Willie Mitchell Remembered (1928-2010)

Famed soul producer, arranger, musician and artist Willie Mitchell died January 5 around 7:30 am at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis from cardiac arrest suffered on December 19. Born March 23, 1928 in Ashland, Mississippi, Mitchell was 81. Also known as “Poppa Willie,” a moniker he received when he took over the helm of Hi Records in 1970, Mitchell brought the label to its greatest heights with the recordings of such artists as Al Green, Syl Johnson, Ann Peebles, O.V. Wright and himself. He helped create the Memphis sound, employing the hard-hitting kick drum sound in his releases that was usually executed by Booker T & the MGs’ drummer Al Jackson.

Most of Mitchell’s hits were made behind the console at the revered Royal Recording Studio, which he owned. Mitchell would say not to touch any of the settings since that’s where so many hits had been produced. Most recently, he reunited with his partner Al Green in 2003 to record I Can’t Stop, followed by the 2005 release Everything’s OK.

His adopted sons, Archie and Boo Mitchell, the sons of his two daughters who now carry on his name, traveled to Los Angeles with him in 2008 to accept the Trustees Award from the Grammy Foundation. Raised in the studio under their father, both sons, who played keyboards on Green’s Grammy-winning 1988 release “As Long As We’re Together,” continue to record in the same South Lauderdale Street location which was renamed Willie Mitchell Boulevard in 2004, where their father created the Memphis soul sound. The two-CD set Poppa Willie: The Hi Years (1962-1974), the four-CD set The Immortal Soul of Al Green, and the three-CD package Hi Times: The R&B Years are among the collections that reveal the talent of this legendary artist.

Beyoncé Leads Grammy Nods

The Album of the Year honors at this year’s 52^nd Annual Grammy Awards will go to Beyoncé, Black Eyed Peas, Lady GaGa, Dave Matthews Band or Taylor Swift. And one thins is for sure, Beyoncé, nominated for ten awards, will not go empty-handed. The Grammy’s one-hour television special, “Countdown to Music’s Biggest Night,” broadcast live from Club Nokia on CBS, announced the nominees amidst performances from the Black Eyed Peas, David Guetta and Maxwell, who has six nods along with Black Eyed Peas and Kanye West.

The 52^nd Annual Grammy Awards will broadcast live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on January 31 over the CBS network.

Lawrence, Walker & Winans Lead Stellars 25th

Donald Lawrence, Hezekiah Walker and Vickie Winans are all vying for the #1 and #2 top Stellar Awards for Artist of the Year and Song of the Year at the 25th annual gospel awards scheduled to tape at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville on January 16 before airing in syndication in more than 125 markets. Produced again by Don Jackson and his Central City Productions, the Stellars will be hosted by Kirk Franklin, Donnie McClurkin and Vickie Winans.

Winans and Lawrence, in fact, have the majority of nominations with nine apiece. Hezekiah Walker and Phillip Carter & SOV each have six nominations while Kierra Sheard grabs five, including one for her collaboration with The Clark Sisters and J. Moss on Silky Soul Music…A Tribute to Maze. Claiming four each are Mary, Mary and Crystal Aikin; three bids each were given to newcomer Niyoki, Shari Addison, Smokie Norful, Lisa Knowles & the Brown Singers and Israel Houghton.

Special Awards to be handed out at the 25th Anniversary Awards celebration will include the presentation of “The James Cleveland Lifetime Achievement Award” to Lee Williams and the Spiritual QC’s. “The Thomas A. Dorsey Most Notable Achievement Award” will be bestowed upon the Mississippi Mass Choir for a decade of excellence, and Edwin Hawkins will be presented with this year’s “Ambassador Dr. Bobby Jones Legend Award,” celebrating his 40-plus years’ contributions to contemporary gospel.

Toni Braxton Emerges At Atlantic

With a new single, “Yesterday,” featuring Trey Songz already on the airwaves, multiple Grammy-award winning artist Toni Braxton looks to release her next album from the home of such soul greats as Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding—Atlantic Records.

“It’s the start of an exciting new chapter,” states Atlantic Chairman/CEO Craig Kallman, “one which all of us at Atlantic are so very proud to be part of.”

