This is a blog used to help promote DJ Kool Emdee and dedicated to GOOD music and those
who love good music, be it old or new school. Any music or links posted are for SAMPLE PURPOSES ONLY. We wish that you would support all artists by purchasing their bodies of work.
I did this mix a few days ago. At the time, I didn't have anything to do and boredom can sometimes push you to be productive. Just as I wanted my spirits uplifted, I hope this mix helps you to feel the same. Most of the song titles have the word LOVE, so help spread it. Won't hurt to share the mix either.
Today we wish Mrs. Linda Clifford a very happy 65th birthday. One dynamic artist who seems to be a very lovely person and usually has encouraging words to say when she makes appearances on Facebook. With a career spanning more than 30 years, Mrs. Clifford started as a Jazz singer, later transitioning to Soul, Rhythm & Blues and House music, scoring several hits during the 1970's and 1980's.
Right now, we're going to go back to 1978. The label is Curtom Records headed by the legendary Curtis Mayfield. The album is If My Friends Could See Me Now, the title cut being her first number one hit on the Billboard charts, which is a dance cover of the tune taken from the Broadway play Sweet Charity. The leads done by Mrs. Clifford are explosive, as with the instrumentation, which includes Mayfield on guitar. The extra sweetness added are the background vocals of another group of legends known as The Jones Girls.
We wish continuous good health, plenty of good fortune and look forward to many more years of hearing Mrs. Linda Clifford make sweet music.
While many people fell in love with The Jones Girls' bigger hit "You're Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else", I was quite fond of their cover of Cynthia Biggs and Dexter Wansel's "Nights Over Egypt" that featured Grover Washington, Jr. on oboe. Just the overall sound and arrangement, along with their smooth, silky vocals gave me a warm feeling inside as I listened to the 45 rpm over and over on my mother's stereo in our living room as a child.
Not only did this trio of sisters (Shirley, Valerie & Brenda) rock the music world with their own albums as part of the Philadelphia International Records roster, they also did backup for Linda Clifford, Lou Rawls, Teddy Pendergrass, Aretha Franklin, and Le Pamplemousse, as well as work with Diana Ross for three years. After being a flop on their previous label Curtom Records, The Jones Girls would gain valuable exposure by touring as backup singers for Ross. Demand for the trio eventually got them singed to P.I.R. and the release of four albums during their stay. Sadly, Valerie passed away in 2001 at the age of 45.
