Ken Shane recently attended the Rhythm & Roots festival in RI for the first time. He reports on a day of great live music.
Ken Shane
When it comes to archival reissues of classic soul music, The Numero Group is setting the bar high with a combination of great taste and brilliant scholarship.
You’ve heard all the big hits from Detroit, Memphis, and New Orleans. How about Allentown, PA? That’s the home of Jay & the Techniques who hit it big in 1967.
Otis Redding would have turned 70 tomorrow. The great New Orleans musician Wardell Quezergue died this week. Ken Shane pays tribute to both artists.
The Holland-Dozier-Holland song “Baby Don’t You Do It” had some great cover versions, but it’s hard to to to the Marvin Gaye original.
Jerry Leiber, a founding father of rock and roll, and one of the greatest songwriters in the history of popular music, died this week. Ken Shane pays tribute.
Lowman Pauling and the 5 Royales were a seminal influence on the young Steve Cropper. The legendary guitarist pays tribute to the group on a fine new album.
The Marvelettes were Motown’s first successful female group, and they scored the company’s first number one pop hit. In all they scored 21 hits in eight years.
Ken Shane was back at the Newport Folk Festival this year — but this time, he wasn’t just there as a journalist.
Despite having a number of hits, Brook Benton had been largely forgotten by the mid-’60s. Then in 1970 he returned with the biggest hit of his career.
Ken Shane will be covering the Newport Folk Festival for Popdose again this weekend. Among the artists he looks forward to seeing is soul legend Mavis Staples.
Ken Shane celebrates the life and music of songwriter/producer Jerry Ragovoy who died this week at age 80.
In which our own Ken Shane and Jim Fusilli of the Wall Street Journal debate the merits of Phil Spector’s work in light of his murder conviction.
On Monday, America celebrated its 235th birthday. On Tuesday, a jury in Florida affirmed one of the principles that this country was founded on.
There was a lot of music in 2001-2010. Popdose looks at Gary Wien’s book, Are You Listening? which attempts to make sense of it all.
In 1959 Ace Records erased Huey “Piano” Smith’s vocal from a song that he wrote, substituting one by white singer Frankie Ford. So much for the good old days.
As part of a week of tributes to the late Clarence Clemons, Ken Shane features a musician who had a major impact on Clarence’s musical style.
Ken Shane remembers his first Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band show and pays tribute to the band’s heart and soul, Clarence Clemons.
Carl Gardner, the original lead singer of the Coasters died last week. He was the voice on a string of great singles for the group. Ken Shane pays tribute.
A great new album from the LA band Dawes stirs some distant southern California memories for Ken Shane.
Caught up in the HBO series Treme, Ken Shane is in a New Orleans mood this week. He delivers up a Crescent City classic from the Wild Tchoupitoulas.
Inspired by the words of his Editor, Ken Shane launches a new column for Popdose with a declaration of principles and intent.
May 21 marked the 40th anniversary of the release of Marvin Gaye’s landmark album What’s Going On. Ken Shane has an appreciation.
Soul Serenade continues the Bob Dylan 70th birthday celebration with covers of Dylan songs by legendary soul artists Etta James, and the Persuasions.
Bob Dylan is 70 years old, and the Popdose Staff has pulled together a massive post to honor him. Here are 70 of our favorite Dylan songs, one for each year.
Ken Shane reflects on the first birthday of his weekly Soul Serenade column and gifts another classic soul megamix to our readers.
“Dedicated To The One I Love” is a song that has been covered many times over the years. Ken Shane thinks that a 1972 version by The Temprees was distinctive.
The Stax label released many of the seminal records in soul music history. The Stax Remasters series launches next week. We have a set for one lucky reader.
Seeing the right Facebook post at the right time led Ken Shane to a very special Internet radio show. His Saturday nights have never been the same.