On this Day in 1974: The Hues Corporation had their moment with “Rock The Boat”
July 6, 1974: The Hues Corporation hits #1 with “Rock The Boat” To many, they defined the term “one hit wonder,” but The Hues Corporation is more appropriately remembered as an act that helped define 70s pop and soul via one of that decade’s truly great hits. “Rock the Boat,” was not only one of […]
On This Day in 1978: The world meets Atlantic Starr
June 30, 1978 – Atlantic Starr releases its debut album It’s been more than four decades since they first hit the charts, and they’ve been doing their thing ever since. While never achieving supergroup status, Atlantic Starr was one of the most consistently successful – and underrated – soul bands of the 80s and early […]
On This Day in 2018: Joseph Jackson, patriarch of the Jackson family, dies at 89
June 27, 2018 – Joseph Jackson, patriarch of the world-changing Jackson family, dies at age 89 On this day in 2018, Joseph Jackson, the patriarch of the first family of popular music, the Jacksons, died in a Las Vegas hospital after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 89. Jackson launched the careers of five […]
On This Day in 1969: Isaac Hayes releases the iconic album “Hot Buttered Soul”
June 27, 1969 – Isaac Hayes releases Hot Buttered Soul album It is incredible to comprehend that Hot Buttered Soul, one of the most important soul music albums of all time, and the LP that help reinvigorate the Stax label after its gutting by Atlantic Records, is more than a half century old. Until Isaac Hayes released Hot […]
On This Day in 1976: Boz Scaggs gave us the “Lowdown”
In the early 70s Rock and Soul man Boz Scaggs was a talented singer and songwriter who hadn’t quite broken through. He had received critical acclaim and a small but loyal West Coast audience for both his early solo recordings and tour work, and he was known in other parts of the US for his […]
On This Day in 2014: The great Casey Kasem dies
June 15, 2014 – Legendary broadcaster Casey Kasem dies He was a Middle Eastern kid from Detroit whose voice and vision changed the world of radio for millions of people. On this day in 2014, Casey Kasem, the most famous disc jockey in America during the 1970s and 80s, died at age 82 after a […]
On This Day in 1977: Teddy Pendergrass goes solo
June 12, 1977 – Teddy Pendergrass goes solo Beginning as simply a drummer who also happened to have quite a voice, Teddy Pendergrass developed into one of the hottest singers in the world during the mid-70s as part of vocal group Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, but on this day in 1977, he took […]
On This Day in 1988: New Edition made us sweat with “If It Isn’t Love”
June 7, 1988 – New Edition releases “If It Isn’t Love” They had been through tribulations, personnel changes, and the always difficult transition from child musical stars to grown men in the business, but New Edition handled every challenge, sometimes in painful ways, even as they moved forward with their craft. One can argue as to when […]
On This Day in 1991: The great David Ruffin dies tragically
June 1, 1991 – The great David Ruffin dies June 1 marks the anniversary of the death of the great David Ruffin. 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 […]
On This Day in 1977: Heatwave issues its iconic “Too Hot To Handle” album
May 30, 1977 – Heatwave released debut album Too Hot To Handle in America Though its time in the spotlight was relatively short, Heatwave remains one of the most beloved groups of the 1970s. That the members even made it as far and as long as they did was the result of an amazing ability […]
