The Philadelphia Signature Soul Sound during the 1980s Pt 6

                                            Featuring female solo artist

"Sweet and Wonderful" classic album

Jean Carne followed in 1981 with her album “Sweet and Wonderful” on TSOP Records, a subsidiary imprint of Philadelphia International Records. The album featuring a stunning remake of the Spinners' ballad classic “Love Don’t Love Nobody”, which went to number thirty-five on the Billboard Hot Soul and R&B Singles Chart. The album also entered the top forty of the Billboard Hot Soul and R&B Albums Chart.

The album containing the
 Philly class "Yes I'm Ready"

Philly great Barbara Mason (known for her 1965 Philly classic gold record  “Yes I’m Ready”) released an album on WMOT Records in 1980 entitled “A Piece of My Life”. The album’s title track “Yes I’m Ready” benefits from an updated treatment, with an early 1980s sound. Butch Ingram was the main producer and arranger, while his brother James Ingram conducted arrangements.

The by Phyllis Hyman album
 containing the Philly classic "Old Friend"

The late Phyllis Hyman recorded a come-back album after she signed to Philadelphia International Records in 1985. “Living All Lone” was released in 1986. The title track, produced by Dexter Wansell, peaked at number twelve on the Billboard Hot Soul and R&B Singles Chart. It was followed by another excellent track entitled “Old Friend” which was written by the late Linda Creed and produced by Thom Bell. The song went to number fourteen on the Billboard Hot Soul and R&B Singles Chart. It was reported by Billboard Magazine in 1986 that album sold close to half a million copies in America. This was the best performance for Phyllis Hyman since her 1979-released album “You Know How to Love Me” on Arista Records which nearly achieved gold status. Interestingly the album was recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in New York City by the same production team, James Mtume and Reggie Lucas, who co-produced Stephanie Mills’ three gold albums and one gold single. Many of the produced in Philadelphia recording studios featured the brilliant string and horn arrangements conducted by the late Don Renaldo, a key figure in the development of  "The Sound of Philadelphia"
 signature sound that was popular during the 1970s. He was a key member of the MFSB studio band responsible for many of hits that came out of Philadelphia during it golden era.

                               

                              
                         ©Signaturesoundsonline2013-2015 



                                                  

                                                

America's West Coast Music Recording Icons

                                                   ( Part 1)

In this article we will examine the cultural, creative and corporate impact of Bill Withers and Barry White. They are two of the most successful artists from America’s west coast.

 



Bill Withers



Bill Withers is well known for the socially conscious lyrics, based on a psychology of human potential and empowerment and full of message-laden images, that characterized his hits during the 1970s. Songs such as “Lean On Me” and “Lovely Day” fit into that particular psychology, to which an electrifying and dynamic voice added a rich, pure, soulful feeling that combined a touch of Blues and R&B and which separated him from his contemporaries.

Bill Withers gold certified album 
and Billboard Hip/Hop
and R&B number one album

 

Bill is one of a list of legendary artists whose intellectual properties are used extensively used in advertisements, movies and recorded music. Core customers will have Bill Withers on their list of favourite artists to buy over the long term. His songs are used by many corporations because his recordings are felt to be especially appropriate for advertising their particular products; his output is middle of the  road,  safe and high quality with good production values and a smooth delivery that is pleasant to listen to.




This gold certified album 
contents the
classic hit single
 "Lovely Day"

When you play a track such as “Lovely Day”, it is easy to associate the song with the experience of driving a luxury sport car with the top down on a hot, sunny day in the countryside with your friends, family or partner. Or you can close your eyes and dream of enjoying a cool drink while relaxing on holiday in the Caribbean, away from the stresses of everyday life. It is very relaxing music, not dangerous but made very positive and uplifting by lyrics that are “good for the soul”.  

The list of advertisements featuring Withers’ work (this is a partial list of credits) includes:

Burger King	Frito Lay-Doritos
Campbell’s Soup	Gap
Chevrolet Truck	Hallmark Cards
Denny’s Breakfast	VISA

Movie-makers too have often seen the potential of these songs. Recent examples of their use in films include:

American Beauty	The Bodyguard
Jackie Brown	The Nephew

Notting Hill	Old School
Austin Powers-The Spy Who Shagged Me	When We Were Kings

And of course where film goes television is not far behind. A television list of credits (again a partial list) includes:

Ally McBeal	Rosie O’Donnell
Bernie Mac Show	Saturday Night Live
Motown Live	The Oprah Winfrey Show
MTV: The Real World

The Simpsons

Researched and compiled by
Mr k Tomlin Music Historian
©RCM Music/Signaturesoundsonline 2013



Steve Cropper (Part 3)

                                                                 
One  of  the Key Creative Pillars of  the  Southern Soul Music

Several other Stax classics have been inducted into The Grammy Hall of Fame;  “Soul Man”, inducted in 1999, “Green Onions” inducted in 1999, “I’ll Take You There”,  inducted in 1999 and “In The Midnight Hour”, also inducted in 1999.  Many of Steve’s songs have been covered by artists such as George Benson (“Soul Limbo”), Paul Young (“Iron Out The Rough Spots”) and Rita Coolidge (“The Happy Song”).

This illustrates clearly his impact as a Songwriter across a variety of musical styles. Steve’s Croppers greatest achievement was to be inducted in the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame on June 9th 2005, alongside fellow former Stax colleagues David Porter and Isaac Hayes.

Steve Cropper has also demonstrated his musical talents in the world of film, credited as Producer, Songwriter, and Performer.

