KANDACE SPRINGS RELEASES GORGEOUS NEW SINGLE "6 8"

Kandace Springs has released “6 8,” a sublime remake of Gabriel Garzón-Montano's gorgeous ballad that is molasses slow and crystalline pretty. Kandace’s sensual vocals and chiming piano intertwine with Elena Pinderhughes’ ethereal flute and float above Burniss Travis II’s bass and Karriem Riggins’ drums. Watch the video for “6 8” here.

The song follows the single “Don’t Need The Real Thing,” both of which appear on Kandace’s remarkable second album Indigo, a 13-track LP of originals and choice covers that will be released September 7 on Blue Note Records. The album showcases the full breadth of Kandace’s artistry with songs that swirl classical composition with quiet-storm cool, jazz poise with hip-hop swing, tropical warmth with soulful depth, and earthen groove with airy psych.

Indigo

All but two tracks are produced by Riggins (Common, Erykah Badu) with additional production by Jamie Hartman (Rag'n'Bone Man), Jimmy Hogarth (Amy Winehouse, Corinne Bailey Rae), Jimmy Harry (Madonna, P!nk), and Evan Rogers and Carl Sturken (Rihanna).

Given the diverse palette, Karriem was exactly the right person to work with Kandace to catalyze the best parts of various interests into something new. “I love crossing genres and the direction on Indigo was to marry all the different things to tell her story,” says Karriem, who tracked his drums at various studios while on the road with Diana Krall, and chopped and reassembled his and Kandace's recordings into what you hear. “It sounds organic because everything was built around the songwriting. She says so much on the piano, and her voice is amazing—it's the focal point of the whole sound.”

Kandace will embark on a U.S. headline tour beginning September 28 that includes album release shows in Los Angeles (Troubadour, October 1), New York (Sony Hall, October 28), and a hometown Nashville show (City Winery, November 4), followed by performances in Europe and Asia. See below for a full list of tour dates and visit kandacesprings.com for ticket info.

Kandace Springs – Tour Dates:
September 28 – Musical Instrument Museum – Phoenix, AZ
September 29 – Voodoo Room @ House of Blues – San Diego, CA
September 30 - The Parish @ House of Blues – Anaheim, CA
October 1 – The Troubadour – Los Angeles, CA
October 2 – Swedish American Hall – San Francisco, CA
October 4 – The Jack London Revue – Portland, OR
October 5 – Benaroya Hall – Seattle, WA
October 7 - Vancouver International Jazz Festival – Vancouver, BC
October 24 – City Winery – Boston, MA
October 25 - Daryl’s House Club – Pawling, NY
October 27 - Iron Horse Music Hall – Northampton, MA
October 28 - Sony Hall – New York, NY
October 29 – World Café Live – Philadelphia, PA
October 30 – The Hamilton – Washington, DC
November 2 – Stage Door Theater – Charlotte, NC
November 3 – City Winery – Atlanta, GA
November 4 – City Winery – Nashville, TN
November 13 – Forum Leverkusen – Leverkusen, Germany **with WDR Big Band**
November 16 – New Morning – Paris, France
November 17 – Queen Elizabeth Hall – London, England
November 19 – Paradiso – Amsterdam, Netherlands
November 20 – Quasimodo – Berlin, Germany
November 27 – Tokyo International Forum – Tokyo, Japan
November 28 – Sankei Hall Breeze – Osaka, Japan
December 1 – Blue Note Beijing – Beijing, China
December 2 – Blue Note Beijing – Beijing, China

SOUL SINGING LEGEND ALFA ANDERSON PAYS TRIBUTE TO LUTHER VANDROSS!

