R&B

Who Were Brandye on Kayvette Records and T.K. Disco?

May 102016

Sexy, sultry, singing ladies with legs as long as US-1. These are the things dreams are made of.

The beautiful songbirds of Kayvette Records, Brandye were a three woman group who recorded at least one single for T.K. Disco (“Rhythm of Love,” b/w “Curiosity”), and an album called Crossover To Brandye for the aforementioned label.

Their real names are Cynthia Douglas, Donna Davis and Pamela Vincent.

According to Discogs, “Brandye were best known as backing vocalists for Millie Jackson (“A Moment’s Pleasure”), James Brown (“Too Funky In Here”) and Dennis Coffey (“Our Love Goes On”). And they often worked on Brad Shapiro productions.”

Their beautiful voices, smooth harmonics, and Caribbean inflected guitars over cruise ship style string arrangements complement the story song telling of woeful tales of love and heartache. Replete with funky horns, and heavy bass breakdowns, Brandye are characteristic high stylists of the Miami Sound developed by Henry Stone.

R.I.P. Prince – Reign In Purple – Orange Bowl 1985 Show Recap

Apr 222016

R.I.P to the artist formerly known as The Artist Formerly Known As Prince.

This is what it sounds like when doves cry, my friend.

He was the Purple Alpha, the Minneapolis Omega, and a son of funk in the same league as James Brown and Little Richard.

Here’s what HenryStoneMusic’s own Joe Stone remembers of the Prince legacy, including a play by play recap from his famous Orange Bowl concert on Easter Sunday in Miami 1985.

“Yknow, I remember leaving the TK Offices, the T.K. building on like a Tuesday afternoon, driving on LeJeune Road past the Miami Airport when the Playboy Club was still over there and for the first time hearing “When Doves Cry” come on the radio. And I was kinda like who the fuck is that? Cause it was so groundbreaking. It was. And it had these different arrangements and the guy was so versatile.”

“Not long before that he had a smash hit with “Little Red Corvette,” and I loved the extended version of that song, and that cool soulful vocal breakdown in the middle. And before that he had “I Wanna Be Your Lover,” and it was completely different. This guy was so incredibly different. A real musical chameleon.

He was really quite an innovator and I think he was misunderstood and probably had some social awkwardness with everyday life and reality because of the depth of his musical intelligence.”

Prince at Glam Slam on South Beach

“And I think we’ll discover more about Prince over the next 20 years than we know today because he was musically very far ahead of his time.

And he was quite the philanthropist at the same time. He did a lot of things without telling people. Without telling everyone, “Hey I did this.” He quietly did a lot of good for a lot of people.

He was also one of the first to have complete creative control over his work with Warner Brothers. I can’t remember his first manager’s name, but his deal with WB was that he had complete creative control of the process.”

Live from the Orange Bowl

“I saw him play live a couple times. I saw him at the Orange Bowl. Must have been 1985. It was a fuckin killer show at the Orange Bowl. He was on tour I’m pretty sure. The Purple Rain tour.

I remember he was running across the stage and he kinda tripped on one of the steps and fell down a little and then disappeared like he was embarrassed until the people started screaming and chanting and he came back out with a little sad face.

I can see it now.

He’s running and went to hit a step and missed it and went shboom! I was like oh shit, I hope he’s alright.

Shit looked like it musta hurt.”

“He was amazing.

He definitely influenced fashion in a lot of ways. And he had this interesting way of introducing new artists and music to us.

He would present them like, these guys have been around. Like Morris Day and The Time. And the broad that was in the movie…..Voluptuous? It was interesting how he introduced artists he was involved in creating and producing. It was like a seamless way that they already existed and we should know them.

I loved Prince. He could get some real poppy stuff going, but he kept it soulful and funky and that’s what I love.

Soul, and funk, r&b. I feel that. And he was always able to keep that going. Even the more rock n rolly stuff.

He shall be missed. He was an amazing musician and amazing artist.”

R.I.P.

For Joe Tex and Dial Records, Indie Label Distribution Was Everything

Apr 082016

A million record sales is no easy feat. And for the independent record labels of the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and even 1990’s, it would have been damn near impossible to make hit records without the help of independent distributors.

According to Henry Stone, there were around 30 or 40 some odd distributors around the country during any given decade of the golden age of the record business. Stone’s home turf was Florida, though he also sold records in other markets like New York City, Philly, Detroit, Chicago, and even Indianapolis.

One small example of Stone’s prowess is this gold plaque he received from Dial Records for distribution of the Joe Tex classic “Skinny Legs And All.” Henry Stone and his Tone Distribution company helped the record achieve over 1,000,000 in sales.

Henry Stone’s Best Of Little Beaver

Jul 092014

Henry Stone’s Best Of Little Beaver

$19.99

HSM 5152
01 Joey
02 Party Times
03 Does Anybody Care
04 Party Down
05 Wish I Had A Girl Like You
06 Give A Helping Hand
07 I Like The Way You Do Your Thing
08 Mama Forgot To Tell Me
09 Miami Girl
10 Pretty Little Girl
11 I’m A Man Just Like You
12 Don’t Let It End This Way
13 When Was The Last Time
14 Everybody Has Some Dues To Pay
15 Thank You For My Life
16 That’s How It Is
17 Katie Pearl

To Order: Click the RED “Add To Cart” button below. Then, proceed to checkout.

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Henry Stone’s Wynwood Street Art for Art Basel Miami 2013

Dec 052013

Lookout Wynwood! Mysterious Henry Stone street art posters have been taking over the neighborhood as Art Basel Miami 2013 descends on the city.

We don’t know who the crusaders putting these up are, but it’s good to know that as the eyes of the world are upon Miami this week, that the creator of the Miami Sound of music will be recognized too.

If you don’t know, Henry Stone is a pioneer in R&B, soul, funk, disco, dance, and hip hop music. He produced the first version of The Twist, and wrote a song covered by Frank Sinatra. He was friends with Leonard Chess, and the first distributor for Atlantic Records.

From recording Ray Charles in a warehouse on Flagler street in 1951, to discovering Sam&Dave, Betty Wright, Little Beaver, Latimore, George McCrae, KC & The Sunshine Band, Timmy Thomas, Blowlfy, Willie Clarke, and many more, Henry Stone is a giant in the world of modern music history.

From being James Brown’s Godfather, to selling hundreds of millions of records around the globe, Henry Stone has never lost the flavor of the streets of the City of Miami, and now they bear his face in tribute to that legacy.

Paulette Reaves – Secret Lover

Aug 192013

Paulette Reaves – Secret Lover

Paulette Reaves Now Available for Download

TRACKLIST
1. Track Back Those Things I Said
2. Your Real Good Thing’s About to Come to an End
3. There He Is
4. Let Me Wrap You in My Love
5. There’s Fire Down Below
6. If You Don’t See Me Again
7. Love the Hell Out of Me
8. Secret Lover

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