL purposes, Ray Charles invented modern soul music. By fusing the sensual and secular preoccupations of the blues and the galvanic fervour of ...
Interview by Sheryl Garratt, Evening Standard, July 2004
ANGIE STONE breezes into the bar at the Lowry Hotel in Manchester apologising for the burger in her hand and explaining that she's just flown ...
Bill Withers: Legends of Songwriting: Bill Withers
Interview by Bill DeMain, Performing Songwriter, July 2004
A BLACK MAN wearing faded jeans and an orange turtleneck sweater sits on a stool. He's hunched over his acoustic guitar. Eyes closed, sweat glistening ...
Ray Charles: The Great Ray Charles Needed No Justifying
Retrospective by Al Aronowitz, Blacklisted Journalist, The, July 2004
Ronald Reagan arrived at the Pearly Gates this week, and was met by St. Peter. Reagan was stunned for a moment. ...
Ray Charles: I Believe to My Soul
Essay by Dave Marsh, Harp, September 2004
One of these days, and it won't be longYou gonna look for me, and I'll be gone ...
Dan Penn: Muscle Shoals: Soul of the South
Retrospective and Interview by Chris Campion, unpublished, September 2004
Muscle Shoals and Fame Studios are synonymous with the golden era of soul music. But the musicians who wrote and played on the songs that ...
Dave Godin: Champion of Black Music who coined the term "Northern Soul"
Obituary by Richard Williams, Guardian, The, October 2004
WHEN THE MUSICIANS and singers of the first Motown Revue – the Miracles, the Supremes, Martha and the Vandellas, "Little" Stevie Wonder and Earl Van ...
Review by Terry Staunton, Record Collector, December 2004
ALTHOUGH OFTEN in the shadow of former hubby George, Gwen McCrae is still a much revered name in deep soul circles almost 30 years after ...
Interview by David Nathan, SoulMusic.com, 2005
THERE ARE any number of R&B songs we could use as a cliché for the title of this article on the super-soulful Ms. Bettye Lavette. ...
Interview by Gavin Martin, Rock's Backpages Audio, 2005
Mary J. speaks frankly about her life: drink and drugs, domestic abuse, marriage, tattoos, clothes and wearing fur!
File format: mp3; file size: 28.6mb; Interview length: 31 16"; sound quality: ****
Interview by Bill Brewster, djhistory.com, January 2005
LOLEATTA WAS born in Chicago in 1946 and, like most of her peers, began singing in gospel groups before striking out on a solo career ...
Betty Davis: She's Gotta Have It
Retrospective and Interview by James Maycock, MOJO, February 2005
ONE EVENING during the high summer of 1967, the fragrant Miss Mabry left her Greenwich Village apartment situated in the S&M area of Bedford Street. ...
Interview by Gavin Martin, Independent on Sunday, February 2005
ON A RAINY FRIDAY afternoon Solomon Burke is holding court in the living room of his San Fernando Valley home. The man who has claimed ...
Stevie Wonder: The Backpages Interview: Stevie Wonder
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages, March 2005
RBP: You're working these long all-night stretches in the studio. How different is it from when you worked in the early '70s? ...
Ray Charles: O-Genio: Live In Brazil 1963
Film/DVD Review by Terry Staunton, Record Collector, March 2005
AFTER LAST YEAR'S duets album became the best-selling release of his career, coupled with the Oscar buzz surrounding the new biopic, it was inevitable that ...
Interview by Jaan Uhelszki, Harp, March 2005
AL GREEN'S genius spans four decades, and during those often tumultuous years the man who is routinely referred to as the last great Southern soul ...
Interview by Angus Batey, Daily Express, March 2005
WHEN YOU'RE a pop star, life rushes by at a furious pace. And things are so hectic for Joss Stone right now that the only ...
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages Audio, March 2005
From 'Fingertips' to the 21st Century, and everything in between: his classic albums; Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye and Prince; race, religion and blindness; recording and technology then and now... and he sings! he preaches! he does your horoscope!
File format: mp3; in 4 parts, total file sizes: 100.3meg, total interview length: 1h 49' 29" sound quality: ***
Arrow Brown: The Godfather of King Drive
Retrospective by Bob Mehr, Chicago Reader, April 2005
Arrow Brown wanted badly to be a player-he wore a black hat, packed heat even in church, and exploited a houseful of wives and concubines ...
Profile and Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Uncut, June 2005
BY THE SMALL HOURS of Saturday morning, L.A.'s Koreatown district is hushed and still. The odd car rattles along Western Avenue, but most of the ...
