Professor Eddy

Unsplash Enjoy music mostly from and otherwise inspired by the 1980s! The majority of the tracks can be categorized as “sophisti-pop”. Many popular artists of the genre incorporated sweet pop-soul into their sound, which made it fit smooth jazz radio formats. The synthesized sound of sophisti-pop made it a typical product of the 1980s and by the beginning of the next decade, it had largely faded out, leaving us with quite a few really enjoyable songs. Electro pop band The Human League were very successful during the first part of the 1980s, but they seemed to have taken a dead end street in the mid-eighties. To get a fresh sound the record company hired R&B producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis who had just finished Janet Jackson’s album Control . The collaboration did not go well, because Jam & Lewis mainly used their own musicians and replaced vocalists Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley in favour of their studio singer Lisa Keith. The album Crash was based on two ideas t...

Unsplash 22 modern tracks inspired by the sound of classic soul music. Modern soul that gives you retro feels. Tracklist: The Sextones – Beck & Call (2023) Junior Scaife – When My Heart Beats (2023) Bobby Oroza Ft. Cold Diamond & Mink – The Otherside (2022) Adi Oasis – Red To Violet (2023) Thee Sacred Souls – Love Is The Way (2022) The Charities – Bring Your Love (2023) Object Heavy – For The Better (2023) Jalen N’Gonda – If You Don’t Want My Love (2023) Alanna Royale – Fall In Love Again (2023) Angels of Libra – Curtis (Do You Wanna Be A Star?) (2022) The Regime & Pro Uno – Sunny Day (2023) Les Imprimes – If I (2023) Jonny Benavidez – My Echo, Shadow And Me (2023) Aaron Frazer – Bad News (2021) Thee Marloes Rhythm – Love Potion (2021) Skinshape Ft. Andy Platts – The Longest Shadow (2023) Lexsoul Dancemachine – Lazy Breeze (2022) José James – 38th & Chicago (2024) Glam Sam & His Combo – Lost In The Art World (2023) Sunset Rollercoaster – Coffee’s On...

Unsplash The Smooth Operators (Martijn Soetens and I) introduce you to yacht rock songs that you must have heard at least once in your life! We present some real yacht rock classics and yacht rock songs that we think should have been classics. Harden My Heart by American pop/rock group Quarterflash was written by guitarist Marv Ross and included on the band's debut album, Quarterflash (1981). The song was originally released as a single in early 1980 by Seafood Mama, Quarterflash's predecessor band. Quarterflash's version became a top-10 hit in the United States, peaking at number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1982. Guitarist and songwriter Marv Ross remembered that a friend of his had given him the title and that he came up with the lyrics very quickly. Last Monday Michael McDonald, front man of the Doobie Brothers, celebrated his 72th birthday: "Emerging from the laid-back California rock scene of the '70s, McDonald found his niche in a unique blend of...

Enjoy the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart of this weekend in 1978, ranked from number 30 to 1! At the group's start Stargard's members were Rochelle Runnells, Debra Anderson and Janice Williams. The vocal trio recorded the theme song to the soundtrack of the Richard Pryor movie Which Way Is Up in 1977. Motown's former sound wizzard Norman Whitfield produced the track, which also came upon Stargard's self-titled debut album. The song spent two weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart. Which Way Is Up also peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and number 12 on the Disco chart. Their other two hit singles were What You Waitin' For and Wear It Out . Debra Anderson left Stargard in 1980, when their success was diminishing. They released their final album as a duo in 1982. Next week The Smooth Operators will return! Tracklist: Rose Royce – Ooh Boy Donna Summer – I Love You Peabo Bryson – Reaching For The Sky Pockets – Co...

Mick Haupt Enjoy this exclusive Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart of this day in 1978, ranked from number 30 to 1! Some tracks that were labeled as 'soul' at the time would now be called differently. El Coco, Le Pamplemousse, Bee Gees and Donna Summer have been given the definitive label of ‘disco’ and I don’t know how Player was categorized as ‘soul’ by Billboard in 1978. That type of music was called pop/rock in the 1970s and is now mostly known as yacht rock or AOR. All the other tracks on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart are soul songs through and through. Next up is a Billboard chart for all listeners. Tracklist: Earth, Wind & Fire – Serpentine Fire Al Green – Belle Donna Summer – I Love You Le Pamplemousse – Le Spank Bee Gees – Stayin’ Alive Pockets – Come Go With Me Rose Royce – Ooh Boy Parliament – Flash Light El Coco – Cocomotion Lou Rawls – Lady Love The Blackbyrds   – Soft And Easy Enchantment – It’s You That I Need Bar-Kays – Let’s Have Some Fu...

Mick Haupt Enjoy some soul music for the late night hours! 😊 Jean Shy was born September 19, 1950 in Chicago, the oldest of six children. She was a member of a young trio that sang in churches throughout the Chicago area. When she was only 12 years old, she signed to Chess and the label's act Tim & Jean recorded her song Spring Fever , which turned into a local hit. Once she left high school in 1970, she signed to Brunswick Records. She regularly played with Chaka Khan and toured Europe to support Al Green, Gene Chandler, The Stylistics and Jackie Wilson. Through the years she released a couple of singles, but What Tomorrow Brings was shelved at the time, for unknown reasons. She never hit the big time, but her most successful solo single was Night Dancer from the soundtrack to the 1979 disco movie Roller Boogie . In the 1990s she sang lead vocals on Mercedes Benz by Euro dance act T-Spoon. My Love from Earth Wind & Fire is from their 1981 album Raise! : "No wonde...