the "B" side (Free subscription) | 12/28/2009
SOME PEOPLE WE'LL MISS... Luther Dixon 1931-2009 The Prophet Luther Dixon came up singing doo-wop on the streets of New York, but soon realized that the real money was being made by the songwriters and publishers that populated The Brill Building and 1650 Broadway, just north of Times Square. He became a fixture at both places, and by 1959 his songs had been recorded by people like Pat Boone, Perry...
Variety.com (Free subscription) | 11/15/2009
Legit Reviews: Bio tuner specialists Colin Escott and Floyd Mutrux have honed a musically compelling but thematically awkward journey with "Baby It's You."
Pasadena Events Calendar (Free subscription) | 11/10/2009
Erica Ash, Paulette Ivory, Berlando Drake and Crystal Starr Knighton Wrapped in the sensational songs of the 60s, Baby It’s You! is the new musical about the groundbreaking girl group, The Shirelles and Florence Greenberg, the New Jersey housewife who discovered them. With the help of African-American songwriter, producer Luther Dixon, who became her lover, Florence [...]
The Vinyl Word (Free subscription) | 10/29/2009
Luther Dixon, who produced and wrote many of the Shirelles' greatest recondings, has died aged 78. Luther wrote Sixteen Candles for the Crests and his other writing credits included Big Boss Man, A Hundred Pounds of Clay and Soul Serenade. But he is best remembered for his work with the Scepter and Wand labels and his song writing and production with the Shirelles, Chuck Jackson and Tommy Hunt. He...
BARROW HILL SOUL CLUB (Free subscription) | 10/20/2009
The Vinyl Word (Free subscription) | 10/14/2009
In this, my 400th post would you believe, I'm tackling the sixties and listing the 75 great soul men of the decade. There are many to choose from but these, in my humble opinion, are the creme de la creme. So here goes, starting with my top ten, and then moving on to others of note: 1. Sam Cooke (who else at number one?), 2. Otis Redding, 3. James Carr, 4. Wilson Pickett, 5. O V Wright, 6. Al Green,...
The Vinyl Word (Free subscription) | 10/08/2009
My reader (maybe the only one!) Private Beech suggested that I add a Great Duos to the recent blogs listing Great Female Singers and Great Girl Groups. Sounds like a good idea to me, so here is a list of the great duos of the 1950s and 1960s. I've included some duet pairings by established singers, but only where they made a real impact via one or two albums, not just one offs. To kick off, here are...
The Daily Swarm - Headlines (Free subscription) | 08/18/2009
Along with the “What’s Going On” album, he arranged Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” album, as well as the songs “Still Waters (Run Deep)” by the Four Tops, “Ball of Confusion” and “Psychedelic Shack” by the Temptations, “Darling Dear” by the Jackson 5, “I Hear the Bells” by the Originals, “Keep on...
A Pack A Day (Free subscription) | 08/12/2009
Here's the finale. Let's see who takes home the goods. Pete Rose Dick Williams Vince Coleman - So. Much. Speed. Barry Lyons - This is what passes for an action shot in '88 Topps. Chris James Ed Hearn - Return of Chalksmoke Dale Sveum (Richmond, CA) Ryne Sandberg - Only the best 2B ever. Okay, maybe not quite, but still in the Hall. Steve Bedrosian - Bedrock was the foundation of my roto relief corps...
Damn Fine Day (Free subscription) | 07/15/2009
One of the unsung heroes of Stax Records throughout the 1960s and into the next decade, William Bell’s assured, eminently soulful pipes could charm the birds right out of the trees and knocked many a lady off her feet. The doo-wop-trained Memphis native waxed one of the label’s seminal early releases with his spine-chilling original [...]
Band Weblogs (Free subscription) | 07/01/2009
In January - February 1969, after 13 years of recording studio albums and movie soundtracks in Nashville and Hollywood, the time was right for Elvis Presley (1935-1977) to set foot once again in a Memphis studio ...
The Daily Swarm (Free subscription) | 06/17/2009
The Velvet Underground & Nico—colloquially known to the ages as “the banana album,” in honor of its distinctive Andy Warhol-designed cover—is today recognized as one of the greatest and most seminal rock albums of all time. Until relatively recently, however, the contributions of one of the figures most responsible for arranging and running the April 1966 sessions yielding...
The Tangled Neuron (Free subscription) | 04/28/2009
The Alzheimer's Project, a new four part documentary on Alzheimer's, will air on HBO May 10-12. My friend Chuck Jackson will be featured in The Memory Loss Tapes segment on people with Alzheimer's. There is also a segment on caregivers,...
Snowflakes in Hell (Free subscription) | 03/31/2009
It’s a great relief that when the anti-gun folks actually do show a little grass roots, they are just as self-destructive as we can be. State Representative Eddie Washington, in Illinois, took a walk on an important gun control measure, because he thought it gave too much to the gun rights community. Their reaction? With a [...]
GamoTorrentDD (Free subscription) | 03/10/2009
1. Leon Ware - What's your world 2. Al Wilson - You do the right things 3. Syreeta - I don't know 4. El Debarge - Heart, mind & soul 5. Chuck Jackson - No tricks 6. Rockie Robbins - Point of view 7. Norman Connors - Everywhere inside of me 8. Shadow - I can't keep holding back (my love) 9. Bobby Womack - Trust your heart (12" Extended Mix) 10. Melissa Manchester - Almost everything 11. Donny...
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