..father of Raheem DeVaughn

Abdul Wadud

An outstanding cellist, Abdul Wadud has concentrated solely on the instrument since the age of nine, and never decided to double on bass. His plucking and bowed solos have been featured in jazz and symphonic/classical settings, and Wadud's easily the finest cellist to emerge from the '60s and '70s generation. He studied at Youngstown State and Oberlin in the late '60s and early '70s. He played in the Black Unity Trio at Oberlin and met Julius Hemphill; the two subsequently worked together well through the '80s. Wadud played in the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra in the '70s, and earned his master's degree in 1972. He played with Arthur Blythe for the first time in 1976, and has since maintained a working relationship with him. He also worked and recorded with Frank Lowe, George Lewis, Oliver Lake, Sam Rivers, Cecil Taylor, David Murray, Chico Freeman, Anthony Davis, and James Newton in the '70s and '80s. Wadud, Newton, and Davis were in both the octet Episteme and a trio from 1982 to 1984. Wadud recorded as a leader for Bishara and Gramavision in the '70s and '80s, and in a duo with Jenkins for Red in the '70s. He has one session currently available on CD. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide

RAHEEM DEVAUGHN The Love Experience

Raheem DeVaughnEvery songwriter worth his weight in catchy hooks has a story to tell (one that is gripping and compelling in its intensity). Raheem DeVaughn is that gifted storyteller, a young man with volumes of short stories that have found their way to 'The Love Experience,' his stellar debut album.

DeVaughn’s story begins with music—his mother’s vinyl collection to be exact. “I always loved music so I would sneak into her record collection when she wasn’t around and play her stuff," says DeVaughn. Although his parents were not together, his father, noted jazz musician Abdul Wadud, was an influence as well. “Music was just always around me," says DeVaughn. “I can remember at a very young age, standing in my mother’s living room, listening to music and saying to myself, I’m going to be an entertainer. It was that simple for me. I think I just always knew."

The dream would have to wait some time to come to fruition. DeVaughn graduated from High Point High School in Beltsville, Maryland and then headed to nearby Coppin State. It was the first day of college that would change the course of his life. “I saw a group of guys standing outside singing, Boyz II Men style," remembers DeVaughn. “I just went up there and started harmonizing with them. Before I knew what was going on, I was in a group, cutting class to write lyrics and record."

Although the group did not last, the direction DeVaughn’s life was about to take would have a lasting effect on his music. After winning $2,000 in a talent show at Bar None, a Washington D.C. nightclub, DeVaughn decided to go for broke and invested all of his winnings into a CD burner. Several independent releases led to a showcase with Jive Records and the road to a major label debut finally caught steam.

'The Love Experience' is a raw, no-holds-barred record. Every emotion that DeVaughn has experienced is hidden in plain view. Every scab is peeled fresh and every open wound is salted. The result is a well-written diary, set to amazingly lush production and vocal arrangement.

Forget about placing Raheem DeVaughn in the neo-soul category. DeVaughn’s voice, velvety, chalky, pristine and gut wrenching borrows heavily from generations before him. From the hypnotic and soulful, “Catch 22, to the party-ready flirtatiousness of “Nice To Meet You, (featuring label-mate Nivea), DeVaughn recreates a time in musical history before hip-hop existed, when revolutions were recorded on vinyl and Marvin, Donnie and Bob Marley were all at the height of their creativity.

Raheem vacillates between love songs with urgency and socially conscious songs that show love for all people. Lyrically, DeVaughn is a pistol, a take-no-prisoners songwriter who goes for the jugular. Questioning the woman who bore a child believed to be his, only to be confronted with the truth three years later, DeVaughn takes this true-life tale and mixes a blend of bewilderment, despair and rage on “Until." One of the album’s highlights is “Breathe," an unabashed tribute to Prince, heavy on guitar and synthesizer but smooth enough to belong in any modern soul library. The production—intense without being overbearing—is subtly sensational. And Raheem’s voice, flittering from deep alto to pure falsetto is both soothing and profound.

