Legacy Recordings

Atlanta sprung into the hip-hop universe on the backs of two kids named Kris who wore their clothes backwards. Mack Daddy and Daddy Mack rode a gimmick that played to teenagers who came of age on hip-hop records and MTV. Bouncing into the national psyche, “Jump”’s reggae rhythm crossed over both age and color lines. They tried toughening up their act with songs about misogyny and money worship, but nobody bought the hardcore sell. With cracking voices and sprouting bodies, they discovered the difficulty of getting through puberty in public.

(J. Dupri); Produced by Jermaine Dupri; Kris (Mack Daddy) Kelly and Kris (Daddy Mack) Smith, lead vocals; Studio 4 Crew: Trip Boyd, Jim (Jiff) Hinger, Rose Mann, Earl Marshall, Dave J., Heather Maressa, Frances Hogan, Manuel Lecuona, Kevin (K.B.) Bass, Lady G, Walt Bass, background vocals; music and programming by Jermaine Dupri and Joe Nicolo; Rec. Atlanta and Philadelphia, 1992. From Totally Krossed Out, Ruffhouse/Columbia 48710; P 1992 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.

Recorded in Hollywood, October 19, 1967. Entered chart: July 27, 1968, peaked at #3.

Released in the face of conventionally wisdom only a year after the original hit had established The Doors, this eccentric and brilliant reworking launched the talented blind guitarist’s career, Feliciano had been a Ted Mack Amateur Hour winner and was well known in Folk music circles. His stirring, but equally idiosyncratic, rendition of the national anthem before the fifth game of the 1967 World Series raised eyebrows across the country. He continues to enjoy a successful recording and performing career.

If only the schoolyard bullies in Washington, D.C. could see what became of Elgin Lumpkin. Intoxicated by the magic of Michael Jackson’s moonwalk on Motown 25, Elgin saw a new universe of his own potential. Handsome and super cool, he straddled urban rap and came out as a loverman. Dimming the lights in his bachelor pad, he dipped into the ’70s funk songbook and took a page penned by Zapp’s Roger Troutman. Ginuwine transformed the vocoder into a cyborg mating call and rode “Pony” up the charts.

(E. Lumpkin/T. Mosley/S. Garrett); Produced by Timbaland; Ginuwine, lead and background vocals; Rec. New York, April-May 1996. From Ginuwine…The Bachelor, 550 Music/Epic 67685; P 1996 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
Pony by Ginuwine
Technorati Profile

Skinned to the bone, the Cleveland quintet of Layzie, Krayzie, Flesh, Wish and Bizzy Bone bought five one-way bus tickets to L.A., hungry for a recording deal. After a phone audition for West Coast godfather, the late Easy-E, they returned home, defeated but determined. Backstage at an NWA show, they crossed paths with E again, and seeing their freshness and promise, he signed them to Ruthless Records. Mixing musicality and harmony with an Isley Brothers melody line, “Tha Crossroad” blew up large. Surveying a ghetto world where souls are given to hope or sold into bondage, “Crossroad” chooses hope in a universe that chills to the bone.

(A. Henderson/S. Howse/C. Scruggs/B. McCane/R. Isley/O. Isley/R. Isley/E. Isley/M. Isley/C. Jasper); Produced by D.J. U-Neek; Krayzie Bone, Layzie Bone, Bizzy Bone, Wish Bone and Flesh-N-Bone, lead and background vocals; Rec. 1996. From E. 1999 Eternal, Ruthless 69443; P 1996 Ruthless Records

The Crossroads by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony

The politics of Haiti spread, like so many Haitian refugees, into the streets of South Orange, New Jersey, where Wyclef Jean, Prakazrel and their neighbor Lauryn Hill formed The Fugees in 1989. Named for the oppressed and homeless masses, the trio pushed beyond ghetto life to face down global gangsta-ism. With conviction, groove and even a gospel choir, The Fugees reworked Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly” into a major contemporary hit. Covering Bob Marley and this updating of Teena Marie’s “Ooh La La La” brought musicality and history to perhaps the first generation of African-Americans who didn’t grow up singing in church.

(N. Jean/S. Michel/L. Hill/A McGrier/T. Marie/S. Remi); Produced by Salaam Remi; Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Prakazrel (Pras) Michel, lead and background vocals; Rec. New York, 1995. From The Score, Ruffhouse/Columbia 67147; Contains a replayed sample from “Ooh La La La” (A. McGrier/Teena Marie). McNella Music/EMI April Music, Inc., on behalf of itself and Midnight Magnet Music (ASCAP); P 1995 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
Fu-Gee-La by Fugees

With urban hip and a post-modern heart, Maxwell invented himself every day by sweet-talking to his image in the mirror. Whispering his way around hip-hop beats, he brings singing, instrumentation and a joy-and-pain moan between the sheets. Personifying the neo-Marvin is a tomcat who knows how to be good enough to get a little bit of that bad stuff. Part New York cool and West Indian ideal, Maxwell faces challenges Marvin never did, like caution in the age of AIDS.

