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Electric Black Man
Eric Alexander Mercury (28 June 1944 – 14 March 2022) was a Canadian singer who was a member of soul group The Soul Searchers during the 1960s. He later made waves in 1969 with his ''Electric Black Man'' album. He had two hits, the first on the Canadian charts in 1972 with " I Can Smell That Funky Music", and the second in the United States in 1983, singing a duet with Roberta Flack with " Our Love Will Stop the World". He also co-wrote the song " Down the Backstairs of My Life". Background Family Born into a musical family, and the youngest of seven children, he was raised in Toronto, Ontario. His father, Methodist minister George Luther Mercury, was from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. His mother Gladys Viola Mercury (née Smith) came from Jamaica. They were community leaders who worked just west of the core of Toronto, out of the British Methodist Episcopal Church. Musical etc. The two groups he performed in during the 1960s were The Pharaohs and later The Soul ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Toronto, Ontario
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anchor of the Golden Horseshoe, an urban agglomeration of 9,765,188 people (as of 2021) surrounding the western end of Lake Ontario, while the Greater Toronto Area proper had a 2021 population of 6,712,341. Toronto is an international centre of business, finance, arts, sports and culture, and is recognized as one of the most multicultural and cosmopolitan cities in the world. Indigenous peoples have travelled through and inhabited the Toronto area, located on a broad sloping plateau interspersed with rivers, deep ravines, and urban forest, for more than 10,000 years. After the broadly disputed Toronto Purchase, when the Mississauga surrendered the area to the British Crown, the British established the town of York in 1793 and later designate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Methodist Episcopal Church
The British Methodist Episcopal Church (BMEC) is a Protestant church in Canada that has its roots in the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AMEC) of the United States. History The AMEC had been formed in 1816 when a number of black congregations banded together under the leadership of Richard Allen, and by the mid-1850s it had seven conferences in the United States. AMEC preachers began to work in Upper Canada in 1834, and a conference was formed in 1840. In 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act was passed in the United States causing some ex-slave AMEC preachers in the United Canadas to be fearful of attending conferences in the U.S. Reverend Benjamin Stewart of Chatham, Ontario proposed that the AME churches in the United Canadas separate from the U.S. association and form their own church. At an AME conference the new church was named the British Methodist Episcopal Church in appreciation of finding a safe haven from slavery in British North America. In Philadelphia in 1856, Stewart ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William "Mickey" Stevenson
William "Mickey" Stevenson (born January 4, 1937) is an American former songwriter and record producer for the Motown group of labels from the early days of Berry Gordy's company until 1967. Life and career He was born William Stevenson and, after spending his formative years recording doowop and gospel music, joined Tamla/Motown in 1959, the year it was founded. He was head of the A&R department there during the company's "glory" years of the mid-1960s when artists such as the Supremes, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations, Four Tops, Stevie Wonder and Martha & the Vandellas came to the fore. Stevenson was also responsible for organizing and establishing the company's in-house studio band, which came to be known as the Funk Brothers. He wrote and produced many hit records for Motown, some with co-writer and producer Ivy Jo Hunter. They included his biggest successes, "Dancing in the Street", which he co-wrote with Hunter and Marvin Gaye; " It Takes Two" (Gaye and Weston), " Ask the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eric "Mouse" Johnson
The Soul Searchers were an important part of Canadian soul music history. The group contained notable artists such as Diane Brooks, Eric Mercury, William "Smitty" Smith, Steve Kennedy (musician), Steve Kennedy and Eric "Mouse" Johnson. At times they are also referred to Diane Brooks, Eric Mercury and The Soul Searchers or Eric Mercury and the Soul Searchers. Background They were a jazzy R&B ensemble which moved up from the teen clubs to licensed bars in Toronto. Playing at many of the clubs around Ontario and Québec and over the US border to venues in Buffalo, they also performed at The Scene (performance venue), The Scene club in New York. They also appeared multiple times on Canadian television on the ''Music Hop'' television show. Singer Brenda Russell who opened for the group said "They were the ''"most stunning things"'' she'd ever seen and that the group was the biggest soul band in the country and ''"there was nobody like them"''. Two members of the group, Steve Ken ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diane Brooks, Eric Mercury And The Soul Searchers
The Soul Searchers were an important part of Canadian soul music history. The group contained notable artists such as Diane Brooks, Eric Mercury, William "Smitty" Smith, Steve Kennedy and Eric "Mouse" Johnson. At times they are also referred to Diane Brooks, Eric Mercury and The Soul Searchers or Eric Mercury and the Soul Searchers. Background They were a jazzy R&B ensemble which moved up from the teen clubs to licensed bars in Toronto. Playing at many of the clubs around Ontario and Québec and over the US border to venues in Buffalo, they also performed at The Scene club in New York. They also appeared multiple times on Canadian television on the ''Music Hop'' television show. Singer Brenda Russell who opened for the group said "They were the ''"most stunning things"'' she'd ever seen and that the group was the biggest soul band in the country and ''"there was nobody like them"''. Two members of the group, Steve Kennedy and William Smith would later on be founding memb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William "Smitty" Smith