Destiny's Child: Earl's Court, London
Live Review by Nick Hasted, Independent, The, June 2005
FOR THE "INDEPENDENT WOMEN" of one of their biggest hits, Destiny's Child have a tendency to do what they are told. The middleclass work ethic ...
Jim Ford, Bobby Womack: Bobby Womack on Jim Ford (2005)
Interview by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages Audio, June 2005
The Last Soul Man talks about his friend and collaborator Jim Ford: being introduced by Ford to Sly Stone, such great songs as 'Harry Hippie' and 'Point Of No Return', and writing songs with the man.
File format: mp3; file size: 19.8mb, interview length: 21' 35" sound quality: * (phoner)
Gil Scott-Heron/Brian Jackson: Winter in America (Charly)
Review by Barney Hoskyns, Uncut, July 2005
A MASTERWORK of ghetto melancholia and stark political gravitas, Winter in America showcases Scott-Heron and Jackson at their most witheringly unsentimental but also their most ...
Obituary by Daryl Easlea, Record Collector, September 2005
THERE WAS SOMETHING special about Luther Vandross (who died 1st July). Free of the brashness of the other male soul performers of the 80s; here ...
Bettye LaVette: Betty LaVette: I've Got My Own Hell to Raise (Anti)
Review by Barney Hoskyns, Observer, The, September 2005
PREVIOUSLY KNOWN only to fanatical followers of obscure deep soul, the legendary Ms LaVette belatedly comes in for a Joe Henry tune-up on this feisty, ...
New Orleans: The Heart of the Matter
Retrospective by Bill Bentley, L.A. Weekly, September 2005
"I'm not sure, but I'm almost positive, that all music came from New Orleans."–Ernie K-Doe, 1979* ...
Earth Wind and Fire: Earth, Wind and Fire: Relighting the Fire
Report and Interview by Robert Sandall, Daily Telegraph, September 2005
MAYBE IT'S AN effect of the baking late-August heat, but the concert scene in Houston, Texas has gone all topsy-turvy. ...
Mary J. Blige: The Drama of Being Mary J. Blige
Profile by Barney Hoskyns, Observer, The, November 2005
"WE LOVE YOU, MARY!" The shouts float up from isolated pockets in the plush auditorium housed within Columbus Circle's glitzy Time Warner building. Mary J. ...
Black Merda: It's a Detroit Rock Thing
Retrospective by Fred Mills, Harp, November 2005
THEY RUBBED shoulders with the cream of the Motor City, including Funkadelic, the Temptations, Edwin Starr, Bob Seger and the MC5. They recorded for the ...
Jamie Lidell: King's Cross Scala, London
Live Review by Ben Thompson, Daily Telegraph, November 2005
JAMIE LIDELL'S live show at the King's Cross Scala offers a number of delightfully incongruous spectacles. Looming large among them is the sight of a ...
Essay by David Stubbs, Guardian, The, November 2005
IN SPRING 1981, in an act akin to James Brown relocating to Hull, a 42-year-old cash-strapped Marvin Gaye took the Southampton ferry to the Belgian ...
Marvin Gaye: Divided Soul: The Life Of Marvin Gaye
Book Review by Terry Staunton, Record Collector, December 2005
DEFINITIVE BIOGRAPHY of the Trouble Man ...
Interview by Lulu Le Vay, Touch, December 2005
THE GLAMOUROUS surroundings of the Sofitel hotel in Pall Mall are dazzling – handsome door staff oozing charisma and flirtatious winks, impressive pieces of classic-yet-modern ...
Dr. John: Wade In The Water: Dr. John Weathers the Flood
Interview by John Sinclair, Honest Tune, 2006
THERE IS no native son of New Orleans more fiercely native than Mac Rebennack, known professionally now for almost 40 years as Dr. John. ...
Booker T & The MGs: AUDIO: Booker T. Jones (2006)
Interview by Joel Selvin, Selvin On The City, KSAN 107.7, 2006
The Booker T & The MGs mainman talks about the Stax years, working with the likes of Otis Redding and Albert King, making 'Green Onions', and on to later projects with Santana, Neil Young and Boz Scaggs.
File format: mp3; file size: 25.5mb; Interview length: 27' 5"; sound quality: *****
Interview by David Nathan, SoulMusic.com, 2006
IT TAKES a certain 'something' to maintain a career with any sort of longevity in the music industry – more now than ever. Long gone ...
