Labels

Back in 1989, Doctor Soul first slapped Southbound’s bottom and welcomed it into the Ace family as a new baby sister for Kent and BGP. Kent and BGP’s remit were both much more defined by certain eras and genres of black American music than they are. Southbound was intended as a place to showcase the 1970s repertoire that Ace had acquired via the purchase of New York’s Spring label.

Nowadays you can find a great deal more modern-crossover soul on Kent, and 70s/80s soul and dance on BGP, than in 1989. As a result, Southbound’s role within the Ace family is also less rigidly defined. Nevertheless CDs that carry the Southbound logo remain true to the label’s original mission – to present the very best in soul and dance music from more recent eras than those that provide the backbone of the Kent and BGP catalogues.

It is the label where you will find original albums and compilations by Millie Jackson, Joe Tex, Fatback, Sylvester, Act 1, the Facts Of Life and other 70s soul notables – many of which have been upgraded and expanded since Ace’s website first opened for business in 2004. And even though its release schedule is not as prolific as those of its sister labels, a new Southbound CD will always be a cause for celebration among lovers of quality soul and funk.