Tssm issue 70 edited with links

The Quintessential info provider for the Soul Survivor Celebrating 50 years of The Jacksons 1ST JUNE - 31ST JULY 2017

Issue 70

News Reviews & Interviews Jackie Jackson (The Jacksons) | Keith Killgo (The Blackbyrds) thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk Fat Freddie M | Nikka Costa | Jay King (Club Nouveau) | Ruby Tiger | Nyree

WHAT’S INSIDE? 3 FITZROY SPEAKS WITH JACKIE JACKSON 10 DARRELL’S FUNK BOX 12 FITZROY SPEAKS WITH NIKKA COSTA 18 FITZROY SPEAKS WITH KEITH KILLGO OF THE BLACKBYRDS 26 RECORD REVIEWS 30 MIRA PARKES - SPEAKS WITH NYREE 32 FITZROY SPEAKS WITH FAT FREDDIE M 38 FITZROY SPEAKS WITH RUBY TIGER 42 EVENT REVIEWS 34 FITZROY SPEAKS WITH JAY KING OF CLUB NOUVEAU 48 WHAT’S GOING ON All adverts are placed in good faith and The Soul Survivors Magazine take no responsibility for any issues arising from the use of those who have advertised.

All dates are correct at time of going to print – please check with venue or promoter if unsure.

All rights reserved 2006 - 2017 © The Soul Survivors Magazine It is essential to note that all artwork, adverts and listings must be confirmed and sent in to fitzroy@ thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk before Monday 3rd July 2017 in order to meet the graphic designer and print 3 week preparation. This will ensure that the magazine for the 11th Anniversary June & July Issue is ready and out on the streets.

Thanks in advance. The Soul Survivors Magazine Team!

Suite 013, 986 Garratt Lane, Tooting Broadway, London SW17 0ND E: fitzroy@thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk M: 07956 312931 C fitzroy.facey C Fitzroytheoriginalsoulsurvivor C TheSoulSurvivors MSoulSurvivors1 www.thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

Welcome to issue 70, the 11th anniversary of The Soul Survivors Magazine. It has had a few ‘Gok Wan’ makeovers, logo changes and home improvements as we constantly try to make it new and improved.

Thankfully along the way we’ve managed to capture some of the soul surviving interviewees before they left this world to continue their spiritual journey onto another plane.

It’s been a quite a Norman Connors ‘Romantic Journey’ with a few stops at The Jacksons’ ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ along the way. Speaking of The Jackson family dynasty, they grace our front cover along side our 11-year celebrations in rejoicing a ‘Hallelujah Day’ on their 50th year at the top in show business. We showcased an interview with Tito Jackson this time two years ago and in this issue we speak with the eldest brother Jackie Jackson. ‘All That I Can Say’ like MJB is that it is still, like the J5, ’Great To Be Here’ as a printed bi-monthly publication.

We have some great adverts for weekend events happening in August, the first being the 11th Margate Soul Festival. To help mark that in your diary we have an interview with drummer of The Blackbyrds Keith Killgo. Secondly we welcome an advert from Rhythm Assembly’s event for the second week in August and feature a long overdue interview with one of its larger than life characters, the fab Fat Freddie M. Lastly as a late entry we welcome Camp Soul’s advert for the August Bank Holiday weekend featuring The Brit Funk Association. We have four other interviews featuring the daughter of Don Costa, Frank Sinatra’s conductor, arranger and producer, Nikka Costa, Jay King of Club Nouveau, and new artists breaking through, Ruby Tiger and Nyree (the latter via Mira Parkes).

I’d personally like to say huge thanks to Darrell S whose been doing his satirical Funkbox column since the beginning and to Gary Dennis of Crazy Beat records for their consistent support. Naturally it must be remembered that this venture was once a one man, one woman operation, with Anna Marshall’s integral contribution from the magazines conception, up till she left in 2015. Huge thanks to all the contributors, advertisers, distributors, clubs, venues, radio stations and printers too many to mention, for your part in the continuing the ongoing future of the magazine, in these Roberta Flack ‘Trying Times’. Heads up on giveaway prizes in this issue for a Ruby Tiger & The Revelators CD and some Souns Of Fatness T-Shirts courtesy of Fat Freddie M. You have advanced warning that issue 71 for August and September will feature interviews with Simon Law and a long overdue one with Dez Parkes, celebrating 30 years of the first ‘Rare’ album on RCA Record 1987.

Enjoy! Fitzroy.

SPEAKS WITH FITZROY

The act that came on before us, the public booed and threw eggs at them. Michael was crying because he was so scared of what he saw happen to the group before.

Sigmund Esco Jackson known as Jackie Jackson was born 4th May 1951, the second eldest child and eldest brother to the Jackson 5. He and his family were destined to become a class act with the history and determination of their father and future manager Joe Jackson. The pre Jackson 5 group was made up of Jackie, Tito and Jermaine before they saw the enthusiasm and natural talent of the youngest two brothers Marlon and lil Michael Jackson. Jackie gave the group discipline and balance as well as being one of the main choreographers for the groups slick moves. The Jacksons celebrate 50 years and have several dates over the next few months so we were given an early exclusive with Jackie talking about The Jackson’s being ‘Children Of The Light.’

What are your memories of being the first child growing up in the Jackson household before your brothers came along?

It was me and Maureen, known as Rebbie, as the oldest siblings of the family. I remember being around 4 years old and us dancing when people came around. We were pretty good dancers as young kids and people wanted to see us to get down. We won a lot of dance contests together. So it started with that, us dancing around family members, like at birthday parties.

What kind of tracks were you getting down to?

All the latest hits of the time like, (Jackie starts singing ‘He’s So Fine’ in falsetto), ‘She’s So Fine (Doo-Lang Doo-Lang)’. I think it was The Shirelles or The Chiffons. We were dancing to that early 1960’s sound and all those hits of the time.

Your father worked at the steel mill but he also had The Falcons as a group. thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

Yeah my father was a crane operator at the steel mill. I’m not sure how he used to do that job, as it was so hot in there.

When you open the doors it was like walking into hell with all that fire. He was in The Falcons on the side and I used to sit there and watch them rehearse the music with his guitar and his friends.

As the other siblings start to come along initially it was just you Tito and Jermaine known as The Jackson Brothers.

It was just the three of us at the time and we had friends called Raynard Jones, Melford Hikes and Johnny Jackson who was a drummer who came to play and rehearse with us. We did local shows in Indiana and then Michael and Marlon came along dancing around doing all kinds of things, playing congas and bongos so we had to put them in the group because they had a lot of energy. Michael was so exciting with that energy up front as this little kid aged 7 years old. It was amazing how he could just watch people like James Brown, The Temptations and Sammy Davis Jnr and pick it up straight away.

I remember seeing the made for TV film ‘The Jacksons The American Dream’ and it was very insightful in how your father Joe met your mother Katherine and how he courted her. It showed

Tito

Jackie

how hard he worked despite getting laid off and having a family, and the frustrations that came with that. How true to your life was that depiction because it opened a lot of dynamics about the Jackson family?

It was pretty true except they made my father look like he was a bandit. He wasn’t like that, (Jackie laughs). There were times he would get on us if we did things wrong like for not doing our chores but he wasn’t like that, that was fabricated for the movie.

I can imagine that, as these made for TV movies do like to over dramatise things. Tito told me you guys saw Michael singing at a school performance and that was actually shown in that TV film.

Before you signed to Motown, you actually made a record on an independent label.

“I’m A Big Boy”?

No, before that on a blue label.

Oh, you mean ‘You Don’t Have To Be Over 21 To Fall In Love’, it was a local label that a friend had from Chicago and it made some noise. We were a regional type of act around Chicago

Marlon Jermaine

Page 4 - Issue 70

and the mid west. We started playing shows like The Apollo Theatre in New York playing five to six shows a day which was exciting. That theatre, if you don’t do well on the stage, they boo you off, as they were very tough as an audience.

You get the image of that in the TV film I mentioned earlier and they did seem quite ruthless.

The act that came on before us were not that good and the public booed and threw eggs at them. We were coming up next and Michael was crying because he was so scared of what he saw happening to the group before. I had to tell him to pull himself together and we were going to be ok and to just keep on doing what he does. We went out there and did our thing and we got a standing ovation. Michael was so overjoyed.

Do you remember what song you sang?

We sang some Temptations and a James Brown song too.

Although Michael was the focal point of the group I always felt that you were the one that kept everyone in line. Firstly being the oldest and, secondly, to make sure everyone executed the dancing correctly, was that your role?

Yeah pretty much so Fitzroy. I was making sure all my bothers were on top of their craft and, in cases where my mother and father weren’t there, making sure we did what we had to do and oversee them. I didn’t have any problems with them because they just love to perform and we would do it for free.

How did that impact you guys at such a young age performing 5 times a day as mentioned at The Apollo with your schooling and not having the same kind of childhood, as some would who are not in the business?

Did you feel that you missed out or just enjoyed what you were doing?

We felt that music was having fun, performing in front of people and seeing the smiles on their faces. That was our satisfaction. We had tutors when it came to schooling and as the overseer of my young brothers, I was very protective of them to make sure they did well performing on stage and with their schooling.

Can you recall personally the excitement and anticipation for your audition with Motown in front of Berry Gordy as seen in the footage of Michael’s interpretation of James Browns ‘I Got The Feeling’?

That was a fun, exciting and nervous situation at the time.

Here we are getting ready to perform in front of Berry Gordy who created a lot of big superstars like Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross The Four Tops, the Supremes, Junior Walker & The All Stars, Mary Wells and the list goes on and on. We knew if we did well we might get signed to this label. We were at Berry Gordy’s house in Grand Boulevard in a great big mansion.

His back yard was an old golf course and he called us over and said if we could putt the ball into the holes he’d give us 100 dollars, which was a lot of money back then as kids. We pretty much tore up his green trying to get that ball in the hole. That evening we did a performance for his birthday party. He had a tennis court, a bowling alley downstairs and arcade machines, and my brothers were going crazy because they had never seen anything like this in a house. I was running around trying to control them because I was nervous in wanting us to be looking good, especially in front of Diana Ross and The Temptations, who were all there and we were about to sing their songs in front of them. They had some of the biggest songs on the radio so it was a scary moment. Thank God we did really well and they liked us and we got signed to Motown.

That was the late 1960’s. Now I’m 53 and around 1970-1972 I would have been between 6 and 8 years old and, growing up in the UK, we had our issues being black Caribbean as my parents come from Jamaica. You may or not be aware of this but Cleveland Anderson (The Jacksons’ Agent) grew up five minutes away from me.

Cleveland? Oh, ok tell him I said hello, he’s fantastic.

The first record I bought was Michael’s ‘Ain’t No Sunshine’. When we watched TV and saw The Jackson 5 as cartoon characters, it was a massive thing for us as we grew up in a time where our identity was hidden from us, and we didn’t see a lot of positive things on TV about ourselves. But seeing you on TV in a cartoon alongside Road Runner, Coyote, Bugs Bunny and Disney (who didn’t feature black characters) and seeing the rivalry between you and The Osmonds, was inspiring for us. How did you feel when you got approached to be cartoon characters?

We knew it was a real exciting moment because the only other group who had a cartoon out was The Beatles, and The Jackson 5 was the second group. We had to work out how it would work because we were travelling on the road at the same time, but it worked out and thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

Photo Credit: James Watkins people loved it all over the world. People in fact, up until last week, speak to me about the cartoon. We gave people around the world, as you said, something to look up to and we had a lot of joy sharing that with kids from all walks of life.

album called ‘Uppermost’ (Jackie starts singing “You’re The Uppermost On My Mind’)

Turning out the Motown albums with hits like ‘The Love You Save’, ‘I Want You Back’ and ‘ABC’, gave you an opportunity to do a solo album.

That’s my favourite off that album. (Jackie ‘Wow!”) When was the last time you sang that?

It was something I wanted to do from the very beginning, as primarily I was always thinking about the group. A lot of people seemed to like it, for the time it was out.

I liked it with my favourites being your rendition of ‘Didn’t I Blow Your Mind This Time’ and my favourite is ‘Is It Him Or Me?’ Yeah, you’re bringing back a lot of memories. You’re testing my brain now.

You were working with The Corporation on your own. Did your brothers do any background vocals on that album for you?

No, it was just me.

I think it’s fair to say that you guys were the number one child prodigy group of the time around the world travelling. Some of the other tracks I liked was ‘It’s Great To Be Here’ (Jackie starts singing the melody of the sampled riff…)

That’s a great track and a lot of rappers sampled that track.

Yeah, Original Concept used it for ‘Can You Feel It?’ There is one track that eclipses that for me which is off the ‘Skywriter’ Page 6 - Issue 70

Yeah, absolutely I love that song.

You’re going way back. I haven’t heard that for a while. That’s so long, so long ago. We never did those songs on the show only the ones that hit the radio. There’s a lot of album stuff that the fans often request so we’re trying to incorporate that right now in the show.

Well I’m making a request to include “Uppermost” in your show (Jackie laughs) because I think that would go down well. You came towards the end of your time at Motown and Jermaine got married to Berry Gordy’s daughter, you guys wanted to write your own material which Berry Gordy objected to. So you went to CBS Columbia (Jackie: ‘Epic’) with Gamble & Huff. Your first album probably as a debut album is for me fantastic. I like every song ‘Think Happy’, ‘Style Of Life’, ‘Living Together’, ‘Dreamer’ and ‘Blues Away’.

Yeah working with Gamble & Huff those guys got it right away. We wanted to write some but not all the songs whilst at Motown as we wanted to show our identity also. We wanted people to hear our interpretation of music. I felt it was time to turn that chapter and we wrote two or three songs on that first album. Gamble & Huff had worked with The O Jays and Teddy Pendergrass and they came out with some great songs that we still love today.

On the second album ‘Going Places’, I noticed you wrote two tracks ‘Different Kind Of Lady’ and ‘Do You Wanna’ which showcased your artistic freedom to write. Then we have the ‘Destiny’ album with ‘Shake Your Body Down To The Ground’ and we can see that the group could be funky as well as disco. How did you manage to keep that level of integrity when there were so many other bands like The Ohio Players and Parliament who were evolving musically?

It was healthy competition and we tried to compete and not shy away from it because we were excited to keep up to par with them.

One of your seminal albums is the ‘Triumph’ album with ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, ‘Lovely One’ and my favourite being ‘Everybody’. You also did a live version of the album so what memories do you have of that period?

We tried to get better and better with each album as we went into the studio by pushing our heart and soul. That album really came from our heart with songs like ‘Everybody’.

I hope it’s not too personal but how have you guys adapted to life without Michael?

First of all, when you have a lead singer in the group who is the biggest artist and sells more than any artist in the world, when you lose someone like that, especially being your brother, there is no way to replace that. We just keep doing music the best we can with my brothers. When we are performing on stage we feel his presence as we know exactly where he would be whilst we are on stage. He would be giving 110% so we try to do that all the time even though he’s not there.

I saw you guys in 2015 at The Isle Of Wight Bestival and there were loads of different acts on but when The Jacksons came on it was packed. It was my first time seeing you and I’d travelled a long way on my own, and you pretty much covered the best of your repertoire. You can still execute the dancing routines so whether it’s indoor or outdoors, how does it feel to perform to so many who sing and know your songs?

Like you said it’s the audience as our fans over the years have been so supportive and we are lucky to have fans that stick with us all over the world. To see them singing and dancing is amazing and sometimes I forget the words and hold my thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

mic out for them to sing and it refreshes my memory a little bit. They are like the fuel to our engines seeing them getting down like that and it makes us feel good. We try to make the kind of music where you can bring family, grandmothers and children to listen to music that doesn’t offend them.

shoes because they’ll be dancing in the audience and it’ll be a blast. We do a lot of dancing in the show and that’s what people come to see. We are going to try and fit in as many songs as a possible.

can all sing individually and remind me initially as a group of To Read the full You Jackie Jackson falsetto Doo-Wop influenced singers. Who personally inspired you growing up as a singer and shaped your vocals? interview subscribe via I used to listen to Johnny Mathis and Eddie Kendricks Of The Temptations.

