4/9/15 O&A THROWBACK THURSDAY: Stevie Wonder

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Stevie Wonder

Stevland Hardaway Morris known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is a child prodigy, who has become one of the most creative and loved musical performers of the late 20th century. Continue reading

4/2/15 O&A Throwback Thursday: Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth

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Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth are a hip-hop duo from Mount Vernon, New York. Their signature hit was They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.), a dirge for fallen friends—namely Troy “Trouble T-Roy” Dixon, a member of Heavy D & The Boyz, who died in 1990. Continue reading

3/19/15 O&A Throwback Thursday: The Remixes Tamia, Whitney, Jennifer, and Madonna

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THE REMIXES

Thunderpuss and Hex Hector & Mac Quayle remixes of songs by Tamia, Jennifer Lopez, Whitney Houston and Madonna.  Continue reading

3/12/15 O&A Celebrating Women’s History Month -Throwback Thursday: The Divine One- Sarah Vaughan

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Sarah Vaughan, The Divine One, described by music critic Scott Yanow as having “one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century.” Vaughan was a Grammy Award winner. The National Endowment for the Arts bestowed upon her it’s the highest honor in jazz the NEA Jazz Masters Award, in 1989. Continue reading

3/12/15 O&A Throwback Thursday: Xscape

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Xscape was a female American R&B quartet which began as a quintet. The original lineup of the group consisted of sisters LaTocha and Tamika Scott, Kandi Burruss, Tameka “Tiny” Cottle, and Tamera Coggins, though Coggins departed the group before their debut album was released. The group had 6 top 10 hit songs on the Billboard Hot 100 during the 1990s including Just Kicking it, Understanding, Who Can I Run To, Keep On, Keepin’ On, The Arms of the One Who Loves You, and My Little Secret. 
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3/5/15 O&A Throwback Tuesday: Marian Anderson

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Marian Anderson Singing at the Lincoln Memorial.

Marian Anderson was an African-American contralto and one of the most celebrated singers of the twentieth century. Anderson became an important figure in the struggle for black artists to overcome racial prejudice in the United States during the mid-twentieth century. The recipient of numerous awards and honors, Anderson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963, the Kennedy Center Honors in 1978, the National Medal of Arts in 1986, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1991. Continue reading

2/26/15 O&A Throwback Thursday: L.L. Cool J.

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James Todd Smith, better known as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James),[ is a rapper, entrepreneur, and actor. He is known for pioneering hip-hop tracks such as I Can’t Live Without My Radio, I’m Bad, The Boomin’ System, Rock The Bells, and Mama Said Knock You Out as well as romantic ballads such as I Need Love, Around the Way Girl, and Hey Lover.
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2/19/15 O&A Throwback Thursday: TLC

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TLC was a girl group whose repertoire spanned R&B, hip hop, soul, funk and new jack swing. TLC originally comprised singer Tionne T-Boz Watkins, rapper Lisa Left Eye Lopes and singer Rozonda Chilli Thomas. The group was very successful in the 1990s and early 2000s in spite of numerous spats with the law, each other, and the group’s record label and management. Continue reading

2/12/15 O&A Throwback Thursday: Nancy Wilson

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Nancy Wilson is an American entertainment living legend. With more than 70 albums, and three Grammy Awards she has been labeled a singer of blues, jazz, cabaret and pop; a consummate actress; and the complete entertainer.  The title she prefers, however, is song stylist.

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Wilson recorded the 1934 pop standard The Very Thought of You, with music and lyrics by Ray Noble in 1963. One year earlier during a successful collaboration with Cannonball Adderley, he suggested that she should steer away from her original pop style and gear her music toward jazz and ballads. 

The Very Thought Of You 1964

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Wilson released her debut single, Guess Who I Saw Today in 1960. It was so successful that between April 1960 and July 1962 Capitol Records released five Nancy Wilson albums.

Guess Who I Saw Today 1994

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In 1999, Wilson hosted a show in honor of Ella Fitzgerald entitled Forever Ella on the A & E Network

Someone to Watch Over Me 1999

 

O&A Throwback Thursday: Issac Hayes- Shaft

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Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an singer-songwriter, actor, and producer. Hayes was one of the creative forces behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the mid-1960s. Hayes, Porter, Bill Withers, the Sherman Brothers, Steve Cropper, and John Fogerty were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 in recognition of writing scores of notable songs for themselves, the duo Sam & Dave, Carla Thomas, and others. Hayes is also a 2002 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Continue reading