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be-my-ally · 1 year

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A Tour of the Penthouse

ugh naming one-shots is the bane of my existence. I'm terrible at coming up with titles.

Hello! I am back! not that I ever left, but I've been on a bit of a writing break the past few weeks - not intentionally I might add, so I am mighty pleased to be *inspired* and writing again. Much more in the pipeline coming soon, but first, a fun little smutty 1973 vegas one night one-shot!

warnings: 18+, p in v, oral (v receiving), mirrors... that's it folks, short and basic but hopefully still hot! this doesn’t feel super elvis-y to me but i think that might be the self-doubt creeping in after it being so long since i last posted (i hope)!

For the prompt: “No. Don’t talk to her like that."

pairing: 1973 Elvis x female reader (note: photos below are from the stax studios sessions in memphis July 22nd about 2 weeks before the vegas dates this fic is set in, but if he was willing to wear velour in tennessee in july, I don't see why not in vegas in august).

wc: 4.4k

You’d had the fantasy, the idea of being plucked out of the audience, the concept of a tap on the shoulder; “Please, miss, come with us.” But you’d known that was purely fantastical. You’d not been handpicked to be here this evening, you’d handily bumped into the brother of your best friend’s husband - a tenuous link if ever there was one who’d happily offered you an evening’s entertainment after you’d embarrassingly admitted you’d come to Vegas alone in the vain hope of scoring an Elvis ticket. The embarrassment waned pretty fast though when he’d apologised for not being able to do better than a back of the balcony seat, but that, perhaps because you’d sounded so embarrassed or pathetic, he knew someone with a standing invite to “not an after-party, just, casual drinks after the show.” Even so, you’d not believed you’d get anywhere near Elvis himself. Yet, somehow here you were, drink in hand, being flirted with (inexplicably terribly) by one of his entourage as you pretended not to be solely focused on his friend and boss, talking mere feet away. He suddenly whirls around to you, talking loudly to the man in front of you,

“No. Don’t talk to her like that, man, c’mon.” Elvis shakes his head, “You gotta do it right if you’re gonna try.” The thin man, his name escaping you as entirely inconsequential now you’re being faced with Elvis himself, takes a step back as Elvis practically pushes him to the side, taking his place directly in front of you, hand brushing your arm in greeting. “ Just ignore him hon.” You nod, a little starstruck at being so close to him, having watched him from the balcony earlier that night it was almost a little jarring to go from such distance to so close. The top of his head and bridge of his nose had been more visible to you than anything else, the novelty of now being able to see up his nose one of the many thoughts rapidly running through your head. Oh God, how did I end up here? And, Lord, is that really Elvis talking to me? Competed to be at the forefront of your mind, although admittedly along with Is he really wearing velvet velour in Vegas?

“Oh, I’ll do my best! If you say so, Sir!” Sir? To be faced with him in all his physical glory - velour and all, was hindering your ability to form thought or words. He chuckles at you, seemingly finding your obviously flustered state endearing, while nudging the other man again,

“Now - before I had ta step-in and save ya, what was he promisin’ ya? A tour?” The other nods sheepishly, as you agree,

“Oh - uh, yes, um your, uh, friend - uhh, sorry, what was it again? Oh uh, Red here, was saying he could take me to have a look around the showroom, while it was empty-like. If uh, if I was interested.” You cringe internally as you feel yourself stumbling over your words. Elvis scoffs, rolling his eyes beneath tinted glasses.

“The showroom? That was the best you could do, huh boy?” He shakes his head in seeming exasperation, turning back to you to ask, “You ever wanted to see a dressing room… or uh, my suite?” Of course you have, who wouldn’t have done?

“Oh. Well, I uh, I can’t say I’ve considered it before.” You wince internally, trying to keep your outer expression neutral, was that seriously your best reply?

“No? Well honey, I’ll have to take you back and show you some time.” You can’t help the giggles escaping, nor the slight snort that preceded them - too utterly flustered to worry about playing it cool.

“C’mon EP, that’s not playin’ fair, you’re practically bribing the poor girl.” Red says it almost without thinking, and you can see the nerves play out on his face, hoping Elvis would react the way he’d intended.

“Bribing?” He scoffs, “With you as the competition,” sneering he turns back to you, “go on then, doll, who’d you pick? Me or this ol’ lug?” He puffs out his chest as if showing off.

“Well, uh, Mr. Uh. Mr West. You’re very nice and all, but -“ Red laughs in response,

“Don’t worry darlin’, I knew I was fighting a losin’ battle soon as he stepped over here.” He nods, “I’ll try my luck over there, you two enjoy your night.” He smiles, although you can tell he’s a little put out. Elvis looks pleased with himself, hip cocked and hand inserted into his bright gold belt, seemingly waiting for you to have something else to say.

“That - that’s not the outfit you were wearing earlier.” If you could smack yourself right now, you would; of course it wasn’t the same outfit, why would he stay in a stage costume all night, you wish you could take the words back but Elvis smiles, a little ruefully, pulling his hand from his belt to run it through his hair.

“Well honey,” He drawls out the endearment, elongating the syllable break, as if debating whether to tell you, or perhaps an attempt at making his voice sound even more appealing. “It’s, a bit embarrassin’ to admit, but… I’ve got a bit of a habit of splitting my pants…” He looks at you, solemnly shaking his head, “Just you know, with all the movin’ and shakin’ on stage, I seem to go through a lot of them. Made it through the show alright tonight, but apparently climbing down them stairs off the stage at the end was too much for ‘em.”

“Oh.” Your eyes widen as you take that in for a second, mind gone as you imagine the white crystallised suit of earlier, splitting down the seam and then all the way down his legs, imagining it falling off of him completely, him stood nude and glorious against the spotlight of the stage. You realise he was still talking, “Huh? Sorry - What’d you say?” Elvis rolls his eyes,

“I said, listen, how’s about you come and take a look? Are you any good with a needle?” You’re slow to the uptake when being faced with his southern drawl and seemingly random question and you panic for a second; he’s still looking at you, watching your expressions with unblinking eyes beneath his lavender shades, you can’t think of what to say in response, such an easy question, but what level of skill does he even need? You gape at him until he finally seems to take pity, shrugging a little,

“S’alright if you’re not, it’s just my fingers, I’ve never got the hang of it,” He lowers his voice to a conspiratorial whisper, “My ma tried, but I can never thread it quite right.” He mimes trying to thread a needle, comedically - tongue out, and one eye closed. You burst out laughing, mostly from sheer relief from being able to form thought again. “You must at least know how to hem?”

You nod, a little offended, “Of course! I made this dress!” He looks you up and down, and you feel yourself stand up a little straighter, an almost subconscious reaction to his looking, while smoothing the pockets down as surreptitiously as you can for his inspection.

“Made it fill out just right too.” You squirm on the spot in response, you can’t work out if you should be offended at being reduced to essentially free labour, or that you somehow find it totally acceptable just because he’s made your tummy flip with that one little sentence.

“Well, you know, just thought maybe, maybe I could just get you to take a look and let me know what you think I should do.”

“Oh uh, sure thing - Yes, absolutely, I could do that.” He grins at you, in reward for your compliance, before pressing a hand into the small of your back, directing you to the elevator.

It’s overwhelming, the feel of being with him in such a confined space, focussed on the door in front of you for the mere seconds between floors. It’s all you can do to keep yourself together, the smell of him, the feel of his hot palm still against your back making your thighs clench. Elvis seems to be in a world of his own, fingers gently rubbing your back, humming under his breath. You’re not quite sure why you’re both pretending you really were going to look at a torn jumpsuit. But when you start to follow that line of thought you can feel your heart-rate increasing and panic start to rise - it’s not that you don’t want to do whatever he has in mind, just that you’ve never done this causally before. All you can do is quickly attempt to distract yourself by curiously assessing the decor.

Somehow though, mere minutes later, small talk and short tour over, you find yourself sitting at his dressing table, jumpsuit in hand as you peer at the split straight along the seam of the crotch.

“Well, er, Elvis, here’s the thing - I think it might be beyond repair - or, at least it’s beyond what I can do with a travel kit.” He nods, solemnly, from over your shoulder, his sideburn hair tickling your cheek, and hands starting to span across your ribs.

“Hmm, guess I’ll have to send it to get mended then,” He tugs it out of your grip, balling it up and throwing it off to the side.

“Oh, well - yes, I’m sure someone will be able to - oh!” His hands creep further around your ribcage, until he’s just ever so slightly brushing his fingers further against your breasts. You shiver as his breath gets heavier on your, puff of laughter at your immediate physical reaction sending goosebumps across your exposed skin. He brushes your hair out of the way, gently tucking it behind the other ear, while his other hand remains spanning your ribs, thumb moving in delicate small circles. The small part of your brain not totally preoccupied solely with the sensation of him behind you wonders if you should be doing something yourself, turning around maybe, but before you can move you feel him lean back in to your neck, lips barely two inches from your skin.They brush against your ear and you squirm away, shuddering a little.

“Oh,” Elvis laughs, “That’s a no for that, huh, sweetheart. I’ll have to pull out my special moves for you then.” You nod, rapidly, starting to explain that he definitely should pull out any and all moves just nowhere near your ears, but as you’d swung your head up you’d made thunking contact with his nose.

“Shit! Son-of-a-mother -“ He swears loudly as he takes a sudden step backwards, knocked off balance, and you whirl around apologies tumbling out of your mouth,

“Oh god, oh, god I’m so sorry.” He’s pulling his glasses off of his face, a red mark spreading from the bridge of his nose up to between his eyebrows where your head had knocked them hard against his soft skin. “Oh god! Your face!” He blinks at you for a moment, rubbing at the redness, before his face breaks into a crooked grin.

“Can’t say I’ve bumped noses in a while.” He’s still rubbing the spot even while he’s joking and you can’t bring yourself to laugh with him, the embarrassment rolling down your spine, your cheeks turning red to match his.

“Oh god, maybe I should just go,” You stand from the chair, looking around for your purse, “I don’t know what I was thinking - this is clearly a sign, I’ll be out of your hair in a moment.” He rushes to stop you, hand grabbing your forearm,

“No, no, please, look - I’m fine now,” He gestures to his face, “bet it won’t even bruise.” You shake your head, “No, look, we just needta be face to face.” His hands grip your waist, eyes telling you to stay, and once he’s sure you’ll stay in place, he brings his hands up to cup your cheeks, “See, you can’t headbutt me from here, just needed to look at each-other.” You nod, gently, barely moving your head.

“Well, you might be right,” His thumb brushes over your lips, hand moving to clasp the back of your neck, drawing you closer. You stumble towards him until you’re pressed against his front, so close that you’re practically inside his jacket, resting against his shirt.

Your eyes fall closed as his lips meet yours, he’s hungry for it, capturing your mouth, tugging your lip between his teeth. You feel a little like you’re being devoured, melting against him, his other hand moving to your ribs again clutching you to him and holding you upright. You stumble backwards when he starts to walk forwards, still gripping your body and still pressing his lips against yours.

He pushes you back onto the bed, leaving you to scrabble backwards up towards the pillows, watching him strip his jacket off. He immediately goes for his shirt, rapidly unbuttoning it. He’s slimmer than you thought, all tan lean corded muscle, with just a little layer of fat over his stomach and you find your mouth watering as you take in the soft covering of his chest hair. He seems to assess the situation for a moment, before unbuckling his belt, taking his plush velvet trousers off, unveiling his lack of underwear, half-hard cock flopping out.

