I know Halloween is all-but cancelled this year for so many of us. No trick or treating. No parties. No parades. Though Halloween is still a fine excuse for me to compile a free-wheeling seasonal playlist.
Here’s a nearly 9 hour “Afroclectic” collection of music featuring chills and horrors both real (“Strange Fruit” and “Goat Head’) and imagined (“Season Of The Witch” and “Wolf Like Me”).
From Michael Abels‘ “I Got 5 On It” remix from US to Blind Willie Johnson’s “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground” this is a wide ranging playlist of songs for this time of the year.
Blues, Soul, Jazz, Rock, Ska, Hip-Hop, and Reggae are all present here. In some cases the only thing that links some of these tracks to this spooky time of year is zombie, vampire, voodoo, monster, devil, ghost, or Dracula in the title.
Please enjoy this collection of spills and chills. Listen with the lights on. Or off, if you dare.
The world got a happy surprise when Stevie Wonder released two brand new songs earlier this week, his first new songs as lead artist in years.
Wonder held a virtual press conference Tuesday with reporters to reveal his latest news, in addition to the new tunes. Wonder, who turned 70 earlier this year, reported he “feels great” after a kidney transplant last December.
Most shockingly, nearly 60 years after he first signed with Motown at the age of 11, Wonder announced that he has left what had previously been his lifetime record label for his own What the Fuss Records, to be distributed through Republic Records (a sister label to Motown in the Universal Music Group family).
The label is named after the Prince-assisted single “So What the Fuss,” which was included on Wonder’s last full-length album, A Time to Love from 2005.
The new songs “Where Is Our Love Song” (featuring blues/rock guitar maestro Gary Clark Jr.) and “Can’t Put It In the Hands of Fate” (with Busta Rhymes, Rapsody, Cordae & Chika) are both based on musical elements Wonder had started composing years ago (the former song was started when Wonder was 18), but were completed this year with lyrics and messages inspired by Wonder’s take on the news of today.
Wonder indicated that both songs would be potentially included in an upcoming EP or full-length album. Proceeds from “Where Is Our Love Song” will be donated to the charity Feeding America.
Johnny Nash had no particular episode of personal hardship in mind when he composed “I Can See Clearly Now” in the early 1970s, though over the years it has struck a firm chord with generations who appreciate its feeling of new hope emerging from the despair: “I can see clearly now the rain has gone / I can see all obstacles in my way / Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind / It’s gonna be a bright, bright, sunshine-y day.”
He died last week at age 80.
Nash was American but spent time living in Jamaica in the mid-1960s, and the island’s influence on his music came to the fore in 1968, when his rock-steady compositions “You Got Soul” and “Hold Me Tight” were Top 10 hits in the UK, helping to kickstart a period of mainstream interest in reggae that remains to this day.
His reggae-fied version of Sam Cooke’s “Cupid” made it to No. 6 in the UK the following year, followed by “Stir it Up,” written for him, and later reclaimed, by his friend Bob Marley. That was a UK No. 13 in 1972, only months before the release of “I Can See Clearly Now.”
This playlist includes many of Johnny Nash’s recordings, songs by him, Bob Marley, and other early reggae artists, plus many of the cuts that dominated the radio in 1972 alongside Johhny Nash’s enduring song of hope.
Hope you enjoy this tribute collection. Next week I’ll be back with a more “seasonal” offering.
Until such time, stay safe sane, and kind… and vote!
Since the 1960s, especially when it came to emerging British rockers, the roots of Rock ’n Roll were a direct line to “authentic” Blues players. (Mainly men, but that’s the subject for another playlist.)
It’s mainly true, but it leaves out Country music, and in what Bullseye with Jesse Thorn host Jesse Thorn called “the race to find the most hard-scrabble weathered bluesman from the fields of Alabama or Mississippi or wherever” also ignores Jazz dance music.
Hugely popular in its day, it followed the big band era and was the springboard for Rhythm & Blues. Particularly the genre of “Jam Blues” and its trail-blazing, funny, and brash master of the game: Louis Jordan.
When it became too expensive for big bands to tour in the 1940s, Jordan led a revolution by cutting his band in half. The Tympany Five was a horn section, drums, guitar, bass, and piano. Jordan played saxophone and sang lead vocals himself, which was a rare move at the time.
The son of Ugandan immigrants to the U.K, Kiwanuka won this third time after having been nominated twice before for previous albums: Home Again (2012) and Love & Hate (2016).
“I’m over the moon, so so excited,” he said on receiving the prize. “This [prize] is for art, for music, for albums – it’s the only thing I’ve ever wanted to do, so to win a Mercury is a dream come true… It’s blown my mind.” He wins £25,000.
His album, released in November 2019, draws equally from folk and soul as the songwriter sings of freedom, love, and struggles both personal and collective; one track samples protests during the 1960s US civil rights movement. It was described in a Guardian review as a “bold, expansive, heartfelt, sublime album. He’s snuck in at the final whistle, but surely this is among the decade’s best.” It reached No 2 on release, and spent 18 weeks in the UK charts.
He thanked his producers, Inflo and Danger Mouse, “some of the best musicians, artists, creatives around, they’ve really helped me grow.” Asked why he given the album his name, he said he had experienced “imposter syndrome … it was taking things away from the experience of doing my dream job. So I made a decision when I was making this album that I wanted to be myself, enjoy it, and not hold back, and show myself as clear as I can be.”
Kiwanuka said an additional reason why his 2019 release title was eponymous was to honor his African heritage.
