Shelley "SoleMann" King's Blog (94)

The Marquees Feauturing Marvin Gaye

The Marquees were a short-term Washington, D.C., group who evolved from the Rainbows. Chester Simmons, Reese Palmer, James Nolan, and Marvin Gaye sang with the Rainbows at various times; Simmons was a founding member and the latter three filled in for missing Rainbows when needed. The group was part of a group of district singers who congregated in Bo Diddley's basement studio. Diddley's place overran with talent, including Billy Stewart and the… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on December 10, 2009 at 2:23pm — 5 Comments

Harvey Fuqua & The New Moonglows

In 1958, shortly after the Moonglows recorded their final hit, "The Ten Commandments of Love", Harvey Fuqua re-asserted himself as the group's lead singer, putting Bobby Lester further in the background and causing friction among group members.

The biggest blow came when Fuqua spotted a young vocal group, the Marquees from Washington, D.C., and took the talented quartet of Reese Palmer, Chester Simmons, James Knowland and… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on December 10, 2009 at 2:22pm — 7 Comments

Charlie Chan In Black Magic (Original Title "Meeting at Midnight")

I just love me some Charlie Chan Movies and this one is my all time favorite, i especially love Mantan Moreland, he cracks me up....LOL. I know a lot of people hate these type of movies because of the way blacks were portrayed in them, but that was mostly all they could do at that time.

I decided to put the whole movie here in case anyone wants to see it....ENJOY

Meeting at Midnight 1/10… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on December 9, 2009 at 11:31pm — 10 Comments

Dennis Coffey

Dennis Coffey (born November 1940, Detroit, Michigan) is an American guitarist. He was a studio musician for many soul and R&B recordings.

Coffey learned to play guitar when he was thirteen in Copper City in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. At the age of fifteen he played on his first record, session backing Vic Gallon on "I'm Gone" on the Gondola record label. In the early 1960s he joined The Royaltones who had had hits with "Poor… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on December 6, 2009 at 12:27am — 2 Comments

Soul! Journey To The Sun...November 29, 1972

This entertainment-variety-talk show was not only a vehicle to promote African-American artistry, community and culture, but also a platform for political expression and the fight for social justice. It showcased classic live musical performances from funk, soul, jazz, and world musicians, and had in-depth, extraordinary interviews with political, sports, literary figures and more. It was the first program on WNET to be recorded with the… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on December 1, 2009 at 1:05pm — 8 Comments

The Sylvers

Prior to becoming "The Sylvers", the four eldest members (Olympia, Leon, Charmaine, and James) recorded as the Little Angels, appearing on variety shows such as "Make Room For Daddy" and "You Bet Your Life," and opening for such acts as Johnny Mathis and Ray Charles.

During 1972 the act was joined by brothers Edmund and Ricky. The sextet changed their name from the Little Angels to the Sylvers and released three albums on the… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on November 24, 2009 at 11:37am — 2 Comments

Stevie Wonder...Stevie At The Beach

Almost a precursor of California Motown in the 70s, given that the young Stevie Wonder spends a day at the beach!

Stevie at the Beach is the fifth album by Motown singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder released on the Tamla (Motown) label in 1964. This album—with the exception of the mild hit—"Hey Harmonica Man", was a concept album of sorts, focusing on beach and surfer anthems as an attempt to get Wonder to now sing surf… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on November 17, 2009 at 10:44am — 4 Comments

SoleMannKing...Simply Soleful (ROFLMBO)

BLUES AND SOUL MAGAZINE ARTICLE...1987

Although SoleMann was never a Major Music Star, he was well known throughout the south from 1982 to 1986. He had 1 album titled "Come and Get Your Sole" which was released in the spring of 1982 and was well recieved throughout the south...

The Album contained 12 songs, all of which was written by SoleMann himself, but the one song that generated heavy airplay, was a song that he had… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on November 14, 2009 at 5:38pm — 7 Comments

The Temptations & Funk Brothers...In Studio Session Rehearsal (1967)

Given the fact that Motown had not been conducting Live sessions with the vocalists and instrumentalists recording at the same time since at least 1963, this session was clearly staged for the CBS News cameras that were doing a brief piece called The Motown Sound.

Pictured in the studio are songwriters Lamont Dozier (Standing on the steps at the back of the studio), Brian Holland (The guy who cuts in on the band), Ivy Jo Hunter (Does… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on November 13, 2009 at 8:17am — 12 Comments

Impact Featuring Damon Harris

Damon Harris is most notable as a member of The Temptations from 1971 to 1975. Twenty years old when he joined the group, Harris was the youngest member of The Temptations during his tenure in the group. As a teenager Harris had formed a Temptations tribute band named The Young Tempts (AKA The Young Vandals).

After leaving the group, the dejected Harris decided to reform The Young Vandals with Simms, Timmons, and Tighman, renaming the… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on November 6, 2009 at 12:33pm — 4 Comments

People's Choice

Vocalist/keyboardist Frank Brunson formed People’s Choice in Philadelphia in the early ’70s.

