Doc's Classic R&B

They Say - Deniece Williams & Philip Bailey

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Jim Collier) — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 14:34:00 +0000

One of the best songs ever recorded by two of the best voices in music!

What is Classic R&B

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Jim Collier) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 17:53:00 +0000

Classic R&B slid in on the heels of doo wop and emerged out of the general classification of Rock & Roll. You know it when you hear it. You pickup on the Gospel roots and of course the Blues, recognizing that it is good music, groove music.

David Ruffin singing My Girl or Al Green singing Call Me – you sway to the rhythm and join in the blues as the music hits a deeper spot in your soul and lingers there. You find yourself humming and even singing the tune long after it stops playing.

Music producer Jerry Wexler in 1948 is given credit for coining the term Rhythm and Blues but I have a feeling it was floating around amongst musicians and others well before that.

What is R & B? I am not sure so let’s just enjoy it.

I'll Always Love My Momma

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Jim Collier) — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 21:36:00 +0000

My Mom, Ms Ginny, recently passed from this life into the arms of the Lord. There is a big hole in my life but I know she is in a better place. Here is one of my favorite songs by the Intruders called, "I'll Always Love My Momma". Enjoy

The Impressions - We're a Winner

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Jim Collier) — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 18:58:00 +0000

They use to play this song at our basketball games in high school. Enjoy!

How I Choose to Remember Michael Jackson

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Jim Collier) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:15:00 +0000

We all get to choose how we will remember Michael Jackson. This is how I choose to remember him:

Toronto Jazz Fest 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Jim Collier) — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:20:00 +0000

If you can make it to Toronto you might want to check out the Jazz Fest this year. We can only make the first few days but I wish we could stay longer. The great Tony Bennett is going to be there in July. Here is a little promo to wet your appetite. I will report on the Sonny Rollins show after Friday. They say you have not really experienced Sonny Rollins and his music until you see a live show. If you get to Toronto by Saturday you may see Lin and I.

Marvin Gaye

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Jim Collier) — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 02:00:00 +0000

Marvin Gaye

Here with Tami Terrell

Later on

The Stylistics

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Jim Collier) — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 12:10:00 +0000

The Stylistics

This is one of my favorite groups from back in the days. I remember going to see them and at one point they sang a capella and the harmonies were outstanding. Unfortunately, this group has gone the way of many from the 70’s era and earlier, they did not stay together.

The original singer Russell Thompkins, with his distinctive falsetto, is now fronting “Russell Thompkins and the New Stylistics”. The rest of the group are calling themselves “The Stylistics”, and they have a new lead singer who is pretty good but it is not the same.

You Make Me Feel Brand New – The Original Stylistics

Praise His Name

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Jim Collier) — Mon, 19 May 2008 19:06:00 +0000

This site is dedicated to classic R&B and here are two classic performers of the genre singing praises to the Lord. Enjoy!

Deniece Williams and Philip Bailey - They Say

Deniece Williams – Healing

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Jim Collier) — Tue, 13 May 2008 11:08:00 +0000

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles didn’t move the way the Temptations did but they could deliver a song. Smokey went on to have a successful solo career and the Miracles are still performing today but this is the group that made Motown.

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles spanned the genres of doo wop, R&B, soul and disco. They were the first successful group for Motown with their 1959 hit, “Shop Around”. Their lead singer, Smokey Robinson is currently one of the most successful songwriters and record producers of all time.

Some of the songs written by Smokey Robinson alone or in conjunction with the Miracles during the early years at Motown for other performers includes: The Temptations ("The Way You Do The Things You Do", "My Girl", "Since I Lost My Baby", "Get Ready"), Mary Wells ("My Guy", "The One Who Really Loves You", "Two Lovers"), Marvin Gaye ("I'll Be Doggone", "Ain't That Peculiar"), The Marvelettes ("Don't Mess With Bill"), The Contours ("First I Look At The Purse), and Brenda Holloway ("When I'm Gone").

Ooh Baby Baby

You Really Got A Hold On Me

Tracks of My Tears

The Temptations

noreply@blogger.com (Dr. Jim Collier) — Tue, 13 May 2008 01:25:00 +0000

When I was a teenager I would visit my relatives for the summer in Egg Harbor, N.J. I remember taking the bus to Atlantic City and those 18 miles seemed to take forever – especially when the Temptations were performing on the Steel Pier along with the rest of the Motown Review.

The highlight of the show was when David Ruffin did a split on “I’m Losing You” and did this trick with the microphone and stand where he seemed to be losing it only to pull it back to himself as he came up out of the split. Wow!

I loved this original group and still followed them strongly when David left and Dennis Edwards from the Contours took his place. But when Eddie left the group so did I, only to revisit them during their early years in my record collection.

I know this is not Jazz but the lines of demarcation are not that tightly drawn. Many of the Funk Brothers, the studio musicians featured on many of the Motown hits, came from a Jazz background.

I have included some clips from Youtube for your enjoyment. Have a great day!
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Amazon.com

In Motown hierarchies, the Temptations occupied pretty much the same exalted place at the legendary label as the Lincoln division did at Ford; both had a marquee reputation for class and quality that endured time and trend for decades. The group was also a tribute to the glorious possibilities of an erstwhile assembly line: the early hits here (including the signature song that gives this 36-track, double-disc anthology its name) were penned by fellow legend Smokey Robinson, supervised by label founder Berry Gordy, and backed by one of music's greatest house bands. But even as Robinson's role segued into Norman Whitfield's as the 1960s rolled into the '70s, and as David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks left the group for solo careers--echoing the splintering of their superstar label counterparts the Supremes--the Temptations' juggernaut rolled on through a rich series of hits that were by turns traditional ("Just My Imagination"), timely ("Ball of Confusion"), and hard-edged ("Papa Was a Rolling Stone"). But if the hit Motown sound they so long personified became displaced by waves of funk and middle-of-the-road music on the R&B charts, the Tempts adapted remarkably well, scoring hits like the P-Funk collaboration "Shakey Ground," 1984's "Treat Her Like a Lady," and 1998's million-seller "Stay," the last cut nearly 40 years after the band's first Motown session. This collection chronicles their journey across several disparate epochs of soul music history, and includes a concise historical note for each song, as well as track-by-track commentary from founding Temptations member Otis Williams. --Jerry McCulley

My Girl

Get Ready

The Way You Do The Things You Do