IN THE music industry it seems that new forms of music are competiting against old. Take Hip Hop for example. R&B artists dis hip hoppers, jazz vocalists poke fun at rhymes and drum machines. Nobody seems to like each other .. .or do they?

One producer who has made the successful crossover from Hip Hop into R&B is Teddy Riley, a soft spoken young man in his early twenties who got his start producing rappers from B-Fats to Kool Moe Dee and Heavy D & the Boyz.  Riley suddenly became a household name by working on Keith Sweat's "I Want Her", followed by a hit by Johnny Kemp. It's hard to find a day when he's not in the studio planning future projects with Stephanie Mills, Billy Ocean and the Jacksons. Riley also sings and plays music in his own soul group, Guy, and has been utilising singer and songwriter Aaron Hall to write lyrics for the song Michael might be singing with his brothers.

"We try not to be analytical", say David Frank and Mic Murphy, better known as The System. "We reckon all things must be equal and, when our time comes, we'll drink the wine".

MUSIC was far from Mary Davis' mind when we sat down to mega-chat just recently. The remainder of the SOS Band were off doing their own thing leaving The Two Davises to chat over sandwiches and coffee.
Mary is a freindly, charming lady and, despite the relatively early hour, she looked as if she had just stepped out of a photo session. My sweatshirt was no match for her silk! With Mary and the band spending so much time touring, it wasn't surprising to learn that London was one of her favourite places.

"U know, I just don't feel well enough for this interview. I mean ... my eyes are streaming, my head's spinning and my stomach is churning ? you're just not gonna get much of an interview out of me unless we talk about flu!"

{safm} Charlie Wilson{/safm}, Gap Band vocalist, is not a very happy man at the moment. First of all, he's got the flu which he'd been trying to sleep off until he was dragged out of bed for our chat. Then it's only hours before they're on stage for theii one and only promotional performance here ? the Christmas Radio London Soul Night Out in Leicester Square. How is Charlie going to perform when he looks like death warmed up at the hotel?

It's one of those times in Larry Blackmon's pretty long, fairly illustrious career when everything must seem to be happening so frustratingly slowly.

Last year saw his band Cameo consolidate ten years of powerful, consistent music with their biggest selling album to date, "Single Life" — not to mention their first hit singles in the U.K., "Single Life" and "She's Strange" — and it now seemed that, at last, Cameo were destined for true international recognition.

With "Love Or Physical", a splendid new album for Capitol Records, that perennial love duo Nick Ashford & Valerie Simpson are definitely back in gear. After a couple of years absence, during which time the couple (who have been married now for over fourteen years) gave birth to a daughter, Asia, Nick and Val are feeling great about their new product, especially since the first single, I'll Be There For You" is giving them one of their biggest U.S. hits in years.

Rick was a musical prodigy, producing records when he was 16 years old instead of going to school. He and Harry Wayne Casey (KC) worked at TK Records in Miami, where they joined forces to write and record five #1 hits as KC and the Sunshine Band. Two white guys with a black rhythm section, they shaped the sound of what would become known as Disco. Here's how it happened. Read the full interview on Songfacts.com

They've been acknowledged as two of the most well-known 'voices' in black music: between them, these men have sung on some of the true classics in popular music ? "My Girl", "Just My Imagination", "I Wish It Would Rain" ? the list is impressive by anyone's standards.
After the reunion tour with their former colleagues, The Temptations, at the start of the Eighties, David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks (he dropped the 's' a few years back) hooked up with John Oates and Darryl Hall for a special night at the famous Apollo Theatre in New York.

Alexander O' Neal is undoubtedly one of our music's "Mr Nice Guy" contenders ? a man of enormous talent but whose feet remain firmly planted on the ground.
While stardom may have its attractions, Alexander is more concerned with being a good father to his children and bringing them up to fully exploit whatever talents they might possess but, at the same time, temper any resultant success with all due humility.

With a succession of specialist radio and club anthems ("Keep Your Body Working". "Get Tough"' "Intimate Connection" etc. having made Kleeer one of the most consistently acclaimed American funk outfits on the thriving early eighties UK soul scene,

This week I saw a nice interview with Teddy Riley in a music magazine of 1992.  He talks about  Michael Jackson, Guy, {safm}Bobby Brown{/safm} and the keyboards, drum computers he used in various New Jack Swing productions. A nice interview to read. Especially if you like Teddy Riley.

 Mark

In many circles, Bernie Worrell needs no introduction. From his work as a founding member and Musical Director of Parliament-Funkadelic to his contributions to the Talking Heads, Worrell has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Indeed, songs such as “Burning Down the House” and “Flashlight” wouldn’t have been the same without him, and Worrell’s keyboard prowess has only grown since those classic recordings. As one of the most sampled musicians in history, Worrell’s funky licks have graced hit songs by Dr. Dre, Snoop Dog, Ice Cube, En Vogue and more. “One generation needs to segue to the next generation. So now I work with the sons and daughters, and we coincide.”


Interview by Scott Preston read more on Cincy Groove