Esther Phillips - Anthology

Esther Phillips (Born Esther Mae Jones, December 23, 1935 in Galveston, Texas; died August 7, 1984 in Carson, California) was an American singer. Phillips was one of the great female R&B vocalists.[1] She also performed in the pop, country, jazz, and soul music.
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Donnie Elbert - Stop In The Name Of Love

More Donnie Elbert
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Donald Byrd / Black Byrd

Donald Byrd / Black Byrd
Label: Blue Note Records
Year: 1973
Track Title
1. Flight Time
2. Black Byrd
3. Love's So Far Away
4. Mr. Thomas
5. Sky High
6. Slop Jar Blues
7. Where Are We Going?

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Donnie Elbert - R&B Maverick

Donnie Elbert (May 25, 1936, New Orleans, Louisiana — January 26, 1989) was an American vocalist, and had a prolific career in the 1950s.

His reputation was secured by "A Little Piece Of Leather", a compulsive performance highlighting Elbert's falsetto voice. The song became a standard at UK soul clubs, when released on the Sue record label.

Elbert moved to the UK in the 1960s where he recorded his version of The Supremes' hit "Where Did Our Love Go". It was released on the All Platinum Records label. He returned to the U.S. in 1969, before the single reached Number 8 in the UK Singles Chart in 1973.

He had a small string of minor successes in 1970s, with mainly northern soul orientated offerings. These included:-

* "Where Did Our Love Go?" / "That's If You Love Me" (1972) U.S. #15[1]
* "I Can't Help Myself" U.S. #22[1]
* "A Little Piece Of Leather"
* "You Don't Have To Be A Star" - (1977)

By the mid 1980s Elbert had retired from performing, and became director of A&R for Polygram's Canadian division. His reign was not long-lived. Elbert suffered a massive stroke and died in 1989, at the age of 52.
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Don Byron - Do The Boomerang

Do The Boomerang
(Blue Note, 2006)

DIn December 2005, Don Byron launched a new group dedicated to the music of soul legend, saxophonist and singer Junior Walker. Featuring Byron on tenor saxophone, Dean Bowman on vocals, guitarist David Gilmore, George Colligan on Hammond B-3 organ, bassist Brad Jones, and Rodney Holmes on drums, the group recently recorded a new album, Don's sixth for Blue Note Records. Singer/guitarist Chris Thomas King appears as special guest on several tracks. Entitled "Do The Boomerang," the new CD contains covers of several of Junior Walker's biggest hits, including "Shotgun," "Roadrunner," and "What does it take to win your Love," as well as a version of James Brown's "There It Is." Don Byron Plays Junior Walker will be touring in the US and Europe following the CD release on October 3, 2006.
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Ginseng Woman & Multiplication

Eric J. Gale (b. September 20, 1938, Brooklyn, New York; d. May 25, 1994, Baja California, Mexico) was a leading American jazz and session guitarist.

He began playing guitar at the age of 12. Although he majored in chemistry at Niagara University, Gale was determined to pursue a musical career, and began contributing to accompaniments for such stars as Maxine Brown, the Drifters, and Jesse Belvin. He soon began to attract the attention of King Curtis and Jimmy Smith, who began recommending him for studio work[1]. He became known first as a session musician in the 1960s, eventually appearing on an estimated 500 albums. Among the many artists he recorded with were Aretha Franklin, Paul Simon, Lena Horne, Quincy Jones, Grover Washington Jr., Herbie Mann, Esther Phillips, Joe Cocker, Carly Simon, Van Morrison, and Billy Joel[2]. He also had a spell in Aretha Franklin's stage band.

The epitome of the guitarist's guitarist, he was also used for many R&B-oriented dates. From the early 1970s he recorded extensively on the CTI label, as a sideman, on his own records, and as part of the group Stuff.

