One Way

Rock Steady singer dies

In the news this week... Hopeton Lewis, the singer reputed to have recorded the first Rocksteady song, died at his home in Brooklyn, New York Thursday evening. He was 66 years old. Lewis is best known for the 1966 hit ‘Take it Easy’ which heralded the Rocksteady sound. The beat was slower than the Ska which it followed. Rocksteady, which preceded reggae, produced a number of harmony groups including the Heptones, the Paragons and the Melodians. The Kingston-born Lewis had other hits including Sounds and Pressure, the 1970 Festival Song winner Boom Shacka Laka, and Grooving out on Life. Lewis' friend and colleague at the Grace Deliverance Radio said Lewis had been "struggling with various ailments over a period of time" but did not know the cause of death. The singer worked at that community radio station for the past five years, hosting a music programme three times per week.

Happy Birthday to Gloria Gaynor born today, September 7, 1949. As arguably the "first lady of disco," Gloria Gaynor has forged a successful three decade career almost exclusively devoted to high-powered, booming dance music. It has won for her international acclaim and one of the most recognizable songs of the past half century. The New Jersey native signed with MGM Records in the early 70s and landed her first single with a 1974 dance remake of the Jackson Five's "Never Can Say Goodbye." The song hit the Pop top ten, but more importantly helped to thrust the emerging disco sound into the spotlight.   See more

Quite a few of the new artistes featured this year on Mr. Merry's radio show will be appearing live at one venue in Birmingham, later this month, Algebra Blessett, Sulpacio Jones & Gwendolyn Collins. The Hare & Hounds in Kings Heath, although a small old Victorian pub, the upstairs room has been host to many of the 'new wave' soul bands over the last few years, with some old favorites dropped in for good measure, don't let this one slip you by perhaps like some of the earlier dates did! Monday 29th of September is the date, although another date is shown at the top, I think this might be a London date, double check with the booking agencies.


This weeks play list Sunday 07-09-2014




Sam Salter - Your Face
Curtis Mayfield - New World Order
Randy Muller - Beautiful Day
Jack Freeman - Slow Dance
J.Poww - Follow Me
Mary Davis - Separate Ways
Ronn Matlock - I Can't Forget About You
Al Jarreau - No Rhyme, Mo Reason
Terry Garmon - Any Way
Raw Shaw - Ghetto Tactics
Donell Jones - Do What I Gotta Do

One Way x3
1 Lady You Are 2 Running Away
3 Back To Yesterday

Sunny Hawkins - Love To Me
Don-E - Big People Tings
Tracy Carter - Everyday
Maxwell - Ascension (inst)
Maxwell - Ascension  (remix)
Siani - Get Up On The Floor
Rhythm Jazz - Just In Case

One Way Biography:

One Way was an R&B/funk band that was popular in the late 1970s and throughout most of the 1980s. One Way was formed in 1979 in Detroit, Michigan and were originally known as Soul Partners. Al Hudson, Alicia Meyers, guitarists Dave Roberson and Cortez Harris, bassist Kevin McCord, drummer Gregory Green and keyboardist Jonathan Meadows were the original members.

They first recorded as "Al Hudson and the Partners", scoring an R&B hit on the ABC label called "You Can Do It." in 1979. At that time, however, ABC records was in the process of being taken over by MCA as part of a buyout, and when the band moved to the MCA label, they subsequently changed their name to One Way featuring Al Hudson before becoming One Way. They were on MCA Records from 1980 to 1988. They scored five Top Ten R&B hits, with the biggest being "Cutie Pie," which reached number four in 1982. They moved to Capitol Records in 1988, where they released A New Beginning in 1989. (wikipedia)