Chris n that (Free subscription) | 11/16/2009
No wonder there was such a downpour on Saturday night as lightning definitely struck twice in Hammersmith earlier with more exposure to the glories of the Motown Divas! Owen had splashed out on VIP front-row stalls tickets which saw us whisked up to a small room with a free bar - excuse me people - with our fellow front-rowers and we speculated on what treats we were going to be given by our heroes...
The Vinyl Word (Free subscription) | 11/14/2009
Divas of Motown at the Apollo Hammersmith last night brought together some of the (mostly) lesser known female stars of the great Motown sound in what proved to be a great celebration of the label's 50 years. Excellently supported by Jack Ashford's Funk Brothers Band, the show kicked off with 79 year old Mable John who was billed as the First Lady of Motown but who is better known for her Stax material,...
Chris n that (Free subscription) | 11/12/2009
To misquote Diana Ross and The Supremes, some things you do get used to. One of them being that it was very unlikely that I would ever see a couple of my favorite Motown female singers, both in their early 60s, play a London venue. But one should never stop believing! Last night Owen and I went to the Jazz Cafe for the first of two 50th celebrations of Motown Records we have this week - and both feature...
Chris n that (Free subscription) | 11/05/2009
November is here so it's time for my penultimate legend. Next week will bring the long-hoped-for opportunity to see three Motown Divas: Mable John (the first woman ever signed to the label), Chris Clark and Brenda Holloway. This month I am celebrating a Diva who sadly died nearly 40 years ago. Tammi Terrell lived a life that sounds like the sort of plotline Halle Berry would give her eyeliner to play...
The Vinyl Word (Free subscription) | 10/26/2009
It seems to be Motown time yet again, with Smokey Robinson appearing on the BBC's Electric Proms concert last night and the Divas of Motown tour hitting London in a couple of weeks time. Smokey looks ridiculously young given that it's a good 50 years since his beautiful light voice was first heard on record. But his voice soounds as sweet as ever and his poetic lyrics still sound fresh and original....
JazzHQ (Free subscription) | 09/30/2009
“I always had a feeling that music wouldn’t just be in my life,” declares singer Kristina Train. “It would be my life.” Hearing Kristina Train for the first time is nothing less than a revelation: her sunny, easygoing demeanor and youthful good looks belie the heart-wrenching power of her voice. Train’s Blue Note debut, Spilt Milk, is urbane and soulful, lush in...
IndieLondon (Free subscription) | 07/18/2009
DIVAS Of Motown will commemorate the 50th anniversary of Motown by way of a special night at London’s Hammersmith Apollo on November 13, 2009. The line-up provides a unique opportunity for genuine Motown connoisseurs, as well as lovers of the legendary range of Motown sounds to satisfy their souls. Mable John , the first female recording artist at Motown, makes her UK debut, and there’s...
Hindu (Free subscription) | 01/31/2009
Cast: Danny Glover, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Yaya DaCosta, Gary Clark Jr., Dr. Mable John Director: John Sayles When the production notes describe the film as “a fable on the birth of rock and ...
DVD Times (Free subscription) | 09/04/2008
News: Axiom Films have announced the UK Region 2 DVD release of Honeydripper on 22nd September 2008 priced at £17.99 RRP. From writer/director John Sayles, Honeydripper stars Danny Glover, Charles S. Dutton, Stacy Keach and Mary Steenburgen, as well as fea...
Entertainment - The Post Chronicle (Free subscription) | 08/19/2008
Among the hundreds of people who attended Hayes' funeral Monday in Memphis, Tenn., were his longtime songwriting partner David Porter;...
Firedoglake (Free subscription) | 08/12/2008
R.I.P. Isaac Hayes and and thank you for sharing a lifetime of making music.
Funky16Corners (Free subscription) | 08/10/2008
The Master, Isaac Hayes “Listen - Isaac Hayes - Walk On By - MP3″ Greetings all. I come to you bearing some sad news (and a previously unscheduled post). The mighty Isaac Hayes has passed away. Known to most for his Oscar winning ‘Theme from Shaft’, Hayes was a major cog in the Stax soul music machine in the [...]
The Vinyl Word (Free subscription) | 07/24/2008
Mable John on day one of the festival New Orleans piano man Henry Butler Otis Redding III Sugar Pie DeSanto in action Bishop Joe Simon and me Sugar Pie and me
Belfast Telegraph (Free subscription) | 06/20/2008
John Sayles' new film is an evocative fable set in Alabama on the cusp of rock '*' roll, reports Noel McAdam
The Guardian (Free subscription) | 05/09/2008
Arts & entertainment: Mable John was at the heart of Berry Gordy's Motown revolution. Now, 40 years on, her role in John Sayles' Honeydripper is winning her new fans
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