As Performer and  Songwriter:


  

Blow (2001)

"Be My Lady"
Written by Stephen Cropper, Donald Dunn, Al Jackson Jr., Booker T. Jones
Performed by Booker T & The MG's
Courtesy of Atlantic Records
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products
Published by Al Jackson Jr. Music (BMI)
Administered by Bug Music / Irving Music Inc.

The Big Lebowski (1998)

"Behave Yourself"
Written by Booker T. Jones, Steve Cropper, Al Jackson, Jr. and Lewie Steinberg
Performed by Booker T. & MG s
Published by Irving Music, Inc. (BMI)
Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

Platoon (1986)

“(Sittin on) The Dock of the Bay”

Performed by Otis Redding

Written by Stephen Cropper and Otis Redding

Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp

As Producer and Songwriter:

Top Gun (1999)

Written by Stephen Cropper and Otis Redding

Performed by Love Actually (2003)

As Producer only:

A Bronx Tale (1993)

“Ninety-Nine and Half (Won’t Do)”

Performed by Wilson Pickett

Written by Stephen Cropper

Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp

Promised Land (1995)

“Green Onions”

Performed by Booker T & The MG's
Written by Stephen Croppper, Donald Dunn, Al Jackson Jr., Booker T. Jones

Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp

My-Fellow American (1996)

“In The Midnight Hour”

Performed by Wilson Pickett

Written by Stephen Cropper and Wilson Pickett

Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp

Lost. The Television Series, Season Two Episode 19 (2006)

“These Arms of Mine”.

Performed by Otis Redding

Written by Otis Redding

Courtesy of Atlantic Recording Corp

Amazon Women On The Moon (1987)

Performed as actor, playing the character Customer (“Titan Man”)

The Blues Brothers (1980)

Performed as actor, playing the character Steve “The Colonel” Cropper

Amazon Women On The Moon (1987)

Performed as actor, playing the character Customer (“Titan Man”)

The Blues Brothers (1980)

Performed as actor, playing the character Steve “The Colonel” Cropper

Steve was also involved in collaborations with other recording artists outside Stax Records. During the late 1970s, after his departure from Stax before its demise, Cropper got involved in the soundtrack and movie of the “Blues Brothers”, a Pop Chart No.1 album and multi-platinum selling project. He then went on to record two albums on MCA Records, “Playin’ My Thang” in 1980 and “With A Little Help From My Friends” in 1982.


He continued to play and produce on many recording sessions between TMI and Ardent recording studios with such artists as Poco, Jeff Beck, Tower Of Power and Dreams. Cropper is certainly an extraordinary guitarist, still going strong after approximately forty years in the music business. In 1998, he started his own record company, “Play It, Steve Records” and created a state-of-the-art recording studio in Nashville called “Insomnia Studios”.

Steve Cropper is indeed one of the main authors and architects of the Memphis Soul Sound, a creative pillar of the southern soul movement and one of the true stylists on guitar. His many contributions to the world of popular music has had an incredible influence on many of his peers and successors. His impact has been felt all around the world.

                Researched and compiled by
                Mr K Tomlin Music Historian 
                ©RCM Music/Signaturesoundsonline 2013  

                                                                  

 

Steve Cropper (Part 2)

                                                          

One  of  the Key Creative Pillars of  the  Southern Soul Music

Cropper is responsible for Wilson Pickett’s early successes on Atlantic Records.  Pickett came to SStax in 1965 looking to get his career kick-started after several failures trying to get a hit while recording in New York under Jerry Wexler (a legendary recording executive for Atlantic Records and the man responsible for Aretha Franklin’s first million selling recording of "I Never the Way I Love You". 

ilPickett's first collaboration with Cropper was “In The Midnight Hour” which was co-written at the same hotel as that in which coincidentally the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had been fatally shot several years later. That song took the No.1 position on the Billboard R&B chart listing from The Four Tops spending nine weeks at No.1 with “I Can’t Help Myself”.  Wilson’s single reached the summit on August 7^th 1965 (1 week).

Another of Steve Cropper’s first major successes as a Songwriter and as   Producer was with Eddie Floyd’s “Knock On Wood” which became a gold single co-written with Floyd. Floyd was the first solo Artist at Stax to have achieved a gold record and as well a key songwriter in the Stax organization. Featured on this recording session were fellow Stax musicians Booker T. Jones (keyboard), Donald “Duck” Dunn (bass) and Al Jackson Jnr. (drums), with Isaac Hayes on piano and the Bar-keys on horns. Cropper’s next landmark recording was Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of The Bay”, which remained R&B and Pop Chart No.1 for several weeks on Billboard. After Otis Redding’s premature death in a plane accident with some other members of The Mar-kays.               

The song received two Grammy Awards for “Best R&B Male Vocal Performance” and “Best R&B Song” in 1969. Steve Cropper co-wrote this song with Otis Redding, played acoustic and electric guitar and also produced the track. The song has been played over six million times, making it the sixth Most Played Song of all time and is also listed on The Grammy Hall of Fame site as a lasting and historical significance, inducted in 1998. The Album entitled “(Sittin On) The Dock of The Bay” achieved UK Pop No.1 position in 1968 and USA Pop No.4 in 1968. Cropper has also co- written “The Happy Song”; “Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song)” and ”Mr Pitiful”, all recorded by Otis Redding.

Steve performed on two singles that achieved gold record sales of Million-plus Copies sold in the USA for Stax. Those were The Mar-Keys “Last Night”, Pop Chart No 3, August 7^th 1961, Satellite 107 and Booker T & the MGs’ “Green Onions”, Pop Chart No. 3, R&B Chart No. 1, September 15^th 1962, (4 weeks), UK Pop No. 7, 1979, Stax 127




 Researched and compiled by 
  Mr K Tomlin Music Historian 
  ©RCM Music/Signaturesoundsonline 2013