Soulful Synergy Presents Soulfull Grooves

Hi everyone! We hope to find you all in good spirits! Our latest update brings a new addition to our E-zine. Soulfull Grooves is the podcast of Soulfull, where she shares her thoughts on her poetry. Swing by when you get a chance, check her out, and as always remember to...

Get Write With Your Soul!

A Soulfull Book Review

We're Feeling :

RM Johnson's Novel -

Do You Take This Woman?

Hello everyone! This month we present to you a novel that will surely be the talk of the book club circuit - RM Johnson's Do You Take This Woman? Come on by our site and read the insightful review of a book that I truly loved to hate. Once you've picked up your copy (purchase here), we'd love to hear your thoughts/opinions in our messageboard.

Luther Vandross & The Everlasting Power of Love

Today is the last day of Black Music Month, but we sure did have a ball, didn't we? We rocked our way through this month with the likes of James Brown, Aretha Franklin, and Prince to name a few and although we can't highlight everyone, we do hope that we've educated and entertained. If you've missed any of our songs this month, they can be reviewed here. We would like to conclude our musical walk through history, with a man who amplified the meaning of love with every ballad he ever wrote or sung... Mr. Luther Vandross!

Born on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City, Vandross grew up in a musical family that moved to the Bronx when he was 13. His sister sang with vocal group The Crests who had a number one hit in the early 1960's with "Sixteen Candles." Vandross' father died of diabetes when Vandross was eight years old. His life-changing moment came when at the age of 13 he heard Dionne Warwick sing Anyone Who Had A Heart (a song he would cover in his later years). He knew then that he wanted to be a singer.

Vandross formed a vocal group in high school which once played at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. His first recording credit was as producer of the album Soul Christmas in 1968 and appeared as a vocalist on a Quincy Jones album Best in 1969. He was also a member of a theater workshop at the time and appeared on the first episode of Sesame Street in November 1969.

He attended Western Michigan University for a year, but then dropped out to continue pursuing an already flourishing career in music.

His next recording credit was on an album by Roberta Flack in 1972. Vandross wrote "Everybody Rejoice," for the 1972 show and 1978 movie The Wiz. However, Vandross had dropped out of the music scene when a friend from theater workshop invited him to sing in David Bowie's soul-influenced Diamond Dogs tour and appear as the opening act with the Mike Garson Band in 1974. He ended up singing background vocals on Bowie's album Young Americans.

Vandross also sang backing vocals for Diana Ross, Roberta Flack, Carly Simon, Chaka Khan, Bette Midler, CHIC, and Barbra Streisand. During the beginning of his career, Vandross was content to remain mostly in the background, as a producer and backup singer for other artists. Roberta Flack pushed Vandross into starting his own career. She believed he was an incredible talent who, in addition to his songwriting and production skills, deserved to be heard.

Continue reading this incredible bio here.

BLACK MUSIC MONTH: IT'S A CELEBRATION!

At Last, It's Etta James

Etta James (b. Jamesetta Hawkins January 25, 1938 in Los Angeles, California) is an American Blues, R&B and gospel singer. She is also known by the nickname Miss Peaches.

Born to an unmarried 14 year old mother (although she claims she believes that Minnesota Fats was her father), she received her first professional vocal training at the age of 5, from James Earle Hines, musical director of the Echoes of Eden choir at St. Paul Baptist Church in Los Angeles.

Her family moved to San Francisco, California in 1950, and in 1952 the trio (the Creolettes) she had formed with two of her friends came to the attention of Johnny Otis. Otis reversed the syllables of her first name to give her her stage name and began recording her. Her first record, and her first R & B hit, was her own composition, "The Wallflower (Dance with Me, Henry)," an answer song to Hank Ballard's "Work with Me, Annie".

She recorded it in 1954 with the Otis band and Richard Berry, who sang the second vocal. The song was later a hit in the white market for Georgia Gibbs, re-written as "Dance with Me, Henry". She briefly recorded as Etta James & the Peaches, releasing several hits before signing to Chess Records in 1960.

James released several duets with Harvey Fuqua (of The Moonglows) that became major R&B hits, as well as her classic "At Last". The song, along with other early hits "All I Could Do Was Cry" and "Trust in Me," was included on her debut album At Last!.

Continue reading this bio here

BLACK MUSIC MONTH: IT'S A CELEBRATION!

Ray Charles: Ain't Misbehavin'

Ray Charles Robinson was born in Albany, Georgia to Bailey and Aretha Robinson. The family moved to Gainesville, Florida when he was still a child. His father wasn't around much as he worked and had 2 other families, leaving his mother to raise the family with the aid of his father's wife Mary Jane, who helped raise Ray. When Ray was 5 his younger brother, George, who was around 4, drowned in an outside tub. Ray witnessed him fall and tried to pull him out, but he was too heavy for Ray. Ray began going blind soon after and was totally blind by the age of seven. He said that the causes were undiagnosed. (* Note - there are sources which attribute Ray's blindness to glaucoma.) He attended school at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St. Augustine, Florida, as a charity case; he learned how to read Braille, as well as to write music and play various musical instruments. While he was there, his mother Aretha died. His father died two years later.

