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
Mutlu Worth Some Good Trouble by Jay S. Jacobs “Let’s get it on, it’s time to get down.” Those are the only lyrics in the classic Philly soul instrumental “The Sound of Philadelphia” by iconic studio musicians MFSB (though the actual words were a guest shot by the vocal group The Three Degrees.) Mutlu Onaral … Continue reading
Kiana Ledé – Webster Hall – New York, NY – October 6, 2019 She took the stage and the mood shifted drastically. It went from relaxed and patient, to “a five-year old on Christmas morning who’s getting a new puppy” kind of excited. She was greeted with a cheers, claps, screeches, and whistles that lasted longer … Continue reading
Hoodie Allen & Jake Miller – El Rey Theater – Los Angeles, CA – October 1, 2019 Welcome to Whatever USA, where it doesn’t matter where you came from, it only matters where you end up. Hoodie Allen, real name Steven Markowitz, is a 31-year-old singer, songwriter, and rapper touring this new album on his … Continue reading
Khalid & Clairo – Wells Fargo Center – Philadelphia, PA – August 11, 2019 Contemporary R&B artist Khalid brought his Free Spirit World Tour to the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The lines outside the venue were huge, full of fans so excited to see Khalid. For the tour, Clairo was alongside Khalid opening the … Continue reading
98 Degrees – SugarHouse Casino – Philadelphia, PA – July 27, 2019 The other night, pop group 98 Degrees came to town. One of the hottest boy bands of the late ‘90s and early ‘00s – brothers Nick and Drew Lachey and band mates Jeff Timmons and Justin Jeffre took the stage at Philadelphia’s SugarHouse … Continue reading
PRETTYMUCH – The Met – Philadelphia, PA – July 20, 2019 If you think the boy band era came to a close with One Direction’s 2015 split, you probably haven’t met PRETTYMUCH yet. This Teen Choice nominated band made up of Brandon Arreaga, Zion Kuwonu, Edwin Honoret, Nick Mara, and Austin Porter offers a unique, … Continue reading
