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Hello Beach Music Lovers!
Well, I hope all of you had a great SOS! It seemed
as if the crowd was as big as ever. For the weekend I was there, the weather was great and the clubs were packed as usual.
Our Sounds Of Spring 2009 Showcase at The Avista Resort had its largest crowd ever and continues to grow into one of
the favorite events of SOS. Thanks to Chip Stack and The Avista Resort for hosting the event, to Neal "Soul Dog" Furr for
assisting me in emceeing the event, to all the fans who attended the event and partied all day, and most of all, THANKS to
The Big Time Party Band, The Carousels, The Fabulous Hot Dog Daddy O's, The Out Of Towners, The Royal Scotsmen Band, and all
of the many artists that stopped by for a wonderful afternoon of entertainment! A special THANKS to Brian and Charlene Terry
for their assistance in running the sound and the tracks for the artists!! We have already made plans to hold the event again
in the Fall, so stay tuned for date and time!
This month's edition of Chart Chatter will be slightly
different as I will concentrate on the Top Songs of DJ Throwdown and the recently completed Spring Safari. After compiling
a list for each event, the results were basically identical, so I decided to do one list for both events. If you pay close
attention to The Smokin' 45, it is not hard to determine what the HOTTEST songs of the last couple of months have been, but
nevertheless, the list follows below:
Now let's get to what is happening on The
Smokin' 45 this month. The Top 10 remains virtually the same with the exception of two songs making very strong moves.
Angel Rissoff's "Boogie Down Bronx" makes a big jump this month from # 8 to # 5!! It is extremely difficult to move up inside
the Top 10, so to move up three spots to land inside the Top 5 is quite an accomplishment!! Little
Richard's "I Ain't Never", from the various artists compilation "The Imus Ranch Record", makes another big move this
month as it moves up five more positions to land inside the Top 10 at # 10! This song is HOT, HOT! and filled the
floor every time it was played at DJ Throwdown! Check it out if you get a chance.
Another song that was played frequently at DJ Throwdown and
filled the floor was James Hunter's "Carina", which looked like it was starting to fall down the chart but bounces back this
month as it moves up from # 16 to # 11! This song is perfect for the dancers that like their music on the "smooth" side. Give
it a chance if you haven't already.
Chris Biehler of Forevermore Music again has two HOT
PICKS from his recently released "Summer Soulstice" compilation. "Turn Back The Hands Of Time", from The Royal Drifters
continues to move up the chart as it moves up to the # 13 position this month, and "Ten Kisses" from Terri Gore moves up to
# 34. I witnessed first hand that "Ten Kisses" can fill a dance floor as it was the first song played after the Shakers
set at DJ Throwdown and it absolutely packed the floor! I really expect "Ten Kisses" to continue to move
up the chart as it appears to be gaining momentum as we head toward Spring. "Summer Soulstice" is chocked full of great
material from some of the most talented artists in the nation. It is a MUST for your CD collection. Check it out today at
www.beachmusic45store.com
"See See Rider" from Elmore James, Jr. which debuted
on the chart at # 35, moves up one more position from # 18 to # 17 and was another song that was heard
frequently at DJ Throwdown. This smokin' version of this tune can be found on Elmore's appropriately titled release "Daddy
Gave Me The Blues".
Duffy's version of "Mercy", continues to do very well
on The Smokin' 45 as it moves up three more positions to # 18. Duffy's version can be found on her Polydor release "Rockferry".
Paul Craver's "Girl I Love You" makes another strong
move this month, moving up four more positions to land inside the Top 20 at # 19. Paul is currently working on a new
project that he hopes to release in the Spring. It will include his hits "Emperor of My Baby's Heart", "Fool For You", "Girl
I Love You", plus some new material that he is working on. I can't wait to hear it!
Morry Sochat and The Special 20's have a HOT PICK this
month as "1955", which debuted on the chart at # 27, moves up seven positions to land in the Top 20 at # 20. "1955" comes
from Morry's sophomore release "Swingin', Shufflin', and Smokin'" (what a great name for an album!) which offers 7 original
songs along with covers of some of the best songs of the past. With the help of Nick Moss (who is no stranger to Beach Music),
who produced the new album, they recorded the whole CD in one day! Look for "1955" to continue to move up the chart as it
was heard often during DJ Throwdown.
Angel Rissoff's "Think" also makes a big jump this month as
it moves from # 32 to # 25. This was another song that was heard often at DJ Throwdown and I expect it will continue to move
up the chart as we head into Spring.
The Jelly Rolls have a HOT PICK as "Red Shaggin' Shoes" moves
up eight positions from # 43 to # 35. "Red Shaggin' Shoes" can be found on the KHP Music compilation "Gettin' Ready For Showtime".
I understand that the Jelly Rolls are working on a new project that they hope to release soon. Can't wait to hear some new
stuff from these guys!
Four songs make their debut on the Smokin' 45 this month:
"Stubborn Kind Of Fellow" from The Tams featuring Little Redd
debuts on the chart this month at # 29 and is our HOT TRACK OF THE MONTH! It is great to have the Tams back on the chart and
Little Redd just blisters this version of this classic. This tune is smokin'! From Jerry Goodman and GAD Music, "Stubborn
Kind Of Fellow" can be found on "Carolina's Best III" which was released during DJ Throwdown. If you are going to cover an
all time classic, you better do it different or better than the original, and this tune meets both criteria! Look for this
tune to climb the chart in rapid fashion!
It took Sea Cruz's "Show Me What You're Working With" awhile
to catch on, but just like everything else this band produces it has made it into chart land debuting this month at # 38.