You try to swallow your moan, he looks you over, reassuring; “Don’t worry, I got the sound locked darlin’. S’not like the house, but it’s good enough. You can be as loud as you like.” You almost immediately put it to the test when he hikes your dress up to your waist, exposing your panties, yelp escaping. You stare up at the red canopy, breath hitching as you take in the mirrored ceiling - you can’t take your eyes off of it, watching Elvis’ naked back, the small scattering of moles as he moves. His hands curl around, deftly unzipping your dress even from underneath you, loosening it enough to pull it off. Your head rolls back, watching your nakedness be slowly unveiled. You’ve never been body shy but somehow being unable to look anywhere but at yourself makes you a little self-conscious, and you’re glad when Elvis moves himself back up to be covering you.

“What’d ya want honey?” He slides a hand down, pressing a long, masculine finger against the soft cotton of your panties. “You going all shy on me?” You shake your head,

“No, no - I don’t, I don’t know,” He pushes the fabric into you, gathering the wetness already pooling there, wet patch slowly spreading. “Take - take ‘em off, let me, need them off Elvis, please.” He grins, finding your slight desperation amusing,

“Hmm…but they look so pretty doll,” He circles your clit through the fabric, “You sure?” You nod,

“Uh-huh, please -“ He hooks his fingers into the waistband, pulling them down your legs, getting you fully nude. He chucks them onto the floor and you flush at the sound of the wet fabric hitting the floor. Elvis soon distracts you though, resting on his elbow alongside you, pointing out how you look in the mirror.

His hand drifts over your bare stomach, somehow gently but firmly brushing over your skin and up to your chest, large sweeping circles - your breath catching as his hand trails closer and closer to you breast, rings warmed by the heat of his hand rubbing against your skin. Every time you think he’s going to touch you, properly, he returns to circle your stomach and if you could form a thought you’d ask him to speed it up, but as it is his mouth is attaching to your collarbone, gently sucking down, little bruises forming. Finally, your back arches to meet him. He finally brushes his fingers over your nipple, tickling, you gasp as he lightly pinches one, an immediate jolt of heat to your core. His hands brush down your sides, leaving you panting, before he wriggles down, pulling your legs with him, so that you slide down the bed, situating himself between your thighs. He runs his hand through his hair, finger-combing the fluffy hair backward, eyebrow arching,

“You ok with this baby?” You nod, not quite able to believe Elvis Presley is offering to go down on you but there he is, gripping your thighs, placing his head between your legs. “C’mere then.” He kisses the soft skin there, a little line across to the crease of your thigh. His breath tickles and your thighs tense in response. He murmurs something you don’t quite catch before he moves to press a kiss right above your clit. His fingers move from your legs, one hand remaining where it was, the other coming to stroke your labia, spreading your inner folds, feeling where your slick is already sticking your skin together.

“Lawd, hon-ey, you always get this soppin’ wet?”

“Oh god, Elvis, I haven’t - no-one’s ever,” You can feel him chuckle, the vibration making you gasp, but he doesn’t respond, simply wets his lips and dives in. His hands hold you open for him, and he manhandles your legs to keep them open and apart, your burning core on display for him. He flicks between lapping at your inner and outer folds, his fingers coming up to replace his tongue, scissoring into you, so that he can lick up to your clit, sucking onto the sensitive bundle of nerves.He’s clearly skilled, and the wetness, the newness of it - the shock of it all only adds to your growing heat; and the way you feel yourself start to tremble as the sensation grows.

Your hands clutch at the sheets, trying to avoid gripping his head even as your hips thrust up in response to his tongue spearing into you. You can’t look away from the image of his head between your thighs, enjoying the way his back ripples and how when he pulls back the bridge of his nose and eyebrows become visible. Reminding you who it is between your thighs, as if you could forget from the feel of his famed lips. His tongue licks its way up and down your folds, before tongue-fucking into you. His fingers move back as soon as he moves his tongue away, constantly touching you in some way. Your hips jolt and he moves his mouth up to suck on your clit; everything coming to be too much. He licks you through it, your stomach clenching as the pressure grows out from your core, orgasm starting to fizz through your veins, ringing in your ears.

You shudder as it hits, Elvis leaning back a little, rubbing gently with his fingers, your hips rolling in pure pleasure, until he leans in again to kitten-lick your sticky, wet, skin. Your thighs suddenly slam together of their own accord, and you feel his cheek on your thigh before you hear his “oof” at the sudden impact.

“Oh god, not again.” You try to sit up to apologise but you’re still breathless, and with your core still tensing from your orgasm you struggle to even manage to get onto your elbows. “Oh-no.” Elvis pops his head up, so you can both see each other properly, growling at you. Your head rolls back at the sight of him, sweaty upper lip and a mix of unidentifiable shiny wetness on his chin.

“You are trouble.” He quirks a grin, as if to ensure you know he’s at least half-kidding, shaking his head at you, “‘m starting to think I needta tie you down if I don’t wanna be battered.” You gasp, back arching and he chuckles at your visceral reaction. “Not right now though, huh, gotta - wanna be in you.” You nod frantically, affirmative words spilling out of your mouth. He slides back down to rest his head between your legs, holding your thighs open with a tight grip.

“Now, you be nice to lil Elvie, you hear me?” He whispers right against your sensitive folds, breath tickling, talking directly to your vagina, as if it might behave of its own volition, “I don’t think you have hands… or legs… but just in case. No more hittin’ me. Got it? I ain’t afraid to make you behave.” You burst out laughing when he does a high-pitched voice in response to himself, “Yes, sir, Elvis, sir, I’ll behave.” making it seem as if your vagina had just agreed with him. He’s smiling when he pushes himself back up, pulling himself to flop down on the bed at the same height as you, before rolling over, pushing an elbow onto the other side. He tugs on his cock for a second, before lining himself up, sinking into your hot, soaking, heat.

He groans, pressing into you as you adjust to his length within you, feeling the sweat on his chest rub against your skin. He’s slow at first, building up to forcefully thrusting into you, famous hips moving at speed.

“God, you’re tight, don’t do this often do ya honey?” You shake your head, and then nod, trying to respond, “Not too tight though huh, doll, you’re just - just perfect. Perfect for me.” He punctuates each sentence with a hard thrust, your response catching in your throat - practically choking yourself. He drags you back against him, hands gripping your hips. Jolting your body back and forth as he slams into you, shifting you to fuck into you at just the right angle. You have no idea what noises were coming out of your mouth, only that you were certainly babbling something. He seemed incapable of silence himself, a stream of curses and praises continually falling out of his lips.

He pauses in his thrusts, preoccupying himself with stroking a finger the length of your vulva, feeling where your bodies are joined. Your eyes fall closed, lost in the sensation of him. He moves back again, sliding his hand up to brush his thumb across your already sensitive clit, your back arching in response. He grunts above you, his thumb keeping pace, and his cock thrusting in at the same speed. It doesn’t take long before the way he’s knocking perfectly into your already sensitive core sends you into orgasm again, clenching down on him and shuddering, your mouth agape and your eyes shuttering closed as the waves of pleasure crash over you.

He drags you back from it, hips stuttering at a rapid pace, lasting only a minute before you can feel him jumping inside you, his face screwed up tight, mouth opening as he rapidly pulls out, shooting his cum across your stomach. He groans in pleasure, and you tip your head up to meet him, kissing him as aggressively as you can manage in your post-orgasmic state. By the time he pulls away, rolling off to the side and flopping onto his back, both of your lips are bitten and red-raw. You make eye contact in the mirror, watching both of your chests heave as you try to form coherent thoughts again. He’s covered in sweat, fluffy hair starting to curl at the ends with the exertion of it all, and you stare at your own flushed state for a moment, wondering how on earth you’d ended up here.

“So, don’t needta tie you down then, honey, just gotta tire you out.” Elvis’ voice was gravelly, and you murmured an agreement,

“I don’t normally flail so much.” You admit, somewhat jokingly. He grins, rolling onto his side to rub your stomach, avoiding his cooling ejaculate,

“Oh so I’m just special huh?” You nod,

“You must know that.” He stares at you, and you try to convey with your eyes the depth of feeling by which you mean it, not wanting to scare him by saying it out loud. You think he gets it though, when the next moment he’s smiling a little bashfully before rolling off the bed and stretching beside it. You take the chance to assess him all over again, now that the heat and speed from before is over, taking your opportunity to drink him all in, from the tan line high on his thigh, to the slight swell of his tummy all the way up to his little nipples, and to the slight shadow forming on his chin. He seems to appreciate the attention for a minute, smirking at you, before he wanders off to the ensuite,

“You hanging around for a lil bit, sweetheart? D’you wanna come to the show again tomorrow?” You wonder if it was intentional that he’d ask this where he couldn’t see your expression, calling out from the bathroom as he starts to turn on the water. But, in what world, in what universe could anyone turn down such an offer.

“If you’re inviting me!” He hums back in response and you feel a giggle rise in you at the next thought that pops into your head, “‘sides, got a promise of a tour didn’t I - Red’ll be expecting me.” You hear the faucet suddenly turn off, although the shower stays running and the next thing you know he’s striding out from the ensuite at that, bouncing you on the bed from the force of his jump onto it, growling as he pins your squirming, laughing self down, his knees on either side of you. He’s struggling to maintain a straight face as he manages to capture both of your wrists in one hand, the other tickling your sides as best he can,

“You better not. You want a tour, I’ll give you a tour. You hear me, little girl?” His hands feel like he’s only playing but his face was deadly serious - you nod rapidly in agreement,

“Yes, yes, Elvis - yes, I was only kiddin’ I swear!” You manage to make out through your giggles and he growls again, ceasing the tickling and pressing a kiss to your cheek, still practically smothering you, leaving little teasing nibbles down your neck.

“Fuckin’ Red.” He mutters against your skin,

“I swear I was only messin’ with you.” He huffs, but nonetheless kisses your lips once more, before releasing your hands and clambering off. He holds out a hand,

“C’mon - the shower will be hot now. Get you all clean and tucked up in my bed, somewhere no-one else can try and steal you.” You grin as you allow yourself to be pulled up, happily going with him and excited to see what the next day’ll bring.

#elvis fanfic #elvis smut #elvis x reader #big daddy elvis #elvis x you #elvis presley x reader #writing prompt game #elvis presley fanfiction #be-my-ally

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eptodaytommorowforever · 2 months

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Events In The History And Of The Life Of Elvis Presley Today On The 21st Of July In 1973.

Elvis Presley The 21st Of July In 1973 At STAX Studios Memphis 4 Days Recording.

Elvis Presley arrived in the middle of the night at the Stax Studios In Memphis and the musicians were shocked by his appearance. For most of them it was the first time they saw him not in good shape. The session broke off at 3.00 a.m. and finished in four days. B/W Candid Photo Of Elvis Presley At Stax

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serve-update · 2 years

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Isaac Hayes Net Worth: What Is His Career To Success In Her Life?

American musician, actor, songwriter, and composer Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. Date of birth: August 20, 1942; location: Covington, Tennessee, USA. During the mid-1960s, he collaborated with David Porter to found the Southern soul music label Stax Records, where he worked as a songwriter, session guitarist, and record producer.

