Hil St. Soul

In the news this week... Michael Jackson's Estate sues a memorabilia company. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Michael Jackson fans are learning that the hard way after finding out they got duped by a memorabilia company. According to TMZ, Premiere Props illegally sold photos of the late singer, although the rights were owned by his company. The shots are of the Jackson’s Victory Tour, which featured all the brothers back in 1984. MJ’s estate is now filing a suit. And to add to the scheme, Premiere Props told buyers they would be able to own the rights if they bought the photos, which is completely false. Fans paid between $200 and $2,000 to secure those rights. Through the courts, Jackson’s estate will attempt to halt all the profits the company made from the auction so far, and ultimately stop Premiere Props from selling additional photos. (boombox) Legacy Lives On! King of Pop's Hometown to Name School in His Honor, Gary, Indiana will soon be home to a school named after one of their hometown heroes, Michael Jackson. His mother Katherine Jackson signed off on a memorandum last month with The Gary Community School that "seeks to honor Michael Jackson and to inspire children to excel in the arts and education." The Jackson matriarch donated $10,000 in April during the Gary Promise scholarship event hosted by former NBA star Magic Johnson. (singersroom)

Earlier this week, it was reported that R&B powerhouse Deborah Cox would be supplying the singing vocals for actress YaYa DaCosta’s role as Whitney Houston in the highly-anticipated upcoming Lifetime film set for 2015. Upon that announcement, the common consensus was that Cox is a great choice, and now we can hear what onscreen Whitney will sound like on stage! TMZ got their hands on audio of Cox covering Whitney's mega hit “I Will Always Love You” for a live performance sequence. A statement from Lifetime states that the "music rights and clearances are still being worked out," but after listening to this, we hope it clears completely because Cox sounds great! Since Whitney was called "The Voice," this should, in a sense, bring the icon back to life. (singersroom)

This Weeks Playlist 4 Sunday 27-07-2014



Stephen Bishop - On & On
Deborah Cox - Sound Of My Tears
Spyro Gyra - Morning Dance [welcome music]
Godchild Presents - Where Are We Going
Donell Jones - Finer Things In Life
Betty Wright - Thank You For The Many Things
Syleena Johnson/Jaheim - Worlds Apart
Joshie Jo Armstead - In The Right Place (Miki-Mix)
Faith Evans - I Just Can't Wait
Charlie Wilson - I Still Have You (Remix)
J.P. Cooper - I Wish I Didn't Miss You (Live)
Jon B - They Don't Know
Curtis Mayfield - Baby It's You


Hil St. Soul x3
1 Wash Away 2 Pieces
3 Strictly A Vibe Thing

Rahsaan Patterson - I'll Go
Kenny Thomas - Turn It Up
Bluezone - Big Thing
Unknown - Rock My World
Bill Withers - Lovely Day (Studio Rio Remix)
Groove Association - Somethings Changed
                                  /Do You Remember
Tracy Carter - Everyday
Luther Vandross - Better Love

Hil St. Soul Biography:

Hilary Mwelwa moved from Lusaka, Zambia, to England when she was five years old -- just in time for kindergarten. She studied biochemistry at the University of London, but a strong love for music pushed her to leave school and follow her heart. An a cappella demo of Stevie Wonder/Clarence Paul/Morris Broadnax's "Until You Come Back to Me," cut in 1995, started everything for the enthusiastic singer; she loved the song so much she waxed two versions for her debut CD, jointly written and produced with Victor Redwood Sawyerr (aka VRS, a founding member of Blak Twang), the other half of Hil St. Soul.