Profile by Terry Staunton, Notes for Live in '72 DVD, 2006
Terry Staunton profiles the life of Al Green for the sleevenotes for Revolver Entertainment's Live in '72 DVD ...
5th Dimension, The: The 5th Dimension: Up, Up and Away/Magic Garden
Sleevenotes by Gene Sculatti, Collector's Choice Records, 2006
IT'S NO SECRET that time has a way of erasing details and leaving our memories with only the broadest contours of our shared experience. Most ...
Deon Jackson: Love Makes the World Go Round
Sleevenotes by Gene Sculatti, Collector's Choice, 2006
IF YOU HAVE TO BE remembered as a one-hit wonder, it helps if the hit was a wonderful one, a unique-sounding record from what was ...
Lewis Taylor: Soul Enigma: Lewis Taylor Comes to America
Report and Interview by Mark Anthony Neal, PopMatters, February 2006
FOR MUCH OF THE LAST DECADE, arguably the most brilliant R&B artist of this generation has toiled in relative obscurity in Britain. ...
Sly & The Family Stone: Looking at the Devil: Sly Stone and There's a Riot Goin' On
Retrospective by Barney Hoskyns, Observer Music Monthly, March 2006
DICK CAVETT didn't know what had hit him. The mild-mannered, impeccably liberal TV host had had some far-out guests on his ABC talk show, but ...
Candi Staton Comes Home to Country Soul
Sleevenotes by Barney Hoskyns, Honest Jon's Records, March 2006
THERE ARE southern soul voices and there are southern soul voices. Raw and ravaged, Candi Staton's is one of the signature sounds of that particular ...
Interview by Gavin Martin, Rock's Backpages Audio, April 2006
Starting with her collaboration with The Source on the dancefloor classic 'You Got The Love', this fascinating interview takes us back to racist Alabama, gospel, her marriage to Clarence Carter and her time at Rick Hall's Fame, and takes in the years of abuse and drink, and her return to the church.
File format: mp3; in 2 parts, total file sizes: 64.7mb, total interview length: 1h 10' 40" sound quality: ****
Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham: Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham: The Grey Eagle, Asheville, NC
Live Review by Fred Mills, Harp, April 2006
"THIS IS rock 'n' roll for the older set – we're all sitting down, reading the lyrics..." ...
Review by Carol Cooper, Village Voice, May 2006
IN HIS LONG-AGO heyday Prince complimented Kid Creole's backup girls by admiring how Adriana Kaegi "used every beat of the music in her choreography." Evidence ...
Earth Wind and Fire: Earth, Wind and Fire: The Way of the World
Profile and Interview by Bill DeYoung, Goldmine, July 2006
WITHOUT MAURICE WHITE, the 1970s wouldn't have been nearly as interesting. ...
Interview by Sheryl Garratt, Grazia, August 2006
THE FAMILY RESEMBLANCE is unmistakable. With her high cheekbones and big brown eyes, Janet Jackson looks eerily like her brother Michael before he began his ...
Interview by Amy Linden, XXL, August 2006
THERE'S NEVER been a funkier white girl than Teena Marie. With hits like 'Lovergirl', 'Square Biz' and 'Fire and Desire' – a duet with former ...
Jerry Butler: The Ice Man Cometh/Ice On Ice
Sleevenotes by Gene Sculatti, Collectors Choice Music, November 2006
As well as being two classic albums of '60s pop-soul, The Ice Man Cometh and Ice on Ice comprise a tale of two cities – ...
Sleevenotes by James Maycock, Vampi Soul, November 2006
Dennis Coffey: Original Old School Breaks & Heavy Guitar Soul (Vampi Soul) ...
Allen Toussaint: The Jazz Café, London
Live Review by Simon Witter, Daily Telegraph, November 2006
THOUGH HE IS the greatest living exponent of the extraordinary New Orleans piano tradition that produced Professor Longhair, Fats Domino, Huey Smith, James Booker, Dr ...
James Brown: Caught in The Act: James Brown's Soul on Top
Live Review by Kirk Silsbee, Downbeat, December 2006
WHEN SOUL shouter James Brown released his big band album – Soul on Top – in 1970, it was received as neither fish nor fowl ...
Obituary by James Maycock, Independent, The, December 2006
JAMES BROWN was one of the most extraordinary Afro-Americans of the 2nd half of the 20th century. A raw, emotional singer, electric performer and tough ...
James Brown: The Last Soul Brother: James Brown (1933-2006)
Retrospective by Mark Anthony Neal, PopMatters, January 2007
JAMES BROWN was of a generation of black men—mythological in many ways—who helped define the contours of freedom and possibility for black folk in the ...