Isaac Hayes Net Worth

At the time of his death in 2008, American composer, singer, songwriter, actor, and record producer Isaac Hayes was worth an estimated $2 million. In addition to being elected into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005, Isaac Hayes was awarded an Oscar for his work on "Theme from Shaft" in 1971. The song "Soul Man," originally performed by the soul and R&B duo Sam & Dave, was written by Isaac and David Porter and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. Must read about Deangelo Hall Net Worth. Isaac released more than 20 studio albums, including the Gold albums "Hot Buttered Soul" (1969), "Joy" (1973), "Chocolate Chip" (1975), and "Don't Let Go" (1979). From 1997 to 2006, Hayes provided the voice of Jerome "Chef" McElroy on the animated Comedy Central series "South Park." https://twitter.com/sorece992/status/733416213448003585 He also appeared in more than 70 other films and television shows, such as "Truck Turner" (1974), "Escape from New York" (1981), "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" (1988), "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" (1993), "Blues Brothers 2000" (1998), "Hustle & Flow" (2006). On August 10, 2008, at the age of 65, Isaac passed away.

Isaac Hayes Career

In the early 1960s, Isaac began his recording career as a session musician for Stax Records. As a co-writer with Sam & Dave, he is credited for the smash hits "Soul Man," "Hold On, I'm Comin'," and "You Don't Know Like I Know." On the record label for Booker T. and the M.G.s' "Winter Snow," it says "Introducing Isaac Hayes on piano." Hayes also produced music for Sam & Dave and other Stax Records performers. His first album, 1968's "Presenting Isaac Hayes," and the next four albums, 1969's "Hot Buttered Soul," 1970's "The Isaac Hayes Movement," 1971's "...To Be Continued," and 1971's "Black Moses," all debuted at the top of the "Billboard" Soul Albums chart. Must check this Toni Kukoc Net Worth. Isaac won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his score to the film "Shaft" in 1971. Both the 1974 blaxploitation films "Truck Turner" and "Three Tough Guys" featured him, and he contributed to their respective soundtracks. First, in 1975, Hayes published the Gold album Chocolate Chip on his own Hot Buttered Soul label. Then, in 1975, he released Disco Connection, and in 1976, he released Groove-A-Thon and Juicy Fruit (Disco Freak) (1976).

Isaac Hayes Net Worth The albums "New Horizon" (1977), "For the Sake of Love" (1978), "Don't Let Go" (1979), "Royal Rappin's" (1979), "And Once Again" (1980), and "Lifetime Thing" (1981) were all released after Isaac signed with Polydor Records in 1977. (1981). Don't Let Go, his 1979 single, peaked at #11 on "BillboardHot "'s Soul Singles list. As Gandolph Fitch, Hayes was a regular on "The Rockford Files" from 1976 to 1977. Must read about Jenna Ortega Net Worth. He later appeared as a guest performer on "The A-Team" (1985), "Hunter" (1986), and "Miami Vice" (1987). (1987). U-Turn (1986) and Love Attack (1988) were released on Columbia Records; Wonderful (1994) was released on Fantasy Records; Raw & Refined (1995) and Branded (1995) were released on Point Blank Records. https://youtu.be/rRkSUQcmybY Ending Words If you are a fan of the series “Isaac Hayes Net Worth,” this is a must-watch. The series is about a celebrity and his net worth details, which will make you go “Geeeeez” while watching it (even if you don’t like this expression). Its high-quality graphics make it mesmerizing, along with the animation effects. It will engage you for hours, so if you have not watched it yet, do so and let me know how much you like it in the comment section. If you liked this article, follow our website, serveupdate.com, and don’t forget to follow our social media handles. Read the full article

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randomvarious · 3 years

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Fontella Bass - “Homewrecker” Classic Blues, Volume 1 Song released in 1973. Compilation released in 1995. Soul-Blues

Fontella Bass really was done dirty by the music industry. It took decades for her to get some scratch for co-writing her lone huge hit, "Rescue Me," a mid-60s soul burner that marked her unfortunate peak. And rightly so, after churning out that all-time classic tune for Checker Records, a subsidiary of the famous Chess Records that hadn't achieved a million-seller in nearly a decade, she asked for both more artistic control and more money for her efforts.

But those requests were summarily laughed at and this woman who was gifted with a set of golden soul pipes, and who could certainly hack it with the likes of Aretha, was effectively blacklisted and labeled a troublemaker, which left her scrounging for much smaller record deals.

But about eight years following the release of "Rescue Me," you could find Bass wearing her "troublemaker" label with pride, with songs like "Homewrecker," throughout which she playfully boasted about only needing ten minutes to ruin a relationship that had taken ten years to build.

This soul-blues number rips for a couple reasons. One is Bass herself. She comes with such a confident, badass swagger on this song and her ability to move on a dime from a demurely cool and collected manner to a highly spirited one is really impressive. But the other factor is the nameless backing band. Shreveport, Louisiana's Paula Records may not have earned the same reputation as Motown, Stax, or Atlantic, but their A-team of session musicians were fantastic, and this song, arranged by the great Bobby Patterson, features an awesome, constant stream of simmering interplay between blues guitar in the right channel and reverbed piano in the left, all over a soft, pulsating bass.

In the early 90s, "Rescue Me" would be absurdly revived as "Deliver Me" for a Pizza Hut ad, although it was sung by Aretha Franklin, whose voice people always mixed up with Fontella Bass' anyway. But I bring that up to maybe help get the Bass estate some just desserts. It's been a long minute since I saw an ad for Moe's Southwest Grill on TV, and you know what one of their most popular menu items is? The Homewrecker. Moe's, if you're reading this, pay the Bass family some money so you can make a good commercial for your tasty burrito. Let them get what they should've gotten from that "Deliver Me" nonsense and more.

Awesome bit of early 70s soul-blues from the oft-overlooked Fontella Bass.

#soul blues #soul #soul music #blues #the blues #blues music #music #70s #70s music #70's #70's music #70s soul blues #70's soul blues #70s soul #70's soul #70s blues #70's blues

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moritan0717 · 3 years

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ELVIS PRESLEY “PROMISED LAND” (Music On Vinyl 180g White Marbled Vinyl) Elvisのアルバムを重量盤Vinylで再発している再発専門レーベル、Music On Vinylから最近リリースされた”Promised Land”（約束の地）。アルバムは1975年にリリースされましたが、収録曲は全て1973年12月のクリスマス前に行われたMemphisのStax Studio Sessionからのものです。この頃のElvisってLas VegasのDinner Show 専門のSingerってイメージが付いて回るんですが、アルバムには良い曲が意外と多いんですよね。 #elvispresley #elvis #presley #promisedland #musiconvinylrecords #エルヴィスプレスリー #エルヴィス #プレスリー #約束の地 https://www.instagram.com/p/CTOBMOvPJ0U/?utm_medium=tumblr

#elvispresley #elvis #presley #promisedland #musiconvinylrecords #エルヴィスプレスリー #エルヴィス #プレスリー #約束の地

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watusichris · 4 years

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One For Toots

Toots Hibbert of Toots and the Maytals died late Friday, Sept. 11, in a hospital in St. Andrew, Jamaica, after contracting COVID-19, according to reports in the Jamaica Gleaner and the Jamaica Observer. He was 78. Here is something I wrote about this brilliant singer and his great soul solo album for Trunkworthy a few years back.

********** If soul music is all about musical exuberance, deep feeling, and unfettered joy, then one of the most soulful records of all time was created by a genre outsider: Jamaican reggae vocalist Toots Hibbert.

Even listeners with just a cursory knowledge of reggae via Perry Henzell’s 1973 breakthrough movie The Harder They Come would be familiar with Toots. His trio the Maytals are the first to be seen performing in the film, miming their jubilant 1969 hit “Sweet and Dandy” in a Kingston recording studio. (Another Maytals song heard in the movie, “Pressure Drop,” would be famously covered by the Clash in 1979.) By ’73, Toots had been active professionally for more than a decade; veterans of the ska and rocksteady scenes, his group could lay claim to giving the music a name with their 1968 hit “Do the Reggay.” A string of gritty singles produced by Leslie Kong led to a high-profile contract with Island Records’ Mango subsidiary.

Classic albums like Funky Kingston and In the Dark followed, but by the end of the ‘70s the Maytals’ gutsy brand of roots reggae was displaced in Jamaica by the digitized sound of dancehall. The group broke up, but Toots remained under contract with Mango, with his talent unabated. In a bolt of inspiration, the label brought the singer to Memphis, Tennessee, for a genre-leaping session of classic soul interpretations.

Toots in Memphis, as the 1988 set was titled, was a natural all around. Jamaican musicians had been cocking their ears to American R&B since the early ‘60s, when ska developed as a turned-around island take on the driving hits aired on New Orleans radio stations and imported to Jamdown shops and sound systems. Like many American R&B and soul stars, several of the early Jamaican singers, including Toots, were reared on gospel. And reggae covers of U.S. soul hits were commonplace from the ‘60s on.

For Toots’ Bluff City session, maverick producer-keyboardist Jim Dickinson – the local iconoclast best known for his work with Big Star and Alex Chilton – surrounded Toots with skilled players from both the reggae and soul communities. The top reggae rhythm section of drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare had played on nearly every major hit to emanate from Jamaica for a decade (including Peter Tosh’s cover of the Temptations’ “Don’t Look Back”). From the soul side, Teenie Hodges of Hi Records’ house band, Eddie Hinton of the Muscle Shoals studio group, and Andrew Love of the Memphis Horns contributed. To a man, the musicians understood the universal language of the Groove.

The repertoire for Toots in Memphis was tailored to the vocalist’s rough, forceful attack and freewheeling, improvisational interpretative approach. Two songs apiece were drawn from the catalogs of the late Stax Records star Otis Redding and his lesser-known but equally powerful contemporary James Carr. Hit material by Hi’s luminaries Al Green and Ann Peebles was essayed, as well as a Jackie Moore number unforgettably covered by Goldwax and Hi soul master O.V. Wright. Songs originated by Stax’s Eddie Floyd and West Coast soul man J.J. Malone and a lone original filled out the collection.

Toots rose to the occasion with in-the-pocket reggae-styled readings that equal and in some cases nearly surpass the originals. He makes Otis’ album-opening “I’ve Got Dreams to Remember” completely his own, crushes Carr’s stormy ��Love Attack,” works new wrinkles into Floyd’s “Knock On Wood,” and runs neck-and-neck with O.V. on “Precious, Precious.” For some Memphis soul connoisseurs, the highlight may be the nearly seven-minute version of Reverend Al’s “Love and Happiness”; many lesser covers of the tune have been cut, but the presence of co-writer Hodges on guitar, Sly and Robbie’s urgent bottom, and Toots’ stretched-out, probing reading refresh the Beale Street bar band standard. “Reggae got soul,” Toots declared in a 1976 song. If there was ever any doubt about that, he proved it definitively on Toots in Memphis.

