In NYC, another gathering spot was Mikell’s, 760 Columbus Avenue on the corner of 97th Street, run by Mike and Pat Mikell from 1969-1991. It was a favorite stop for musicians and impromptu jam sessions were a regular occurence. It was said ...
BHM 2021 – The Cellar
In NYC, one of the places to start or end the night was The Cellar at 70 W. 95 Street on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. What’s your memory of The Cellar? Tell us about it and tag a friend who you met at this venue or an artist who you broke there! ...
Black History Month 2021
Music and its environs have taken a hit during the pandemic. The musical haunts of our careers—the places where we discovered a new talent, developed ingenues, or created lifetime relationships - have suffered - some never to recover. This month w ...
Dropping “URBAN”: Deja’ Vu All Over Again
When I read that Republic Records was going to eliminate the word “Urban” from their lexicon, I had to chuckle and thought of N.Y Yankee Yogi Berra’s “This feels like Deja Vu All Over again”. I mean it seems like we’ve been here before. Howe ...
Black Music Month Remembers Tamlin Henry
Tamlin Henry was a beloved WDAS AM/FM Philadelphia icon with an envious radio career that spanned five decades. A popular radio newsman, who was affectionately known as ‘Uncle Tamlin,’ he was highly-respected and recognized for his legendary work in ...
Black Music Month Remembers Robert Ford Jr
A noted journalist in the 1970s, Robert Ford Jr. was a writer’s writer. That would prove to be just one of his many talents. With his vast musical knowledge, Ford was a black music writer for Billboard magazine who was an early chronicler of the New ...
Black Music Month Remembers Tony Baraka
Anthony (Tony) Colvin-Baraka developed an early fascination with music, entertainment and publishing, vigilantly fine-tuning them all into what would become separate, yet equally successful careers. It all began back in Michigan where Baraka atten ...
Black Music Month Remembers Pop Smoke
Today we honor Bashar Barakah Jackson, aka Pop Smoke, deceased rapper and Brooklyn native. He was shot and killed on February 19, 2020, at 20 years old. His breakout hit “Welcome To The Party” spread rapidly through New York City, becoming one of h ...
Black Music Month Remembers Monte White
Monte Keith White was a “member” of the legendary group Earth, Wind & Fire (EWF) who was rarely seen. As the group’s tour manager from 1971-1980, White was the machine that kept the group on track and running smoothly. The brother of the grou ...
Black Music Month Remembers Randy O’Jay Brooks
When he was just 15 years old, Randy O’Jay Brooks, who grew up in the Pruitt-Igoe housing projects in St. Louis, knew that he wanted to work in the radio business. He started hanging around KATZ in St. Louis doing whatever he could to be useful and ...