Mike

News of a interesting concept for an album release, from German compant Trikont comes details of an album built up using "Afroamerican Prison Music from Blues to HipHop" as th esource. Compiled by Jonathan Fischer and Ian Ensslen Clip below from the website (link at bottom) No country in the world locks up more of its citizens than the United States of America. Nearly half of the 2.2 million prisoners are African Americans - which equals four times the actual black population percentage. One out of eight African American men between age 20 and 35 is in prison: A circumstance, which has serious effects upon African American society and culture - and not at last upon the topics of its music. When Angela Davis draws a historical line from slavery to the American justice and prison system of today, it was black popular music that always mirrored the experience of racial discrimination and degradation, as well as fierce resistance and the will to survive. From the work songs of the chain gangs to the wails of imprisoned bluesmen like Robert Pete Williams, from the prison-soul of the Escorts to the enraged HipHop-accusations of Tupac Shakur ("16 on Death Row"), Brand Nubian ("Criminal Minded") or K-Solo ("Premonition Of A Black Prisoner"). Featuring among others Fred Mc Dowell, Lifer's Group, Dead Prez, Curtis Mayfield, Bobby Womack, The Escorts, The Temptations, Akon, The Last Poets, Tupac Shakur, The Escorts, Robert Pete Williams, Nina Simone click the links with a * to listen *1tBIG LOUISIANA, REV. ROGERS & ROOSEVELT CHARLES Berta 03:51 2 BRAND NUBIAN Claimin' I'm A Criminal 05:29 3 BOBBY WOMACK Arkansas State Prison 02:59 4 FRED MCDOWELL I'm In Jail Again 04:06 5 KAY KAY AND THE RAYS Lone Star Justice 03:20 6 DEAD PREZ Behind Enemy Lines 03:03 *7 CURTIS MAYFIELD Short Eyes 05:46 8 THE LAST POETS The Court Room 02:30 9 LIFERS GROUP Living Proof 04:10 10 NINA SIMONE Work Song 03:07 *11 JAMES RUSSELL I Had Five Long Years 02:16 12 K-SOLO Premonition Of A Black Prisoner 03:32 *13 THE ESCORTS Disrespect Can Wreck 04:38 14 AKON Locked Up 03:56 15 2 PAC 16 On Death Row 05:42 16 BILLY BOY ARNOLD Prisoner's Plea 03:33 *17 THE TEMPTATIONS Run Charlie Run 02:59 18 THE SOUL SNATCHERZ Free 04:42 19 ROBERT PETE WILLIAMS Pardon Denied Again 04:44

Blues Poetry Introduction By Jacqueline Amos When I think about the Blues Singer Jacqueline Amos, I often reflect on the times of Cotton Club Comes To Harlem with Lady Blues, Billy Holiday, the reflection sends a light of the times of the 1940's, the horns that plays from the direct spirit of Blues, and the sounds of the pass, which reverts through the mike of Lady Blues Jackie, this vibrant cry, take me to the cotton club brings the applauds from the audience, Jacqueline not only a literarily writer but a composer who gets down and dirty at times, singing the flows of which she refer to her ancestors, the cries from the mike, my mama done told me, I was a country girl, but I took a chance on the silver meter to release my pain, through this heroic symposium, of blues and poetic compositions she let the world feel the revolution of composition. I'se Country Girl deep from the south pick plenty of cotton and milked many cows, she goes into a trans as she sings, release my spirit look out; here comes the spirit that lives within, Billy holiday presents, she sings as the sweat surrounds the implementation of her brow, play those down home blues she cries at the keyboard, let me step out my form, and take on the presence of the ancestors who brought me to a new form of blues. The southern blues is the style of lady blues; her dynamic style portrays Billy Holliday, Bessie Smith, Etta James, Earthier Kit," My man Doesn't Love Me" Billy Holiday, and many exceptional lady blues singers, her high light is differently original, with that misty forte of blues aesthetics " Many say she is the resurrection of the past. Lady blues Jackie compose on the rhythm of the bars of notes; the melody instantly forms a historic symphony of blues. Lady Blues portray the 40's in her conservatory of originals, feeling the soul that lives within her, her vocal style at times resemble Bessie Smith, and many masters of the blues. Lady Blues also creates a forum the back door blues. Jacqueline inspirations were Billy Holiday, Bessie Smith, Lenis Guess, B.B King, many celebrities of blues, Jacqueline states I lived around the components of blues, simplified through the history of my family genes, I take on a new preservation of modern blues and jazz, with a touch of honey that sticks to my ribs, the legends that lives through me, The symposium preceded a performance of blues related to the compositions of her poetry, the pain of pleasure one might say sadistic in the format of relevance, the association of pain and pleasure, Lady Blues Jackie have been performing since the age of 19 relating to the stories of her family tree; I think she is genuinely please to release the sounds that are instill through birth, Jacqueline speaks of her auntie Louise Corley, she perform in the clubs of Harlem, which she has now passed on, she speaks of the time when she watched her auntie perform for her family, hoping that one day she could do the same, her father a southern a lover of music as well as her mother, it runs through the genes, as well as her sister, but the voices of originality presents the blues as she was back in the 1940's as well as her poetic compositions. Mama Sings the Blues A Night in Harlem Black gals with the greasy curl; High top shoes, black man, with The platted suits, gold cuffs With shinning puffs, Black gal's With Flower in the hair, Black man, culture vise; Black power pride, sweet Black jazz, with the taste Of Louie Armstrong; Black man with the swinging Watch, laid out With the conquer lean hair; Flashing lights, cigarettes that Linger in the air, Playing that black jazz Feathers in the derby hats; Cotton club comes to Harlem; Play that black jazz Billie holiday sings My man don't love me Any more, as the horns Play, singing mama he Don't feel my pain. Bill Robinson smiling, Blues dancing, Josephine, royal, Black girl flowing with her dance, Big bosom black gal, as she sings the down home blues. Black gals dancing The camels walk with fingers pointing in the air; Charleston let mama sing; The black girls throw their legs In the air, playing that blues Come on down with the Mix, mama done song that Black jazz, sweet incenses; lets Get it own down here. Sweet smells of Harlem Through The Back Door Aren't al dat, boys on the band stand; boy play that horn, waiting for de'nit to come, down with black boy blues, playing for the white folks, back door to the stage front, jazz my mind as I take a blow, white powder enhance my flow,, high top pants, striped jacket, collar turned up so, greasy hair, conquer lean, white folks , white table cloths, playing in the house, where the white folks go. Play that jazz, play that jazz, play the blues, on de' keyboard.

