Results for “motown”

2012

The Fame catalogue rolled on, as did the Songwriter and London American series, Mod Jazz and New Breed danced on and there were more cute EPs and cuddly 45s. So all of the flowers in the Ace garden were being well tended.

There was a new compiler on the block, looking like he was ready to bop. Ian Saddler, a record collector who specialised in Louisiana music created a new series. The first release was “Boppin’ By The Bayou”. Essential to making the series work was accessing the seminal rock’n’roll and R&B recordings made by JD Miller out of Crowley. While Miller provided Excello with a huge amount of their catalogue, he was also responsible for a lot of great rockin’ rhythm and blues sides that he didn’t sell on. With a big helping hand from John Broven, a deal that had been sought for many a year was finally put together. Before long, the Paddington Branch of the Grand Union Canal was doing a pretty good impersonation of the Bayou. Vince Anthony & the Blue Notes’ ‘Watch My Smoke’ was not just one of the great tracks in the deal but could well be the byword for the alacrity with which the series expanded.

“Jim had a great trick in finding hit songs. Basically he never liked anything, but if the writer fought for it, he pretty much knew he had a hit…”

Memphis guitar legend Steve Cropper posted these words on Facebook this week in tribute to his former boss at Stax Records, who passed away this week at the age of 92. Crop also went on to say that Jim “taught me so much about the record business, (and) the good news for me was that he trusted me with the company and the artists”.

We welcome you to the Ace podcast, lovingly presided over for us by journalist, record collector and broadcaster Pete Paphides. This occasional series will feature interviews with guests from many branches of the extended Ace family, detailing their own careers, the artists that have influenced their lives and the records that they love, all enjoyably explored over two microphones and plenty of cups of tea.

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Singer, bandleader and showman par excellence Wayne Cochran passed away on November 21 at the age of 78. Alec Palao explains why he mattered.

Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and showman extraordinaire Roddy Jackson passed away on December 7^th. His friend Alec Palao remembers one of the very last active 50s rockers.