SoulTracks Lost Gem: The time Joe showed his country music chops
Talented singer and songwriter Joe Thomas, aka Joe, has been pleasing soul music audiences for three decades, with one great album after another. But he took his many fans on a fun twist back in 2016 when he showed his musical versatility by adding a country twist to his song “Hollow.” Of course, the idea of […]
SoulTracks Lost Gem: Jesse Powell looked for “Something In the Past”
Jesse Powell was extremely gifted as a singer who had times in his too short career where he really broke breaking through. Born and raised in Gary, Indiana, Powell spent his childhood and teen years singing in his local church with his musical family (his sisters Tamara and Trina later recorded for Sony Records). He […]
Lost Gem: Roberta Flack was mesmerizing on “Where I’ll Find You”
In 1977, Roberta Flack was at the top of her game. A half decade into her Imperial Period as one of the most popular singers in the world, she was riding high yet again with Blue Lights In The Basement, a collection of Gene McDaniels-produced gems led by the chart-topping duet with Donny Hathaway, “The Closer I […]
SoulTracks Lost Gem: A rare Thom Bell live performance of his hits
He was, without question, one of the seminal figures in soul music of the 1970s and early 80s. Thom Bell, one of the architects of Philadelphia soul, made a name for himself as the songwriter, producer and arranger of classic songs performed by The Spinners, The Stylistics, The Delfonics, Deniece Williams, Johnny Mathis and many […]
SoulTracks Lost Gem: David Ruffin made “I Want You Back” his own
Certainly one of the greatest Soul singers of all time, David Ruffin was an enigmatic man whose own internal struggles and contradictions led to a tumultuous career, both as the lead vocalist of the Temptations and subsequently as a solo singer… Read his full biography here While Ruffin had a good number of solo hits, not […]
Lost Gem: James Ingram and Anita Baker shine on stage
When soul man extraordinaire James Ingram died, mourning fans around the world began to take stock again at his often underrated catalog of music. In addition to his work with Quincy Jones, Ingram recorded several strong albums and scored a seemingly limitless string of hit collaborations with stars ranging from Patti Austin to Linda Ronstadt to Kenny […]
Lost Gem: Stevie Wonder was pensive on hidden song from “Jungle Fever”
Stevie Wonder has lived virtually his entire life onstage, with a career in a series of stages. And as prolific as he was during his Imperial Period in the 1970s, he created many, many more songs that never saw the light of day. Today’s SoulTracks Lost Gem is one of them. “Feeding Off The Love Of The […]
SoulTracks Lost Gem: Stevie Woods soared on “Fly Away”
There was a time in the early 1980s when it appeared that singer Stevie Woods was going to be the next big thing. Model handsome, a solid musician and an ultra smooth vocalist, he was signed by Cotillion Records and teamed with international producer Jack White (Laura Branigan). Woods took aim at the emerging urban adult contemporary […]
Lost Gem: The Charlie Wilson & Marc Nelson duet that should be iconic
He’s one of the great voices of a generation. Both as the lead singer of The Gap Band and in a second act as a solo artist, Charlie Wilson has defied time, changing musical tastes and his own personal demons to become an all-timer. The legendary Mr. Wilson was making his break from The Gap Band when […]
Lost Gem: Charles Stepney’s genius and Minnie Riperton’s voice took Rotary Connection to musical heaven
The late Charles Stepney is having a moment. It seems like everyone is talking about this groundbreaking producer who died nearly a half century ago at the too young age of 45. Stepney has been the subject of profiles in The New York Times and The Guardian. Step on Step, a compilation of Stepney demos […]
