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. […]
On This Day in 1971: Marvin Gaye releases seminal album “What’s Going On”
May 21, 1971 – Marvin Gaye releases What’s Going On It was a response to personal grief, a statement of independence, and a message for a troubled nation. And it became one of the greatest – maybe THE greatest – soul albums of all time. On May 21, 1971, Marvin Gaye released What’s Going On, and […]
On This Day in 1982: The day Jeffrey Osborne went solo
May 18, 1982 – Jeffrey Osborne releases releases his solo debut album Love Togetherness and Devotion (later shortened to L.T.D.) was one the best and most popular self-contained Soul groups of the 70s. Formed in 1968 at Greensboro, North Carolina, the group was “super-sized” by the time it signed with A&M Records in 1973, with […]
On This Day in 1977: America, meet Maze feat. Frankie Beverly
May 6, 1977: Maze releases debut album By any measure, one of the most talented but criminally underappreciated self-contained bands of the past four decades has been Maze feat. Frankie Beverly. Their ability to fuse soul and jazz with an irresistible groove and intelligent lyrical content has gained for them an extremely loyal following among […]
On This Day in 1979: Peaches & Herb hit #1 with “Reunited”
May 5, 1979 – Peaches & Herb’s “Reunited” hits #1 They were “The Sweethearts Of Soul” in the 1960s, but it was a decade and half later, with a different lineup, that Peaches & Herb finally made it to #1 with what became the duo’s signature song. Herb Fame worked in a Washington D.C. record […]
On This Day in 1998: The group NEXT rockets to #1 with “Too Close”
May 2, 1998 Next hits #1 with “Too Close” The story of the trio Next follows the trajectory of many memorable R&B groups of the last half century, but the scope and speed of the group’s rise and, ultimately, its fall, is more shocking than most. Formed by brothers Terry “T-Low” Brown and Raphael “Tweet” […]
On This Day in 1974: The Ohio Players hit the big time with “Skin Tight”
April 23, 1974: The Ohio Players release their first #1 album One of the funkiest groups in the funkiest decade, the Ohio Players became the template for a generation of Midwest jamming groups. And on this day in 1974, the group finally hit big time pay dirt, releasing their signature album and their first #1 […]
On This Day in 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: 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 […]
On This Day in 1996: Maxwell arrives, and changes everything
April 2, 1996 – Maxwell’s releases his debut album, Maxwell’s Urban Hang Suite Arguably the most celebrated new Soul Music artist to emerge in the mid-90s, Maxwell arose as a curious combination of romanticism and sexuality, of spirituality and sensuality, much like Marvin Gaye a generation earlier. His studio albums and one live album were huge […]