(Kevin Saunderson, Derrick May and Juan Atkins in Detroit / Photo credit: Unknown)
Techno has come to be associated with European club culture, but it was born from the Black community in Detroit. It was originally revolutionary protest music. Techno was born of African-American struggle.
Detroit DJs Robert Hood, Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, and Derrick May are known as the originators of techno. They fused funk, disco, and gospel beyond recognition in the ‘80s.
To quote Robert Hood: “Techno is the struggle of black artists that came from nothing, had nothing—[I was] blessed to share this music.”
This collection celebrates the originators as well as current Black women and nonbinary DJs and producers, like Tati au Miel and Nonku Phiri, that have had to carve out space in the scene too.
Many of our Spotify playlists on Good Black News celebrate the songs of years past – but today we’re going to twist it up a little.
With our “Surprise! We’re Still Making Great Music“ playlist, we’re going to spotlight 30 favorite artists from throughout the years who you maybe didn’t know had something new to offer.
With major record companies so focused on the youth/hip hop market, it’s often just part of the accepted path of a musician that after the hit-making years are over, an artist’s career shifts – sometimes concerts/touring, sometimes acting/performing in musicals, sometimes just retiring or changing careers.
But as the technology for recording gets less expensive, and the ability to distribute music electronically becomes simpler – more and more favorite acts are deciding to record new music. However, just because they’ve made new music, doesn’t mean its been easy for us to find out about it. Not many radio stations play new soul from veteran artists, and on the streaming services, these tracks are often not well-promoted – even to their likely audiences.
So we started exploring, and we’ve stumbled across dozens of fresh recordings from artists that we haven’t checked out in awhile, often in decades! Some artists have been recording all along – and we didn’t realize it. Some seem to be testing the waters – can they reignite their fanbase? And, this year in particular, with musicians stuck at home – and with news events and protests inspiring the artistic desire to say something, many are using their art to address the politics of today.
So, here are 30 favorite artists (+ one bonus artist) – a mixture of men, women, and groups with recent music from the last couple years you can check out now electronically. Let us know in the comments who you are happy to see back in action behind the mic:
(The Emotions, September 1977 Pamela Hutchinson, center: Michael Putland/Getty Images)
Pamela Hutchinson, singer from the famed R&B group The Emotions, has died at the age of 61, according to a post on the band’s official Facebook page Sunday.
The Emotions were comprised of Hutchinson and her sisters, Wanda Hutchinson-Vaughn, Jeanette Hutchinson-Hawes and Sheila Hutchinson-Witt. The family act got its start in Chicago, IL as the gospel group the Hutchinson Sunbeams before transitioning to disco/R&B.
“Pam succumbed to health challenges that she’d been battling for several years,” the post said. “Now our beautiful sister will sing amongst the angels in heaven in perfect peace.”
The Emotions’ two biggest hits were the R&B/disco classics “Best of My Love” and “Boogie Wonderland,” the latter of which they collaborated with Earth, Wind & Fire. Other hit singles include “Don’t Ask My Neighbors,” “I Don’t Wanna Lose Your Love,” “You’re the Best” and “Turn it Out.”
We know where you were last night. Millions of fans of a certain age were enjoying the stay-at-home celebration dubbed by the internet as “AuntieChella,” as Gladys Knight and Patti Labelle ‘battled’ it out on Instagram/Apple Music‘s “Verzuz” series.
Verzuz was created a few months ago by hitmaking producers Timbaland and Swizz Beatz as a way for music fans to honor their greats while relaxing at home during these quarantine times.
For those of you who haven’t checked it out yet, the sessions are not truly a ‘battle’ – but rather an occasion for two legends to get together (whether in real life like last night, or virtually) and banter about their careers while having a listening party of the greatest hits of each artist.
The battle was epic, with both ladies, now in their late ’70s, decked out in stylish pantsuits, and sharing their love for each other amidst career stories, lots of live singing, and plenty of chair grooving.
Michelle Obama, Oprah, and Queen Latifah were tuned in to hear such hits as “Midnight Train to Georgia,” “Over the Rainbow,” “You Are My Friend” and ‘The Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me.”
Gladys honored all phases of her career, delving back into her early doo-wop hit “Every Beat of My Heart,” her Motown Pips years with “Friendship Train,” her ’80s hits like “Love Overboard” and the Bond theme “License to Kill.”
Patti focused on her material from her solo years, mixing ballad favorites like “Somebody Loves You Baby” and “If Only You Knew” with uptempo hits like “The Right Kinda Lover” and “Feels Like Another One.”
The evening was capped off when Dionne Warwick surprised the audience with a special appearance to end the show, as they joined her to sing “That’s What Friends Are For” and their hit version of “Superwoman.”
The three of them had previously worked together on a special called “Sisters in the Name of Love” that Gladys had produced for HBO in the late ’80s (there are some fan posts of it on YouTube that offer some thrilling harmonies).
Gladys, Dionne, Patti
Of course with these vets, even a couple of hours of hits doesn’t come close to diving into their full careers. So in case you were ready for more, we’ve done that work for you – pairing up additional Patti and Gladys hits and deep tracks from the rest of their six decade careers for GBN’s latest playlist: “Gladys Knight Verzuz Patti Labelle – The Best of the Rest.”
We’ve gone beyond the biggest hits, and focused solely on extensive additional material they did not cover during last night’s show.
While Patti and Gladys both hit the charts for the first time in the very early ’60s – their careers have actually taken very divergent paths before, in more recent years, they’ve ended up as favorite Aunties to the Black community.
To quote from 
