What a voice! That’s the first reaction I had when I first heard unsung Southern soul legend James Carr singing this. And I’m sure I’m not alone.

(more…)

Albert King had been making records for more than a decade when the blues legend recorded his signature song Born Under A Bad Sign in 1967.

(more…)

The second single by The Bee Gees back in 1967 was originally written for their mentor Robert Stigwood and intended for Otis Redding to record.

(more…)

I don’t think I’ve heard this before but someone the other day mentioned it as a highlight of the album The Notorious Byrd Brothers, so I looked it up.

(more…)

Zoot Money was one of those Zelig-like characters who turned up as a sideman, playing keyboards on hundreds of records from the early Sixties. But he actually started out as a front man.

(more…)

Tim Hardin’s struggles with addiction are mirrored in Black Sheep Boy, his heartbreaking tale of alienation from his family.

(more…)

Samuel Maghett – “Maghett Sam” merging into Magic Sam – was a Chicago bluesman who had moved north from his Mississippi Delta birthplace in 1956 when he was 19.

(more…)

It’s no exaggeration to say John Mayall is the most important figure in the development of rock music in Britain. 

(more…)

There’s nothing like a Northern Soul stomper to start the day with a lift – and this is one of the best. Rita and the Tiaras do the trick better than a triple espresso.

(more…)

I hope I’m not tempting fate by posting this on the day my team head out to Bavaria in search of victory against freshly deposed 11-time German champions Bayern Munich.

(more…)