L.J. Echols - Southern Soul Music Festival in Pomonkey, Maryland

LJ Echols is a great artist and a wonderful guy who grew up in Bassfield, Mississippi, a small town about 20 miles from Hattiesburg.  He has a gospel background and sang in a gospel group with his parents and other family members.  He later turned to R&B and started singing solo southern soul around 2004.

I had a chance to talk to LJ so I could find out a little about him.  He writes, produces, and sings his own music and when I asked him who influenced him, he said that it was Sam Cooke.                                  

LJ started his own record label called Neckbone Records and has a band with the same name, Neckbone. Neckbone performed with LJ in Pomonkey and they are excellent - a very talented band!

I asked LJ what he wanted people to know about him.  He said that he is humble and that he loves people.  I can attest to that because I found him to be friendly and a people-person. He was nice, considerate, willing to take pictures with everyone, and was extremely patient.  LJ also said that he wants people to know that he has a good attitude, may be a little country 😊, and that he loves the Lord.  Amen!!!!!

At the show, some of the songs that LJ sang are as follows:

Got To Tell Somebody

14-16

Mississippi Boy

Little Bluebird (awesome, awesome, awesome)

Peter Pumpkin Eater

I’m sure you know his huge hits, “From The Back” and “Good Motor,” but one of my favorites is “How Low Can You Go!!!!” I may not be able to play it around my kids but the beat, music, and his voice are just amazing!!  A drunk person speaks a sober mind...

I love LJ Echols!  He’s a good man and I love his music.  Go see him whenever and wherever you can!!

XXOOXX

Southern Soul Paradise

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Karen Wolfe Bass - Southern Soul Music Festival in Pomonkey, Maryland

Karen performed at the Southern Soul Music Festival in beautiful downtown Pomonkey, Maryland, and she was awesome!!  

If you’re man enough to leave, you can best believe that I’m woman enough to let you go. Yes!!  That is our national anthem! Lol I love, love, love Karen Wolfe Bass!  In this song, like so much of her music, you know what she’s talking about because you’ve either experienced it or know someone who has.  

She put on a great show and some of the hits she sang were: 

Southern Soul Party Mood

Back Door Love Affair

Stuttering

That Bitch Ain’t Me

Because Karen Wolfe Bass is a huge celebrity, I admit that I was totally star struck before I talked to her but she is soooo nice! It was like talking to someone you’ve known for a long time. 

Karen Wolfe Bass is originally from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and now lives in Memphis, Tennessee.  She started singing as a little girl and grew up singing gospel music.  She had two gospel groups – Direction and Serenity.

Whether you’re a singer or not, there are usually performers or artists who have had an impact on your life. I asked Karen about some of the artists who encouraged and motivated her and she said definitely Denise LaSalle, Betty Wright, and Mavis Staples.  For those of you who don’t know, Karen was related to Denise LaSalle and not only spent a lot of time with her but sang with her as well.

I asked Karen about the direction she thought that southern soul music was going.  She said that people are sleeping on it now but they’re going to wake up soon!  I feel the same.  I believe southern soul is becoming more popular, mainly for two reasons. One, the internet is making it more accessible.  At one time, you could only hear the blues/southern soul when you went to the south and turned on your radio.  Now, you can hear southern soul anytime and anywhere you want.  I listen all day and night from my computer, phone, and Echo. And secondly, an increasing number of young artists are singing it.  It’s not a dying art – new artists are coming out all of the time and are keeping our music alive.

Karen said that she has a new single, “You Ain’t Woman Enough,” and she’s working on a Christmas CD with Sir Charles Jones.  I can’t wait to hear that collaboration but wouldn’t it be great if she recorded an entire Christmas CD??!!

