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Back In The Game (Syl Johnson Album)
''Back in the Game'' is an album by the American soul musician Syl Johnson. It was released in 1994. Johnson had not recorded an album since the 1980s, but had witnessed a revival of his music due its use as samples in hip hop production. Production On the majority of its tracks, the album marked a reunion between Johnson and the Hi Rhythm Section. It was produced by Pete Nathan. Johnson duets with his daughter Syleena on "Dipped in the Water". ''Back in the Game'' contains covers of Magic Sam's "All Your Love" and Little Junior Parker's version of "Driving Wheel". Critical reception The ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'' wrote that Johnson's "vocals swoop, charge, lunge, and bark with all the mastery of a classic soul singer, but his songs are rarely melodically complex, nor do they develop linearly." The ''Chicago Tribune'' called the album "a stunning return to form," writing that "Johnson's voice is still a piercing, bittersweet instrument and his guitar-playing remains tersely e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Syl Johnson
Sylvester Johnson (born Sylvester Thompson; July 1, 1936 – February 6, 2022) was an American blues and soul singer, musician, songwriter and record producer. His most successful records included "Different Strokes" (1967), " Is It Because I'm Black" (1969) and " Take Me to the River" (1975). Biography Early life and recording debut Born near Holly Springs, Mississippi, the sixth child of a harmonica-playing farmer, he moved with his family in about 1950 to Chicago, where blues guitarist Magic Sam was his next-door neighbor. Mark Winegardner, "Syl Johnson", ''Oxford American'', November 21, 2011 Retrieved February 8, 2022 Johnson sang and played with Magic Sam and other blues artists, such as |
Lee "Shot" Williams
Henry Lee "Shot" Williams (May 21, 1938 – November 25, 2011) was an American blues singer. He got the nickname "Shot" from his mother at a young age, owing to his fondness for wearing suits and dressing up as a "big shot." Biography Williams grew up in the country close to his cousin and fellow blues man, Little Smokey Smothers. "Shot" moved to Detroit in 1954 and to Chicago in 1958. He joined Smothers there and began singing with Smokey's band in 1960 and a few years later joined Magic Sam's band as a vocalist. In 1962, Williams recorded his first singles for Chicago's Foxy label, "Hello Baby" and "I'm Trying". He recorded a series of singles for other labels, including King/Federal, Palos, Gamma, Shama and Tchula. His 1964 recording "Welcome to the Club" was a hit in Chicago, and was later covered by Little Milton for Checker Records in 1965. Another regional hit, "I Like Your Style", came out in 1969 and was covered by Junior Parker. Several more singles followed including ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ken Vandermark
Ken Vandermark (born September 22, 1964) is an American composer, saxophonist, and clarinetist. A fixture on the Chicago-area music scene since the 1990s, Vandermark has earned wide critical praise for his playing and his multilayered compositions, which typically balance intricate orchestration with passionate improvisation. He has led or been a member of many groups, has collaborated with many other musicians, and was awarded a 1999 MacArthur Fellowship. He plays tenor saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet, and baritone saxophone. He was also a member of NRG Ensemble. Biography Boston and Montreal Vandermark grew up in Massachusetts, graduating from Natick High School. His father, Stu Vandermark, was the Boston correspondent for ''Cadence Magazine'' and currently is a noted essayist on jazz, primarily concerned with improvisation. Vandermark led a jazz trio, the Fourth Stream, in Montreal while he was an undergraduate at McGill University. He graduated in 1986 with a deg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Teenie Hodges
Mabon Lewis "Teenie" Hodges (November 16, 1945 – June 22, 2014) was an American musician known for his work as a rhythm and lead guitarist and songwriter on many of Al Green's soul hits, and those of other artists such as Ann Peebles and Syl Johnson, on Hi Records in the 1970s. His credits as a songwriter include " Take Me to the River", "Love and Happiness", "L-O-V-E (Love)", and "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)". Early years Born in Germantown, Tennessee, Hodges began playing guitar at age 12 in his father's band, the Germantown Blue Dots, before joining his brothers Leroy and Charles in their group, the Impalas. He was encouraged by Memphis band leader and record producer Willie Mitchell. Mitchell used Hodges as a central component of the Hi Rhythm Section, which also included Leroy, Charles, drummer Al Jackson, Jr., and pianist Archie Turner, Mitchell's stepson. Biographyby Keith Brown at Allmusic.com When Jackson left in 1966, Hodges recruited Howard Grimes to replace ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leroy Hodges
Leroy Hodges (born July 13, 1943) is an American electric bass player. He was born in Germantown, Tennessee. Paired with either Booker T. & the MGs's drummer Al Jackson, Jr. or Stax staff drummer Howard Grimes, Leroy and The Hodges Brothers were the backing musicians for Al Green, Ann Peebles and several other soul, gospel and blues artists, primarily on the Hi Records label in Memphis, Tennessee. Remaining active, Hodges appeared on albums by American R&B musicians Rufus Thomas and Bobby Rush. He also appeared on Cat Power Charlyn Marie "Chan" Marshall ( ; born January 21, 1972), better known by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and model. Cat Power was originally the name of her first band, but has become her stage name as a ...'s 2006 album '' The Greatest'', and Frazey Ford's 2016 album, Indian Ocean https://archive.commercialappeal.com/entertainment/music/features/frazey-ford-reunites-with-hodges-brothers-to-indulge-passion-for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles Hodges
