Mike

If ever an excuse is needed to mention santa before December the 1st then this weeks fine release from Tramp records offers just that! We are talking about Tramp records latest release and it is the third volume in its now regular Santa's Funk & Soul Christmas Party series. Again its a cd/vinyl/digital affair and going by the photos the lp looks like the pick visual wise. Words and such follow below, but first here are the tracks via the dependable Juno Records player. Track Listing Note the listings vary depending on which format - check out the link below 1. Joe Shinall - Sock It To 'em Santa 2. Sam Sweetsinger Bell - Happy Birthday Jesus 3. Cleveland Robinson - Xmas Time Is Here Again 4. Carol Ford - Christmas Letters 5. Rocki Lane and The Gross Group - Santa Soul 6. Excaliburs - Peace On Earth 7. The Individuals - Holiday For Drums 8. Funk Machine - Soul Santa Pt.1 9. Funk Machine - Soul Santa Pt.2 10. Timi Terrific and The Redheads - Black (Soul) Christmas 11. The Bionic I - Disco Claus 12. White Chimney - Funky Santa Claus 13. Rudi and The Rain Dearz - Santa's New Bag 14. The Soul Duo - Just A Sad Xmas Company Blub Sean Delany and Jan Kohlmeyer did an incredible job compiling these tunes. They spared no pains digging up the rarest of the rare, and the best of the best Christmas funk you have (n)ever heard (and which has not been compiled anywhere else). Even with your impeccable music taste and your unlimited record-buying budget you will have a hard time getting your hands on most of these gems. What brings you all the money if something you want is never offered? For us it's the quality that counts and that's why you will find such artists as Sam Sweetsinger Bell, Joe Shinall, Cleveland Robinson, and Carol Ford to name a few on this album. Of course the rest of the tunes are no exception either. It fits like a glove that this third volume of SF&SCP is simultaneously the 50th Tramp Records album released. Since we are proudly independent and are not forced to act in the economic sense, and, like you, are music fanatics and die-hard record collectors, we at Tramp Records are still digging after more than ten hard-working years! It started out just for fun and it's our fans worldwide that encourage us to keep bringing the heat. As long as there is music out there that has the power to drop our jaws to the floor we will still be here - and, like Santa himself, we will work year-round to continue to deliver our funky Christmas miracles directly to your turntable. Merry Christmas! Key selling points: - most of the songs appear on CD/digital for the very first-time - the vinyl LP comes with a full album download code - fold-out CD-booklet and vinyl LP contain detailed liner notes and label scans Video Promo More info on release formats and purchase details inc offers for this and previous releases via- http://tramprecords.bandcamp.com/album/out-now-v-a-santas-funk-soul-christmas-party-3

Jerry Zolten recently passed on the sad news to the site regarding Billy Sha-Rae passing on earlier this month. Jerry Z has posted a detailed entry on this sad news via a facebook page which can be read via the link below Preview clips follow below... A remembrance of BILLY SHA-RAE who passed away on November 5, 2015. In the 1960s Billy made his name performing R&B in the Pittsburgh area. I knew him as Billy Wilson from Uniontown, PA. In those days I was spinning records at record hops. Part way through the evening I would feature a live performance by a local artist. Billy Sha-Rae was one of them. Billy was tall, a smooth-voiced charmer, Sam Cooke handsome with lithe moves ala Jackie Wilson. The teen crowds loved him. Though he was older than me, we became friends, someone I could talk to about my crummy love life and my own farfetched aspirations to make music in some yet-to-be-defined way. Billy was a recording artist. He had cut a number of tracks for a local label – Bay-Uke Records out of Greensburg, PA. He gave me a handful of his 45-rpm singles and I would spin them over the sound system. He would sing along to them over a microphone. About a half an hour’s worth. That’s how it worked and we did quite a few record hops together over the years. *see photo of Billy singing, me barely visible behind the table in the background. “To Love and Be Loved” (Bay-Uke) ....I tried to reconnect with Billy Sha-Rae over the years but with no luck...until news of his passing reached me last week via Billy’s son Billee who lives in Detroit. Billy “Sha-Rae” Wilson was born in 1938. He left the music business for the Cayman Islands and there became a popular television and radio personality. His last years were spent in Louisville, KY where he died earlier this month. Thinking of you Billy Sha-Rae and your family. Time may indeed slip away but not the marks people make on our lives.. Full article can be read via the link below https://www.facebook.com/jerry.zolten/posts/10156283123060013

