Los Angeles & West Coast

Etta James started her career at Modern Records in Los Angeles in 1955. The company released nine singles by James between 1955 and 1957 on the Modern label...

Minnie Riperton was born in 1947 and grew up in the Bronzeville area on Chicago’s South Side, the youngest of eight children. At an early age she took...

The Sonic Alchemist: The Story of Charles Stepney Charles Stepney’s story is one of profound musical genius, cultural resonance, and a legacy that reverberates across generations. Known as...

Earl Palmer was the main drummer who worked at J&M Studios at the start of the post-war development of the New Orleans signature R&B sound. He was born...

I would describe Bobby as a “Soul Folk Singer”. What I mean by that is that where other great Soul songs might include deep-rooted religious lyrics, whether to...

First published on December 11, 2020 At the age of thirty-three, on December 11th 1964, Sam Cooke was shot and killed at the Hacienda Motel, in Los Angeles....

First Published 10 July, 2010. The contribution of arrangers to popular music is often ignored, George Martin and Quincy Jones being the exception to the rule. Gene Page,...

First published 10 July 2020 In the late Sixties, Gene Page met the young singer Barry White, who was doing odd jobs to make ends meet between recording...

When Berry Gordy took the decision to relocate Motown to the West Coast, he was clearly planning to take the stars of Motown in a new direction that...

After the success of her first film “Lady Sings the Blues” in 1972, Diana Ross returned to the day job. Three Diana Ross albums were released in 1973,...