(Musze/I. Shur); Produced or co-produced by Musze with Stuart Matthewman or P.M.; additional production assistance, Wah Wah Watson and Itaal; Maxwell, voices; Rec. New York, 1995. From Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite, Columbia 66434; P 1996 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.

Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder) by Maxwell

Descending from a long line of storytellers, Nasir Jones looks out on the world and sees a chilling urban landscape. Smart and perceptive enough to subvert his language, the sleepy-eyed, straight-up rapper became a street legend as a teenager from Queens. With his modern morality tales and portraits of communities decimated by poverty, his street narratives and word plays up the ante on sucka MCs who glorify thug life and its opportunity. An urban griot, his rhymes hold up a mirror to society and what it chooses to celebrate.

(P. Phillips/N. Jones); Produced by Pete Rock; NAS, lead vocal; Contains a portion of “It’s Yours” performed by T La Rock; Rec. New York, 1994. From Illmatic, Columbia 57684; P 1994 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.

The World Is Yours by Nas

The making of an auteur begins with Kenny Edmond’s sweet face-a face that looks upon a beautiful woman with respect and devotion. While urban music was objectifying them, the budding Babyface was shaping a vision of appreciation and black love. Like the influential Philly sophisticate Thom Bell, he became a major voice of modern music, and like Bell, he speaks the language of music with cool, suave and smoldering songs. By recognizing beauty and potential, his empire exhales sensuality and the vapor of soft soul

(Babyface/D. Simmons); Produced by Babyface, L.A. Reid and Daryl Simmons; Babyface, lead and background vocals, keyboards, skins; L.A. Reid, skins; Larry Jackson, saxophone; Rec. Atlanta and Los Angeles, 1993. From For The Cool In You, Epic 53558; P 1993 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
For The Cool In You by Babyface

Challenging the bad boys to open up their hearts, sisters Tamika and LaTocha Scott joined Kandi Burruss and Tameka Cottle to remind the real majority that morality and pleasure aren’t natural enemies. They were four Atlanta peaches from performing arts school who tasted Babyface’s love potion on local radio and knew it was time to ask for what they wanted. The lovesick girls-in-gowns of the ’60s became girls-in-Gucci in the consuming ?80s. With designer hits and hairdos, groups like Salt ‘N Pepa, TLC, SWV, En Vogue and Xscape were doing it for themselves and encouraging all sisters to do the same.

(J. Dupri/M. Seal); Produced by Jermaine Dupri; co-produced by Manuel Seal, Jr.; Latocha Scott, Tamika Scott, Tameka Cottle, Kandi Burruss, lead and background vocals; music by Jermaine Dupri and Manuel Seal, Jr.; Rec. Atlanta, 1993. From Hummin? Comin? At ?Cha, So So Def/Columbia 57107; P 1993 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
Just Kickin’ It by Xscape

Ace remix artists David Cole and Robert Clivilles surged up from the underground clubs of New York City as C&C Music Factory. Their monster MTV hit dropped on a dance-hungry nation with a pre-fab floor plan for the ’90s: men rap and women sing between buffed bodies. The meaty, drill sergeant’s voice belonged to Martha Wash of the fleshy Two Tons O-Fun, but Zelma Davis was the telegenic stand-in for a sweat-happy public. Too rabid for a small room, “Everybody Dance Now” opened the velvet rope for backstreet boys, spicy girls and other guilty pleasures.

(R. Clivilles/F.B. Williams); Produced by Robert Clivilles and David Cole; keyboard arrangement by Robert Clivilles; Freedom Williams, lead and background vocals; Robert Clivilles, drums, percussion, background vocal; David Cole, keyboards, background vocal; Ricky Crespo, keyboards; Alan Friedman, additional drums, programming; Zelma Davis, Deborah Cooper, Martha Wash, Craig Derry, Norma Jean Wright, Duran Ramos, Victoria Clamp and/or Yolanda Lee, background vocals; Rec. New York, August 1990. From Gonna Make You Sweat, Columbia 47093; P 1990 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.

