Never Has It Been So Good As Ashford & Simpson (and sometimes Armstead)

New York of the 1960’s brought us the power of love in the writers booth in a profound way. The Brill Building gave young Jewish Newlyweds like Goffin & King, Greenwich & Barry and Mann & Weil lots of money and respect as they churned out hits for people coast to coast and even overseas….

Mary – Very – Proud: Late Sixties into Seventies Sister Soul

 When we look back at late 60’s Soul Music in terms of a transitional period that saw the rise of women’s liberation, we know one name in particular: Aretha. True to life, from 1967 through 1974, she sat on multiple thrones. She had major hit singles on both the R&B and Pop charts, critically acclaimed…

Windy City Soul: Breezy Gems From America’s Second City

Although my recent vacation took me through Baltimore and New York City, the sounds of Chicago’s soul music has been on my mind for a few weeks now. I’m a big fan of how once our R&B music was so regional, influenced by the cultures established in cities plus the migrant populations that made each…

Purification & Ponderance, Your Pisces Pre-Fixing For Spring Mix.

We’re coming to our last Mixcloud of the Astrological year as we welcome Pisces Season. The Jupiter meets Neptune sign of the fishes is full of inspired performers of mystical powers that tell tales of all that came before and release so it can all be re-born at the Aries point at the start of…

Jo Ann Garrett “One Woman” (Duo 7450, 1968)

Jo Ann Garrett “One Woman” (Duo 7450, 1968) We’re halfway through Record A Day week, so let’s fly to Chicago in the late Fall of ’68. We meet at O’Hare and ride the El with Jo Ann Garrett, who now 19 years old, is a seasoned veteran of the Chicago recording scene. Although she hasn’t scored a…