R.I.P. Memphis soul singer/songwriter Don Bryant, 1942-2025

Sadly, Memphis soul singer and songwriter Don Bryant has passed away at the age of 83. He'll be greatly missed. 

 

Don Bryant 1942-2025

We want to let all of Don Bryant’s friends and fans from all over the world know that he passed away this morning at the age of 83. Don loved sharing his music and songs with all of you and it gave him such great joy to perform and record new music. He was so appreciative of everyone who was part of his musical journey and who supported him along the way.

Memphis soul great Percy Wiggins is way overdue for an album of his own

Some sharp label boss should put out an album by Memphis soul belter Percy Wiggins who fronted The Bo-Keys for years. 

Paul Weller-curated soul collection That Sweet Sweet Music due in March

Paul Weller's selection of his fave soul records includes Jon Lucien's hard-to-find Ampex 45 and Archie Turner's Blackrock gem. 

 

Here's the scoop...

Soul music has always been in Paul Weller’s blood from early Jam covers of Martha & the Vandellas 1963 classic ‘Heatwave’. Along with other forms of music, soul found its way into Paul’s record collection, nourishing his ears and informing his own songwriting.

We don’t need to recap a questing musical career from the Jam to the Style Council which then blossomed into one of the most productive and revered careers of any UK solo artist. Paul has written anthems, standards and a songbook that have always developed from his own feelings.

Whilst Paul has talked about his love of soul music he has, before now, simply been too busy to sit down and curate a collection of his favourite tracks and get it into the record racks.

Ace Records are honoured and delighted to finally release that Paul Weller curated collection which he has aptly titled, “That Sweet Sweet Music”.

This limited edition 2-LP set and CD open the curtains on 26 tracks that are some of Paul’s favourite soul records most of which nestle on vinyl in his own collection. He can still recall paying £70 for his copy of Jon Lucien’s 1971 ‘Search For The Inner Self’ 7” at a record shop in Leicester in the 90s. Some of these tracks are soul classics like James Carr’s 1966 ‘Pouring Water On A Drowning Man’ and Brother to Brother's brilliant take on Gil Scott Heron and Brian Jackson’s ‘In The Bottle’ from 1975. Others are deliciously obscure gems like the A-side of Blackrock’s sole 1971 single 'Blackrock “Yeah, Yeah,” ‘Life Walked Out’ from the same year by The Mist or Syl Johnson’s ‘Black Balloons’ taken from his 1970 album “Is It Because I’m Black?”.

There are plenty of big vocal hitters such as Darrell Banks, Spinners, Joe Simon, O.C. Smith, the Dells and Betty Davis. Whilst the core is vocal soul the music does branch out with Paul selecting a wicked instrumental from the flipside of the Isley Brothers’ ‘Twist & Shout’ from 1962 and the funky jazz of the Headhunters ‘God Made Me Funky’, the A-side of their first 1975 seven-inch.

Paul has not only written an introduction but the way he has curated the music allows each side of the vinyl and the CD to flow like a river taking the listener on a journey through some of his favourite music.

You can pre-order a copy of That Sweet Sweet Music via Ace Records UK right here. Check out the track list, Paul Weller's liner notes and a few tunes below. 

Happy Birthday Archie Turner!

Celebrating Hubbie's birthday with his Blackrock classic, a Roots 'cover', backing Syl Johnson in 2012 and Bettye Crutcher demos.

LINKS

Memphis Blues Society The Archie Turner Story by Mark E. Caldwell

Happy Birthday Archie Turner!

Celebrating the birthday of Memphis keyboard great with both sides of his 1969 Blackrock joint "Yeah Yeah." 

Grammy-nominee Don Bryant performs a Tiny Desk (Home) Concert

Here's Memphis soul great Don Bryant singing a couple of songs at home with his socially-distanced Bo-Keys pals. 

Congrats to Don Bryant on his Grammy nomination for his latest album, You Make Me Feel on Fat Possum available right here.

Happy Birthday Robert Cray!

Celebrating Robert Cray's 66th birthday with a couple of performances backed by Hi Rhythm.

Bo-Keys enlist soul greats for Got To Get Back!

One thing I've never understood about the soul revival game is why record collector geeks with studio access and their own labels consistently choose to work with relatively mediocre singers when exceptionally great performers who've had respectable recording careers in the 60s and 70s are left to watch nature programs at home with the sound turned off. country is a guilty pleasure that they wouldn't want their friends to know about.
Whether it's due to their ignorance, laziness or just the simple economics of not wanting to pay for real vocal talent when a competent singer who lives in the neighborhood will suffice, the whole sad situation has been more than a bit perplexing. That's why it was so very heartening to learn that Memphis-based producer/composer/bandleader Scott Bomar (Hustle & Flow) had enlisted genuine deep soul heavyweights Otis Clay, William Bell and Percy Wiggins to add some belting power to his new Bo-Keys album Got To Get Back! (Electraphonic Records) set for release June 21.

                                                                                            Otis Clay

if you're trying to make authentic sounding soul recordings, why not call in some hombres who've racked up years of studio experience making memorable soul records. That's exactly what Bomar did by bolstering his band hit-making session vets like guitarist Charles "Skip" Pitts (who created the unforgettable wah-wah guitar intro to Isaac Hayes' Theme from Shaft), Pac-Keys and Black Rock keyboardist Archie "Hubbie" Turner, Bar-Kays trumpeter Ben Cauley (sole survivor of the plane crash that claimed the life of Otis Redding) and powerhouse Hi Rhythm drummer Howard Grimes.
So when Bomar wanted to add vocals to the Bo-Keys second album, he employed the same strategy and rang up the best singers available. I'm not talking about above-average wedding singers who can do a version of Midnight Hour that sounds remarkably like Wilson Pickett. Nope. He went for charismatic song stylists who've developed their craft over decades in front of unruly paying audiences. Clay, Bell and Wiggins each answered the call and turned what could've easily been a naff retro-soul nostalgia trip into something extraordinary and timeless. Although the Chicago-based Clay has long been associated with the Chi-town sound and Peachtree and Wilbe label boss Bell is now more connected with the Atlanta scene, they both have strong ties to Memphis as does lifelong resident Wiggins – it's where their careers were launched after all. Check out the mini-documentary below. 

The Making of Got To Get Back!

The Bo-Keys "Got to Get Back !" Mini Doc from Electraphonic Recording on Vimeo.