Drummer/percussionist David Thompson, vocalists Valerie Brown and Marc Reed, guitarists Darnell Jordan and Johnnie Hightower, keyboardists Clifton Gamble and Bill Rodgers, and bassist/vocalist Stanley Thomas were in the original lineup.

Despite the vocalists, the group’s biggest hits were instrumentals. They were signed to… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on November 3, 2009 at 3:41pm — 1 Comment

Chicago Gangsters

Despite their name, the Chicago Gangsters were originally from Ohio,

consisting of brothers James, Sam, Chris, and Leroy McCant. Their sound ranged from heavy funk and disco to sweet, smooth soul.

They adopted the name Chicago Gangsters after catching on with the Gold Plate label, where they worked with prolific songwriter/arranger Richard Evans and a number of Chicago's top studio musicians.

Their debut LP,… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on November 3, 2009 at 10:57am — 13 Comments

Ronnie & The Hi-Lites

Ronnie & The Hi-Lites was a Doo-Wop Musical Group from the United States.

They formed in Jersey City, New Jersey in the early 1960s. Their song "I Wish That We Were Married" reached the 1962 Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The group originally called The Cascades, initially consisted of tenors Sonny Caldwell and John Whitney, bass singer Kenny Overby and baritone Stanley Brown. Adding 12-year-old Ronnie Goodson as their… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on November 2, 2009 at 1:58pm — 3 Comments

The Ponderosa Twins Plus One

This five-member vocal group consisted of two sets of identical twins (Alfred and Alvin Pelham, Keith and Kirk Gardner), and the "plus one," (Ricky Spicer).

They grew up and received their education on the north side of Cleveland, Ohio; all attended Patrick Henry Jr. High where they formed the group. Tony Wilson, who became their road manager, discovered the lads and brought them to the attention of Bobby Massey (at the time a member… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on October 30, 2009 at 1:03pm — 6 Comments

Michael Jackson Performs Ben (1973 Academy Awards)

This Is Probably The Best Video On Youtube Of Michael Jackson Singing Ben. It Was At The 1973 Academy Awards, I Had Forgot That The Song Was Also Nominated For An Academy Award For Best Original Song In 1973…

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Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on October 24, 2009 at 11:54am — 10 Comments

Don Julian & The Larks...Shorty The Pimp

Shorty the Pimp was to have been a blaxploitation movie around 1973, but was never released due to various problems; supposedly, only one rough cut of the movie now exists, rumored to be in the hands of director Quentin Tarantino.

This is the soundtrack album that would have accompanied the project, performed by journeyman Los Angeles soul band Don Julian & the Larks. The soundtrack was canceled along with the film, though most of… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on October 19, 2009 at 3:21pm — 3 Comments

War...The World Is A Ghetto

I was blasting this on the way home from work today...I have the whole CD..

Best known for its distinctive fusion of Latin-flavored jazz, funk, rock, and soul, War was unquestionably one of the most successful fusion bands to emerge in the early '70s.

Initially working with Eric Burdon, former lead singer with the British '60s band the Animals, the seven-member team enjoyed a commercial breakthrough with 1971's "All Day… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on September 9, 2009 at 8:04pm — 4 Comments

Bruce Willis & The Temptations

A year before he hit the bigtime with a $5 million leading role in Die Hard, Willis recorded this dodgy album of R&B and blues covers. With guest turns from Booker T. Jones, Ruth Pointer and The Temptations, it enjoyed a brief spell of success, but is now regarded as little more than a kitsch curiosity....

I didn't know Bruce had it in him....LOL

BRUCE WILLIS & THE TEMPTATIONS...UNDER THE… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on September 6, 2009 at 12:10pm — 6 Comments

Doo Wop Singers Fight Back Against Impostors

The doo wop era of the 1950s and '60s gave us so many memorable songs and famous groups. Like "Charlie Brown" and "Yakety Yak" by the Coasters, "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes" and "The Great Pretender" by the Platters, and "Under the Boardwalk" and "On Broadway" by the Drifters.

"20/20" attended an outdoor concert in New York City a few months ago by the Elsbeary Hobbs Drifters. They sang the Drifters' hits, but the singers… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on August 27, 2009 at 2:23pm — 5 Comments

Uncle Ricky D At It Again....LOL

Uncle Ricky D is off the chain...LOL He started off with some Mariah Carey, then finished it off with The Temptations "Ain't To Proud To Beg" and "Get Ready"...Checkout The Temptations Dance Moves....LOL.

Mannnnn everybody needs a Uncle like my Uncle Ricky D....LOL. In that pic up above, he had some wine in that glass...ROFLMBO

UNCLE RICKY D AT IT… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on August 16, 2009 at 7:32pm — 12 Comments

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Quincy Jones is thoroughly entwined in the musical background of my young adulthood. A genius of unique quality. I have been posting blogs and music throughout the years and decided to embark on the arduous but satisfying task of gathering some of it to remember the excellent legacy that he left.