After he left school, Charles began working as a musician in Florida in several bands that played in various styles including jazz and country music, eventually moving to Seattle in 1947 at the age of seventeen. He soon started recording, first for the label Swingtime Records, achieving his first hit songs with "Confession Blues" (1949) and "Baby, Let Me Hold Your Hand" (1951) before signing with Atlantic Records in 1952. When he entered show business, his name was shortened to Ray Charles to avoid confusion with boxer Sugar Ray Robinson.

Continue reading this bio here.

BLACK MUSIC MONTH: IT'S A CELEBRATION!

It's Floetic with Floetry

Floetry is a female British hip-hop/neo-soul duo. The members of the group are singer/songwriter Marsha "the Songstress" Ambrosius and emcee/songwriter Natalie "the Floacist" Stewart who was born in London. The women met through their love of basketball and formed a friendship. Ambrosius attended Brits Performing Arts School and studied business and finance. Stewart experimented with acting and directing. For college, Ambrosius planned to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta on a basketball scholarship but could not due to an injury. Stewart attended Middlesex University in London and later transferred to North London University. During these years, both women continued to keep in touch. Stewart was part of a girl group named 3 Plus 1. After the split of the group, her and Ambrosius decided to concentrate on a group together.

They started their career as songwriters in 1997. They have written for Jill Scott, Jazz of Dru Hill, Glenn Lewis, Bilal, and Michael Jackson, for whom they penned the hit 2002 single "Butterflies".

In 2000, the duo moved to the United States to further pursue their music career. In Philadelphia, they met J. Erving, son of basketball player Julius Erving. He became the manager of the group and introduced them to DJ Jazzy Jeff. In 2002, they signed with Dreamworks Records and released their debut album Floetic, which featured the singles "Floetic", "Say Yes", and "Getting Late". Floetry released a live album titled Floacism in 2003. The 2-disc set consisted of a CD and DVD and featured the single "Wanna B Where U R (Thisizzaluvsong)" featuring rapper Mos Def. Their next album Flo'ology was released on 8 Nov 2005.

Continue reading this bio here

BLACK MUSIC MONTH: IT'S A CELEBRATION!

Isaac Hayes: A Few More Kisses To Go

Isaac Lee Hayes (born August 20, 1942, in Covington, Tennessee, United States) is an actor, and influential soul singer, songwriter, musician and arranger. He also voiced the character "Chef", a singing ladies' man and elementary school cook, on the popular animated sitcom South Park from 1997 until 2006; he resigned following a highly-publicized dispute between the series and the Church of Scientology, a religious organization that the show pointedly satirized and of which Hayes currently is a member.

In 1992, Hayes was crowned an honorary king of Ghana's Ada district thanks to his humanitarian deeds.

On June 9, 2005, Hayes was inducted into the Songwriters' Hall of Fame alongside Bill Withers, Steve Cropper, Robert B. Sherman, Richard M. Sherman, John Fogerty and his longtime writing partner David Porter.

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BLACK MUSIC MONTH: IT'S A CELEBRATION!

Ike and Tina Turner: Making Mary Proud

In St. Louis, Anna Bullock met Ike Turner, a noted pioneer of rock and roll, and later asked him if she could sing for him. Ike's initial response was no, but after much persistence on Anna's part, he eventually accepted.

Young Anna Mae started working with Ike Turner in 1958. Ike officially changed her stage name to Tina Turner. They later married in 1960. She began as an occasional vocalist in his show at the age of 18, but within a couple of years she not only had a new name, but was the spotlight of a popular soul revue led by Ike Turner and his Kings of Rhythm.

When a singer was scheduled to record the famous rock song, "A Fool In Love", didn't appear, Tina stepped in and recorded the song instead. "A Fool In Love" was a huge R&B hit, and it made it into the top 30 of the U.S pop chart. After this, Ike changed the name of his band to the Ike and Tina Turner Revue. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s Tina rose into superstardom. She developed a very unique stage persona that people very much enjoyed in live concert.

Ike and Tina Turner recorded a number of hits in the 1960s and early 1970s, including "A Fool In Love," "It's Gonna Work Out Fine," "I Idolize You," "Nutbush City Limits," and River Deep - Mountain High with producer Phil Spector in his Wall of sound style. They also carved out a successful niche for themselves by "covering" songs made popular by other artists, such as, "Come Together", "Honky Tonk Woman", "I Want to Take You Higher". In fact, their signature hit became their high energy cover version of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary" (1971). Proud Mary was one of the revue's greatest radio successes peaking at number four on the official US radio chart.

Continue reading this bio here

BLACK MUSIC MONTH: IT'S A CELEBRATION!