Live Review by Amy Linden, Village Voice, January 2007
WITH HYPE justified by her soon come (and already #1 in the UK) sophomore CD Back To Black), and a Ghostface remix of the slurred, ...
Joss Stone: The Undoctored Ms Stone, I Presume: Joss Stone
Interview by Robert Sandall, Sunday Times, February 2007
MEETING JOSS STONE in the Electric Lady recording suite in downtown Manhattan feels curiously appropriate. Set up in 1968 by Jimi Hendrix, who named his ...
Sleevenotes by James Maycock, Vampi Soul Records, March 2007
JANUARY 2003. AUGUSTA, GEORGIA. A documentary crew are filming James Brown outside the house his aunt operated as a brothel in the 1940s. It was ...
Lewis Taylor: Lost and Found: Lewis Taylor's Pop-Rock Masterpiece
Review by The Rev. Al Friston, Rock's Backpages, March 2007
IF LOS ANGELES is the perfect place to fall in love with an album-as-road-soundtrack – as aural companion to the zen ebb and flow of ...
War: The War Story: An Interview with War's Original Drummer Harold Brown
Interview by Carl Wiser, Songfacts, March 2007
AS DRUMMER FOR THE BAND WAR, Harold Brown was part of the vibrant music scene of the late-'60s and early-'70s that included Jim Morrison, Jimi ...
Allen Toussaint: Toussaint Explores Life Outside Big Easy
Profile and Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, May 2007
ALLEN TOUSSAINT never left New Orleans. He spent virtually his entire distinguished career playing piano, singing, writing songs and making records with other people in ...
Amy Winehouse: Hip-Hop Junkies: Amy Winehouse
Interview by Amy Linden, XXL, June 2007
23-YEAR-OLD UK soul/jazz chanteuse Amy Winehouse has taken music by storm with her American debut Back To Black. Already huge overseas, Amy first got US ...
Interview by Amy Linden, XXL Hip Hop Soul, June 2007
UNDER LOS ANGELES' sparkly surface there lies a noir beauty, and nowhere is that gritty glamour more present than at the legendary Chateau Marmont. Nestled ...
Interview by Andrew Purcell, Guardian, The, June 2007
"WHEN I FELT like I needed profanity, I used profanity," Swamp Dogg begins. And as he cheerfully swears his way through his 50 years in ...
Al Green: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Ian Gittins, Guardian, The, June 2007
AL GREEN IS the last of the American southern soul giants of the 1960s and 70s, a survivor where Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett and Sam ...
Amy Winehouse: Somerset House, London
Live Review by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages, July 2007
THE LAST TIME I had a ticket for Amy Winehouse was back in March, at Spaceland in LA. She'd played the Roxy the night before ...
Sly & The Family Stone: Sly Stone: I Want To Take You... Lower
Report by Sean O'Hagan, Observer, The, July 2007
Sly Stone was the funkadelic pioneer who made the world dance, broke racial boundaries, raised hell and set Woodstock alight. Last week, in Italy, after ...
Sly & The Family Stone: Sly and the Family Stone: Bournemouth Opera House
Live Review by Jim Irvin, MOJO, August 2007
YOU'RE A LIFE-LONG fan of a band that fell apart long before you were old enough to see them play. Suddenly, you hear that the ...
Drifters, The: The Drifters: I'll Take You Where The Music's Playing (Collectors' Choice Music)
Sleevenotes by Gene Sculatti, Collectors' Choice Music, August 2007
IF THE MID-'60s "Brill Building era" – when teams like Goffin-King, Bacharach-David and Mann-Weil wrote like what seemed two-thirds of the hits in Top 40 ...
Bettye LaVette: Highline Ballroom, New York, NY
Live Review by Kandia Crazy Horse, Harp, September 2007
WAKING UP every morning now with the Blues, so catching the divine Lady Bettye LaVette's recent Manhattan show at the Highline was a foregone conclusion. ...
Chaka Khan: Back...From Back In The Day
Interview by David Nathan, SoulMusic.com, October 2007
LOS ANGELES, October 11, 2007: I've been talking to Chaka Khan since 1974. Through the years, I've been a witness to her through-the-fire-days, her almost-have-it-together-days, ...
DeBarge, El DeBarge: The Rise and Fall of The DeBarge Family
Retrospective and Interview by Michael A. Gonzales, Vibe, October 2007
The DeBarge family – El, Marty, Randy, Bunny and James, not to mention Thomas, Bobby, and baby brother Chico – were supposed to be Motown's ...
