1000 Giants Of Black Music

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1000 GIANTS OF BLACK MUSIC - MARCH 1974: - PART ONE

You could call it a roll of honour. You could call it an encyclopaedia. But our aim is an ambitious one: to present a definition account of the men and women whose sweat and genius has produced the most influential and dynamic music of the 20th century.

One thousand names. Today`s superstars and yesterday`s heroes. The influential greats and the one-hit wonders. The winners and the losers. The survivors and the forgotten ones who died in poverty and despair.

Some of the names here will be familiar to you. Some have never been documented before. Some have earned a shelf-full of gold records. Some have remained unknown while their imitators have grown rich.

All of them deserve a place here. Black music has climbed from the cotton-field to the concert hall. But even today the story of black music is a story not just of platinum records and million-dollar gigs in Las Vegas but of the countless small clubs and bars where musicians sing their hearts out, waiting for that big break.

Whether they created styles or merely followed them, all the people we mention here have played their part in the development of black music. All of them, in their own way, are giants . . .

1000 GIANTS OF BLACK MUSIC - MARCH 1974: - PART ONE
Black Music March 1974: - Vol. 1 / Issue 4
(ALL TAKEN FROM BLACK MUSIC MAGAZINE)

STAFF WRITERS:
Tony Cummings
Carl Gayle

CONTRIBUTORS:
Dave Godin
Bob Okonedo

AMERICA:
New York:
Bob Palmer
Vernon Gibbs

Los Angeles:
Dennis Hunt

AFRICA:
Accra:
Emmanuel Dadzie

Lagos:
Remi Akano

peace

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THE ABYSSINIANS:
Two singers who were chiefly responsible for popularising Rastafarian music in Jamaica. Their 1970 hit "Satt-A-Massagana" has become a Jamaican standard.

1000 GIANTS OF BLACK MUSIC - MARCH 1974: - PART ONE
Black Music March 1974: - Vol. 1 / Issue 4

peace

[stepping razor]

EWART ABNER:
Owner of Falcon/Abner Records in the mid fifties, he joined VeeJay records and became one of their top song writers/producers as well as a big time executive, gaining hits with many Chicago artists, in recent years returned as a top executive with Motown Records.

1000 GIANTS OF BLACK MUSIC - MARCH 1974: - PART ONE
Black Music March 1974: - Vol. 1 / Issue 4

peace

[stepping razor]

BUDDY ACE:
Houston based R&B artist who gained three National R&B hits including "Nothing In The World Can Hurt Me" but who suffered from basing a style too heavily on that of his name sake Johnny, aggravated by sharing the same label, Duke. In the `70s tried to move from older jump blues and slushy ballads to soul but his comeback (On Paula) appears to have failed.

1000 GIANTS OF BLACK MUSIC - MARCH 1974: - PART ONE
Black Music March 1974: - Vol. 1 / Issue 4

peace

[stepping razor]

JOHNNY ACE:
R&B`s first superstar. Johnny`s Russian-Roulette death in 1953 ensured a legendary status. His blues beginnings (the Beal Streeters in the late `40s) changed to a ballad style which gained several massive hits including "Pledging My Love" and "The Clock".

1000 GIANTS OF BLACK MUSIC - MARCH 1974: - PART ONE
Black Music March 1974: - Vol. 1 / Issue 4

peace

[stepping razor]

BARBARA ACKLIN:
Broke on the Chicago soul scene with Eugene Record-produced "Love Makes A Woman" (Brunswick, 1968). Her breathy, sexy vocals have proven chart worthy on hits like "Just Ain`t No Love" and "Am I The Same Girl". She also writes for other Chicago artists.

1000 GIANTS OF BLACK MUSIC - MARCH 1974: PART ONE
Black Music March 1974: - Vol. 1 / Issue 4

peace

[stepping razor]

FAYE ADAMS:
Featured vocalist with the popular Joe Morris Orchestra. Miss Adams scored a National R&B hit on Atlantic in 1952 ("Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere") but it was her "Shake A Hand" on Herald, constantly revived, which is remembered best.

1000 GIANTS OF BLACK MUSIC - MARCH 1974: PART ONE
Black Music March 1974: - Vol. 1 / Issue 4

peace

[stepping razor]

JOHNNY ADAMS:
A soul/blues artist with an uninhibited, gospelly style. After years of dull records on small New Orleans labels he leapt to National R&B prominence on SSS Int. with a wailing "Release Me" and a bluesy "Reconsider Me". Despite a fine disc on Atlantic, he has subsequently faded.

1000 GIANTS OF BLACK MUSIC - MARCH 1974: - PART ONE
Black Music March 1974: - Vol. 1 / Issue 4

peace

[stepping razor]

MARIE ADAMS:
First hit with "Play The Honky Tonks" (Duke). Marie is the leader of Johnny Otis` Three Tons Of Joy, the huge momma of super powered lungs and uninhibited wailing. Vocalist on a lot of Otis` successful Capitol recordings in the `50s. Now in the throes of a renewed `soul` career.

1000 GIANTS OF BLACK MUSIC - MARCH 1974: - PART ONE
Black Music March 1974: - Vol. 1 / Issue 4

peace

[stepping razor]

CANNONBALL ADDERLEY:
The alto sax (also tenor, trumpet & flute) of Julian `Cannonball` Adderley is synonymous with post-bop jazz. Recorded first in `56 on EmArcy. He, and brother Nat toured with combo, joined Miles Davis `till `59. Recent years has seen flirtation with soul jazz. "Mercy Mercy Mercy" and "Why Am I Treated So Bad". Numerous albums, Riverside, Mercury, Blue Note, Capitol and now Fantasy.

1000 GIANTS OF BLACK MUSIC - MARCH 1974: - PART ONE
Black Music March 1974: - Vol. 1 / Issue 4

peace