Born and raised in East St. Louis, Phil Perry has spent most of his career as one of the most sought-after backing vocalists in the music business. His bright, multi-octave range has played a supporting role on dozens of albums by such acts as Anita Baker, Boz Scaggs, Rod Stewart, Peabo Bryson and George Duke. But he has also distinguished himself through a series of strong solo albums that have highlighted both his ability to interpret classic soul songs as well as his own songwriting skills.
Perry first came to the attention of Soul Music fans as the lead singer of the Montclairs, whose “Begging’s Hard to Do” was a moderate hit in 1972. In 1985 he married soul/jazz singer Lillian “Tang” Tynes, and began a marriage partnership that has lasted ever since. After a brief stint as part of the singing duo Perry and Sanlin, Perry went solo in 1991 with The Heart of a Man, an album most notable for Perry’s sheer guts (or some thought audacity) in releasing as a single a remake of Aretha Franklin’s “Call Me.” It was a real coming out for Perry, as he ripped through the song in bold fashion, even surpassing Aretha’s revered original version. (more…)
This dynamic trio of women, who’s names are Paris, Amber, and Anita have such a serene sound that I find myself waiting impatiently for more music from them! Their music is so relaxing that you may forget all of your troubles for just a little while. Their vocals will set your mind at pure ease. The music is written by all three ladies and produced by Paris. Enjoy!
I recently asked my sister what her favorite Gerald Levert song was and she responded with “Made to Love Ya” from Gerald’s World. Her reasoning for this selection was “it’s an honest love song at its best” which i agree with wholeheartedly! Gerald is professing his undying love in this song and we should all be so lucky to have someone to care for us like this song proclaims! He had such a gift for pure love songs and I’m sure he’s smiling down on all of us that are enjoying his beautiful melodies…
Why don’t more people know about this man? He has such a splendid voice that comes from deep within his soul. His tribute album to Bobby Womack makes one want to grab that special someone and let them know how much in love they are with them! This guy is the truth. I wish more male singers of today would sing with their soul and not worry about anything else. All you should do is mean what you’re singing about and don’t let anything else get in the way!
GFM Fam we wanted to take some time out today and put you on to the sound of Detroiter Eliza Neals Eliza is slated to release her latest full-length project Messin With a Fool this month. For the recording Eliza Neals sought out the unique talents of veteran writer/producer Martin ‘Tino’ Gross (Kid Rock, RL Burnside) and united him with Detroit legend Barrett Strong (Marvin Gaye, Temptations) to begin provocative recording sessions. Eliza’s “strangely sultry blues voice” and cool writing style melted with the two masters forging a solid union. (more…)
If you haven’t checked out one of the covers that Jessica “Sunshine” Johnson puts down from time to time you need to do your ears a favor and check them out. I can’t think of a more appropriate cover for our series this week considering the timeliness of Adele and the legislation proposed by our government that would effectively silence creativity and innovation like the above performance. Maybe we should work to make the law catch up with the technology… sorta like that whole evolving society thingy you know where maybe the laws that worked in 1918 don’t work so well 2012, like maybe we’ve learned some things and changed between now and then. Enjoy the music :)
Our song today comes from 1963 and was definitely an attempt to crossover Etta to a wider Pop audience. Written by Billy Davis(who was very important in the formation of Motown) and Tony Clarke the song reached #7 on the R&B and #25 on the Pop chart respectively.
Born and raised in East St. Louis, Phil Perry has spent most of his career as one of the most sought-after backing vocalists in the music business. His bright, multi-octave range has played a supporting role on dozens of albums by such acts as Anita Baker, Boz Scaggs, Rod Stewart, Peabo Bryson and George Duke. But he has also distinguished himself through a series of strong solo albums that have highlighted both his ability to interpret classic soul songs as well as his own songwriting skills.
