North Carolina
North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...
) is an American
soul
In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being".
Etymology
The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...
singer, sometimes nicknamed "Little JB" for his physical and vocal resemblance with James Brown. He has worked with
Kool and the Gang
Kool & the Gang is an American R&B/soul/funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964 by brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell, with Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, Robert "Spike" Mickens, Charles Smith, George Brown, and Ricky West. T ...
Darrell Banks
Darrell Banks (born Darrell Eubanks; July 25, 1937 – February 24, 1970) was an American soul singer. He had a hit with 1966's " Open the Door to Your Heart".
Background
Born in Mansfield, Ohio,, Banks grew up in Buffalo, New York, and learned ...
, and Little Royal. Fields has also worked with musicians such as
B.B. King
Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shi ...
,
Clarence Carter
Clarence George Carter (born January 14, 1936) is an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. His most successful songs include " Slip Away", "Back Door Santa" (both released 1968), " Patches" (1970) and "Strokin" (1986).
Ear ...
,
Dr. John
Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B.
Active as a session musician from ...
,
Tyrone Davis
Tyrone Davis (born Tyrone D. Fettson or Tyrone D. Branch, October 3, 1937 – February 9, 2005) was an American blues and soul singer with a long list of hit records over more than 20 years. Davis had three number 1 hits on the '' Billboard'' ...
, Johnny Taylor,
Denise LaSalle
Ora Denise Allen (July 16, 1934 – January 8, 2018), known by the stage name Denise LaSalle, was an American blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, and record producer who, since the death of Koko Taylor, had been recognized as the "Queen of ...
The Manhattans
The Manhattans are an American popular R&B vocal group. Their work " Kiss and Say Goodbye", recorded in 1976, and 1980's " Shining Star", both sold millions of copies. The Manhattans have recorded 45 hits on the ''Billboard'' R&B Chart, includ ...
,
Little Milton
James Milton Campbell Jr. (September 7, 1934 – August 4, 2005), better known as Little Milton, was an American blues singer and guitarist, best known for his number-one R&B single " We're Gonna Make It". His other hits include " Baby, I Love ...
and
Bobby Womack
Robert Dwayne Womack (; March 4, 1944 – June 27, 2014) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Starting in the early 1950s as the lead singer of his family musical group the Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing gui ...
. He recorded his first single in 1969 and is still active. His recent work is with The Expressions, including the albums ''Faithful Man'' (2012), ''Special Night'' (2017), and ''It Rains Love'' (2019).
In 2014, he provided additional vocals for the James Brown biographical movie, '' Get On Up''.
Early life
Fields was born in Wilson, North Carolina, United States, the son of Emma Jean Fields and John Fields. He was the second child of six children.
Fields had an interest in music from an early age. He decided to go to New York, at the age of 17 to pursue a music career. Although his mother (whom he later named an album in honor of) tried to convince him not to go, she ended up giving him her last 20 dollars. With moves and style inspired by James Brown, Fields soon had the nickname "Little JB". He moved to
Plainfield, New Jersey
Plainfield is a city in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, known by its nickname as "The Queen City."
at the time of his marriage, in his late teens.
Career
Early career (1969–1981)
In 1969, Fields released his first single on the Bedford label, "Bewildered" b/w "Tell Her I Love Her". He recorded "Gonna Make Love" on London Records in 1973. That same year, Fields released the popular single, "Let's Talk It Over" b/w "She's a Love Maker". Fields released "Everybody Gonna Give Their Thing Away to Somebody (Sometime)" b/w "East Coast Rapper," on SoundPlus in 1975. Most of the second half of the 1970s Fields spent cutting singles for Angle 3 Records, including "The Bull Is Coming" b/w "Funky Screw". In 1979 he released a full-length album with Angle 3 called ''Let's Talk It Over''.
In the 1980s, disco became increasingly popular, at the expense of soul. Venues that had previously booked Fields now booked DJs instead. Fields moved into real estate in
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.
Blues and dance music (1990s–2008)
In the 1990s, Fields returned singing
soul-blues
Soul blues is a style of blues music developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s that combines elements of soul music and urban contemporary music.