Yes www.thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk we did. We had a stint and residency in Las Vegas and Something just occurred to me with your sisters Rebbie, Latoya and Janet who’ve all had solo albums and classics like ‘Centipede’, ‘If You Feel The Funk’ and ‘Lovely Is She’ and many of Janet’s albums, did you guys ever perform together as a family? that’s when we reintroduced Janet to the world. It was at the MGM Grand Hotel and we did really well. We had Frank Gorson open up for us and he had a series on TV called The Green Hornet and he was a comic too.

What have you got planned to celebrate the Jackson 50th anniversary because you have a lot of dates over the next few months?

Did you guys ever do shows with James Brown?

No we never did but we met him along the way several times with the likes of Jimi Hendrix too. We are also big fans of Jackie Wilson and Elvis Presley.

Was your choreography a mixture of things that you’d seen with some original bits thrown in?

It was from what we’d seen from The Temptations and primarily it was myself Marlon and Michael who did the choreography for the shows.

Photo Credit: James Watkins

We will be playing all over Britain over the months of June and July which will be on our website. We still have a lot in us musically to deliver.

How young are you now? (Jackie: “65.”) You noticed I said how young right? (Jackie: “I know.”) When you were younger growing up what was your preferred sport basketball or baseball?

I just want to say personally that you guys were the older brothers I never had, being the oldest in my family. I want to say thank you for being among those who have impacted on my life along with James Brown, Malcolm X, Curtis Mayfield and Parliment to mention a few. The Jacksons are definitely up there because you really did give us hope that we could achieve something, seeing you as cartoon characters on TV and album covers. The other person I neglected to mention was Muhammad Ali but at that time in the 1970’s. Part of the reason why I’m doing what I’m doing now is because when we see something in our own image, years down the road, whether we realise it or not it inspires us. I remember seeing Jermaine playing bass, Tito on guitar and Randy on percussion, looking slick whilst dancing at the same time. So when I saw you at Bestival it was like I waited all my life to see that live. So on behalf of many who, I think if they had the opportunity to say it, thank you for the inspiration.

To get the Tito Jackson interview issue 59 go to http://www.thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk/ Thank you guys for supporting us and being part of our world.

Without you guys coming out to see us we wouldn’t be who It was baseball butproduct/issue-59-july-august-2015/ I played basketball too. we are. That’s what it’s all about, helping to inspire someone Although it’s an obvious question but it would be nice for you to say it in your own words, what can you say to the fans about what to expect at any of the events you’ll be performing at during those dates in the UK? Tell them to bring something light to wear and their dancing Page 8 - Issue 70

else and bring them up as well. It’s what we try to do with our music today and make people smile. We see kids today who were not around when we made some of this music, whose parents have turned them on to the music and that new generation now come to see us.

When I ask this question I often get told it’s like asking which of your children is your favourite but do you have a favourite Jacksons or Jackson 5 record?

brother, I’m just telling the truth because he was amazing.

He was amazing and as a kid he was only a few years older than myself and he had a similar impact not just to me and the kids in the UK and USA but in Jamaica, Africa and anyone directly from the Diaspora and outside the culture. In ‘The Jacksons An American Dream’, with Angela Basset, playing your mother Katherine, it makes me smile when she said, “It was me carrying those babies that got us here.” It’s very inspiring seeing that the family came through those impoverished times and made it. It really was making a dream a reality.

Happy 50th Anniversary to The Jacksons from The Soul Survivors Magazine

I like ‘I Want You Back’ and the very first album because that’s the one that kicked it off. Bobby Taylor from The Vancouvers did a lot of work on that album.

Lastly, you mentioned it earlier and it’s one of my favourites as a soulful and funky single at the same time. What’s your memory of recording ‘Big Boy’ with Michael nailing it vocally and singing as someone mature way beyond his younger years?

He was so young at the time and it was exciting to see him get behind the booth and sing a song like that, a mid-tempo ballad. Like you said, he nailed it, with that passion in his voice and he’s always done that. This little kid with so much passion and that’s why we put him up front.

I remember speaking with Smokey Robinson back in 2010 and I asked him how did he feel about Michael singing ‘Whose Loving You?’ He said he couldn’t believe that a child of that age could sing like that. He actually said, “How could he know?”

I know, that’s what I’m saying, how would he know to put that feeling in and when I go back and listen to him singing that song it makes me cry. I’m not saying it because he’s my

That’s why we remain humble because we know where we came from and where we started and how hard our parents worked. We never forget that. Just because we had success doesn’t mean we have to change. Of course we live in different areas but we had a lot of love in that small house and it was rehearsing in that home that gave us the name we have today.

I’m hoping to speak to all of you face to face, when you come over. (Jackie: That would be fantastic.)

Take care Fitzroy great interview thank you.

Thank you and bye Jackie.

Image used with permission of Tito Jackson

Huge thanks to Cleveland Anderson (CA International Artists) and Cedric Perrier of Impresarius Artist Management for arranging the interview and supplying images. thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

Wow! Happy eleventh anniversary to Fitzroy and The Soul Survivors magazine. I have taken it upon myself, for this special edition, to reveal to you just how this very column springs to life every other month.

Monday, 8am; I receive a text from Fitzroy, “Good morning Sir, I hope you’re well. Can I have your article by Friday please?”. Friday, 3pm; I send a text to Fitzroy, “Is it OK to send my piece to you tomorrow? It’s written, I just want to do a few tweaks” Fitzroy replies to the affirmative. Article word count; 0. Saturday, 10am; It’s time to sit down and get a piece written. This won’t take long. I have a subject matter, all I have to do is flesh it out. Soccer A.M is on the telly and I take a little time to watch it. Word Count; 0. Midday, word count; 0. Time for a spot of lunch methinks. 1pm; I write, on a pad, a few key points for my column. I also draw a picture of a cartoon penis. Word count; 0.1.30pm; And I start to write something that I hope is worthy of a Soul Survivors award next year. Word count; 72 (For your information, the column needs to be in the region of 500 - 650 words.

Any more and the type becomes too small to read!)

1.45pm; I turn to Facebook to check a couple of things and I see that West Ham loving, DJ to the stars, Paul Taylor has mixed ‘So Addictive’ by Miss E! It was proper done for Warner Bros. I find it on YouTube. I also watch a man going nuts on the New York subway and footage of a sheep screaming like a human. Hilarious! Word count; still 72. 2.30pm; A FB friend has posted that his mates Mum has passed away. 116 people ‘Like’ this. Hmm. I decide to join Twitter. I fill in my name. Then my age.

Then lose the will to live. Back to the job in hand. Words flow from my fingers to produce sentences of fluid vibrancy. Word count; 290. 3.05pm; I stall. One word Page 10 - Issue 70

has been use twice within the same paragraph. Damn!

I go to Thesaurus.com to find an alternative. Hello, new notification on FB. Michael Vitti has posted a video of Buddy Rich ‘Greensleeves’ @ Ronnie Scotts, 1969. I was 6 years old! I watch the Seinfeld cleavage clip. I cry with laughter. Word count; 446. 3.50pm; I see a picture of Graham-Grumpy Brown and he posts up a track ‘Lucia’

by M Caporale. Tune! I don’t like the way my column is panning out so I delete a section. Word count; 317.

4.30pm; I pop to Tesco. 5.45pm; I sit down at the computer, a healthy measure of Jack Daniels makes the ice in my glass pop with delight. I’ve had a thought and start to type again. This is going well. Another swig of JD. More typing and the need for some pork scratchings kicks in. I resist the urge. A couple of clicks and I go to Mixcloud. A new DJ name to me, Charlie Rae has a wicked little show posted. Word count; 527. 527 words and I don’t like any of them! 7.15pm; Sometimes, writing this column can be hard work, I always leave it to the last minute. I go to FB and look up the details for Birmingham’s next ‘Bruk Up’ night. The last time I was there I had a conversation with my mate, Michael Ledgister. He made a throwaway remark.

7.45pm; I delete everything that I have written thus far.

Word count; 0. 7.50pm; Michael’s comment resonates through my head. I start to type. 8.30pm; The ice in my Jack Daniels has melted. Word count; 963. 8.40pm; I stare at the screen. I have to cut at least 300 words from the feature. Where to start? I suppose I could lose this bit? But then that part won’t make sense. What if I shorten this paragraph? 9.30pm; Done Hopefully the wonderful Anna Benton won’t be sending it back to me for more cuts!

LEAVE YOUR EGO AT THE DOOR SoulHouse Music launched in October 2016, celebrates the cohesion of soul and house music combined. Lead by DJ and producer Mr Brian Power and his team, it’s busy creating a prolific collective of supreme industry talent including writers, producers, remixers and vocalists that share the same vision.

“Can you believe it?

2017 and musicians are back playing together again!’

- Greg Edwards

Creating the launch labyrinth are studio titans such as DJ Spen, Booker T and Ronnie Herel and writer/vocalists; Lifford, Lloyd Wade and Michelle John, recently seen on The Voice UK, and soon to be announced Sean Wright Phillips, the son of legendary footballer, Ian Wright. www.soulhousemusic.com

One of the key areas for SoulHouse Music is to expose staple soul classics to a new generation and make them aware of our rich soul history. Tracks such as ‘I Really Don’t Need No Light’ originally recorded by Jeffrey Osborne in 1982 are given the SHM treatment and a brand new lease of life to new audiences and dance floors alike.

“Another brand new track with a piece of the old school stamped all over it” www.soulhousemusic.com

-Jeff Young, Jazz FM

Whether you have heard a SoulHouse tune or not, you can rest assured this independent label is not only dedicated to soul and house fans worldwide but on it’s way to the top of the soul food chain.

www.soulhousmusic.com FOLLOW THE MUSIC

thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk C SOULHOUSEOFFICIAL M SOULHOUSETWEETS

Through high school I discovered Stevie Wonder, Prince, Chaka Khan, Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin and the list goes on.

FITZROY SPEAKS WITH

NIKKA COSTA

When your father’s friends are members of The Rat Pack and you practically grow up in an orchestra pit and recording apparatus, you’re more than likely going to be influenced without knowing it’s your chosen vocation. Nikka Costa by default became a child prodigy before reaching double figures in age selling millions of albums. She’s of the Gemini birth sign so musically she can be a chameleon, but she has a passion for soul, jazz, R&B and the blues.

Her new album is one of many orchestral manoeuvres in the dark, light and in-between shades of the black music rainbow. As a singer songwriter she most certainly has a ‘Silver Tongue’ who had a unique friendship with a certain sadly missed musical purple genius.

I’ve been listening to some of your musical endeavours and being honest I didn’t really know a lot about you and didn’t realise how versatile you were. Going back to the beginning, as a child your father Don Costa wrote for Frank Sinatra so I guess give us a synopsis of how it was growing up in that world around the likes of Sinatra and how that impacted on you.

I grew up in Hollywood and music was always in the house.

There were always jams in the home, my Dad had a studio downstairs where he recorded, so it was a natural part of my upbringing. After school I’d be doing my homework in his office or in the orchestra pit whilst he was recording something. My first recording was an accidental thing. I was only seven and my Father got me to sing at the end of a show he was doing in Milan. From there I did a record and it sold millions of copies, so it was a natural progression. If I’d gone on to be anything else, like a mathematician, it would have Page 12 - Issue 70

been really weird. I remember being with Frank Sinatra as a kid but only as a kid, I only saw artists like him as my Father’s friends who’d play with me at times.

I spoke with Jackie Jackson and Tito of The Jackson 5 who both had a similar experience about growing up around music and just being kids having fun. What was your experience having had record deals on Polydor and CBS from 1981 aged around 8 or 9?

Those records were of full orchestration that my Dad arranged and were classic standards with an 8-year-old chipmunk singing (Nikka laughs). I did ‘On My Own’ from Fame that Irene Cara sang, as it was my favourite movie back then, which became a huge hit. This current record is kind of full circle for me because I’m covering some classic standards again which is like revisiting a comfortable pair of slippers to me.

Where you break out and find your own identity, it would appear as an R&B soloist, is your album ‘Theta’ came out it 2001. The track ‘Everybody’s Got That Something’ is quite interesting because it has a Sly & The Family Stone meets Larry Graham / Graham Central Station essence and it’s funky. I liked ‘Like A Feather’ which is like a human heart box meets hip-hop with a touch of Prince, and ‘Some Kind Of Beautiful’ is also very funky.

How did that album fair for you as a maturer adult as opposed to the chipmunk child prodigy that you were back then?

I grew up with jazz and watching these amazing entertainers, so it was in my psyche. Through high school I discovered Stevie Wonder, Prince, Chaka Khan, Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin and the list goes on and on. I started digesting those harmonies and it became my love for the emotion of the pain and tragedies of soul music that turned into joy. It may sound like heartbreak but it turns into revelation, which really hit home for me. It became my dream to be able to fit with those people musically and make that kind of music. I was also into rock like Led Zepplin and Lenny Kravits, The Beatles and The Pretenders. I started writing in Australia doing funk and rock and that is where I started coming into my own. I formed bands doing tours, driving the bus and putting up posters.

Then I came back to the USA and did ‘Everybody’s Got That Something’ and homed into that funk sound. My producer, husband Justin Stanley hooked up with Mark Ronson who was just a DJ then and we made the ‘Everybody’ record together in our various bedrooms in New York. At the same time D’Angelo

was releasing his 2nd album and we were label mates, so being around that scene and with Lauren Hill’s album coming out at the same time, they had a lot of influence. So you go on that journey and just land somewhere.

You’ve worked with Lenny Kravits, Van Hunt and the legendary Billy Preston on ‘Just Because’. I understand the passion and the attraction to black music, as I’ve been around it all my life and coming from a Jamaican upbringing. There is such a plethora and a multitude of music albeit jazz, soul, R&B or doo-wop, and I was naturally submerged in it. So I understand anyone within or outside of the culture becoming immersed into loving black music. This leads me on to your ‘Pebble To A Pearl’ album and was pleasantly surprised as it’s different to the previous album. Some tracks like ‘Stuck On You’ and ‘Can’t Please’ have a 60’s almost Northern Soul style. ‘Pebble To A Pearl’ reminds me of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Boogie On Reggae Woman’. Was that intentional?

It just happened to be that way and then we decided to go for that vintage 70’s Stevie clavinet production with a moog bass. We also had James Gadson who played a lot of drums for Stevie Wonder in the studio with us. We played the tracks down to tape so it has a very 70’s way of being recorded and all the mistakes and breaths are there, which added to the stickiness of the soul and gives it that heartbeat.

Out 2 June 2017

Featuring Nikka Costa’s latest single ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ Pre-order now...

po.st/Nikka

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Yes there are other songs like ‘Keep Pushing’, ‘Without Love’ and ‘Damn I Said It First’ which has a reggae feel to it, (Nikka: “Yeah.”) even though it’s funk, which adds to that diversity, and this was around 2008.

I had my daughter Sugar who was around 2-3 and it was the first record I made coming out of those woods of being a first time mum. That was just a big funk explosion and it’s a favourite album of mine and they are great songs to do live.

We have lots of audience participation and were just jamming and having a good time.

experimented doing more electronic 80’s Duran Duran type of stuff. Then I had a minor hit with an EP in Germany called ‘Ching Ching’ and ‘Headfirst’ was around the time I regained my love for doing funk again. The original recording of it was electronic so I thought it would be really cool to do this version with the new arrangement and doing it in a show is so beautiful.