William Daniel "Smitty" Smith (August 30, 1944 – November 28, 1997) was a Canadian keyboardist and session musician. Background He had been playing together with Steve Kennedy, Eric Mercury, Eric "Mouse" Johnson, Terry Logan and Diane Brooks in a Toronto band called the Soul Searchers that was fronted by Mercury and Brooks. After the Soul Searchers broke up, first Kennedy and then Smith joined a group called Grant Smith & The Power. In 1969 Smith and Kennedy, along with Ken Marco and Wayne "Stoney" Stone, formed Motherlode and went on to have a U.S. #18 hit with " When I Die." The group broke up in 1970 and Smith fronted a second version of Motherlode that was soon to break up after releasing one single. Smith became a session musician and played on and contributed background vocals to recordings by artists such as Bob Dylan, David Clayton-Thomas, Billy Joel, The Pointer Sisters, Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, Etta James, Blood, Sweat and Tears, Richie Havens, Tracy Chapman ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steve Kennedy (musician)
Steve Kennedy is a Canadian based musician who co-wrote the hit song " When I Die" which was a hit for Motherlode in 1969. He is also notable for being a member of prominiant historical Canadian groups such as The Soul Searchers, Dr. Music, Lighthouse, and Grant Smith & The Power. He was also a member of Blood, Sweat And Tears. Background Kennedy and Diane Brooks had been part of The Silhouettes who were a well established r&b group on the Toronto music scene. This group had actually backed Eric Mercury on his single, "I Wondered Why" / "Softly", which was released on the Clip label, catalogue no. 1122 in 1966. That year Kennedy left the group to form the instrumental core of The Soul Searchers with William Smith, guitarist Terry Logan, and drummer Eric "Mouse" Johnson, backing Eric Mercury and Diane Brooks. After some time Kennedy left The Soul Searchers and was replaced by saxophonist Glen McDonnell. When The Soul Searchers finally broke up, William Smith followed Kennedy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Diane Brooks
Gwendolyn Dianne Brooks (January 3, 1939 – April 29, 2005), was a soul, r&b and jazz singer from New Jersey. With the Three Playmates, Brooks recorded several songs in 1957. She moved to Toronto shortly thereafter. Her part in Canadian soul music history began when the group Diane Brooks, Eric Mercury and the Soul Searchers was formed. As a solo singer, she recorded two albums and several singles of her own. Her biggest solo hit was " Walkin' on My Mind" in 1969. She was also a prolific session singer. As a vocalist, she provided backing vocals on albums by a multitude of artists that include Anne Murray, Gino Vannelli and Richie Havens. She was also a song-writer. Background Brooks was born in New Jersey and grew up there singing gospel music. Things started for her at three years of age when she was singing in her New Jersey church. Taking note of Dianne's talent, her mother eventually sent her to New York City to study voice. Brooks was a teenager when she joined the group, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Hot Wax
''American Hot Wax'' is a 1978 biographical film directed by Floyd Mutrux with a screenplay by John Kaye from a story by John Kaye and Art Linson. The film tells the story of pioneering disc jockey Alan Freed, who in the 1950s helped introduce and popularize rock and roll, and is often credited with coining the term "rock 'n' roll". The film starred Tim McIntire, Fran Drescher, Jay Leno, Laraine Newman, Jeff Altman, and Moosie Drier. It also featured musical performances by Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Frankie Ford, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, and Brooklyn Dreams as "Professor La Plano and The Planotones". The film was not a box-office success. A&M Records released a two-record soundtrack album featuring the film's live Brooklyn Paramount performances on record one (in stereo) and the film's soundtrack (the original monophonic hit recordings) on record two. The LP reached number 31 on the ''Billboard'' charts. Producer Art Linson discusses the movie's production and failure ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh
''The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh'' is a 1979 American sports/fantasy comedy film directed by Gilbert Moses and coproduced by David Dashev and Gary Stromberg. It was produced by Lorimar and distributed by United Artists. The film was shot on location in Pittsburgh and at Pittsburgh's Civic Arena, as well as in suburban Moon Township, Pennsylvania. The film has attracted a cult following, most notably for its disco-inspired setting and soundtrack, as well as the appearances of many NBA stars (including lead actor Julius Erving) and early roles for Debbie Allen, Stockard Channing and Harry Shearer. The film also contains a cameo by longtime Pittsburgh mayor Richard Caliguiri. Plot The Pittsburgh Pythons are a struggling professional basketball team whose continuous losing streak and lack of talent has made them the laughing stock of the city. Several players ask to be traded to other teams because of the bad publicity and the presence of difficult but highly paid star player ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jesus Christ Superstar
''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Gospels' accounts of the Passion, the work interprets the psychology of Jesus and other characters, with much of the plot centered on Judas, who is dissatisfied with the direction in which Jesus is steering his disciples. Contemporary attitudes, sensibilities and slang pervade the rock opera's lyrics, and ironic allusions to modern life are scattered throughout the depiction of political events. Stage and film productions accordingly contain many intentional anachronisms. Initially unable to get backing for a stage production, the composers released it as a concept album, the success of which led to the show's Broadway on-stage debut in 1971. By 1980, the musical had grossed more than worldwide. Running for over eight years in London between 1972 and 1980, it held the record for longest-running West End musical before it was overtaken by '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player of all time." He played fifteen seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), winning six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls. Jordan is the principal owner and chairman of the Charlotte Hornets of the NBA and of 23XI Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series. He was integral in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s,Markovits and Rensman, p. 89. becoming a global cultural icon in the process. Jordan played college basketball for three seasons under coach Dean Smith with the North Carolina Tar Heels. As a freshman, he was a member of the Tar Heels' national championship team in 1982. Jordan joined the Bulls in 1984 as the third overall draft pick, and quickly emerged as a league star ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