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myrecordcollections · 4 years

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BB King

The Best Of BB King (ABC Label)

@ 1973 US Pressing

****

In spite of 1972 being one of the stalest years in the history of popular music, the spate of reissues from all the major record companies and countless minor ones picks up more speed all the time, and the results (uneven as they are) are generally encouraging. All four of these albums represent attempts both at recapitulating the contributions of three black titans and cashing in on the belated widespread recognition of those contributions. Curtis Mayfield had a long string of hits with the Impressions but it took Super Fly to make him a household name. Ray Charles may have been bigger in the late Fifties and early Sixties than he is now, but he was more vital then, too. His earlier work deserves the endless repackaging. As for B.B. King, I can still remember the first time I saw a couple of kids in a department store line, audibly opting to chance $3.50 on an album called Lucille because some Limey speedfreaks had made it hip, and I’m sure that both they and I are glad they did, but B.B. King’s career didn’t begin when the royalties began pouring in from flash guitar covers and he was invited to tour with the Rolling Stones, so a thoughtful collection of vintage King is imperative.

Ray Charles doesn’t have as many hits these days as he used to, but he’s more renowned than ever before anyway. He’s become something of a national institution, like the Duke Ellington of R&B; even Pres Nixon has made an official declaration of Charles fandom. But the Pres ain’t exactly the type to do back-flips for “What’d I Say” or “The Right Time,” and Ray’s been hacking his way ever deeper into the tissue veldts of MOR for a full decade now. He still makes a good record every once in a while, but in his prime he was raunchy enough to split your skull and rock you into fundamentalist frothing fits. He created rock ‘n’ roll as much as Berry or Little Richard or anybody; he practically drew up the blue-prints for an entire era of gritty Stax R&B, and nobody ever wrenched their way deeper into the soaring terror of the blues. If you want to hear him really rip the joint apart and put it back together again with a cry, go back to those great Atlantic sides. The essence is on three albums: The Genius of Ray Charles. The Genius Sings the Blues and The Greatest Ray Charles. Or, for a fantastic overview, Atlantic’s four-record compilation The Ray Charles Story. Ray’s move from Atlantic to ABC made him rich and, initially at least, the musical rewards were probably as bountiful as ever and an idiomatic breakthrough besides. In search of a buck-grabbing formula, ABC sent him through albums like The Genius Hits the Road (“Georgia on My Mind,” “Mississippi Mud,” “Carry Me Back to Old Virginny” etc.), and miraculously he came up with brilliant, deeply soulful amalgams of gospel roots and mainstream pop. But the real turning point was a record called Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music, which was released about 12 years ago, at which time it promptly became the Number One album in America and changed the face of the milder strains of radio pop as irrevocably as his early work had done for rock ‘n’ roll. All through the Sixties the marriage of C&W to blues or bluesy euphemisms reigned, and whether you picked up on Glenn Campbell or Lee Hazelwood or any one of the rest of the multitude exploiting this new form, it all began with Ray Charles.

Ray himself exploited his innovation till the power of the original purveyor began to pale, and not everything on All-Time Great Country & Western Hits is great. But enough of the prime is here to make it worthwhile, especially if you haven’t picked up any of the many previous Charles reissues. “I Can’t Stop Loving You” was his first big move at this amalgam, and it’s still as tearfully puissant today as it was in 1961. Add the occasional C&W standard rendered in R&B style fully as uncompromising as any early Charles (the boiling “You Are My Sunshine” being the earliest and most potent example here), and you have a record as profound and essential as anything out today.

Lots of people think the Super Fly soundtrack the best soul album of 1972, but those unfamiliar with the Impressions owe it to themselves to discover what Curtis Mayfield was up to in the times before the most vital expression of black music was almost forced to deal with heroin death. “Freddie’s Dead” is already a Seventies standard, and His Early Years with the Impressions is a fine reminder that Mayfield possessed a consistent gift for creating hits destined to become classics all through his career. The vocal harmonies of the Impressions could be as mellow a balm as anything by Smokey Robinson and, like Robinson, Mayfield was never saccharine.

In fact, this late rehearsing of his past achievements impresses you firmly, even if you missed it first time around, with the fact that Mayfield was a groundbreaker in the nascent status of black popular music as a direct expression of the changes in black consciousness. When “Keep On Pushing” was a hit it was fairly easy to find shadings of meaning in its lyrics which formed as clear a link between the oldest gospel message and something far more topical, as it was to revel in the perfect evolutionary link between the purely musical freight carried out of church and the AM soul stylings which reached their summit in the mid-Sixties.

“It’s All Right” illuminates the same historic junction, and “We’re A Winner” takes it out of the realm of ambiguity, straight across the threshold of blatant backbeat radio anthem. Meanwhile, if you’re only familiar with things like “Gypsy Woman” in the eviscerated cover versions of white fluff-boys, get ready to be moved to the shoals of your soul by a whole other, more masterful and authentic type of vocal dramatics.

Again, the packaging is pretty bland, and another caveat is that lots of this stuff has been observed in the original albums selling for far less in bargain bins around the country (plus the fact that lots of those original packages were a joy in their very crassness, like that great Keep On Pushing cover observed among Dylan’s most conspicuously prized possessions on the Bringin’ It All Back Home jacket). But if Super Fly was your introduction to Curtis, you’ll want to make a point of picking this up before his pre-soundtrack solo albums, which qualitatively fall way below both what preceded and followed them.

B.B. King has in his belated flush of success become almost as frustrating for the aficionado of the Real Shit as Ray Charles. B.B. plays Vegas now, no fault there, and hits both the colleges and TV talk shows. So he’s finally out of the scuffle, at late long last. Unfortunately, his music has also gotten less interesting with each successive album. Vintage King wasn’t just something for punks to prove they could tell a good blues guitar solo from a bad one; it was stark, evil stuff. Troubled and troubling.

The difference between these two B.B. albums is the difference between chills and chips, between hearing a raw edge that makes Back in the Alley more than just a good colorful title, and satisfying your curiosity about how B.B. King would work in the context of a standard Leon Russell Hollywood camp meeting. And it’s not just a matter of backalleys vs. proximity to pop-stars: There is just no way a cut from the legendary Live at the Regal album, which molded countless Sixties guitarists and stands alongside things like James Brown at the Apollo as one of the all-time classic in-person R&B disks, there is no way something like that is not gonna shut down a pleasantly perfunctory session cut at Cook County Jail two or three years after Johnny Cash made it both righteously hip and fiscally sound to jam for jailbirds.

Actually, the chronological distance between the two albums is not all that great. Back in the Alley begins in 1964 and leaves off just short of where The Best of B.B. King picks up, but the difference in mood and meat is sufficient to make the choice clear, even if Best Of does have the incredible “The Thrill Is Gone.” It’s the fine line between a man playing with total commitment to an audience he has probably had for years which can savor his peaks and bear an off night, and a man playing for people who’ve been sold his legend and will love anything because they know they’re supposed to. But you don’t have to be any kind of connoisseur to tell the difference.

Rolling Stone 1973

#bb king #The best of #ABC #Blues #Rock #Best Of

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blackkudos · 4 years

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Bill Withers

William Harrison Withers Jr. (July 4, 1938 – March 30, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter and musician who performed and recorded from 1970 until 1985. He recorded several major hits, including "Grandma's Hands" (1971), "Ain't No Sunshine" (1971), "Use Me" (1972), "Lean on Me" (1972), "Lovely Day" (1977), and "Just the Two of Us" (1980). Withers won three Grammy Awards and was nominated for four more. His life was the subject of the 2009 documentary film Still Bill. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.

Early life

Withers, the youngest of six children, was born in the small coal-mining town of Slab Fork, West Virginia on July 4, 1938. He was born with a stutter and has said he had a hard time fitting in. Raised in nearby Beckley, he was 13 years old when his father died. Withers enlisted in the United States Navy at the age of 17, and served for nine years, during which time he overcame his stutter and became interested in singing and writing songs.

He left the Navy in 1965 and he relocated to Los Angeles in 1967 to start a musical career. Withers worked as an assembler for several different companies, including Douglas Aircraft Corporation, while recording demo tapes with his own money, shopping them around and performing in clubs at night. When he debuted with the song "Ain't No Sunshine", he refused to resign from his job because he believed the music business was a fickle industry.

Career

Sussex records

During early 1970, Withers's demonstration tape was auditioned favorably by Clarence Avant, owner of Sussex Records. Avant signed Withers to a record deal and assigned former Stax Records stalwart Booker T. Jones to produce Withers' first album. Four three-hour recording sessions were planned for the album, but funding caused the album to be recorded in three sessions with a six-month break between the second and final sessions. Just as I Am was released in 1971 with the tracks, "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Grandma's Hands" as singles. The album features Stephen Stills playing lead guitar. On the cover of the album, Withers is pictured at his job at Weber Aircraft in Burbank, California, holding his lunch box.

The album was a success, and Withers began touring with a band assembled from members of the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band. Withers won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song for "Ain't No Sunshine" at the 14th Annual Grammy Awards in 1972. The track had already sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc by the RIAA in September 1971.

During a hiatus from touring, Withers recorded his second album, Still Bill. The single, "Lean on Me" went to number one the week of July 8, 1972. It was Withers’s second gold single with confirmed sales in excess of three million. His follow-up, "Use Me" released in August 1972, became his third million seller, with the R.I.A.A. gold disc award taking place on October 12, 1972. His performance at Carnegie Hall on October 6, 1972, was recorded, and released as the live album Bill Withers, Live at Carnegie Hall on November 30, 1972. In 1974, Withers recorded the album +'Justments. Due to a legal dispute with the Sussex company, Withers was unable to record for some time thereafter.

During this time, he wrote and produced two songs on the Gladys Knight & the Pips record I Feel a Song, and in October 1974 performed in concert together with James Brown, Etta James, and B.B. King in Zaire four weeks prior to the historic Rumble in the Jungle fight between Foreman and Ali. Footage of his performance was included in the 1996 documentary film When We Were Kings, and he is heard on the accompanying soundtrack. Other footage of his performance is included in the 2008 documentary film Soul Power, which is based on archival footage of the 1974 Zaire concert.

Columbia Records

After Sussex Records folded, Withers signed with Columbia Records in 1975. His first album release with the label, Making Music, included the single "She's Lonely", which was featured in the film Looking for Mr. Goodbar along with "She Wants to (Get on Down)". During the next three years he released an album each year with Naked & Warm (1976), Menagerie (1977; containing the successful "Lovely Day"), and 'Bout Love (1978).

Due to problems with Columbia and being unable to get songs approved for his album, he concentrated on joint projects from 1977 to 1985, including "Just the Two of Us", with jazz saxophonist Grover Washington Jr., which was released during June 1980. It won a Grammy on February 24, 1982. Withers next did "Soul Shadows" with the Crusaders, and "In the Name of Love" with Ralph MacDonald, the latter being nominated for a Grammy for vocal performance.

In 1982, Withers was a featured vocalist on the album, "Dreams in Stone" by French singer Michel Berger. This record included one composition co-written and sung by Withers, an upbeat disco song about New York City entitled "Apple Pie." The album was not released in North America, although it contains several songs about America.

In 1985 came Watching You Watching Me, which featured the Top 40-rated R&B single "Oh Yeah", and ended Withers’s business association with Columbia Records. Withers stated in interviews that a lot of the songs approved for the album, in particular, two of the first three singles released, were the same songs which were rejected in 1982, hence contributing significantly to the eight-year hiatus between albums. Withers also stated it was frustrating seeing his record label release an album for Mr. T, an actor, when they were preventing him, an actual singer, from releasing his own. He toured with Jennifer Holliday in 1985 to promote what would be his final studio album.