Lying back on plush pillows with Quiet Storm Queens Patti LaBelle and Anita Baker, Regina Belle’s amber-covered whisper was the potion for candlelight and afterglow. Raised in Englewood, New Jersey, and schooled in jazz and opera, she inherited strains of Billie’s passion, Sassy’s style and a taste for innovation from regents Coltrane and Cannonball. Protégé of the distinguished Manhattans and chosen partner for love sultans Barry White and Peabo Bryson, Regina was no stranger to seduction. Measuring out silvery doses of hunger and heat, she spun a fantasy lover who was real enough to miss.

(N.M. Walden/J. Cohen); Produced and arranged by Narada Michael Walden; Regina Belle, lead vocal; Walter Afanasieff, keyboards, synthesizer arrangements, bass and drum programming; Ren Klyce, Fairlight CMI; Premik Russell Tubbs, saxophone; Kitty Beethoven, Skyler Jett, Melisa Kary, Claytoven Richardson, background vocals; Rec. New York, San Rafael and Sausalito, CA, and/or Lahaina, Maui, HI, 1989. Columbia single 68969; P 1989 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.

Baby Come To Me by Regina Belle

By the mid-’80s, disco was a stiff with few tearful observers at its wake. In the boogie down Bronx, the new sound of rap was taking shape with style and attitude. Nursed on the great soul confessors and pop radio, the ambitious George brothers fell under the spell of “Rapper’s Delight.” Bright, aware and techno savvy, they kicked it Full Force with Lisa Velez, a sultry Latina from Hell’s Kitchen. On this teen drama, set to sparse, syncopated street beats and electrified R&B, the soul-bred brothers staked an early claim to the gold mine of urban radio.

(Full Force); Produced by Full Force; Lisa Lisa, lead and background vocals; Mike Hughes, raps; Alex (Spanador) Moseley, keyboards; Brian (B-Fine) George, drum programming; Paul (Anthony) George, (Bow-Legged) Lou George, background vocals; (Baby) Gerry Charles, Curt Bedeau, keyboards; with Junior (Shy Shy) Clarke; Rec. New York, 1984. Columbia single 04886; P 1984 Personal Records Inc.

California blonde Mary Christine Brockert was always fiercely independent. Piercing her nose and losing her name, she chased her rock ‘n’ roll dreams out of suntanned Santa Monica and met superfreak Rick James. With electronic drums, ferocious guitars, wiggling synths, layered vocals and aggressively funky beats, the new Teena Marie blasted stereos and stereotypes. Composer, arranger and producer of her own sound, she gave soul to metalheads and brought soul machismo to its knees. The lovergirl’s legacy: music isn’t about the color of your skin-it’s about hugging you skin tight.

(T. Marie); Produced by Teena Marie; rhythm and vocal arrangements by Teena Marie; synthesizer arrangement by Teena Marie and Fred Mirza; Teena Marie, lead and background vocals, guitar, synthesizer, drums, percussion, programming; Rec. Los Angeles, 1984. Epic single 04619; P 1984 Sony Music Entertainment Inc. Lovergirl by Teena Marie

Raised on bebop, identity politics and Philly soul, percussionist James Mtume grew the seeds of New Jack Soul in synthesized soil and nasty funk. Son of saxophonist Jimmy Heath, Mtume joined Miles Davis’ revolutionary electric sessions and later wrote and produced ’70s hits like “The Closer I Get To You” for Roberta Flack. Catching Stevie Wonder’s Moog breeze and the Chic wave, he spliced progressive, rhythm-driven funk with New York’s sex and excess. Few bands emerged from the disco daze with the flavor that ripened into “Juicy Fruit.”

(J. Mtume); Produced by James Mtume ; James Mtume, lead and background vocals, keyboards; Tawatha Agee, lead and background vocals, percussion; Ed (Tree) Moore, guitars; Philip Fields, keyboards, background vocals; Raymond Jackson, bass, background vocals; Rec. East Orange, N.J., 1982. Epic single 03578; P 1983 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.

Juicy Fruit by Mtume

Marvin Gaye gave the world a lantern with 1971’s “What’s Goin’ On,” but for the remainder of his short life he struggled with the pressures of stardom and the dark demon of uncertainty. After a bitter break from Motown, he sought sanctuary in a gloomy Belgian port. Grappling with the duality of love and lust, the divided soul turned pain and passion into his first Grammy-winning album. With every whispered word, every sultry note and each burst of sweat-dipped funk, “Sexual Healing” laid bare the tormented genius of an artist in exile.

