Boz Scaggs has released a new studio album, titled Memphis, which was recorded at Willie Mitchell’s legendary Royal Studio in Memphis.
The 12-track album features a number of new songs written by Scaggs plus several cover versions – including his take on ‘Rainy Night in Georgia’ and the country blues classic ‘Corinna, Corinna’.
Guest musicians on the album include Ray Parker Jr. on guitar, Spooner Oldham on keyboards, and the Memphis Horns.
A new stage musical telling the story of the legendary Motown label is to open on Broadway in April 2013. Titled Motown: The Musical, it will feature Brandon Victor Dixon who plays the label’s founder Berry Gordy Jnr, and Valisia LeKae taking the part of Diana Ross.
Gordy himself is one of the producers of the show, so it is expected to include plenty of classic Motown songs from its heyday in the 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s.
Lenny Kravitz is reportedly set to portray Marvin Gaye in a new film about the Motown legend’s final years, focusing on his European period when he lived in London and Ostend, Belgium in the early 1980s.
The movie will be directed by Julien Temple who was responsible for the musical Absolute Beginners and biographical films about The Sex Pistols, Joe Strummer and The Kinks’ Ray Davies.
British singer-songwriter Paul Carrack’s four-decade career is to be celebrated in a new TV documentary which will be screened on BBC4 on October 12 (10pm UK time).
Titled The Man With The Golden Voice, the TV documentary features interviews with Carrack’s musical colleagues Chris Difford, Mike Rutherford, Timothy B Schmit and Nick Lowe.
The programme documents Carrack’s journey from his Sheffield roots to become a highly-respected solo performer, a member of Ace and Mike & the Mechanics, and a collaborator with legends such as Roger Waters, Roxy Music, Elton John, Ringo Starr and B.B. King.
The TV tribute follows the release of Carrack’s latest blue-eyed soul album Good Feeling on September 24. It features 12 classy tracks, including several brand new songs, a collaboration with Squeeze’s Chris Difford (titled ‘Marmalade Moon’), a new version of Nick Lowe’s ‘From Now On’ (first recorded on Carrack’s Suburban Voodoo album 30 years ago), and an excellent cover of Bruce Springsteen’s Lucky Town track ‘If I Should Fall Behind’.
Carrack produced Good Feeling himself and plays most of the instruments on the album. His son Jack, now a member of his touring band, plays drums on the album.
Legendary R&B singer Etta James, best known for her versions of ‘At Last’, ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’ and Muddy Waters’ ‘I Just Want To Make Love To You’, died on 20 January 2012, aged 73. She had been undergoing treatment for leukaemia.
Coincidentally, the man who discovered her – bandleader Johnny Otis – died a few days earlier on 17 January 2012, aged 90. Dubbed the “godfather of rhythm and blues”, Otis was best known for his 1958 hit ‘Willie and the Hand Jive’.
Fans of Sir Cliff Richard are being given a chance to relive his recent Soulicious live arena tour with the release of a new DVD titled The Soulicious Tour: Live At The O2.
Also available in a deluxe Special Limited Edition, the DVD includes 18 of Cliff’s classic hits and fan favourites, plus live versions of the soul classics and brand new songs featured on his recent Soulicious duets album.
Joining Sir Cliff on stage at the O2 are legendary Motown songwriter Lamont Dozier, Fred Payne, Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davies, Jr., Percy Sledge, James Ingram and Jaki Graham.
Dusty Springfield fans are in for a treat this Christmas following the release of a brand new Super Deluxe box set that spans her entire career.
Titled Goin’ Back: The Definitive Dusty Springfield, the comprehensive collection comes in a lavish pink box and features four CDs, three DVDs, two hardback books and four photo prints.
The four CDs are split thematically into Dusty’s hits, rarities, BBC recordings, and her work for stage and screen.
Also now available is The Magic Of Dusty Springfield – a new 4-disc set that is presented in hardback book-style packaging.
The Temptations are planning to turn their Motown success story into a Broadway musical based on the acclaimed 1998 TV mini-series about the legendary group.
Otis Williams, 69 – the only surviving member of the original group – is said to be working with Broadway producer Ira Pittleman on a stage spectacular featuring all of the group’s classic hits.
Despite being in his 53rd year as a singer, Sir Cliff Richard can still surprise his fans. In October he’ll be performing classic soul songs live onstage for the first time, alongside ten of the world’s greatest soul legends.
He’ll also be releasing an album of soul duets, titled Soulicious, which he recorded inMemphis with legendary Motown producer Lamont Dozier.
An eight-date Soulicious UK tour in October will see Sir Cliff performing onstage duets with his ‘soul partners’ from the album – including The Temptations’ Dennis Edwards, The Stylistics’ Russell Thompkins Jr., Candi Staton, Percy Sledge, Deniece Williams, Billy Paul, Lamont Dozier, Freda Payne, Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr., and Brenda Holloway. The soul stars will each sing one of their own hits onstage.
Produced and directed by TV celebrity David Gest, the tour will kick off with a show at the Capital FM Arena in Nottingham on Saturday 15 October. It will then visit the Manchester MEN Arena (17 October), Liverpool Echo Arena (19 October), Birmingham LG Arena (22 & 23 October), London O2 Arena (25 & 26 October) and Newcastle Metro Radio Arena (28 October).
“I’ve always sung with soul,” says Sir Cliff, “although no-one would have expected me to sing a bunch of soul songs. But I’m going to do my soul; they’re going to do their soul; and together we should end up sounding ‘soulicious’.”
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Boz Scaggs has released a new studio album, titled Memphis, which was recorded at Willie Mitchell’s legendary Royal Studio in Memphis.
Sh-Boom! Magazine 