His disdain for Columbia's A&R executives or "blaxperts", as he termed them, trying to exert control over how he should sound if he wanted to sell more albums, played a part in his decision to not record or re-sign to a record label after 1985, effectively ending his performing career, even though remixes of his previously recorded music were released well after his 'retirement'. Finding musical success later in life than most, at 32, he has said he was socialized as a 'regular guy' who had a life before the music, so he did not feel an inherent need to keep recording once he fell out of love with the industry. He has also stated that he does not miss touring and performing live and does not regret leaving music behind. He seemingly no longer suffers from the speech impediment of stuttering that affected him during his recording career.

Post-Columbia career

In 1988, a new version of "Lovely Day" from the 1977 Menagerie album, entitled "Lovely Day (Sunshine Mix)" and remixed by Ben Liebrand, reached the Top 10 in the United Kingdom, leading to Withers' performance on the long-running Top of the Pops that year. The original release had reached #7 in the UK in early 1978, and the re-release climbed higher to #4.

At the 30th Annual Grammy Awards in 1988, Withers won the Grammy for Best Rhythm and Blues Song as songwriter for the re-recording of "Lean on Me" by Club Nouveau. This was Withers' third Grammy and ninth nomination.

Withers contributed two songs to Jimmy Buffett's 2004 release License to Chill. Following the reissues of Still Bill on January 28, 2003, and Just As I Am on March 8, 2005, there was speculation of previously unreleased material being issued as a new album. In 2006, Sony gave back to Withers his previously unreleased tapes.

In 2007, "Lean on Me" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

At the 56th Annual Grammy Awards in 2014, Bill Withers: The Complete Sussex & Columbia Albums Collection, a nine-disc set featuring Withers's eight studio albums, as well as his live album Live at Carnegie Hall, received the Grammy Award for Best Historical Album (sharing the award with The Rolling Stones' "Charlie Is My Darling - Ireland 1965.") The award was presented to Leo Sacks, who produced the collection, and the mastering engineers Mark Wilder, Joseph M. Palmaccio and Tom Ruff.

In 2005, Withers was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In April 2015, Withers was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Stevie Wonder. He described the honor as "an award of attrition" and said: "What few songs I wrote during my brief career, there ain't a genre that somebody didn't record them in. I'm not a virtuoso, but I was able to write songs that people could identify with. I don't think I've done bad for a guy from Slab Fork, West Virginia." Later that year, a tribute concert in his honor was held at Carnegie Hall, featuring Aloe Blacc, Ed Sheeran, Dr. John, Michael McDonald and Anthony Hamilton recreating his 1973 concert album, Live at Carnegie Hall, along with other Withers material. Withers was in attendance and spoke briefly onstage.

In February 2017, he made an appearance on MSNBC on Joy Reid's show to talk about the refugee crisis, as well as the political climate in America.

Personal life

Withers married actress Denise Nicholas in 1973, during her stint on the sitcom Room 222. The couple made headlines following reports of domestic violence. They divorced in 1974.

In 1976, Withers married Marcia Johnson, and they had two children, Todd and Kori. Marcia eventually assumed the direct management of his Beverly Hills–based publishing companies, in which his children also became involved as they became adults.

Withers died in Los Angeles on March 30, 2020, from heart complications.

Discography

Studio albumsLive albumsCompilation albumsSinglesOther appearances

A The original version of "Ain't No Sunshine" did not chart on the UK Singles Chart until 2009, 38 years after its release.

Accolades

Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are bestowed by the The Recording Academy. Withers has won three Grammys from nine nominations.

Honors

1972: NAACP Image Awards: Male Singer of the Year

2002: Honorary doctorate from Mountain State University

2005: Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee

2006: ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Heritage award

2007: Inducted into West Virginia Music Hall of Fame

2015: Inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

2017: Honorary degree from West Virginia University.

#07/04 #03/30

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elvistheonlyking · 6 years

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Promised Land is the twenty-first studio albumby American singer and musician Elvis Presley, released by RCA Records on January 8, 1975.

It was recorded in December 1973 at Stax Records studios in Memphis and released on Presley's 40th birthday in January, 1975. In the US the album reached number 47 on the Billboard Top 200 chart and number 1 in Billboard's Top Country LPs chart. The album rose to number 1 in the Country Cashbox albums chart. In the UK the album reached #21.

The material was the second pick from the December 1973 session, as the songs considered strongest had been issued on Good Times.

The title track, a cover of the 1965 hit by Chuck Berry, was issued earlier as a single on September 27, 1974, and hit number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK top ten. Its flip side, "It's Midnight", reached 9 on the Country Charts. Another hit single from the album was "If You Talk in Your Sleep" reaching 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Promised Land" was used for the 1997 film Men in Black.

#elvis presley #graceland #lisa marie presley #promised land

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hooked-on-elvis · 15 days

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"Loving Arms" (1973-1974)

Recorded on December 13, 1973 at Stax Studios, Memphis · Released on March 20, 1974 · Album: Good Times.

MUSICIANS Guitar: James Burton, Johnny Christopher, Charlie Hodge. Bass: Norbert Putnam. Drums: Ronnie Tutt. Piano & Organ: David Briggs, Per-Erik Hallin. Vocals: Kathy Westmoreland, Mary (Jeannie) Greene, Mary Holladay, Susan Pilkington, Voice, J.D. Sumner & The Stamps. OVERDUBS Guitar: Dennis Linde, Alan Rush. Percussion: Rob Galbraith. Piano: Bobby Ogdin. Organ: Randy Cullers. Vocals: Ginger Holladay, Mary Holladay, Mary Cain.

Cover sleeve: (1) LP Good Times, released on March 20, 1974.

RECORDING SESSION Studio Sessions for RCA December 10–16, 1973: Stax Studios, Memphis The next number, Tom Jans’s “Loving Arms,” was perfectly suited to Elvis’s voice. The powerful but touching folk-country ballad instantly sparked the musicians to new heights of fresh, sophisticated playing. The song was as demanding on them as “My Boy” had been on Elvis’s voice, and when Felton cautiously asked for a third take, he was relieved to watch it yield a perfect master. Excerpt: "Elvis Presley, A Life in Music: The Complete Recording Sessions" by Ernst Jorgensen. Foreword by Peter Guralnick (1998)

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"Loving Arms" — LYRICS Songwriter: Thomas Louis Jans (Tom Jans) If you could see me now The one who said that she'd rather roam The one who said she'd rather be alone If you could only see me now If I could hold you now Just for a moment, if I could really make you mine Just for a while, turn back the hands of time If I could only hold you now I've been too long in the wind Too long in the rain Taking any comfort that I can Looking back and longing for The freedom of my chains And lying in your loving arms again If you could hear me now Singing somewhere through the lonely nights Dreaming of the arms that held me tight If you could only hear me now I've been too long in the wind Too long in the rain Taking any comfort that I can Looking back and longing for The freedom of my chains And lying in your loving arms again I've been too long in the wind Too long in the rain Taking any comfort that I can Looking back and longing for The freedom of my chains And lying in your loving arms again I can almost feel your loving arms again

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

ORIGINAL RECORDING "Loving Arms" was first-recorded by Dobie Gray and released as a single by MCA Records on July 1973, backed with "Now That I'm Without You" (Ref. MCA 40100). The same year, in September, the song was released on a long play record, the album Loving Arms (Ref. MCA-371).

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"Loving Arms" by Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge (1973) On September 1973, Kristofferson and Coolidge's version was released on the album Full Moon. The song was released as a single in early 1974 (backed with "I'm Down (But I Keep Falling)" - Ref. A&M 1498).

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FOLLOWING RELEASES (1974) Petula Clark released "Loving Arms" as A-side single (backed with "I'm The Woman You Need"- Ref. Dunhill 15019) in November 1974.

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THE WRITER'S RECORDING In 1974, A&M Records released Tom Jans' recording of "Loving Arms" on his self-titled album (Ref. SP-3644).

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#when Elvis sings the verse “Dreaming of the arms that held me tight” my mouth drops to the floor every-damn-time #FREAKING AWESOME!#i'm telling you... elvis' late the 60s' and through the 70's music is gonna be the death of me #elvis presley #elvis history #elvis' stax recording sessions #elvis songs #“Loving Arms”#elvis discography #good times #1973 #elvis #70s elvis #elvis the king #Spotify #Youtube

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elvis1970s · 1 year

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1974 REHEARSAL TAPES (PART ONE)

On August 16th, 1974, a rehearsal session was held at RCA’s Hollywood Studios, 6363 Sunset Boulevard, to bring some new material to the live setlist. Opening night in Las Vegas was on August 19th.

This might have been one of the last times that that a concerted effort would be made to work less familiar songs up to tight performance standard in a structured rehearsal, rather than actually on stage and in front of an audience. There was a sharp nod toward the commercial aspect as well, with a strong focus on promoting new material, either recently released or due out soon, the fruits of Elvis’ sessions at Stax Records, Memphis, in 1973.

The session personnel appear to be the core TCB Band; (James Burton, John Wilkinson, Ronnie Tutt, Duke Bardwell, Glen Hardin and Charlie Hodge) with backing vocals by Voice; Sherrill Nielsen, Donnie Sumner and Tim Baty.

Tracks featuring in this part of the rehearsal sessions are;

If You Love Me Let Me Know (More work on this track in Part II) Promised Land Down in the Alley It’s Midnight Your Love’s Been a Long Time Coming Goodtime Charlie’s Got the Blues.

#elvis history #elvis presley #elvis in the 70s #rock history #elvis fans #musicians #elvis aaron presley #rehearsal #rca records #Youtube

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still-single · 4 years

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TWO new Heathen Discos for you -> LISTEN

Last two shows:

Episode 237, December 13th 2020

Chic – Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowzah, Yowzah, Yowzah) (single / Buddah, 1977)

Theo Parrish – Smile (single / Music Is…, 1997)

Velocette – Bound in a Nutshell (Discotheque Saudades / A Colourful Storm, 2020)

M. Geddes Gengras – Lapidus (Time Makes Nothing Happen / Hausu Mountain, 2020)

The Cool Greenhouse – Alexa! (single / Melodic, 2020)

Eugenius – Mary Queen of Scots (Mary Queen of Scots / August, 1994)

Stark Naked – Sins (Stark Naked / RCA, 1971)

Fly Ashtray – Mulligan (We Buy Everything You Own / Old Gold, 2018)

Richard Lloyd – Alchemy (Alchemy / Elektra, 1979)

Cabaret Voltaire – What's Going On? (Shadow of Fear / Mute, 2020)

Lync – Silver Spoon Glasses (These Are Not Fall Colors / K, 1994)

Van Duren – Grow Yourself Up (Are You Serious? / Big Sound, 1978)

Little Gold – Living Under Books (Wake Up and Die Right / Sophomore Lounge, 2020)

Tony Joe White – I Want Love (Tween You and Me) (Homemade Ice Cream / Warner Bros., 1972)

David Blue – Oooh, Baby (Com’n Back for More / Asylum, 1975)

Pool Holograph – Asleep in Spain (Love Touched Time and Time Began to Sweat / Sunroom, 2020)

Game Theory – Metal and Glass Exact (Pointed Accounts of People You Know / Rational, 1983)

The Velvet Underground – New Age (Loaded / Cotillion, 1970)

Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas – Martin 5000 (III / Smalltown Supersound, 2020)

Nightshift – Make Kin (Zoe / Trouble in Mind, 2021)

Kendra Smith – Stars Are in Your Eyes (Kendra Smith Presents the Guild of Temporal Adventures / Fiasco, 1992)

Reg King – Merry-Go-Round (Missing in Action / Circle, 2006)

Brett Smiley – Mood in Deco (Sunset Tower / What’s Your Rupture?, 2019)

Dezron Douglas & Brandee Younger – You Make Me Feel Brand New (Force Majeure / International Anthem, 2020)

A Foot in Coldwater – (Isn't Love Unkind) In My Life (Or All Around Us / Elektra, 1974)

Rob Mazurek & Exploding Star Orchestra – Dimensional Stardust (Parable 33) (Dimensional Stardust / International Anthem/Nonesuch, 2020)

Comet Gain – The Weekend Dreams (single version) (split 7” with Hello Cuca / Doble Vida, 2010)

Urge Overkill – Wichita Lineman (single / Touch & Go, 1987)

Laurie Styvers – Imagine That the Lights Have Gone Out (Spilt Milk / Warner Bros., 1973)

Scritti Politti – A Slow Soul (Songs to Remember / Rough Trade, 1982)

The Tubs – I Don't Know How it Works (single / Prefect, 2020)

Anthony Moore – Catch a Falling Star (OUT / Drag City, 1976/2020)

Tappi Tíkarrass – Íþróttir (Miranda / Gramm, 1983)

Astute Palate – No Queen (Astute Palate / Petty Bunco, 2020)

Resavoir – Ill Wind (live) (Wild Violet compilation benefitting Chicago Community Jail Support)

Beau Wanzer – Busted and Bamboozled (Busted and Bamboozled / Ophism, 2020)

The Klinik – Braindamage (Melting Close + Sabotage / Antler, 1987)

Twinkeyz – E.S.P. (single / Grok, 1978)

Lead – Romance Tomorrow (excerpt) (Lead 2 / Radical Documents, 2020)

Dana Gillespie – Andy Warhol (Peephole in My Brain comp / Grapefruit, 1971/2020)

Rupert Hine – Kerosene (Pick Up a Bone / Purple/Capitol, 1971)

Leila – Melodicore (Like Weather / Modern Love, 1998/2020)

Episode 236, December 6th 2020

Chris Brokaw – Puritan (Puritan / 12XU, 2021)

Vladislav Delay/Sly Dunbar/Robbie Shakespeare – 521 (500-Push-Up / Sub Rosa, 2020)

Liars – Rose and Licorice (Atheists, Reconsider EP / Version City, 2004)

Milk Music – Beyond Living (Beyond Living / self-released, 2010)

Sylvie Marks – Baby Take Me a Little Bit Higher (single / Bpitch Control, 2001)

Adulkt Life – Room Context (Book of Curses / What’s Your Rupture?, 2020)

Savoy Motel – Crossword Puzzle (Love Your Face / Official Memorabilia, 2020)

Deep Purple – Blood Sucker (In Rock / Warner Bros., 1970)

Prisonshake – 2 Sisters (single / Scat, 1993)

Cherokee – Girl I’ve Got News for You (single / ABC, 1971)

The Toms – Til the End of the Day (The 1979 Sessions / Feel It, 2020)

The Presidents – 5-10-15-20 (25-30 Years of Love) (single / Sussex, 1970)

Subway Sect – Different Story (single / Rough Trade, 1978)

Rockin’ Horse – Don’t You Ever Think I Cry (Yes it Is / Philips, 1971 – Sing Sing 2013 re)

The PeeChees – Grease (Cup of Glory EP / Kill Rock Stars, 1994)

John Foxx – A New Kind of Man (Metamatic / Metal Beat, 1980)

Factory Floor – A Wooden Box (Untitled / Blast First Petite, 2010)

Identified Patient – The Female Medical College of Pennsylvania (single / Common Thread, 2016)

The Van Pelt – The Speeding Train (single / Art Monk Construction, 1997)

Guardian Singles – Never Gonna See the Rain Again (Guardian Singles / Moral Support, 2020)

The Mob – Witch Hunt (JD Twitch Re-Edit) (Ten Inches of Fear / RVNG INTL, 2008)

The Jesus and Mary Chain – Rollercoaster (single / Blanco y Negro, 1992)

Otis Redding & Carla Thomas – Knock on Wood (King & Queen / Stax, 1967)

Charles Earland – One for Scotty (Soul Story / Prestige, 1972)

The Main Ingredient – Work to Do (Afrodisiac / RCA, 1973)

Theo Parrish – Hennyweed Buckdance (Wuddaji / Sound Signature, 2020)

Désaccord Majeur – M.O.E.R. (Sunquake EP / A Colourful Storm, 2020)

Pigeons – Buoy (single / Soft Abuse, 2015)

Small World Experience – Leave (Shelf-Life / Siltbreeze, 1994/2016)

Vital Idles – My Sentiments (single / Not Unloved, 2016)

Teenage Fanclub – Every Picture I Paint (A Catholic Education / Matador, 1990)

Ruth – Mescalito (single / Poutre Apparante, 2007)

Speed – Speed (single / Real, 1995)

The Rolling Stones – Child of the Moon (single / London, 1968)

Comet Gain – I Was More of a Mess Then (single / Tapete, 2018)

Karen Dalton – In the Evening (It’s So Hard to Tell Who’s Going to Love You the Best / Capitol, 1969)

Dick Diver – Waste the Alphabet (Melbourne, Florida / Trouble in Mind, 2015)

Polvo – Vibracobra (Cor-Crane Secret / Merge, 1992)

Tar – Goethe (Jackson / Amphetamine Reptile, 1991)

Big Black – Kerosene (Atomizer / Homestead, 1986)

Karp – I’d Rather Be Clogging (single / Punk in My Vitamins, 1994)

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peter-tschirky · 4 years

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The Malaco Story

After more than 30 years of making black music for black people, Malaco Records defines the state of contemporary southern rhythm and blues, soul, and gospel.

“The Last Soul Company” started as a pocket-change enterprise in the early 1960s with college students Tommy Couch and Wolf Stephenson booking bands for fraternity dances at the University of Mississippi.

After graduation, Tommy Couch opened shop in Jackson, Mississippi as Malaco Attractions with brother-in-law Mitchell Malouf (Malouf + Couch = Malaco). Wolf Stephenson joined them in promoting concerts by Herman’s Hermits, the Who, the Animals, and others.

In 1967 the company opened a recording studio in a building that remains the home of Malaco Records. Experimenting with local songwriters and artists, the company began producing master recordings. Malaco needed to license their early recordings with established labels for national distribution. Between 1968 and 1970, Capitol Records released six singles and a Grammy-nominated album by legendary bluesman Mississippi Fred McDowell. Deals for other artists were concluded with ABC, Mercury, and Bang.

Revenue from record releases was minimal, however, and Malaco survived doing jingles, booking bands, promoting concerts, and renting the studio for custom projects.

In May 1970, a bespectacled producer-arranger changed the struggling company’s fortune. Wardell Quezergue made his mark with New Orleans stalwarts Fats Domino, Professor Longhair, and others. He offered to supply Malaco with artists in return for studio time and session musicians. With very little money left, Malaco knew this might be their last shot at making something happen.

Wardell brought five artists to Jackson in a borrowed school bus for a marathon session that yielded two mega-hits – King Floyd’s “Groove Me” and Jean Knight’s “Mr. Big Stuff.” But the tracks met rejection when submitted to Stax and Atlantic Records for distribution. Frustrated, Malaco released the King Floyd tracks on its own Chimneyville label. When “Groove Me” started a wildfire of radio play and sales, Atlantic picked the record up for distribution after all, giving Malaco a label deal for future Chimneyville product. “Groove Me” entered the national charts in October, going to #1 R&B and #6 pop. In 1971, Chimneyville scored again with King Floyd’s “Baby Let Me Kiss You” (#5 R&B and #29 Pop). Meanwhile, Stax decided to take a chance on “Mr. Big Stuff,” selling over two million copies on the way to #1 on the R&B charts and #2 pop.

The Malaco Touch in Demand

Malaco’s studio and session musicians were now in demand. Atlantic sent the Pointer Sisters among others for the Malaco touch; Stax sent Rufus Thomas and others. And, in January 1973, Paul Simon recorded material for his There Goes Rhymin’ Simon album.

Later that year, Malaco released its first gospel record, “Gospel Train” by the Golden Nuggets. Also in 1973, King Floyd’s “Woman Don’t Go Astray” made #5 R&B.

By 1974, however, studio bookings were down to a trickle, Atlantic had dropped their distribution option, King Floyd had become difficult to work with, and Wardell Quezergue had lost his magic touch. As cash flow dried up, a disenchanted Mitchell Malouf left the company.

When Dorothy Moore recorded “Misty Blue” in 1973, Malaco got stacks of rejection slips trying to shop the master to other labels. Now, in 1975, Malaco was broke and desperate for something to sell. With just enough cash to press and mail out the record, “Misty Blue” was released on the Malaco label just before Thanksgiving. Luckily, it took off the moment it hit radio turntables.

“Misty Blue” earned gold records around the world, peaking at #2 R&B and #3 pop in the USA, and #5 in England. This was followed by thirteen chart records and five Grammy nominations for Moore by 1980.

Another Gamble Pays Off

Another Malaco gamble in late 1975 was targeting the gospel market again with the Jackson Southernaires. The gamble paid off, and other premium gospel artists signed on, including the Soul Stirrers, The Sensational Nightingales, The Williams Brothers, The Truthettes, and The Angelic Gospel Singers, to name a few. The Southernaires’s Frank Williams became Malaco’s Director of Gospel Operations, producing virtually every Malaco gospel release until his untimely death in 1993.

By 1977, songwriters, artists, and producers from the defunct Stax Records were knocking on Malaco’s doors, including Eddie Floyd, Frederick Knight, the Fiestas, and David Porter. Other Malaco signings included McKinley Mitchell.

Stewart Madison also joined the company during this time as a partner, assuming much of the business management functions while Wolf and Tommy concentrated on the creative end.

Malaco made several attempts at the disco market, but its main contribution to the era was providing the studio and session musicians for Anita Ward’s “Ring My Bell.”

Frederick Knight produced “Ring My Bell” for his own Juana label, which, like Malaco, was distributed by T.K. Records in Miami. In the summer of 1979 “Ring My Bell” was omnipresent, going to #1 on both Pop and R&B charts, and selling an estimated 10 million copies worldwide.

A key player working “Ring My Bell” was T.K.’s venerable promotion man, Dave Clark. Then in his seventies, Clark was the undisputed dean of promotion men. He also broke a Malaco track called “Get Up and Dance” by Freedom on New York’s club scene in 1979. Starting with Grandmaster Flash, the track became one of the most sampled records of all-time.

Also hot that summer, Fern Kinney’s electronic remake of “Groove Me” entered the R&B and disco charts in August. The follow-up, “Together We Are Beautiful,” reached #1 on British pop charts in 1980.

Malaco relied greatly on Dave Clark’s promotional efforts at T.K. So when T.K. shuttered in 1980, Malaco hired Clark. His unrivaled access to radio and credibility with artists soon paid off with his recruitment of Z.Z. Hill.

