News & Updates — soul/funk

One of my very favorite bands, Dyke & the Blazers, were founded by Buffalo native Arlester "Dyke" Christian in 1965. One of the only bands that James Brown was worried about as competitors, these guys had a raw, hard, street funk sound. Dyke played bass in Carl LaRue & His Crew, gigging around the rust belt and releasing a couple of 45s on the Buffalo-based KKC label in the early '60s. The Crew went to Phoenix to back the O'Jays but found the gig to be a dud and three members of the band (Dyke included) were stranded in the...

Big time funky birthday shout-out to the Female Preacher, goddess of funk, Lyn Collins. One of the James Brown divas and the voice responsible for "Think (About It)", one of the greatest tunes in the JB canon and a HEAVILY sampled tune, most famously in "It Takes Two" by Rob Base. Texas-born, she made her local recording debut at 14 and came into Brown's gang in the early '70s, replacing Marva Whitney. She recorded several great singles and a couple of albums with Brown as producer before working as a session vocalist (including for the TV show Fame). She cut...

A Northern Soul legend, Popcorn Wylie was one of the earliest contributors to the Motown hit-making machine as an instrumentalist, composer, producer, A&R man and artist. A pianist from Detroit, he grew up with bassist James Jamerson and the two were in a band together as teenagers. That band, Popcorn & the Mohawks, would cut a few singles for Motown in the early '60s before both the future stars got absorbed into the house band, The Funk Brothers. Wylie played on several big hits such as "Shop Around" (the Miracles), "Please Mr Postman" (Marvellettes), as well as tunes by Marvin...

Groovy Guitarist Grant Green was a regular presence on Blue Note Records and with funky organ combos. He was rooted in bop, blues and R&B and adapted his sound and approach to many different styles. He was inspired mostly by horn players, although he rarely worked with them. He effortlessly laid down lots of fluid single-note runs, and the only guitarists he seems to have cited as influence were Charlie Christian and Jimmy Raney. From St Louis, was playing in gospel bands by 12, before getting into rock & roll and R&B. He first recorded in '59 with Jimmy Forrest...

Happy birthday to one of the greats, Curtis Mayfield! Singer, composer, guitarist, record label owner, businessman, civil rights hero, movie musician, talent scout, psych-soul songwriter, Black Power icon, Chicago legend and so much more.