Mike Little is a member of the Electric City Shag Club in Anderson, South Carolina.  He is also a member of the Association of Beach & Shag Club DJ’s and the National Association of Rhythm & Blues Deejays.  He hosted for 3-1/2 years The Saturday Morning Beach Party on WANS, 1280 AM in Anderson, which was rated by Arbitron as the highest rated AM show listened to and number three overall for that time slot.  In 2004, he was awarded the Rufus Oates Award by the National Association of Rhythm & Blues Dee Jays for his writing contributions.  He now serves on the Board of Directors of the NARBDJ.

Have you heard that Angel Rissoff has a new album out.  It is called Nu Soul Stories.  Angel, of course, is well known throughout the Blues and Rhythm & Blues worlds and especially in the Beach Music world.  Not only did Angel provide lead vocals as Little Leopold with Little Isidore & The Inquisitors on the popular songs Harlem Hit Parade and Jitterbop, he was a member of the acclaimed vocal group Kenny Vance & The Planotones from 1999 until 2007.  As a solo artist, the native New Yorker has given us hits such as I'm Gonna Forget About You, I Want A Love I Can See and Boogie Down Bronx, just to name a few.  Angel Rissoff is back with us now with a brand new release that has been in the works for over a year.  Nu Soul Stories carries several previously released charted songs, I Thought I Knew Her and Open The Door To Your Heart.  There are two versions of I Thought I Knew Her on the disc.  In addition to the hit version, there is a short version of the song that is comprised mostly of background vocals and instrumentation.  It is the second time that the latter song, Open The Door To Your Heart, has graced the Beach Music charts, the first time being in 1966, when Darrell Banks hit the charts with the Donnie Elbert-penned song.  Jackie Wilson also made a splash with the number.  Angel has a number of new songs on Nu Soul Stories, some of which he wrote or co-wrote, including Baseball Junkie, Fine Wine and the ballad, Every Man.  Phil Granito co-wrote and sings with Angel on Every Man.  Phil sang with The Duprees, the Doo Wop group that gave us numerous hits, including their biggest hit, You Belong To Me.  Look for Fine Wine to make a splash.  It is already getting playtime on Tessa John Hook's weekly Beach Music countdown.  Rock & Roll Hall of Fame members, Gene Cornish and Eddie Brigantine, also join Angel in the new release for You Better Run.  Gene and Eddie were members of The (Young) Rascals, the band that gave us Beautiful Morning and Grooving'.  Rock & Roll Hall of Farmer, Darlene Love, is also a part of the album, singing a duet with Angel, You've Lost That Loin' Feeling.  Uptown Horns and Cracked Ice founder Crisping Cole is another special guest on Nu Soul Stories.  Cracked Ice had a charted hit with us several years ago, Somebody.  Crisping plays saxophones of a number of songs on the album.  One other song is also getting play time across the Beach Music nation, this being Shag Time.  Seth Glass man co-produced the album with Angel and plays multiple instruments throughout the album.  Angel Rissoff's Nu Soul Stories is on Angel's own label, Angel Music Inc.  Look for it to make a big splash.

Formed in 1969 in Jacksonville, North Carolina, Nantucket became a huge draw in their home state as a cover band.  Releasing its self-titled album in 1978, an aggressive cross-country tour developed with Nantucket opening for to acts such as KISS, Styx and The Doobie Brothers.  After several reunion concerts over the past years, the band has returned to their roots.  They started out in the late sixties as a Beach Music band known as Stax of Gold. Nantucket released the single, You Need A Ride To Raleigh and was an instant hit, entering the Beach Music charts.  This led the band to release the full album, Nantucket: You Need A Ride To Raleigh.  The album, of course, features the title track and showcases a tribute to the late General Norman Johnson of The Chairmen of the Board called The General Has Left Us.  Check out Big Beach Party.  This one has potential, however, Hillbillies At The Beach will have its own following in a certain way.  The band also does a great job with Shaggin' Shoes.  The new album features original Nantucket members, Mike Uzzell, Larry Uzzell, Tommy Redd and Eddie Blair, as well as Jason Patterson and Ronnie Waters.  The album also features a guest appearance from Jimmy Barnhill on piano and synthesizer.  Nantuckett: You Need A Ride To Raleigh is one you need to check out.

