Artist Of The Month
November 2008
Delia Derbyshire
November 4, 2008
October 2008
Garnett Silk
October 4, 2008
September 2008
Jaco Pastorius
September 1, 2008
August 2008
Emmylou Harris
August 4, 2008
July 2008
Roger Troutman
July 1, 2008
June 2008
Patti Smith
June 2, 2008
May 2008
Donny Hathaway
May 3, 2008
April 2008
Alicia Keys
April 1, 2008
Singer/pianist/composer/producer/actress Alicia Keys (née Alicia J Augello-Cook) was born in Harlem New York in 1981 as the only child to a Jamaican father and an Irish-Italian mother. She was raised alone by her mother, who encouraged her to begin classical piano lessons at the age of seven and later pushed her to enroll at Manhattan’s Professional Performance Arts School, where she majored in choir. Alicia’s vocals, at once powerful and delicate, as well as her virtuoso piano skills saw her graduate aged just 16, attract interest from numerous record companies. Although she signed to Columbia and later to Arista, artistic differences and record company politics stifled her early creative output, and it was only a couple of years later, at the newly formed J Records, that her talents really began to blossom and her style, a mix of soul, R&B, and hop-hop became known to the world. There, under the tutelage of label owner Clive Davis she released her self-penned debut album, Songs In A Minor (2001), which sold more than 50,000 copies on its day of release, and became triple platinum within three weeks. Solid follow-ups – Diary Of Alicia Keys (2003), Unplugged (2005), and As I Am (2007) – as well as acting roles in cinema and TV have cemented Keys’ reputation as one of the world’s most talented artists. She must also be given props for her efforts in pushing reggae music to the masses through collaborations with Damian Marley, Sizzla, Baby Cham, and Junior Reid. Gwaan Alicia!
SELECT DISCOGRAPHY
You Don’t Know My Name
You Don’t Know My Name (Columbus Remix)
Falling
No One
No One (Reggae Remix feat Jnr Reid)
Why Don’t You Call Me?
Like You’ll Never See Me Again
Never Can Say Goodbye (live on Jools Holland)
A Woman’s Worth
If I Ain’t Got You
Unbreakable
March 2008
Slim Smith
March 1, 2008
Slim Smith (1948–73), real name Keith Smith, was born in Kingston, Jamaica, and is regarded as one of the country’s great vocalists. Singing from an early age, he sang for The Techniques and later founded The Uniques, voicing soulful, emotional rocksteady for many of Jamaica’s top producers including Duke Reid (Treasure Isle), Bunny Lee, Prince Buster, and Coxsone Dodd (Studio One). Despite his talent, his life was short and ended in tragedy. Aged just 24 he was detained at Bellevue sanatorium, suffering from personal problems. The following year, while attempting to access his parent’s house through a broken window, he accidentally cut himself and died from loss of blood. He is fondly remembered.
SELECT DISCOGRAPHY
Watch This Sound
Keep That Light
Out Of Love
Do You Love Me?
My Conversion
For Once In My Life
Sitting In The Park
February 2008
Frankie Beverly
February 1, 2008
Frankie Beverly (née Howard Beverly) was born in Philadelphia on 5 December 1946. He was a musical child, singing gospel in church, and listening to the hot sounds of the time. Aged nine he changed his name to that of his idol, the lead singer of rhythm & blues outfit Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers, and by 12 he had begun his professional singing career, embarking on a year-long tour with doo wop group The Silhouettes. Shortly afterwards he formed his own band, The Blenders. The Butlers and Raw Soul followed, and by 1976, having relocated to LA, he started Maze. With the help of Marvin Gaye he secured a record deal with Capitol, with whom the band went on to release seven albums. Within that body of work lie some of soul music’s finest songs, from tight rare grooves like Twilight, Joy & Pain, and Southern Girl to classic slow jams such as We Are One and Lady Of Magic. The last Maze album, “Back To Basics” (Warner Bros), was released nearly 15 years ago, but the band continues to perform at legendary live gigs, all of which sell out to an ever-loyal fanbase. If you get the chance, check a Frankie Beverly & Maze concert before you die – di ting sell off!
