Saturday, February 18, 2012

Dick Anthony Williams, RIP

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With everything going on this week, the death of venerable character actor Dick Anthony Williams on Feb 15 kind of slipped under the radar....
Thursday, December 22, 2011

First colored girl in the office: 1950s workplace integration

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Check out this oddity from the 1950s: A dramatically-acted government film about a company hiring its first black office employee....
1 comment:
Thursday, December 8, 2011

Dobie Gray, R.I.P.

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Singer songwriter Dobie Gray died yesterday in Nashville. He was 71. Brother Dobie was probably best known for the 1973 ballad Drift...
1 comment:
Friday, December 2, 2011

The forgotten funk of Dyke & The Blazers

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I discovered Dyke & the Blazers back 1985 when I bought a Rino Records compilation of 1960s soul that had the group's small 1969 hit...
2 comments:
Wednesday, November 30, 2011

The Sylvers...Reconsidered

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I always thought The Sylvers got a bit of a raw deal. I mean, here is a family group that was talented as hell, with charismatic lead singer...
Monday, November 28, 2011

'Pepsi Generation' meets R&B: circa 1970

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Lee Bey's Soul Closet has been on hiatus for more than a year. But it's time to open it up again. And we do so with this great video...
Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Def by Temptation

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Not many black horror films made over the years. Help me out here: Blacula , Abby , maybe J.D.'s Revenge , Bones , Tales from the Hoo...
2 comments:
Wednesday, February 24, 2010

When R&B Went New Wave...

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It doesn't get remembered much anymore, but there was a brief period in the early 1980s when elements of New Wave--a predominantly whi...
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Friday, January 22, 2010

Robert "Squirrel" Lester of the Chi-Lites Dies at 67

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We'll get back to the fun soon here at the Soul Closet. Lately, its been a place of mourning with Teddy Pendergrass and Willie Mitchel...
Thursday, January 14, 2010

R.I.P. Teddy Pendergrass

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Teddy Pendergrass died Wednesday at 59 in Philadelphia. Pendergrass underwent colon surgery last year and, according to his son, had a ...
Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Willie Mitchell

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Willie Mitchell's name might not immediately ring a bell. But if you're over the age of 40, you have--no doubt--shook, finger-popped...
Monday, January 4, 2010

M*A*S*H...with a black cast?

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..well, not quite. But that was the intent with "Roll Out," a short-lived black-cast 1973 CBS series that was the brainchild of ...
Friday, January 1, 2010

"No-o My Brother; You Got To Buy Your Own."

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You remember the commercial for "Hey Love," a mid-1980s late-night spot that advertised 1960s and 1970s slow jams? You probably ca...
3 comments:
Thursday, December 31, 2009

The Gap Band

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Still sounds good. And if Charlie Wilson isn't one of the best vocalist/front men of any musical genre during the 1980s, I don't kno...
1 comment:
Monday, December 28, 2009

What Can I Say Monday? "Cherchez La Femme"

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"Cherchez La Femme" by the oddly-titled Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band is one of the more unusual--and memorable--hits o...
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Wednesday, December 16, 2009

The Spinners

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My soul-loving 14 year old daughter, Cassandra, found the above video clip on youtube a few weeks back. It's the R&B group The Spinn...
Monday, December 14, 2009

Forgotten Soul: Alton McClain & Destiny

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There were a quite a few great girl vocal groups in the late 1970s disco/soul scene: The Emotions, High Energy, and more. I'd almost for...
1 comment:
Friday, December 11, 2009

Christmas...with Soul

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We getting yuletide, now, here at the Soul Closet. And what better way to do it with Salsoul Orchestra's "Merry Christmas All"...
Monday, December 7, 2009

Afro Sheen

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Someone should study the cultural impact of the partnership between "Soul Train" and the Chicago-based Johnson Products Company. O...
1 comment:
Friday, December 4, 2009

Sister Rosetta Tharpe

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Give yourself a little time and check out this performance by the incredible Sister Rosetta Tharpe, one of the most inventive artists of 20t...
Wednesday, December 2, 2009

When Felix and Oscar were black...

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An interesting find from 1982: the short-lived ABC sitcom, "The New Odd Couple," with Demond Wilson as Oscar Madison and Ron Glass...
1 comment: