Henry Stone

Something a little different on this weeks show! I don't often feature compilation sets as 'Album of the Week', but the collection of tracks from the back catalogue of the late Henry Stone's group of labels is pretty special. Released on Edinburgh own Athens Of The North label and put together with one eye on the collectors market, I think there is not a bad track on it ... an essential purchase I'm thinking.

Former Tower of Power front man Lenny Williams as a new single out its a taster from his forthcoming album and the signs are good ... incidentally Tower of Power will be doing a one-off gig in London later in the year, I feel a trip coming on. Other new music this week from; Sweet Angel, Earl Young & Darryl Grant, Cardell, Alvin Garrett and a great new single from Roi Chip, this guy seems to have a new release every week ... no complaints from me.

Representing the old school classics; I got Blue Magic (bet you forgot just how great Summer Snow is), The Whispers who are also UK bound later in the year, and I will be playing a Phillip Mitchell track every week just to make him feel welcome on his upcoming date here in the UK.

OK it's music time and please support the new artists and respect the legends who's music as enriched our lives  ...

Playlist Sunday 28th July

Hour One
Illumination Experience - Challenge Me To The Rhythm
Roi Chip - Gonna Be A Mess
Mel Waiters - How Can I Get Next To You
Lenny Williams - Hooked On You
Sweet Angel - Steps To Love
Cardell - What Is Love
Friday, Saturday & Sunday - There Must Be A Better Way
Wildflower - You Knock Me Out
Earl Young & Darryl Grant - Power Of Love
Camera Soul - The Rain
Tad Robinson - He Moved On
K Jon - A Beautiful Thing
Fortitude - He's Alright

Hour Two

Johnny K - I Got Bills to Pay

Blue Magic - Summer Snow

Joyce Elaine Youille - Tryin' Times

Robert H Fowler - What's The Name Of Your Love

Alvin Garrett - Puppet

Michael White/Howard Hewett - A Sunday Breeze

The Whispers - Never To Late

Wizards Of Ooze - Trippin'

Philip Mitchell - Make It Good

Barbara Mason - I'll Keep On Loving You

Amusement Park Band - Do You Still Love Me

Will Downing - Till You Come Back To Me

(orange denotes tracks from Featured Album)

Henry Stone - background behind CD

When Terry Kane - a sound engineer who was barely twenty years old at the time - built an 8-track recording studio above Henry Stone's office space in the Hialeah area of Miami, he probably never envisaged that he was laying the bedrock for a creative hub that would spawn over 25 gold records and over 100 million record sales worldwide. In the process, it would help to make Henry Stone a legend of American music. At one end of the spectrum, warehouse boy turned global superstar Harry Wayne Casey - better known as leader of K.C. & The Sunshine Band - was pumping out disco classics on a massive scale with ubiquitous airplay and sell-out shows. At the other, Rodney Matthew and his group Formula 1, were relying on the might of the T.K. distribution machine to propel them into the spotlight. As remarkable as their 1977 masterpiece on Du-Vern records was, it inevitably failed to have the seismic impact of The Sunshine Band's commercial dance pop. For every success story like T-Connection, with their firebrand funk-disco fusion and major label achievements, there were equally talented acts such as Stevens And Foster who also called on Stone's services to showcase their vision: judging by the scarcity of original copies of their self-written and produced modern soul jewel on Jerri Records, they also failed to reach beyond the Sunshine state, save for the rarified ears of collectors and connoisseurs.

The sheer amount of records that came out of those modest premises at 495 SE 10th Court - about 8km from Downtown Miami (as the pink flamingo flies) - is mind boggling. With a huge roster of in-house labels as well as production and distribution deals, label boss Henry Stone was a passionate, busy, and exceptionally well connected man. Stone would nurture the early careers of the likes of million seller Betty Wright, as well as provide a platform for Milton Wright and Leno Phillips (her older brothers) to express their creativity. Clarence Reid (AKA Blowfly) and Willie Clark penned a raft of amazing tracks for acts such as Jimmy 'Bo' Horne and Little Beaver (AKA Willie Hale, who would also write a wealth of material for others), while T.K. in-house band Miami's own Robert Moore also released records on yet another T.K. imprint; Blue Candle. The music scene in Miami and indeed, Florida, at the time was fertile and moved quickly with the times; there were hit-makers and risk-takers, shining stars and those who never went far. As a living document of Henry Stone's remarkable legacy, the diverse styles and ideas coming out of Miami-Dade County and beyond, as well as a glimpse at the successes and near-misses achieved by a dazzling array of artists at the time, this collection serves as an invaluable insight. (AOTN)

New Rasheed Ali album includes this song that he also wrote