Live @ Porretta soul festival 2009 sound is bad but clear video and you can see how this sister works her thing on stage,

Maybe starting a review off by comparing the subject of the review to other musicians is somehow not proper it will not stop me here. Two of my favorite Blues singers are Phillip Walker and Grady Champion and Tenry Johns compares very favorable with those two magnificent blues torchbearers. On his latest he starts with the tittle song "

                                           Willie Mitchell: Still Stroking from Green to Green

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   Calling Willie Mitchell a producer without putting the word legendary in front of it is like calling Emeril Lagase a cook, like calling Muhammad Ali a fighter, Martin Luther King a preacher. All these men in whatever field they were in were all much more than that simple description. Willie Mitchell the Trumpet master, the man who is credited with Al Greens vocal style and development of Hi records into a soul music staple. Papa Willie Mitchell of “Soul Serenade” fame. Papa Willie Mitchell who is as identifiable in Memphis Tenn. as Beale Street. Musicians who have benefitted from the extraordinary ear of “Papa” have been Syl Johnson, Preston Shannon, Otis Clay, O.V Wright, and of course Willie Mitchell’s other favorite instrument Al Green. At 80 years of age the owner and operator of another Memphis landmark the Royal Recording Studio is still a major influence of artist looking for a leg up in their careers. With several health issues over the years he continues to be influential in the careers of the up and coming and veterans of the music industry. ....

  One of my favorite old sayings is “give flowers while they can enjoy them” and this is a case of a man making a huge mark in his chosen profession, a mark that has tattooed itself to many who have had the benefit of his counsel and guidance. To not honor this man for his life’s work when he has earned the respect and reverence of those who have not only enjoyed his efforts as fans but have reaped the financial benefits of his sweat and genius. Now is the time to wine and dine him , and bestow upon him gifts of gold and silver whether that is a trophy, a plaque, a gold watch, a bust, or a caddilac of his choice it does not matter how you honor him, HONOR him for making the  world better for us even if it was for the short time it took for a Al Green 45rpm to play. How many people in life are given the gift to make us happy for any period of time, and to do it over and over is quite an achievement.....

   Al Green has praised Willie Mitchell and his discipline and commitment to musical excellence in several interviews over the years. Al Green himself has been given a flower or two over the years and even recently the Grammys asked him to perform with another Memphis superstar Justin Timberlake. The performance at the Bet Awards by Maxwell singing “simply beautiful”, for this writer is a seminal moment in time that Rev Al greatly deserves. Not speaking for Al Green but it would be hard to understand if he too did not agree that the man who is responsible for his biggest and most legendary hits is not overlooked and underappreciated in today’s musical landscape. Just the other day a Lady with a big voice and bigger talent named Toni Green was in studio recording when Papa Willie walked in and laid down a talk that from what I have been told  let everyone in the room know that it was his intention to help lay down the best effort for this singer who he feels deserves the best . These are my words here, and she is long overdue in the area of respect for her talent and determination for hanging in there in a business that is sometime cruel and unforgiving. I think any artist would be and should consider their selves extremely blessed to have the stamp of approval from anyone with the resume of this man.....

   I like to write about people in the music business because there are some of the best people I have ever met in my entire lifetime, in this business. Singers, songwriters, producers, promotions people (notice I did not say label owners. Lol) I have met some great people amongst them. I have never met Mr. Willie Mitchell and I never been to Memphis. As a youngster while growing up in Ohio I remember when in the mid and late 1960’s and the 70’s when there were few tall buildings and communications towers meaning no cell phones and internet and cable television and all the stuff that has made idiots of us all from time to time (darn video games). We could, at night tune in our radios and reach stations from as far northeast as New York City and I could hear Frankie Crocker. From the south I could hear stations in Nashville and Memphis and along with that sweet soul music I could swear some nights I could smell that barbeque too! At this time in my life I did not know  about producers just singers and songs.....

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  So like many of you who really dig the music and go farther than just the cd player to appreciate it, like reading a book on the subject or talking to folks who know a little something about it and the people who live and breathe life into it. If you are one of those folks who know stuff like the same guys who gave you “Flashlight” gave you “I just wanna Testify  and who figure the first mistake the new President made was choosing Beyonce over Etta James to sing “At Last” are the folks I write for, because you get it. You get that Willie Mitchell is one of the cats that built the Memphis Sound as we know and love it today. You get that Willie gave us the Al Green we know today and still love. You also get that Preachers Preach, Teachers Teach, and Producers Produce and some folks do all 3. So give Papa Willie Mitchell his bouquets, today. While you’re at it make em ROSES! Yeah I said it!....

