Welcome to Women’s History Month, 2022! In the general hysteria of the moment I thought we could use some smooth, sassy, jazzy ladies of the transition period from Jazz, Blues into Soul from the mid 50’s into the mid 60’s to calm our nerves. The interesting thing to note is although the bulk of these…
Tag: Mary Wells
Listening with Larsupreme Episode 25 – A Midsummer’s Soul Soirée August 14, 2021
Hey y’all! In the midst of the chaos of the world, it’s also the dog days of Summer. Get your cocktails and culottes together, congregate around your streaming source of Hi-Fi delight, regardless. It’s time to dance at the end of the world. Devil may care, fall in love with something special for the next…
Listening with Larsupreme Episode 17: Sweet Sisters of Spring
You’ve made it! It’s Spring 2021! As we wrap up March, and Women’s History Month, we take the next hour to listen to some dreamy, soft soul to slowly awaken you as the daylight gets longer. These tunes are intended to soothe you with harmonies warm and breathy for those socially distanced Springtime activities. You’ll…
The Second Heaven of ’67: 42 Gems from the Sunset of the 60’s
It’s complete. With this particular mix, I can call conclusion to a journey that started 4 years ago. Yes, oddly, 1967 is the hole in a series of not so much hits for those Misses of Soul Music (here’s 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1968 & 1969 for reference). As we head into…
The Classy Concoctions of Clyde Otis
There’s many names that easily get buried as time passes and history becomes more dense. In the music industry there’s many pillars that held it up. Musicians from prominent drummers, pianists and saxophonists worth noting their shining work on records. Of course there’s our favorite singers. We don’t do much with the legacy of prolific…
More Gems From The Jewelbox: Forgotten Kisses From The Many Mrs. of Motown
Motown was a house built on the labor of Women. Particularly Black Women There’s no way to really debate this. It started with the labor of understanding music, publicity, marketing and legal concerns Berry Gordy picked up from his sisters, Anna, Gwen, Esther and Loucye. It continued with the financial success that women like Mary…
To The Lady In The Spotlight – A Midsummer’s Nightingale Playlist
There’s a long tradition in vocal stylings in which people aspire to being as great in a field as their predecessors. Notably, years of women that birth’d Jazz loved those Blues and Gospel singers that gave them the extra edge over some people that weren’t exactly naturals to the style. Some of those Jazz singers…
Sister Side of ’66 – 40 Gems For Your Summer Spirit
Y’all. A long time goal of mine is starting to wrap up as we close out the second decade of this century. If you’ve been with me, following and listening, you know that heart & soul of what I love doing is highlighting the efforts by women, primarily Black Women, that crafted and created music…
Everybody Sings Smokey: Motown’s Poet Laureate 50 times Over
It wouldn’t be Motown’s 60th Anniversary without visiting their premiere singer, songwriter and producer. As legend goes, Smokey Robinson met Berry Gordy with a notebook of songs, of which maybe one or two Gordy considered viable, yet he was impressed with the teenager’s moxie. So goes the template of who Gordy accepted into the fold,…
Suddenly It’s 1960! 40 Lively Lady Jams From The Heart of The Mid Century
It’s interesting to ponder the world of nearly 60 years ago, especially since we still hold such an era in high regard. 1960 brought us the first glimpse of the Neoliberalist optimism that no longer serves us more than a half century later alongside with such advents like Birth Control & The Flintsones. Music critics look…