Karen is a really down-to-earth person and says that she performs for her fans.  We keep her motivated.  She said that she loves us and will keep putting music out for us; she only asks that we keep supporting her.  Don’t worry Karen, we love you and will support you in everything you do!! 😊💕

XXOOXX
Southern Soul Paradise
southernsoulparadise@hotmail.com
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Cathe's All Blues Saturday Countdown on WDLT June 30, 2018

It's Saturday night, the last day of June, and time for Cathe's All Blues Saturday Countdown!  The Countdown highlights the top 10 most requested southern soul music hits of this week from WDLT 104.1 FM, the greatest station in the Mobile, Alabama, area. They have an awesome "All Blues Saturday" show and their on-air personalities - Nikki deMarks, Stormy, and Cathe B - are amazing! The Countdown comes on at 7:00 p.m. CST (8:00 EST) each Saturday night.

To listen to the station if you're in the Mobile area, turn your radio to 104.1 FM and if you're online, go to www.1041wdlt.com. You can also listen via iHeart Radio on your phone/tablet and, if you have an Echo, do like I do and simply tell Alexa to play 104.1 WDLT!

Have a happy and safe southern soul 4th of July!!

This week's top 10: 

  1.  The Baddest - Magic One

  2.  Pretty Girl - J-Wonn featuring Tucka

  3.  I'll Pay The Shipping Cost - Ronnie Bell

  4.  Can't Nobody - Audi-Yo featuring Tucka

  5.  If You Don't No - Wendell B

  6.  Sleeping With The Enemy - Toia Jones

  7.  Chocolate Drop - Coldrank

  8.  Sidepiece On The Side - Willie Clayton

  9.  Appointments Only - Tucka
10.  Maintenance Man - Uvee Hayes

Last week's top 10: 

  1.  The Baddest - Magic One

  2.  I'll Pay The Shipping Cost - Ronnie Bell

  3.  If You Don't No - Wendell B

  4.  Can't Nobody - Audi-Yo featuring Tucka

  5.  Pretty Girl - J-Wonn featuring Tucka

  6.  Chocolate Drop - Coldrank

  7.  Sleeping With The Enemy - Toia Jones

  8.  Maintenance Man - Uvee Hayes

  9.  Appointments Only - Tucka
10.  Sidepiece On The Side - Willie Clayton

Cathe's Classic Pick of the Week was "If You Can't Do Me Right" by the wonderful, late, great Denise LaSalle!! She said that if you can't do me right, don't do me at all!  I know that's right!!

Congratulations again to Magic One for this week's #1 song, "The Baddest!" You're the baddest in the room - I can't understand, I can't take my eyes off of you!  

I love southern soul music! Thank you Cathe B for a wonderful countdown and WDLT for a great All Blues Saturday!! I love southern soul music! Thank you WDLT for a great All Blues Saturday!!

XXOOXX
Southern Soul Paradise
southernsoulparadise@hotmail.com
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NaCole - Southern Soul Music Festival in Pomonkey, MD

The first thing I noticed about NaCole was her hair – I loved it!!!  She was rocking a ‘fro and it reminded me of the Angela Davis look. So cool.  But what grabs you when she opens her mouth is that this girl can sing!  Beautifully!!  NaCole is tremendously talented and her voice is so clear and strong.  She puts her heart and soul into her music and you can feel the raw emotion of the song. She can hold a note so smoothly and is totally gifted.

 

I had a chance to talk to NaCole and she is a lovely woman.  She has a sweet personality and you can’t help but like her.  She is a southern girl from Gallatin, Tennessee, which is only about 30 miles northeast of Nashville.  She grew up listening to old school music and has been singing R&B since she was a little girl.  This is only Nacole’s second year of singing southern soul and she said that she feels that she has found her place in the southern soul music world!  She said that she met J. Red in 2011 and it’s been a great collaboration.  

I asked her what is it that she would want her fans to know about her.  She said that she wants to be transparent in everything she does. NaCole’s music comes from within her and she said that she has lived through and been through everything she sings about.  When you have experienced things like love, heartache, sadness, and joy, they can be poured into the right song and you can actually feel those emotions.  And that is so true because when we listened to her sing, everyone in the audience could feel it.

