Shelley "SoleMann" King's Blog (94)

The Temptations Sing Smokey

In my opinion, one of the greatest Temptation Albums of all time, I have this Album, but nothing to play it on....LOL. I need to take a pic of me holding this album cover, but i don't feel like digging it out the crate....LOL

This is a must have, if you do not have it...My Album is a original and still in mint condition

THE TEMPTATIONS...WHAT LOVE HAS JOINED TOGETHER

THE… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on August 16, 2009 at 10:40am — 3 Comments

Executive Suite

Executive Suite was the Philly group that Daryl Hall contributed vocals to on their first single ("Christine," for Jubilee Records) in 1970. The members were Vincent Unto, Henry Tuten, William Tyler, and Charles Conyers. Their next release, a smooth, Philly ballad named "I'm a Winner Now" from 1972, remains the jewel of their career. Babylon Records picked it up for national distribution in 1973, but the move didn't help much as the record never… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on June 12, 2009 at 8:25pm — 3 Comments

The Legacy Of Chicago’s Bandit Records

Chicago Magazine

Saturday, April 30, 2005

By Mark Guarino

A tree, unlike any other tree, stood in front of the greystone at 4114 S. Martin Luther King Drive. Kids painted and repainted its trunk colors — red, black and green of the African flag. A red bench beside it had a speaker attached with a cord running to the house. So on a steamy Saturday afternoon in the summer of 1971, maybe when the Bud Billiken parade marched… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on June 9, 2009 at 4:35pm — 7 Comments

Arrow Brown...The Godfather Of King Drive

Arrow Brown wanted badly to be a player--he wore a black hat, packed heat even in church, and exploited a houseful of wives and concubines to finance a record label. But his tiny empire wouldn't last.

Author: Bob Mehr Date: April 22, 2005

It looked as if a tornado had passed through the house, picked up the remnants of Arrow Brown's strange, sordid life, and dumped them in the alley.

September 1990: Brown had… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on June 7, 2009 at 8:07pm — 18 Comments

The Smith Connection

A sublime bit of east coast soul -- and the only full album ever cut by this heavenly-voiced trio! The group have a sound to rival the best of their contemporaries on the harmony soul scene -- one that floats along on a light pillow of strings and soul, with just the right amount of heavier touches to give the record a bit more of the HDH depth. The falsetto bits are especially nice -- drifting out in front of the deeper vocals -- and the whole… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on June 7, 2009 at 6:31pm — 2 Comments

Majestic Arrows...The Magic Of Your Love

This is all i could find on this group, the story was wayyyyy to long, so i just added the parts where the group was talked about....Mannnn i love this stuff....LOL

For a decade or so beginning in the late 60s, Arrow Brown was the head of Bandit Records. Although he never sang or played a note, he was the undisputed star of the label, tapping the talent, writing and producing the songs, and putting his imprimatur on everything from… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on June 7, 2009 at 4:45pm — 9 Comments

Smoke...Risen'

Album Review by Trakbuv

“Move over O’J’s, Spinners and Temps. The fire may be comin’, but ‘Smoke’ is here” boasts the sleeve notes. This heralds the male quartet’s first and only album, ‘Risin’. The ensemble consisted of Ernest and Arthur Malone, Melvin Manning and Larry Brown, all hailing from Kansas City, and all very capable of taking centre stage. If only for this reason, the opening claim holds some water. Personally, the band… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on June 6, 2009 at 6:06pm — 15 Comments

The Eight Minutes

The Eight Minutes (members Ricky Goggins, Hank Goggins, Ronald Goggins, Hedda Sudduth, David Sudduth,Wendel Sudduth, Juwanna Glover and Carl Monroe)

This is the answer to Black Ivory tune I'll find a way (Loneliest Man In Town). This group hailed from Chicago and worked with James L. Porter, with the label Perception was the sister subsidiary to Today records with B-I on their roster. This group recorded on other small labels before… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on June 4, 2009 at 7:40pm — 9 Comments

The True Reflection

This is an excellent group from the 70s East Coast scene -- with a heavy harmony sound that should have made them famous! Philly greats like Norman Harris, Ronnie Baker, and Vince Montana, all working here in a mode that's similar to that applied to The Spinners after they made their move to Atlantic.

It's the band's harmonies that really take the cake, though -- as they mix together deep-rooted Temptations-esque righteous vocals with… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on June 3, 2009 at 5:47pm — 3 Comments

Rest In Peace Henry "Brikks" Brown IV

I know this is not my usual oldies blog, but i felt the need to do this blog in this young brothers honor...When will the violence stop?