Back To The River: More Southern Soul Stories 1961-1978 This box set is the 'follow up' release to the best selling critically and publicly acclaimed 2006 release “Take Me To The River: A Southern Soul Story” Box set ( details here ) and is now out and about A 3 disc box set, this release follows on the first release, again with 75 tracks which include objects of desire such as rarities, unreleased and well known gems but this time around the scope is more expanded than its predecessor. Delivered as a 3 disc box set complete with a 64 page booklet with over 17,000 words ensuring every track gets covered As always others can tell the story better, here's Soul Source member Dean Rudlands words from the Ace records website... ....Take Me To The River” was only ever “A” southern soul story, and that many others could be told from a variety of perspectives. Here we tell three of them. Disc One brings another view on the recordings of Muscle Shoals and Memphis. This time we focus more on artists who weren’t native to those areas: Solomon Burke recording at American, Mary Wells at Fame or Betty LaVette at Sounds Of Memphis. These studios were being used to revitalise waning careers or kickstart those that had yet to get going. The disc also features recordings by artists primarily associated with Muscle Shoals and Memphis – check the previously unreleased take of Otis’ ‘Free Me’ – and overall gives further evidence of the musical vibrancy of those two great recording centres. Disc Two covers the wider region of the south. Taking in Miami, Texas, New Orleans and several other stops, it reveals how the regional music of the time was connected but at the same time distinct and allows us to find out what Jerry Wexler did when he fell out with the studios in Memphis and Muscle Shoals. The disc also shines a spotlight on the small scene in Mobile, Alabama and the super-rare Steve Dixon 45 that emerged from there. Disc Three focuses on the influence southern soul had in the northern cities – a story not just of displaced southerners creating the sound of their homes states, but of the music industry’s tendency to follow big-selling trends wherever they come from. It’s possible to trace a timeline through this story that shows you when Otis and then Al Green were topping the charts. It also shows Aretha at her finest refusing to travel south and instead having the area’s best musicians flown in for her New York session. More words and images on the release via http://acerecords.co.uk/back-to-the-river-more-southern-soul-stories-1961-1978#sthash.4qQXU8xy.dpuf Track Listing: Side 1 1. Solomon Burke - "I Wish I Knew (How It Would Feel To Be Free)" 2. Bettye Lavette - "Nearer To You" 3. William Bell & Judy Clay - "Private Number" (extended version) 4. Otis Redding - "Free Me" (take 1) 5. Bobby Bland - "A Touch Of The Blues" 6. Dee Dee Sharp - "This Love Won't Run Out" 7. Eddie Floyd - "I Got Everything I Need" 8. Gloria Walker & The Chevelles - "Please Don't Desert Me Baby" 9. Sam Baker - "Sugar Man" (extended version) 10. Joe Perkins - "Think I'll Go Somewhere & Cry Myself To Sleep" 11. Jeanie Greene - "Sure As Sin" 12. Rudolph Taylor - "What's That You Got" 13. Mary Wells - "I Found What I Wanted" 14. Melvin Carter - "I've Got Memories" (demo) 15. Joe Simon - "Message From Maria" 16. Mable John - "Problems" 17. OV Wright - "I've Been Searching" 18. Clarence Carter - "She Ain't Gonna Do Right" (demo) 19. Barbara West - "Give Me Back The Man I Love" 20. Bill Coday - "You're Gonna Want Me" 21. Bettye Swann - "I'm Just Livin' A Lie" 22. Jimmy Braswell - "Home For The Summer" 23. Ella Washington - "Too Weak To Fight" (extended version) 24. Na Allen - "Everytime It Rains (Teardrops From My Eyes)" 25. The Soul Children - "Yesterday" Side 2 1. Joe Tex - "The Only Girl I've Ever Loved" 2. Brook Benton - "Rainy Night In Georgia" 3. John Fred & The Playboys - "Love Comes In Time" 4. Joey Gilmore - "Somebody Done Took My Baby & Gone" 5. CP Love - "I Found All These Things" 6. Helene Smith - "A Woman Will Do Wrong" 7. Steve Dixon - "Depend On Me" 8. Esther Phillips - "I'm In Love" 9. Sam Dees - "Easier To Say Than Do" 10. Terrie & Joy LaRoy - "Without Love What Would Life Be" (with The Bill Parker Show Band) 11. Count Willie - "I've Got To Tell You" (with LRL & The Dukes) 12. Joe Wilson - "You Need Me" 13. Joe Medwick - "Nearer To You" 14. Della Humphrey - "Your Love Is All I Need" 15. Toussaint McCall - "Nothing Takes The Place Of You" 16. George Perkins - "How Sweet It