Since June 1979, Black Music Month has celebrated African-American contributions to music culture. Locally, Cincinnati's history dates back to the 1920s when commercial music began through blues singer Mamie Smith.Hamilton County Commissioner Alicia Reese in April of this year Proposed to add Black Music Walk of Fame Visit the newly constructed Andrew J Brady ICON Music Center to preserve the cultural history of the region.
The city's involvement in funk and soul music is widely known through James Brown's King Record recordings and musical ambassadors Bootsy Collins, The Isley Brothers, and Midnight Star recordings, but what's tied to Queen City is There are many others. The region's influence on R & B and hip-hop culture also comes from bands such as 24-Carat Black, RAMP, Zap, The Spinners and Parliament Funkadelic. Philippe Wynne, Disco group Wood, Brass & Steel, funk band Skull Snaps through drummer Harold Sargent.. To conclude the Black Music Month, here's a look back at some of the song-music connections.
Pure Essence- "Third Rock" (1976)
The funk band Pure Essence was formed in Cincinnati in 1973 and became a member of the band The Deele in the 80's with the participation of Antonio "LA" Reid and Kevin "Kayo" Roberson from Queen City. With the help of Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Dave Parker (who joined the Cincinnati Reds roster in 1983), they recorded and released the single "Wake Up" b / w "Third Rock". "Wake Up" received airplay at WCIN-AM, and "Third Rock" WEBN - Album Project # 2. "Third Rock" written by Pure Essence guitarist Stephen Tucker is often said to be influenced by Sly & The Family Stone. Decades after it seemed to disappear completely, the song made a cult comeback among rare groove vinyl collectors and underground hip-hop fans. It was sampled from the 2004 album on RJD2's "Clean Living". Since the last talkAnd the following year, the recording was reissued through Soul Cal, a subsidiary of Stones Throw Records. It was also in the editing of Adult Swim in 2006. Chrome children..
Shalamar (featuring Gerald Brown) - "Take That to the Bank" (1978)
Shalamar's first album, Uptown Festival, Failed because the studio group did not have a firm identity. When Gerald Brown from Cincinnati (who was with Terry, the brother of R & B Quintet's Soul Train gang) replaced Gary Manford as Shalamar's lead singer, the new lineup included soul train dancer Jody Watley. Jeffrey Daniel was included. Second album "Take That to the Bank", Disco garden, Peaked at 17 on the R & B single chart. But before the third album, Brown was replaced by Akron, Ohio. Singer Howard Hewitt said, "The Second Time Around," "A Night to Remember," "This Is for the Lover in Kimi wa." After leaving Shalamar, Brown sang a jingle. One of them was an ode to Skyline Chili. "It's skyline time."
The Crusaders (featuring Randy Crawford) - "Street Life" (1979)
Jazz vocalist Randy Crawford wasn't a newcomer when the single made an impact, but she was relatively fresh on the radio. Originally from Macon, she spent 10 years in Cincinnati gaining singing exposure through Bootsy and the jazz-funk ensemble Dee Felice Trio. By the mid-70s, Crawford had appeared in the Cannonball Adderleys Big man He released "Everything Must Change", but it was the success of the "Street Life" crossover that still drove Crawford's career. Her rustic yet powerful vocals on an 11-minute gliding and roaming track peaked at a record high on the Billboard Hot 100. Crawford has been nominated twice for the Grammy Awards.
Sheila E - "The Strange of Love" (1985)
On January 20, 1985, Prince recorded several demo tracks of Sheila E's second album in downtown Cincinnati. Romance 1600, At the studio on the 5th floor.According to the author of Duane Tudahl Prince Studio Session: 1985-1986, The prince left Purple rain After stopping in Birmingham, Alabama, a tour to Queen City to record "A Love Bizarre" and "Diamica El Angelo". Prince probably chose this space because it was where the pioneering funk of the 80's took place (Slave, Zapp, Bootsy, Sun and The Ohio Players also recorded the album there).
Midnight star
Midnight Star, along with The Deele, had a typical 80's sound, shifting between vocoder electro-funk's experimental industrial street sound and a smooth R & B ballad.Reginald Calloway and his brother Vincent recorded the Midnight Star There is no parking on the dance floor Before making a series of hits for other artists at QCA Recording Studios and Fifth Floor Studios. They co-produced Klymaxx's "Meeting in the Ladies Room". It is ranked 85th on the Billboard list "100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time". Other hits include Le Vert's "Casanova", Natalie Cole's "Jumpstart", Teddy Pendergrass' "Joy", Gladys Knight & The Pips'"Love Overboard", and The Whispers' "Contagious". In addition, midnight star keyboardist Bo Watson collaborated with Indianapolis's Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds and Antonio "LA" Deal Reed to create the Whispers timeless 1987 classic "Rocksteady." I composed it.
Deal
Prior to launching LaFace Records, Edmonds and Reed composed a song with Deal's bass synthesizer player Kevin "Kayo" Roberson for Bobby Brown's second album. Don't get cold, And Karyn White, Pebbles, Paula Abdul's breakout R & B single. In the case of Abdul, the 1988 "knockout" Knock girl on him The aim was to test her commercial feasibility of turning from a choreographer to a singer. It's the only song produced by Edmonds / Reed / Roberson on the album, 64 weeks after its release. Knock girl on him The billboard hot 100 has been exceeded.
Snap (featuring Pennyford) - "Power" (1990)
Vocalist (and Walnut Hills High School graduate) Penny Ford is the daughter of Gene Redd, a former A & R man at King Records. In the early 80's, Ford signed the Total Experience, founded and released by The Gap Band Lonnie Simmons. penny, Featuring the top 20 R & B singles "Change Your Wicked Ways". Ford also toured as a background singer for Chaka Khan and Vesta Williams, but her fierce lead on Eurodance group snap blockbuster "The Power" is the best of her powerful voice. Is an example of. Thirty-one years later, the song is still infectious and continues to be a staple of pop culture. Pause And this is us..
