The music industry isn’t a kind place to women. Even now, there’s more hurdles that keep women mostly out of control of their artistic output rather than giving them the full creative reign of their male counterparts. The situation is more heightened for Women of Color, especially Black women. Often, and yet still, you are…
Tag: The Velvelettes
Swinging Sweet ’63: A Soirée of Sister Soul
As you may know by now, Girl Group and Femme Soul songs are my bible. My first Astrology lecture is dedicated to this particular genre of music and how it unfolded around the Virgo maiden archetype during the 1960’s. Critically ignored by the dominance of white male musicians and music critics, the “girl group” genre…
Live! Live! Live! Soul From The Stage To Your Stereo 1963-71
We’re decidedly blessed with continuous access to acres of studio recordings of our favorite soul artists. There’s the hits we know, and then even there’s alternate takes. Nevermind the LPs they released, the B-sides that end up being true gems, or the unreleased material that sees light of day more than a half century later….
Unpolished Diamonds, Unused Jewels: More Motown Femme Marvels 1964-69
As we wind down Women’s History Month we head back to Detroit. While we worship at the temples of Marvin, Stevie and The Temptations, The Sound Of Young America was built on the clicking of high heels. Not only was it the matriarchy of The Gordy Family that had Berry’s Back, early acts such as Mable John…
Hitsville Vaults ’66: The Top Twenty Motown potential hits you didn’t know existed.
You may or may not know, Motown records in its Golden Years from 1961 through 1968 was a constant hive of activity. The operations worked 24 hours a day each day of the year, some Motown gems were recorded and pressed on major holidays, some efforts saw release on others. Was December 31, 1965 a…
♌ A Lady Leo:A Long Long List of Feline Gems from the Heart ♌
We enter the dog days of summer. These long, luxuriant days are ruled by Leo, the sign that rules the sun and the heart. So I dive into the heart of the matter, what’s better than a radiant lady of the stage? Fixed Fire lights up the stage with an extended romp with some of…
Bye Bye ’65: The Golden Girls Golden Anniversary set of 1965
A lot of what I’ve done as a DJ, writer, and even public speaker has been carrying the legacy of R&B, Pop, and Soul female singers. For years, I’ve wanted to highlight the efforts and the narratives around the women in Post-War Popular Music, because they are far too often neglected or overshadowed. When DJ…
In An Alternate Universe: Potential Hit Singles From Hitsville U.S.A. from 1965 (Ladies Edition)
If you know your Motown as I know The Sound Of Young America, You’ll know, beyond the bevy of hit records, at the peak of the label the studios cranked out potential hits 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Some records have release dates on Holidays: The Supremes “My World Is Empty Without You” and…
The Velvelettes “Something’s Happening” (1966, Unreleased. From The Velvelettes: Motown Anthology, 2004)
The Velvelettes “Something’s Happening” (1966, Unreleased. From The Velvelettes: Motown Anthology, 2004) We all know that 2648 West Grand Boulevard in Detroit had an overflow of talent. Here this Sunday we come up with the next date where two legendary leading ladies of Motown share the same Birthday. First off we sing in salutation to…
DJ Larsupreme 