Stylistics, The, Thom Bell: Sweet Soul Symphonics: Thom Bell and the Stylistics
Retrospective by Barney Hoskyns, Rock's Backpages, November 2007
THE STYLISTICS were a permanent fixture on the British pop charts of the early '70s. Every tenth record that came out of my tinny transistor ...
Profile and Interview by Caroline Sullivan, Guardian, The, November 2007
... and Lily, and Kate: there's a new star in town. Adele Adkins is only 19, but her voice has bewitched everyone from Jools Holland ...
Sly & The Family Stone: Sly and the Family Stone: Stand!
Sleevenotes by Barney Hoskyns, Sony Legacy, Spring 2007
IT'S A MEASURE of our fascination with the darker side of pop culture that Stand! now tends to take second stage to 1971's claustrophobic, coke-fuelled ...
Joss Stone: Joss Stick: Joss Stone
Interview by Dan Gennoe, Mail On Sunday, 2008
JOSS STONE is smoking a fag. Crouched on the pavement outside the BBC's Maida Vale studio, a grey cardigan pulled around her, a skinny roll-up ...
Dells, The: Originals: The Dells
Retrospective by Mike Atherton, Echoes, 2008
THE RAYS, formed by five youngsters from Harvey, Illinois in 1952, were just one of the thousands of doo-wop groups springing up in America's cities ...
James Brown: I Got The Feelin': James Brown In The '60s (Shout! Factory)
Review by Jeffrey Morgan, unpublished, 2008
NOTE: previously unpublished; banned after having "been labeled 'offensive' by most of the editorial department here" at Detroit Metro Times. ...
Marvin Gaye's Here, My Dear: Deal Me Out
Retrospective by Nick Coleman, Independent on Sunday, February 2008
At the age of 39, Marvin Gaye's marriage hit the rocks, and he was forced into the studio to pay the divorce fees. Reissued 30 ...
Review by Carol Cooper, Village Voice, February 2008
SURE, MADONNA repeatedly toyed with BDSM in her videos, but she never publicly admitted to breast and genital piercings like Miss Jackson did. So, in ...
Obituary by Adam Sweeting, Guardian, The, February 2008
Rock drummer who graced the stage with Hendrix in his heyday ...
Adele: The Great White Hype: Adele's 19
Review by Barney Hoskyns, Uncut, March 2008
SOME DAYS it feels like we've time-traveled back to the early Eighties, when every other month coughed up a new BEST WHITE SOUL VOICE YOU'VE ...
Rihanna: Sweetness and Steel: Rihanna
Profile and Interview by Dorian Lynskey, Guardian, The, May 2008
ON A HOT spring day, inside a large, airy studio in the town of Castaic, California, a group of men and women are watching paint ...
Al Green Is Still in Love With You
Profile and Interview by Ben Fong-Torres, TONEaudio, June 2008
WHEN THE REVEREND Al Green decided to return to singing love songs, he did more than revive his pop music career. He may have saved ...
Ne-Yo: 'Do I Have To Sell My Soul?'
Profile and Interview by Angus Batey, Guardian, The, July 2008
He's an R&B singer, and songwriter to the stars. But when the music stops, Ne-Yo vanishes from the spotlight. He tells Angus Batey why that's ...
Miami Sound Machine: The Hit Factory Criteria Studio
Report and Interview by Evelyn McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, July 2008
MIAMI – On any given night, as the fabled moon rises over Miami, the densest concentration of pop stars per square foot is likely to ...
Isaac Hayes: Remembering Isaac Hayes
Obituary by David Nathan, Stax 50th Online Blog, August 2008
IT MIGHT be easy to simply consider Isaac Hayes as Black Moses, as the distinguished winner of an Oscar for 'Theme For Shaft', as the ...
Aretha Franklin, Jerry Wexler: Remembering Jerry Wexler…
Comment by David Nathan, Stax 50th Online Blog, September 2008
I'M NOT sure the first time I saw Gerald Wexler's name on an album. ...
Natalie Cole: The Unforgettable Ms Cole
Interview by Lucy O'Brien, Guardian, The, September 2008
Natalie Cole is the superstar's daughter who became a Black Panther, a cocaine addict – and a huge success in her own right. As she ...
Four Tops, The: The Great Levi Stubbs
Memoir by Dave Marsh, Rock and Rap Confidential, October 2008
WHEN I WAS 15, I met the Four Tops on a downtown Detroit street, where they were doing a photo shoot with the Supremes. ...