Malaco now stopped trying to compete with mainstream labels. It fell back on what it did so well – down home black music. Larger labels dismissed the genre as an unprofitable relic of the past. However, Malaco could make a tidy profit selling 25,000 – 50,000 units. Starting with Z.Z Hill, Malaco became the center of the universe for old-time blues and soul.

Since blues supposedly no longer sold, everyone was shocked when Hill’s second album, Down Home Blues, sold 500,000 copies. It was the most successful blues album ever, revealing a core audience for quality blues records. It also became an anthem for R&B singers struggling against disco and the emergence of rap.

Denise LaSalle charted fourteen times in the 1970s. But during the disco era, her R&B style was called blues, and big labels were no longer interested. At Dave Clark’s suggestion, she wrote “Someone Else is Steppin In” for Z.Z. Hill.

It was a southern blues-radio staple and racked up substantial sales, but never showed up on national charts. This became the rule. Malaco’s undisputed sales successes could never be measured by Billboard chart positions during the 1980s.

Like Denise LaSalle, Benny Latimore’s 13 R&B chart hits of the 1970s were meaningless by 1981 when Dave Clark steered him to Malaco. And Denise resurrected her artist’s career at Malaco, starting in 1983 with an album called Lady in the Street.

Malaco Becomes Dominant Southern R&B Label in the Country

By now, Malaco had found its niche and was the dominant southern R&B label in the country. It also developed an identifiable sound via a core group of session musicians and songwriters.

The house band was anchored by Carson Whitsett on keyboards, Larry Addison on second keyboard; James Robertson on drums, Ray Griffin on bass, and Dino Zimmerman on guitar. A steady stream of strong material flowed from key songwriters such as George Jackson, Larry Addison, Rich Cason, and Jimmy Lewis.

After 29 chart entries for other labels, blues guitarist Little Milton Campbell signed with Malaco in 1984. Little Milton’s first Malaco single “The Blues is Alright” reestablished his presence as a major blues artist and solidified Malaco’s reputation as the contemporary southern blues company.

Z.Z. Hill had become a blues superstar when he suddenly passed away in 1984. His funeral was attended by a who’s who of southern blues culture. Hearing Johnnie Taylor sing at the service, Tommy Couch invited Taylor to become Malaco’s new flagship artist.

Johnnie had earned 20 hits starting in 1968. But, like other future Malaco’s artists, he was considered a relic by mainstream labels in 1984.

Despite the soulful grooves generated by Malaco’s stars in the 1980s, they were pigeonholed as blues artists by radio programmers and trade journals. In the 1970s, mainstream stars like Denise LaSalle, Latimore, Little Milton and, especially, Johnnie Taylor, sold 500,000+ copies of their hits. Now, they were consigned to the industry margins, selling 100,000 units at best.

Soul was reclassified as blues because of an aging demographic. To most radio programmers, older black people listened to the blues. So, when Johnnie Taylor’s fans grew older, he was a “blues artist.” The music hadn’t changed, but the way it was understood, marketed, and consumed had shifted significantly.

A Blues Legend Signs With Malaco

In 1985 Malaco signed Bobby Blue Bland. The blues legend had notched up 62 Billboard R&B chart records in 25 years, though few of them made an impression on pop radio.

That summer, Tommy Couch, Wolf Stephenson and Stewart Madison purchased the Muscle Shoals Sound Studio, label, and publishing company. The studio and its fabled rhythm section (Jimmy Johnson, David Hood, Roger Hawkins, and Barry Beckett) are credited with gold records by the Staple Singers, Paul Simon, Aretha Franklin, Bob Seger, Rod Stewart, and Wilson Pickett, to name a few. Even more valuable was their publishing company containing moneymakers like “Old Time Rock and Roll” and “Torn Between Two Lovers.”

Clearly the dominant contemporary southern blues label, Malaco purchased the gospel division of Savoy Records in 1986. Now it was also the preeminent black gospel company in North America. The Savoy acquisition brought a vast catalog of classic recordings dating back decades, including albums by Shirley Caesar, Rev. James Cleveland, Albertina Walker, The Caravans, Inez Andrews, The Georgia Mass Choir, and The Florida Mass Choir. In further expansion moves that year, Malaco entered the world of telemarketing.

1989 saw the Malaco debut of Former Stax star Shirley Brown, and Bobby Blue Bland’s Midnight Run LP remained on Billboard’s Top Black album charts for more than 52 weeks. But this was also the year Dave Clark finally came off the road.

Clark often softened up program directors, saying the current record he was working was his very last. At Malaco he had at least a dozen “last records,” claiming he was retiring or dying or too old to be on the road anymore. Malaco hired Clark a driver, but had to pull him off the road entirely in 1989. Thereafter, he was driven to the office occasionally to hang out, hold court, and doze off, finally passing away in 1995.

After more than 30 years of making black music for black people, Malaco Records defines the state of contemporary southern rhythm and blues, soul, and gospel.

Revenue from record releases was minimal, however, and Malaco survived doing jingles, booking bands, promoting concerts, and renting the studio for custom projects.

The Malaco Touch in Demand

Later that year, Malaco released its first gospel record, “Gospel Train” by the Golden Nuggets. Also in 1973, King Floyd’s “Woman Don’t Go Astray” made #5 R&B.

Another Gamble Pays Off

Stewart Madison also joined the company during this time as a partner, assuming much of the business management functions while Wolf and Tommy concentrated on the creative end.

Malaco made several attempts at the disco market, but its main contribution to the era was providing the studio and session musicians for Anita Ward’s “Ring My Bell.”

Malaco Becomes Dominant Southern R&B Label in the Country

By now, Malaco had found its niche and was the dominant southern R&B label in the country. It also developed an identifiable sound via a core group of session musicians and songwriters.

Johnnie had earned 20 hits starting in 1968. But, like other future Malaco’s artists, he was considered a relic by mainstream labels in 1984.

A Blues Legend Signs With Malaco

In 1985 Malaco signed Bobby Blue Bland. The blues legend had notched up 62 Billboard R&B chart records in 25 years, though few of them made an impression on pop radio.

As Clark retired, a new generation prepared to become part of Malaco’s future. Born in 1965, Tommy Couch Jr. followed his father’s footsteps, starting a booking agency to mine fraternity bookings on southern campuses.

After earning a marketing degree, Couch Jr. started Waldoxy Records to focus on alternative rock and white blues bands. This marketing strategy had mixed results. After issuing a successful anthology of McKinley Mitchell’s Malaco recordings, Waldoxy’s next signing was blues comedian Joe Poonanny.

From now on, Waldoxy targeted the same southern soul/blues market that traditionally supported Malaco, signing Bobby Rush, Artie “Blues Boy” White, and others. The difference, according to Tommy Jr., is that Waldoxy has hotter buzz artists. But that means Waldoxy has to build artist name brands rather than just sell songs by older established artists.

Malaco’s Gospel Labels Earned Multiple Honors

Meanwhile, Malaco’s gospel labels under Jerry Mannery and Savoy Records under Milton Biggham earned multiple honors, including Billboard designations as Top Gospel Label and Top Gospel Distributor, while the artists received numerous awards (Grammy, Stellar, Soul Train, and Gospel Music Workshop), as well as Billboard Top Gospel Artist of the Year designations. The company also dominated Billboard Gospel charts, achieving #1 rankings by Keith Pringle, Walter Hawkins, Rev. James Moore, Mississippi Mass Choir, Rev. Clay Evans, Dorothy Norwood, and the Rev. James Cleveland.

Malaco’s market focus widened dramatically in 1995. Songwriter/producer Rich Cason cut “Good Love” on Johnnie Taylor with a contemporary L.A. jeep beat, enabling the artist to reach a new, younger audience. Combining contemporary tracks with old school material like “Last Two Dollars,” the Good Love album soared to #1 on Billboard’s blues charts and #15 R&B, becoming the biggest record in Malaco’s history.

In the late nineties, Malaco signed veteran Chicago soul great Tyrone Davis, whose credits include 42 R&B chart records. The company also continued its steady, prudent expansion, purchasing half of the Memphis-based distributor Select-O-Hits, and making inroads into the urban contemporary, jazz, and contemporary Christian markets.

The launch of Freedom Records, with contemporary Christian artists such as The Kry and Hokus Pick, evolved into Nashville-based Malaco Christian Distribution, concentrating on the growing Christian and gospel markets.

Malaco Jazz Records is issuing a series of vintage live European recordings by Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Cannonball Adderly, Thelonious Monk, and others. Malaco Jazz also distributes several upcoming independent jazz labels.

And, the new urban contemporary label, J-Town, scored a Top 40 R&B single, “I’ve Been Having an Affair” by Tonya.

Even as the company continues expanding its artistic and commercial horizons, it’s a good bet that Malaco will still be the last soul company for years to come. Stay tuned!

Excerpted from The Malaco Story by Rob Bowman, award-winning author of Soulsville U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records published by Schirmer Books.As Clark retired, a new generation prepared to become part of Malaco’s future. Born in 1965, Tommy Couch Jr. followed his father’s footsteps, starting a booking agency to mine fraternity bookings on southern campuses.

Malaco’s Gospel Labels Earned Multiple Honors

And, the new urban contemporary label, J-Town, scored a Top 40 R&B single, “I’ve Been Having an Affair” by Tonya.

Even as the company continues expanding its artistic and commercial horizons, it’s a good bet that Malaco will still be the last soul company for years to come. Stay tuned!

Excerpted from The Malaco Story by Rob Bowman, award-winning author of Soulsville U.S.A.: The Story of Stax Records published by Schirmer Books.

#Malaco Records #soul #blues #gospel

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talhaghafoor2019-blog · 5 years

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Bryan Ferry on how Roxy Music invented a new kind of pop: 'We were game for anything'

More than 45 years ago, a new group released their first album. They didn’t wear denim, nor had they, apparently, paid their dues. Indeed, their heavily stylised presentation – a model posed archly on the cover in a 1950s pastiche, the musicians inside clad in leopardskin and leather with styled quiffs – could not have been more opposed to the rock modes of the day. “Is this a recording session or a cocktail party?” inquired Ferry’s friend Simon Puxley in the liner notes. Before you even got to the music, the record cover was a gauntlet thrown down – an explosion of glamour in a wasteland of faded blue cotton.

“The clothes we were wearing at that time would have put off quite a large chunk of people,” reflects Bryan Ferry. “What I liked about the American bands, the Stax label and Motown, they were into presentation and show business, mohair suits, quite slick. And the cover art, I thought of all the American pop culture icons, Marilyn Monroe: selling cigarettes or beer with a glamorous image. But it was a bit off-kilter as well; there was something a bit strange about it, futuristic as well as retro. All that, instead of a picture of the band, in a dreary street, looking rather sullen. Which was the norm.”

Timeline

Bryan Ferry: his career highlights

1971

Roxy Music form

Bryan Ferry was working as a ceramics teacher in a girls' school after leaving art school in Newcastle, having already played with Roxy bassist Graham Simpson in the band the Gas Board. They began amassing band members, including Brian Eno, eventually recruiting the final piece of the Roxy puzzle, guitarist Phil Manzanera.