Former Chic Member Alfa Anderson Celebrates the Life of Music Legend Luther Vandross with
New Single to be Released on the Late Icon’s Birthday

When Luther Sings Available Nationwide April 20

New York, NY (April 18, 2017) – Alfa Anderson, former member of the iconic funk soul band Chic (Le Freak, Good Times, Everybody Dance), will release a new single, "When Luther Sings," in honor of her longtime friend Luther Vandross 66th birthday. The rousing, heartfelt tribute is written by Anderson and co-produced by multi-talented Bert Price. Available nationwide on April 20, When Luther Sings is the first single from Anderson’s long-awaited debut solo album, From My Heart (set for release summer 2017).

“When Luther Sings is my homage to good friend and musical mentor Luther Vandross; the song is autobiographical in many ways,” said Anderson. “As our professional relationship grew, he taught me so much about vocal technique and stage presence. As a matter of fact, Luther is one of the co-creators of the Chic vocal sound. I am forever grateful for the doors he opened for me and for the golden friendship we shared.”

For years, Anderson was an integral member of Vandross' touring band and performed at Wembley Stadium, among many other prestigious venues around the world. Her vocals can be heard on popular Vandross albums such as Give Me the Reason and The Night I Fell in Love, which Rolling Stone Magazine voted as one of the 100 Best Albums of the Eighties.

A chance meeting at a rehearsal studio in NYC led to her introduction to Vandross while rehearsing for a Lou Courtney gig with Ednah Holt. After being introduced to Vandross, a musical bond was formed and Anderson became part of a cadre of in-demand New York session singers. It was Vandross who invited Anderson to a vocal session for Chic with Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards, Tony Thompson and Norma Jean Wright.



Chic went on to see commercial success with disco songs that include "Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah)" (1977), "Everybody Dance" (1977), "Le Freak" (1978), "I Want Your Love" (1978), "Good Times" (1979), and "My Forbidden Lover" (1979).

Throughout the '80s and '90s, Alfa sang on albums by Bryan Adams, Gregory Hines, Mick Jagger, Teddy Pendergrass, Jennifer Holliday, Billy Squier, Sheena Easton, Jody Watley, Bryan Ferry, and Jonathan Butler.

This full-length album is not Anderson’s first foray as a published musician. In the late-'90s, Anderson and her husband Tinkr Barfield formed and produced Voice of Shalom, a group that explored spiritual themes through uplifting original compositions.

They released two full-length albums, Messages (1999) and Daily Bread (2002), as well as a single called "What A Spirit" (2005), which featured guest vocals by Lisa Fischer and Keith Anthony Fluitt. Meanwhile, she continued introducing the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-nominated group Chic’s music to younger audiences through feature films like Shrek 2, Toy Story 3, Up in the Air, 54, Roll Bounce, Spike Lee's Summer of Sam and The New Edition Bio-Pic.

For more on Ms. Anderson and her upcoming musical endeavors, visit www.officialalfaanderson.com. Also keep up with her on Twitter @alfakanderson and FB: https://www.facebook.com/alfa. anderson.7.

WILSON PICKETT AND JIMI HENDRIX 1966

Photo: Courtesy of Michael Randolph, Executor/William “PoPsie” Randolph

Wilson Pickett and Jimi Hendrix -May 5 1966

This was at an Atlantic Records party to launch Percy Sledges' 'When A Man Love A Woman' album, with Cornell Dupree behind Wilson.

Pickett is in top form, backed by guitar-slinger Hendrix, who gives no clue of the counter-culture hero he would become in a mere few months..By the end of the year Jimi was in London getting Experienced.

Photo: Courtesy of Michael Randolph, Executor/William “PoPsie” Randolph

VIDEO HERE OF Jimi in 1965

GET ON UP! NEW JAMES BROWN BIO PIC STARTS TOMORROW

Get on Up is the new James Brown bio pic that starts tomorrow! The directors are from the UK and Mick Jagger supervised the music....this movie is going to SMOKE...a film that most likely will be up for the Academy Award....starts August 1 TOMORROW

Supercharged by Chadwick Boseman’s tour de force as the iconic Godfather of Soul James Brown — and pitch-perfect music supervision by producer and longtime devotee Mick Jagger — “Get On Up’’ is one funk-tastic musical biopic.

