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Why would I replace the longstanding Booker T. theme with Shirley Scott? Because it’s the annual ADW on TSS during WHM on WYEP. Shirley from Philly was the Queen of the Hammond B3, and we’ll start with a fine track from her Soul Saxes album of 1969. All Day Women started a few years ago on The Soul Show. It’s always one of the weekly themes during Women’s History Month. By the way, thanks to all of you who provided great topics to cover during the rest of the month.

ADW covers historical figures like Dakota Staton, Phoebe Snow and Phyllis Hyman, but we also feature the contemporary and new. Listen out for electrofunkster Dawn Richard, reggae’s Reemah and the elevating Lakecia Benjamin. Today is the membership campaign, so I use the usual narration time to ask for your financial support. Don’t worry, though – I didn’t replace any of the normal 32-38 tracks with extra chat. The show will be its usual music-packed self.

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On tonight’s nationally syndicated edition of The Soul Show, we begin the tribute to Neville Livingston, better known as Bunny Wailer. He and two others created the most important reggae group of all time. Representing some of the cities where TSS is aired, we have Afi Scruggs (PhD grad of Providence’s Brown University), Royce of Pittsburgh and Odyssey of the Virgin Islands. There’s new music from Samm Crenshaw, Rochelle Jordan and Hemai. Classic Garnet Mimms, with the Warwicks in background vocals. Afrofunk from One World Tribe. Fusion from Larry Coryell and Jaco Pastorius. Rocking Living Color, and Ndegeocello/Reagon covering Eric Burdon.

See you soon.

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The BHM/WHM season is a busy time, developing solid themes for each of the 8 or more weekends. Last month I incorporated ideas from TSS listeners, including the feature on Gaye’s and Sly’s “What’s Going On” and “There’s A Riot Goin’ On.”

One of the permanent WHM installments is “All Day Women.” There’s a membership campaign during Weekend One, and I’ll do ADW because it requires the least narrative. For the other weekends, though, please send your good ideas. I look forward to them..

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WYEP begins TSS Saturdays. The new live R+R=Now album from Robert Glasper, Terrace Martin et al captures a 2018 residency at the Blue Note. There are tracks from Rochelle Jordan and Hemai that I want you to hear. On Three Rivers at Three, let’s check out the February full releases from Geenpool and Geo. Heid III.

We pay tribute to the Kingston, Jamaica toastmaster extraordinaire U-Roy. This year’s Black History Month closer features Curtis Mayfield and Rufus w/Chaka.

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Later in the day, WTJX and Rhode Island Public Radio broadcast and stream the syndicated edition of TSS. Highlights include more from percussionist Gayelynn McKinney’s new album, Zoot Suit Funk. URI alum Masta Ace represents the other Kingston. For those of you who listen to all six hours of TSS, I’ll play another track from Glasper’s R+R. Pittsburgh is represented by CMU graduate Ty Taylor and his band Vintage Trouble. I’ll dig into some classics from The Originals, Kid Creole and Norman Connors w/Jean Carne. There’s hard funk from Cameo and Free Soul.

See you soon. Remember that the archives are always available on demand.

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2021’s emerging music & BHM Weekend 3 are themes wrapped into this week’s editions of The Soul Show. On the syndicated edition, I present new Bomba Estéreo (Bogotá) and Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio (Seattle). DLO3’s album is reviewed in Soulshowmike’s Album Picks for February. The Pacific Northwest is also represented by the fine release of Jarrod Lawson. He does a track with the swoon-y Moonchild.

Last week’s broadcast experienced technical difficulties in a couple of markets. Apologies for that. Here is the full archive of that show.

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On the WYEP Saturday afternoon edition of The Soul Show, I introduce new Pittsburgh music. Slam Band & Sam has a new track entitled “Black Hole,” and Gene Stovall celebrates his birthday with a February album. It’s called “The End of Aquarius.” I’ve anxiously awaited this release since the review of “In The Bleak.” Both acts are featured on the Three Rivers at Three segment, 3:00pm Eastern.

