Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Classic rock, pop, and soul songs from the '60s, '70s, and '80s
Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland (AKA Holland-Dozier-Holland, AKA H-D-H) were a songwriting/production team responsible for dozens of huge hits for Motown artists in the ’60s. They left Motown in 1968 after a long-simmering dispute over profit-sharing and royalties. They subsequently moved across town to form their own record labels, Invictus Records and Hot Wax Records, and nurture a…
Today’s classic song of the day is an obscure soul banger that never gained a foothold on the pop charts but later got rediscovered by England’s Northern Soul scene. The song is “The Right Track” and it was recorded by soul singer Billy Butler. “The Right Track” was written by blues guitarist Johnny Jones and released, in 1966, on Chicago’s…
Fontella Bass’ “Rescue Me” is today’s classic song of the day. Released as a single in September of 1965, “Rescue Me” soared to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, #3 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #1 on Billboard’s Hot Rhythm & Blues chart. “Rescue Me” took shape during a songwriting and rehearsal session at Chess Studios in Chicago.…
Today’s classic song of the day is a wonderful little tune by Stevie Wonder. “You Are the Sunshine of My Life” was included on Stevie’s Grammy-winning 1972 album, Talking Book, and released as a single in March of 1973. The single went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Cash Box Top 100, and Billboard Adult Contemporary…
Long-time followers of this blog know that I love featuring long-lost soul tracks from the 1960s that have been revived by England’s Northern Soul scene. Today’s classic song of the day is one such tune, “I Love You Baby” by Cindy Scott. “I Love You Baby” was written by the team of Leon Huff (of future Philly Soul fame), David…
Today’s classic song of the day with a person’s name in the title is “Nathan Jones,” from the Supremes. Released in April of 1971, this Motown single peaked at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100, #10 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #8 on Billboard’s R&B chart. “Nathan Jones” was the Supremes’ fifth hit after Diana Ross left the…
I’ve always thought of today’s classic song of the day as an instrumental, but it really isn’t. “Shotgun” by Junior Walker & the All Stars actually has lyrics, and they’re sung by Junior Walker himself. There’s a story behind that. “Shotgun” wasn’t actually recorded by Junior Walker’s real band. Berry Gordy (who co-produced the track with Lawrence Horn) thought the…
Here’s another Motown classic from Levi Stubbs and the Four Tops. Today’s classic song of the day is “Shake Me, Wake Me (When It’s Over); it was released in February of 1966 and went to #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #5 on Billboard’s R&B chart. Like many of the Four Tops’ songs, “Shake Me, Wake Me (When It’s…
Your classic soul song of the day is “You Are Everything” by the Stylistics. This track went to #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #10 on Billboard’s R&B Singles chart in 1971. “You Are Everything” was written by Philly Soul legends Thom Bell and Linda Creed. It was the first of five singles by the Stylistics that hit the…