TICKETS AND MOVIE TIMES

Vigorously directed by Tate Taylor (“The Help’’), the film largely avoids standard rise-and-fall clichés and strained attempts to explain a messy and colorful life filled with contradictions that doesn’t easily fit inside a 2 ¹/₂ hour narrative with a PG-13 rating.

Instead, the screenplay by British brothers Jez and John-Henry Butterworth (“Edge of Tomorrow’’) jumps back and forth between significant incidents — opening in 1988 with a high-on-PCP, middle-aged Brown using a rifle to terrorize a roomful of insurance agents, one of whom accidentally used Brown’s private bathroom in the same building.

GEOFFREY GURRUMUL: SOULFUL NEW RELEASE

This amazing debut by Geoffrey Gurrumul is soul reaching and so amazingly lovely....

Those with the biggest impact don't always have the loudest voice. Take the otherworldly vocal prowess of GURRUMUL, a blind Aboriginal man whose powerfully emotive voice fuels the lush and gorgeously orchestrated album GURRUMUL (Skinnyfish Records; release date July 22, 2014).

GURRUMUL Photo credit: ADRIAN COOK

While many artists in music today vie for attention with flash and histrionics, Gurrumul needs nothing but his high tenor to evoke emotion, compassion and peace. It's what made this unassuming member of the Gumatj clan a hugely-respected celebrity in his native Australia. In his music, Gurrumul draws on the stories of the more than 40,000 year old Aboriginal culture, which is older than any other known.

Adored and revered by the likes of Sting, Elton John, will.i.am, Stevie Wonder, Prince Charles and his Queen Mother among multitudes of others, Gurrumul sings songs about identity, spirit and connection with the land, its elements and the ancestral beings he's related to. Mostly, all the songs are in his native tongue of Yolngu, and it doesn't matter if the words are not understood. It's an innate and natural language that transcends language barriers, changing the way people listen to and experience music.

 Click the image below to order this amazing debut cd....

R&B LEGEND BOBBY WOMACK PASSED AWAY

Bobby Womack, a colorful and highly influential R&B singer-songwriter who influenced artists from the Rolling Stones to Damon Albarn, has died. He was 70.

Womack’s publicist Sonya Kolowrat said Friday that the singer had died, but she could provide no other details.

With an incomparable voice few could match, Womack was a stirring singer and guitarist in his own right and a powerful songwriter whose hits like “Across 110th Street,” ”If You Think You’re Lonely Now” and “I Wish He Didn’t Trust Me So Much” captured the imagination of future stars in rock ‘n’ roll and R&B.

Robert Dwayne "Bobby" Womack (March 4, 1944 − June 27, 2014) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. An active recording artist since the early 1960s, when he started his career as the lead singer of his family musical group the Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, Womack's career spanned more than 50 years and spanned a repertoire in the styles of R&B, soul, rock and roll, doo-wop, gospel, and country. MORE ON WIKI

 

ARETHA FRANKLIN'S 2014 TOUR STARTS TOMORROW!

Good news for all of us Aretha Franklin fans! Aretha has lost 85 lbs, taken classes to conquer her fear of flying which kept her from touring, and starts a new tour tomorrow!

Aretha was interviewed by USA TODAY and talks about all the positive changes she is making at age 72. Ms Franklin has had some difficult undisclosed health issues in the recent past but is much better now. We wish her all the best with her new shows!

Check this tour information for her show in your city...She is not to be missed!

ARETHA'S 2014 TOUR ITINERARY

June 14-15: Radio City Music Hall, New York

June 28: Ottawa Jazz & Blues Festival

July 2: Montreal Jazz Festival

July 12: DTE Amphitheatre, Detroit

July 22: Art Park, Lewiston, N.Y.

