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Robert IMtume Owens
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Author: Mick

  • Robert IMtume Owens

    Robert IMtume Owens

    Reflecting on my life, there was never a time when music wasn’t a part of it. In fact, at the age of 7, I remember walking down 52nd and Hooper in South Central, LA, and hearing a voice say to me, “You are a singer and you will sing.” That voice turned out to be correct. I went on to sing in the California state choir that was directed by Andre Crouch when I was 8 years old. I sang soprano at the time because I had a really high voice. I’ve been singing ever since, though now, I’m definitely more of a tenor.

    I started high school in Virginia, where I studied and sang opera, performing as part of a production known as Showtime, and moved to the Midwest during the summer of 1979, which was my last semester. I picked up right where I left off after the move and began doing contemporary music. During both my high school years in Virginia and in the Midwest, I was part of an organization which was the equivalent of today’s High School Musical. We performed and traveled all over the U.S. But in the Midwest, the performances were known as Showtime, through which I recorded my first record – a cover of Lionel Richie’s “Three Times A Lady”. By the age of 17, I’d won numerous state and regional vocal competitions in the jazz and contemporary music genres.

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  • Ady Croasdell

    Ady Croasdell

    Finding The First Copy

    GWP Records

    I had visited Jerry Purcell in the 80s when he had an office in Manhattan and, while asking him about Debbie Taylor and the Persians, of which he had very little knowledge, could not stop my eyes wandering over to some old metal filing cabinets, intrigued by what might be hidden inside. The conversation did not get as far as “Can I just delve through your files for half an hour?” so they remained untouched by British hands. Twenty years on, I was contacted at Ace by Mr Purcell’s office who indicated that they were ready to make a deal to license their masters to Europe; the previous meeting had held us in good stead. A trip to New York was duly arranged but by then GWP was virtually dormant. Most of the publishing had lapsed and Jerry had relocated his office to his home in Bayside. There I met Ed Bland, a charming musician and arranger who had done the early work for the GWP label who, as Jerry’s right hand man, had been entrusted to organise the deal. After surveying the fascinating looking tape cache I caught site of one old filing cabinet and asked Ed what was in there. “Oh just old music sheets, record samples and contracts”, “Could I look?”, “Sure”. I pulled open a drawer and found that the container was a treasure trove of records and acetates. The company had filed their samples fastidiously and in between the cardboard dividers could be found four demos and two issues of September Jones’ 45, five issues of the Dynamics’ ‘I Need Your Love’, a Kenny Carter single in a German pic cover, Willie Kendrick’s ‘Change Your Ways’ plus many more vinyl singles: but oh, the acetates.

    GWP Records

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  • Betty Wright

    Betty Wright

    Betty Wright is a soul and R&B singer with deep gospel roots. She influenced a generation of female singer-songwriters and continues to influence the world of hip hop, who sample some of her more famous material.

    Born singing gospel with the family group, the Echoes of Joy, Wright began experimenting with R&B music in 1965 when she was only 11. In 1968, she released her first album, My First Time Around, by the age of 14, and scored her first national hit, “Girls Can’t Do What Guys Can Do”. But it was not until the end of 1971 that Wright’s most successful phase of her career began to take place.

    The song, “Clean Up Woman”, became a Top 5 pop and #2 R&B hit, and would later influence a remix of Mary J. Blige’s “Real Love” single with the sample of its guitar riffs; R&B girl group trio SWV’s “I’m So Into You” also featured a sample from “Clean Up Woman,” as did Afrika Bambaataa’s song “Zulu War Chant”, and Sublime’s “Get Out!” remix. In 1974, Wright scored big with the songs “Tonight is the Night” (about a real-life love affair that happened with Wright when she was a teenager) and “Where is the Love” (which won her a GRAMMY for Best R&B Song).