1973

For Your Pleasure

Roxy Music's self-titled debut was a hit, as was this second album, which reached No 4 in the UK. It would be the last album with Eno, and features some of Ferry's most evocative performances, from the debonair strut of Do the Strand to the creepy In Every Dream Home a Heartache.

1974

Love is the Drug

Love is the Drug, from the Country Life album, is perhaps the most enduring Roxy hit – an irrepressible disco stomp, with Ferry peacocking through it with a magnificent staccato delivery. It was the band's only US hit, and reached no 2 in the UK.

1976

Let's Stick Together

During a two-year Roxy hiatus, Ferry released a pair of solo albums, with the title track from Let's Stick Together hitting the top five. It's a cover of the blues song by Wilbert Harrison, and Ferry has proven adept at covers down the years – his debut solo album in 1973 featured versions of everything from Piece of My Heart to Sympathy for the Devil, while Roxy Music's cover of John Lennon's Jealous Guy became the band's only No 1 single.

1982

Avalon

The final Roxy Music album was a long way from the fiendishly psychedelic art pop of their first records – it helped define the slick sound of 80s soft rock with tracks such as More Than This. It was released a month before his wedding to Lucy Helmore, a marriage that lasted until 2003.

1990

Fourth son Merlin born

Ferry has four sons: Otis, Isaac, Tara and Merlin. The latter survived a terrible car crash in 2014, while Otis became infamous for his support of fox hunting.

2001

Roxy Music reform

Roxy Music reformed for their 30th anniversary, and went on to tour in 2005, 2010 and 2011. Ferry continued to release solo work, including more cover versions – an album of jazz standards, As Time Goes By, was followed by an album of Dylan songs, Dylanesque.

2010

Olympia

After teasing new Roxy Music tracks for a number of years, including sessions with Eno, Ferry released the songs on his solo album Olympia, which also features Nile Rodgers, David Gilmour, Johnny Greenwood and Flea – plus Kate Moss on the cover.

Thank you for your feedback.

The music inside lived up to the cover’s challenge: a collage of pop-culture nostalgia, hard-rock guitar, piano-driven melodies, stylised high vocals, strange musical structures and experimental sound pictures. Roxy Music’s eponymous album sounded like nothing else in 1971 and 1972 – and like nothing else the group would ever attempt again. Recorded in the first full flush of inspiration, songs such as Ladytron, The Bob (Medley), and Sea Breezes exist outside of their time: a radical synthesis that mapped the future at the same time as it plundered the past.

Watch Roxy Music performing Ladytron on The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1972

“We were definitely trying to show our versatility,” says Ferry now. “I had lots of musical influences, plus what the band brought to the table.” Lead guitarist Phil Manzanera, he says, “had this Latin heritage, being born in South America”. Saxophone and oboe player Andy Mackay was classically trained. “[Brian] Eno with his deep interest in experimental music. They were specialists in their field. Paul Thompson brought a lot, with his very powerful, earthy drumming, which was one of the features of the Velvet Underground.”

The cover of Roxy Music immediately marked it out from the rest of 1972’s fare

Ferry is talking in his west-London studio. We walk past repeated Warhol Marilyns and sit under a large print of Jerry Hall on the north coast of Anglesey, the cover for Roxy Music’s fifth album, Siren. Wearing a blue jacket, V-neck pullover and tie, Ferry is measured, at once diffident and supremely assured. At 72, he looks great. “The only bit I don’t like is analysing it,” he says of his work. “I do sometimes envy the people who don’t ever have to describe what they’re doing.”

Despite its age and apparent familiarity, Roxy Music’s debut remains thrillingly strange. A new reissue, eight years in the making, traces the development of this revolutionary record that seemingly arrived out of nowhere in June 1972. Combined with the group’s first, 1971 demos, three 1972 John Peel sessions and album outtakes, the songs that would populate Roxy Music come into focus as the bold, honed culmination of lifelong fixations.

Growing up in Washington, County Durham during the monochrome 1950s, Ferry found a lifeline and an inspiration: “I loved American music,” he says. ““From the age of about 10, every week you’d discover somebody new. I was very much into jazz. You know how English people are; there’s a certain amount of musical snobbery. I mean, I loved Little Richard and Fats Domino, but when I heard Charlie Parker for the first time, this was something I really loved, and nobody else who I knew knew anything about him. It’s good to have your private obsessions.”

Roxy Music photographed at London’s Royal College of Art, July 1972 (from left): Phil Manzanera, Bryan Ferry, Andy Mackay, Brian Eno, Rik Kenton and Paul Thompson. Photograph: Brian Cooke/Redferns

As a paperboy delivering newspapers and weekly music magazines, Ferry read about more music than he could actually hear. “There wasn’t a great deal of jazz on radio. Radio Luxembourg was very important for emerging pop and soul. The BBC had one or two programmes. When the skiffle thing happened, that was when you started hearing Leadbelly and Big Bill Broonzy. That intensity of feeling; that’s what I got, hearing Leadbelly with a 12-string guitar, that yearning in his voice, it struck such a magical chord in me.”

He had similar revelations from hearing Lotte Lenya singing the songs of her husband Kurt Weill and the German soprano Elizabeth Schwarzkopf singing Richard Strauss’s Four Last Songs, He loved the beat poets, TS Eliot and American show tunes. “I liked Fred Astaire, Cole Porter, and I’d hear those songs played by Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Billie Holiday. There was a music store in Newcastle where you could go into a booth and listen to stuff. I lived in there.”

While in the sixth form at Washington Grammar, Ferry joined a group called the Banshees, who played R&B in the local clubs – including the famous Club A Go Go that had provided the launch pad for the Animals. In autumn 1964, he entered the fine art department of Newcastle University, where he was inspired by the British pop-artist Richard Hamilton and Warhol associate Mark Lancaster. After completing his degree, Ferry moved to London, where he supported himself by teaching art and ceramics at a Hammersmith school.

Roxy Music began in the late 1960s, after this move to the capital. Having sung R&B and soul with groups such as the Gas Board and the City Blues, he began to pursue the idea of striking out on his own. “In my college band, I had been imitating whichever song I was singing. We used to do quite obscure covers – Bobby Bland, BB King – but by the time I was writing my own songs, I didn’t want to sound too American. At the time, most English bands tried to sound American. Except for people like King Crimson. They had an English voice, which was quite interesting.”

He was convinced that he could start his own band. “First of all, [it was] just me and Graham [Simpson], the bass player. He had been in my college band. He was a very cool guy, into the beat poets, had a huge jazz collection, all those Blue Note records. He was one of the most interesting people in the band, actually. Sardonic sense of humour. Then Mackay, next, then Eno.”

Another early shot of Roxy Music from 1972. Photograph: Brian Moody/Rex Features

Each new addition brought an element that enabled the new group’s individuality. “The oboe was Andy Mackay’s first instrument, his main thing, although he developed into a great sax player. I met Andy because he had a synthesiser. So Andy brought a) the synthesiser and b) the oboe. Eno, of course, manipulated the synth in the band as soon as he joined, really. Those textures: the oboe is very precise, and the synth sounds were washes, colours, textures, mood enhancers, and so on. So, yes, it was a key part of the sound.”

Together with first guitarist Roger Bunn and drummer Dexter Lloyd, Roxy Music recorded their first demos in May 1971, early versions of The Bob (Medley), Grey Lagoons, 2HB, Chance Meeting and Ladytron. “They were all done in Eno’s flat in Camberwell, which is where we ended up doing a lot of rehearsals. There was a derelict house off Portobello Road where we went as well. That’s when it started. I thought of nothing else, I was quite driven to make it all happen. I would carry the tape around to record labels on my days off from teaching.”

A key early supporter was Richard Williams, who featured the group in Melody Maker during august 1971 before they had any whiff of record company interest. Williams had written glowing and informed reviews of, among other things, the recently reissued first three Velvet Underground albums, which piqued Ferry’s attention. “I always seemed to agree with his taste. So I thought, if anyone is going to like my music, it’s going to be this guy, so I sent him the tape. And he phoned me the same day to say how much he liked it.”

Slowly Roxy Music came into their time. With their Velvet Underground influence, they were tapping into similar sources to David Bowie. But the connections went deeper, into the Warholian fusion of pop and art – an approach prompted by Ferry’s friendship with Lancaster, who had worked in the Factory as a screen-printer in the mid-60s. “He was a really influential guy for me. He was the link between us and Richard Hamilton. All of those people were very influential, working with pop imagery.”

Ferry in 1973. Photograph: Ian Dickson / Rex Features

It was Roxy Music’s explicit intention to dissolve the boundaries between high and low. As Michael Bracewell writes in Re-make/Re-model, his account of the group’s founding years, “they chose to inhabit the point where fine art and the avant garde met the vivacity of pop and fashion as an almost elemental force in modern society”.

Produced by King Crimson lyricist Pete Sinfield, Roxy Music came together over two weeks in March 1972. The range of material is extraordinary: almost every song contains sudden twists and turns, like the galloping Joe Meek-style descent that comes out of nowhere in Ladytron. The opener, Re-Make/Re-Model, begins in party noises and breaks into brief, emblematic solos from each instrument. In Sea Breezes, synthesiser washes introduce a heartfelt torch song, which then segues into a strangulated guitar part: next up is the cocktail doo-wop of the tart album closer Bitters End.

“A lot of the first album is first or second take,” Ferry remembers. “Thinking about the songs, some of them are collage-like, with different sounds and moods within them – they will change abruptly into something else. For instance, Sea Breezes is a slow song, and suddenly moves into this angular, quite opposite mood. I found that interesting, and this band was perfect for that; they were game for anything. We were constantly fiddling around, changing things. I was still trying to find my voice. I [now] think sometimes I’m singing too high, or I should have had another go at that.”

It would have been easy to write Roxy Music off as pastiche – as a few die-hard hippies did at the time – but the feeling is authentic: the love, loss and regret in songs such as If There is Something, Sea Breezes and The Bob (Medley). It’s an album of chance encounters and wistful, evasive memories. “On one hand, you try to shape the emotion, but you’ve got to feel it,” says Ferry, “you don’t analyse as you’re doing it.”

Released in the same week as Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars, Roxy Music entered the UK album charts in late July 1972. Within a month, the group’s first single, Virginia Plain, which wasn’t on the album, was on its way to the Top 10 (it reached No 4). Referencing an art college painting by Ferry, it distilled Roxy’s art-pop manifesto, “what’s real and what’s make-believe”. “It is much more confident,” Ferry says. “We’d made an album and we knew how to do it – sort of. Everyone was featured. It had oboe, the synth, the drums are powerful, and the lyrics were much more assured. I was still finding my feet as a songwriter.”

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Roxy Music had no sense that the album would reach a mainstream audience. “We thought art students; people like us; limited interest; underground. Coming overground was … interesting.” When did he realised Roxy Music were really taking off? “I suppose when I heard Virginia Plain on midday radio. When the record came out, we were still playing tiny places – driving up to Scarborough or somewhere to play in a club. Hearing Virginia Plain on daytime radio, that felt like … something. Or seeing this album filling the record store window in King’s Road, which is where we went to the manager’s HQ. That was quite moving for me. Walking past, at night, and they’d just filled the window, I couldn’t believe it. It was so great, seeing the image repeated.”

Like a Warhol, you mean? “Exactly, yeah.”

Roxy Music: 45th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition is out now on Universal (£130). A 2-CD version is also available (£20)

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