Charles Edward Hodges (born June 29, 1947 in Memphis, Tennessee) is an American organist and songwriter. He is known for his high tone on the Hammond B3 organ, that appeared on records by Al Green, and other musicians signed to Hi Records. Hodges also played on albums by James Carr (musician), James Carr, Willie Cobbs, Albert Collins and Boz Scaggs. Hi Records acts Syl Johnson, O.V. Wright, as well as Green and Tom Jones (singer), Tom Jones, have all recorded songs written by Hodges. Hodges played keyboards on Vanessa Collier's 2017 album, ''Meeting My Shadow'' (Ruf Records) and the Mountain Goats' 2020 album, ''Getting into Knives'' (Merge Records). References 1947 births Living people 20th-century American keyboardists American male organists Songwriters from Tennessee Musicians from Memphis, Tennessee Musicians from Tennessee 21st-century American keyboardists 21st-century organists 21st-century American male musicians 20th-century American male musicians American ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Howard Grimes
Howard Lee Grimes (August 22, 1941 – February 12, 2022) was an American drummer, best known as a member of the Hi Rhythm Section on records by Al Green, Ann Peebles and others in the 1970s. Life and career Born in Memphis, Tennessee on August 22, 1941, Grimes first performed in public at the age of 12, with Rufus Thomas. By his late teens he recorded regularly on sessions for Satellite Records, which later became Stax, where he was tutored by Al Jackson, Jr. He also began working with bandleader and record producer Willie Mitchell at Hi Records, taking over as Mitchell's main drummer after Jackson's death. As a key member of the house band at Mitchell's Royal Studios in Memphis, Grimes was instrumental in creating some of the most memorable songs and soul grooves of the 1970s. After the demise of Hi Records in the late 1970s, Grimes continued to perform with Teenie Hodges Mabon Lewis "Teenie" Hodges (November 16, 1945 – June 22, 2014) was an American musician known for ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roosevelt Sykes
Roosevelt Sykes (January 31, 1906July 17, 1983) was an American blues musician, also known as "the Honeydripper". Career Sykes was born the son of a musician in Elmar, Arkansas. "Just a little old sawmill town", Sykes said of his birthplace. The Sykes family was living in St. Louis by 1909. Sykes often visited his grandfather's farm near West Helena. He began playing the church organ around the age of ten. "Every summer I would go down to Helena to visit my grandfather on his farm," he told biographer Valerie Wilmer. "He was a preacher and he had an organ I used to practice on, trying to learn how to play. I always liked the sound of the blues, liked to hear people singing, and since I was singing first, I was trying to play like I sang." Sykes was baptized at 13 years old, his lifelong beliefs never conflicting with playing the blues. At age 15, he went on the road playing piano in a barrelhouse style of blues. Like many bluesmen of his time, he traveled around playing to all-mal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Willie Mitchell (musician)
William Lawrence Mitchell (March 1, 1928 – January 5, 2010) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, soul, R&B, rock and roll, pop and funk record producer and arranger who ran Royal Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. He was best known for his Hi Records label of the 1970s, which released albums by a large stable of popular Memphis soul artists, including Mitchell himself, Al Green, O. V. Wright, Syl Johnson, Ann Peebles and Quiet Elegance. Biography Born and raised in Ashland, Mississippi, Mitchell moved to Memphis when he was in high school. He attended Rust College.Howard, David N. (2004). ''Sonic Alchemy: Visionary Music Producers and Their Maverick Recordings'', pp. 150–51. Hal Leonard Corporation. . At the age of eight, he began to play the trumpet. While in high school, he was a featured player in popular local big bands. He later formed his own combo, which from time to time included musicians such as trumpeter Booker Little, saxophonists Charles Lloyd, and Georg ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mabon "Teenie" Hodges
Mabon Lewis "Teenie" Hodges (November 16, 1945 – June 22, 2014) was an American musician known for his work as a rhythm and lead guitarist and songwriter on many of Al Green's soul hits, and those of other artists such as Ann Peebles and Syl Johnson, on Hi Records in the 1970s. His credits as a songwriter include " Take Me to the River", "Love and Happiness", "L-O-V-E (Love)", and "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)". Early years Born in Germantown, Tennessee, Hodges began playing guitar at age 12 in his father's band, the Germantown Blue Dots, before joining his brothers Leroy and Charles in their group, the Impalas. He was encouraged by Memphis band leader and record producer Willie Mitchell. Mitchell used Hodges as a central component of the Hi Rhythm Section, which also included Leroy, Charles, drummer Al Jackson, Jr., and pianist Archie Turner, Mitchell's stepson. Biographyby Keith Brown at Allmusic.com When Jackson left in 1966, Hodges recruited Howard Grimes to replace ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Al Green
Albert Leornes Greene (born April 13, 1946), better known as Al Green, is an American singer, songwriter, pastor and record producer best known for recording a series of soul hit singles in the early 1970s, including " Take Me to the River", "Tired of Being Alone", " I'm Still in Love with You", "Love and Happiness", and his signature song, " Let's Stay Together". After an incident in which his girlfriend died by suicide, Green became an ordained pastor and turned to gospel music. He later returned to secular music. Green was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. He was referred to on the museum's site as being "one of the most gifted purveyors of soul music". He has also been referred to as "The Last of the Great Soul Singers". Green is the winner of 11 Grammy Awards, including the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. He has also received the BMI Icon award and is a Kennedy Center Honors recipient. He was included in the ''Rolling Stone'' list of the 100 G ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