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  • Ronn Matlock

    Ronn Matlock

    When I was a singer for Warner/Atlantic/Cotillion Records, I only recorded one album, “Love City,” which produced and co-written by the legendary Michael Stokes, but now I..m more into writing and production… 

    Some artists that I have written for that you may know are: Keith Barrow, Shirley Caesar, Eddie Kendrick of the Temptations, Paul Williams of the Temptations, Posse, Bobby Taylor of Bobby Taylor the Vancouvers, Millie Scott, Conquest, and many others have recorded tunes of mine. I also had the pleasure of producing sessions featuring the famed Motown Funk Brothers rhythm section… Done sessions at some of Detroit’s most legendary recording studios, including The Sound Suite, United Sound, Pac 3; Super Disc, Cloudborn,Motown Studio A and The Pit. I’ve been very lucky in my associations… My first professional writing collaboration was done at Motown with a guitarist named Ricky Matthews, who later changed his name to the more memorable Rick James.

    I continued to hang out at Motown, observing Norman Whitfield, James Dean and William Weatherspoon, Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson, Shorty Long, Ivy Hunter, Stevie Wonder and the like and honing my craft. Though not a contract writer, my tunes, were recorded there; the first being sung by Bobby Taylor (on his first solo project after leaving The Vancouvers,) with backing vocals by the Originals (‘Out in the Country’ from his set ‘Taylor Made Soul’ 1969,) and produced by Ricky Matthews, a.k.a. Rick James and co-written by Rick and my close friend, composer Roderick Harrison… On “Feel like Giving Up,” producer Eddie Kendricks is credited as co-writer on the song; however, lyrics and music for that tune were penned by me alone, (I really hate to burst any long-held beliefs with that bit of news,) and as was customary in those still early Motown days, a producer readily asked for or simply demanded a percentage of the writer royalties, thereby presenting himself as a writer of the song as well. 

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  • Crystal Motion

    Crystal Motion

    “Crystal Motion” was a singing group from “New Bedford” Massachusetts. The group was formed in 1974 and the original members were “Kevin Gomes”(lead vocals),” Rodney (Skeeta)Santos”(and cousin to Kevin), Daniel(Buddy)Monterio” (A lifelong friend),and “John Paris”. The group was managed by”Carter Management”(Eddie Carter) Of Onset, Mass., who now resides in Orlando, Fl.. They had a brush with stardom in 1975 with a recording called” You’re My Main Squeeze”, which was on the “Sound Gems” record label, and was a small hit in the Boston, Mass. and Providence, R.I. area. It also was played on radio stations in Philly, Atlanta and Houston, Texas.

    The group was formed by Kevin in 1974 when he wrote a song with the help of his good friend, Arthur “Buddy Monterio” of New Bedford and sent it to a small record company in Philly called “Sound Gems”. The label had just had a super hit called ” Be thankful for what you Got” by “William DeVaughn” and Kevin decided to submit one of his own compositions to the label. Within a few weeks he received a positive response and was invited to the label for an audition. Without a second thought he called his cousin and his friends who were waiting for the results and the group was formed.

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  • Paul Thrower

    Paul Thrower

    Joshie Jo Armstead in Brooklyn

    As I’ve got older, the thought of another night spent listening to time warped oldies on New Year’s Eve drives me crazy, so imagine how my pulse jumped when I saw that Chicago Soulstress, Joshie Jo Armstead was going to perform in Brooklyn at the rather fine Dig Deeper.  From then there was only one course of action – get the flights & hotel booked, check the credit card has a few $$$’s still left, promise Clare that New York at this time of year is very special & go . . . !

    I had missed Joshie when she ‘joined the caravan’ & visited the UK back around 1990, performing to backing tapes at Southport & The Kilt in Scotland. It probably wasn’t her finest hour, but having the opportunity to sing in front of a real band, supported by a brass section & top drawer backing singers must have turned the lady, as it was her first live show in the US since 1981.

    Dig Deeper has been keeping Brooklyn Soulful for the last 6 years constantly bringing wonderful acts to the stage at Littlefield. Run by Richard Lewis & Michael Robinson, this is a pretty up-front venue & when you factor in it was New Year’s Eve then it was only ever going to be electric.

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