Raheem DeVaughnRaheem takes it to the bedroom on “Ask Yourself," a romantic ditty that finds him daring a woman to deny the physical electricity between them. In an era where lovemaking often comes in four letter proposals, it’s refreshing to hear an artist who remembers a time when sexual proposals were understated and special. With a baseline reminiscent of one of the The Isley Brothers greatest, timeless classics, “Ask Yourself," has the live guitar and horns that make great R&B exactly what it is—fresh and innovative. The tinkling piano introduction on “Position" introduces a haunting mid-tempo track that could have easily been a B-side record on Prince’s seminal Purple Rain. Convincing a woman to throw caution to the wind has never sounded sexier.

Guitar-driven hard rock finds it place on 'The Love Experience' as well, and rightfully so, since its roots are forever intertwined with the roots of soul. On “Cadillac," a rockin’ romp in the vein of Prince’s Darling Nikki, or Little Red Corvette, DeVaughn belies his age with a mature composition worthy of artists many years his senior.

DeVaughn does deliver—an album that is at once raucous, romantic, innovative, groundbreaking, complicated, obscure, simplistic and accessible, all wrapped up in pristine vocal arrangements and superior lyricism by the artist himself. “My record is very much me. I want people to get into the lyrical content. I’m a struggling man. I’m just trying to be the voice of people who can’t speak for themselves. Kids who are stuck in the ghetto and don’t know why, people who don’t understand why we have to go to war. I’m the person who is going to talk about all of that."

Views: 38

Comment

You need to be a member of E.FM Radio to add comments!

Join E.FM Radio

Latest Activity

Edie Antoinette left a comment for Old School C
"🤣🤣🤣...Treasure is our site."
Aug 23
Old School C left a comment for Edie Antoinette
"That's good to heat Mama Edie. I don't get here often but when I need to cool out to some…"
Aug 20
Edie Antoinette left a comment for Film Noir
"The Website"
Aug 19
Edie Antoinette left a comment for Old School C
"Hey Honey! What a surprise! I miss you! I'm doing fine. Still maintaining our oasis here even…"
Aug 19
Old School C left a comment for Edie Antoinette
"Hey there Mama Edie. It's been a while. Hope you are doing well. Just checkin witchya."
Aug 19
Film Noir updated their profile
Aug 16
Edie Antoinette commented on Edie Antoinette's blog post test
Jul 30
Edie Antoinette replied to Edie Antoinette's discussion WDCB FM Jazz-DuPage Illinois in the group Jazz Lounge
"WDCB Jazz-DuPage Illinois Pop Up Player"
Jul 1
Edie Antoinette posted a song

 play Summer In The City

Jun 28
Edie Antoinette updated their profile
Jun 28
Edie Antoinette replied to Edie Antoinette's discussion WDCB FM Jazz-DuPage Illinois in the group Jazz Lounge
"Many browsers have changed their settings to prevent autoplay, which may cause the WDCB player…"
Jun 26
Edie Antoinette posted a photo
May 28
Edie Antoinette posted a status
"Content ..."
May 7
The Steppin Zone updated their profile
Apr 22
The Steppin Zone and Jeanette Mack are now friends
Apr 22
JazzWorld joined Shelley "SoleMann" King's group
Thumbnail

E.FM - Black & White Photography

This Group Was Created To Focus On Black & White Photography. It Can Be Your Own Photos Or Any…See More
Apr 16
Edie Antoinette posted songs
Mar 15
Black Heritage was featured
Mar 12
Edie Antoinette liked Black Heritage's profile
Mar 12
Edie2k2 Radio updated their profile
Mar 11

Introspection

Entr'acte



  1. play Norman Brown — Night Drive
  2. play Norman Brown — Feeling
  3. play Norman Brown — Still
  4. play Miles Davis — miles 1
  5. play miles 2
  6. play miles 3
  7. play miles 4
  8. play miles 5
  9. play Marvin Gaye — I Met A Little Girl
  10. play Santana — 01 Singing Winds, Crying Beasts
  11. play Santana — 02 Black Magic Woman-Gypsy Queen
  12. play Mongo — 02. Afro Blue



The history of the Butlers/Raw Soul is dense, but for all of us music nerds, that's normal. It is not totally clear what year the Butlers actually formed but they released their first single in 1963 on Liberty Records. That single was "She Tried To Kiss Me" and another single followed on Guyden entitled "Lovable Girl." After the Guyden single the Butlers took a break not recording another record until the single "Laugh, Laugh, Laugh" was released on the Phila label in 1966. The group also backed Charles Earland and Jean Wells on one Phila single ("I Know She Loves Me"). 