The as yet untitled album, scheduled for release next February, includes collaborations with Frank E., Steve Mac, Lucas Secon, Harvey Mason & Oak, Troy Taylor, Dapo Torimiro and David Foster, among others.

Bad Boy’s New Era

Grammy-award winning artist/producer Sean “Diddy” Combs has relocated his Bad Boy imprint to the Los Angeles headquartered home of Interscope/Geffen/A&M (IGA), signing with Interscope head Jimmy Iovene. According to the terms, all previously Bad Boy signed artists will remain under the Warner Music Group umbrella where his Bad Boy imprint has been for the last five years, but Combs retains his imprint name and all new artists and releases will be under that distributed through Interscope. His experimental sixth studio album, Last Train to Paris, is expected to be the first release under the new arrangement. According to Combs, the new Bad Boy label with Interscope will operate like a small boutique label, with an emphasis on signing unique talent.

Commented Iovine: “Puff is a rare person in the music industry today, that can move the culture in many areas – fashion, TV, music – as well as making records. Whenever a free agent like him comes along, which is rare, you grab him.”

“I am excited to be partnering with Jimmy Iovine and the Interscope Records family on all my future music ventures which include my career as a recording artist and upcoming record label,” added Combs. “With this new deal, I look forward to signing music’s next great superstars to the label and continuing the legacy of making great music at my new home. This is the beginning of a new musical era for Bad Boy.”

Percy Sutton Remembered (Nov 24, 1920-Dec 26, 2009)

“He was a great man,” commented Charles Warfield Jr., the president and chief operating officer of ICBC Broadcast Holdings Inc., to the Associated Press on the passing of the broadcast media’s chairman, Percy Ellis Sutton, 89.

The pioneering civil rights attorney who also represented Malcolm X before entering politics and developing his media empire that included the first black-owned radio station in NYC—WLIB-AM—which he purchased with his brother Oliver in 1973, and the Inner City Broadcasting empire’s flagship, famed WBLS-FM (107.5), New York’s top-rated station. The media empire grew to eventually include stations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Antonio, Jackson, Mississippi and Columbia, SC, along with syndicated projects, television and internet technology properties as Sutton passed the baton on to his son Pierre “Pepe” Sutton. A two-term NY NAACP president, Sutton also headed a group that purchased the Amsterdam News, the second largest black weekly newspaper in the country. And in 1981, he came to the rescue of the shuttered Apollo Theater.

President Barack Obama issued his condolences: “Percy Sutton was a true hero to African Americans in New York City and around the country. We will remember him for his service to the country as a Tuskegee Airman, to New York State as a state assemblyman, to New York City as Manhattan Borough President, and to the community of Harlem in leading the effort to revitalize the world renowned Apollo Theater. His life-long dedication to the fight for civil rights and his career as an entrepreneur and public servant made the rise of countless young African Americans possible. Michelle and I extend our deepest condolences to his family on this sad day.”

The last child in a family of 15 children, Percy Ellis Sutton was born in San Antonio, Texas to a father, Samuel Johnson Sutton, who was born into slavery, and a mother, Lillian, who both changed their lots in life through education. S.J. became the principal of a black high school and Lillian, a teacher. And the 12 surviving family members who became adults all went to college with the older ones lending support for the younger ones to succeed.

An early entrepreneur, the elder Sutton infused that spirit in his siblings, especially his youngest, Percy. Selling real estate, farming, running a mattress factory, funeral home and skating rink in addition to his principal duties, S.J. Sutton not only introduced the young Percy to commerce and enterprise but also to civil rights injustices—a calling that permeated his life.

A strong advocate of education, Percy was the product of three historically black institutions of higher learning–Prairie View A & M University in Texas, Tuskegee University in Alabama and Hampton University in Virginia—eventually entering Columbia law School on the GI bill, transferring to Brooklyn Law School so he could sandwich in work around his schedule, taking on the 4pm to midnight shift at the post office, followed by a subway train conductor shift until 8:30am, before reporting to law school at 9am.