Eric Gale - Ginseng Woman & Multiplication
Label: Columbia Legacy
Year: 1991

1. Ginseng Woman
2. Red Ground
3. Sara Smile
4. De Rabbit
5. She Is My Lady
6. East End, West End
7. Morning Glory
8. Gypsy Jello
9. Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child
10. Oh! Mary Don't You Weep
11. Thumper
12. Multiplication

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Dexter Wansel - Life On Mars

Dexter Wansel is an American keyboardist, born in Bryn Mawr Pennsylvania and raised in North- Philadelphia , Pennsylvania. He contributed to the development of the "Philly Sound" and worked with producers Gamble and Huff at Philadelphia International Records. Wansel led the musical group "Yellow Sunshine". He has worked with Phyllis Hyman, The Jacksons, MFSB, Teddy Pendergrass, Patti Labelle, Grover Washington Jr, Junior, JeffMajors and Lou Rawls amongst many others. He also wrote The Jones Girls 1981 soul music classic "Nights over Egypt" and Patti Labelle's 1984 #1 R&B hit "If Only You Knew" with Cynthia Biggs. His "Theme from the Planets" has been heavily sampled and was featured on the breakbeat compilation "Ultimate Breaks and Beats".

Whilst Wansel was relatively unknown outside the USA, many have suggested that his influence on music as both a producer and performer in the mid-1970s lead to the development of the New Age Soul and jazz funk sounds which transformed the US and European music scene. His most successful album was called Life On Mars, released on the Philadelphia International record label in 1976. Wansel played keyboards, Derek Graves provided the bass line whilst a session singer hired by Wansel named Terri Wells was on vocals. The remaining sound was filled in by Dexter's rhythm section called The Planets featuring Darryl Brown, Calvin Harris, Bobby Malach, Al Harrison and the aforementioned Derek Graves.

During the 2nd half of the 1970s, Space travel and sci-fi were important themes in the ambiant US culture and therefore in funk, jazz, and Jazz-funk (see Herbie Hancock's thrust, George Clinton's Mothership, etc.) and were reflected in in Dexter's titles and music. Listening to other tracks on the album, like 'Stargazer', 'Theme from the Planets' and 'Rings of Saturn', it can be seen quite clearly that a space theme runs through his music. His straight-ahead Fatback-funk like 'Funk Attack' on the 1979 album 'Time is Slipping Away' and the now popular 'I'll never forget (my favourite disco)' have stood the test of time. Instrumental, almost classical, arrangements appear on the album 'Voyager' from 1978. In addition to this he presented a strong discotheque theme with 'Disco Lights' from the album 'What The World is Coming To' 1977 and jazzfunk such as 'Latin Love' on the album 'Voyager' 1978 or 'Ode Infinitum' on the 'What The World Is Coming To' album.

He has produced and recorded many soul ballads including the 'Time is Slipping Away' title track, 'New Beginning' on that same album, 'Sweetest Pain' which was sampled by The Solid Doctor for his triphop-track 'Lights On The Vibe' and 'You Can Be What You Wanna Be' from 1976. He also co-wrote and produced the Pieces of a Dream (band) track called 'Warm Weather' - a smooth soul sound often played by Robbie Vincent on his Sunday night radio shows on BBC Radio 1.

He entered the music charts with 'Sweetest Pain' in 1979 and 'Solutions' a year earlier in 1978. He also made a reggae track called 'Going Back To Kingston Town' in 1977.

Dexter Wansel played and produced with and for Teddy Pendergrass, The Jones Girls (who were guest vocalists on his solo albums), MFSB (Mother, Father, Sister, Brother) and singer Patti Labelle

Dexter Wansel
Life On Mars

Label: Philadelphia International Records
Catalog#: PZ 34079
Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: US
Released: 1976
Genre: Funk / Soul
Style: Funk, Disco

Tracklisting:
A1 A Prophet Named K.G. (4:20)
A2 Life On Mars (5:50)
A3 Together Once Again (4:23)
A4 Stargazer (3:20)
B1 One Million Miles From The Ground (5:00)
B2 You Can Be What You Wanna Be (5:04)
B3 Theme From The Planets (4:53)
B4 Rings Of Saturn (3:43)

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