At the Southern Soul Music Festival in Pomonkey, NaCole sang a really nice collection of songs – here are a few:

Till The Morning Comes

If Only You Knew

This One’s On Me

What You Won’t Do For This Woman

NaCole puts her heart and soul into her music and, trust me, we haven’t heard the last from this very talented musician.  

XXOOXX
Southern Soul Paradise
southernsoulparadise@hotmail.com
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Cathe's All Blues Saturday Countdown on WDLT June 23, 2018

It's Saturday night and time for Cathe's All Blues Saturday Countdown!  The Countdown highlights the top 10 most requested southern soul music hits of this week from WDLT 104.1 FM, the greatest station in the Mobile, Alabama, area. They have an awesome "All Blues Saturday" show and their on-air personalities - Nikki deMarks, Stormy, and Cathe B - are amazing! The Countdown comes on at 7:00 p.m. CST (8:00 EST) each Saturday night.

To listen to the station if you're in the Mobile area, turn your radio to 104.1 FM and if you're online, go to www.1041wdlt.com. You can also listen via iHeart Radio on your phone/tablet and, if you have an Echo, do like I do and simply tell Alexa to play 104.1 WDLT!

I'm sorry that I missed last week's Countdown - was having a good time at the Southern Soul Festival in beautiful downtown Pomonkey, Maryland! Looks like there has been some movement on the charts this week. So nice seeing Toia Jones!

This week's top 10: 

  1.  The Baddest - Magic One

  2.  I'll Pay The Shipping Cost - Ronnie Bell

  3.  If You Don't No - Wendell B

  4.  Can't Nobody - Audi-Yo featuring Tucka

  5.  Pretty Girl - J-Wonn featuring Tucka

  6.  Chocolate Drop - Coldrank

  7.  Sleeping With The Enemy - Toia Jones

  8.  Maintenance Man - Uvee Hayes

  9.  Appointments Only - Tucka
10.  Sidepiece On The Side - Willie Clayton

Cathe's Classic Pick of the Week was "Hole In The Wall" by the super awesome, late, great Mel Waiters!! Boy, do we miss you!!  WDLT did a fabulous job all day celebrating his June 25 birthday.

Congratulations to Magic One for this week's #1 song, "The Baddest!"  You're the baddest in the room - I can't understand, I can't take my eyes off of you!  

I love southern soul music! Thank you Cathe B for a wonderful countdown and WDLT for a great All Blues Saturday!! I love southern soul music! Thank you WDLT for a great All Blues Saturday!!

XXOOXX
Southern Soul Paradise
southernsoulparadise@hotmail.com
Facebook: SouthernSoul Paradise

Southern Soul Music Festival/Dr. Nick and Lady C

I had the pleasure of attending the Southern Soul Music Festival in beautiful downtown Pomonkey, Maryland. 😊 🙌🏽 🙌🏽 🙌🏽 The weather was perfect - sunny, blue skies, and it was hot but not blazing hot, as long as you were in the shade. Lol  

The show's lineup included some of today's best southern soul artists: NaCole, Shay Denise, J. Red, Karen Wolfe Bass, and L.J. Echols.  And I got to talk to everyone - I was so excited!!! 😀 Stay tuned to Southern Soul Paradise to see what they had to say! You'll get a nice glimpse of the personalities of each one and may even learn something new.  After the outside show was over, the Hardway Connection took the party inside to Lamont's Nightclub and what a way to end a wonderful southern soul music day!

Dr. Nick and Lady C, the hosts of WPFW’s weekly Southern Soul Rumpin’ Show, were the emcees for this musical event.  If you listen to WPFW, you know that this dynamic duo kept us entertained and were great in engaging the audience. Dr. Nick and Lady C used their skills to keep the party atmosphere going and fueled our excitement for the upcoming acts.  They knew how to grab the attention of the crowd and prepared us for a musical afternoon that we would never forget.

In between acts, Dr. Nick played wonderful southern soul music which motivated the crowd to get up and dance!!  Dr. Nick knows southern soul and we thank him for ALL he does!