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By....

Enorman Harris....

SIDEMEN: BACKBONE OF A BAND                       Tony Palmore : “Have Ax will Travel”

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   I grew up in Columbus Ohio when it had no skyline and one semi-tall building, the Leveque building. While this town was always said to be a good place to raise a family he left little to do but play sports, wait for the Ohio State fair once a year and any other entertainment such as the various circuses or livestock shows to trickle through town. But in the Black community if you kept your ear to the Radio (Wvko) and the only station programmed with blacks (what we were called) in mind you would know of a whole other world of entertainment that thrived in various neighborhood clubs. These clubs drenched in the smell of smoke and alcoholic beverages provided a much needed venues of release for the hard working men and women who toiled in places like Buckeye Steel, Ohio malleable, various hospitals, the post office and a number of exhausting professions. The entertainment at these clubs included smoking performances by late legends like Rusty Bryant, Rashan Roland Kirk, Hammond B-3 master Hank Marr and the still thriving greatness of Bobby Floyd (keyboards), Gene Walker (sax), and big voiced bluesman Willie Pooch. In those days 50’s, 60’s, and my youthful period of the 1970’s the biggest names in Black music found their way to Cow town USA. Artist like Nancy Wilson, The Barkays, the Manhattans, Phil Perry and Montclair’s, BB King, James Brown, EWF, Al Green , The Jackson 5 and my favorite Parliament ,but I first saw Funkadelic who gave the first show I ever paid to see. Did I mention Columbus was a Mecca for wrestling shows back then, of course not.

   All that was a setup for this, Columbus Ohio has always been a fertile breeding ground for musicians, and the best acts in the country have always found someone here to fill a need in their band. I want to tell you about the sidemen or the boys in band. I hope this article will start a series of articles on the underappreciated at least by the press and public for the men and women who could easily front or have fronted their own groups but for one reason or another go virtually unknown by the public who they devote their lives to entertain.

   When I was about 15 or 16 years old we were called to assembly at my high school (Columbus East) for some program they had put together for black history month or a pep rally for something. That part of this memory is not very clear, but what is, is the performance of a equally young guitar player named Tony Palmore who stood on stage in the dark until a spotlight was turned on him to reveal a young shirtless brother dark like the night but wearing an American flag tied around his neck like a cape and a red white and blue headband holding his no longer long black hair. Now you have the visual and if that is not dramatic enough he began to play the Star Spangled Banner with just his guitar Hendrix style (not too many Black folk were hip to Hendrix at this time). Behind his back the guitar squealed with what seemed like an effortless performance each note pronounced and understood by each person in the room, teachers and students drawn into the same moment of wonder. I remember moving my eyes away from the stage to look around the auditorium and seeing mouths open and wide eyes all knowing they were seeing something special. Then it went to that level of something we will all never forget and something we still talk about today. Tony Palmore took the guitar and moved it from behind his back to his face and to me looked like he was having a early lunch but the music kept coming has he began to play with his teeth. The whole room erupted and may still be standing somewhere. I will remember that performance maybe as much as any I have ever seen.

    That could have been the last time Tony ever played and he would be a legend in the minds of everyone that saw him play that day in a High school auditorium , but it was not, thank you Jesus! Tony played for 15 years with a band in Columbus that is well connected and makes more money than most of the acts who record music regularly. But the time comes when even your friends know you are destined for something so far beyond what they can offer and you must seek and follow your gifts purpose.  I started to give you his resume because I felt like maybe it would be impressive to some and not impressive enough to others. Let me tell you this about Anthony Palmore he is the best guitar player I have ever heard. He is a true professional musician, a good husband, an excellent father, a pretty good vocalist with a rich baritone and he is a wonder to behold when he starts talking to his guitar. There is always video somewhere on somebody these days and I have seen video on Tony and the group he now plays with “The Tim Talbert Project” out Lexington Kentucky.  Making that long trip to Kentucky every weekend is also tribute to the dedication he has to music and his family has to him to let him go.

  So in a time when everyone likes to say what they can’t do or won’t do, here is a cat that can do and will do.  I like to end with a motto or a clever phrase or quote when I write; Tony wrote this one for his self with the movement and progress in his life. Earlier in his life moving around to follow the music and doing what a lot of musicians out on the road do. Taking less money just to eat and fill the gas tank for the next gig. So if you need a star and he is a star or if you need a session guitarist if you need that guy who is a quick study and no nonsense in his approach to being a professional in his craft, Then Call Anthony Palmore “Have Ax will Travel”.

