On This Day in 1992: The Bodyguard arrives and sets records
November 25, 1992 – “The Bodyguard” begins its record setting run Whitney Houston was already a music star, but the world wanted more. Her beauty, her voice and her presence clearly screamed that she was capable of even greater stardom, and her movie headliner debut, The Bodyguard, proved our guesses were right. Teamed with Kevin […]
On This Day in 1984: Philip Bailey and Phil Collins team for a #1 hit
November 20, 1984 – Philip Bailey hits #1 with “Easy Lover” By 1984, Philip Bailey was already well into a Hall of Fame career as the inimitable falsetto lead singer for Earth Wind & Fire, the recognizable voice behind a string of now classic singles and album cuts. But in addition to their roles in […]
On This Day in 1972 : Hall & Oates begin historic recording career
November 12, 1972 – Hall & Oates release their debut album, Whole Oats They are the most successful singing duo in history, and on this day in 1972, the world met the legendary twosome, Daryl Hall and John Oates. During the late 60s, as Detroit ruled the pop and soul airwaves, the seeds for the next […]
On This Day in 2006: The tragic death of Gerald Levert
November 10, 2006 – Gerald Levert’s death shocks the music world He was too young, too talented, too everything. Gerald Levert’s sudden, unexpected death pained the soul music world deeply, and still does. He passed in his sleep on November 10, of a fatal combination of prescription pain medications and over-the-counter drugs, along with pnuemonia. […]
On This Day in 1977: The Temptations up and leave Motown
November 10, 1977 – The Temptations leave Motown The year was 1977 and The Temptations were a mess. Yes, THE Temptations, the act that nearly defined soul music in the 60s and early 70s. But the loss of Dennis Edwards and Eddie Kendricks, combined with a series of mediocre, uninspired albums on Motown in the […]
On This Day in 1973: Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye teamed up for a winner
October 29, 1973: Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye team up They were separately two of Motown’s most iconic artists. And when they came together, absolute magic happened. It was on this day in 1973 that Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross released an album of duets that was as sumptuous as fans imagined it would be. There had been […]
On This Day in 1986: Howard Hewett goes solo
October 21, 1986 – Howard Hewett goes solo During the turn of the decade and for the first half of the 1980s, the group Shalamar was red hot, utilizing the production of Leon Sylvers to create a run of great hits that still stand up beautifully four decades later. And with their dance moves and […]
On This Day in 1980: Earth Wind & Fire released “Faces,” and the critics are still wrong today
October 14, 1980: Earth, Wind & Fire releases Faces album Here’s a tip: At the next party you’re attending, be sure to avoid discussing religion, politics or Faces. That’s only half in jest, as fans of “The Elements” know that the 1980 double album Faces stands as the most divisive, controversial, and oddly forgotten great album […]
On This Day in 1982: Lionel Richie leaves the Commodores to go solo
October 6, 1982 – Lionel Richie goes solo with debut album He was on top of the world as the lead singer and principal songwriter for The Commodores, but on this day in 1982, Lionel Richie completed a much anticipated career move, becoming a solo artist and issuing a massive selling self-titled solo debut album. It […]
Today in Music History: Stevie Wonder releases “Songs In The Key of Life”
September 28, 1976 – Stevie Wonder releases Songs In The Key of Life Now matter how you configure the Mount Rushmore of soul music, he is there. Stevie Wonder is virtually without peer in the history and development of music over the past half century. And in his Imperial Period of the 1970s, he issued some of the greatest […]