"Show Me What You're Working With" can also be found on the KHP Music compilation "Gettin' Ready For Showtime".
Mighty Mo Rodgers makes his first appearance on The Smokin'
45 as "Shame" debuts on the chart at # 40. This smokin' tune can be found on Mo's 1999 release "Blues Is My Wailin' Wall".
Yes, to my surprise, the song is 10 years old! This song has been close to making the chart for the last few months, and with
a lot of play at DJ Throwdown, I expect "Shame" to move up the chart as we enter Spring.
Mighty Mo Rodgers (real name Maurice Rodgers) was born in Indiana where his father owned a club that featured blues
performers. When Rodgers wasn't studying classical piano he was checking out
the blues artists that played there. Growing up, Rodgers was deeply affected by the mid-'60s soul music from
the Memphis-based Stax label. Using Stax as an influence, Rodgers started his first band while in high school called
the Rocketeers. Upon entering Indiana State College, Rodgers fronted another band, the Maurice Rodgers Combo, playing Wurlitzer piano and incorporating originals
with cover versions of popular songs from the era. He finally decided to quit college, move to L.A., and give music his full-time
attention. There he played gigs and recorded with many blues and R&B legends; his organ can be heard on Brenton Wood's 1967 hit Gimme Little Sign. Throughout the years
Rodgers has not limited himself to performing. In 1973 he produced
the album Sonny and Terry on A&M records for Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. After growing tired of tedious session work, he continued
to write songs and became a house songwriter for Motown and Chappel Publishing. Rodgers also continued to produce sessions for other artists
and decided to go back to school where he received a degree in philosophy. In 1999 he released his first solo effort, Blues Is My Wailin' Wall, on Blue Thumb. The recording contained all original
material, mixing his philosophical views with blues/soul musical roots.
Another song from "Carolina's Best III" debuts on the chart
as Beach Music legend Clifford Curry cracks The Smokin' 45 for the first time! "Don't Be Shy" is Clifford's latest, and it
debuts this month at # 45. It is great to have Clifford on the chart and "Don't Be Shy" is his best effort in quite awhile.
The song is well produced; and Clifford delivers the vocal in that classic style we've all come to know and love. Look for
"Don't Be Shy" to continue to move right on up the chart!
HOT, but Not Quite Smokin:
These songs did not make the chart this month but look for
them on the chart in the very near future!
"Actions Speak Louder Than Words" - Men Of Distinction
"Help Yourself To Me" - Rickey Godfrey
"Doot Dootsie Wah" - Little Isidore
"Hot Stuff" - Jay Proctor
"Love Makes A Woman" - Rachel Tripp
"Love That Girl" Raphael Saadiq
"It's Alright" - Seal
"I Wonder Why" - Willie Hobbs
"Paying The Price" - King Tyrone and The Graveyard Ramblers
"You Are My Sunshine" - Jackson and The EM3 Band
"Come Back To Me" - Billy Scott
As I mentioned earlier, there was quite a bit of
new music released at DJ Throwdown. Here at Beachmusic45, we released our "2009 DJ Throwdown Sampler" which consists of new
releases from The Royal Scotsmen, Tim Hildebrandt, Calabash Blues Band, The Fabulous Kays, Rickie Fox and Tim Hilliard, Doug
Winstead, The O'Kaysions, UBU The Band, Coast To Coast, and David Terry. Look for some of these cuts to start showing up on
the DJ charts soon!
KHP Music released a ten cut sampler with selected cuts from
their two upcoming projects "Ready To Party" and "Let's Dance Again". The sampler consists of new tracks from Tommy Black,
Mark Roberts and Breeze, The Magnificents, Gary Lowder, The Entertainers, Little Isidore, Taylor Manning, Gary Brown, Rickey
Godfrey, and Bobby Smith. Look for several of these cuts to make their way on to the chart in the near future!
Jerry Goodman and GAD Music released a four song sampler with
selected cuts from the new CD "Carolina's Best III". The cuts included are "Mama Didn't Know" from Frederick Mangum, which
is the latest single release from the CD and my prediction as the next hit; and the current hits "Do That Thang Again" from
Archie Bell, "Stubborn Kind Of Fellow" from The Tams featuring Little Redd, and "Don't Be Shy" from Clifford Curry.
The Swingin' Medallions released "Madras and Madness"
which is twelve killer cuts from the 2009 Medallions. The twelve tunes are songs that the group gets the best response from
during their live performances. The CD was recorded live at Stokies in Greenwood, S.C., but thanks to masterful production
and editing, the CD does not sound like a live CD at all. These twelve cuts are delivered in that horn drenched, party style,
that only the Medallions can deliver. This is a CD that you just pop into the CD player and sit back and enjoy. Be careful
driving though, as this CD will have you pushing the speed limit!! This CD is a must for your CD collection. Check it out
at www.beachmusic45store.com
The Out-Of-Towners released a three song sampler with selected
cuts from their new CD "Thanks For The Memories". The sampler includes two songs already getting considerable air and club
play, "Red Hot Mama", and "Ladies Night Out"; plus their next sure fire hit "World On A String", which Steve Craig delivers
in a smooth style that will put the dancers on the floor! Look for all three of these songs to make noise in chart land!
Rickey Godfrey released his brand new single "Help Yourself
To Me", which is Rickey's first single in the Beach Music world in quite awhile. Rickey has not lost his feel for this music
though, as this tune is in the pocket, without a doubt! Look for "Help Yourself To Me" to continue Rickey's long string of
Beach Music hits!
Well that's it for this month. I hope the warm weather is just
around the corner and we can move into Spring and another exciting period in this world of Beach Music!
See ya at the beach!
Craig
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