Soul Organic A singer of many styles, Mwelwa is comfortable performing classic soul, smooth jazz, uptempo funk, and gospel. Her versatility earned her the honor of Best Newcomer by the U.K.'s Blues & Soul magazine. She has performed at festivals in Holland, Norway, and England, sharing stages with urban kings and queens such as D'Angelo, Kelis, Macy Gray, and Angie Stone, to name a few. An accomplished and prolific songwriter, Incognito, Maysa Leak, and others have used her material. Her style doesn't lack drama, but she's more subtle than demonstrative. Not as reclining as Sade, and not as overwhelming as Mica Paris, she's found a comfortable niche that appeases classic soul fanatics canvassing for fresh R&B/pop janissaries without disenfranchising hip-hop lovers. She issued four albums during the 2000s: Soul Organic (2000), Copasetik & Cool (2004), Soulidified (2006), and Black Rose (2008). (allmusic.com)

Vivian Green

Today....One of fastest growing and most diverse festival in Birmingham, last year the festival attracted over 10,000 people. Simmer Down is a totally free family fun-day festival which celebrates Birmingham's rich diversity by paying tribute to the centrality of reggae and other musical genres that make it such a city of culture.

As part of The Drum's 20th Anniversary Celebrations, we are delighted to confirm our headline act as the Grammy Award winning international Reggae Legends Steel Pulse , master of Ragga Fusion Apache Indian and Reggae Revolution, and chart-topping Birmingham Reggae band Musical Youth! Plus many more special guests, performers, artists, musicians and bands are still to be announced. So make sure you've got the date in your diary!

There will be a wide range of live performances and arts participation activities taking place across several stages and marquees, plus plenty of fun activities for all the family including arts and education workshops, face paintings, and a selection of belly-busting food stalls offering treats from across the city. Don't miss the biggest and best free party of the year! In the words of Steel Pulse, it's a "Handsworth Revo-Revo-Revolution!" To find out more about Simmer Down 2014, you can call The Drum Box Office on 0121 333 2444, and make sure to Follow us on Twitter @SimmerDownFest with hashtag #SimmerDown14
Presented by Simmer Down CIC, The Drum in partnership with Perry Barr Constituency Arts Forum, Mind Birmingham, and The Phoenix Newspaper. Security provided by Leon Security

Main Stage Running Order: after 4pm

4:45PM – 5:30PM
APACHE INDIAN BACKED BY REGGAE REVOLUTION
The Don Rajah of Ragga fusion backed by Birmingham’s stellar musicians. Boom Shakalaka!
6PM – 7:30PM
STEEL PULSE
Grammy Award winning International Reggae Revolutionaries comes home to Handsworth!
Time To Change Stage Running Order:
12:30pm - 12:45pm
SIMMER DOWN SCHOOLS: HOLLY HEAD
Holly Head’s dancers deliver Hot Moves and Cool Shapes to kick off the Stage in style.
12:45pm - 12:55pm
DRUM ABOUT BRUM
Bangin’ Beats and Pieces from Brum’s finest drumming group.
12:55pm - 1:05pm
ACE DANCE
Leading innovative dance company ACE showcase their youth programmes’ rising stars.
1:05pm - 1:15pm
DRUM ABOUT BRUM
More beats from Brum’s best.
1:15pm - 1:30pm
YOUNG GIFTED BRUM
The Drum’s Youth programme invite you to the stage for a vocal adventure.
1:30pm - 1:40pm
SIMMER DOWN SCHOOLS: ALUM ROCK YOUTH GROUP
Alum Rock’s young creatives deliver insightful lines and slick rhymes.
1:40pm - 1:55pm
STICKY TOFFEE DANCE
Sticky Toffee Dance showcase the dance stars of the future.
2pm - 3:50pm
BIRMINGHAM MIND
A special showcase performance from our proud festival sponsors Birmingham Mind and Time To Change.
4pm - 4:20pm
AFRO MIO
Rhythmic conga, melodious African guitar, and rich vocals in five languages!
4:30pm - 5:15pm
JAM TIDY
Gypsy-Swing-Reggae-Hip Hop mash-up to close the show in style.
This weeks tracklist for Sunday 20-072014



Rome - I Like You
DaPaul - She So Entertaining
Art Porter - Under Cover (inst-sax)
Papik - I Feel Alive
Brydge - I Try
EOL - Make Sure Your Right
Raw Shaw - Ghetto Tactics
Joe - Baby
Shaylin D. Mack - Can't Wait
Papik - Baby Love Your Way
EOL - Love The Way