(M. Gaye/O. Brown/D. Ritz); Produced and arranged by Marvin Gaye; production advisor, Harvey Fuqua; Marvin Gaye, lead and background vocals, drums, Fender Rhodes, synthesizers, organ, orchestra bells, glockenspiel, bells, finger cymbals, bongos; Gordon Banks, guitars, background vocals; Harvey Fuqua, background vocals; Rec. Ohaine, Belgium and Munich, Germany, 1982. From Midnight Love, Columbia 38197; P 1982 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.

Sexual Healing by Marvin Gaye

Michael Jackson was the rubber-limbed Scarecrow in search of a home when he found Quincy Jones on the set of The Wiz. Together they forged heart, courage and brains with tough rhythms to create “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough.” Playing his husky, carnal lead off a boy-soprano chorus, Michael grew a backbone of sex and sizzle and landed on center stage as his own man. Following the breakthrough single, Michael and “Q” eased on down the platinum road for three monster albums, leaving Michael to walk on the moon and the Emerald Planet of MTV.

(M. Jackson/G. Phillinganes); Produced by Quincy Jones; co-produced by Michael Jackson; rhythm arrangement by Greg Phillinganes and Michael Jackson; vocal and percussion arrangements by Michael Jackson; strings arranged by Ben Wright; horns arranged by Jerry Hey; Michael Jackson, lead and background vocals; Louis Johnson, bass; John Robinson, drums; Greg Phillinganes, electric piano; David Williams, Marlo Henderson, guitars; Randy Jackson, Paulinho da Costa, Richard Heath, percussion; The Seawind Horns: Jerry Hey, trumpet, flugelhorn; Larry Williams, tenor and alto sax, flute; Kim Hutchcroft, baritone and tenor sax, flute; William Reichenbach, trombone; Gary Grant, trumpet; Jim Gilstrap, Augie Johnson, Mortonette Jenkins, Paulette McWilliams, Zedric Williams, background vocals; Gerald Vinci, concertmaster; Rec. Los Angeles, November 1978. From Off The Wall, Epic 35745; P 1979 MJJ Productions, Inc
Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough by Michael Jackson

A phenomenon of popular culture, TV’s Gong Show produced at least one memorable talent. L.A. lady Cheryl Lynn walked off-stage with a record deal and cut the triumphant “Got To Be Real.” Liberating, unapologetic, the song was symbolic of the New Woman’s demand to be treated truthfully. She may have been swallowed when the disco channel changed, but by encouraging people to come out with their own truths, she left an anthem for every small town outcast in the television audience.

(C. Lynn/D. Paich/D. Foster); Produced and arranged by David and Marty Paich; Cheryl Lynn, lead and background vocals; Ray Parker, Jr., guitar; David Paich, keyboards; David Shields, bass; James Gadson, drums; Rec. Los Angeles, 1978. Columbia single 33386; P 1978 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
Got To Be Real by Cheryl Lynn

Growing up in Chicago, the Hutchinson sisters sang with their daddy and made church folks like Mahalia cry. When they were old enough to know their first heartache, The Emotions were born. Pervis Staples guided them to Stax where the righteous Staple family was mixing soul and salvation. When Stax crumbled, the skies opened for Earth, Wind & Fire’s Maurice White. Launching Jeanette, Sheila and Wanda into orbit with “Best Of My Love,” the Maestro pushed their gospel squall over tight grooves, turning the church girls into high-strutting powerhouses. Disco balls would spin for years to come.

(M. White/A. McKay); Produced by Maurice White; co-produced by Clarence McDonald; arranged by Tom Tom 84; Sheila Hutchinson, lead vocal; Wanda Hutchinson, Jeanette Hutchinson, background vocals; Clarence McDonald, clavinet; Al McKay, guitar; Verdine White, bass; Fred White, drums; Maurice White, timbales; Paulhino da Costa, percussion; Larry Dunn, Fender Rhodes electric piano; Oscar Brashear, Steve Madaio, Chuck Findley, trumpets; George Bohannon, trombone; Donald Myrick, saxophone; Vince De Rosa, Sidney Muldrow, Richard Perissi, Alan Robinson, Marilyn Robinson, French horns; Charles Veal, strings concertmaster; Rec. Los Angeles, 1977. From Rejoice, Columbia 34762; P 1977 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.

Best Of My Love by The Emotions

Boy-child soprano crackling, Michael Jackson wasn’t a skinny stick of dynamite anymore. Motown had split to L.A., leaving its heart in the Motor City and Michael’s brothers free to grow. Standing at the edge of manhood and a career frontier, they chose the solidly black Philly Sound. Dancing machines in pastel tuxes and superfly Afros, Gamble and Huff unleashed the brothers’ curiosity and individuality as Michael sowed the seeds that sprouted the album Off The Wall.

