This is a must hear interview for any fan of great music. GFM is proud to bring you Pt.1 of our two-part interview with JoJo McDuffie the former lead singer of The Mary Jane Girls. In Pt. 1 we discuss JoJo’s new album Slightly Dangerous her beginnings in Buffalo, the fateful meeting with Rick James, the real deal behind The Mary Jane Girls and more!
Special thank you to Robert Funderburg for putting this interview together.
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.
From his work with Motown’s the corporation to productions with his brothers Larry and Rod, Fonce Mizell was a musical force to be reckoned with. Much more than any words that I could write, please set aside some time to view this video shot a few years ago at The Red Bull Music Academy in Melbourne, Australia. There is a historical context contained in this video that can only be gleaned from listening to the first hand accounts of the persons who were there. On a personal note, I would like to say how much I have been inspired by Mr. Mizell’s contributions to the world of music. May he rest in peace.
Great documentary released last year by the BBC on the cultural influences and forces that gave rise to the undisputed “King of Pop” Michael Jackson. Lots of great candid interviews are contained in this program and I feel that the producers did an excellent job in connecting the dots so that we could understand how this cultural phenomenon came to be. Enjoy! (more…)
Part two of our three part in-depth interview with JoJo McDuffie former lead singer of The Mary Jane Girls. In this episode JoJo talks about the breakup of the group, what it felt like to have the #2 song in the country and no furniture in her apartment… driving a rental car, dealing with Rick James and his drug addictions, the return to her teaching career, brief reunion in the mid-90′s with The Mary Jane Girls and much more!
Sometimes your own song that you record first becomes more closely identified with another artist such is the case with the 60′s classic “You’ve Made Me So Very Happy”. (more…)
GFM fam we had to take a little time out today to pay homage to one of the greatest and most melodic bass players to ever record, none other than James Jamerson who died on this day in 1983. As one of the core members of Motown’s storied session musicians “The Funk Brothers” James Jamerson played on countless hit records and developed a personal style that is unmistakable from the first note. (more…)
