Soul Music

Donald "Duck" Dunn, Legendary Bass Player, Dead at 70

Donald "Duck" Dunn, the famed session bass guitarist for Memphis-based Stax Records and R&B band Booker T. & the M.G.'s, died in Tokyo after performing at the Blue Note night club with fellow musician Steve Cropper. He was 70. Dunn was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1941. He met future guit ... More >>

Mayer Hawthorne and the County at Grand Central May 8

Donald "Duck" Dunn, the famed session bass guitarist for Memphis-based Stax Records and R&B band Booker T. & the M.G.'s, died in Tokyo after performing at the Blue Note night club with fellow musician Steve Cropper. He was 70. Dunn was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1941. He met future guit ... More >>

Sam Sparro at Bardot April 28

Donald "Duck" Dunn, the famed session bass guitarist for Memphis-based Stax Records and R&B band Booker T. & the M.G.'s, died in Tokyo after performing at the Blue Note night club with fellow musician Steve Cropper. He was 70. Dunn was born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1941. He met future guit ... More >>

Mayer Hawthorne on Duet With Snoop Dogg for New Album: "Snoop's Got a Dope Singing Voice"

Unlike the rest of the stops on his current tour, Mayer Hawthorne's May 8 visit to Grand Central comes with a money-back guarantee. Not that anyone has ever asked for a refund. But Hawthorne stresses, "We put on shows. It's much more of a party than a concert. We definitely work harder than any ba ... More >>

Mary J. Blige and Patti LaBelle at Jazz in the Gardens in Miami, March 18

​Jazz in the Gardens 2012 With Mary J. Blige, Patti LaBelle, Sensere, Nicole Henry, Kevin Eubanks, and Kenny G Sun Life Stadium Sunday, March 18, 2012 Better Than:Kenny G doing a saxophone solo while writhing around in a bed of roses. Well, Mr. G was there. But a bed of roses was not included. R ... More >>

Robin Thicke Talks Double-Digit Orgasms, Baby-Making Music, and NYE in Miami

​The real reason for kissing at midnight on New Years Eve? Whether you're single, married, divorced, or your outlook on monogamy is much like Tiger Woods', everyone is trying to get some. And if anyone is going to help you get laid, it's Robin Thicke. So if you are looking to keep it sexy this ... More >>

Mayer Hawthorne Talks Beautiful Women, Motown, and Yacht Rock

Schiko via Stones Throw​Mayer Hawthorne is a Michigan-bred dude with a genuinely soulful sound. Undoubtedly, Motown influenced the young singer's timeless melodies. His falsetto vocals can sometimes sound straight out of 1971. But this producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist is making orig ... More >>

Jay-Z and Kanye's "Otis" Video (Not About Otis Redding) to Air Tomorrow

Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam/Roc Nation​Let's start with the facts: (1) Rap giants Jay-Z and Kanye West joined forces to create an album titled Watch the Throne; (2) There is a teaser trailer for their upcoming video "Otis"; (3) The video was directed by Spike Jonze; (4) The song features a sample of Otis ... More >>

Motown Brunching in the Design District With Leonardo Valencia and the end/SPRING BREAK

Leonardo Valencia used to cook brunch for his broke friends in Brooklyn with his ex-wife Didi. She's a pastry chef and he's a  former culinary school attendee whose favorite thing to make is breakfast. And one day, these two cooks realized that the most delicious garnish for eggs is Motown. ... More >>

Ten Songs Sexy Enough to Get a Lady Pregnant

Yes, those are tiny pregnant ladies in Barry White's hands.​When we set out to put this list together we thought, "Great, we're going to have a wide variety of songs!" That dream was shattered when we quickly realized white people don't know shit about bone jams. If the number of Wayans children ... More >>

Macho, Macho Fan

Yes, those are tiny pregnant ladies in Barry White's hands.​When we set out to put this list together we thought, "Great, we're going to have a wide variety of songs!" That dream was shattered when we quickly realized white people don't know shit about bone jams. If the number of Wayans children ... More >>

Q&A With Maxwell, Playing American Airlines Arena With Jill Scott Tonight

Eight years. That's how long Maxwell spent between LPs. And that's about eight times the general shelf life of the average pop star. But as we make clear in this week's feature, Maxwell is not, and has never been, your average pop-star. In fact, he's come off as something enduring and timeless from ... More >>

Top 10 Moments in Black Music History at the Palms in Hallandale

public domain image via Florida Guy 128 on wikimedia commons.Hallandale Beach at Sunset​The image above is of the sleepy-looking beachside town called Hallandale, Florida and gives no indication of the city's Black musical history. But the Palms in Hallandale, just north of Miami, otherwise known ... More >>