(K. Gamble/L. Huff); Produced by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff; arranged by Bobby Martin; Michael Jackson, lead and background vocals; Randy Jackson, Tito Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Marlon Jackson, Jackie Jackson, background vocals; Ronnie Baker, bass; Earl Young, drums; Roland Chambers, Bobby Eli and/or Norman Harris, guitars; Lenny Pakula, organ; Leon Huff, piano; Larry Washington, percussion; with Don Renaldo and his strings and horns; Rec. Philadelphia, 1976. From The Jacksons, Philadelphia International/Epic 34229; P 1976 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
Enjoy Yourself by The Jackson 5

Soul Stirrer Johnnie Taylor went to charm school with Sam Cooke and majored in hit-making at the University of Stax in Memphis. Stax perished, but like good church people, J.T. rose again. Hitting below the Bible and every other belt, “Disco Lady” was the recording industry’s first official platinum-certified single. Most of the Southern soul gods were thumped across the Mason-Dixon line when disco hit, but this lady moved untold thousands from the dance floor to the boudoir. With tinkling bells, Bootsy’s wah-wah shimmies and that sexy, gritty vocal, shaking up, shaking down…it was the last thing heard before the hangover.

(H. Scales/A. Vance/D. Davis); Produced by Don Davis; arranged by George (Bernie) Worrell, Don Davis, David Van De Pitte; background vocals arranged by Robert (Bobby) Eaton; Johnnie Taylor, lead vocal; George (Bernie) Worrell, keyboards; William (Bootsy) Collins, bass; Glen Goines, guitar; Zachary Slater, drums; Donna Davis, Pamela Vincent, Telma Hopkins, background vocals; horns by The Detroit Horns; Rec. Detroit, November 1975. From Eargasm, Columbia 33951; P 1976 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.

Disco Lady by Johnnie Taylor

Straight-up and bittersweet, five men from New Jersey found their name overlooking a million lights across the river in Manhattan. For decades on the cummerbund circuit, they performed the score for the hungry-hearted over sweating glasses and cocktail peanuts before “Kiss” skewered the cherry at the top of the charts. Tight harmonies and alternating leads were doo-wop relics in a disco-dominated era, but The Manhattans’ rich vocals, dramatic strings and Blue Lovett’s deep indigo narrative shot up like a belt of smoky bourbon. It’s the stuff of slow dances, crying jags and one long, last look across the banquette table.

(W. Lovett); Produced by Bobby Martin and The Manhattans; arranged by Bobby Martin; Gerald Alston, lead vocal; Winfred (Blue) Lovett, bass vocal; Richard Taylor, baritone vocal; Edward (Sonny) Bivins, first tenor; Kenneth (Wally) Kelly, second tenor; Ronnie Baker, bass; Earl Young, drums; Norman Harris, Bobby Eli, guitars; Ron Kersey, keyboards; Jack Faith, saxophone; with Don Renaldo and his strings and horns; Rec. Philadelphia, January 1975. From The Manhattans, Columbia 33820; P 1976 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.

Kiss And Say Goodbye by The Manhattans

Poets, preachers, philosophers and Philadelphians, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes offered symphonies for the everyman. Stepping across swirling piano notes, “Wake Up Everybody” pierced through the darkness of a people at sea like a beam of light. Harold Melvin was their mentor, steering the impetuous Teddy Pendergrass with the traditional values of faith and community. Yet, Teddy’s voice foretold the tales of the New Soul Romeos and their shifting struggle for self-determination and emotional survival. Calling out for awareness, unity and action with humanity and beauty, they gave such sweet thunder to every blue note.

(V. Carstarphen/J. Whitehead/G. McFadden); Produced by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff; arranged by Bobby Martin; Teddy Pendergrass, lead vocal; Harold Melvin, Lawrence Brown, Jerry Cummings, Bernard Wilson, background vocals; Michael (Sugar Bear) Forman, bass; Earl Young, drums; Dennis Harris, guitar; Leon Huff, piano; Larry Washington, percussion; Vince Montana, vibes; with Don Renaldo and his strings and horns; Rec. Philadelphia, 1975. Philadelphia International single 3579; P 1975 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.

Wake Up Everybody by Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes

Thieves in the White House. Young lives being stolen in Vietnam. Crime in the streets. A bullet-ridden list of martyrs. The dream of integration had betrayed Black America in 1972. With each strangled note, “Back Stabbers” was the last gasp of a dying empire. Like an oracle shaming the hypocrites, it set the tone and the standard for the spectacular success of Philadelphia International Records. With a huge, complex production and remarkable musicianship by the monumental house band, MFSB, “Back Stabbers” prophesied disco rhythms and established The O’Jays, three blood brothers from Canton, Ohio, as America’s Greek Chorus of the 1970’s.