July 31: Ohio State Fair, Columbus, Ohio

Aug. 5: Wisconsin State Fair, Milwaukee

Aug. 22: Minnesota State Fair Grandstand

Sept. 3: Austin City Limits Live at the Moody Theater

Sept. 6: AT&T Performing Arts Center, Dallas

Sept. 9: Arena Theatre, Houston

Nov. 8: Fox Theatre, Atlanta

One of my very favorites of Aretha....

THE NATIONAL R&B MUSIC SOCIETY INC.

The Temptations formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1960 as The Elgins (not to be confused with another Motown group with the same name), the Temptations have always featured at least five male vocalists/dancers. Having sold tens of millions of albums, the Temptations are one of the most successful groups in music history.

The Ronettes first entered the US singles chart with 'Be My Baby' the girl group's only top 10 hit. Lead singer, Veronica Bennett who became Ronnie Spector, took producer and ex-husband Phil Spector to court in the late 1990s for unpaid royalties.

The National Rhythm&Blues Music Society Inc.
"Dedicated To Preserving, Promoting & Honoring Classic Soul/R&B Music"

Music Soothes Your Soul! The National R&B Music Society is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to preserving, & promoting Classic Soul/R&B Music & honoring the Legends.

Their membership is drawn from a variety of sources – including artists, musicians, radio & TV personalities, disc jockeys, music collectors, historians, songwriters, producers, directors, teachers and all who share with us our deep appreciation and love for Classic Soul/ Rhythm & Blues.

SEE THEIR FACEBOOK PAGE

SUNDAY SOUL VIDEOS WITH SCOTT MORGAN

Scott Morgan on Facebook

This is a well-known track from Bobby Taylor in 1968, and there's an interesting story about this group, Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard of The Supremes went to see the group at the Elegant Parlor in Vancouver, they were so impressed they told Berry Gordy and he signed them to Motown straight away, and the rest is history!

Not many times in rock and roll does a blue-eyed version of a Holland Dozier Holland outshine a soul version, but in this case I have to say it's awfully good.

Funk it definitely was, but it was also the beginnings of an era called Disco where a danceable beat trumped everything. The Detroit Emeralds consisted of three brothers originally from Little Rock, Arkansas who moved to Detroit to pursue a career in music. "Do Me Right" never made it into the Top 40 in 1971, but it was a stand-out recording for the Detroit Emeralds.

The Dramatics (formerly The Dynamics) were a American soul music vocal group, formed in Detroit, Michigan in 1967. They are best known for their 1970s million- selling hit songs, "In the Rain" and "Whatcha See is What You Get"

This Is A Great 70s Temptations Classic it sounds a little like Eddie Kendricks but the tenor on this song is Damon Harris,(Harris) was also on Papa Was A Rolling Stone and few other Temptation hits

I'll bet they didn't do this one last night...

RETROKIMMER: JAMES BROWN "DOING THE BEST I CAN"

One of my very favorite soul singers of all time is the Godfather himself James Brown. James pulled off a legendary career that very few can match... He never lost his "coolness". He was cool from the beginning, at his very last breath, and beyond... Brown's legacy lives on in eternity...

I was chatting with an old friend and he brought up this song.... "Funk on Ah Roll". Perhaps the funkiest song of all time.... ck this out ...

Ever notice that no matter what mood you may be in... soul music will have a song that fits your mood perfectly... They don't write lyrics like this anymore...

James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "The Hardest-Working Man in Show Business," and "Mr. Dynamite." These descriptions are still not enough to cover this fantastic singer...

ARTHUR CONLEY STORY...SWEET SOUL MUSIC

Entrance at the Vorden Cemetary, near Ruurloo

Everyone come to me, and I shall give you peace (Vorden General cemetery)

This is a great piece... After we posted photos of Jackie Wilson's resting place... Dennis Blom a friend from Facebook wrote in to tell me that Arthur Conley (the great soul singer of Sweet Soul Music and more)...was buried near his home in Zwolle, Netherlands. Dennis went out with his camera and shot some photos to share with my readers! How cool is that??

