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Catacombs Nightclub Philadelphia
The Catacombs Nightclub was a gay afterhours club, after-hours club in Philadelphia that played underground dance music, a precursor to house music. Additionally, Catacombs was responsible for the creation of the dance music genre "Philly Classics." The club was a haven and cultural center for music industry professionals and artists of diverse backgrounds in the early '80s. History Second Story, Philadelphia's premier nightclub, was located at 12th and Walnut Streets in Center City, Philadelphia, Center City Philadelphia. The Story, as it was lovingly called by the weekly regulars—was the vision of brothers Barry Geftman and Wayne Geftman. Disco-disco.com Other legendary US clubs The Geftman brothers’ original concept was to create a private, Gay bar, gay club with an environment featuring unique interiors, su ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Catacombs
Catacombs are man-made subterranean passageways for religious practice. Any chamber used as a burial place is a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire. Etymology and history The first place to be referred to as ''catacombs'' was the system of underground tombs between the 2nd and 3rd milestones of the Appian Way in Rome, where the bodies of the apostles Peter and Paul, among others, were said to have been buried. The name of that place in Late Latin was L.L. fem. nom. pl. n. ''catacumbas'' (sing. ''catacumba'') a word of obscure origin, possibly deriving from a proper name or a derivation of the Latin phrase ''catatumbas'', "among the tombs". The word referred originally only to the Roman catacombs, but was extended by 1836 to refer to any subterranean receptacle of the dead, as in the 18th-century Paris catacombs. The ancient Christians carved the first catacombs from soft tufa rock. (ref)" (World Book Encyclopedia, page 296) All Roman ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Loudspeaker
A loudspeaker (commonly referred to as a speaker or speaker driver) is an electroacoustic transducer that converts an electrical audio signal into a corresponding sound. A ''speaker system'', also often simply referred to as a "speaker" or "loudspeaker", comprises one or more such speaker ''drivers'', an enclosure, and electrical connections possibly including a crossover network. The speaker driver can be viewed as a linear motor attached to a diaphragm which couples that motor's movement to motion of air, that is, sound. An audio signal, typically from a microphone, recording, or radio broadcast, is amplified electronically to a power level capable of driving that motor in order to reproduce the sound corresponding to the original unamplified electronic signal. This is thus the opposite function to the microphone; indeed the ''dynamic speaker'' driver, by far the most common type, is a linear motor in the same basic configuration as the dynamic microphone which uses such ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Loose Ends (band)
Loose Ends (also known as Loose End) are a British R&B band that had several hit records throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s. The trio was formed in London in 1980, initially comprising vocalist and guitarist Carl McIntosh, vocalist Jane Eugene, and keyboard player Steve Nichol. Despite having seen success throughout the 1980s, both Nichol and Eugene left the group in 1989, bringing an end to the band's most successful phase. Career Loose Ends signed with Virgin Records in 1981 under the name 'Loose End'. Some of their debut material was written for them by Chris Amoo and Eddie Amoo, who had achieved UK Singles Chart success of their own in the 1970s, with their group The Real Thing. The trio changed its name to Loose Ends in 1983 and continued to record for Virgin. They were distributed in the U.S. by MCA Records. The group was founded by Steve Nichol after he left the London Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Nichol went on to tour with The Jam in 1982 as a trumpet, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Five Star
Five Star (also styled as 5 Star) are a British pop group, formed in 1983 and comprising siblings Stedman, Lorraine, Denise, Doris and Delroy Pearson. Between 1985 and 1988, Five Star had four top 20 albums and 15 top 40 singles in the UK, including the top 10 hits " System Addict" (1986), "Can't Wait Another Minute" (1986), " Find the Time" (1986), " Rain or Shine" (1986), " Stay Out of My Life" (1987) and "The Slightest Touch" (1987). They won the 1987 Brit Award for Best British Group. Biography 1980s The five-piece group of siblings from Romford were masterminded by their father and manager, Buster Pearson, who modelled them in the style of the Jackson 5. He was a former recording artist and session musician who had worked with Wilson Pickett and had set up Tent Records Ltd in 1982. Their debut single was released on Tent in 1983 and although it did not chart, it gave them TV exposure and a record deal with RCA Records (with future releases being joint Tent/RCA release ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stephanie Mills
Stephanie Dorthea Mills (born March 22, 1957) is an American singer and songwriter. She rose to stardom as "Dorothy" in the original seven-time Tony Award winning Broadway run of the musical ''The Wiz'' from 1974 to 1979. The song " Home" from the show later became a Number 1 U.S. R&B hit and her signature song. During the 1980s, she had five Number 1 R&B hits, including " Home", " I Have Learned to Respect the Power of Love", " I Feel Good All Over", " (You're Puttin') A Rush on Me" and " Something in the Way (You Make Me Feel)". She won two Grammy Awards for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for her song " Never Knew Love Like This Before" in 1981. Her albums '' What Cha Gonna Do with My Lovin'', '' Sweet Sensation'' and ''Stephanie'' went gold or platinum, all through 20th Century Fox Records. Biography Early life and career Born Stephanie Dorthea Mills to Joseph and Christine Mills and raised in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Mills sang gospel music as a child at Brooklyn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diana Ross
Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. They remain the best-charting female group in history, with a total of twelve number-one hit singles on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, including "Where Did Our Love Go", "Baby Love", "Come See About Me", and " Love Child". Following departure from the Supremes in 1970, Ross embarked on a successful solo career in music, film, television and on stage. Her eponymous debut solo album featured the U.S. number-one hit "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and music anthem "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)". It was followed with her second solo album, '' Everything Is Everything'' (1970), which spawned her first UK number-one single " I'm Still Waiting". She continued her successful solo career by mounting elaborate record-setting ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prelude Records (record Label)
Prelude Records was a New York-based independent record label that was active from 1976 to 1986. At one time, François Kevorkian held an A&R position at Prelude. The label's owner was Marvin Schlachter. History Prelude was first launched in 1976, renamed from Pye International Records, a US division of UK-based Pye Records which had begun in 1974. The name was derived from the music group Prelude, which recorded for Pye at the time. At the outset, Prelude's LP and 45 catalogue numbers were the same as had begun under Pye (US), with the prefix changed from PYE- to PRL-. For a very short period at the start, Pye's then-parent, ATV Music, owned Prelude. It first made its small release with a large name called JUMBO, which spawned a minor hit with "Turn On To Love". As disco music declined, Prelude was one of the few disco labels to survive its demise. In 1981 they pioneered the mastermix. with Shep Pettibone's "Kiss Mastermix 2x12". Having recruited Kevorkian, the label wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
West End Records
West End Records is an American music record label based in New York City. Led by co-founder Mel Cheren, West End was one of the most prominent labels in dance music's history, along with Prelude Records, Salsoul Records, and Casablanca Records. West End Records helped introduce the twelve-inch single, the vinyl format popularized by disco music in the 1970s and promoted the nascent garage house music pioneered by DJ Larry Levan in Paradise Garage. West End Records was acquired by Verse music group in 2010. On June 29, 2015, Verse Music was acquired by BMG Rights Management. History It was founded by Mel Cheren and Ed Kushins in 1976 and the label went on to define the sound of New York City in the heyday of disco. That sound eventually filtered to dance floors and clubs across the country and around the world. West End released disco hits like Taana Gardner's "Heartbeat," Karen Young's "Hot Shot," Loose Joints' "Is It All Over My Face," Barbara Mason's "Another Man," and The N ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British independent record label in 1972 by entrepreneurs Richard Branson, Simon Draper, Nik Powell, and musician Tom Newman. It grew to be a worldwide success over time, with the success of platinum performers Paula Abdul, Janet Jackson, Devo, Tangerine Dream, Genesis, Phil Collins, OMD, the Human League, Culture Club, Simple Minds, Lenny Kravitz, the Sex Pistols, and Mike Oldfield among others, meaning that by the time it was sold, it was regarded as a major label, alongside other large international independents such as A&M and Island Records. Virgin Records was sold to EMI in 1992. EMI was in turn taken over by Universal Music Group (UMG) in 2012 with UMG creating the Virgin EMI Records division. The Virgin Records name continues to be used by UMG in certain markets such as Germany and Japan. Virgin Records America Virgin Records America, Inc. was the company's North American ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nick Martinelli
Nicholas J. Martinelli (born 5 July 1952) is an American R&B and pop record producer. During the 1980s he worked with many R&B and pop music artists, some of them based in the UK. Acts he has worked with include Loose Ends, Phyllis Hyman, Five Star, Stephanie Mills and Regina Belle. Early history Martinelli cut his teeth as a teenager in 1969 in the Chips warehouse, an independent record distributor for Motown. He was promoted to warehouse manager as he developed an understanding of distribution and retail sales. In 1977, Motown rewarded Nick's diligence by giving him additional responsibilities handling dance promotion for the Northeast region covering the territory from New York to Washington. It was in the clubs that Martinelli found an outlet to express himself creatively—behind the turntables. In 1978, WMOT Records hired him for a national sales position, transitioning to an A&R position a year later. This enabled him to sign and develop new talent on the Philadelphia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
WMOT Records
WMOT (We Men of Talent) Records, an independent recording company in Philadelphia, produced a series of singles and albums in the "Philadelphia sound" soul tradition (see Philadelphia soul). The company was founded by Alan Rubens and Steve Bernstein in 1973. The biggest selling record produced by WMOT was "Double Dutch Bus" by Frankie Smith, which hit number one on the Billboard soul chart (#30, pop) in 1982 and sold more than 2 million copies. Other gold hits were recorded by Major Harris with "Love Won't Let Me Wait" (#1 R&B, #5 pop, 1975) and their first signing, Blue Magic, who had a string of R&B and pop hits in the mid-70s, including "Sideshow", (#1 R&B, #8 pop), in 1974. Other WMOT artists included Count Coolout, Barbara Mason, Captain Sky, Brandi Wells, David Simmons, Funk Fusion Band, Bliss, Impact (which featured former Temptations member Damon Harris), Heaven and Earth, Sweet Thunder, and Fat Larry's Band. The label also produced "It's Good To Be The King" by actor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Arista Records, and Epic Records. The label has released multiple genres of music, including pop, classical, rock, hip hop, afrobeat, electronic, R&B, blues, jazz, and country. Its name is derived from the initials of its defunct parent company, the Radio Corporation of America (RCA). RCA Records was fully acquired by Bertelsmann in 1987, making it a part of Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) and became a part of Sony BMG Music Entertainment after the 2004 merger of BMG and Sony; it was acquired by the latter in 2008, after the dissolution of Sony/BMG and the restructuring of Sony Music. RCA Records is the corporate successor of the Victor Talking Machine Company, founded in 1901, making it the second-oldest record label in American his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