(L. Huff/G. McFadden/J. Whitehead); Produced by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff; arranged by Thom Bell; Eddie Levert, Walter Williams, William Powell, lead and background vocals; Ronnie Baker, bass; Earl Young, drums; Roland Chambers, Norman Harris, guitars; Lenny Pakula, organ; Leon Huff, piano; Vince Montana, vibes; with Don Renaldo and his strings and horns; Rec. Philadelphia, 1972. From Back Stabbers, Philadelphia International 31712; P 1972 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
Back Stabbers by The O’Jays

Tennessee teenager Mabel Louise Smith hit the red clay road with a voice as commanding as her body and a smile as wide as her hips. Dubbed Big Maybelle, she piled her size and pipes onto a heaping plateful of the sanctified and the sexual. Over barn-squawking horns and a trombone low and bawdy enough to lift her skirt, Maybelle made R&B bitter and delicious in the same bite. Billie Holiday once went home rather than follow Maybelle’s tough act, but they both followed a sad, slow spiral downward between heaven and hell.

(D.C. Williams); Arranged and conducted by Quincy Jones; Big Maybelle, lead vocal; Billy Byers, trombone; Jerome Richardson, alto sax; Bud Johnson, tenor sax; Heywood Henry, baritone sax; Ernie Hayes, piano; Mickey (Guitar) Baker, guitar; Lloyd Trotman, bass; Herbie Lovelle, drums;

Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On by Big Maybelle

The 5 Browns are five siblings (Ryan, Gregory, Desirae, Deondra, Melody) who are also all Juilliard trained Classical pianists. This Gershwin piece is from their latest record, “Browns in Blue”, available today!
Home Blues from An American in Paris by The 5 Browns feat. Chris Botti

The story of a boy and his radio begins in the 9-year-old hands of James Todd Smith. Weaned in New York City on video games, remote controls and an E-Mu mixer, he turned programmed loops and percussion into a right of passage. At 13, Ladies Love Cool James sent a homemade demo to junior moguls Rick Rubin and Russell Simmons. The tribute to his boom box is the essence of early rap: pared-down drum beats, scratching, blasts of electronic horns and punching vocals. L.L. was pure, in-your-face braggadocio. Sensual, athletic, stylish, innovative, he was rap’s first poster boy and superstar.

(J. Smith/R. Rubin); Reduced by Rick Rubin; L.L. Cool J, lead vocal ; Rec. New York, 1985. From Radio, Def Jam/Columbia 40239; P 1985 Courtesy of Universal Music Special Markets
I Can’t Live Without My Radio by LL Cool J

Enough people love Luther Vandross down in their dreams to jam up the gates on Judgment Day. Levitating above the Soul Romeos of the ’80s with dramatic productions, funk-kissed arrangements and A-list musicians, Luther rose in gritty New York City, one session at a time. With promises of passion and loyalty, his Sam Cooke-style melisma restored the tired ballad to urban R&B in the rigid Reagan years, and still flutters over seas of sequined romantics.

(L. Vandross); Produced by Luther Vandross; rhythm arrangement by Luther Vandross and Nat Adderley, Jr.; strings and horns arranged by Paul Riser; Luther Vandross, lead and background vocals; Buddy Williams, drums; Marcus Miller, bass; Nat Adderley, Jr., keyboards; Georg Wadenius, guitar; Crusher Bennett, percussion; Bashiri Johnson, congas; Cissy Houston, Tawatha Agee, Yvonne Lewis, Michelle Cobbs, Brenda White, Sybil Thomas, background vocals; Rec. New York, 1981. From Never Too Much, Epic 37451; P 1981 Sony Music Entertainment Inc.
Never Too Much by Luther Vandross

L.A., 1970. Illustrating his vision and the current cosmology, Maurice White, a sure-footed drummer for Chicago’s Chess Records, changed the name of his band from The Salty Peppers to Earth, Wind & Fire. Black and beautiful, White and his brother-in-rhythm, bassist Verdine, built a musical brick house founded on earthy soul, ethereal wind arrangements and flaming horns. Maurice looked to the pyramids and the ancients to create complex musical structures and elaborate, pyrotechnic stage shows. The elements came together in “That’s The Way Of The World” as White found a simple, enduring melody for a universal truth.
That’s The Way Of The World by Earth, Wind & Fire

Like a sing-along balm, “Everyday People” eased a country torn by war and reeling from the death of the dream. Musical adventurer Sylvester Stewart traded his home in the deep South for a hipper name and a taste of San Francisco sunshine. Sly’s integrated band stormed the gates of Motown, Stax and Muscle Shoals, rocking soul giants off their throaty thrones with a fusion of psychedelia, electric funk and sanctified R&B. Playing to Woodstock and nursery school kids, “Everyday People” ushered in an era of message music, full-blown Afros and a platform of racial and gender equality that stood four inches high. There was no place to go but higher.