Vivian Green x3

1 Cursed 2 What Is Love

3 Sweet Memory (Beautifully Young)

B.Thompson - Jameela

Don-E - Spirital

Somi - Ginger Me Slowly

Godchild Presents - Where Are You Going

Rick Clarke - Call Me Up

Maxwell x2- Ascension (inst/+remix) 2011

Don-E Feelin' U

Imaaai - Found My Light

Vivian Green Biography:

Adult contemporary R&B vocalist Vivian Green grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she started singing at an early age. She began playing the piano at age eight and writing songs when she was 11. At 13, she joined a girl group called Younique. She spent her teens writing, sending out demos, and singing wherever she could. Her break came when she was hired as a backup singer for Jill Scott, who took her on tour internationally. That connection eventually led to record company interest, and Green signed to Columbia in November 2001. Her debut album, A Love Story, was released one year later and narrowly missed the Top 50 of the Billboard 200 album chart. Vivian followed in May 2005 and reached number 18. Though it was a little pop-slanted, the follow-up featured collaborations with many of the same producers, including James Poyser. Beautiful, dominated by songs written with producer/songwriter Anthony Bell and released on eOne, followed in 2010 and debuted at number 101 on the Billboard 200. For October 2012's The Green Room, Green's second album for eOne, the singer worked with Vidal Davis, Steve McKie, Phillip "Phoe Notes" Randolph, and Brian Culbertson. (allmusic.com)

Next week-end, don't miss...

Mr Merry recommends Impressed Irioning

Kindred The Family Soul

In today show Mr. Merry features a song from Dee Roninson's new album 'Grown, Sexy, Lullabys', she also launched her new book yesterday with a short title, 'The Capricious & Anecdotal Sojourn of a Woman who Sometimes Processes Information in a Peculiar Fashion: True Stories of Misadventure', she says on her Facebook page; "Book Signing & Reading is my big day! I'm looking forward to seeing you guys. Those who have already bought the book are giving it rave reviews, and the majority keep asking about this one particular person in the book. Hmmm...we might have to do a national search to find him. One of the highlights from the book signing was receiving a nice hat as a gift from guitarist Sarah Clemons. I love this hat Sarah, and I will wear it with pride!". More

Celebrating their birthdays today are Debora Cox (1974) & Gerald Levert (1966) although another Soul date has arrived this Sunday with the closure of the much loved Catacombs club in Wolverhampton happened with a big bang with a final all-nighter on this day in 1974, 40 years ago. The club was demolished soon after but has been marked by the council with a plaque near to the site. More at PCRL page here.

This weeks playlist Sunday 13-07-14



Hour one
Terry Washington - A Reason To Love
Dee Robinson - I Like It [book launch yesterday]
Marqueal Jordan - 4 Sonny
Anita Baker - Feel The Need
Charlie Wilson - There Goes My Baby
Gwen Guthrie - Girl fiends Boy Friend
Harold Melvin - I Really Love You
By All Means - I'd Rather Be Lonely
Sister Sledge - Easier To Love
Vivian Green - Cursed
Maze - While I'm Alone

Hour Two
Kindred The Family Soul x3
1 Drop The Bomb 2 My Time
3 Call Me Crazy

Eric Roberson - Been In Love
Kenny Lattimore - Weekend
Ann Nesby - In The Spirit
Dennis Taylor - Enough Is Enough
Eric Bernet - Better And Better
Dwele - Know Your Name
Winans Phase 2 - It's Alright
Taheesha Renee - Love Taken Over
Don-E - Little Star
Nasty - Sexual Healing

Kindred The Family Soul Biography:

Kindred the Family Soul, also referred to as Kindred, are an American R&B, soul, and neo soul duo consisting of the married couple of Fatin Dantzler and Aja Graydon. Signed to Hidden Beach Recordings, Kindred emerged from the Philadelphia neo soulmovement that also includes Jill Scott, who discovered them while the couple was performing at the Black Lily Film & Music Festival. After two years of work on the CD, Hidden Beach issued their debut album Surrender to Love in February 2003, which included, among others, the songs "Stars" and "Far Away". Their follow-up album was 2005's In This Life Together—its title being a reference to Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee's 1998 book With Ossie & Ruby: In This Life Together—, spawning the single "Where Would I Be (The Question)". The duo were nominated for a Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Album, Group Band or Duo for Surrender to Love in 2004 and a BET Award for the BET J Cool Like That Award in 2006. The group's third LP, The Arrival, was released on October 21, 2008. (Wiki)

Ronnie Dyson

In the news this week...a Birmingham dad was found dead in Jamaica after he was snatched from a car at gunpoint. Businessman Keith Murrain’s kidnappers cut his throat, his family told the Mail. The 54-year-old, from Edgbaston, was kidnapped on Friday, just after he had flown to the Caribbean island. The father-of-three’s body was found 24 hours later in a shallow grave in a field near Spanish Town – dubbed Jamaica’s murder capital. Mr Murrain’s close friend Howard Reid, a Birmingham barrister, said last night: “Whoever did this are scum, filth, savages and I hate them. “I curse them, I really, really do. “The savagery, the lack of humanity, the coldness. “To look a man in the eye and cut his throat. “I really do hate them.” More here & here

It would have been Julian Websters 30th Birthday today had he not been killed by doormen. A mum battling for justice over her son’s death has won a legal victory after judges ruled prosecutors were wrong not to charge anyone with manslaughter. Julian Webster, 24, from Edgbaston, died after being restrained in a headlock by door staff during a night out in Manchester in April 2009. At the High Court in Birmingham, judges ruled the original Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decision not to charge anyone with manslaughter was wrong. The case will now be reconsidered. More here

This Sundays Playlist 06-07-14

Birthday girl..

Dokey Bros/Dianne Reeves - Waiting In Vain
Zara McFarlane - Police & Thieves
Mongo Santamaria - Groovin'
Brian McKnight - Live Without You
Jones Girls - This Feeling Is Real
Sounds Of Blackness - He Took Away My Pain
Bestman - Ooh Yeah [RIP Fablo]
Vivian Green - Sweet Memory[born '79]
Katie Cole - THink About It
Luther VanDross - Think About You
Livin' Out Loud - Lately
Joe - If You Lose Her

Ronnie Dyson x3
1 Don't Be Afraid 2 The More You Do It
3 Just Don't Want To Be Lonely

Mary J Blige - Before I Let Go
Lot - Ain't Got Time
Saini - Get Up On The Floor
Big Brooklyn Red - Taking It Too Far
Rhythm n' Jazz - Just In Case
Phil Perry - You Send Me
Sharon Benson - Rock Me Down
Ruben Studdard - Close The Door
Fried - Sugar Wafer Days

Ronnie Dyson Biography:

Born 5 June 1950, Washington, DC, USA, d. 10 November 1990. Having played a leading role in the Broadway production of Hair, Dyson pursued his thespian ambitions in Salvation, a less infamous musical, from 1970. One of its songs, "(If You Let Me Make Love To You Then) Why Can't I Touch You?", was a US Top 10 hit, while the singer reached the R&B chart with several subsequent singles, including "I Don't Wanna Cry" (1970) and "The More You Do It (The More I Like It Done To Me)" (1976). In 1971 "When You Get Right Down To It" reached the UK Top 40. Despite switching labels from Columbia Records to Cotillion, Dyson was unable to achieve another major success, and "All Over Your Face" (1983) was his last chart entry. He died of heart failure in 1990.

Discography:
(If You Let Me Make Love To You Then) Why Can't I Touch You? (Columbia 1970)**, One Man Band (Columbia 1973)**, The More You Do It (Columbia 1977)**, If The Shoe Fits (Cotillion 1979)**.