Press "Enter" to skip to content

Posts tagged as “Red Hot Chili Peppers”

MUSIC MONDAY: “The Ultimate Billy Preston Playlist” (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: “The Ultimate Billy Preston Playlist” (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on August 10, 2026

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Threads: @stlmarlonwest IG: stlmarlonwest Bluesky: @marlonweststl.bsky.social Spotify: marlonwest)

Happy Music Monday, you all. Hope that first weekend of August treated you well.

After watching the amazing documentary, Billy Preston: That’s The Way God Planned It, I was inspired to create this playlist.

Directed by Paris Barclay and co-written by Cheo Hodari Coker, the film chronicles the life, amazing six-decade career, and complex personal struggles of the legendary keyboardist, singer, and songwriter, Billy Preston.

The GRAMMY-winner started as a child prodigy backing his mother, his own gospel group, and the iconic Mahalia Jackson. I’ve included gospel tracks along with his hits, including chart-toppers like “Will It Go Round in Circles” and “Outa-Space”. 

Billy Preston was a virtuoso keyboardist and powerhouse sideman who bridged gospel, R&B, rock, and soul. So no collection would be complete without his his iconic collaborations with The Beatles (earning him the moniker “the fifth Beatle” from John Lennon himself), The Rolling Stones, Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Little Richard, Sam Moore and Eric Clapton.

I’ve gathered more than 100 songs by him as a solo artist, in duet, as sideman, and collaborator, defying genre. From “With You I’m Born Again” with Syreeta Wright to the “Warlocks” backing Red Hot Chili Peppers, you’ll find a wide-ranging collection of tracks by the often under-recognized maestro. 

Until next time, stay safe, sane, and kind.

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)
MUSIC MONDAY: “Keep Dayton Funky: Essential Tracks By Ohio Funk Masters” Playlist (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: “Keep Dayton Funky: Essential Tracks By Ohio Funk Masters” Playlist (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on July 15, 2024

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Threads: @stlmarlonwest IG: stlmarlonwest Spotify: marlonwest)

Happy Music Monday, you all. It’s your friend and selector back again with another collection for listening, and this time rump shaking, pleasure.

While Detroit is known as “Hitsville U.S.A.” thanks to Motown, and Memphis is known as the epicenter of “Southern Soul” thanks to Stax Records. Dayton, however, is known as “The Funk Capital of the World.”

 

When Lakeside dubbed it “The Land of Funk” in its swashbuckling 1980 hit “Fantastic Voyage”, Dayton’s west side was already the birthplace of several of the funkiest groups on the planet.

My lifelong pal, Duane Myers, was the first to hip me to this fact a few years back. He pointed out that Ohio Players, Slave, Faze-O, Heatwave, Lakeside, Shirley Murdock, Zapp, Roger, and others are all from Dayton, Ohio.

This collection features a stable of funk bands whose influence can still be heard in hip-hop, house and other musical forms today.

The Ohio Players, who kicked open the door for them all, have had their tracks sampled or remade by Salt-N-Pepa, Soundgarden, Snoop Dogg, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers to name a few.

They are not alone. 1970s and ‘80s funk is being sampled and provides inspiration for many bands and artists. Please enjoy this playlist for classic funk music from the “Gem City”.  

And as always, stay safe, sane, and kind.

Marlon West
MUSIC MONDAY: “Fantastic Voyage” – A Tribute to the Funk Music of Dayton, Ohio (LISTEN)

MUSIC MONDAY: “Fantastic Voyage” – A Tribute to the Funk Music of Dayton, Ohio (LISTEN)

By goodblacknews on August 24, 2020

The Ohio Players (Photo Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

by Marlon West (FB: marlon.west1 Twitter: @marlonw IG: stlmarlonwest Spotify: marlonwest)

Dayton, Ohio was already a mecca of grooves, before Lakeside first dubbed it “The Land of Funk” in its swashbuckling cut “Fantastic Voyage.”

In the 1970s and 1980s, southwestern Ohio – particularly Dayton’s west side – was known for its collective of funk bands whose influence can still be heard in hip-hop, house, and other forms popular today.

The Ohio Players, the grandmasters of them all, have seen their songs sampled or remade by Snoop Dogg, Puff Daddy, Salt-N-Pepa, Soundgarden, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers to name but a few.

I’ve thrown in tracks by fellow Ohioans — Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, The Isley Brothers and Bobby Womack — to further show the disproportionate amount of funk Ohio has produced.

This will be another one that will make you move. Enjoy.

Stay safe, sane, and kind, you all!

[spotifyplaybutton play=”spotify:playlist:5zh8DqukyXIKaItwK3HXP7″/]

Marlon West (photo courtesy Marlon West)