Tennessee Rapper Brikks Murdered in Home Robbery

Chattanooga, Tenessee rapper Brikks was killed on Saturday after three men invaded his home and shot him to death. A friend that he was with, Josquin Jackson, also sustained gun wounds and lies in critical condition at Erlanger… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on June 1, 2009 at 5:44pm — 7 Comments

Greetings! We're the Monitors

The Monitors were a minor Motown act from the 1960s. The group, which consisted of lead singer Richard Street, Sandra Fagin, John "Maurice" Fagin, and Warren Harris, had only one minor hit, a cover of the Valadiers' "Greetings (This is Uncle Sam)", which reached number 21 on the Billboard R&B chart, and number 100 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart. "Greetings (This is Uncle Sam)" explores the feelings felt by many young African American… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on June 1, 2009 at 5:12pm — 8 Comments

The Force MD's 2009 and The Next Generation

Before i begin this blog, i would like to pay my respect to 2 members of the group that are no longer with us, May They Rest In Everlasting Peace...

Charles 'Mercury' Nelson (Dec. 19, 1964 - Mar. 9, 1995)

Antoine "T.C.D." Lundy (February 3, 1964 - January 21, 1998)

This was my favorite group in High School and throughout the early 1990's and it's good to see… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on May 25, 2009 at 6:02pm — 1 Comment

Jay R...The Filipino Prince of Soul

Gaudencio "Jay R" Sillona III (born February 1, 1981) is a Filipino singer, actor and model. He sings, hosts and dances in the afternoon show called SOP. Usually singing with fellow singer Philippine R&B princess, Kyla. He is dubbed as the "Prince of Soul".

Gaudencio A. Sillona III, popularly known as Jay R, was born and raised in Los Angeles, California on February 1, 1981. He was 2nd year college, taking up Computer Engineering,… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on May 20, 2009 at 3:41pm — 4 Comments

Sammy Stephens...Flea Market Montgomery

I was watching the top 20 count down of the world's worse commercials the other night and this dude was number 1, i was cracking up at the Stepin Fetchit Eyes and the Dancing, but this is very creative and he is a Youtube sensation... This dude got me rollin....LOL

Flea Market Montgomery is a 73,000 square-foot flea market in Montgomery, Alabama, which advertises itself as being "just like a mini-mall." The market is owned by local… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on April 19, 2009 at 2:06pm — 4 Comments

Process & The Doo Rags

Produced by Rick James, Process & the Doo Rags looked like a '50s doo-wop group with their "processed" hairdos. Actually, the Buffalo, NY group was in vogue, a part of a brief mid-'80s run of harmonizing vocal groups that also included the Force MDs. The group's lineup was former Rick James backup singer James Hawkins, Stacy Lattimore, Henry Graham, Dennis Andrews, and Michael Gibson. Their charting single, "Stomp and Shout," from their 1985… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on April 16, 2009 at 10:24am — 7 Comments

The Awesome Foursome...LOL

United we stand, divided we fall, we are tighter than panty hose two sizes small...Leroy, Skillet, Melvin, Fred, we are the Awesome Foursome until we are dead.....LOL

Just look at em...Lucky Leroy, Slick Skillet, Pretty Boy Melvin, and Ready Freddy....ROFLMBO… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on March 1, 2009 at 1:41am — 3 Comments

SoleMannKing Presents Marvin and Nona Gaye...The National Anthem

February 1983 before the start of the NBA All-Star game, something amazing took place and that was Mr. Marvin Gaye giving us a Soulful Rendition of The Star Spangled Banner...I remember being 15 years old watching this and being awe strucked by it all.....

After he walked on the court and as he prepared to sing, all of a sudden, time got really… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on February 28, 2009 at 9:31pm — 1 Comment

James Jamerson...The World's Greatest Bass Player

James Lee Jamerson born January 29, 1936, was an American bassist. He was the uncredited bass guitarist on most of Motown Records' hits in the 1960s and early 1970s (Motown did not list credits on their releases until 1971), and he has become regarded as one of the most influential bass guitar players in modern music history. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.

James Jamerson (as is the case with the other… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on January 25, 2009 at 6:46pm — 11 Comments

Ready, Steady, Go...The Sounds Of Motown

Ready Steady Go - The Sound of Motown is the finest of all vintage Motown videos, all played and sung live and quite brilliantly, featuring The Miracles, Martha and the Vandellas, and more. From 1965.

To me this is probably one of the greatest videos i ever seen, i rented it on VHS several years ago, but would love to some day have it on DVD.

READY, STEADY, GO...THE SOUNDS OF MOTOWN…

Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on January 25, 2009 at 6:38pm — 9 Comments

Jerry Butler & The Impressions...For Your Precious Love

I have done a couple of blogs in the past about the Chattanooga connection of The Impressions and the fact that the group started right here in the 1950's in my Great-Grandparents neighborhood, they were known then as The Roosters or as several old cats have told me 4 Roosters and a Chick...LOL. I found out after my Grandmothers funeral, the Chicks name was Katherine...

They left Chattanooga and the Chick around 1959 and moved to… Continue

Added by Shelley "SoleMann" King on January 15, 2009 at 5:26pm — 7 Comments

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Remembering Q

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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.