Ketchy Shuby spreads downtown soul throughout Miami

public domain image via Florida Guy 128 on wikimedia commons.Hallandale Beach at Sunset​The image above is of the sleepy-looking beachside town called Hallandale, Florida and gives no indication of the city's Black musical history. But the Palms in Hallandale, just north of Miami, otherwise known ... More >>

The Re-Rebirth of Soul

public domain image via Florida Guy 128 on wikimedia commons.Hallandale Beach at Sunset​The image above is of the sleepy-looking beachside town called Hallandale, Florida and gives no indication of the city's Black musical history. But the Palms in Hallandale, just north of Miami, otherwise known ... More >>

SoBe, So Soul

public domain image via Florida Guy 128 on wikimedia commons.Hallandale Beach at Sunset​The image above is of the sleepy-looking beachside town called Hallandale, Florida and gives no indication of the city's Black musical history. But the Palms in Hallandale, just north of Miami, otherwise known ... More >>

Keith Sweat

public domain image via Florida Guy 128 on wikimedia commons.Hallandale Beach at Sunset​The image above is of the sleepy-looking beachside town called Hallandale, Florida and gives no indication of the city's Black musical history. But the Palms in Hallandale, just north of Miami, otherwise known ... More >>

Video: Sam Cooke Live From the Harlem Square Club in Overtown

"Don't fight it, we gona feel it tonight, ya understand." And with these words Sam Cooke launched into "Feel It" (a Wilson Pickett tune), on what would become his "Live At The Harlem Square Club, 1963" album. Jerry Wexler, the man who coined the term "Rhythm and Blues" and a pa ... More >>

Throwback Tuesdays--Curtis Mayfield "Keep On Keeping On"

Curtis Mayfield's voice is like a salve. No matter what you're ailing from, sometimes listening to Curtis can be a cure-all. On a day like today, where motivation to keep moving forward is limited, here's an oldie-but-goodie from one of soul music's greatest singers. --Jonathan Cunningham

Jamie Lidell

Jim (Warp)

Amp Fiddler

Jim (Warp)

Something to Doo-Wop To

Feeling kind of blue? Let the music soothe you at Titanic

Maroon 5

Feeling kind of blue? Let the music soothe you at Titanic

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band

Feeling kind of blue? Let the music soothe you at Titanic

Future Soul Locus

Rich Medina confirms his status as an aesthete whom artists know and respect

Eddie Kirkland

Rich Medina confirms his status as an aesthete whom artists know and respect

Al Green

The Belle Album (Hi/EMI)

Supreme Inspiration

Celebrate Black History Month with a Motown legend

City of Gold

Miami's musical past is mined and polished by an archival label

Cat Power

The Greatest (Matador)

Solomon Burke Al Green

Everything's OK

Make Do with What You Got Shout! Factory

Blue Note

BEST JUKEBOX

Beaches Bar & Grill

Soul Survivor

Old cool soul from Teddy Pendergrass

Isn't He Lovely

Glenn Lewis waits for the world to see him as more than just a Wonderkind

Hot Buttered Soulman

There's more to Isaac Hayes than "Chocolate Salty Balls"

Jesus' Favorite Singer

Fifty years after leaving the Soul Stirrers, Rebert Harris has been called home

Oh No, He Can't!

Old Fontainebleu fave Sammy Davis, Jr.

Heart and Soul

Miami's soul-music era may be over, but singers like Bobby Stringer are struggling to revive the genre

Gospel Truth

Pastors in South Dade's black churches have discovered one sure way to attract male membership: Start a choir

A Sense of Wonder

Pastors in South Dade's black churches have discovered one sure way to attract male membership: Start a choir

Reverb

Pastors in South Dade's black churches have discovered one sure way to attract male membership: Start a choir

Soul Salvation

Wayne Cochran was one of America's most energetic and exciting entertainers. But the fast life ruined him. Then he swiped a Bible.

Rotations

Wayne Cochran was one of America's most energetic and exciting entertainers. But the fast life ruined him. Then he swiped a Bible.

Soul Deep

Wayne Cochran was one of America's most energetic and exciting entertainers. But the fast life ruined him. Then he swiped a Bible.

Into the Night

Wayne Cochran was one of America's most energetic and exciting entertainers. But the fast life ruined him. Then he swiped a Bible.

Five Variations on a Theme by Barry White

Wayne Cochran was one of America's most energetic and exciting entertainers. But the fast life ruined him. Then he swiped a Bible.

Rotations

Wayne Cochran was one of America's most energetic and exciting entertainers. But the fast life ruined him. Then he swiped a Bible.

Terence's Stamp

The perenially pompous Mr. D'Arby puts his imprimatur on another ambitious pop-soul epic

Don't Let Go The Soul

For those who can't tell the difference between Wilson Phillips and Wilson Pickett, it's time to go to school with Professor Clay

The Boogie Man Is Back

For those who can't tell the difference between Wilson Phillips and Wilson Pickett, it's time to go to school with Professor Clay