redandwhiterag Any cursory appreciation of the southern soul music genre usually points initially in the direction of Stax, Fame and Muscle Shoals. There are reasons for this of course, with those labels and studios pushing out some of the best popular music of the 20th century. Much less likely to receive recognition, but much loved by country soul buffs everywhere, is the output from the Goldwax label. …
Formed in 1945 in Los Angeles by Saul, Joe and Jules Bihari, Modern Records seemed much more inclined to do whatever it took to succeed commercially than many other labels of the period (e.g. Aladdin, King etc.). Having said that, although it had a few fairly substantial hits from 1954-1956, it never really consolidated its position, despite or perhaps because of its rather cavalier recording …
One of the most important companies in R&B history, Stax represented one of the two main strands in American black music (Motown was the other). Ironically but not untypically, the label was founded by a white guy, Jim Stewart, whose musical background was actually in country music.
Perhaps Sun Records is an unusual label to profile in an R&B Primer, as any references to the studio usually focus on its rockabilly successes, the Presley phenomenon and the early careers of Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison. Even in its rockabilly heyday however, the label was fusing the best of R&B and country, black and white, sowing the seeds of rock …
Not only the first black owned large independent record company but also one of the most successful prior to Motown. It’s recording and release policy was genuinely eclectic and provided us with a very fine legacy of blues, R&B, gospel, doo-wop and early soul recordings. It also released the first few years of the Beatles recordings in the US – but that’s another story! The …
Not at first glance the first book you’d pick up to learn a little more about blues, soul or R&B, but impressions can be deceiving. Emerson’s primary interest is in providing a portrait of a brilliant group of songwriters – all couples, all loosely tied to the famous Brill Building era but (nearly) all impacting significantly on the development of the music of black America.
Subtitled “Fats Domino and The Lost Dawn of Rock ‘n’ Roll” this is decidedly more than a biography of an R&B legend – it also puts Fats at the heart of the birth of rock ‘n’ roll as one of the greats of black American music. The book highlights just how little credit Fats has previously received for his role in the development of R&B and its rock ‘n’ roll sibling.
Dewey Phillips is credited as the disc jockey who first played Elvis on the radio. He was also the first person to conduct a live on-air interview with him. But “Daddy-O-Dewey” was probably far more important for his role in promoting black R&B to a white audience at a time in the deep south when music, like just about everything else, was at its most segregated and divisive. During the 1950s, his radio show on WHBQ captured black and white audiences alike and made him the most popular white deejay in the mid South.
Another port from the original site and the second offering from Guralnick. But, given it’s length and quite dense prose, is it a stretch too far? Most visitors to Shades of Blue will know that the site is a big fan of Peter Guralnick and his ability to combine a frighteningly detailed knowledge of American popular music with such a lucid and effortless writing style. So it’s a major event when he puts pen to paper again, especially when the subject matter is such an icon of the R&B; and early soul music of the late 1950s and 1960s.
Arthur Alexander is a long time favourite of mine and I believe this is the first attempt to analyse at length the life and work of a complex and incredibly talented individual. Younger illustrates the highs, lows and inconsistencies of the man and his music and, in telling the story of this great performer and writer, he also provides the reader with the wider context.
Nager’s book (subtitled “The Lives and Times of America’s Musical Crossroads”) paints on a broader canvas than many books about southern music and is therefore an excellent introduction to the wider aspects of the Memphis sound. A cultural mixing board, where black and white folk have done musical business for two centuries or more.
Autobiographies can be a hit and miss affair, especially when they’re co-written with a jobbing author, no matter how good that writer is. I’ve never been a particularly big fan of a lot of Ritz’ other work – “Divided Soul” (Marvin Gaye) and, particularly, “Brother Ray” (Ray Charles) were OK, but I was disappointed with the B.B. King bio, preferring the earlier Charles Sawyer effort. This, however, is worth your money, but then you’d have to work hard to screw up a life this interesting!