Estelle, John Legend: John Legend: Why His Name Is Legend
Interview by Jude Rogers, Observer, The, October 2008
Barack Obama is a fan of soul star John Legend, and Estelle was his protégée. Jude Rogers speaks to him in the UK for the ...
Temptations, The: The Temptations: The Band That Took Motown Higher
Retrospective and Interview by Dorian Lynskey, Guardian, The, October 2008
FORTY YEARS ago this month, the Temptations released a single that would change the face of Motown. Martin Luther King Jr had been gunned down ...
Darlene Love: All You Need Is Love
Interview by Terry Staunton, Record Collector, December 2008
'Tis the season to be jolly, and to dig out a yuletide classic by DARLENE LOVE. Phil Spector's secret weapon gets festive with TERRY STAUNTON ...
Aretha Franklin: Some Things Are Sacred: A Jubilant Appreciation of The Music Of Aretha Franklin
Overview by David Nathan, SoulMusic.com, December 2008
YOU JUST have to know that some things are sacred. ...
Ben E. King: Supernatural and Benny And Us
Sleevenotes by Gene Sculatti, Collector's Choice Records, 2009
BY NOW IT'S A TRUISM that F. Scott Fitzgerald got it wrong when he said, "There are no second acts in American lives." Sure, lots ...
Profile and Interview by John Doran, Quietus, The, February 2009
CANDI STATON is, to put it simply, one of the most consistently underrated female vocalists ever. This is not to say that she hasn't had ...
Retrospective by Jon Stewart, Guitarist, April 2009
Jon Stewart celebrates the magic of Motown’s multiple guitarists ...
Dusty Springfield: The Legacy of Dusty Springfield
Retrospective by Bob Stanley, Times, The, April 2009
The greatest girl singer of the Sixties would be 70 this month, but her legacy is evergreen ...
Booker T. Jones: Booker T Jones: The King Of Stax Picks Up His Axe
Interview by Nick Coleman, Independent on Sunday, April 2009
With his band the MGs, Booker T was the resident genius at one of America's great soul labels. Now, with a bit of help from ...
Memoir by John Pidgeon, Rock's Backpages, June 2009
IN JANUARY 1980, the gates of 4641 Hayvenhurst Avenue in Encino were open, unguarded. As I parked, an Alsatian bounded to the car and bared ...
Michael Jackson: Blame it On the Good Times: The Life and Living Death of Michael Jackson
Essay by Barney Hoskyns, New Statesman, July 2009
IN SEPTEMBER 1979, my friend Davitt Sigerson – then a very good white writer on black music; later the chairman of Island Records in America; ...
Chris Clark: Motown's Great White Hope: Chris Clark
Retrospective and Interview by Don Waller, Los Angeles Times, August 2009
CHRIS CLARK was a 17-year-old, 6-foot platinum blond when she arrived at Motown's Detroit headquarters in 1963 -- demo in hand -- to audition for ...
Obituary: Consummate Nashville record man Shelby Singleton, of Mercury and Sun
Obituary by John Broven, Now Dig This, November 2009
SHELBY SINGLETON, the consummate record man who was the most capable latter-day custodian of Sun Records, died of brain cancer in a Nashville, Tennessee hospice ...
N-Dubz, Tinchy Stryder, Taio Cruz, Chipmunk, Dizzee Rascal: N-Dubz and The Second Coming of Brit Pop
Overview by Ben Thompson, Observer Music Monthly, November 2009
It has been a long, rocky road for homegrown urban music in the UK, but this year N-Dubz and a close-knit group of stars have ...
Review by Jude Rogers, Guardian, The, November 2009
Rather than treating them like national treasures, let's hope musicians stretch their prejudices about what older artists can do ...
Curtis Mayfield: Gangster Boogie
Retrospective and Interview by Michael A. Gonzales, Wax Poetics, December 2009
Curtis Mayfield injected his own cultural commentary into the Super Fly legacy ...
Lee Dorsey: The New Lee Dorsey
Sleevenotes by Tim Tooher, Rev-Ola Records, December 2009
"Lee Dorsey's voice has a smile to it. If you listen to Lee Dorsey, you can see a smile and something in you can feel ...
Percy Sledge: Out Of Left Cotton Field: The Brokenhearted Country Soul Of Percy Sledge
Sleevenotes by Barney Hoskyns, 'The Complete Atlantic Recordings' (Rhino), 2010
PERCY SLEDGE IS as prone to romanticizing Muscle Shoals as the many music writers who rhapsodize about the area in pieces about local luminaries like ...