(S. Stewart); Produced and arranged by Sly Stone; Sly Stone, lead vocal, guitar, keyboards; Freddie Stone, guitar, vocal; Rose Stone, piano; Gregg Errico, drums; Jerry Martini, saxophone; Cynthia Robinson, trumpet; Larry Graham, bass, vocal; Rec. Los Angeles and New York, 1968-1969. From Stand!, Epic 26456; Originally Released 1969

Everyday People (Single Version) by Sly & the Family Stone

Trapped in a body ravaged by polio, Walter Jackson’s voice took him to places unavailable to anyone else. Pivotal in the evolution of Chicago Soul, Jackson performed on crutches with the Velvatones before teaming up with Curtis Mayfield. Supporting Jackson’s muscular voice, Mayfield created powerful orchestral productions that bled with vulnerability and pain. The singer’s career was frequently halted by illness, but he still communicated faith and hope in a series of swelling and powerful R&B hits. His ship sails in with the force of an evangelist calling for the infirm to walk, and still dots the horizon.

(J. Brooks); Produced by Ted Cooper; arranged and conducted by Harold Bernstein; Rec. New York, August 31, 1967. OKeh single 119975; Originally Released 1967
My Ship Is Comin’ In by Walter Jackson

A gospel prodigy steeped in the music of Mahalia Jackson and Clara Ward, Minister C.L. Franklin’s beautiful daughter Aretha sang spirituals for Martin Luther King, Jr. and other African-American royalty as her powerful father looked on. But when Columbia Records brought this jewel to New York, the body of a young woman concealed a lost soul. Aretha struggled to find her voice amid plush strings and champagne-swirled show tunes and standards until she unmasked her pain on a striking tribute to Dinah. There, underneath the polish, was a gritty soul about to take flight-and a queen soon to find her crown.

(C. Otis); Produced, arranged and conducted by Robert Mersey; Aretha Franklin, lead vocal; Ernie Hayes, piano; George Duvivier, bass; Gary Chester, drums; A. Gorgoni, V. Bell, guitars; T. Cohen, vibes; Buddy Lucas, tenor sax; L. Kruczek, F. Giglio, L. Gabowitz, S. Kissell, P. Winter, G. Ockner, J. Zayde, J. Schacter, violins; T. Israel, R. Dickler, violas; A. Sophos, A. Shulman, cellos; Rec. New York, February 10, 1964. From Unforgettable-A Tribute To Dinah Washington, Columbia 8963; Originally Released 1964
This Bitter Earth by Aretha Franklin

Rhythm and blues blew a hole through ’50s suburbia, landing pimply teens with hi-fis on the steamy side of the tracks. Luckily, Roy Hamilton was the handsome kind of black a white kid could bring home to dinner. Migrating from Georgia with a polite manner and a gospel songbook, Roy inspired America, crooning “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” “Unchained Melody” and this innocent finger-popper. With a call-and-response echoing in the church, Roy never appeared on the Ozzie & Harriet show but gave black youth a model and white ones a star in their carpeted bedrooms.

(J. Stone); Orchestra under the direction of Jesse Stone; Roy Hamilton, lead vocal; David (Panama) Francis, drums; Lloyd Trotman, bass; David Martin, piano; Al Casamenti, Edward Thomas, guitars; Walter Spriggs, bongos; Alvin Rudnitsky, Marc Brown, David Newman, Harry Urbont, Felix Giglio, Bernard Eighenbaum, Paul Gershman, Harry Glickman, violins; Sidney Brecher, Richard Dickler, violas; David Soyer, Ray Schweitzer, cellos; Rec. New York, November 26, 1957. Epic single 5-9257; Originally Released 1958
Don’t Let Go by Roy Hamilton

Wildman, changeling, innovator Screamin’ Jay Hawkins cast a spell on R&B that dizzied James Brown, hypnotized Jimi Hendrix and captivated the Rolling Stones. An orphan from Cleveland, middleweight boxing champ and veteran of 52nd Street jazz gigs, Jalacy Jay Hawkins stirred African roots, shards of desperation, a measure of vaudeville and the poison of extreme possessiveness into a bubbling cauldron. Banned from radio as “cannibalistic,” OKeh had to promise jobs for jocks who were fired for playing the devilish handiwork. Putting voodoo on stage, Screamin’ Jay gave the unmitigated scream a future in rock and soul.