Dorothy Morrison, Tracy Nelson, Annie Sampson and Angela Strehli, all successful as vocalists on their own, joined together as to record The Blues Broads.  The self-titled debut CD contains familiar material that can be associated with each of these Blues divas own careers, as well as new material that showcases the creativity of each one.  Dorothy Morrison is best known for her lead vocals on The Edwin Hawkins Singers' 1969 Oh Happy Day, that scored a position in the Top Ten.  Tracy Nelson in best known as lead singer of the country-rock group Mother Earth, but in recent years has made a name for herself singing soul, blues and rhythm and blues.  Annie Sampson played one of the leads in the original San Francisco production of Hair in the late 1960's and was founder of the rock band, Stoneground.  Angela Strehli is not new to the Beach Music world.  She joined with Marcia Ball and Lou Ann Barton to put Ike & Tina Turner's A Fool In Love back on our charts in 1990.  The album is a live recording of the foursome's concert. Deanna Bogart is the pianist in the backup band and provides background vocals.   The Blues Broads, from Delta Groove Records, carries several songs from the girls that fit well into our arena.  Check out the opening song for the album, Livin' The Blues.  This song was co-written by Tracy Nelson and was first released her albums in 1993.  The girls reincarnate Dorothy Morrison's Oh Happy Day, with Dorothy, of course, on the lead.  You will also want to check out Bring Me Your Love.  This one is co-penned by Annie Sampson.  The Blues Broads not only carries the CD, but a DVD as well, that was filmed and recorded at the Throckmorton Theater in California.

   If I'm not mistaken, I believe it was fellow deejay John Hall from Virginia that had permission to send me Paula Harris' release Turning On The Naughty on her own label.  She and her band, The Beasts of Blues, come on strong with a number of songs on the album.  Some of the best songs on the album were written by Paula, such as the title track, Turning On The Naughty.  Check it out!  To me, sounding somewhat of a cross between Lou Ann Barton and Debbie Davies, Baby Love and You Don't Know What Love Is are also a couple of the better songs on the release.  However, don't overlook Mr. Right For A Night.  This Paula Harris-penned song also has potential.  Someone said that  "if Etta James fronted The Tower of Power – and they were a Blues band – that is what Paula Harris sounds like'.  Paula is a native of South Carolina, later relocating to Atlanta in 1995 after signing with Blues/Rhythm & Blues legend William Bell and his Wilbe Records.  During this time, she also fronted the Atlanta Pops Symphony Orchestra.  Now residing in San Francisco, she regularly performs on the West Coast, as well as returning to the Southeastern part of the country.  After working with Lou Rawls before his death, he commented that Paula was "a vanilla coating on a chocolate soul".  Tom Politzer from The Tower of Power and who plays saxophone on the album commented "Paula is the real deal".  Paula Harris' Turning On The Naughty is another you don't want to overlook.  If you have trouble locating it, just click on Paula's Web Site, paulaharrismusic.com  

  Like so many Blues artists, Marion James was introduced to music in church.  Born and raised in Nashville, she first experienced Blues music by watching vaudeville shows and taking in local performances.  As a young Rhythm & Blues performer in the early sixties, she was backed by a band that included Jimi Hendrix on guitar.  In 1966, she recorded a Top Ten hit, That's My Man, for Excello Records in Nashville.  Nashville's "Queen of the Blues" continues to record and perform around the world.  Northside Soul is Marion's latest release on EllerSoul Records, and it rocks.  I wouldn't be surprised if her rendition of I'm Just What You're Lookin For moved into the Beach Music charts in the near future.  She really belts it out with her sensual, jazzy, soulful voice.  Marion also does a credible job with Next Time You See Me.  You will recognize this song, as it has been recorded by a number of artists over the years.  However, this is the first time that I recall it being sung by a female.  And she really does it right.  On Northside Soul, the "Queen" is backed by the cream of modern Blues session players, including a full horn section.  Northside Soul is a welcome shot of Memphis culture.