To Read The fullI likedNikka Costa the fact that it has a kind of hip-hop drum break beat within and it also reminds me of Betty Davis’s ‘Anti Love Song’ interview subscribe with that sensual sext talkvia very similar to what’s in your song. I actually thought the next track on the album ‘Lover You Should www.thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk In contrast your new album is a more left of the right movement Have Come Over’ was an extension of ‘Headfirst’ because the going into a jazzy bluesy with orchestration production. It gives you a completely different sound. You done some interesting covers like the cover of Prince’s ‘Nothing Compares To You’ and Marvin Gaye’s ‘Ain’t That Peculiar’ and ‘Stormy Weather’. There is a synopsis of how you made each record on your website but what made you record ‘Ain’t That Peculiar’ the way you did?

Well I didn’t want to do Marvin’s version the same.

I like to do super familiar songs in a way that people can hear it in a new way and recognise the lyrics and guess which song it is. Some people say they have never heard all the words or never connected with the song in the same way until they hear my version. So you can open windows to how people interpret different versions and I love ‘Ain’t That Peculiar’ because it’s fun to sing and it has a swing that’s groovy.

The song that is as near to having a club edge is ‘Cry To Me’ which reminds me of Gene Chandler’s ‘Duke Of Earl’ in parts. (Nikka sings the chorus ‘Duke Of Earl’ and falls in to what Fitzroy is hinting at.)

It might have been the same era because it’s a Solomon Burke song. I really like signing that song, especially live.

Another track that caught my attention was ‘Headfirst’. What led to you writing that?

I did it on an EP after the ‘Pebble To A Pearl’ album. I went through a phase of not wanting to do a funk record and Page 14 - Issue 70

strings are in the same kind of key, which kind of threw me. What audience are you trying to capture with this album?

I don’t really think about that as I like all kinds of music and this came out of the shows we were doing. After having my son I was dipping my toe into the idea of making another record. I did a charity gig in LA with my good friend Jeff Babko and a string quartet and the response was so great that we decided to play more shows and people kept coming back bringing the family dynamics from kids to grandmas enjoying the music.

Performance wise it’s a completely different thing to my funk stuff. It’s very night and day and so me, because I’m a Gemini. It’s a very different side of me and it snowballed into this record. I met Bob Clairmountain, a legendary mixer and producer, at a party and we got excited at the prospect of working together. We did a crowd-funding thing to get the album recorded, as I wanted to do something different.

I think it’s important to speak about the song ‘Silver Tongue’ which came about when Prince contacted you for a poem and you sent him the lyrics. He said it has a jazz overtone and it ended up as a B-side to one of his tracks. So now your version is a cover of your own composition as Prince did it first (Nikka laughs). How did you feel at your accolade of having Prince approach you and even more so now he has passed, what is the significance of ‘Silver Tongue’?

Prince and I had been friends since 2001 and had lots of collaborations over the years either on stage or when he covered songs of mine before, like ‘Push & Pull’ on his tours.

Street date: June 23

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So it’s like some kind of weird dream when I’m reminded of this, he would call me often and let me know what he was doing, and sometimes I’d perform with him.

When he asked me for a poem I only really had lyrics of something I’d written so I sent those to him. He did this super jazz version with a piano and it was really cool and beautiful, and being honest I was quite taken aback. I didn’t really know what his intentions were whether he wanted me to record it or what, but I didn’t care because he liked it. Prince was into jazz at that point and released it as a B-side. It wasn’t in my plan before to record the song myself because it didn’t fit in to previous projects, until we started doing this album.

During the time that we were performing the song at gigs and recording the album, unfortunately Prince passed away. So it does add more weight now.

Your album is coming out in June, will you be coming over to London with a live orchestra?

Yeah I’m coming over because I make records to do the gigs and connect with the audience. The string thing is special because people don’t get to see that live often. To see those musicians perform with such mastery, it is on another level and people really respond to it. It’s a sound we don’t hear unless we are classical freaks and it resonates with people in a deep way.

It’s been really good speaking with you and thanks for your time and hope the album does well. I think it is sonically a very listenable album.

Thank you and I hope we get to meet when I’m in the UK.

Read Nikka Costa’s record review on page 27

Page 16 - Issue 70

Thanks to Peter at Nobel PR and Imogen Pedlar (Metropolis London Music) for arranging the interview and supplying the images.

Well what can I say, apart from WOW! It’s been an incredible few months since you, the loyal readers of Soul Survivors Magazine made me your Soul DJ of the Year “runner up” and I just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU. Props to Fitzroy and the team and sincere appreciation from me, to you all. See you on the dancefloor throughout 2017 and beyond!! - Jon Jules 10th June Ruby Soul Soulful Sessions at Royal Ascot

20-23rd June Summe r Soulstice Barnet 24th June L ove Injection Club One Berkshire 30th June Pam’s Alfresc o In The Park, Ipswich 28th July Love Injection Club One Berkshire

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The difference between Kool & The Gang, The Commodores, Parliament, and us was that we made sure our roots were grounded in academia and studies.

FITZROY SPEAKS WITH

Keith Killgo Yet another example of an artist whose parent’s genes ran through the tip of his fingers literally. Keith Killgo’s father was an accomplished jazz pianist and as a child Keith showed musical flair to follow in the same path but was eventually drawn to the sound of the drum. He became an integral member of the late Dr Donald Byrds’ portage group of students, The Blackbyrds and ended up making eight ‘Do It Fluid’ albums for Fantasy Records. Coming to Margate Soul Festival in August, Keith talks of how The Blackbyrds are still ‘Walking In Rhythm’ and moving in sound.

Your father was Harry Killgo a jazz pianist and you come from Baltimore. I understand you studied piano with Roberta Flack, and by the age of 11 you had already played drums with Sonny Stitt, Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Art Blakey and Bill Harris. How do you remember those pre teen experiences?

There was a club in Washington DC called The Bohemian Caverns and my father was friends with the owner, so I got a chance to see Sonny Stitt, Miles, Stanley Turrentine, Shirley Scott, Roy Brooks and many wonderful jazz artists. My father used to have rehearsals in the basement of our home, which is a legendary trademark for The Blackbyrds as well, because we also rehearsed in my parent’s basement.

People like Paul Chambers would come in and jam at jam sessions. I played by listening and started off playing the piano. I liked the drums too. My father’s group, called the JFK Quintet, featured Walter Booker, Andrew White, Ray Codrington, my Dad and Mickey Newman on drums. Mickey would leave his drums at our house, so Page 18 - Issue 70

when they all left I would go down and play the drums to their records. Dad had Art Blakey and Donald Byrd playing on his records. I love Philly Joe Jones, Tony Williams and Elvin Jones as I grew up listening to that music on that side. On the other side living in a house full of girls and cousins, I listened to a lot of Motown. I learned the hand dance and all that stuff, so it really was a musical experience growing up. My father would send me to The Bohemian Caverns at the weekends, and let me watch the musicians play. He eventually asked me if I wanted to play and of course I said yes. I stood in with Sonny Stitt when I was around 8 to 9 years old.

Did you know then that your vocation was in music?

Absolutely! My education came from reading all the liner notes on the Blue Note Records, which I did as much as I was able. I am now a historian about jazz and jazz artists, because I did so much reading and research.

You end up going to Howard University. Were you there around the same time as Donny Hathaway and Leroy Hutson?

No, they were 10 years older than us. Andrew White and Roberta Flack were almost 20 years older than us and had already been there. I was asked by Donald Byrd to go to Howard University before I went to Bradley University in Illinois because I wanted to get out of Washington DC. I went to the mid west, then Kevin Toney and I met, and eventually I went to Howard University in 1973. I graduated in 1971 from high school.

Do you remember the first formation of the band when Donald was teaching at the university with Kevin Toney and Barney?

We all graduated at the same time, they came from Detroit and I went to Bradley. The formation of the band was Kevin, Barney, Joe Chamber, playing drums, Roland Wilson playing bass and Billy Harper and Nathan Davis on saxophones.

(Fitzroy “Nathan Davis who did ‘Tragic Magic’?”) Yes, he was from Pittsburg, (Fitzroy: “Wow!”) and that was the first line up of the band. Then Allan Barnes, Kevin Toney, Barney Perry, Joe Chambers and Roland Wilson. When those guys got on Donald Byrd’s nerves he got rid of them and then I came into the band. When I joined, Joe Hall hadn’t joined yet as he was in Maryland University. So David Williams played bass on the very first album, which was recorded on Fantasy.

Also on that album was Oscar Brashear, Allan Barnes, Barney Perry, Kevin Toney, Ray Armando on percussion and myself.

Before the band was called The Blackbyrds I read that other names were being toyed with like The Collegians or the Black Collegians, is that correct?

Well, we sat in the car during a break from recording the Fantasy debut and we spoke about Jimmie Lunceford who had a band in Alabama state called The Collegians but they ended up stealing all the band equipment, so I guess we didn’t want to be called that. So pretty much between us we came up with Blackbyrds because of Byrd’s success with ‘Blackbyrd’ produced by Larry and Fonce Mizell.

I’m aware that Donald Byrd knew your father, as mentioned earlier and your father asked Donald for some tutelage from him, so do you remember how Donald was able to shop getting you a deal with Fantasy Records? How did you feel as students still learning but embarking on making an album with an established label within the Prestige camp?

The thing was that my father recorded on Riverside so I had already met Orrin Keepnews when I was 7 to 8 years old. The JFK Quintet put out three records but only two were released

‘Young Ideas’ and ‘New Frontier’ both on Riverside. The connection was that Donald used to come down to DC when he was at Columbia and play with my Dad at the weekends. We’d play at a place called The Left Bank Jazz Society in Baltimore where I played in the band with my Father, Kitta Betts and Newman Brown who also played in the band. The thing of shopping with Fantasy was that Byrd already knew Orrin Keepnews, so Orrin was kind of familiar with everything.

Orrin had moved his label to Fantasy at the same time.

Round the same time, Fantasy picked up Wayne Henderson’s portage, Pleasure, your label mates. (Keith: “We were a little before Pleasure but yeah that happened.”) I guess, with all the connections your father had including Donald and Orrin it was a great platform to be on.

The Blackbyrds debut album is a brilliant one with ‘Do It Fluid’ and ‘Gut Level’. Listening to them today, before I spoke to you, reminded me of how superb an album it is. ‘The Runaway’, ‘Do It Fluid’ part 2 and ‘Funky Junkie’ are some of the greats on there with Donald Byrd contributing too. With Sky High Productions I understand the Mizell Brothers wrote and produced the first two albums? (Keith: “Yes.”) What did you know of the Mizell Brothers who also went to Howard University?

Fonce studied trumpet with Donald and was part of the Corporation that wrote ‘I Want You Back’ and ‘ABC’ for The Jackson 5 with Freddie Perrin. Larry was an astro physicist and wasn’t in the music field, more of a science thing. The brothers decided to get together and start producing music.

Donald knew Fonce so with Larry they collaborated and the original ‘Blackbyrd’ record was recorded for Lee Morgan and Lee Morgan got killed. So they needed someone to deal with it so that’s where Byrd came in (Fitzroy: “I didn’t know that.”)

When you recorded ‘Flying Start’ with my fave ‘The Baby’ and you wrote ‘Love Is Love’, how did you guys feel having rehearsed and previously played behind Donald Byrd but now recording a studio album?

It was good to hear the music but we were learning musicians.

I was kind of pissed off that I didn’t get to write a song on the first album so ‘Love Is Love’ was me working hard to get on the record. It nearly never made the album, I wrote it in Allan Barnes living room and Allan’s uncle, Bobby Barnes said that he loved the song and we’d better put it on the album. Bobby Barnes was one of Donald’s mentors as well so that helped.

I played keyboards on that song too. Our record coming out was ok and we were on the road most of the time so never got to really listen to it. I didn’t really want to because I just wanted to write another song and that was our approach to chomp at the bit and get back into the studio. thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

The track that catapulted you into the commercial arena was ‘Walking In Rhythm’, so do you remember what led to you writing that very melodic song?

these two grooves. That was how ‘Happy Music’ and ‘Rock Creek Park’ started out and I wrote the melodies for both of them.

Everybody brought music to rehearsals and this was one of Barney’s songs. He gave us the song and we just played it. I played a little bossa nova beat to it and we didn’t really think that much of it as we all had songs, it was just one of Barney’s songs. We liked the song but it was the public that made that song popular, we had no particular concept of what it was.

The lyrics are more ad-libs and it’s obvious in parts what’s being referred to, but in the nicest way. Rock Creek Park was somewhere where you and the guys used to spend a lot of recreation time. (Keith bursts out laughing… “You’re putting it very mildly.”) I didn’t mean it quite like that. I mean when you were away from the studio, it was a place you relaxed and to go fishing.

By the time you get to ‘City Life’ that you are moving more into a funky jazzfusion on the cusp of disco mode ‘Rock Creek Park’ is probably one of your biggest tracks I understand you came up with the groove whilst working with The Commodores?

We were at a sound check and I was playing bass, Joe was playing drums and we came back to the studio and laid down Page 20 - Issue 70

Yeah, more so me, Orville and Joe because Allan and Kevin are from Detroit. They really didn’t know anything about Rock Creek Park. I grew up three blocks from Rock Creek Park and used to go down there because it’s a family place where you can play golf and I used to ride my bike around there all the time. It has lots of cookouts so it was a family orientated thing. The neighbourhood I lived in was kind of middle class

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and the military hospital was nearby so it was a cool place to hang out and do things. ‘Doing It In The Park’ refers to many things because it was very much family orientated as well.

(Fitzroy: “Sure.”)

What I found interesting going through the sleeve notes was that Merry Clayton is the vocalist ad-libbing those sexy overtones proving she’s very versatile. (Keith: “She was a Raelette for Ray Charles.”). Great song and album. ‘Happy Music’ reminds me of Pleasure’s much later funk cut ‘Take A Chance’ (Keith: “Yeah I hear you on that”). It’s got some great guest artists featured including Gary Bartz and Patrice Rushen but the sleeve notes don’t tell you who plays on what.

You also wrote ‘Flying High’. (Keith: “Yes.”) Although there had been personnel changes you could tell the group was developing their sound and then for me you twisted things when you did ‘Unfinished Business’. You were heading more into the disco funk fusion mode with the ‘Time Is Movin’ bassline. I noticed that you guys took more of a back seat assuming more of a playing role with female lead vocals on a few tracks, is that right?

even hipper than the one that came out. It was one of those songs that no one asked any questions when I presented it, we just recorded it. It permeated in the spirit straight from my heart. My own specialty, and it’s funny but we never spoke of those things although Donald Byrd comes from a very religious family. His father was a Methodist minister. There were a lot of underlying things that were not necessarily spoken but were certainly felt so that’s one of the songs I’m most proud of because it was recorded in one take. (Keith laughs).

Ok, there were two other songs that were sampled off that album, one ‘Soft & Easy’ for Full Force’s ‘Can I Get Your Number?’ and the other was ‘Dreaming About You’ for The Lynch Mob ‘Lord Have Mercy’. (Keith: “Wiz Khalifa sampled it for ‘Ink My Body’.”)

Your last album on Fantasy was ‘Better Days’ produced by George Duke. The track that I loved from that album was ‘I Don’t Know What To Say’ that Greg Edwards used to play. I also liked ‘Love Don’t Strike Twice’ and ‘Soft & Easy’ part two. So how was it working with George Duke?

To read the full Keith Killgo interview subscribe via More of a blend of vocals. We liked the way the females add George Duke was a very good musician, it was a pleasure to www.thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk their high octaves to blend in with out lower male voices. So work with him but he didn’t understand a group philosophy. we really loved the ad-libs on ‘Party Land’, ‘You’ve Got That Something’ and Joe’s song ‘Lady’. We were vocally going in another direction, singing more of our own vocals and background.

You mentioned my favourite track on the album ‘Lady’. It sounds very Mizell Brothers esque did they have anything to do with that song because the credits don’t show that?

No it’s Joe’s song. (Fitzroy: Wow the production sounds similar to ‘Street Lady’ and ‘Lansanas Priestess’. I really thought that they had produced it, but had not been credited. It’s an amazing track.)

