Aleem had long been a part of New York’s thriving Black music scene, going back to their association with a wild-child guitarist from Seattle named Jimi Hendrix in the 1960s. TaharQa Z. and Tunde Ra Aleem, also known as the Fantastic Aleems, started their own NIA Records imprint in 1979…
The Valentine Brothers, John and Billy, are R&B veterans of many years, spanning the Stax era to the synth-dominated early 80s. After experiencing success with the 1982 song “Money’s Too Tight (To Mention),” the Columbus, Ohio-born siblings returned to the studio for Have A Good Time, released on A&M Records…
August 8th is celebrated in the music community thanks to the Roland TR-808 drum machine, a programmer that gave Hip-Hop, House, Electro and more a solid base to craft memorable jams on. The TR-808 was introduced by the Roland Corporation of Japan in 1980, on the heels of the CR-78,…
Cashmere was an electro-funk group from the city of Brotherly Love who found their way onto the dance charts with a song that shared a title with an earlier Philly classic. People’s Choice, one of the newer acts on Philadelphia International Records’ TSOP sub label, struck it big in early…
Dana Meyers, a key part of SOLAR Records’ songwriting and production team that churned out hits for The Whispers, Lakeside, Shalamar and others, died suddenly earlier this week. He was 73 years old. Mr. Meyers was born in Dayton, Ohio and moved to Los Angeles and quickly became a part…