SELECT DISCOGRAPHY
Golden Time Of Day
Happy Feelings
Twilight
Before I Let Go
Joy & Pain
Lady Of Magic
While I’m Alone
We Are One
Happy Feeling
January 2008
David Axelrod
January 3, 2008
David Axelrod was born on 17 April 1936 in Los Angeles, California. He grew up listening to jazz and rhythm & blues a couple of blocks from Crenshaw Blvd in South Central LA (later immortalised in the rap music of NWA, DJ Quik, etc), and tried his hand at writing, truck driving, and boxing before becoming involved in the West Coast jazz scene in his early twenties. He soon moved to NYC and began working for Capitol Records, developing his skills as a producer, arranger, and composer, learning music theory, and forming close working relationships with artists such as Cannonball Adderley and Lou Rawls. 1967–69 was a particularly prolific period, during which time he was involved in more than 40 albums for artists including Adderley, Rawls, Clara Ward, the Electric Prunes, and Letta Mbulu, spanning genres including gospel, soul, jazz, funk, and psychedelic rock. “Song(s) Of Innocence”, the first of his many solo albums, was released in 1968, inspired by William Blake’s 1789 book of poetry of the same name. Fourteen solo efforts have been released since, including the acclaimed “Songs Of Experience” (1969) (a reference to another of Blake’s books), “Rock Messiah” (1971) (a rock version of Handel’s Messiah), and albums tackling conscious issues such as the environment (”Earth Rot”, 1970) and slavery (”The Auction”, 1972). His music is deep and soulful – dark, atmospheric funk with melodic strings and horns layered over driving breakbeats, often breaking down into sparse, soundtrackesque grooves that have proved gold dust to a new generation of beat diggers. Dr Dre, DJ Shadow, J Dilla, Lauryn Hill, Diamond D, Showbiz, and The Beatnuts are just some of the artists that have sampled his work.
Despite a quiet patch during the 1980s, when he battled with cocaine addction and tragically lost a son, Axe has enjoyed a resurgence of late, and in 2004 performed at the Royal Albert Hall in London to a sell-out crowd (DVD available here). If you don’t know his work, “An Anthology” is a good place to start (released by EMI in 1999) while detailed information on his full discography can be found on the excellent blog, Axelgrease. You can also check him out at:
www.davidaxelrodmusic.com
www.myspace.com/davidaxelrod
SELECT DISCOGRAPHY
Oh! Freedom
The Human Abstract
Holy Thursday
Warning Talk
The Smile
The Sign
The Fly
A Divine Image
December 2007
Minnie Riperton
December 7, 2007
Born in Chicago on 8 November 1947, Minnie Julia Riperton was the youngest of eight children. Showing early talent as a vocalist she initially trained in opera, although by 15 was singing soul and R&B with the Gems (later ‘Studio Three’), an all-girl group signed to Chess Records. Solo singles followed, released under the pseudonym “Andrea Davis”, and soon after she began singing with Rotary Connection, a psychedelic funk rock group that included composer/producer Charles Stepney and guitarist Phil Upchurch among its ranks, and with whom she recorded the classic song I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun.
In 1971 Minnie released her debut solo album, “Come Into My Garden”, followed in ‘74 by her biggest seller, “Perfect Angel”, which was produced by Stevie Wonder and featured her most well known song, Lovin’ You. Further albums followed, although tragically she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and died in 1979 aged just 31. One of the few singers with a seven octave vocal range, Minnie Riperton will always be missed and remembered as one of the sweetest soul singers of all time. The select discography listed below includes tunes sampled by A Tribe Called Quest, Tupac Shakur, Black Star, Kenny Dope, Intelligent Hoodlum (Tragedy Khadafi), and Jaguar Skills, among many others.
SELECT DISCOGRAPHY
I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun (with Rotary Connection)
Reasons
Baby This Love I Have
Inside My Love
Les Fleur
Memory Lane
Light My Fire
Here We Go
November 2007
Gram Parsons
November 2, 2007
Singer/songwriter Gram Parsons (née Ingram Cecil Connor III) is regarded as a pioneer of American country rock. Born on 5 November 1946 to wealthy parents in Florida, USA, he endured a troubled childhood – his father committed suicide when he was 12 years old and his mother died of alcohol poisoning on the day he graduated from high school. Immersing himself in music and drugs, Parsons moved from band to band, scoring hits with The International Submarine Band, The Byrds, and The Flying Burrito Brothers, and befriending high-profile players including Keith Richards and Mick Jagger. After hearing a virtually unknown Emmylou Harris singing in a club in 1971, Parsons persuaded her to feature on his upcoming solo album, “GP”, released on Reprise in 1973. His follow-up, the classic “Grievous Angel”, came out the following year, but it was released posthumously; Parsons was found dead, reportedly from a morphine overdose, in a motel in Joshua Tree, California on 19 September 1973 – he was aged just 26. The events that followed his death were bizarre. Shortly beforehand, Parsons had told his close friend, Phil Kaufman, of his wish to be cremated in Joshua Tree. With this in mind, Kaufman stole Parson’s corpse prior to burial and drove it to the site in a hearse, where he set the coffin alight. Parsons’ body was later reclaimed and buried in New Orleans.