Dr. Nick and Lady C

We don't get a whole lot of live southern soul music too often this far north so this festival was an absolute treat for the DC/Maryland/Virginia area.  Looking forward to the next show!!

XXOOXX

Southern Soul Paradise

southernsoulparadise@hotmail.com

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Blues Show at Lamont's in Pomonkey

LJ Echols, J. Red, Shay Denise, NaCole, Hardway Connection, and Karen Wolfe - what a show!!!  This Father's Day Event is being held at Lamont's Entertainment Complex in beautiful Pomonkey, Maryland!!  Dr. Nick will be the MC!!!

Please holler at me if you're there - I'd love to meet you!

XXOOXX
Southern Soul Paradise
southernsoulparadise@hotmail.com
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Calvin Richardson - "Treat Her Right," "Hearsay," and "Keep On Pushing'"

If you're a Calvin Richardson fan like I am, here are three wonderful songs of his!



Enjoy!
XXOOXX
Southern Soul Paradise
southernsoulparadise@hotmail.com
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Calvin Richardson - "Can't Let Go" - Lyric Video

I love this beautiful love song.  In his latest hit, Cavin talks about how he can't imagine his life without his girl and sings his love to her.  There are a bunch of wonderful lines throughout this song - such as:

In one million years I never thought I'd meet someone that was perfect

Like my legs, I can't walk around without you

Like my heart, the rhythm’s bound to change without you.

When I think about you girl, holding on I can't let go of you

Beautiful!

XXOOXX
Southern Soul Paradise
southernsoulparadise@hotmail.com
Facebook: SouthernSoul Paradise

Cathe's All Blues Saturday Countdown WDLT June 2, 2018

It's Saturday night and time for Cathe's All Blues Saturday Countdown!  The Countdown highlights the top 10 most requested southern soul music hits of this week from WDLT 104.1 FM, the greatest station in the Mobile, Alabama, area. They have an awesome "All Blues Saturday" show and their on-air personalities - Nikki deMarks, Stormy, and Cathe B - are amazing! The Countdown comes on at 7:00 p.m. CST (8:00 EST) each Saturday night.

To listen to the station if you're in the Mobile area, turn your radio to 104.1 FM and if you're online, go to www.1041wdlt.com. You can also listen via iHeart Radio on your phone/tablet and, if you have an Echo, do like I do and simply tell Alexa to play 104.1 WDLT!

This week's top 10: 

  1.  Pretty Girl - J-Wonn featuring Tucka

  2.  I'll Pay The Shipping Cost - Ronnie Bell

  3.  The Baddest - Magic One

  4.  Holding On/Can't Let Go - Calvin Richardson

  5.  Chocolate Drop - Coldrank

  6.  One Night Stand - Pokey featuring Coldrank

  7.  If You Don't No - Wendell B

   8. Maintenance Man - Uvee Hayes

  9.  Appointments Only - Tucka
10.  Can't Nobody - Audi Yo featuring Tucka

Last week's top 10: 

  1.  Pretty Girl - J-Wonn featuring Tucka

  2.  I'll Pay The Shipping Cost - Ronnie Bell

  3.  The Baddest - Magic One

  4.  Chocolate Drop - Coldrank

  5.  Holding On/Can't Let Go - Calvin Richardson

  6.  One Night Stand - Pokey featuring Coldrank

  7.  If You Don't No - Wendell B

  8.  Appointments Only - Tucka

  9.  Maintenance Man - Uvee Hayes
10.  Sidepiece On The Side - Willie Clayton

Cathe's Classic Pick of the Week was "He Saw An Opening" by the late, great Little Milton!! 

Congratulations again to J-Wonn featuring Tucka for this week's #1 song, "Pretty Girl!"  

I love southern soul music! Thank you Cathe B for a wonderful countdown and WDLT for a great All Blues Saturday!! I love southern soul music! Thank you WDLT for a great All Blues Saturday!!

XXOOXX
Southern Soul Paradise
southernsoulparadise@hotmail.com
Facebook: SouthernSoul Paradise