James Mtume (b. January 3, 1946) is best-known for his oft-sampled “Juicy Fruit,” though he also has writing and producing credits on records by Stephanie Mills, Roberta Flack, Spinners, Levert and Phyllis Hyman and also played on records by Miles Davis, McCoy Tyner, Lonnie Liston Smith, Sonny Rollins and Gato Barbieri. He died just a few days after his birthday last year.
Today’s playlist includes Mtume’s best-known track plus 29 other juicy cuts.
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Today’s playlist remembers the events of September 11, 2011; celebrates the September 11 birthdays of The Kingsmen’s Jack Ely, The Verve’s Richard Ashcroft, Moby, Metronomy’s Joseph Mount, Ludacris, Ted Leo, The Monotones’ Charles Patrick, and Styx’s Tommy Shaw; and the September 12 birthdays of George Jones, Barry White, Ben Folds, America’s Gerry Beckley, The Foundations’ Colin Young, BTS’s RM, Maria Muldaur, Judy Clay, Mount Kimbie’s Dom Maker, The Gentrys’ Larry Raspberry, The Free Design’s Chris Dedrick, Jennifer Hudson, and Kelsea Ballerini.
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Inspired by the season and the December 17 birthdays of The Temptations’ Eddie Kendricks, Bad Company’s Paul Rodgers, R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, Bananarama’s Sara Dallin, The Emotions’ Wanda Hutchinson, Dirty Projectors’ David Longstreth,The Meters’ Art Neville, and Dave Dee.
Inspired by the passing of Toots Hibbert and the September 12 birthdays of Ben Folds, Barry White, George Jones, America’s Gerry Beckley, Maria Muldaur, Jennifer Hudson, The Foundations’ Colin Young, Judy Clay and BTS’ RM.
Inspired by the August 27 birthdays of Daryl “Captain” Dragon and Bloodhound Gang’s Jimmy Pop; and the August 26 birthdays of Valerie Simpson, Garbage’s Shirley Manson, Treacherous Three’s Special K, and Bob Cowsill.
Inspired by Black Music Month, LGBTQ Pride Month, and the June 19 birthdays of Heart’s Ann Wilson, Macklemore, Shirley Goodman, Paula Abdul, Al Wilson, Spanky McFarlane, Lester Flatt, Scott Avett and Hot’s Gwen Owens.
Inspired by the May 24 birthdays of Bob Dylan, Patti LaBelle, Rosanne Cash, Tommy Chong, Heavy D, Cameo’s Larry Blackmon, Prince Buster, Mims, Little Nell and John C. Reilly.
Inspired by Valentine’s Day and the February 14 birthdays of Cait Brennan, Tim Buckley, Rob Thomas, and Dwele.
Nineteen seventy-five was a pivotal year for disco music. The genre was still very young; the name “disco” as a reference to the music genre was coined just two years earlier by journalist Vince Aletti. Disco music crossed over into the mainstream with more frequency, yet was not as ubiquitous a presence on the pop charts as it would become in the ensuing years of that decade. Artists who had their first top 40 singles in 1975 include Gloria Gaynor and KC and the Sunshine Band. In December of 1975, Donna Summer made her first appearance on the Hot 100 when “Love to Love You Baby” made its debut, having already been a smash in the clubs. The Bee Gees updated their sound in 1975 with “Jive Talkin’,” which became their first top ten single since 1971. Ben E. King, who had hits in the early 1960s as a solo artist and as the lead singer of The Drifters scored his first top ten pop hit since 1961’s “Stand By Me” with the funky “Supernatural Thing.” As the lead singer of the trio named after her, Patti LaBelle scored her first top ten hit in over a decade with “Lady Marmalade.” Veteran acts such as Frankie Valli, The Temptations, The Miracles, The Isley Brothers and Esther Phillips filled the dance floors. And it was in 1975 that the world was doing the hustle.
Today’s playlist is made up of forty disco gems from 1975.
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