THANK YOU DENNIS...XXOOK

From Dennis:

After a rainy start of the day, the sun is starting to shine as I arrive at the cemetary where Arthur Conley has been laid to rest. After his success and the death of his idol (Otis Redding), Conley went to Europe in the 70's to disappear into anonymity.

First in Antwerp, then Amsterdam, in the multicultural Bijlmer. Then to the small town of Ruurlo. This was where he and his love Jos lived and worked, for Conley was a homosexual. In Ruurlo nobody thought strange about this relationship and they could live in peace. Conley by this time had almost nothing to do with music and the stardom he had in the years before.

He did do a single with a group from Amsterdam, under his alias Robert Lee (the first name of his mother). At the cemetary nothing will remind you that here lies a man who has world fame with his single 'Sweet soul music'. There are a couple of family tombs and a field for the ashes of the cremated. It's was a bit difficult to find his grave, luckily I had a photograph from another visitor, found on the internet.

And after a couple of rounds I found the grave. Not even a tombstone to remind us who lies here , but only a couple of flowers and plants. If it wasn't for the cd case on the grave, nobody would have known who has been laid there. As the keeper of the cemetery puts it: 'If they can't afford a gravestone, then we put the coffin in the ground and we put a small garden on top. ' Conley was buried here after he died from cancer at the age of 57, the people who knew him remember he was a gentle and kind man. And that's how he will be remembered.

Walking back to the gate there is a line from a local poet:
'Out of the night rises morning red, life out of death'

Read More about Arthur Conley's Life

Read More on RK
Otis Redding
Sam and Dave

JACKIE WILSON: NO MORE LONELY TEARDROPS

Jack Leroy "Jackie" Wilson, Jr. (June 9, 1934 – January 21, 1984) was an American singer and performer. Known as "Mr. Excitement", Wilson was important in the transition of rhythm and blues into soul. He was known as a master showman, and as one of the most dynamic singers and performers in R&B and rock history.

Gaining fame in his early years as a member of the R&B vocal group Billy Ward and His Dominoes, he went solo in 1957 and recorded over 50 hit singles that spanned R&B, pop, soul, doo-wop and easy listening.

During a 1975 benefit concert, he collapsed on-stage from a heart attack and subsequently fell into a coma that persisted for nearly nine years until his death in 1984. By this time, he had become one of the most influential artists of his generation.

A two-time Grammy Hall of Fame Inductee, Jackie Wilson was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Jackie Wilson #68 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. JACKIE'S FULL BIO ON WIKI

Last week I met a young photographer Claire Minneboo. Claire and I have a lot in common... I mentioned to Claire that Jackie Wilson was buried in Westlawn Cemetery in Westland, MI.

Claire happened to be out that way yesterday and shot these new photos of Jackie's really nice head stone. The plot was pretty over grown so Claire and her Mom weeded the plot and made it beautiful for the amazing Jackie Wilson..... Claire is such a great person...

Wilson launched his solo career in 1958 with the singles "Reet Petite" and "To Be Loved," both written for him by a pre-Motown Berry Gordy, Jr., back when the latter was a struggling songwriter. A great collaboration was born between Jackie and Gordy.

While playing Dick Clark's oldies show at the Latin Casino in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Jackie suffered an on stage heart attack while singing "Lonely Tear drops". He went into a coma, suffering major brain damage and was hospitalized until his death at the age of 49.

Thanks so much Claire great job! XXOOK

MISERY: THE DYNAMICS..... KIM AND SCOTT AT THE BLIND PIG

Scott Morgan and I went down to the Blind Pig tonight for Soul Night. Scott said that the first Friday of the month is soul night so I couldn't wait to go....

I heard these 2 songs that I had never heard before... of course Scott knew them well... So I thought I'd share them will my friends....