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Written by Enorman freelance writer with numerous writing credits

www.myspace.com/abcdenorman    enorman57@yahoo.com

Trecie4@aol.com – contact Tony Palmore

Driving WHeel live in Long Beach Ca     Gold is Good, but Sterling is better....

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I wanted to take time out from my normal doings to revisit one of my favorite recordings and recording artist Sterling Williams. The past few years I have heard little or nothing on a man whose voice I think  rivals the clarity and smooth richness of Johnnie Taylor who many consider the best to ever sing a song. I agree whole heartedly with that sentiment.  I also think that Johnnie Taylor’s stage presence was that of a man with extreme confidence in the talent he possessed. I recently was given a DVD of a performance of a favorite of mine of many years one Sterling Williams whom I have heard recordings of for years. I have only heard his voice on cd and tape I have talked to him many times over the years by telephone. One of the things that we always come back to is the Cd “Grade A Quality” which to me, and with no question to Sterling is a classic piece in the southern soul genre.....

  If a bear poops in the woods and you don’t smell it or see it does that mean the bear did not make poop. Well because you did not hear it does not mean it is not a classic to someone who did. It is not my fault you did not hear it but the people of my audience did and Sterling is a star to them on the same level as other artist whose records I played in regular rotation. Sterling is one of many artists who over the years did not get his due in my opinion. So I take this route in reintroducing him to you by way of paper and pencil so to speak. This effort is the kind of music that critics always say today’s music is not, clean and respectful of women and big on rhythm and some airy blues this is a near perfect effort. When this Cd was first released it was called   “One day at a time” which is one of my favorites and until I saw the performance on DVD done in a small dark smoke filled club with an abundance of energy did I know how much better this song could be.....

   You know in my mind a record is not old if you did not ever hear it and these days artist and record companies release and rerelease music all the time and call it the best of or greatest hits and slap a new cover on it and wait for us to buy it.  I am telling you that pd’s and md’s miss hits all the time because they get so much music and because some artist are trying to do everything themselves and have no help to get it to the proper channels and a variety of other reasons some of which I will get into here. An independent artist with no people and no money has problems knowing where to go with a record once it’s done, and sometimes the record is not done to the level it needs to be because today anybody with software and a microphone who has ever been told you have a nice voice thinks they are Frank Sinatra or Aretha or Patti. That is a big mistake and waste of money.....

  Some people can paint, some dance, some write books, some sit around and smoke weed all day, I don’t paint, I listen to music. I have been a Dj in one form or another since I was 16 and I was paid to do it so I think that means I have a pretty good ear and there is very little music that I won’t give a chance.  What I am trying to say with way too many words is that I and others think that I am qualified to say what sounds good and sometimes what sounds bad. Cheap cd artwork sometimes is enough to land you in the trash, so if you know that you have a good product treat it as such because if you treat it like trash (bad artwork) then more than likely that is where it will end up.  I would like also to submit this piece of advice if you don’t have any money this game is not for you. You must pay to play and I don’t mean Payola I mean promotion. You will find if you don’t know anything about this business then you will be out of business very quickly. If you need help you should pay for it because people seldom do stuff for free in business, beware of those that say they will but always want you to sign something. And don’t expect help for nothing because it is hard for everyone out here not just the artist. If you don’t have an act I suggest that you don’t you also stay out of the music business till you have one because most performers make their money performing and not from record sales these days. Unless you have been grinding out here for years you have little or no chance to make it without a support system of good people or person and more money than you think you need. If you think you need this much, you should probably triple that.....

 Sterling has been out there for years and with the big voice and commanding stage presence that he possesses he should already be in a place in his life like Al Green where you perform because you want to not have to. So I have chosen to reintroduce you to the mighty mite of soul a man who is smaller than most but a giant on stage and in studio. If you want your soul hot call Sterling Williams if you want it cold go dig up somebody. You can always be shown better than you can be told so there is a DVD floating around out there with the performance that I saw in this small dark club. Go get this DVD pour yourself a drink and watch and listen as Sterling Williams turns Silver into Gold.....

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Written by freelancer  Enorman Harris....

 Who has written for Behind the Scenes Magazine,....

The Boogie Report, Blues Critic, Living Blues magazine....

Enorman57@yahoo.com....

  www.myspace.com/sterlingwilliamsblues ....