During Black History Month, we’ve produced a Black Songwriters series, celebrating Weldon Irvine and 9 other important figures. As part of TSS’s 2/20/21 program, I present 2 of the artists with sequential album tracks. Stevie Wonder’s “Innervisions” represents some of Boy Wonder’s finest work, and its opening tracks are a template for album flow. Donny Hathaway’s “Extension Of A Man” begins orchestrally. then moves to hope/dream. Next, it blows up to full happy. To show Donny’s influence on later generations, I follow his album with Ill Doots’ opening set on their self-titled release.

Adrian Younge’s full project “The American Negro” releases in a few days, but I received permission to play it early. It’s a mixture of spoken word and music. You’ll hear both. Roberta Flack created a rough demo of “What’s Going On” not long after the Gaye 1971 release. It has been completed and issued 50 years later. I’ll play that today.

Lastly, I’ll crack open Gayelynn McKinney’s release “Zoot Suit Funk.” 2021’s emerging music is promising. It’s a testament to perseverance. I’ll see you soon.

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I started writing soulshowmike’s album picks with the purpose of highlighting indie artists of note. January’s column reviewed the best of 2020, and now the 2021 albums are rolling out. After experiencing Delvon Lamarr at the Roxian last January, it’s been a lonnnng wait for the new album. It was worth it. Here’s the February column in the Pittsburgh City Paper.

In 2018, I received a Heinz Endowments/Pgh Foundation grant to document the local music scene, particularly from the standpoint of a Person of Color. One of the outputs was a series of video shorts called “60 Seconds of Pittsburgh,” and the latest installment is the Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio. It’s part of the February column. Enjoy.

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The Soul Show’s features for this week cover Black History Month and more. On Pittsburgh’s WYEP Saturday edition, I took the cue from listeners to feature two groundbreaking 1971 albums. One is Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Going On,’ the other Sly & The Family Stone’s ‘There’s A Riot Goin’ On.’ We’ll explore the motivations and circumstances of this question/answer pair with three tracks from each.

The 2021 groundswell of new music has begun, with music from Cliff Beach, Bomba Estéreo, Cameron Graves. Adrian Younge has just released a single entitled ‘The American Negro.’ He’s been an important part of The Soul Show for a decade. Hear his 2018 interview with me.

On the ‘Three Rivers at Three (pm)’ weekly Pgh-centric segment, I resurrect the funk/rock of the Old E All Stars.

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The Soul Show’s nationally syndicated edition begins its weekly cycle on Saturday night with WTJX and Rhode Island Public Radio. WYEP overnight and KRBD Alaska follow on Monday and Tuesday. I’m beginning to apply the ‘Three Rivers at Three’ concept to this edition, featuring acts from the participating regions. This week it’s Jeffrey Osborne of Providence, Starship Mantis and Leaky Faucet of Pittsburgh, and Marsvyn David of the Virgin Islands.

More on The Soul Show’s features for this week…..

Syncing up with the Pittsburgh show, listen to some early Gaye and Sly, preceding the transformative ‘Going On’ releases. Marvin duets with Mary Wells, and The Family Stone do live Woodstock.

There will be a continued dive into Australia’s Emma Donovan w/The Putbacks. I’ll play some obscure Derek Martin from the gritty-soul Stax label. The Wild Tchoupitoulas will get us ready for Mardi Gras season. Lastly, I included a beautiful blast from the Noel Pointer past.

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Note: WYEP has posted the all-day Thanksgiving w/Motown (2020) playlist!

Enjoy!

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The Soul Show presents six hours of programming, starting on Saturdays on WYEP (2-5pm Eastern). This weekend, I feature Sam Cooke at 90 and Questlove at 50. Three Rivers at Three, the weekly Pittsburgh segment, features a new Leaky Faucet. Also, I’ll play George Heid III’s jazz/funk/hiphop project under his alt-moniker Gee-O.

The Soul Show’s syndicated edition airs on WTJX Virgin Islands as an entirely separate program (8-11pm Atlantic, 7-10pm Eastern). It airs on Rhode Island Public Radio (The Public’s Radio), WYEP overnight, and Alaska Public Radio (KRBD) through Wednesday morning Eastern. I’m starting to extend the local-segment concept to the partner stations. This week, Tavares represents southern New England and Pressure covers the VI. Lyndsey Smith is the Pittsburgh contingent. I need to get with the Alaskan bands soon. 🙂 This week we debut a new Tiny Desk track from Blaque Dynamite w/Greg Spero.

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