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Opening law offices on 125th Street in Harlem, Sutton represented Malcolm X and was a strong advocate for civil rights. From that threshold he began a long career in politics, serving as a New York State Assemblyman and eventually President of the Manhattan Borough, becoming the highest-ranking black politician in the state. Even running for a Senate and Mayor seat himself, Sutton found greater impact in supporting other candidates like Rev. Jesse Jackson’s two presidential races.

One of those, David N. Dinkins, NYC’s first black mayor, said, “I stand on the shoulders of Percy Sutton.”

Another, current New York governor David Patterson, described Sutton as “… one of New York’s and this nation’s most influential African-American leaders – a man whom I am proud to have called a friend and mentor throughout my entire career.”

“It was Percy Sutton who talked me into running for office and who has continued to serve as one of my most valued advisors ever since,” added Paterson. “Percy was fiercely loyal, compassionate and a truly kind soul. He will be missed, but his legacy lives on through the next generations of African-Americans he inspired to pursue and fulfill their own dreams and ambitions.”

Rev. Al Sharpton, who recently visited him in the nursing home where the retired statesman resided, commented: “He personified the black experience of the 20th century. He started the century where blacks were victims. We ended as victors.”

Sutton is survived by his wife Leatrice Sutton and son Pierre “Pepe” Sutton from that marriage, who carries on his legacy as chairman of the board of the ICB Holdings, Inc, expanding the company’s reach and positioning it for the 21st century, and a daughter, Cheryl Lynn Sutton, from a second marriage.

Former Motown Prez Skip Miller Passes

Record industry executive Alvin “Skip” Miller  passed away on Friday, September 4, from a reported heart attack. The former Motown president joined the label when it was located in Los Angeles, later segueing over to RCA Records. He was also the manager of Lionel Richie at one time.  Details will be posted later.

Michael Jackson, King of Pop, Dead At 50 (August 29, 1958-June 25, 2009)

Michael Jackson was rushed to UCLA Medical Center today from his Bel Air home via ambulance in response to a 911 call from the singer’s residence. Paramedics who arrived on the scene at approximately 12:30 pm today report they were unable to revive him from an apparent cardiac arrest.  Jackson was pronounced dead at the hospital.
His sister LeToya Jackson was among the first of the family members to arrive at the hospital. His father Joe Jackson is enroute from Las Vegas while his mother Katherine Jackson was being rushed to the scene as well.
Jackson, who had been preparing for his upcoming 50-date sold out concert tour at the O2 in London, had recently pushed the start date back from July 8 to July 13 because of reported poor health. There was a lot riding on the AEG tour which Michael had consented to do, reportedly he said, mainly so his children could see him perform one last time and, as always, for his fans.
Jackson’s Visionary, the Video Singles box set, was recently released. The limited edition 20 dual discs—CD on one side and DVD on the other—were packaged in sleeves featuring an exact replica of his original 7“ and 12” artwork.
Michael is survived by three children: Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr., Paris Michael Katherine Jackson and Prince “Blanket” Michael Jackson II.

Prophetically, Michael has posted on his website announcing his “This Is It” tour the following: “The time has come. It is now I see and feel that calling once again, to be a part of a music that will not just connect but, make all feel one, one in joy, one in pain, one in love, one in service and in consciousness.”

Celebrating a life…Lee Solters

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Smokey Smokey Robinson Wows the High Seas

Aboard the Royal Caribbean Mariner of the Seas, veteran entertainer Smokey Robinson wowed the opening night audience as Tom Joyner’s annual Fantastic Voyage set sail from the West Coast port of San Pedro for the first time this year. Rerouted because of the swine flu threat in Mexico, this year’s voyage sails northward stopping in San Francisco and Victoria, B.C. before returning to Los Angeles on May 24. Joyner still broadcasts daily from the ship on the syndicated “Tom Joyner Morning Show.”  Other entertainers coming on board this year include Charlie Wilson and the Gap Band, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, KEM, Chuck Brown, Kool Moe Dee, Slick Rick, Kurtis Blow, Michael McDonald, Luke, After 7 and Morris Day & the Time, among others. The Fantastic Voyage annually raises millions for the HBCUs with its Party With A Purpose.

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