Origin
African American singers and musicians who grew up listening to the electric blues by a ...
on the Southern circuit. He signed with Mississippi-based Ace Records and debuted ''Enough Is Enough''. On Ace, Fields released ''Coming to Tear the Roof Down'' in 1995 and ''Dreaming Big Time'' in 1996 in which he played keyboards and synthesizers.
Later that year Fields signed to Desco Records founded by Gabriel Roth and
Phillip Lehman
Phillip Lehman (born Philip, alternatively spelled Philippe) is a Franco-American artist, music producer, and cave diver best known as Bando, the graffiti pioneer of France who helped popularize the medium in Europe throughout the 1980s. Followi ...
.
Sharon Jones
Sharon Lafaye Jones (May 4, 1956 – November 18, 2016) was an American soul and funk singer. She was the lead singer of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings, a soul and funk band based in Brooklyn, New York. Jones experienced breakthrough succe ...
, who was signed to Desco also at that time, sang backup for Fields on an early single. Fields was featured on the debut album ''Gimmie the Paw'' by the label's band The Soul Providers in 1997. He released several singles with Desco and in 1999, released a full-length album ''Let's Get a Groove On''. Desco later split into Daptone Records and Soul Fire, and Fields eventually recorded for them both. "Give Me a Chance" and "Shot Down" were two 7" singles he released on Daptone over 2001-2002 and in late 2002, the album ''Problems'', on Soul Fire. In early 2005 he performed on "Stranded In Your Love" included on
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings were an American funk and soul band signed to Daptone Records. They were part of a revival movement of mid-1960s to mid-1970s style funk and soul music. They released their debut album ''Dap Dippin in 2002, the fir ...
’ '' Naturally' LP''. Another duet, "Will You Be True", was included on the 2014 remaster of Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings' debut album, ''
Dap Dippin' with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
''Dap Dippin' with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings'' is the debut album by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, released in 2002. It is also the first full-length release from Daptone Records.
Track listing
Personnel
* Sharon Jones – Vocals
* Bos ...
''.
In 2006 French House DJ
Martin Solveig
Martin Laurent Picandet (; born 22 September 1976), better known by his stage name Martin Solveig (), is a French DJ, singer, songwriter and record producer. He hosts a weekly radio show called ''C'est La Vie'' on radio stations worldwide, incl ...
approached him to do a dance track. They toured in France and recorded the songs "
Jealousy
Jealousy generally refers to the thoughts or feelings of insecurity, fear, and concern over a relative lack of possessions or safety.
Jealousy can consist of one or more emotions such as anger, resentment, inadequacy, helplessness or disgus ...
I'm a Good Man
"I'm a Good Man" is a song by French DJ and record producer Martin Solveig. The song was released in the United Kingdom as a digital download in June 2004. It was released as the third and final single from his debut studio album ''Sur la terre'' ...
Truth and Soul Records
Truth & Soul was a record label and production team based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It was formed in 2004 by Leon Michels and Jeff Silverman with Philippe Lehman. The label was best known for their releases with Lee Fields & The Expressions a ...
recorded a single with Fields that later became "Honey Dove". Lee Fields & The Expressions released "My World" for Truth and Soul in 2009. In 2011 he followed up with the album titled ''Treacherous''. After releasing ''Faithful Man'' in 2012 with Truth and Soul, the singer toured globally. He then released two albums ''Emma Jean'' in 2014 and ''Special Night'' in 2017 (on Big Crown Records by former Truth and Soul co-founder
Leon Michels
Leon Marcus Michels is an American music producer, record executive, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist best known as the leader of the eclectic soul project El Michels Affair and co-founder of Truth & Soul Records and Big Crown Records. H ...
).
In January 2019, Lee Fields & The Expressions released their latest single, "It Rains Love". Fields released an album, also entitled ''It Rains Love'', in April 2019.''
In popular culture
Fields' songs have frequently been sampled by R&B and hip hop artists such as J. Cole, Slum Village,
Travie McCoy
Travis Lazarus "Travie" McCoy (born August 5, 1981) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is the co-founder and former lead vocalist of the rap rock band Gym Class Heroes, in addition to having a solo career. McCoy became involved w ...
and Travis Scott sampled the track "All I Need" from the album ''Emma Jean'' on his song "
Antidote
An antidote is a substance that can counteract a form of poisoning. The term ultimately derives from the Greek term φάρμακον ἀντίδοτον ''(pharmakon) antidoton'', "(medicine) given as a remedy". Antidotes for anticoagulants are s ...
