Dennis Cole and Gregory Gay informed TBGB that Rev. Phillip E. Sneed died on Monday, March 15, 2010. Said Cole: “Rev. Sneed was the power behind a single that swept the country, "He That Believeth", with the Chicago Mass Choir. Later, Rev. Sneed did another hit tune with Nu City [...]
From its opening in 1928 through the late 1960s, Chicago's Regal Theatre – then located at 47th and Parkway (King Drive) – was a nationally-recognized entertainment showplace. All the greats in jazz, swing, bebop, R&B, doo wop, blues and soul played the Regal. In the 1930s, you could hear Duke [...]
“Press Towards the Prize/Last Chance”Preachers Music GroupFrom the Lions Whelp Records CD PMG Live(available on iTunes and amazon.com)On their single, “Press Towards the Prize/Last Chance,” the Preachers Music Group featuring Bishop Clifton Edwards, Jr. sound like Commissioned with their high, tight harmonies, husky voices and funky beat.The chorus's melodic hook [...]
Lady LaVarnga HubbardRoyaltyLA Sing Management 2010www.ladylasing.comChicago has never had a shortage of flammable female gospel singers. Those still singing include Albertina Walker, Inez Andrews, Delores Washington, Leanne Faine, Lemmie Battles, Angela Spivey, Shirley Bell, Dianne Williams, Queenie Lenox…the list goes on and on.The list is not complete without Lady LaVarnga [...]
“I Want to Say Thank You”Lisa Page BrooksFrom the Habakkuk Music CD Strongwww.habakkukmusic.com“I Want to Say Thank You,” by Lisa Page Brooks, is a plaintive but comforting ballad that plays out as part thanksgiving for blessings bestowed and part apology for not always deserving them. If you listen closely, towards [...]
Angelia RobinsonLessons in LoveThe TFD Music 2010www.angeliarobinson.comGrowing up in the Maryland suburbs of the Nation’s Capitol, singer-songwriter Angelia Robinson soaked up all types of music. She has wrung out all of these influences onto her debut album, Lessons in Love. Lessons in Love mixes hefty helpings of neo-soul with R&B, [...]
“Mercy”LaShell GriffinDetroit’s LaShell Griffin is well-known for wringing every ounce of emotion from an inspirational ballad. On her latest single, “Mercy,” she shows that she can shout just as effectively. At the conclusion of “Mercy,” a praise song that ranks close to “Free” and “Dreams are Possible” as among her [...]
Half Mile Home Change My Lyfe God Made Millionairze Ent./IMG Recordings/ Bungalo Records/Universal Music Group www.HalfMileHome.com On “Testimony,” Akron, Ohio’s Half Mile Home sings, “Can’t nobody tell my testimony for me/How somebody else gonna try to tell my story?” This could be the mission statement of Half Mile Home's distinctive [...]
HeeSun Lee and SeDaThe Lost LPJahRock’n Productions 2010Available for download at http://jahrockn.bandcamp.comReligion and science fiction/fantasy have been mates for several decades, thanks to groundbreaking, thought-provoking books by authors such as Robert Heinlein, C.S. Lewis, Arthur C. Clarke and Roger Zelazny. Gospel music and science fiction/fantasy…well, not so much. However, that [...]
Shirley WahlsBorn to SingShirley Wahls Music 2009www.shirleywahls.comNot only can Shirley Wahls sing, she was born to sing.Her earliest vocal experience was with the junior choir of Chicago’s Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, under the direction of a young Ruth Jones (aka Dinah Washington). Wahls went on to join some of gospel [...]