SELECT DISCOGRAPHY
She
Streets Of Baltimore
Love Hurts
A Song For You
Hickory Wind
Wild Horses
October 2007
Aretha Franklin
October 19, 2007
Aretha Louise Franklin, one of the finest, most soulful voices ever recorded, was born on 26 March 1942 in Memphis, Tennessee. Daughter of a famous Baptist preacher (Rev CL Franklin, who himself released many records), she spent much of her childhood singing church music, and quickly showed great talent as a gospel vocalist/pianist. After bearing two children in her early teens, she signed to Columbia when she was 18, although her real success was to come after signing to Atlantic six years later. Revelling in the increased artistic control that her new label allowed her, she cut groundbreaking albums such as “Lady Soul”, “I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)”, and “Young, Gifted And Black”, releasing a barrage of hit singles including Respect, Think, and I Say A Little Prayer. Despite waning in creativity from the mid-1970s, Aretha has periodically come back with hits such as I Knew You Were Waiting (duet with George Michael), Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves (duet with The Eurythmics), and A Rose Is Still A Rose (produced by Lauryn Hill). In 1987 she became the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Maximum r-e-s-p-e-c-t to the undisputed queen of soul.
SELECT DISCOGRAPHY
Respect
Rocksteady
Chain Of Fools
Call Me
(You Make Me Feel Like A) Natural Woman
Spanish Harlem
I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)
Spirit In The Dark
Think
Lean On Me
Until You Come Back To Me (That’s What I’m Gonna Do)
Angel
Do Right Woman (Do Right Man)
It Only Happens (When I Look At You)
September 2007
Sizzla Kalonji
September 1, 2007
Sizzla Kalonji (aka Miguel Orlando Collins) was born on 17 April 1976 in the Jamaican parish of St Mary, and was raised in the August Town, east Kingston by Rasta parents. He rose to fame in the mid to late 1990s as a reggae singjay, voicing early albums for Fattis Burrell (Exterminator) and Bobby Dixon (Digital B). His output since has been prolific (even by Jamaican standards) and, although not all of his releases are of the same high standard, he has scored many a hit within both the roots reggae and dancehall genres. Rarely giving media interviews, Sizzla is regarded by many as a controversial character and sometimes appears to walk a fine line between a righteous and badman lifestyle. However, in the humble opinion of Al Fingers, Kalonji is one of, if not the most creative, musical artists alive today. If you haven’t already, check out the albums “Praise Ye Jah” (1997), “Black Woman & Child” (1997), and “Da Real Thing” (2002) for a better understanding of his firey brand of reggae music.
SELECT DISCOGRAPHY
Praise Ye Jah
King In This Jungle (with Jah Cure)
Like Mountain
Dem A Wonder
Good Ways
Holding Firm
Thank You Mama
Words Of Divine
Just One Of Those Days (Dry Cry)
Solid As A Rock
Give Me A Try
No Other Like Jah
Rise To The Occasion
One Away
Ain’t Gonna See Us Fall
Black Woman & Child
No Pain
sizzlakalonjiinc.com
www.myspace.com/sizzlakalonji
- 76 Creative
- 80 Blocks From Tiffany's
- Adam Curtis – Century Of The Self
- Adam Curtis – Power Of Nightmares
- Ghetto Bassquake
- Jack Baker Trio
- John Pilger – The War On Democracy
- Kate Gibb
- Mr. Dupes
- Pinkyvision
- Prism
- Rotter & Friends
- Sam Burdge
- Shariff Miller
- Smutlee
- Special Delivery Music
- Style Wars
- Suspect Packages
- Wax Poetics
- Zakee Shariff