The ‘Action’ album again is another switch and I know you wrote ‘Something Special’ and ‘Mysterious Vibes’. I must be honest even though I had the album what made me listen to ‘Mysterious Vibes’ and ‘Dreaming About You’ was when they were both sampled in hip-hop. Paris sampled ‘Mysterious Vibes’ nicely for ‘Days Of Old’ (Keith: “I remember that.”) I love ‘Mysterious Vibes’ because it has a spiritual esoterically ode to God. (Keith: “Yep.”) Your other albums speak universally, how important was it to do that song at that point in your career?

It was the spirit I was feeling when I wrote that song, directly related to God in my own spirituality. The original version is Page 22 - Issue 70

He was used to working with Miles Davis or Deniece William’s, Jeffery Osborne, Taste Of Honey and Seawind. It’s different when you have a band of jazz musicians. We wanna play and his production style was not so much about playing but accuracy and simplicity at another level. In my opinion he wasn’t able and it’s nothing major, to capture the essence of what the group sounds like so consequently it doesn’t really sound like The Blackbyrds. It had some simulation in it with straight lead vocals with James Garrett and I sang ‘Do It Girl’ and ‘What We Have Is Right’. We had a combination of background and lead vocals and because he is a vocalist there was more emphasis on vocals and less on music. The arrangements were good with Jerry Hey from Seawind on horns and Sheila Escovedo, but without that urban rawness it didn’t sound like The Blackbyrds . It was too perfect and our music doesn’t sound perfect, it has mistakes in it, breaths and pulsates. That record was so sterile and he didn’t really capture what I would consider was, The Blackbyrds.

I agree with you, George worked with Frank Zappa, Cannonball Adderley and produced Dee Dee Bridgewater. George has a specific sound and one of the tracks off the album sounds like Cameo. At the time there were other great bands like the Ohio Players, Earth Wind & Fire, Parliament, Pleasure and many others so as a group of players how would you describe the synergy with Kevin Toney, Orville Saunders, Allan Barnes and Joe Hall and why you stood out?

Our whole thing came from academia and education. We were studying classical music and analysing Chopin and Rachmaninov, as it was about learning music. Groups like Earth Wind & Fire, Parliament and Kool & The Gang, we played with all of them. When we were not playing with Donald we also played with Alan White, Joe Henderson and Gary Bartz at jazz gigs, so we were more than just The Blackbyrds. We weren’t really competing with those other outfits as a band, because we did more than just playing as The Blackbyrds, and it kept us fresh. The humility that music has, that nobody owns it and that with music as you become better, the more you know the more you grow. If I stopped learning it’s time to die for me. That whole piece was our philosophy to keep learning so the difference between Kool & The Gang, The Commodores, Parliament, Funkadelic, Jimmy Castor Bunch, Choice Four and BT Express and all those bands and us, was that we made sure our roots were grounded in academia and studies.

Going back to one of the albums I forgot to mention was the sound track to ‘Bread, Earl & Me’, which features ‘Wilfred’s Gone’ sample by Gang Star for ‘Say Your Prayer’. I read that there was another film soundtrack you were supposed to do called ‘Hit The Open Man’?

‘Hit The Open Man’, they never did the movie but they used the lyrics of Cornbread. ‘In the heat of the night on the ball on the floor, on the court of the side of the hall.’ That was part of the lyrics to that song which I sang. I was kind of the lead singer for The Blackbyrds if you can call it that. My Father used to describe it as pedestrian vocals. (Fitzroy: “That’s a great phrase!” (They both laugh.)

On the inside of the ‘Flying Start’ album it mentioned that you worked with Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Freddie Hubbard, EWF, Gladys Knight and Kool & The Gang. Roberta Flack gave a great accreditation on The Blackbyrds, which endorses what you said earlier. I wanted to ask, how come apart from the 1973 ‘Blackbyrd’ recording, you guys never played on any of Donald’s other remaining Blue Note albums?

We did, they just wouldn’t put our names on. That’s us on ‘Dominoes’, ‘Places & Spaces’, and ‘Caricatures’. (Fitzroy: “Was that for contractual reasons?”) Yeah, I guess whatever the politics were. When Donald went to Elektra Asylum, Joe wrote ‘Loving You’ and that’s me playing pretty much drums on every song.

I think that’s something many would want to know because who else would know how to play better than you guys on Donald’s material.

Right we played on a lot of stuff.

I can guess with the changing faces of music that a lot of funk bands were reduced by losing their horn sections being replaced by synthesised technology. Was it that evolution of music that made the band redundant to the label?

We didn’t disband from music at all, we disbanded because it was time to do something else. We did all the legal stuff with music but it was time to move on with life. Kevin left and moved to California after he did a record with Fantasy that did nothing. Everybody rolled out and did what they had to do.

I got four children and four grandkids so I had to do the rest of living my life. I still played and recorded, doing ‘Mood For Love’ in 1996 and then in 1999 Chris Mogans who was with ‘Down to The Bone’ asked me to put the band back together and come to England and play at The Jazz Cafe. (Fitzroy: Yes I know because I was the DJ and you guys signed my album) (Keith: “Yes that’s right.”) On my ‘Action’ album you wrote ‘Love Is Love Keith Killgo 1999’. That was a great gig as I never saw you guys in your prime. When you have a band that sound just like they do on record that’s when you know how good they are.

In 2012 we recorded ‘Gotta Fly’ and that was the last record Allan Barnes was on who passed last year. It’s been a hell of a journey.

I love ‘Gotta Fly’ because it really is a trip back to the early Blackbyrds with an ode to Donald Byrd especially using elements of ‘Blackbyrd’. On part of the horn section it uses a riff from Donna summers ‘Bad Girls’ (Keith: “Yeah, right the bridge.”)

I really like the version of Donny Hathaway’s ‘Someday We’ll All Be Free’, who was the vocalist on that?

That’s Mia Shivan from Oakland California and doing that song, which I wrote the arrangement for, was the inspiration to do the whole album. It was just a fun record to do and we wanted to get the energy out.

Your returned back to the UK at Under The Bridge in 2015, which was special, and again I had the honour of DJ-ing. I saw the rehearsals and have memories of Orville spinning round on the stage like a turtle on its back. The turn out was fantastic. Was that your first time back since the 1999 concert?

Oh no we played a few places and places like Brighton, Southampton. That gig in Chelsea was the first time back with Allan involved and we enjoyed the love and the experience in that venue.

I heard a rumour that you guys are coming over to do a tribute to Donald Byrd with Larry Mizell? thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

Yes we are playing at The Barbican on 9th June with The Blackbyrds featuring Russell Gun on trumpet, Larry Mizell and Donald Byrd III.

Yesterday I was watching Jackie Wilson and showing my students how Michael Jackson got his dance steps from Jackie.

I’m trying to get them to understand that there are those who owned their own music and had their own publishing companies a long time ago. It’s how I’ve been in this business and been able to put four kids through college playing and teaching music as a viable liveable career. It’s not just about being on stage and being famous, but about returning the information so someone else can do it too, and not just one at a time. I have a student called Paul Spires and he could have gone left right, upside down at any point but music saved his life and kept him out of jail. It kept him from getting shot and off the streets doing what he was doing because he was in the studio recording or on tour with me or on the road with his own band. It gave him that impetus to snatch him up and see how it works and he’s got the bug. You can’t save them all but you want to lay a platform down so that it’s accessible for them to get to the knowledge. My Mother used to always say “You can take a horse to water but you cannot make it drink.” The point is that we have to at least lead them there so they have the opportunity. If they don’t drink well we can’t force them but if we can encourage that thirst then they will.

Catch The Blackbyrds at Margate Soul Festival 4th-6th August 2017

You’re going to do the Margate Soul Festival in Margate in August (Keith: “Yes, and that will be all Blackbyrds stuff.”)

Apart from recording with The Blackbyrds what other artists albums are you featured on?

We recorded with Bobbi Humphrey, a live album in Japan with Joe Henderson, I recorded with Gary Duncan and The Quick Silver Messenger Service and saxophonist Andrew White. I’m credited on Bobbi Humphrey’s live album in Montreal.

A nice way to end this is for you to say who you would regard as still having their chops from years ago that’s still going?

My favourite of all time is Bernard Purdie. (Fitzroy: “Ahh.”) Bernard is 77-78 years old and is still smashing it up. I love Harvey Mason, as I used to listen to all of his beats, Steve Gadd and one of my main ones who died recently, Alphonse Mouzon. I used to play with Larry Coryell, which makes me have to mention Billy Cobham.

You mentioned earlier that you were teaching students and are a bit of a historian. Expand on that what you’re doing currently.

My goal now is in education and to set up fine arts programs for low income and impoverished communities. I’m going to run my own private company to help young folks learn what music is all about. When we first came to England in 1976, young people came up to me with albums that I’d been on for Bobbi Humphrey, Joe Henderson as well as The Blackbyrds.

They knew the history of the music and it was most impressive. That is what started my whole crusade. We went to Paris and Spain, met kids aged 13 and 14 and they knew who the artist’s representatives were and where they are musically. So that was a real eye opener for me. Kids in America, who have more access to the music than others don’t know that. They don’t know that Kayne West sampled Chaka Khan’s ‘Through The Fire’ or that Patti Labelle was not the original singer of ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’. Most musicians don’t put out books or literature to young people to learn the history of black music especially the black children. They don’t know where it comes from or why it sounds like it does now. As a teacher I make them research and go dig up people they have never heard of and do extensive reports on them and present them and talk to their peers. That’s the void that music is suffering from right now in education as there is no historical perspective on the difference between James Brown, Wilson Pickett or Joe Tex or between Johnny Taylor and Billy Paul.

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Keith thanks for your time I really enjoyed speaking with you.

I really enjoyed speaking with you too and look forward to seeing you soon.

Thanks to Roy Marsh for organising the interview.

thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

Record Reviews This editions selection an anthology, a few independent solo albums, a Motown reissue, a variety of singles, two modernised disco boogie albums and an assorted disco compilation. It’s a right pick ’n’ mix..so dip in and enjoy.

Donald Byrd & 125th Street N.Y.C ‘Love Has Come Around’ (The Elektra Anthology 1978-1982) - BBR It was we that truly love music who gave love and shelter to Donald Byrd when the jazz police wanted him arrested for his experiments and fusion of jazz funk and soul from the late 1960’s through to the mid / late 1970’s. When Donald finished serving his long, almost 20 years tenure at Blue Note, the evolving Elektra label gave him the platform to make his last four R&B jazz funk albums. This anthology features the complete catalogue and showcases Donald blowing his horn, singing, monologuing and producing in an evolution of changing sounds from 1978-1982. CD 1 highlights his up-tempo electro boogie phase with ‘Sexy Dancer’ and ‘Ego Tripping’ and his classic 4-floor pre house piano riffed ‘Love Has Come Around’. It’s still an absolute pleasure to listen to Blackbyrds bassist’s Joe Hall’s delightful composition ‘Loving You’. Donald’s trademark interweaving underneath, in between and playing alongside accompanying vocals trumpet ad-libs are evident on ‘Giving It Up’, and ‘Haven’t You Heard The News?’ In contrast Donald revisits his jazz routes with Clare Fisher’s classy instrumental ‘Morning’. Side two features the mellower and funkier classic soul cuts ‘Pretty Baby’, ‘I Love Your Love’, and Orville Saunder’s (Blackbyrds guitarist) self belief ode ‘Close Your Eyes And Look Within’. Fusing soul and jazz check out slower and mid tempo jams Cristo Redentor and an EWF esque ‘Gold The Moon, White The Sun’. Syretta on ‘Sunning In Your Love Shine’ also features an opening monologue from Donald. This Blackbyrd’s ‘Change’ should make you wanna hustle!!

Leee John ‘Retropia’ - Cristal Records Leee John, one of the UK’s premier falsetto vocalists spanning 40 years for many an Imagination classic and also as a solo artist, continues that legacy with ‘Retropia’. Blending various genres and influences of classic soul, pop, rock, jazz and R&B, it’s an all round ‘Flashback’ of retro utopia, hence the title Retropia. Opening up with ‘Utopia’ it carries hallmarks of Norman Whitfield’s early 1970’s Temptation’s productions. This project proved to be a labour of love in parts, with Leee working with some of his Brit Funk pals of yesteryear including Incognito’s Bluey, Level 42’s Mike Lindrup and Loose Ends’s Steve Nicholls. Leee gets acoustically jazzy with ‘Solitude’ and acoustically atmospheric with ‘Hello Goodbye’. ‘Do It Right’ now is a catchy steppers dance floor cut and in contrast Leee’s funky rock version of ‘Highway To Hell’ showcases his more raspy octaves.

Leee’s providential ode to his recently departed sister comes through on ‘Brighter Day’ and visits some gospel church roots on ‘Make Up Your Mind’. Leee flexes between a less familiar alto, tenor and bass octave as well as his usual falsetto, on this project. Examples to be heard on his covers of ‘Tell Her Love Has Felt The Need’, ‘Police & Thieves’ produced by the legendary Dennis Bovell, ‘Just An Illusion’ and my fave Stevie Wonders ‘Visions’. Some of these are of the four hidden tracks, but two of the visible ones a Ten City ‘Under You’ esque ‘The Best I Could’ and a very Prince tinged ‘Krash’ are certain note worthy.

Keni Stevens ‘Out Of The Blue’ Soul-Chilli Records.

I’d say… Cool Million if you are looking for a male vocal gem, listen to the UK’s Keni Stevens’ very distinctive voice. This is a classic modern soul album with the occasional muted trumpet insertions with musicality and a clean production. The title cut ‘Out Of The Blue’ is the most up-tempo with great melodies, horns and key changes. Keni manages to make a sad topic like ‘Over You’ sound quite joyous. Jess Stevens duets well with Keni on the gospel blues ballad ‘All That I Know’ two tracks ahead of a Chante Moore ‘Loves Taken Over’ flavoured ‘Sweeter Than Love’. The background vocals add balance to Keni’s rich and warm vocal delivery on another hot album contender, a rare groove effort feat Steve Salvari, namely ‘Come Into My Life’. I like the vocal synergy on ‘One Way Ticket To Love’ and there’s an ménage of MJB’s ‘Happy’ on ‘The Love You Give’. Very listenable!

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Eric Roberson ‘Earth’ - Dome Records Check out this latest Eric Roberson 6 track CD innovation. There is an interesting mixture of soul, funk, jazz and spiritual gospel both vocally and musically. ‘Looking For’ hints elements of EW&F’s ‘Serpentine Fire’ in its production followed by an anti materialistic, confidence boosting, jazz funky tale within Million Dollars. Musically the musicians are tight on whatever tempo is delivered as exampled on a military drum driven and atmospheric messaged ‘Dreams Don’t Have Deadlines’. Maybe if I’d heard the monologue and soulful organs and production of ‘First Loved Jesus’ when I went to Sunday school, I’d be a choirboy now… (Nah perish the thought). Great track though. Eric pays an unusual ode to his local Newark hospital with lyrics that make you hear this in a gospel vein. Lastly the most outstanding track is the empowering message to the black community via ‘Superman’ featuring Glenn Lewis. Pure 2017 Stevie Wonder First & Fulfilness essences.

Nikka & Strings ‘Underneath And In Between’ - Metropolis Recordings Nikka Costa is the talented daughter of Don Costa who conducted and arranged for the late Frank Sinatra. A soul singer at heart Nikka exercises her jazz, soul, gospel and blues comfort zone with an emphatic orchestration and cinematic production over 11 songs. It’s a mixture of her own compositions and a few covers including Prince’s ‘Nothing Compare’s To You’ and her own co-written with and recorded by Prince cut ‘Sliver Tongue’. Nikka puts an unusual twist on Marvin Gaye’s ‘Aint That Peculiar’ and a modern classical production vibe to Solomon Burkes 60’s hit ‘Cry To Me’. ‘Headfirst’ from an old EP and in parts sensual like Betty Davis’s ‘Anti Love Song’, could have been written for or performed by Prince. It’s that good, and gets a funky drummer break beat treatment. The strings are very prevalent in this album and you may get caught out by the ballad ‘Lover You Should Have Come Over’ as an extension of the previous track. Nikka’s song writing vocal delivery has a certain listening quality when she’s story telling with enthused passion as heard on ‘Don’t Let The Sun Catch You Crying’. Accompanied by some great musicians, Nikka’s album. This album most certainly goes underneath and in-between the fringes of jazz, soul and the blues Nikka Costa style.

