It is with both extreme shock and sadness that we report that Ms. Whitney Houston has passed away. All this means is that her soul has passed from this Earth, and her soul is now at rest with the Creator.  Whitney, you gave us something that none of your detractors can take away. You gave us love, you made us dance, you made us cry, and you made us think. You truly paved the way for women in music, particularly women of color. Before your emergence, there seemed to have still been a sort of barrier that women, especially brown skinned women, could not fully cross. Yes, we already had Chaka, Patti, Tina, Gladys, and Aretha, but there was only one Whitney Houston. You served your purpose on this Earth, and now it is time for you to return home. God gifted you with a voice that was so good that it was often at times unbelievable. You will not be forgotten.

This is not the end of our recognition for Ms. Houston. Just like all of you, the Grown Folks Music family are all major admirers of both Ms. Houston and her music. We will collect ourselves and our thoughts, and we will supply a proper tribute.

Etta in recent years

To be successful in one form or another in music is rare, but to be recognized as a singer par excellence in the arenas of Gospel, Jazz, Blues, R&B, Rock and Soul is incredibly special, to do it over the course of a nearly sixty year career is defined as Etta James.

Here at GFM we hoped that at the end of January our month long tribute to Ms. James in a much different way, but we realize that we have no control over the plan, we can only hope for the best for the family and friends at the most difficult time and wish all of them peace and comfort.

Many will mark this sad occasion with their favorite songs from Etta’s career: we’ve dedicated the month of January to Etta as our Artist of the Month for that very reason and we will also have some very special musical tributes coming up this week.

Today, I wanted to reflect on something that I just realized in trying to put all that Etta James represents into perspective and that is what a true American Icon Etta James is. You know many have tried over the years to market this experiment known as America as: Baseball, Hot Dogs, Apple Pie and yeah you know the rest… but the real America? The real America is the Blues, Soul, Gospel, Jazz, Rock, the struggle, being an underdog and overcoming adversity, it’s not always pretty but you learn to sing and play through the pain to make something lasting, a legacy.

Etta James was no ordinary “singer”, Etta James was/is a force of nature. My wish and I can say with confidence that I know the rest of the GFM Team will join me in this, is that we can place the legacy of Etta James squarely where it needs to be: In the upper echelon of American Musical Treasures. More than a song Etta James was/is a movement. Her story is similar to and should serve as an inspiration for many of us, it takes a lot of hard work to be successful and even harder work to remain successful.

I know there is a microphone and a follow spotlight waiting for you on the other side, with a band like no other to back you up. Rest In Peace…

I remember it like it was yesterday. Public Enemy was appearing on Saturday Night Live to support their newly released “The Enemy Strikes Back”. Before the group did their 1st number Chuck D standing front and center as always with his right fist raised stated “Let’s have a moment of silence for Miles Davis”! That was Sept. 28,1991. Within a split second I realized that one of the world’s greatest musicians to ever walk this earth was gone. This was pre-internet, pre-twitter, pre-Pac and all the other music artists related deaths. The closet thing I can think of that relates to that moment was Marvin Gaye’s passing. But this was Miles Davis……MILES DAVIS. The Miles Davis who changed music 4-5 times. The Miles Davis who was one of the most respected musicians ever- regardless of genre. The Miles Davis..who was cool enough to hang out with Bird and Diz and years later hang out Prince and Michael. Miles Davis the Definition of cool. Certain parts of society consider “classical” music to be the music of class and culture. I’ve yet to see any classical musician have the universal appeal that could span musical generations like Miles Davis did. Miles Davis was/is classic cool! (more…)

On the 30th anniversary of his passing his these words, Bob’s words… more than ever we need a reset we need fearless musicians who have something to say.

Brought to you by the good folks at Saturn Never Sleeps, this is one tribute worthy of your time and hard drive space. By now you’ve heard about the situation with the legendary DJ Kool Herc and it’s a fitting tribute for all that he’s given music, culture and hip hop. You can download the mix here and donations are still being accepted on his official website.

This compilation features tracks from DaM-Funk, Damon Bennett, Dego, King Britt Presents Sylk 130, Ursula Rucker, Lushlife, ZIN, Hezekiah, Jneiro Jerel & Indigo, Soul Litchfield, Illvibe Collective feat. Ethel Cee, Rucyl, Shigeto, Galapagoose, Ras_G, Chuck Treece, Suzi Analogue, Stef Eye, and Peter Kirn.

“J.Dilla: Still Shining” from B.Kyle on Vimeo.

On the anniversary of his born day we want to send out much love and respect to the entire Yancey Family and all of the fans of this incredible musician whose influence is felt and heard daily.

Created in 2006, this remembrance piece is created as a tribute to the memory and legacy of James “J.Dilla” Yancey. This is a piece designed for his fans and supporters who knew of his accomplishments before February 2006 and those that have grown to appreciate his genius. Here, we gain a greater insight and understanding about our musical icon.

J.Dilla is Still Shining. (more…)

As we all still struggle with the passing of Teena Marie, several tributes have surfaced, but few as compelling as this one. The lovely Sy Smith has teamed with frequent collaborator/super producer Mark de Clive-Lowe for a ‘completely re-imagined’ version of “Lovergirl” as only they can do. I think Teena would be proud. Check out Sy’s personal tribute and rare insight into the creative process of this fitting production:

Mark e-mailed me this track as I was in the studio recording a tune with Rahsaan Patterson. The date was 12/29, just 3 days after Teena Marie passed away. I went back and forth between listening to this track on my headphones and listening to Rahsaan as he laid vocals. Obviously this wasn’t gonna be something I could multi-task, so I dedicated myself to listening to Rahsaan! But once Rah and I finished our recording, Grant Nicholas (my engineer) and I got a quick edit and rough mix of the tune done and Grant took a break for something he calls “food”. :-)

Now I was able to dedicate myself to this (kinda rare) downtempo track from Mark. I was immediately drawn to the sentimental mood of the guitar line, it sounded like the track itself was recalling some fond memory. Rah and I had just had a long conversation about the loss of Teena Marie and how bad she was, how relevant she remained, how her phrasing and songwriting was so top-notch… We recalled the phrasing of “Lovergirl”, esp the vamp “Coffee, tea, or me…” bit. So when I heard Mark’s track, and Rah was already gone, and I was all alone in the studio with the lights barely on, I began singing that phrase from “Lovergirl”. I couldn’t believe how perfectly it seemed to settle into the track. I knew right away that this is what I’d record – a humble tribute to one of my favorite recording artists ever, Lady T.

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Great new podcast from EJ Flavors that pays tribute to the life and art of Teena Marie. The podcast can be downloaded here.

Checkout the tracklist after the jump. (more…)