Would Be" 17. Warren Storm - "Daydreamin'" 18. Stanley Winston - "No More Ghettos In America" 19. Little Beaver - "Do Right Man" 20. Johnny Adams - "(Sometimes) A Man Will Shed A Few Tears Too" 21. Reuben Bell - "Asking For The Truth" 22. Joe Valentine - "I Can't Stand To See You Go" 23. Don Hollinger - "You Got Everything I Need" 24. Charles Crawford - "A Sad Sad Song" 25. Aaron Neville - "Tell It Like It Is" Side 3 1. Ground Hog - "Going Back Home" 2. Freddie Scott - "Cry To Me" 3. Little Buster - "Looking For A Home" 4. Jimmy Lewis - "The Girls From Texas" (extended version) 5. Aretha Franklin - "Ain't No Way" 6. Roy C - "I Found A Man In My Bed" 7. Clay Hammond - "Take Your Time" 8. Al Gardner - "Just A Touch Of Your Hand" 9. Don Covay - "You're Good For Me" 10. Billy Sha Rae - "I Found The One" 11. ZZ Hill - "Don't Make Me Pay For His Mistakes" 12. The Soul Brothers Six - "What Can You Do When You Ain't Got Nobody" 13. Otis Clay - "That's How It Is (When Your In Love)" 14. Marion Black - "Go On Fool" (extended version) 15. Fontella Bass - "I Want Everyone To Know" 16. Oscar Weathers - "You Wants To Play" 17. The Fuller Brothers - "(I Want Her) By My Side" 18. Barbara Mason - "Shackin' Up" 19. Willie Hightower - "Don't Blame Me" 20. Lester Young - "Stop" 21. Bill Locke - "Someone To Take Your Place" 22. Lee Moses - "If Loving You Is A Crime (I'll Always Be Guilty)" 23. Timmy Willis - "Easy As Saying 1-2-3" 24. Little Richard - "I Don't Know What You Got But It's Got Me" (part 1 & 2) 25. Bobby Rush - "Mary Jane" Available now via Ace records site and also the usual retail suspects Seen at approx £28.00 http://acerecords.co.uk/back-to-the-river-more-southern-soul-stories-1961-1978

Think its safe to say that in 2015 there has been a fair few Soul artist related documentaries released, so many that it's getting hard to keep track of them all. Well, here's word of another one just released via its premiere last month in Chicago. You may have heard of this as it has been funded by a Kickstarter campaign (832 backers pledged $46,730 to help bring this project to life), here's the info... Syl Johnson: Any Way The Wind Blows 2015 / USA / English / 84 Minutes / HD Soul singer Syl Johnson struggled for decades before leaving the music business in the 1980s to open a Chicago fried-fish chain. Since then, he’s become one of the most-sampled artists in hip-hop. The list of artists who've used his 1967 song Different Strokes includes Run-DMC, NWA, Public Enemy, the Wu-Tang Clan, the Beastie Boys, Kid Rock, Michael Jackson, Jay Z and Kanye West. With a lively soundtrack and an original score by Yo La Tengo, this documentary celebrates one man who can’t stop the music. More info , showings, background can be read via the official website... http://syljohnsonmovie.com/ The Hollywood reporter has an enjoyable review from the msm angle up A preview clip and link below... From 'Soul Train' to fried-fish sandwiches to the Wu-Tang Clan.Blame Al Green. If not for the unstoppable sex appeal of Mr. Let's Stay Together, Hi Records would have made singer Syl Johnson a star instead. Or so says he in Syl Johnson: Any Way the Wind Blows, Rob Hatch-Miller's very enjoyable portrait of a singer who, though not quite obscure, wasn't nearly as successful as he might have been. Soul fans will eat it up, and Johnson's surprising hip-hop legacy will make the doc doubly attractive at fests. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/syl-johnson-any-way-wind-834021

The Bakersfield Californian web site reported a few days ago the recent passing on of Bakersfield musician Luther Davis on Oct 28th aged 69 The reporting includes a fairly informative look at both Luther Davis life and his recordings A preview clip of the feature follows... Late Bakersfield musician's legacy extends as far as the U.K. BY CESAREO GARASA For The Californian WEDNESDAY, NOV 4, 2015 4:48 PM ...Davis picked up the guitar at a young age at the suggestion of his mother’s employer, and after a stint in the U.S. Army, he formed his first band, Lord Luther and the Inner Eye, in the early1970s. They mainly played Top-40 soul covers by artists like Curtis Mayfield and The Temptations. After winning a local Battle of the Bands in 1977, Davis used the momentum and cash prize to record a 7-inch single of two of his original songs “You” and “Keep on Dancing.” It was five years later — as the Luther Davis group with bassist Daly Brown and drummer Kenny Jackson — that Davis would cut two singles, “You Can Be a Star” and “To Be Free,” both of which would have a major impact on his career, though he was unaware of that fact for... A link to the article on the Bakersfield follows - its a worthwhile trip but note you may have to answer some advertising type questions to view, so stay away if that sort of thing is not your idea of fun http://www.bakersfield.com/entertainment/2015/11/04/late-bakersfield-musician-s-legacy-extends-as-far-as-the-u-k.html Videos

