Content tagged 'Black Music Month'

June is African-American Music Appreciation Month, and it has been since June 7, 1979, when President Jimmy Carter decreed it to be so. Oh, sure, it was called Black Music Month at the time, but it’s still the same thing. It’s just that President Barack Obama officially changed its name in 2009 in order to keep things as current as possible, so there’s one more item to add to your list of reasons to miss the guy. On each Tuesday and Thursday throughout June, Rhino will be celebrating a different African-American music icon from our catalog, and we’re kicking things off with a gentleman who was

Today we celebrate the birthday of royalty. Yes, that’s right, it was on this day in 1958 that Minneapolis was first graced with the presence of one Prince Rogers Nelson, and the world of music remains all the better for his arrival. To commemorate the occasion, we’ve of course got the official Prince playlist, but we’ve also got a list of five things that you may not have known about Prince. Then again, maybe you do know these things. A lot of people have written a lot of things about the guy over the years. But give a read just in case, won’t you? 1. He played every single note on the debut

African-American Music Appreciation Month rolls on, and Rhino is pleased to place the spotlight on the legendary Chaka Khan today. Although she got her start with Rufus, she’s been on her own for quite some time, and she’s more than made her mark on the charts. To celebrate her today, we’ve pulled together a six-pack of clips from Chaka’s various TV appearances over the years, and we’re also offering up the opportunity to spin her best-of set, EPIPHANY. Watch the videos, listen to the music, and remember: she feels for you…and she thinks she loves you. 1. “Tell Me Something Good,” The Midnight

It’s still June, so it’s still African American Music Appreciation Month, although we’d argue that every month qualifies as African American Music Appreciation Month ‘round the Rhino offices. But let’s not quibble about that, let’s just get to the appreciating! Today we shine the spotlight on Carla Thomas, who kicked off her career with a huge genetic advantage – she’s the daughter of Rufus Thomas – and a heck of a lot of talent and charisma of her own. We’ve pulled together a six-pack of live performances by Ms. Thomas, including a number of her biggest hits, and we’ve also got a playlist

It’s hard to believe that we’re already in the last week of African American Music Appreciation Month, but just because we’re nearly the finish line doesn’t mean that we’re planning to let off the gas pedal. Today we shine a light on the career of Percy Sledge, a man who’s so connected in people’s minds with a single song that the many other incredible songs in his discography are all too often given second shrift. As such, we’ve got a six-pack of live performances for you, and while we obviously had to kick it off with the iconic track we referenced in the previous sentence – it’s “When a Man

A glance at the calendar reveals that today is, alas, the final entry in our ongoing series of tributes for African American Music Appreciation Month, but to conclude the series, we’re putting our focus on one of the true R&B legends to emerge from Atlantic Records during the ‘60s: the one and only Otis Redding. Although it’s hard to think about Redding’s musical accomplishments without an awareness of how much more he might’ve accomplished if he hadn’t died in a plane crash at a tragically young age, the songs that he did give us are so legendary that they’ve continued to provide solace for

Today we celebrate the birthday of one of the most legendary female R&B singers of the 20th century: Carla Thomas, who came by her talent honestly – her dad was Rufus Thomas – and then kicked it up a notch further. To commemorate the occasion, here’s a list of five things about Ms. Thomas that you may not be aware of. She started her music career as a member of group called the Teen Towns before she was even in her teens. When Thomas decided at age 10 that she wanted to join the Teen Towns, she wasn’t kidding around, but her request initially amused her father. In an interview with David

33 years ago today, Ray Charles was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which would seem to be the perfect time to spotlight some of his most rockin’ hits. Instead, however, we’re going to play the contrarian and take a few paragraphs to remind you about an album he did in the midst of his early success that was actually the jazziest item in his discography up to that point. Produced by Nesuhi Ertegun, SOUL BROTHERS was – as we’ve already spoiled in the title of this piece – a collaboration between Charles and jazz vibraphonist Milt Jackson, one which came about as a result of

It’s February, so you know what that means: it’s Black History Month. Mind you, every month is Black History Month here at Rhino, because it’s not like we aren’t constantly spotlighting artists who handily qualify as historic, but this is still a solid opportunity to do a little bit extra. Today we spotlight the Queen of Soul herself, Ms. Aretha Franklin, and we must admit that it’s more than a little bit depressing to realize that this is actually the first time we’ve celebrated Black History Month without Aretha still walking among us. Her absence, however, has only made her legacy grow

As February rolls on, so does Black History Month, but you probably guessed that, since they’re one and the same. What you likely didn’t guess, however, was that we were going to decide to spotlight Leon Ware in today’s piece, since the majority of his back catalog was recorded for other labels, but we’re taking advantage of the fact that he released two LPs on Elektra back in the early ‘80s, so strap in and get ready to learn about Leon! Born in Detroit on February 16, 1940, Ware’s first substantial taste of success came in the late 1960s, when he kicked off his career as a songwriter at