RHYTHM TRACKING
With Jimi LaLumia Mary Wilson
The 'Supreme' Ms. Wilson: Ths ranks as just my own opinion, of course: The greatest decade in the history of modern popular music was the 1960s. Of course, I might be inclined to feel that way because my coming-of-age teen years happened during that world-shaking pop culture upheaval time frame. The Beatles, above and by themselves, might be able to substantiate that claim, but another recording group added just as much weight culturally. The Supremes, a black female trio, became the biggest American success story of that era, laying claim to being the most successful group ever on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, delivering 12 chart-topping hits to reach the numberone position there – which ranks as a feat that has yet to be duplicated by any U.S. recording group. While the group's success was built around the AM radiopiercing sound of lead singer Diana Ross – cutting through the static with that pulsating Motown beat – equal homage must be paid to the late Mary Wilson, who The Supremes died recently. Wilson, alongside Florence Ballard, enhanced the perfect harmonic sound of the trio in its prime – and in 1970, when Ross left the group to pursue a solo career, Wilson remained with several new lineups of Supremes, never taking the lead spot, but keeping the spirit and the visual aura of the group alive and well. Wilson went on to write several sometimes controversial books about her days in The Supremes and her musical life afterwards, and managed to keep her name and image afloat for decades after The Supremes were no longer on the scene. Most recently, Wilson was featured on the TV series "Dancing With The Stars," and was involved in upcoming celebrations commemorating the 60th anniversary of The Supremes existence. She will be missed.
Jimi LaLumia Publicity/PR I made “Death To Disco”/Psychotic Frogs an international sensation, and work with worldwide icon Jayne County. I am available for consult on publicity/media angles for bands, actors, politics, and more. Facebook/lalumi-dia public relations
22 • Good Times Magazine - March 16- April 12, 2021
JAZZ & BLUES Spicy McCormack: BEM Records will issue Storyteller on May 21, the new album from Irish guitarist Eamonn (pronounced “A-min”) McCormack; the charismatic fretslinger is already wellknown throughout Europe. Storyteller is his seventh album and features 11 original tracks, the core of which were recorded live in the studio to capture the true essence of Eamonn and his energetic young band: bassist Edgar Karg and drummer Max JungPoppe.
Courtesy Mark Pucci Media
Bob's Shining 'Light': Singer/songwriter Bob Bradshaw announced an April 30 release date for his new CD, The Ghost Light, coming from Fluke Records, which blends influences from folk, rock, country, Americana and blues into one cohesive package. Bradshaw is a storyteller – and like any good one, he possesses the ability to transform himself right before your very eyes, to not only craft a cast of characters, but to inhabit them with conviction. One listen to The Ghost Bob Light reveals a true Bradshaw chameleon at work. One moment he’s an impulsive daredevil plunging over Niagara Falls in a wooden barrel; the next, a seaweary pirate lured to his death by a choir of sirens. More often than not, Rafi Sober though, he’s simply one of us, just an ordinary, everyday soul searching for meaning, hope, and redemption wherever he can find it. “I’ve never been the kind of writer who picks up a pen to process his personal life or purge his emotions,” said Bradshaw. “I write to create, to imagine, and every track on this album is its own little world.” 'Tick Tock' Returns: Tick Tock Tick, the soul-drenched roots disc from San Francisco-based singer Will Porter, will be reissued on the Gramofono Sound label on April 16. Recorded at Esplanade Studios, Tick Tock Tick also showcases stellar work from a host of Michael S. Ray additional Crescent City titans and SF Bay Area horns. Tick Tock Tick pairs Will Porter with an array of special guests including Dr. John and Bettye LaVette, as well as guitarist Leo Nocentelli of The Meters, Yellow Jackets bassist Jimmy Haslip, The Womack Brothers (Curtis & Friendly), and The Louisiana Philharmonic Strings. Tick Tock Tick was first released in 2016 with extremely limited distribution in the Will Porter USA, as the deal Porter signed with the ACE UK label called for hard copy distribution In Europe, Japan and Australia, but not the United States. After a problem with a streaming agency, Porter decided to pull down all digital streaming. Nearly all of the limited American media that received a copy wrote about it or played it, and it made “Best Of The Year” critics’ lists.