BB Boogie ‘Standing On The Wall’ - R2 Records Original Bugz In The Attic musical insect Daz I Kue aka BB Boogie, regresses like Benjamin Button back to the 80’s boogie fever that consumed him. My personal favourite is track 1 ‘Sweating And Shaking’, listen and you’ll understand. Vanessa Freeman brings that infectious millennium boogie to the fore vocalising ‘We Can Do It’ as does Kevin Bryant delivering an 80’s spirited hand clapping spectacle to the album title ‘Standing On The Wall’. I love the ferocious energy of the funky drum breakbeat thunderbolt ‘Opposition’ feat Greg Blackman and Joy Jones’s brilliant interpretation of Unlimited Touch’s ‘In The Middle’. As an ode to the percussionists who have influenced many of the jazz funk and soul grooves over the last half-century, the War ‘Flying Machine’ simulated instrumental ‘Nakayo Liquid Motion’ is a brilliant tribute.

Reminds me of ‘The Younger Generation’ hence befittingly, ‘Stay Woke’ as a contemporary boogie rap track is impressive. Well done Daz represent west London these days in Atlanta G. A.USA. You need this bug in your musical attic.

Joey Negro ‘Produced with Love’ - ZR Records Soul Survivors Magazine Award Winning Best DJ Remixer Dave Lee aka Joey Negro releases his second album full of retro disco and 80’s memorabilia. He has enlisted the experience of female vocalists, Melba Moore on ‘Anyway’ and the late Diane Charlemange on ‘Overnight Sensation’ and ‘Prove That You’re Feeling Me’. I hear with my bionic ear influences of BB&Q, Chic, Diana Ross and Vaughn Mason amongst other inspiring 80’s moog and synth anecdotes on a very polished production. Stand out cuts that are more underground and grimy, include the funky clavinet instrumental with ad lib choruses ‘Distorting Space Time’ and the Kraftwork inspired electro boogie tinged ‘It’s More Fun To Compute’. ‘Dancing Into The Stars’ and ‘Must Be The Music’ champion much of the album does lend itself to that commercial dance disco sound, that’s not quite penetrating 4-floor house but fits in for mixing purposes. ‘Stomp Your Feet’ has a good party vibe to it and Linda Clifford narrates on a house produced ‘Won’t Let Go’.

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LCO feat Omar ‘It’s So’ / ‘History’ - EP Imagenes I’m a fan of these guys in their quest to keep the flavour of the old school at the forefront. They have given Omar’s classic afro broken beat ‘It’s So’ a millennium disco twist that works perfectly with the live feel of strings, horns, bridges and key changes as though Omar recorded it that way first. Both vocal and instrumental are ‘Essential’ listening. ‘History’ with a mesmerising instrumental also, does in contrast remind me of Linda Clifford’s ‘Runaway Love’ groove slightly with Omar slithering his trade mark lead, background and ad libs, like a desert snake does with ease on a sand dune. Vocals: Omar Lye-Fook Keys: Xantone Blacq, Bass: Mateus Nova, Guitar: Raphael Delphino, Drums: Juan Laya, Horns: John Allen, Strings: Ben Brown and Percussion Alejandro Martinez. Produced by Juan Laya & Jorge Montiel. Both tracks deserve club and radio airplay, which I will do like Ramsey Lewis ‘Every Chance I Get’.

DJ Sensation ‘Lotus Disco’ - Expansion Records Hailed as the “new queen of disco” from Saigon, DJ Sensation caught the attention of Ralph Tee hence this out of the box release from Expansion. The selection doesn’t follow a specific rule of thumb but is a mixture of cheese and obscure disco boogie from the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. There’s an interesting electro boogie dub version of Geraldine Hunt’s ‘Can’t Fake The Feeling’ and camp disco choice of Grace Jones’s 1979 cut ‘On Your Knees’. The most obscure is ‘Love Rescue’ simulating a pitched up Kool & The Gang ‘Ladies Night’ rhodes riff, then switches to a mix of male and female vocals and a rap, strangely cut and pasted together. The more traditional 80’s boogie come from Shawne Jackson on a nicely produced ‘Loveline’ and two from Suzy Q rumbling bass lined ‘I Can’t Give You More’ and ‘Get On Up’ which is personally the best track for me. From the same Dee Dee Sharp album that gave us Easy Money, Sensation choses the up-temp philly disco cut ‘Breaking And Entering’. Take a ‘Voyager’ on this coming from the ‘East To West’ disco comp!

Afrish ‘We’re Ready’ - SO-UK Music Featuring some harmonious sax and trumpet horns, this typical retro 80’s sounding piece of UK Brit jazz funk, almost reminds me of a slower instrumental freshness of a Loose Ends’s 1982 ‘In The Sky’ UK Brit jazz funk serving. It’s a nice bit of time travelling with a continuous groove to make that body move. There seems to be a sense of great musicianship between Morgan Howell (Soulpersona), Terry Lewis (Mama’s Gun), Ben Edwards, Richie Beesley and Lee Murthwaite of SO-UK. As my first single I’d have been proud to have produced this kind of quality. Listen and hear for yourself.

Sister’s Love ‘With Love’ - P&C Records Recorded in the early 1970’s, it remained in the Motown vaults unreleased until it got a full vinyl release in the millennium. These ladies could most certainly sing for their supper, with much grit and funk to fill plenty a hungry soul belly. Cuts like ‘Communication’ and ‘Mr Fix It Man’ and soul powered ‘You’ve Got To Make The Choice’ have that stapled retro Motown sound afforded at times similarly to the Jackson 5. For the Northern Soul fans ‘Just A Little Misunderstanding’ is included and a pre disco ‘I’m Learning To Trust’ represent the up-tempo grooves. Switching genres check out the gospel church influenced ‘Turn On Your Lovelight’ and the monologued ballad ‘Do What You Gotta Do’. The tracks which catapulted Sister’s Love into rare groove history is their original cover of Curtis Mayfield’s ‘Give Me Your Love’ later extended in the late 80’s majestically by Danny Krevitts. Great CD release!!

Keith Thompson ‘Do You’ Keith Thompson responsible for Raze’s ‘Break For Love’ classic in 1987 has conjured up ‘Do You’, an infectious afro beat mix house groove. With strong vocals and harmonies, the subject matter is about following your dreams if your heart is true. Nice keyboard and horn riffs, programmed beats and ad libs are enveloped in this catchy rhythm.

Afro swing, Original and the four floor Fabio Tosti Under Dub mix are available on this release out now. Thanks Jamie Topham for sending it to me Fresh like Kool & The Gang… Exciting!!

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Shaila Prosper ‘Family’ / ‘Let Me Be Yours’ - Rhythm Records Trying to get a balance of something musical with technology and creating a sound to catch the discerning ear is an art. Phil Nugent my old boss at Studio FM radio 30 years ago first produced Shaila’s album back in 2000. These two tracks are currently receiving airplay on various radio platforms including playlistings on Mi-Soul. Shaila has a voice of distinction that reminds me on an early Beverly Knight 20 years back. It has clarity, depth and individuality and excels on the unity messaged ‘Family’. Both mixes are clean but the Soul Syndicate one with the jazzy rhodes, gives the illusion that the vocals has been sung differently, where only the tempo has increased slightly. ‘Let Me Be Yours’ has a strong club and radio friendly mix, but the Soul Syndicate one that I’ve got an exclusive of currently, is perfect the matrix one. Inspired respectfully by Cheryl Lynns ‘Encore ‘and Curtis Hairston’s ‘The Morning After’ it’s a throwback of the mid 80’s in the millennium. Out in June it’s perfect for that Curtis Hairston ‘Summertime’ vibe.

Rhythm Rhyme Revolution ‘DirtiStankinMoney’ - Sharpeye Barrie K Sharpe is no stranger to exploring musical endeavours of his ‘Masterplan’ kind. With Diana Brown & The Brothers he made an impact with that organic hybrid of UK ‘rare groove’ sounding funk with ‘Yes It’s You’ and ‘Hot Pants’ on Dez Parkes’ TUF label circa 1987, and with ‘Masterplan’ on FFRR 1990. This 7 inch on his own label, is a Fela Kuti, Afro funk influenced 3.35 minute long track, mainly instrumental with vocals ad libs. Barrie’s partner in rhyme is a multi-tasking musician Gareth Tasker who plays all the instruments. It’s simple maths Afro+Funk = Dancers groove. It is short and sweet but very infectious. The video has a longer version. The flip side is instrumental and this is the second single to the first SupaFunki which sold more than was originally anticipated. Available on Discogs and on the Sharpeye website, it’s destined to be a collectors item with a 300 vinyl press only. Buy it now cause it aint ‘Too Tough For Mr Big Stuff’.

Simon Law ‘Look To The Sky’ - Dome Records Premier UK and Stateside producer Simon Law returns with an eclectic well produced album for 2017. He reignites his previous Soul II Soul connections with Jazzie B on a reggae dub house tinged ‘Look To The Sky’ feat ex Nu Colours gospel vocalist Lain Gray. Simon’s enchanting ‘Morning Love’ the first single, features Caron Wheeler’s dulcet tones on a crisp sweet millennium soul vibe. Lain Gray is utilised heavily on this album on several tracks of varying tempos. Check him out on a cultural vibe with Maxi Priest on ‘Sunshine Girl’, and an up-tempo track to highlight ‘Message Of Love’. Personally I’m feeling Nadine Sutherland on a jazzy soul piece of sublimeness ‘Love Comes Back to You’. The orchestration and musicality retains a certain panache with atmospheric energies, in particular on two slower cuts ‘Heart Of The Beast’ feat Jennifer Schaffer, and most certainly on ‘My Heart Is Ready’ featuring Joanna Law. The latter features his sister sounding eerie and haunting yet very captivating. Also featuring Chante Moore on ‘Higher’ it looks like Simon’s passion and ‘Love Has Taken Over’! Quality!

Jay King ‘Helen’s Son’ - Expansion With this album Jay King has delivered a slice of delicate 2017 smooth soul. His voice is very soft and velvet like, oozing sensuality, opening up with the popular ‘Good Kinda Loving’, very much in the vein of a vocal inspiration Marvin Gaye. ‘Trying To Get To You Back’ is slightly mellower with an almost Isley ‘Between The Sheets’ feel, pursued by ‘Take My Breath Away’ with its swirling strings and grand piano antidotes. ‘The One’ is the funkiest up-tempo cut on an album that’s predominantly either mellow, mid or ballad in tempo. ‘Running’ evokes essences of Marvin Gaye ‘What’s Happening Brother’ with slightly up-tempo club and radio mixes tailor made for the UK’s modern dance floors. There’s elements of sultry sax riffs, spanish guitar and ocean waves in a personalised for anyone ‘Now We’re Making Love’ and ‘Where You Belong’. Lastly the titled cut ‘Helen’s Son’ is a befitting and powerful song about Jay’s late mother. She certainly would be proud of her sons touch of class album for sure.

All Reviews Written By Fitzroy Facey

thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

Mira Parkes

The Official Soul Survivors Balkan and Worldwide Correspondent.

ARMENIAN SOUL History has shown us that there were birth and sunsets of many nations over time. Some of them, however, have managed to survive, changed or adapted, with lots of scars, but wise and powerful because they have survived both sides of the sword. This is a story about Nyree, which carries the wisdom of old Armenian soul of her ancestors.

Yes, my music is kinda retro. The single ‘Brighter Shade of Love’ is a homage to classic soul, it has a seventies Motown vibe. As to whether I’m a soul singer? Tammi Terrell, Marvin Gaye, Aretha, they’re soul singers. I just try to sing soulfully.

Who is Nyree? Is there some special meaning behind this unusual name?

No, I used to sing a lot of classical and jazz music and I play piano and saxophone, but I’ve always listened to Minnie Riperton, Roberta Flack, and whenever I write my own stuff, it tends to lean towards Soul. As to my influences, I love singers and voices. I tend to really connect with male voices, maybe because my voice is quite low and I love the Michaels, McDonald, Jackson and George but I also love the purity of Karen Carpenter and Tracy Chapman. I’ve recently been listening to Letta Mbulu, who is just amazing, and then there are obviously the greats, Luther Vandross, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Al Green. I could go on forever!

Nyree means land of rivers, but is also an ancient name for Armenia, which is where I am originally from, although I was born in the UK. When you say Armenia, people first think of the Kardashians.

It seems to me that you are far from these kind of waters.

(Mira laughs) Well, one of the great things about Kim and Co is that they have definitely media spotlighted Armenia and its history.

But yeah, there is a big diaspora of Armenians all over the world, there are lots of us, especially artists, you may have heard of Cher, Charles Aznavour and Serj from System of a Down.

Armenia has a long musical tradition mostly in folk music as well as church music that is not based on the European tonal system, but on a system of Tetrachords. Your music has a retro feel of 60s, 70s, 80s. Would you call yourself a soul singer?

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Have you always made this kind of music and who are your influences?

Your new single is called ‘Brighter shade of love’. What is the song about? Does it mean love has no colour?

For me, the term ‘brighter’ means more vivid, more colourful but it’s not just about race or creed, it’s also about a quest of idyllic love, for perfection. I sing about looking at a masterpiece, and hoping that the person within the painting will actually become real, a bit like Pygmalion. I think we all want to believe in that perfect love, that transports us somewhere else.

Is this single a straight single release or is it from a forthcoming album?

‘discovered’, Firefairy was a production company we set up to bring the album to fruition.

You guessed it! I do have an album, it’s called International Girl and due for release later this year. I’m really looking forward to seeing what people think.

When is the album released and when can I get a copy?

Also, where can I see you perform live?

What will the album be like and why have you called the album ‘International Girl’?

Well, the album is pretty eclectic, a bit of this and that, it’s not one genre. I call it my ‘tapas’ album, and that’s just how I consider myself. I’ve lived all over the place, and speak various languages and have a strong appreciation for other cultures, from Europe to the Caribbean, so I consider myself an ‘International Girl’ and I think that there are lots of people who identify with that. Nowadays, people don’t associate with just one tribe, but feel part of an international tribe and that’s exactly how I’d like to my album to be perceived, genre less, boundary less in a way.

The Album is out later this year. I’m sure my peeps will talk to yours about an advanced copy! I’m currently rehearsing, and hope to perform live this summer but no dates are confirmed as yet. I’ll definitely let you know.

Have you released anything previously, and are you planning a follow up album?

This is my first album. I’ve recorded bits and pieces before but never to this standard. I was more of a live performer.

Regarding a follow up album, absolutely! I’m continuously writing but like I did for this album, I hope to write around 40 or so songs, before deciding on its direction.

Where did you record the album?

What are your dreams and where do you see yourself in the future?

Mainly in London. We did bits and pieces in Miami, Paris, and the Caribbean. Our motto was “Have laptop, will travel!” The whole album was recorded on a laptop apart from using studios for recording things.

I dream about always being able to make music, for me, it’s not about where I see myself. The biggest blessing would be to make music that touches others and that lives forever.

How did your label ‘Firefairy’ discover you?

Thank you, Nyree! Looking forward to your ‘International Girl’ and wish you all success with the album!

I went to a Christmas party, dressed as a reindeer, and randomly met my producer! We began by writing a couple of songs, which eventually led to an entire album. I wasn’t

Big up to my greatest supporters, my son and husband Vuk and Dez Parkes.

Endless love.

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In 1979 I wrote ‘The Walsh Rap’ and used to do it on stage at The Cats Whiskers.

