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 […]
Today in Music History (April 15, 1978): Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams team for a #1 smash
April 15, 1978 – Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams hit #1 with “Too Much, Too Little, Too Late” By the time 1978 rolled around, Johnny Mathis had already been a superstar for more than two decades, and one of the biggest selling artists of the entire century. On the other hand, 27 year old Deniece […]
On This Day in 1983: Gladys Knight & The Pips get their revenge
May 28, 1983 – Gladys Knight and the Pips hit #1 with “Save The Overtime (For Me)” After a tremendous run on Motown in the 1960s, and an even bigger set of hits on Buddah Records in the 70s, Gladys Knight and the Pips appeared to be entering the back end of their chart careers. […]
Today in Music History (May 28, 1983): The chart revenge of Gladys Knight & The Pips
May 28, 1983 – Gladys Knight and the Pips hit #1 with “Save The Overtime (For Me)” After a tremendous run on Motown in the 1960s, and an even bigger set of hits on Buddah Records in the 70s, Gladys Knight and the Pips appeared to be entering the back end of their chart careers. […]
Today in Music History (March 21): The World discovers The Brothers Johnson
March 21, 1976: The Brothers Johnson release debut album To the public, the Brothers Johnson appeared to come out of nowhere in 1976, topping the charts with the infectious dance hit “I’ll Be Good To You” and landing monster hit after monster hit for the next half decade. But brothers George and Louis Johnson paid […]
Today In Music History (March 20): Anita Baker creates a “Rapture” in us all
March 20, 1986 – Anita Baker releases the iconic album Rapture A beautiful and an extremely talented singer and songwriter, Anita Baker was a star hidden in plain sight for years. But that all ended on this day in 1986. Baker was nearly a no show for the world of music. She had been singing […]
Today in Music History (March 15): Earth Wind & Fire creates an all-time classic
March 15, 1975 – Earth Wind & Fire creates an all-time classic It is difficult to look back at the 70s and early 80s Soul music scene without marveling at both the groundbreaking music and the breadth of influence of Earth, Wind & Fire. A group revolutionary in its amalgamation of soul, jazz, funk and […]
Today in Music History (April 6, 1983): Johnny Gill releases debut album at age 16
April 6, 1983: Johnny Gill releases debut album at age 16 D.C. native Johnny Gill possesses one of the clearest, strongest Soul voices of his generation, and has achieved fame both as a solo artist and as part of the supergroup New Edition. Born one of four boys to Minister John Gill, Sr. and his wife […]
Today in Music History (March 7, 1971): Eddie Kendricks’ swan song with The Temptations hits #1
March 7, 1971 – The Temptations hit #1 with “Just My Imagination” It is impossible to talk about the development of soul music since the early 60s without repeatedly coming back to the Temptations. In the 60s they redefined the soul group, from the impeccable look they brought to the stage, to their focus on […]
Today in Music History: Bell Biv DeVoe leaves the shadow of New Edition with “Poison”
February 24, 1990 – Bell Biv DeVoe releases “Poison” As founding members of supergroup New Edition, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe had been in the spotlight for the better part of a decade – though often not as bright a spotlight as group members Bobby Brown and Ralph Tresvant. So when, during a […]