As you might be noticing, the Butlers were doing a fair amount of recording but not achieving much success. The group's recordings sold regionally but never had the promotion to make an impact on the national scene. After the single with Phila, the Butlers moved to the Fairmount label (part of the Cameo-Parkway family) and released a handful of singles, some being reissued singles of the past. The Butlers were with Fairmount for 1966-67 and then moved to Sassy Records. Sassy released the group's greatest single (in my opinion) "Love (Your Pain Goes Deep)" b/w "If That's What You Wanted." A copy of that 45 sold for just under $500 last summer on eBay. Even though that isn't that much in the world of record collecting--it's still a hefty sum. The Butlers released another single on Sassy ("She's Gone" b/w "Love Is Good") that appears to be even 
harder to come by then the "Love (Your Pain Goes Deep)" single.

 

The true history become a bit blurred here as the AMG biography states that the Butlers last record was released on C.R.S. in 1974 (". However, between 1971 and that single, Frankie Beverly formed a group called Raw Soul and released a number of singles. Some of the songs recorded by Beverly during this period are "While I'm Alone," "Open Up Your Heart," (both on the Gregor label) and "Color Blind." "Color Blind" was released by the Eldorado label and rerecorded by Maze. Beverly's big break came when Marvin Gaye asked Raw Soul to back him on a tour. Gaye helped Beverly/Raw Soul get a contract at Capitol. Beverly decided to take the group in a different direction, a name change occurred, and Maze was created. 

The above isn't the most complete history of Beverly but hopefully someone will know a way to get in touch with the man or his management because a comprehensive pre-Maze history needs to be done on Frankie Beverly (his real name is Howard, by the way). Below you'll find every Frankie Beverly (pre-Maze) song available to me right now ("Color Blind" will be up soon). 

If you have a song that is not included below, shoot it over to funkinsoulman (at) yahoo.com and it will go up in the next Frankie Beverly post (later this week--highlighting Maze). Also, if you have any more information please share your knowledge. The Butlers material has been comp-ed sporadically (usually imports) but the entire Maze catalog has been reissued and is available. 

Enjoy.  "She Kissed Me" (Fairmount, 1966 or 1967) 
 
 "I Want To Feel I'm Wanted" (not sure which label or year) "Laugh, Laugh, Laugh" (Phila, 1966) "Because Of My Heart" (Fairmount, 1966 or 1967)
   
 "Love (Your Pain Goes Deep)" (Sassy, 1967)
   
 "If That's What You Wanted" (Sassy, 1967)
 



Frankie Beverly is one of those cats that has lasting power. He started in the music business doing a tour with doo wop group the Silhouettes and then formed his own group called the Blenders. The Blenders never recorded a single, Beverly wouldn't appear on wax until forming the Butlers a few years later. Along with Beverly, the Butlers included Jack "Sonny" Nicholson, Joe Collins, John Fitch, and Talmadge Conway.

Beverly would later enjoy great success fronting Maze and Conway would become a
well-known penning Double Exposure's
"Ten Percent" and the Intruders' "Memories Are Here To Stay." 
 While Maze is a phenomenal group, Beverly's work before that group will always stand out as his best (imo).

The Butlers produced tunes that most Northern Soul fans would kill for and Raw Soul gave the funksters something to pursue. If, by chance, you know of a way to get in touch with Frankie Beverly or his management, please drop me an e-mail. It would be absolutely great to do an interview with him about his pre-Maze work. He's still playing out, most recently doing a New Year's Eve show in Atlanta.
:: Funkinsoulman ::

Power...Through Simplicity ♪♫♪

Members

About

© 2024   Created by Edie Antoinette.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service