That’s how Steve Walsh and I became good friends

FITZROY SPEAKS WITH

Fat Freddie M Proud to be a south Londoner, larger than life Freddie Morrison aka Fat Freddie M classes himself more as a presenter than a DJ. Surviving a major accident and making the most of circumstantial opportunities, Freddie befriends a popular and now sadly deceased influential DJ. He learns his trade and ends up becoming one of the most popular presenters on Kiss FM during the 1990’s. Multitasking as a mentor, commentator and a master of ceremonies Freddie explains the ethos of the Sound Of Fatness.

Tell us where you were born, what life was like culturally growing up in south London, being at school and how music influenced you up until you were in your early teens.

I was born in Clapham in 1962 in Jeffries Road. I was raised in Heath Road, Battersea and went to Heathbrook primary school. When I was 7, I was run over by a car resulting in a blood clot and brain hemorrhage and was rushed to hospital.

The neurosurgeon/consultant was Dr David Owen. This was in the late 1960’s before he became a politician. I was in hospital for 6 months and that is where I first saw a colour TV, as we had a standard black and white one at home. I went to Henry Thornton Secondary School which is now Lambeth College on Clapham Common. I’ve always lived close to where I was born. Like people say of Bow Bells and East London, I’ll say the same of South London and Clapham Common. So as far as I am concerned if you live south of Clapham Common you’re a South Londoner and I’m a South Londoner. Musically as far back as I can remember growing up, my mum used to go to The ‘Q’ Club in Paddington and I’d listen to whatever was on the Page 32 - Issue 70

wireless, gramophone or 8-track back then. I’d hear Gladys Knight, Aretha Franklin, Patti Labelle, The Impressions, Chuck Berry, Otis Redding, James Brown and any of the seminal artists of that time including Johnny Mathis. It’s important to understand that people from the Caribbean love listening to anything that’s slow. From Val Doonican to Jim Reeves, Bing Crosby, Sam & Dave, Motown, and anything on the TV or the cinema influenced you. Anyone who tells you any different is lying. What I really remember being honest is listening to pop like The Sweet and ‘Blockbuster’ because they were on TV and you gravitated and gyrated to that. Then, wow, all of a sudden ‘The Jackson Five’ appeared. Bam! Then it was ‘The Osmonds’ versus ‘The Jackson Five’, so you knew what corner you stood in. (Fitzroy: “I’m remembering this all too well from my youth.”) I grew up with working class people. As kids we had a den on a bomb site just around the corner from us. That was part of our growing up, the rough and tough Famous Five go exploring. It was a mixed community of black, white and other cultures and everyone seemed to get on with everyone.

The first generation of black people who migrated in numbers

from the Caribbean after the first world war (not those from the 1958 ‘Windrush’) were the people who came here to graft to make things better. The 2nd generation followed, which is my Mum’s era who worked and grafted because of what their parents had done. I’m part of the 3rd generation so any future migrants are going to have to work just as hard to make it easier for the next generation to come. The 60’s were the blacks, the 70’s were the Asians, the 80’s were the Africans and the 90’s were the Europeans. You can see where the trail ends. It’s made London truly cosmopolitan and more so with the influx of Chinese and Japanese people, who are now here in mass numbers. We know blacks are at the back of the queue, but none of that was relevant when I was a kid, as I didn’t know or want to know about it. I just wanted to be happy and music was a way for us to come together and have a laugh. We would go to Chelsea carol singing, making money for the church and we make some money on the side that we would use to buy clothes or give money to our mum. (“God don’t kill me don’t kill me!”) (Fitzroy: “You sounded like Richard Pryor there.”).

So coming from Battersea you grew up with….?

Musical people I met at school include Junior Giscombe, George Bernard Shaw and Derek Shaw from The Coolnotes, who are both my cousins. Floyd Henry and Floyd Pearce who were dancers on Top Of The Pops also went to my school as well as some actors. In sports, we had footballers like Tony Finnegan who played for Blackburn and Crystal Palace, Andy Gray who played for Palace and Michael Thomas who played for Arsenal and Liverpool. Noel McKoy, The Pasadenas, reggae artists like The Investigators, Winston Gordon, Winsome, Paulette and Smiley Culture. I’d meet them at Dub Vendor’s Market stall later becoming a record shop, which was the hub for reggae. I was into reggae before I was into soul. I grew up on a sound system from 1973-1974 when my cousins had a sound system called ‘Youth Rock’ which then transformed into ‘Killerwatt’. We used to carry the wardrobe speakers for about a mile and a half from where we were to Providence House where the sound system played. We’d walk up Wandsworth Road to Clapham Junction until some one suggested pushing them on roller skates, as we didn’t have transport then. There was Young Lion, Sofrano B, Stickman, Black Wax, Lord David and all those sounds from South London. I was a round 14 at the time.

At what point did the soul kick in, as I know you frequented the clubs in south London?

I was 15 and it was when I went to a dance at the Methodist Church in Tooting. It was the first time I heard Linda Clifford’s ‘Runaway Love’ and Loletta Holloway’s ‘Hit & Run’. They were

the only two soul records the reggae sound systems would play apart from The Floaters ‘Float On’ which was a mellower slow track. At 15 I started to go the 100 Club (although you had to be 16 to get in), and then I branched out by bunking off school on a Friday to go to Crackers. I started going Lyceum around 16 but I was never able to get in. (Fitzroy: “But weren’t you tall back then?”) Yeah but I was baby faced and the guy who used to run the Lyceum, Roger Ruskin (the manager), wouldn’t let me in. But when he wasn’t on duty the other bouncers used to let me in. (Fitzroy: “Was this about 197879?”) Yeah and it was when I learned that the bouncers were the most important people because if you were rude to them, you were not going to get in. Before that time and this is important, my cousins were doing a dance up in Birmingham or Nottingham. Before leaving to go, they set up half the sound system for a house party they were doing afterwards in London. This was in West Kensington near Barons Court in a three-story house. On one floor was Sofrano B and on the other floor was Killerwatt. On the way back their van broke down. They called my Mum, who got someone to cycle to me with a box of records. So I had to play for Killerwatt against Sofrano B, on my own! Sofrano B was renowned for having massive horns on their speakers and when they were turned on it would make you deaf. I mostly played Dennis Brown as that was all I really knew. I wasn’t into knowing the labels too much, I just loved going to the reggae clubs. That was my initiation to DJ-ing. My cousins turned up about 3am surprised to see me still there because there was no one in the room. They were all in Sofrano B’s room because I didn’t know what I was selecting.

I think Cleveland may have been there before Steve Walsh. I used to cruise with ‘The MOB’ from Balham, there was about 20 of us. We were known as the ‘Men Of Balham’ and the name just stuck as ‘The MOB’. Walshy’s personality and my personality meant that we clicked. One time he couldn’t do the gig at Cheeky’s so he asked me to go to his house to get his records so I could play them. Over a two-year period Walshy and I became friends, this would have been when I was about 17 or 18. He was loud and exuberant, similar to me. He took me under his wing so I used to warm up for him. thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

Like anybody else I had to do my apprenticeship, which meant meeting up with him before the club, travelling with him, taking his records into the club, warming up if he wanted me to, and being the last out of the club. Then I’d go back to his and get the night bus home. That initiation gig was a Saturday night, then I played on a Monday, which was a free night, and I think Cleveland played both Mondays and Tuesdays.

I never went to Cheeky’s, what characters went there and how many people would attend?

I reckon it must have held around 300-400 or more people.

Ben and Andy from Kingston were the best dancers in the club. The jazz boys, people like Ian Shaw and Paul Murphy.

You had the white sock soul boys, the high waisters, Gabbicci stylers, The Ealing Baldheads, The Junction Massive and even the Staines Posse, and some who dressed like you do Fitz.

Some of them looked like they came straight out of 1962 or popping style like they came out of Starsky & Hutch. The actor Gary MacDonald, who went to Elliot School and again Noel McKoy and The Pasadenas were regulars at Cheeky Pete’s.

What about Bali High?

Yeah I was regularly at Bali High in Streatham. We’d go to Scamps in Sutton and Croydon, Tiffany’s in Purley and Wimbledon. We’d take coach and car trips to Rock City in Nottingham, Rum Runner in Birmingham and Manchester We’d go to Lacey Lady’s, Canvey Island, Zero 6 in Southend, Cat’s Whiskers, Pink Toothbrush and Legends and Barracudas in London. We had a reputation for being known as the MOB. So the girls followed. (Freddie laughs…)

So how did you progress from being a clubber to DJ-ing throughout the 1980’s?

To Kurtis Blow’s ‘Christmas Rappin’ in 1979 I wrote ‘The Walsh Rap’ and used to do it on stage at The Cats Whiskers. That’s how Steve Walsh and I became good friends. We used to go out in the clubs and do that on the mic. Like I said earlier I’d warm up for him at Cheeky Pete’s and I’d learn the trade. At the same time we as Killerwatt, on the reggae side and me as ‘Solotronic’ on the soul side, were doing Notting Hill Carnival on the corner of All Saint’s Road and Tavistock Road. So it was a dual thing for me with Steve Walsh and the sound system. Doing the gigs with Walshy I was introduced to ‘The Soul Nights Out’ with Tony Blackburn. I was on TKO with Louie St Clair on pirate radio when everyone else was on other pirate stations. I was known as Freddie Magic (Fitzroy: Page 34 - Issue 70

“Was that your DJ name?”) which became Freddie M. The Fat Freddie M came a bit later when I was in New York USA. I was talking to people in Jamaica Queens about my family and life in England. I told them that England wasn’t how they’d seen it on TV and that there were black people in London. They were surprised to learn things like that and when I mentioned that white people clean the streets they were dismayed saying, “What that can’t be right?” They said to me “You’re full of truth man, we haven’t heard it like this.” So that’s what the ‘FAT’ means Full A Truth. Everyone else was going through the phase of PHAT being used in Hip-Hop. I speak on the mic like I’m having a conversation with people, just like Steve Walsh and that grounding was important.

When did you join Kiss?

I’ve got to put this into context. At the time, Walshy’s manager was a man called Martin Levett and we all became friends, although at certain times I was excluded from certain conversations. I started to drift away from Walshy now that he had a manager. I felt like Martin came between my mate, and me so there was a bit of envy. Martin’s intentions were good as he was focusing on building Steve Walsh’s brand, which he did fantastically. Then unfortunately Steve Walsh passed away. Once Steve passed and Martin made contact with me, he started to represent me and was getting me gigs all over the place. Gordon Mac called me and said he wanted to speak with Martin and me. From 1987 I was doing youth work.

Martin arranged for Gordon Mac and Lorna Clarke to come and see me at my work place to discuss me doing a drive time show on Kiss FM. I had to make a decision about taking a year off from work to do this and ended up doing the Friday night show which Jay Strongman used to do. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity, which Martin advised me to do, and I did it. No matter what people say about Kiss I did what I did to the best of my ability. I never begged anyone for anything and I felt that what I did, I did really well. The thing that I learned is that I was never going to reach the high that I did when I was with Kiss. I’ve got a lot of time for Gordon as he’s a builder. (He should be called Bob.) Him and Lorna gave me the opportunity and I’ll always be grateful because it opened a lot of doors for me. This was 1992 when they asked me to join them and I ended up doing drive time I think 1994-1997.

One of my best friends till this day is Mark ‘Deadly’ Smedley that came from Kiss Towers. In fact we are known as ‘Fat N Deadly’ if we get booked together.

How has your youth work interacted with your DJ-ing work?

To win a Sounds of Fatness T-Shirt email Fitzroy@thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk (limited sizes available) My first job, which I got through Manpower, was working with kids with disabilities for a company called Rathbone in Battersea. I did that for a year and then went to a youth club called Katherine Lowe. Katherine Lowe was a person who was seminal during slavery and helping women and the south London settlements were all linked. I became a manager of that establishment for a year and that’s how I got into youth work. I went to Greenwich Uni and qualified after 3 years and was still DJ-ing at weekends. I met my wife in 1991 and got married in 1994, I had Savannah in 1996 and Nile in 1999 who are 21 and 18 this year. I left the youth work to do Kiss for 6-7 years and then when I left Kiss I went back to youth work. I’ve worked in several areas. It has contributed with me working with John Terry at the London Federation Boys Club where he was presenting awards to young people.

I’ve met Prince Phillip who asked me if I was Frank Bruno or Muhammad Ali? I met Frank Bruno who used to train at the same boxing clubs as me. I could not go into the ring because of my injury when I got knocked over as a child. Gary Mason used to train there as well as he was at William Blake School in Battersea and we used to run round the park for training.

What about your basketball?

I went out with a girl called Jemma around 1987 and she was part of Brixton Basketball club. I went down there and I loved it. The Brixton Basketball club has been running since 1981 when the first riots in Brixton happened. Then in 1987 for the second Brixton Riots it was there, and it’s the only black run organised voluntary club in the country of any sport that is still running. The club was and still is run by Jimmy Rogers with Paul Ambrosius and Courtney Griffiths the QC who was part of the original set up. We’ve had lawyers, doctors, solicitors, high flying executive business people, head teachers and many who’ve gone on to do something with their lives as part of it. We started the Education & Sport and kept to it ever since because they go hand in hand and it involves education as much as the sport. Everyone knows about Loul Deng who went to the NBA and was drafted by the Pheonix Sons, and went to the Chigago Bulls and moved to Miami and onto the Laker in Los Angeles. He’s got a Deng camp here in the UK, coming over every August. I’m still part of the management of the Brixton Topcats Basketball Club and proud to be associated with it. One because it’s a black thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

club and two because it was something that was not meant to last and it’s lasted. R Kelly, Sean Puffy Coombes, Tashan, Alan Iverson, Gary Payton, & Michael Jordan all came to see the club as well. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Any other recognition?

I’ve also been recognised as the best newcomer on Kiss FM and I was nominated in the first MOBO awards. What helped to raise my profile was when Ralph Daly gave me a proper residency to play what I wanted at The Fridge Bar in Brixton with Robert Malcolm (now the Soul Survivors Magazine award winner as best photographer.) (Fitzroy: “I didn’t know he DJ’d back then!) Yeah, we called it the Funky Bunker and until this day people still talk about those days. That was where my stability as a DJ became crystallised. Through Ralph and Yoshida productions we had Jay Z and all the rap artists come down from the hip-hop and R&B world. We did the ‘Chilling’ under 18 gigs which were unheard of, featuring artists like Jay Z and Kelly Price who came down to Brixton for nothing to say hello to the local kids. When I think of inspiring people I think of Steve Walsh, Martin Levett, Tony Blackburn, Greg Edwards who inspired many to become DJ’s as the refugees from across the sea. Top draw people Ralph Daley, Les Spaine who used to run Motown, Mervyn Lyn, Fred Dove, Everton Weekes. The people at Sony, Steve Ripley, King of the queens, who offered me things that bigger DJ’s should have had like Maxwell, Mariah Carey and Will Smith. Mervyn Lyn introduced me to Whitney Huston and Alicia Keyes. I used to do a basketball magazine show. I was the first person on 5 Live sport to present a show who didn’t play the sport. The show was called Hoops.

is Freddie and I want to have a picture with you, but first I want to tell you why.” I said that he was known as Taurean Black and that he was born on the same day as me, May 13th 1962.” He replied “Get out of here!” Then I told him that my birthday is known as Stevie Wonder Day. He touched my face and we took the picture.

You do Summer Soulstice, Hayling Island and the last two Soul Survivors Awards.

I love the way we both ad lib naturally when we do the awards. We don’t need scripts. I’m doing Summer Soulstice in June and Hayling Island in July and it’s just me just being me and making sure people have a good time. I’m also doing Rhythm Assembly in Weston Super-mare in August. Let me make this clear, I’m a presenter not a DJ. I can’t mix and I was brought up on people who could talk like Chris Hill, Greg Edwards, Steve Walsh, Tony Blackburn, Tony Williams, Fatman Graham Canter, Rosko, John Sachs and Mike Allen - I too can talk. If you want to be a DJ and mix then do that. Not many can do both, one who comes to mind is DJ Swing RIP who could do both naturally. Many DJ’s talk at the crowd and not with the crowd. There is a difference and that is the only secret you’ll get from me of the trade.

