Brainstorm - The Discography

Brainstorm was an American funk and R&B band active in the late 1970s, based in Detroit, Michigan. Their debut album, Stormin' , was their best-selling album, and was released in 1977 on Tabu Records, executive-produced by Clarence Avant and produced by Jerry Peters. It contained the disco hit single "Lovin' Is Really My Game", which was featured in the film 54 starring Mike Myers, and won the 1978 Billboard magazine Light Radio/Heavy Disco Record of the Year. The album also contained the radio hit "This Must Be Heaven" which is considered a soul classic, by virtue of its continued air play 34 years later. Other single releases from subsequent albums included 1978's "On Our Way Home", and "Hot for You", featuring Belita Woods on lead vocals.

Chuck Overton started the band. The members of the band (on the Stormin' album) were Belita Woods, bandleader and saxophonist Charles Overton, Lamont Johnson on fretless bass and vocals ("This Must Be Heaven"), Renell Gonsalves on drums, Treaty Womack on vocals, percussion, and flute, Bob Ross (a.k.a. Professor RJ Ross) on keyboards, Gerald "Jerry" Kent on guitar, Jeryl Bright on trombone, and "Leaping" Larry Sims on trumpet. Future Wham!/George Michael bassist, Deon Estus, was also a member of the band for a time. A teenage Regina Carter, who later became internationally known and respected as a jazz violinist, joined the band around 1978 and performed for a time with them. TheBrothersAli.com Jerome Ali and Jimmy Ali(guitar and bass), joined about the same time in 1978, these days performing in Las Vegas, Houston & Detroit.

Members of Brainstorm continued their musical careers with other bands or in production. Woods later went on to perform as part of the Parliament-Funkadelic collective in touring sets around the world. Sims became the trumpeter for the Sounds of Blackness, which won two Grammy Awards during the 1990s. Bright went on to play trombone with the funk band Cameo for over twenty five years, and later released an album with other former Cameo members Aaron Mills, and Thomas TC Campbell, known as MCB (which was also the title of their album). Trenita "Treaty" Womack performs regularly with the Funk Brothers as well as a wide variety of other artists, and appeared in Standing in the Shadows of Motown, an award-winning documentary, as percussionist. Gerald "Jerry" Kent has produced a BMI-affiliated self-published CD in 2006, under the name Kent's Way Overdue entitled Tone Paintings, an original jazz-fusion guitar-based collection of instrumental cuts. He also plays guitar and bass with the IDMR Detroit Choir, which choir was used in the closing scenes of Standing in the Shadows of Motown, singing background harmony behind Chaka Khan in a Grammy 2003 winning performance of "What's Going On". William Wooten, who joined the band after the first album playing keyboards, now tours with The Dramatics and The Spinners. Lamont Johnson released several solo albums and teaches bass. Renell Gonsalves performs with a wide variety of artists, as a skillful Latin-jazz percussionist (His father was renowned jazz saxophonist Paul Gonsalves, late of the Duke Ellington band). Professor RJ Ross has written and co-produced a number of music projects with well-known artists in California including a 2008 CD Face to Face.

 

The Jones Girls - The Studio Albums

The Jones Girls were an American R&B vocal trio of sisters from Detroit, Michigan, United States.^[1] Consisting of Brenda, Shirley and Valorie Jones, the Jones Girls first signed and recorded for GM Records in 1970. The trio were best known for their singles during the late–1970s through the 1980s; most notably 1979's "You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else".^[2] After a two–year tenure with GM, they then recorded for various labels before having success at Philadelphia International Records with Gamble & Huff.

The group consisted of sisters Brenda (December 7, 1954 – April 3, 2017),^[3][4] Valorie (April 17, 1956 – December 2, 2001) and Shirley Jones (born September 22, 1953). They performed as backup singers for Lou Rawls, Teddy Pendergrass, Aretha Franklin, and Le Pamplemousse. They worked with Diana Ross^[5] from 1975 to 1978 and were the backup singers on Linda Clifford's 1978 album If My Friends Could See Me Now.^[1] They also performed on Tower of Power's disco-themed 1979 album Back on the Streets. Their biggest hit was "You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else". The song hit the Billboard Magazine Top 40 at number 38 in May 1979.^[2] The song was also a Top 5 R&B hit.^[2] It became a gold record. An additional hit followed in 1980, with the single "I Just Love The Man", charting at number 9 in January 1981.^[2] The less successful "Nights Over Egypt" (1981), written by Dexter Wansel, charted at R&B number 23 in 1982.^[2]

After the release and failure of their fourth U.S. album, On Target, lead singer Shirley Jones pursued a solo career and had a number 1 R&B hit on Billboard with "Do You Get Enough Love", from her top-ten debut album Always in the Mood (1986).^[1][6] "Do You Get Enough Love" was written by Bunny Sigler who also produced it with Kenny Gamble.^[7] Valorie Jones died on December 2, 2001, in Detroit, Michigan, at the age of 45.^[8] In 2007, Shirley Jones released an album Ladies Night Out together with Jean Carn and Cherrelle, on CD and DVD.