Mavis! opens theatrically in Canada and is also available on iTunes from November 13th After a standing ovation at the World Premiere screening at the 2015 SXSW Film Festival and at Hot Docs 2015 where it had its Canadian Premiere, Toronto based distributor Films We Like announces that director Jessica Edwards’ MAVIS! will open in theatres in Canada starting Friday, November 13 at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. “A spirited and captivating doc that richly deserves the exclamation point in its title. Jessica Edwards has created a cinematic portrait quite capable of converting the uninitiated into acolytes, and elevating casual interest to flood-tide levels of respect and affection.” –Variety MAVIS! is the first documentary on gospel/soul music legend and civil rights icon Mavis Staples and her family group, The Staple Singers. From the freedom songs of the ’60s and hits like “I’ll Take You There" in the ’70s, to funked-up collaborations with Prince and her recent albums with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, Mavis has stayed true to her roots, kept her family close, and inspired millions along the way. Featuring powerful live performances, and conversations with friends and contemporaries including Bob Dylan, Prince, Bonnie Raitt, Levon Helm, Jeff Tweedy, Chuck D, and more, MAVIS! reveals the struggles, successes, and intimate stories of her journey. At 75, she's making the most vital music of her career, winning Grammy awards, and reaching a new generation of fans. Her message of love and equality is needed now more than ever. CANADA/ USA – 2015 – 81 MIN – COLOUR & B&W - DOCUMENTARY - ENGLISH DIRECTED AND PRODUCED BY JESSICA EDWARDS FILMMAKER STATEMENT The first time I saw Mavis Staples, it had been raining all day in New York City. She was scheduled to perform that evening at an outdoor concert in Brooklyn, and I wondered if the show would be cancelled. But the rain cleared just before show time, and I sat on a soggy picnic blanket with friends and watched as this amazing woman and her band came on stage. Her voice reverberated through the trees as she sang, testified, preached, moaned, wailed and gave everything she had. The entire audience, young and old, was brought to its feet, and we all left the concert inspired and energized. When I got home that night, I wanted to know everything I could about Mavis and her family, the Staple Singers. My search for a documentary about her life proved unsuccessful, and I couldn’t believe that no one had documented the lasting impact of the Staple Singers’ music. So I set out to make that film myself. I delved deep into Mavis’s story, which spans seven decades and as many musical genres. I was blown away by the incredible voice that was belting out gospel hits at age 13. I was moved by her freedom songs of the ’60s, and by her stories of touring the segregated south with Martin Luther King. I was enamored with her amazing style and groove in the soul-filled ’70s. I discovered that she and Prince had spent years recording together, and that she’d had a youthful romance with Bob Dylan. What a history! But as I started shooting the film and we began putting it together, I kept coming back to that night in the park, and how Mavis’s story isn’t about the past, it’s happening now. The fact that she is 75 years old and is still a vital and important artist, and not just out there performing as an oldies act, informed the way we made the film. I didn’t want the film to feel ‘historical’ even though we cover so much of Mavis’s history, and with it, the history of American music. So I felt it was important to include as much contemporary footage as possible, both of Mavis and the locations of her stories. The biggest challenge was how to capture a career that spans over 60 years in one film, which is an impossible task. Inevitably some of Mavis’s story needed to be left for viewers to discover on their own. But what was important to me was to try to celebrate the importance of her legacy and share some of the inspiration, passion and love that she’s instilled in me through her music and her life. Jessica Edwards / New York, March 2015 Opens in Toronto on Friday, November 13, 2015 Bloor Hot Docs Cinema - Purchase Advance Tickets Also playing: Vancity, Vancouver, Saturday, November 14 Winnipeg Cinematheque, Friday, November 20 Cinema du Parc, Montreal, November date TBD more info and details via http://www.mavisfilm.com http://www.filmswelike.com/mavis