Interview by David Nathan, SoulMusic.com, January 2010
Teena picks her favourite seven tracks from her own back catalogue, and selects three by other artists that mean the most to her.
File format: mp3; file size: 72mb; Interview length: 1h 18' 39"; sound quality: ***
Teddy Pendergrass: Life Was a Song Worth Singing
Retrospective by Mark Anthony Neal, PopMatters, January 2010
HEARING THE SOOTHING voice of the late Teddy Pendergrass singing lead on the Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes classic, 'If You Don't Know Me ...
Book Review by Leyla Sanai, Rock's Backpages, January 2010
FATHER OF hip–hop, granddaddy of rap, articulate polemicist and early pioneer of the fusion of black politics with poetry and music, Gil Scott–Heron has been ...
Interview by Carl Wiser, Songfacts, May 2010
"LET WHITE FOLKS cross over to me..." An R&B star with a stunning voice, Millie Jackson was close to breaking into the mainstream like her ...
Steve Cropper: Rock Climbing: Steve Cropper
Retrospective by Jon Stewart, Guitarist, June 2010
GUITARIST, A&R MAN, engineer, producer, songwriter, promoter and founder member of Booker T & the MGs, Steve Cropper’s playing defines southern soul music. Cropper listened to ...
Dionne Warwick, Burt Bacharach: Déjà Vu: The Unstoppable Dionne Warwick
Retrospective and Interview by Kirk Silsbee, Arroyo Monthly, June 2010
You could be a good singer from now 'til hell and back and if you haven't got material, you're just standing there with your mouth ...
Retrospective and Interview by Michael A. Gonzales, Wax Poetics, July 2010
Barry White's unlimited passion took him to the heights of music ...
Interview by Ian Gittins, Wonderland, September 2010
THE SINGER ON BALANCING MUSIC, MOTHERHOOD, CLUBBING AND COOKING ...
Retrospective and Interview by Michael A. Gonzales, Wax Poetics, September 2010
D'Angelo's organic sweet soul shook up modern R&B ...
Interview by David Nathan, SoulMusic.com, September 2010
From Ike & Tina Turner to Roger Waters, via Immediate Records, 'The First Cut Is The Deepest, jammin' with Jimi, theatrical work, and putting the soul into late-'80s Brit dance music: the fantastic P.P. Arnold reveals all.
File format: mp3; in 2 parts, total file sizes: 85.3mb, total interview length: 1h 33' 14" sound quality: ***
Interview by David Nathan, SoulMusic.com, September 2010
El DeBarge on the post-prison come-back trail with Second Chance album, talking about where he's at today(ish – he's fallen off the wagon again since this was taped), and recording with Jam & Lewis et al.
File format: mp3; file size: 23.1mb, interview length: 25' 15" sound quality: ** (phoner)
Roots, The, John Legend: John Legend and the Roots: Hearts, Minds and Soul
Report and Interview by Angus Batey, Guardian, The, October 2010
John Legend and the Roots' album of '60s and '70s protest songs is no mere history lesson – it's an open letter to a divided ...
Janet Jackson: 'I Eat To Fill The Void'
Interview by Michael A. Gonzales, Daily Telegraph, November 2010
With an Oscar-tipped role in Tyler Perry's new film and a handsome young billionaire in her life, Janet Jackson is, finally, 'in a good place'. ...
N*E*R*D, Pharrell Williams: Pharrell Williams: Neptune Rising
Report and Interview by Ian Gittins, Man About Town, Winter 2010
PHARRELL Vs THE FASHIONISTAS ...
Tim Brown: The Wigan Casino Years (Outta Sight)
Book Review by Mike Atherton, Echoes, February 2011
THE TITLE of this striking new book is carefully chosen. Of course there was Northern Soul before the Wigan Casino and, almost 30 years after ...
Interview by David Nathan, SoulMusic.com, March 2011
The Dream Girls star on her relocation to Atlanta, AIDS awareness, the reissue of her I'm On Your Side album and her breakthrough single, 'And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going'.
File format: mp3; file size: 58.7mb, interview length: 1h 04' 04" sound quality: * (phoner)
R Kelly: Hammersmith Apollo, London
Live Review by Caroline Sullivan, Guardian, The, April 2011
IT HAS been more than a decade since R Kelly, the self-proclaimed King of R&B, last passed through London – time enough for his original ...
Beyoncé Is Too Good For Glastonbury
Comment by Ben Thompson, Daily Telegraph, June 2011
Glastonbury's complacent Pyramid Stage crowd just doesn't deserve the great Beyoncé ...