".
He has lent his vocals, writing skills and been the featured artist on albums of such artists like
El Michels Affair
El Michels Affair is an American " cinematic soul" group led by New York-based musician Leon Michels. The group released its debut album ''Sounding Out The City'' in 2005. After touring behind Raekwon and other Wu-Tang Clan members, the group reco ...
,
Kraak & Smaak
Kraak & Smaak () is a musical production trio from the town of Leiden, Netherlands, consisting of Oscar de Jong, Mark Kneppers and Wim Plug. The three began recording in 2003. Their first album, titled ''Boogie Angst'', was released in the UK ...
Wax Tailor
Jean-Christophe Le Saoût (; born 19 July 1975), better known by the stage name Wax Tailor, is a French record producer and DJ. He has released six studio albums collaborating with other artists.
Background
After being a host on French radio in ...
.
Fields' music can be found on various movies, TV shows and video games. In 2008 he performed "You Don't Know What You Mean (To a Love Like Me)" for the soundtrack of the movie '' Soul Men''. Fields's track "Honey Dove" was featured during '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit''s thirteenth season in 2011 (Episode 10, "Spiraling Down"). The track "Honey Dove" was featured in Season 6 of ''
American Dad
''American Dad!'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Since 2014, the series has been airing new episodes on TBS. ''American Dad!'' is the first televisio ...
'' in 2011 (Episode 12, "You Debt Your Life"). In 2014, Fields provided additional vocals for the James Brown biographical movie, '' Get On Up''. The song "Ladies" was played in the movie ''
Magic Mike XXL
''Magic Mike XXL'' is a 2015 American comedy-drama film directed by Gregory Jacobs, written by Reid Carolin and starring Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, Kevin Nash and Joe Manganiello. A sequel to 2012's ''Magic Mike'', the film premiered in Hollywo ...
'' in 2015. In 2016, the song "Could Have Been" was featured on the TV series ''
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
'', he was featured as the musical guest on ''
CBS This Morning
''CBS This Morning'' (''CTM'') is an American morning television program that aired on CBS from November 30, 1987, to October 29, 1999, and again from January 9, 2012, to September 6, 2021. The program was aired from Monday through Saturday. ...
'', and the song "I'll Be Around" was on the soundtrack of the movie ''
Keeping Up With the Joneses
Keeping is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Charles Keeping (1924–1988), British illustrator, children's book author and lithographer
* Damien Keeping (born 1982), Australian rules football coach
* Frederick Keeping (1867 ...
''. A brief excerpt of "It Rains Love" can be heard during the end titles of the 2020 BBC series ''Trigonometry''.
Personal life
Fields and his wife Christine are the parents of four adult children. They reside in
Plainfield, New Jersey
Plainfield is a city in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, known by its nickname as "The Queen City."
.
Discography
''Let's Talk It Over'' (1979)
''Problems'' (2002)
Lee Fields and The Expressions released the album ''Problems'' in 2002 with
Truth and Soul Records
Truth & Soul was a record label and production team based in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It was formed in 2004 by Leon Michels and Jeff Silverman with Philippe Lehman. The label was best known for their releases with Lee Fields & The Expressions a ...
.
''My World'' (2009)
'' My World'' is an album released in 2009 with Truth and Soul Records, in collaboration with the group The Expressions.
''Faithful Man'' (2012)
Lee Fields released the album ''Faithful Man'' in 2012 with Truth and Soul Records.
''Emma Jean'' (2014)
Lee Fields released the album ''Emma Jean'' in 2014 with Truth and Soul Records.
''Special Night'' (2017)
Lee Fields and The Expressions released the album ''Special Night'' in 2017 with Big Crown Records.
''It Rains Love'' (2019)
Lee Fields and The Expressions released the album ''It Rains Love'' in 2019 with Big Crown Records.
''Sentimental Fool'' (2022)
Lee Fields released the album ''Sentimental Fool'' in 2022 with Daptone Records.