Share one of your most treasured career highlights.

To read full Fat Mand the one that stands One of Freddie my highs without question out for me is when Marsha Ambrosius and Natalie were Floetry. I was so proud ofvia that. There is story behind why I’m interview subscribe saying this. Marsha actually grew up with me through Brixton basketball, her father was a coach and I’m very, very tight www.thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk with her Mum and Dad. When she started singing and signed

You have a habit of bumping into celebrities on your travels give us an incite to a few?

I was at the All Star Weekend in Las Vegas staying at the Hilton with my Mum, my son and daughter when I saw Jermaine Jackson. My Mum told me not to disturb him, as you know what our parents are like. I was thinking I can’t be in America and one of The Jacksons is in front of me and not say hello. I introduced my family and myself and told him that one of my favourite songs was ‘Feeling Free’. Then I said “But my favourite is ‘You Like Me Don’t You’ and we both ended up singing the line, “One thing that’s true, I noticed you like me don’t you”. He shook my hand and said it was nice to meet me. I met Stevie Wonder at the Orange in West Kensington. Nu Colours were doing a sound check there and Keith Harris, Stevie Wonder’s European Manager invited me to pop down. He advised me that Stevie Wonder was there so I said “Keith, I’ve got to get a picture”. Keith said just ask him so I went up to him and said ‘Hey Mr Wonder, my name Page 36 - Issue 70

with Mickey D at Warner Brothers. (Fitzroy: I’ve still got that 12” ‘Is This Real?’ when she was known as Marsha.) I actually gave her that 12” and the original demo tape which she gave to me at the very beginning as she never had a copy. Marsha being where she is now is one of the most amazing things for me. I compared her first show at 02 and did the second one with you at The Clapham Grand the same year and that’s my ultimate high because I love Marsha and how she sings and what she sings about. Here is my story 2002. I knew Marsha was living in America somewhere but I didn’t know where. I was at the Allstar weekend in Philly, and I had an access all area’s pass. I was walking along the concourse on my own and Marsha walks past me. We both look round and asked each other “What are you doing here?” She took me up to the Sky Box of Dr Julius Irving’s private box and introduced me to his son and everything. A year later I meet him in Oxford Street and he remembered me.

Rounding up I’m on Stomp radio Fridays, Nuwave generally on Sundays, Mi Soul Connoisseurs ad hoc once a month

playing soft music without me chatting too much playing album tracks that get missed. I think that’s it Fitz, love to my son Nile, daughter Savannah, and my ex wife Sue. I have got to mention Sue Ayers who designed The Sounds Of Fatness logo. It’s a straight rip off from The Sound Of Blackness because it flows off the tongue. It’s

trademarked and my name is not even on the design. I’ll give away as a competition 4 t-shirts one small one medium and two double X’s .

thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

He (Geno Washington) said to me “Ruby you got a bitching voice.

You ain’t trying to be Janis Joplin, you’re being you.

FITZROY SPEAKS WITH

Ruby Tiger

Destined to be on stage primarily as an actress, Olivia Turner did not foresee her future as a lead singing vocalist.

An 80’s teenager who used to follow Acid Jazz’s Eddie Piller as a DJ, she became immersed in soul music and travelling far and wide to listen and dance to it. Unknowingly circumstances would make her take a left turn of the right path she anticipated walking, and Ruby Tiger becomes the moth drawn to the soul and blues musical flame.

Currently promoting an album with her live band outfit The Revelators, Ruby reveals her ambition to embark on being a soul singing sensation survivor.

When we spoke briefly on the phone you mentioned that you now reside in Bognor Regis but your roots are that you come from Essex. You used to frequent the residencies of ‘The Modfather’ Eddie Piller at his Chingford and Islington residencies. So can you embellish us more on your musical background and how you became familiar with Eddie Piller?

I always loved music and wasn’t really genre led, but I really got into soul music in my teenage years listening to Radio London and I hung out with people who knew Eddie Piller. From that we became friends. He was a DJ Page 38 - Issue 70

and we wanted to be where he played. It was all part of the buzz and the scene, and my friend Sorrel and I loved to dance. It was the perfect combination, knowing the DJ, getting in free on the guest list. I was a massive soul girl as it was mainstream at that time. I didn’t know about Northern Soul or the blues really or about Stax era records. I was listening to Luther Vandross, Alexander O’Neal, Barry White, Anita Baker so quite commercial soul music really. Though I do distinctly remember dancing to ‘Needle In A Haystack’ at a school disco! I loved that song and I saw someone doing the authentic

soul dancing style. I tried to copy it, I thought it was so cool!

Why did you leave it until 2008 to exercise your singing prowess?

(Ruby laughs.) Fitzroy that’s a really good question. It was a circuitous route let’s say! I always wanted to be on stage from a young age. I loved acting, dancing and singing. When I was at school and that was the dream.

I took singing lessons but acting was my main thing, I saw singing as part of my acting abilities and as part of musical theatre. Unfortunately my mother died when I was 16, which changed my life quite dramatically. For one reason or another my father didn’t want me to go to drama school and it just didn’t happen. I flunked college and left home just before my 18th Birthday and went to London. I bought a guitar and learnt a couple of Bob Dylan songs as I got into folk music but I eventually decided to become a visual artist. I ended up going to University in Chichester at the age of 24 and studied fine art.

The course was quite wide ranging and the modules included dance, music and poetry, which was good because I loved all the arts. I then went into museum and exhibition management after leaving university and still was not singing. I had a nervous breakdown during my 20’s and early 30’s. One of the things that exacerbated my problems with anxiety and panic attacks was performance or being on stage and people looking at me, and I really struggled with things like that. I did some performance poetry when I lived in London, which I found really nerve racking, but I was determined to not be defined by my problems. But I never really thought I could end up on stage and dismissed it as a career choice.

But after graduating some years later whilst still living in Chichester I started doing Karaoke and ran that at a pub for a little while.

That helped me to become less nervous and one day a band was playing in the Fountain pub and I ended up singing a song with them. They were called ‘Long Way To The Light’ and my stage name, as a performance poet had been Ruby Tiger. It’s the name of a moth and moths go towards the light so it was kind of strange! I’d had a couple of beers when I approached them and I’d never ever sung live with a band but I sang ‘With Or Without You’ by U2 (Don’t ask me why!) and Damian the bassist decided he wanted to set up a band with me based on that performance. I was worried about not coping with

the pressure but we rehearsed for 6 months and called ourselves Funky Junction, a soul and disco band. I absolutely loved it and it was great fun and I got to cut my teeth singing covers, no originals. I did have some struggles but things got better and I found that I could deal with things and I loved the performance buzz and people enjoying it. It was a dream that I didn’t think would happen.

How long have Ruby & The Revelators been together?

We released an EP in 2014 so really it’s been about 3 years. I used to work with an acoustic guitarist, which was another lucky hook up. Funky Junction and I parted company, as it didn’t quite work out with them. I met King Rollo in the same pub that I met the bassist from Funky Junction! Rollo was a blues artist and I started to get into the blues a lot and he helped unleash my passion for it. I went to see him perform and bravely again asked if I could sing with him and to my surprise, he said yes. He’d been performing on his own for quite a while and actually, liked the idea of working with someone, so for a while it was just me and him doing gigs which was an education for two years. He taught me a lot, and encouraged me and advised me to spread my wings and fly so I eventually set up my own band Ruby & The Revelators.

You’ve got your album out, is it with a label?

No it’s totally self-released and more like a real DIY project. Some of the tracks we worked with a producer but I self produced the rest and co-wrote it with Louise the guitarist in the band.

Now the stuff on your album is not something I could play to my audience in a club or on my radio shows. It’s got more of a crossover appeal. This soul arena is very fragmented with people being loyal to certain genres and not stepping outside of that. The album is quite diverse. Is the idea designed specifically to get an audience to see you live?

Yes it was recorded in a very live way. There would only be some comping done in the editing before it was mixed but it’s all live. Even the vocal recordings done live with the band were used on some of them as usually the vocalist would go into a studio and record them again, but we were told they were good enough not to go through that process. I wanted to go back to those thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

traditional values of the 1960’s or the 70’s and wanted that organic feel. The reason why there are different genres is because the art of recording the album has been quite a long one. I love ‘Find Me A Man’ but it’s not where I feel we want to go as I hear us in a more soul, funk with a bit of blues direction. ‘When I See You,’ and ‘Stand Up And Be Counted’ and ‘Soul Recovery’ are examples. I’d still like to do the odd jazz and blues ballad, but going forward writing wise it’s more of a jazz funk and soul direction.

What dates do you have over the June & July months?

We are in Portsmouth, Eroica Britannia festival in the Lake District and we have dates on our website for July and August. It would be good for people to come and see us and pick up the album.

Good luck with the album Ruby.

Thanks so much Fitzroy for doing this.

How was it opening up for the legendary Geno Washington?

Alb

um

Oh that was an amazing experience, he is hilarious and a larger than life personality and a very generous and sweet person. He said to me “Ruby you got a bitching voice. You ain’t trying to be Janis Joplin and you ain’t trying to be Billie Holliday, you’re being you”. And that is exactly what he said to me. So that was great for someone like him to say that about me. It was a great honour to support him.

Your single is coming out on ruby red vinyl.

A double A side ‘When I See You’ and ‘By My Side.’ By My Side’ is very atmospheric with the sound of the sea and the seagulls. ‘When I See You’ is soulful and jazzy.

Tell us about members of the band. You have Louise a female lead guitarist, Paco Munoz on drums from Spain, percussionist and keyboard player Frazer Wigg. And John Whale on bass. So what’s the dynamics of how you all interact?

Well Lou and I are the main songwriters. We’ve sat down with her guitar and wrote songs like Soul Recovery Service and she brought that song to me. I went away to the New Forest for a weekend and looked over lyrics I’d written in the past and it evolved out of that. It seemed to write itself somehow. We took it to the band in the studio and worked on it there, and then on the day and we pulled it together. The band does feed into the songs with changes in tempo or the dynamics of the drums for example or what is going on underneath the main melody line. Frazer helped on the chorus of ‘When I See You’. We all get on and it’s great working together. We are a five-piece band but we have extra people joining us like a harmonica player on ‘By My Side’ and sax on ‘When I See You’, but at this point that’s an extra expense so we can’t have them at every gig unfortunately!

Page 40 - Issue 70

out

now

!

Walk With Me “...Ruby’s voice combines smooth-but-not-too-smooth soul with lived-in world-weariness, gritty oomph and playful sass...an impressive debut!” Moray Stuart, Blues In Britain AVAILABLE ON CD, DOWNLOAD AND RUBY RED DOUBLE A SIDE VINYL FROM

www.rubyandtherevelators.co.uk rubytiger.bandcamp.com Ruby & The Revelators

@rubytigersings

rubyandtherevelators

Double A side red vinyl - A: WHEN I SEE YOU and B: BY MY SIDE. By the time the magazine comes out it will be available from www.rubyandtherevelators.co.uk for £5 + P &P. Www.rubyandtherevelators.co.uk www.rubytiger.bandcamp.com To win a copy of the Ruby Tiger and The Revelators album email Fitzroy@thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

Lovelite Easter Bank Holiday Jam Sunday 16th April 2017 @ The Leaside Hotel Luton It was nice to be invited, a decade later, back to DJ with Luton’s finest Sound System crew Lovelite. The venue was a two arena roomed hotel establishment with James Vitton, Mark Banton, Daddy Sherlock and I spinning to an audience ready for some Natasha Watts ‘Big People Tings’. Speaking of the one and the same, Soul Survivors Magazine Awards winning best UK artist, Natasha was scheduled to do a PA in the main room. Thanks to the appreciative Sunday soul churchgoers for keeping the floor busy when I did my thang on a system that pumped like Arnie in his glory days. Natasha Watts came on and totally had that audience eating out of the palm of her hand, with her quirky personality and interaction.

Natasha performed her funk hit ‘Hit The Spot’, her 80s’ retro influenced ‘Good Love’ and her rare groove two stepper ‘Big People Tings’. Great night, with a great crowd dancing to an eclectic style of big peoples music.

Event Reviews

D’Influence @ Pizza Express Soho Saturday 13th May 2017 Saturday 13th May was a night of ‘Magic’ at Pizza Express Soho. One of the premier league London based late 1980’s, to the late 1990’s soul surviving bands D’Influence, reminded me of how they championed a sound that so many are trying to perfect today. Bar the sad loss of saxophonist Steve Marston, it was all the original line up performing a set tighter than sprayed jeans. They did all the ones I hoped to hear, ‘No Illusions’ ‘Good Lover’, ‘I’m The One’, ‘Magic’, ‘Journey’ and one of my staples from my Jazz Cafe Friday residencies in the 1990’s ‘Midnite’. Kwame had everyone stand up during various parts of the performance to dance in these intimate surroundings. The energy was electric. It was good to catch up with Maura Kwaten and earthday man Kwame Kwaten and in particular Sarah Anne Webb.

Thankfully Sarah recognised me, albeit we haven’t seen each other for the best part of 20 years. I love that girls voice with a passion, and she was faultless, as were her backing vocalist and the whole band. It was also good to see Mo (an old music PR consultant) too, who actually gave me this D’Influence bag, 20 years ago at the Jazz Cafe. All three Kwame, Sarah and Mo were astonished that I still had the bag, but then I’m old school. I must say happy Hawaii 50 to Kwame Kwaten working on his earthday. Great night Mohni (Shades Of Soul) that was a great choice of band at the Pizza Express, nice one!!

Page 42 - Issue 70

Jazzifunk at Hare & Hound Birmingham I was invited to take part in a fund raising event for one of the Midlands ‘favourite son’ promoters battling a debilitating illness by Nottingham based DJ Jav Groove. Jav was organising this with other artists and individuals who have worked under George over the years, so naturally I said yes because George Powell Of Jazzifunk not only supported the magazine but booked me on occasion to spin in the Midlands and Manchester. So it was a return to The Hare & Hounds to spin again alongside Bruce Q, Jav Groove and co on a Sunday late mini all-dayer. I love playing outside London because despite me not being a resident of their manor, I am received with a passion and graciousness that makes the journey worthwhile. Jav played a version of a Walter Murphy track that mentally had me Shazaming and set the tone with his partner in rhyme before I came on. Big thanks to Shirl Parnell and Marcus B, dancers Ronnie and the legendary Bulldog, and other familiar faces for expressing themselves like Charles Wright. Natasha Watts came from Southampton to deliver a house vocal set as she too has worked for Jazzifunk. I played for a further 30 minutes until Bruce Q came and brought the devastating and militant broken beats to turn up the heat on the dance floor. The dancers took turns entering the circle, which was quite a spectacle and a tribute to the energy of supporting George Powell. Great night and cannot wait too be invited back again sometime soon. Well done Jav who raised a nice sum in his ‘pause for the cause.’

Olby’s with PUSH and feat Eli Thompson Margate Kent April 29th 2017 I was fortunate to be asked to warm up in the main Olby’s Cafe and spin some funk as a prelude to Push’s live performance with the venue’s proprietor Eli Thompson. People locally and from afar outside of Margate were in attendance including Acid Jazz’s Eddie Piller who had an affiliation with the group almost 30 years back. I like everyone that witnessed the return of Push including bass player Ernie McKone, were mightily impressed with their original recordings and interpolations of various funk classics. Very tight and equally loose as a band performing ‘The Punch’, ‘Out On Sunday’ and ‘Football’. They introduced Eli Thompson to the mic and he sang on quite a few including a version of FBI’s ‘Talking Bout Love’ and ‘Soul Fever’. Eli always gives 100% minimum and entertains the crowd with his impassioned soul vocals. I had a word in Eddie Piller’s ears and suggested he nabbed them and I think like Donald Byrd he began to ‘Think Twice’ and at least consider it. They have an album forth coming so watch this space.