Beyoncé, 4 (Columbia) ** (out of 5)
Review by Andy Gill, Independent, The, June 2011
THERE COMES a certain point in mass pop culture when it ceases being primarily about the music and simply becomes a matter of numbers, whether ...
Benny Spellman: New Orleans R&B stalwart Benny Spellman
Obituary by John Broven, Now Dig This, July 2011
BENNY SPELLMAN, the New Orleans R&B singer, died of respiratory failure on June 3, 2011, in Pensacola, Fla., at the age of 79. He was ...
Jerry Ragovoy: Old Music for New People: A Tribute to Jerry Ragovoy
Memoir by Al Kooper, Morton Report, The, July 2011
MY DEAR FRIEND Jerry Ragovoy, legendary songwriter, producer, and arranger, passed away on July 13 of complications from a stroke. ...
Amy Winehouse: A Rock Star Dead Again at 27
Comment by Wayne Robins, Rock's Backpages, July 2011
THE OTHER DAY I was listening to Amy Winehouse sing "You Know I'm No Good" on WFUV, and thought about how authentic she sounded. Not ...
Chic: Raymond Jones, 1958-2011
Obituary by Daryl Easlea, Record Collector, August 2011
ALTHOUGH A NAME that doesn't readily trip off the tongue, most of RC's readers have danced at some point or another to the understated beauty ...
Report by Kirk Silsbee, Los Angeles Downtown News, October 2011
JAMES BROWN HAD a signature piece of stagecraft that he honed over the years, beginning in the 1950s when he worked his way up through ...
Jill Scott: Brixton Academy, London
Live Review by Caroline Sullivan, Guardian, The, December 2011
"I HAD AN album out this year," Jill Scott informs a chokingly full Brixton Academy. The congratulatory bellows have hardly faded before she tartly adds: ...
Various Artists: For Northern Soul Collectors Volume 1 (EMI)
Review by Mike Atherton, Echoes, 2012
OVER THE YEARS, the mighty EMI company has come to control many American catalogues, from giants like Capitol, Liberty and United Artists to smaller and ...
Boyz II Men: Brixton Academy, London ****
Live Review by Caroline Sullivan, Guardian Unlimited, January 2012
"I'VE NEVER HAD to say this to a crowd before," says Shawn Stockman, the tenor who puts a great deal of the quivering oomph into ...
Obituary by Caroline Sullivan, Guardian, The, February 2012
Superstar singer credited as the first 'pop diva', whose compelling talent was lost to drug addiction ...
Nicki Minaj: Pink Friday – Roman Reloaded
Review by Kate Allen, idolmag.co.uk, April 2012
TENACIOUS, AMUSING AND, ABOVE ALL, "the best" – make no mistake, with Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, Nicki Minaj is here to reaffirm her rap territory ...
Donna Summer: Last Dance... and Gone
Memoir by Holly Gleason, Rock's Backpages, May 2012
IN THAT FLOOD of ebony hair, there was always that one gardenia. Floating on top of the satiny waves of almost-porn star mane, it spoke ...
Book Excerpt by Anthony Heilbut, 'The Fan Who Knew Too Much' (Knopf), June 2012
AMONG THE SEVERAL MYTHS Aretha's father Reverend C. L. Franklin incarnated was a familiar type, Reverend Eatemup, the man with pastoral appetites in food ...
Live Review by Jude Rogers, Guardian, The, June 2012
...
Rihanna: A Sorry State — Pop Marketing & Rihanna's Unapologetic
Comment by Jude Rogers, Quietus, The, November 2012
Provocation for Profit? Assault as a Marketing Accessory? Why the Rihanna PR Machine show sad signs of our times ...
Bobby Womack: The Soundtrack of My Life
Interview by Jude Rogers, Observer, The, November 2012
BOBBY WOMACK'S career began in his teens in Cleveland, Ohio, when Sam Cooke mentored his family band, the Valentinos. In 1964 he wrote 'It's All ...
Live Review by Dorian Lynskey, Guardian, The, November 2012
YOU WAIT YEARS for a Bobby Womack show, and two turn up at once. Unfortunately, that is not as good as it sounds. The 68-year-old ...
Larry Williams: That Larry Williams (Real Gone Music)
Sleevenotes by Gene Sculatti, Real Gone Music, 2013
IT'S NOT JUST because he has such a common name. A quick Google search turns up a Larry Williams who's "an American author and commodity ...
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