A classic is a song that never goes out of style; it's always good whenever you hear it. Well, Betty Wright's After The Pain is one of those classics that I love. I remember when Will, my brother-in-law, gave me this song and album on a cassette more than 20 years ago! Betty - no surprise - started in gospel when she was real little but the first song I remember is Clean Up Woman. That came out 40 years ago!!! Wow! I've seen Betty Wright in concert and she puts on a fantastic show. She is so good. There are so many songs of hers that are great but for right now I want to give you After The Pain. My favorite lines are:
After all I've been through
I should be through with love
But there's a God up above
That keeps sayin', "Betty try
Don't give up, you know why
The sun is gonna shine
'Cause you are mine, all mine"
You just keep doin' your best
And I will do the rest
'Cause I love you, love you, Betty, like I do
I always loved O.V. Wright's song, Blind, Crippled, and Crazy. He told everyone that he'd rather be blind, crippled, and crazy, somewhere pushing up daisies, than to let you break his heart all over again. Now that sounds serious... you know he meant what he said! He was so talented and had some awesome music. Like most blues artists, he started singing in the church when he was a little boy. He lived a tough life but did you know he was only 41 years old when he died? So young.
I fly a lot and have to have my iPod when I'm in the air. One of the songs I listen to is a medley of O.V. Wright's songs that he did at a live concert in Japan. To me, this live version is better than the same songs that were done in the studio. This first video below is the live in Japan version of God Blessed Our Love. It's 6:48 minutes long but it's great. I love when he starts out with "wait one minute...ah, wait one minute." The second video is the continuation of the first video. It's also a medly which consists of When A Man Loves A Woman, That's How Strong My Love Is, and You Gonna Make Me Cry. Together, both videos make up one very long song. I think they split it up because it was too long for youtube. The second video is 9.25 minutes and when you put these two together, you have a 16-minute song. It is worth every minute of it. Believe me, listening to this when you're in the air makes the time zoom right on by. It's also great to just sit back and listen to it when you're chilling at home.
I hope you like the music of these two videos; buy them if you ever get a chance. They're worth having in your collection.
P.S. Youtube has removed the two live songs, but you'll enjoy this ten-minute version:
I've noticed that there are plenty of southern soul/blues shows in different places. They are being held in Tallahassee, New York, Cleveland, St. Louis, Houston, Nashville, Detroit, Augusta, Greensboro, Roanoke, and all over Missississippi (Clarksdale, Greenwood, & Oxford). If you ever hear about a show in the Washington, D.C./Maryland/Northern Virginia area, please email me at southernsoulparadise@hotmail.com. Thanks!!
I know you know Groove Me by King Floyd; it’s a classic. It’s another case of southern soul that crossed over into mainstream R&B and took the soul music world by storm. All I knew back then was that I loved the song, the beat, and the sound. I had the 45 (you old schoolers know what I’m talking about) and, as you know, we always flipped the record over and listened to what was on the other side. In some cases, the B-side also became a hit. I recently read that Groove Me was originally supposed to be the B-side to What Our Love Needs, but things have a way of changing and the roles were reversed. Life will do that to you sometimes.
I recently heard What Our Love Needs and remembered how much I loved this beautiful song. Take a few moments and listen. I hope it will bring back memories for you like it did for me.
A few of my sisters recently asked me the difference between southern soul and blues. I didn't realize how hard the question was until I tried to come up with a definition that was clear and concise. When I think of blues, I think of traditional music from artists such as Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, and others. Southern soul takes me to the music of Johnnie Taylor, Tyrone Davis, and the new artists on the scene. Southern soul started in the south and, to me, is a by product of the blues. Daddy B. Nice, one of the best southern soul researchers/writers I've seen, has a great description - see http://www.southernsoulrnb.com/southern_soul_and_blues.cfm. You may also want to take a look at the Southern Soul Evolution at http://www.getbluesinfo.com/.
I'm still working on a solid definition but these two say it way better than me.
I really love O.B. Buchana and enjoy listening to his music. But, I just heard "I Want Both of You" and O.B., I just have to say it - you know you're wrong! I know infidelity is a major theme in a lot of the music, but I don't want my husband to tell me he wants me and his other woman - and expects us both to live with it. O.B. says he wants his wife and his woman and he doesn't mind admitting that he wants to have his cake and eat it, too. Ladies, if you're in this situation, tell your man to make a decision: if it's not you, find someone who deserves you.
I do love you but I'm sorry O.B. Ladies - and men - if you think I'm wrong (or right), listen to the song, email me at southernsoulparadise@hotmail.com and let me know what you think. I'd love to have another opinion....
As much as I love all of the online southern soul music (and I can't live without it), there is nothing like listening to it live from a local radio station. The dee jay makes all the difference in the world and, in my opinion, makes the show. On Saturdays, I listen to WKXN (www.thebigstationfm/) as soon as I get up on Saturday morning until about 8:00 p.m. Lewis Dee is the on-air personality on the 2nd, 4th, and 5th Saturdays (6:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. CST) and he is one of the best around.
Feedspot's Top 40 Soul Music Blogs & Websites 2022
We're #10 of the Top 40 sites! This list is based on thousands of blogs on the web ranked by traffic, social media, followers, etc. Congratulations to Southern Soul Paradise and all of the followers and readers for this fabulous award for 2022!!
I'm a southern girl who loves southern soul music. I also love r&b, music from the 60s and 70s, Al Green, Prince, and the list goes on and on. Don't forget my favorites like Johnnie Taylor, Tyrone Davis, T.K. Soul, Willie Clayton, O. B. Buchana, Betty Wright, Denise LaSalle, O. V. Wright, and wow, the list is endless!
I also like to see what's going on around the country.
I hope you enjoy this blog site - we'll make it great!!!