A Night To Remember @ Rum & Sugar, E14 25th March 2017

Photo: Mandy Taylor

After the glowing reports on the first one in the autumn of 2016 and having a Saturday night off, there was only one place I’d be on this particular Saturday night in Canary Wharf. David Lyn and Graham not so Grumpy Brown have a brand Music Without Labels that prides itself on playing music left of the right of commercial jazz funks and soul. Arriving around 9pm the place was very busy with faces from all over London and the Home Counties. David Lyn played some uplifting and unknown to me, jazz flavoured gems. Grumpy played a nice afro version of Ray Barretto’s ‘Right On’ that had me scrambling over to ask him what mix it was. Gerard played only two tracks I knew so I liked being educated. His mixture was variations of latin and bossa on occasion with house beats and the audience seemed hungry to be stretched musically. Next one as advertised in the magazine is November with Blaze and Elements Of Life band member and producer Josh Milan. You going?? thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

You come from Sacramento in California? (Jay: “Yes.”) Please tell us about growing up around music?

There was always music around me. My Mum and Dad are music lovers, so I’ve heard music my whole life. There are certain songs that I hear that will transport me back in time to when I was 5 and 6 years old like ‘Sunny’ by Bobby Hebb.

This was partly because my Grandmother used to call my Father Sunny and that was her song for him. I used to hear music of all genres.

When were you born? (Jay: “January 27th 1962.”). So being a fellow Aquarian like me with a two-year advantage, you grew up listening to James Brown, Ohio Players and Parliament? (Jay: “Yep.”) So at what point did you decide to make music?

America would have you believe that it’s a great nation but civilisation started in Africa and everybody in Africa is black, so ‘Everything Is Black’ and that’s how the title was chosen.

Jay King’s confidence in his abilities got a reality check when he was educated on how much he really knew about music. His determination to be an actor and dancer ultimately led him to create a big hit with an outfit called Timex Social Club. From there his career morphed into singing and songwriting about real issues relating to his community in LA California.

His music has been sampled helping a few hip-hop and rap records become respected classics. Jay is now releasing a smooth solo album on Expansion Records creating a buzz and being serviced by Soulfood’s Steve Ripley. So if you hear anything about Jay King’s album causing damage, the ‘Rumours’ are probably true.

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At what point I decided to make music and at what point I really understood what my music was all about are two different things. As a 13/14 year old I was a trumpet player and I knew all of the funk songs of the day and played them all. Funk horns were really heavy in music at the time. One day my Mum said, “You’re not a musician.” My Mother doesn’t play any instruments, so for her to tell me that, it didn’t sit well with me. I said, “I am a musician, I can play this song and that song.” She said “What about Bread?” I said, “What has that or any kind of food got to do with being a musician?”

She replied, “See you’re not a musician. A musician would know who Bread is. What about Stills & Croft, Garland Green or Billie Holliday?” and she went on to mention a whole host of musicians that I had never heard of in my life. She said “You’re not a musician until you know music and the history of it.” Now whether I knew it or not this was the seed that was planted in me. I really was a dancer who used to break and pop and I wanted to be an actor, not a musician. I was a mediocre musician but I loved music and had a passion for it.

So music was accidental and I didn’t plan on anything. Once rap came around I was a rapper. I was writing at the time and I was always good with words, writing poetry as a kid. To be honest music snuck up on me. I did three records at one time, one with a group called The Active Boys ‘Hey Yo Wassup DJ’. I did another called ‘Love Is So Confusing’ with New Choice and ‘Rumours’ with The Timex Social Club, all at the same time. (Fitzroy: “So we are talking around 198586?”) Yeah, it was 1985 when I recorded them and 1986 when they were released. In 1985 I was in a rap group called Frost and we released a song called ‘The Battle Beat’. You couldn’t tell me then that it wasn’t a hot record, but I promise you it wasn’t. Once the ‘Battle Beat’ came out

on Triangle Records and didn’t do anything, I felt that the guys at Triangle didn’t do their part, and that’s why I decided to strike out on my own and do those three records. One of those became a massive hit, most definitely in your country England and that was ‘Rumours.’ (Fitzroy: “Great song.”) And that started my music career.

Who was in Timex Social Club?

Michael Marshall, Alex Hill and Marcus Thompson. I was the producer and the record label. I wrote a bunch of songs for their album but they left me. Because I didn’t have a contract with them and I was green, they signed with someone else. When I started Club Nouveau, I put myself in the group with my two writing partners Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy and we got two other singers Valerie Watson and Samuelle Prater.

Denzil, Tommy and I wrote ‘Jealousy’ about those guys that had left me.

The group did a well-known version of Bill Wither’s ‘Lean On Me’ and ‘Why You Treat Me So Bad’, which was sampled years later

by Luniz for ‘I Got 5 On It.’ Yes Luniz used it, as did Puffy, Jennifer Lopez, Ashanti and others. Now we’re are in a lawsuit with 5th Harmony who have done a song called ‘I’m Worth It’ because they use it and act like they didn’t and they’ve got to pay the piper.

Moving along to the mid 1990’s I remember picking up your album ‘Everything Is Black.’ The most up-tempo tracks were ‘Let it Go’ and ‘Ghetto Swang’ but personally at the time I was acquiring as much knowledge as I could about being black. So I was quite drawn to the ‘Everything Is Black’ title track in particular, and I used play that when I warmed up before live concerts, mainly at The Jazz Cafe. The other track I really liked was ‘Everything Is Cool’ which sampled Roy Ayer’s ‘The Third Eye’. What inspired you to do that album with that title and was it anything to do with the Rodney King incident a few years prior in California?

What really made it a significance piece of work, that I felt needed to be done, was that America lied so much, especially to black people. America polices the rest of the world on what their human rights should be, but America don’t live by what it preaches. Black people have been the most significant contributors to America as a country of growth, creativity, innovation and sheer genius. But America would have you believe that it’s a great nation because of its forefathers, but no one has a right to own anybody. I don’t know if you know this or not but civilisation started in Africa and everybody in

Africa is black, so ‘Everything Is Black’ and that’s how the title was chosen.

I was on a very conscious tip at the time and still am. Back then anything with that kind of title caught my attention so I just bought it regardless.

My favourite track on that album is ‘The Shit Is Heavy.’

Going back a little bit, how did the dynamics change when Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy left to do their own thing with En Vogue?

Denzil, Tommy and I, decided between us on what the music recording and production was like. Once they left I was able to do it by myself. We had had hit records and I wanted to be able to say something profound and significant.

If I make music, I wanna say what I want to say. If you listen to the Club Nouveau albums ‘Listen To The Message’, ‘New Beginning’ and ‘Everything Is Black’, the consciousness is consistent. The next one is even more conscious and is called the ‘Evolution Of A Revolutionary’ When is that forthcoming album due?

I’m just starting to write it. Two songs that are definitely included are ‘Don’t Crucify Your Mind’ and ‘Set You Free.’

Good to know you are still on the conscious tip. Moving on to your new album. How did you manage to hook that up with Ralph Tee on Expansion Records?

Steve Ripley is my guy who works my records on radio. Steve Ripley got my record ‘Good Kind Of Loving’ started in the UK and I was speaking with him about distribution in the UK. He suggested sending it to Ralph Tee at Expansions and Ralph Tee got in touch with me directly.

I’ve been sent a few tracks off the album and ‘Good Kind Of Loving’ is the track that will get attention. I hear hints of Marvin Gaye ‘What’s Going On?’ meets ‘I Want You’ feel about the production.

Yeah, I love Marvin and he is probably the most influential musician in my life. You’ll hear a lot of influence for sure. The next single is ‘Running’, do you have that?

Yes, and it’s been remixed by Ernie McKone from Boogie Back.

thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

I guess the remix works best in the UK but the original mix is more workable here in the USA. I have heard the original version of ‘Running’ so I see what you mean. Did you produce the album yourself? (Jay: “I did it with Derek Allan. I understand that different territories have different likes. I don’t know if I make club music anymore.”) You say that but you have ‘The One’ which is quite up-tempo and funky (Jay: “But I don’t know if it’s a club record.”) I would say it would make an impact on the dance floor in some of the clubs here in the UK. There are various genres and scenes over here but Expansions have a market where plenty will like and dance to this. Is the rest of the album more of a smooth soul album?

Absolutely. What I do with Club Nouveau is totally different from what I do as a solo artist because they are different entities.

Do you have anything conscious on the Jay King album?

I have a song called ‘Helen’s Song’. My Mum died on my 45th birthday and it’s the reason why I do solo records. It’s a beautiful record about who my Mum is to me. Some people write tribute records to their Mum and it’s nice, but this is a beautiful and peaceful record, just like my Mum. You’ll hear the honesty and purity in the music.

Your songwriting has proved profitable for you. How does that balance with you as an artist?

They go hand in hand as a lot of songs I wrote were for my bands. Songwriting is the most profitable thing that I’ve done, because I continue to make money from songs I wrote a long time ago that continue to pay. I can rely on that and give back to my community. With all the new sources that exist like streaming, some people don’t understand that things like Sound Exchange and Spotify will pay higher and higher royalties. Publishing was offering pennies up until 1978 and now it’s the lifeline of an artist.

Your work has been done by Karen White, The Bar Kays, Kool & The Gang, DMX, Ashanti and quite a variety of other artists.

Some of my writing, because it’s been sampled and used, I am credited for as the writer or as a publisher. They are just taking my music that’s already written and incorporating it in their music.

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It’s good that someone can earn something from royalties. Going back, what is it that you do for the community, as I know right now you are multitasking speaking with me and doing an exercise regime with a class?

I work out and keep myself fit and healthy so when I come over to the UK to perform I don’t look like an over weight out of shape old guy. It keeps me healthy and it encourages good health in the community. The black community in the United States of America have to fight for things because of what America had done to us. I am a humanitarian. The Jewish community have been compensated for the holocaust, the native Americans compensated for what was done to them, the Japanese compensated for what was done to them in World War 2 in the internment camps but the United States have never fully acknowledged, that slavery was a crime against humanity and it should never have happened. It was a lie when they said that a black man was 3/5th’s of a human being. They never speak of this issue and continue to berate other countries for their crimes against humanity. The United States government is nearly starting to speak on the fact that innocent black men, who have committed no crimes, have and are being murdered by police at an alarming rate.

My job is to make the community, better, safer and hold itself accountable. Unfortunately what happens, is those with influence and affluence move out of the community when they make money and then we wonder why it’s allraggedy because we’ve pulled out the resources. So I put it upon myself to come back to the community and give back. I do a community radio show every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in Sacramento at drive time at 975 KDEE, 3-7pm PST. I play classic R&B records supporting local artists. They have great R&B music on KDEEFM.org. It’s late time for you but it’s drive time for us.

Sacramento has a very famous legacy with the Black Panthers history. (Jay: “Yeah.”)

I still have my house in LA which I don’t spend much time at.

I’ve dedicated my life telling black folks with influence and affluence to move back into the neighbourhood and build it back up.

It’s good to see someone like yourself thinking about the community. California has a very rich history musically with George Duke, Sheila E, and Larry Graham all of whom have been interviewed in the magazine actually.

Nice talking to you Jay. You too, bye Fitzroy.

n ve tio ha ec at to n d on ds rs se g c ien ivo a e in fr rv Pl inu ur Su ine o l nt th ou az co wi e S ag Th M

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12 FULL LENGTH DISCO, SOUL & BOOGIE RARITIES Compiled by Vietnamese DJ Sensation LOTUS DISCO Includes: SUZY Q – STAPLE SINGERS DEE DEE SHARP GAMBLE DUNCAN SISTERS – SYLVIA STRIPLIN SHAWNE JACKSON – CLAUDIA BARRY GERALDINE HUNT – GRACE JONES With rare mixes and tracks released CD EXP 55 on CD for the first time.

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Sunday 18th June - The Jacksons live at Blenheim Palace, Woodstock Saturday 24th June - The Jacksons live at Glastonbury Pilton Shepton Mallet

What's going on?

June Friday 16th June to Sunday 18th June – The Blackpool International Soul Festival 2 – Winter Gardens, Blackpool Saturday 17th June - The Jacksons live at Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Scarborough, GB Sunday 18th June - 4 to the Floor Sunday Sessions with Ruben Estevez (see advert) Sunday 18th June - The Book Club 100-106 Leonard Street, London EC2A 4RH

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Sunday 25th June - The Jacksons Live at Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, Cardiff, GB Sunday 25th June – Eat, drink and dance at Any Old Sunday’s “Summer in the city sessions.” – Boho, Inverness Street,Camden – Fitzroy Soul Survivors and guests 3pm–11pm - FREE ENTRY Friday 30th June – The Jacksons Live at Newmarket Racecourse

July Saturday 1st July – The Jacksons Live at Love Supreme at Glyne Palace Glyne Sunday 2nd July – The Jacksons Live at Riverside Museum, Glasgow Thursday 6th July – The Jacksons Live at Old Royal Navel College London

August Friday 4th August - Sunday 6th August - Margate Weekender Margate with Arrested Development, The Blackbyrds, Candi Staton Friday 11th August – Sunday 13th August - Rhythm Assembly Grand Pier, Marine Parade, Weston Super Mare BS23 1AL (See advert) Sunday 13th August - Soul Boat Temple Pier 2pm-7pm DJ’s Neville, Fitzroy

Friday 7th July – The Jacksons Live at Haydock Park, Liverpool

Friday 18th August – Conscious Fridays “The Soul Suvivor Sessions” Boho, Inverness Street, Camden – Fitzroy Soul Survivors and guests - 9pm–2am - FREE ENTRY

Sunday 16th July - Universal (Soul Music) Events presents The Annual Summer All Day Party! Aboard The Tereza Joanne Boat, Woolwich Manor Way E16 2QY R&B, SOULFUL HOUSE, SOUL CLASSICS/ANTHEMS,HOUSE & UK GARAGE and YES it’s true… BRANDON BLOCK will be playing a two hour special set! (Soul & House, old Skool) DJ’s.........FITZROY DA BUZZBOY,TONY FERNANDEZ, BIRDY, PAUL CLARK, FROSTIE, SOULMASTER T., ROCKY & STEVE, KEV HAWKINS, MAX FERNANDEZ, STEVE ‘SOULTRAIN’, £10 Earlybird Ticket until 2nd June 2017, £12.50 + b/f Advance Tickets £15 OTD, BBQ Food & a menu selection will be available to purchase and Drink Promotions. Nearest DLR station its Gallions Reach approximately 10 minutes walk.

Friday 21st July – Conscious Fridays “The Soul Suvivor Sessions” Boho, Inverness Street, Camden – Fitzroy Soul Survivors and guests - 9pm–2am - FREE ENTRY Sunday 23rd July – Eat, drink and dance at Any Old Sunday’s “Summer in the city sessions.” – Boho, Inverness Street,Camden – Fitzroy Soul Survivors and guests 3pm–11pm - FREE ENTRY thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

ON THE RADIO

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Sunday 20th August – Eat, drink and dance at Any Old Sunday’s “Summer in the city sessions.” – Boho, Inverness Street, Camden – Fitzroy Soul Survivors and guests - 3pm–11pm - FREE ENTRY Friday 25th August - Soul Train @ SWX Nelson Street, Bristol with The Real Thing and DJ Bigger (see advert)

September Sunday 24th September – Eat, drink and dance at Any Old Sunday’s “Summer in the city sessions.” – Boho, Inverness Street, Camden – Fitzroy Soul Survivors and guests - 3pm–11pm - FREE ENTRY

August 2018 Love Is The Message in Barbados (See advert on back cover)

To advertise in the Soul Survivors Magazine call Fitzroy on 07956 312931 or email fitzroy@thesoulsurvivors magazine.co.uk

thesoulsurvivorsmagazine.co.uk

AUGUST 2018