March 28, 2019• Ken Shane's Soul Serenade, Music
Curtis Mayfield was 14 years old when he joined the group that would become the Impressions. He was born in Chicago in 1942 and by the time...
June 28, 2018• Ken Shane's Soul Serenade, Music
The New Birth was an ever-shifting assemblage that scored a big hit in 1974...
September 28, 2017• Ken Shane's Soul Serenade, Music
In 1969 two of Motown's greatest groups teamed up for a smash single...
September 21, 2017• Ken Shane's Soul Serenade, Music
In the last couple of years, we have had powerful returns to form from classic soul men William Bell and Don Bryant. Now we can add Lloyd...
September 7, 2017• Ken Shane's Soul Serenade, Music
Benny Spellman came from Florida but became a legend in New Orleans...
August 24, 2017• Ken Shane's Soul Serenade, Music
The Radiants were a Chicago group that deserved more success than they had...
October 27, 2016• Ken Shane's Soul Serenade, Music
When the world was waiting for another Mary Wells hit Jackie Ross stepped up...
July 7, 2016• Ken Shane's Soul Serenade, Music
Gene Chandler's extraordinary career spanned the doo-wop, r&b, soul, and disco eras....
March 24, 2016• Ken Shane's Soul Serenade, Music
Isaac Hayes' 1970 album was a key component in the Stax Records resurgence...
March 3, 2016• Ken Shane's Soul Serenade, Music
Billy Paul's career was not limited to one hit single...
February 12, 2015• Ken Shane's Soul Serenade, Music
Paying tribute to a recently departed soul legend...
October 30, 2014• Ken Shane's Soul Serenade, Music
A hit for Madeline Bell that was a bigger hit by a Motown supergroup...
October 23, 2014• Ken Shane's Soul Serenade, Music
The Intruders weren't the biggest but they were the first for Gamble & Huff...
October 16, 2014• Ken Shane's Soul Serenade, Music
One great song, three great versions. Which is your favorite?...
December 12, 2013• Contests, Ken Shane's Soul Serenade, Music
Win a copy of Robert Gordon's new history of Stax Records...
October 17, 2013• Ken Shane's Soul Serenade, Music
A great record that deserved a better fate...
May 2, 2013• Ken Shane's Soul Serenade, Music
Major Lance, with some help from Curtis Mayfield, scored big in the '60s....
April 25, 2013• Ken Shane's Soul Serenade, Music
Following Jerry Butler's departure the Impressions found their footing with their first single....
December 22, 2011• Ken Shane's Soul Serenade, Music
Jerry Butler has had a lot of hits over the course of his illustrious career, but it was a lesser-known 1967 single that found a place in...
September 7, 2011• Digging for Gold, Music
As our Time-Life "AM Gold" series rolls on with the next batch of tunes from 1964, let's all take a moment to recognize the genius of the...
September 17, 2010• Music, The Weekly Mixtape
In this week’s mixtape you’ll find pairs of the same song by two different artists. I did try to lay down some ground rules for...
May 27, 2010• Ken Shane's Soul Serenade, Music
Gene Chandler scored a career-defining hit with "Duke of Earl" in 1962. Topping it wasn't easy, but he found success again in 1964 with...
April 22, 2010• Ken Shane's Soul Serenade, Music
The Impressions were responsible for some of the most compelling anthems of the civil rights era, but Curtis Mayfield also had a way with a...
