News & Updates — soul!
Sam Cooke / Jan 22, 1931 - Nov 11, 1964
There would be no soul music without Sam Cooke's sweet gospel-reared voice and his many impactful hits, such as "You Send Me", "Another Saturday Night", "Chain Gang", "Twistin' The Night Away", "Shake" (all composed by Cooke himself) and many others. Born in Clarksdale, Mississippi and grown up in Chicago, Sam was a member of the great gospel group The Soul Stirrers before transitioning to pop music (at first under an alias). He was a pioneer everythingman of black artists, as he founded his own record label and took care of his own business, which included production, composing, artist management, musical...
Edwin Starr / Jan 21, 1942 - April 2, 2003
While best known for the timeless classic "War" and "25 Miles", the truth is that Edwin Starr made a lot of great records in the 60s and 70s, including "Stop Her On Sight (S.O.S.)", "Headline News", the psychedelic "You've Got My Soul On Fire", "Stop The War Now", music from the soundtrack to "Hell Up In Harlem" and the late 70s hit "Contact", among others. Ranging from Northern Soul on the Ric-Tic label to topical psych-funk (produced by Norman Whitfield) to disco, his strong voice always blew these ears away. And there was this funky number from the flick Hell...
Peace & Rhythm Presents a free-admission weekly music series at The Root Cellar
"Peace & Rhythm Presents" is a weekly eclectic music series every Wednesday night at The Root Cellar, downtown Greenfield's newest music venue. This premier season features bands and performers of various genres and styles, including funk, world music, jazz, reggae, rock, folk, DJs and more. Every Wednesday is FREE ADMISSION, 21+. Doors open at 8, music starts pumping at 9 and goes until 1230. ---Wed, July 27...The Boogalistics (soul-jazz/funk) and Doctor Thing (freak-out psychedelic jazz-funk) - The Boogalistics bring fresh energy to the classic sound of soul jazz. Boogaloo, soul-jazz, funk, this brand new group out of Northampton will satisfy...
2015 Year-End Round-Up (with guests!)
Among the many beautiful things about sound & music is that it can supplement your life's routine in so many different ways. Whether you look at (or hear or make) music as artistic expression, ritual, relaxation, protest, celebration, dance release, mathematical composition, entertainment, fashion, comedy or even as background sound, there is no wrong way to appreciate music. It fills our lives with joy or aggression, songs about love and hate, constructions of rhythm and noise, harmony or disruption. Only a high-minded snob will pooh-pooh somebody's artistic creation. (Although they are certainly out there, usually in the form of talentless...
Our Favorite Records of 2014
What records made your ears happy?