Who when they were known as The Detours circa 1963.

When the Who were still called the High Numbers and scrounging around for material for their first single, they simply pilfered two American hits and changed the lyrics rather than writing anything original. Slim Harpo's "Got Love If You Want It" became "I'm the Face," and the Dynamics' "Misery" became "Zoot Suit." Originally from Dearborn, the Dynamics were a Detroit favorite whose garage-style take on doowop and soul has proved enduring. While rock 'n' roll fans the world over still love "Misery," which sounds like absolutely nothing else (despite the Brit cover), only true Who devotees recall "Zoot Suit." (MH)

Nathaniel Mayer (born February 10, 1944, Detroit, Michigan, died November 1, 2008) was a rhythm & blues singer who started his career in the early 1960s at Fortune Records in Detroit. "Nay Dog" or "Nate," as he was also known, had a raw, highly energetic vocal style and wild stage show.

Mayer started his career at Fortune Records, a Detroit record label owned by Jack and Devora Brown. There he became label-mates with fellow Fortune stars Nolan Strong and Andre Williams. Mayer would stay with the label for six years, recording a handful of records.

When Mayer was 18 years old he scored a Top 40 hit record in 1962 with "Village of Love," credited to Nathaniel Mayer and The Fabulous Twilights. It was originally released on Fortune Records, who then leased the record to United Artists Records for wider distribution. Follow-ups such as "Leave Me Alone" (late '62) and "I Had A Dream" ('63) failed to duplicate the success of "Village of Love" (although both records, especially "Leave Me Alone," sold well regionally). In 1966, Mayer released "I Want Love and Affection (Not The House Of Correction)," a funky offering in the James Brown vein. He then split with Fortune Records due to differences.

After a 35 year absence from music, in 2002 Mayer began recording and touring again, releasing albums with Fat Possum, Alive Records and Norton Records.

METRO TIMES 100 GREATEST DETROIT SONGS EVER....

RETROKIMMER'S FAVORITES BY JOHNNY RIVERS

Johnny Rivers

There are probably 2 songs by Johnny Rivers that I don't like so picking 3 was tough... But here are my three choices that make happy... They make me sing, dance, and play air guitar too....

Here is my story on Johnny with full bio and more....

Johnny recording

RETROKIMMER: ROBERT KNIGHT EVERLASTING LOVE....

Robert Knight "Everlasting Love"

This is one of my favorites of all time:

Robert Knight Everlasting Love

The original version of "Everlasting Love" was recorded in Nashville by Robert Knight, whose producers Buzz Cason and Mac Gayden aimed to record him in a Motown style with especial reference to the Four Tops and the Temptations. Cason would recall how he and Gayden wrote "Everlasting Love" to serve as B-side for a song entitled "The Weeper", which they were to record with Knight.

The night before the recording session for "The Weeper", Gayden stopped by Cason's home and, according to Cason, "as usual brought several melodies, riffs and grooves to work on", two of whose hit potential particularly struck Cason, who had Gayden combine these ideas into one melody. The writing session was abbreviated as Gayden had to go home for supper; Cason assured his partner: "I'll put some kind of lyric to it...Neither of us was too concerned as just knew that 'The Weeper' would be the hit of the session." Cason believes he may have drawn the phrase "everlasting love" from the biblical verse Jeremiah 31.3 which begins: "Yea, I have loved you with an everlasting love".

Ultimately "Everlasting Love" was released as an A-side for Knight and reached No. 13 in 1967. Subsequently the song has reached the U.S. Top 40 three times, most successfully by Carl Carlton, who peaked at No. 6 in 1974, with more moderate success for remakes by Rex Smith and Rachel Sweet (No. 32, 1981) and Gloria Estefan (No. 27, 1995). Thus, "Everlasting Love" is one of two songs (the other being "The Way You Do the Things You Do") to become a Top 40 hit in the 1960s, '70s, '80s and '90s.