News & Updates — Celebrate Icons

The Voice of the Galaxies, June Tyson was the cosmic lead vocalist in Sun Ra's band from '68 until her death. She was also a dancer and helped design costumes for the Arkestra members, as well as played some violin in later years. I highly recommend the classic low-budget blaxploitation sci-fi flick Space Is The Place. Check out June and the Arkestra in this clip: And here's a bonus interview with June:

John Stubblefield was a talented and highly underrated reedsman who sounded great on so many classic records. From segregated Little Rock, he toured with Solomon Burke before settling in Chicago in the late '60s, where he joined up with the AACM. He moved to NYC in the '70s and worked with Mary Lou Williams, Anthony Braxton, Sam Rivers, Tito Puente, Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner, Nat Adderley and a stormy membership in the Charles Mingus band. At one point he was also director of the Jazzmobile. He recorded a few excellent albums under his own name and left the planet in...

Houston-born Johnny "Guitar" Watson was a solid blues guitarist in the '50s and '60s before he re-invented himself as the funk god that George Clinton surely studied the style of. Early on he played with Albert Collins, Amos Milburn, Johnny Otis and others. Around '67 he made a very hip record with his friend Larry Williams and the US psych band The Kaleidoscope! ("Nobody"). He recorded with Frank Zappa and then David Axelrod in the mid 70s before his huge funk hits "Ain't That A Bitch" and "A Real Mother For Ya". The Gangster of Love also recorded with Dr...

Nephew of the great Cachao, bassist for Buena Vista Social Club and an incredible musician on all fronts, Orlando "Cachaíto" López was part of the great López musical family in Cuba, son of composer Orestes López. He came from a lineage of over 30 bassists. He helped create the descarga in the '50s and played in Orquesta Riverside. Cachaíto made one classic self-titled record on World Circuit that mixed Cuban son with funk, descargas with Mingus, dub with jazz. Also hear his work he did on Angá Diaz's album Echu Mingua. Here's a short film shot for his album, produced...

One of my favorite voices in reggae, Dennis Emmanuel Brown was hugely popular on the island of Jamaica and beyond. Starting as a "Boy Wonder", he was nationally known by the time he was 12. "Money In My Pocket" and "Westbound Train" were big hits in '72 and '73, before Brown finished college. In '75 he started his DEB label and in '76 recorded "Wolf & Leopard" with Lee Perry at the Black Ark. By the late '70s Brown was a big name in the UK. He sang lovers rock in his later years. One of my favorites, with Sly...