Mr. Williams Cd’s include: One day at a time renamed Grade A Quality (EverReady Records)....

My Baby’s Love (EverReady Records)....

Brand New Man (Ecko Records)....

Lou Wilson and Today’s People                         Money Talk

  In this economic climate it is easy to recommend the newest release by Lou Wilson and Today’s People “Money Talk”.  For an hour or so you will forget your money problems (well maybe). This is the most fun yes I said fun, I’ve had listening to a cd in sometime. These songs will take you back to a simpler time when people wrote from their hearts and the mantra might as well been “keep it simple stupid!”  These songs are crisp and clean in arrangements , for example listen to the musicians on Money Talk, horns more crisp than corn flakes,  takes you back to those funky horn sections of the late 60’s and the 70’s.

   I do not hesitate when I say Lou Wilson is one of those talents like Al Green, Bobby Womack, B.Rush, BB King, and other great one of kind voices who with one listen will sear their sound into the recesses of you mind.  His phrasing is truly a joy to hear on songs’ like “Settle down”, “Dog in the House”, “Heard it through the Grapevine”, and one of my favorites “Taking over my Baby’s mind”.  Lou reinvents the pronunciation for the word Alien, and it brings a smile whenever he sings it. There is a velvet pebble in the throat of Lou that gives him a smooth but graveled unique and strangely comforting sound. That makes it another one of those sad examples of wonderful talent who has gone virtually unknown while artists of lesser ability get undo praise and hero worship for doing nothing of note.

   The tone of this cd is straight old school and will take you were you really want to go and that is a good place. Forget the cares of the day for a few moments enjoys Lou Wilson as he sings “Roots of my Heart” and “If it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix”. One is a Blues flavored ballad that may bring tears to your eyes like it did to mine, the other a mid tempo  joint that would have made Willie Hutch and Johnnie Taylor both smile because it is their suit size also, and Lou wears the hell out of it. Look there are many more words and a few more songs. But the bottom line is this is that cd that will make you Find out who Lou Wilson is and where he has been and what he has done.

                                                                         What  I See

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  As I sat with my mother not too long ago we talked about the childhood friend my brother and I had many a good time with growing up. His mother and mine remain very good friends even after almost 40 years. I mention this because this friend is as close to maybe the most important  episode in this nation's history and I refer to the election of Barack Obama as the first man of color to lead the United States of America. As we talked about how many meals we shared with this family as we grew up, and sometimes you cannot see certain things coming but you can understand how certain things form a person's personality and character, and the influence of education and lack of change a person's fortunes. This friends path led him to rooms few black men have ever entered but now because of his work and his bond to a future President,  many more men of color will now find the spirit and confidence to find that excellence within them and continue to change the course and perception of our country.

  We don't always know the who's the what's the where's or all the why's but sometimes the most important thing is just that it is so. So it is so that a man I knew as a little boy is at the right hand of the most powerful man maybe in the world and that both are Black men and both shared a single vision that was blessed and prayed on by many. So it is also that many great ideas take place in back rooms of homes and hotels and nothing ever happens they die where they started. This was not allowed to happen here because we have no control over the will of God. What has been done by this man and the other men involved in this seemingly overwhelming undertaking is as courageous as sitting at the lunch counter or the front of the bus during the civil rights struggles of 50's and 60's.

   As I continued my conversation with my mother, and we talked of those who with their struggle and their fight paved the way for these men to live a dream we all have dreamed to be a dream for future generations but not for ourselves. My thoughts became vivid as I saw the rejoicing Buffalo soldiers, Black slaves, smiling Tuskegee airmen, WWI AND WWII vets my uncle Tim who died a month ago, the thousand of Black entertainers and ballplayers forced to sleep on the buses or who knows where, while their white counterparts slept in comfortable beds and ate hot meals. So when the grounds trembled on the evening of Nov 4, 2008 know that it was not just the living who stomped their feet and clapped their hands and screamed in the joy of New day and a New beginning  for the United States of America but also the brave and courageous Americans who sacrificed their time , their money and most importantly their lives for the vision of the men in that back room who said hey fellas let's give it a shot.  And one of those men was once a small boy, who my brother and I used to play with, in his parents attic.

By Elliott Harris

SPIKE LEE IS ONE OF THE 5 GREATEST LIVING DIRECTORS. SPIKE LEE SHOULD ALREADY HAVE A OSCAR FOR MALCOLM X. Do you agree?