Made in America Festival – Benjamin Franklin Parkway – Philadelphia, PA – September 4 & 5, 2021 A Year For The People. After over a year of COVID regulations and a week of intense flooding Philadelphia unleashed the most long-awaited, influential festival they have ever thrown. For its tenth year, Made In America came back … Continue reading
SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED) (2021) Featuring Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Marilyn McCoo, Billy Davis Jr., Mavis Staples, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Chris Rock, Sal Masakela, Sheila E., Charlayne Hunter-Gault, Denise Oliver-Velez and archival footage of Nina Simone, BB King, David Ruffin, The Fifth Dimension, Mahalia Jackson, Moms Mabley, Abbey Lincoln, … Continue reading
MARY J. BLIGE’S MY LIFE (2021) Featuring Mary J. Blige, Sean Combs, Taraji P. Henson, Alicia Keys, Tyler Perry, Method Man, Nas, Andre Harrell, Big Bub, Chucky Thompson, Anita Baker, LaTonya Blige-DaCosta and Jeff Redd. Directed by Vanessa Roth. Distributed by Amazon Studios. 82 minutes. Rated R. This documentary pretty much specifically focuses on Blige’s … Continue reading
Jackie’s Boy From Being a Street Performer, Carlos Battey Transforms and Becomes a Record Mogul and World-Class Artist by Brad Balfour When the pandemic hit, musicians were blessed and cursed at the same time. On the one hand, it shut down opportunities for live performance before paying audiences. On the other hand, it freed up … Continue reading
Mozzy, Ry, Rubi Rose, Kendyx, Day Sulan, Stunna Girl, 1TakeJay, Whitney Reign & Singer Slime – Rose Festival – Oak Canyon – Silverado, CA – April 24, 2021 Photos by Camille Jessie © 2021 Wow, our first live concert photos in over a year! The world is finally getting close to being back to normal. Continue reading
Ken Sharp – Miniatures (Jet Fighter) Miniatures couldn’t be a more apt title for the latest album by singer/songwriter power pop artist Ken Sharp. None of these 32 (count ‘em, 32!) songs clocks in at even two minutes long, and the shortest is the album-closing title track which clocks in at 37 seconds. However, just … Continue reading
Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. Not So Silly Love Songs – Taking ‘Blackbird’ to New Heights By Mark Mussari Fifty years ago, Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. did something they’d never done before. As the de facto lead singers of the legendary 5th Dimension, the couple covered Paul McCartney’s “Every Night” on the … Continue reading
A Supreme Legacy: Remembering Mary Wilson (1944-2021) By Mark Mussari A funny thing happened on the way to Diana Ross becoming a superstar. Mary Wilson became the Supremes. Even though Ross sang lead on all the hits the Supremes had in the 1960s – hits that resulted in 12 number ones and often saw them … Continue reading
Jessie Wagner Tunes Droppin’ By Jay S. Jacobs This year was Jessie Wagner’s spotlight move. The diverse, soulful singer songwriter had finished her first solo album. (She had previously recorded an EP as the lead singer of the band Envy.) She had been signed up with the wickedly hip indie label Wicked Cool – with … Continue reading
Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr. The 5th Dimension Belong In the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame By Mark Mussari One day in the middle of Woodstock – the three-day musical extravaganza that defined a generation in the summer of 1969 – the massive crowd broke spontaneously into a rousing rendition of “Aquarius,” the seminal … Continue reading
