One For The Weekend: Kelly Finnigan feat. Renaldo Domino

Kelly Finnigan got vocal support from Windy City soul great Renaldo Domino who plays the Hideout in Chicago on Saturday! 

Here's the scoop...

Kelly Finnigan has teamed up with soul music legend Renaldo Domino for latest 45, released on May 23rd via Colemine Records.

The A-Side is another recording mined from the “A Lover Was Born” sessions. ‘Keep Me In Mind' was first recorded by the Buffalo, NY duo Samson & Delilah and released on ABC records in 1967. Finnigan’s rendition, much like the original, is a catchy mid-tempo track that makes your neck muscles do the wop. The track was recorded entirely to tape with sessions taking place in the Bay Area, Ohio & Chicago, resulting in this dynamic serving of soul music. Featuring a cavalcade of top musicians and names you trust, the rhythm section and horns are locked tight and provide the perfect bedrock for Kelly and Renaldo’s masterful singing. The two voices blend harmoniously, rekindling the classic sound of dual male soul serenading à la Sam & Dave, Eddie & Ernie and Bob & Gene. This song alone makes for a record that is sure to be every DJ and soul lover's friend! Get a copy of Kelly Finnigan & Renaldo Domino's collaborative 45 via Bandcamp right here. Have a listen below. 

Renaldo Domino & The Heavy Sounds perform – with a DJ set provided by the Heart of Chicago Soul Club DJs, led by Debbie Koller – as part of the 20th anniversary celebration of The Secret History of Chicago Music at Chicago's Hideout (1354 West Wabansia Ave) on Saturday (June 14) at 9:30 pm. Tickets are $20 US advance (plus fees) available here.  

Happy Birthday Renaldo Domino!

Celebrating the birthday of Windy City soul great Renaldo Domino with a few performances worth checking. 

Chicago soul great Renaldo Domino sounds better than ever

Windy City soul legend Renaldo Domino seems to be just hitting his stride. Check his update of the classic "Not Too Cool To Cry" 

Happy 70th Birthday Renaldo Domino!

Raising a glass to the Windy City soul great on his birthday with a string-enhanced performance of his Twinight classic "Not Too Cool To Cry" 

Watch Renaldo Domino on stage at The Hideout in Chicago

Before the crowd filled The Hideout in January, Renaldo Domino worked out some moves during his soundcheck with The Heavy Sounds. 

Renaldo Domino single release @ Chicago's Hideout Inn, Saturday

Veteran Windy City soul swinger Renaldo Domino launches his new single at Chicago's Hideout Inn with The Heavy Sounds on January 4th.

Renaldo Domino Hits The Hideout

Renaldo Domino's rare Arnell single now goes for $800!

Chicago soul great Renaldo Domino (born Renaldo Jones) hails from “The Valley” around 49th & Forestville. He got his name because his voice was sweet like Domino-brand sugar. The uptempo "Don't Go Away" – the B-side of his 1967 single for Smash Records – was followed by a re-release of the sweet soul groover "I'm Hip To Your Game" which appeared on the flipside of his exceedingly rare debut for the tiny Arnell Records label.

Hooking up with Syl Johnson's legendary Twinight label in 1969, Renaldo knocked out a string of gems over the next couple of years including his masterpiece, the string-enhanced "Not Too Cool To Cry" (listen below) which were reissued in 2007 as part of the anthology Eccentric Soul: Twinight's Lunar Rotation put out by Chicago's Numero Group and features a snazzy vintage cover photo of the sharp suited Renaldo working his magic on stage at his peak.

During the 70s – up until the disco boom prompted a career change into insurance sales and TV cable installation – Renaldo performed exclusively at Chicago's South Side venues so his upcoming appearance in the North Branch Industrial Corridor with The Heavy Sounds at the venerable Hideout Inn (run by Chicagoans of the Year, Tim & Katie Tuten, check the Chicago Tribune story right here)  is a rare event which should be celebrated with Old Styles raised high.

The 69 year-old crooner, making the most of his unlikely resurgence, will be launching his latest single for Ohio's Colemine Records this weekend,  pairing two songs he wrote back in the 80s, "No Laggin' and Draggin'" b/w "Give Up The Love" which comes backed with that familiar Daptone-inspired sound so popular with the younger crowd that makes up most of Renaldo's current audience. You can pre-order a limited edition copy of Renaldo's new single on gold vinyl (while supplies last) right here. Listen to "No Laggin' and Draggin'" following a couple of Renaldo's classics below.

Renaldo Domino w/ The Heavy Sounds
at The Hideout Inn (1354 W. Wabansia Ave), Chicago
Saturday (January 4), 8 PM doors, 9 PM show. $10.00

Renaldo Domino teams up with Lone Ranger for "Never Thought"

Chicago soul great Renaldo Domino is comfortable in a rocksteady groove on the new single for Happy As A Lark. 

Here's the scoop from Happy As A Lark...
When Poland-based reggae producer xROB BLACK reached out to Happy As A Lark wondering about a collaboration, we immediately fell in love with an instrumental track he sent ominously titled 'Majestic 12 Underground'. The song has a distinctive soulfulness that resonated strongly with our musical tastes, and it wasn't long before a lush vocal melody began to reveal itself – but who to sing it? In our musical escapades we've been fortunate enough to meet and work with many legendary artists - and it wasn't long before the obvious choice came to mind in the form of Chicago soul legend Renaldo Domino (who we've been trying to fit into the right project for quite some time).

And while falsetto vocals over a reggae track are nothing new (i.e. Junior Soul aka Junior Murvin amongst many others), the distinctive sweet-soul style of Renaldo's voice (check "Not Too Cool To Cry" on the Twinight label) tilts this track definitively into a bubbly summertime, topdown, cruising kind-of-jam.

But why stop there? What if the track also featured a top-shelf veteran deejay toasting in fine style? As Lone Ranger would say... "riiiiiiight!" Check out the video below. Get a copy of the limited-run single right here.

Happy Birthday Renaldo Domino!

Celebrating Renaldo's birthday with clips of his classic Not To Cool To Cry and Curtis Mayfield's Move On Up.