Rhythm & Blues Show – In Memory….

In today’s show we will remember the songwriting teams Ashford & Simpson, (who were also a singing duo) and Leiber & stoller. http://www.there1.com/browse_articles.php?action=view_record&idnum=71 (More links at bottom of page)

Contrary to what some people might think, “Rock & Roll” was not all about Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis etc it was more about African American Culture and Rhythm  & Blues. At least in the first instance Lieber and Stoller fully embraced it and refused to ‘modify’ their products to appeal to a wider audience. Lieber himself recalled. “Red-hot songs were born on the black streets of Baltimore,” in the oral history Hound Dog.

Ashford & Simpson had a huge catalogue of songs to their name: http://songwritershalloffame.org/index.php/songs/detailed/C324/P40/ and their songs were also performed at prestigious and world events!The greatest majority of the tracks in today’s show will be connected to these two song writing teams.

LOCALLY: we are also remembering the passing of key figures in our local community at present. As such we will also take a few minutes to remember Martin Wallace with a slightly extended Gospel Section and at the end of the show we will play a couple of tracks from a collection entitled “Jumping the shuffle blues (Jamaican Sound System Classics 1946 – 1960) to remember the original presenter of the Rice & Pea Show Curtis Batchelor!

More Links

ASHFORD REMEMBERED   http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/8718905/Nickolas-Ashford.html

LEIBER AND STOLLER http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,2090145,00.html

Lieber & Stoller (left) and Ashford & Simpson remembered