Eddie Skipper Keyes A great article was passed on by Chris, its on the Chicago reader website and concerns it self with Edward "Skipper"Keyes who is a currently serving Chicago police officer. Written by Bob Mehr it concerns itself with the work soul fan 'Skipper' has done and the major part he has been playing in recently with some great recent cd releases from Grapevine plus earlier projects such as the well acclaimed independent "Lovelites" cd along with how he has earnt a deserved reputation as a a one-man clearinghouse for info on Chicago's neglected R & B heroes a short clip and photo below, the full article is on the Chicago Reader Website (link below) and is well worth a trip over to read. link to article https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/on-the-beat/Content?oid=923445

another soul hero moves on Thanks to members for passing on in the forum the sad news of yet another artist passing on, link to posts is above and at the end QUOTE Dave was in the process of doing Stanley's biography and had been in regular contact with him, even persuading him to appear at the March 07 Prestatyn weekender! on the numerous times Dave spoke to him he never mentioned any health problems, Stanleys cause of death was a heart attack, in the last half an hour Dave has spoken to his family, he had on going heart problems which he chose to ignore as he wished to perform right to the end, he died at 3.30am (U.S time) Saturday morning. His funeral is this coming Friday. All good wishes will be passed onto his family. quote from the forum thread by Louise (see below for link) The following clip is from the sleeve notes of a recent cd released by Blue Suit Label titled Motor City R and B Pioneers featuring Stanley along with Joe Weaver and Kenny Martin, the full version and more photos can be read at the Blue Suits Website (see below for link) STANLEY MITCHELL Stanley Mitchell's singing career could be the book about the history of R&B vocal groups. Blessed with a silky smooth voice, Stanley, like many of the R&B performers of the time, got his start singing in the church. "My whole family sang, it was just the standard thing, we all sang in gospel choirs." As a teenager he formed his first R&B group, the Cherokons, with his neighborhood buddies. His first big break came at an amateur contest headlined by Billy Ward & The Dominoes. Impressed by his singing, Ward asked him to join the group. He did, but only stayed for a few months, just long enough to do the Ed Sullivan Show. Stanley didn't stay unemployed very long. Lionel Hampton, impressed with the Cherokons, hired the band to be the new Hamp-Tones. He spent a year on the road with the Hamp-Tones, then quit the band and returned to Detroit. Back in the Motor City, he formed the Tornadoes with some former Midnighters. Chess Records signed the band, and their debut single "Four O'Clock in the Morning" became a top ten R&B hit. The Tornadoes moved to the Bumble Bee label before calling it quits in the early 60's. Stanley went on to record a solo record for the Gone label before going to Motown as backing vocalist. In the mid-60's he joined the Royal Jokers, and ended up staying with them for the next few years. In 1968 he went solo again and recorded a single on Dynamo Records http://www.blue-suit.com/catalogue/pioneers/pioneers.html full discography can be read on Soulful Kinda Music http://www.soulfulkindamusic.net/smitchell.htm original forum thread https://www.soul-source.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=35713