(J. Hawkins); Orchestra under the direction of Leroy Kirkland; Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, lead vocal; Sam (The Man) Taylor, saxophone; Jimmy Shirley, guitar; Ernie Hayes, piano; Lloyd Trotman, bass; David (Panama) Francis, drums; Rec. New York, September 12, 1956. OKeh single 7072; Originally Released 1956

I Put A Spell On You by Screamin’ Jay Hawkins

On a humid Atlanta night in 1946, a teenaged Chuck Willis swam up from a sea of Charles Brown imitators. Standing rock-still, he drew each word from a bottomless well of loneliness and feeling. DJ Zenas Sears pitched Chuck to OKeh where he became “The Sheik Of Shake” for his elaborate turbans. Grafting music to melancholy, he wrote literate, polished, elegant jump tunes quivering with boogie-woogie piano and sighing horns. He cut “Hang Up My Rock & Roll Shoes” for Atlantic before collapsing on the floor with a bleeding ulcer, his story cut short at age 30 with a legacy of meticulously-crafted songs–and 54 turbans.

(C. Willis); Orchestra under the direction of Roy Mays; Chuck Willis, lead vocal; Jesse Jones, Wesley J. Jackson, Fred Taylor, Charles Holloway, Julius Wimby, Willie Willis, David Hudson and/or Willie Wilson, vocals; Rec. New York, June 26, 1952. OKeh single 6905; Originally Released 1952

My Story by Chuck Willis

Greased with pomade and sharper than a new Cadillac, The Treniers jump-started a mood that put fear in the hearts of white folks. Slick twins Claude and Clifford Trenier dropped out of college in their native Mobile and took up singing when they saw its power over the ladies. Copping Louis Jordan’s comic act, the twins drove a new model jive tune nationwide. Its high-moaning sax, jumping rhythm and rocking and rolling-black slang for the Act-was an overt racer. But its curves were tamed by the assembly line honkers and screamers revving up as the decade sped on.

(C. Trenier/D. Hill/C. Trenier); Orchestra under the direction of Gene Gilbeaux; Claude Trenier, Cliff Trenier, Milt Trenier, Buddy Trenier, lead and background vocals; Don Hill, alto sax; Gene Gilbeaux, piano; Rec. New York, January 9, 1951. OKeh single 6853; Originally Released 1951

It Rocks! It Rolls! It Swings! by The Treniers

The blues checked out of church with the voice of faithlessness and the restless beat of a pacing lover. These blues would never sit down in those pews again. Shaking the growl of gospel, The Ravens lined the nest in sweet song. Hatched by the harmonies of the fading Ink Spots and Mills Brothers, The Ravens began in the back of a Harlem restaurant and went on to brand doo-wop with alternating leads and spawned the “Mr. Bassman” prototype in Jimmy Ricks’ profound boom. Shuffling swing and walking the bass lines laid in the ’40s, The Ravens skipped to the rhythm and blues, inspiring generations of “bird” groups to spread their wings.
My Baby’s Gone by The Ravens

From blues-rock giant Johnny Winter’s brother Edgar Winter’s fourth and most fully realized album, They Only Come Out At Night, “Frankenstein” was one of the biggest hits of 1972, a fact made more unusual by the fact that it was an instrumental hit in an era long past the time when rock instrumentals had been either common–or hits. In an era of sensitive singer-songwriters and wispy country-rockers, “Frankenstein” was just that–and boy, did it sound frighteningly good.

Frankenstein by Edgar Winter
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One of the most successful albums of all time, Meat Loaf’s Bat Out Of Hell yielded three hit singles: “Paradise By The Dashboard Light,” “Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad” and “You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth.” Its bombastic theatricality was like nothing that came before it, and little that’s come since, but Meat Loaf and writer Jim Steinman came by it all quite naturally by their training and Broadway backgrounds. Their collaboration resulted in a mix of overblown show music and rock that critics are still trying to figure out. The public, of course, beat them to it long ago.
Paradise By The Dashboard Light by Meat Loaf
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After leaving The Yardbirds, Jeff Beck assembled a crew featuring then unknowns Rod Stewart and Ron Wood-in hindsight, a supergroup in reverse. They weren’t together long enough to reach their full potential, but on tracks like “I Ain’t Superstitious” the