Brenda eventually moved to Atlanta, where she sang frequently with her four-piece band, performing both jazz and R&B numbers, including many Jones Girls' tunes. She later moved to New York after her children were grown, to have a more active performing and recording schedule. On April 3, 2017, Brenda was visiting her daughter in Wilmington, Delaware, and was hit by several cars and killed while attempting to cross the street.^[9] She was 62.^[9] Shirley continues to perform successfully as the Jones Girls with two of her nieces and a nephew on background vocals.

 

Sister Sledge - The Studio Albums

 

CeCe Peniston シーシー・ペニストン - I'm Movin' On 前へ進むよ +2 (1996)

 

I'm Movin' On is the third studio album recorded by American singer CeCe Peniston, released on September 9, 1996, by A&M Records. Taking Peniston's work deeper foray into mainstream R&B genre, A&M consulted a number of pop musicians to record with her, including Dave Hall, Gordon Chambers, and Andrea Martin. Other collaborated include DJ Steve "Silk" Hurley, Damon Thomas, Danny Sembello, Darryl Pearson, and Jorge "G-Man" Corante.

Upon release, the album garnered mixed to favorable reviews from music critics. Most of them criticized the predominant promoting of R&B tracks, as well as her label for insistence on Peniston abandoning dance community in favor of urban arena. In terms of chart performance, the album has been viewed as a commercial failure with no entry on the US Billboard 200, nor overseas. The only out of two released singles that cracked the US Billboard Hot 100 list was the lead single "Movin' On", which climbed to number eighty-three, eventually. "Somebody Else's Guy", an update of Jocelyn Brown's hit from 1984, became a surprising hit for Peniston in addition, after being promoted as support of her greatest hits compilation, and the closing release under her contract with A&M.

 I'm Movin' On was supposed to be Peniston's deeper foray into mainstream R&B followed the pattern of her previous release Thought 'Ya Knew (1994), in which Peniston began her unsuccessful transition into the R&B market. The label heavily focusing on hip-hop influenced R&B jams and a variety of slow ballads invited several producers to join her session, in front of Dave Hall and Gordon Chambers, who co-wrote the title track. This time, Peniston reprised her fellow collaboration with Steve Hurley on two songs. "The Last to Know" that she co-wrote, and "Don't Know What to Do". None of these would be released on single, though. In order to push her musical horizons further, A&M also featured JoJo Hailey of the group Jodeci and Tenina Stevens (also known as Suga T), as the first time ever that another artists would be vocally credited on her record.

The Sisters Of Glory - Good News in Hard Times (1995)

 

Good News in Hard Times is the album released by American gospel group the Sisters of Glory, released on August 22, 1995, by Warner Bros. Records. The set included solo performances by five female singers from different musical backgrounds: Thelma Houston, CeCe Peniston, Phoebe Snow, Lois Walden, and Albertina Walker.

The concept of their modern gospel ensemble was initially created by Lois Walden. For the first time, the vocalists performed together on April 25, 1994, at the New York benefit concert named "Gospel Music: From the Church to the Charts". The next gig for the gospel quintet was at the music festival Woodstock '94 on August 14, 1994. Later that year, on December 16, they appeared before Pope John Paul II at the Christmas at the Vatican II concert in Rome.^[2] After receiving an offer from Warner Bros management, the Sisters also recorded a studio album in common.

The album, produced by Jennifer Cohen in collaboration with Walden, earned positive to mixed reviews from music critics. With no song released in support either on promotional single, Good News in Hard Times charted on the U.S. Billboard Top 40 Gospel Albums at number twenty-nine.

CeCe Peniston (1994) Thought Ya Knew +2 (2023)

 

Thought 'Ya Knew is the second solo studio album by American singer-songwriter CeCe Peniston, released on January 11, 1994, by A&M Records, and on February 10 in Japan.^[1] For this album, Peniston once again collaborated with Chicago-based producer Steve "Silk" Hurley, along with other producers Carsten Schack and Kenneth Karlin (better recognized as duo Soulshock & Karlin) from Denmark, David Morales, Sir Jinx, and on one track ("Forever in My Heart") also with the multiple Grammy Award-nominee Brian McKnight.

Deciding not to get pigeonholed into the dance genre, Peniston recorded several ballads for the album, trying to move into an R&B direction. Unlike its predecessor Finally, Peniston's second album was, therefore, a calculated mixture of pop ballads and R&B beats, though incorporating also other genres, such as jazz ("I'm in the Mood"), funk (I'm Not Over You"), reggae ("Through Those Doors") and gospel ("I Will Be Received").

The album received generally mixed reviews from music critics, and commercially, it proved to be a moderate success. Debuting on February 12, 1994, at number 102 on the Billboard 200, the album reached its peak a week later at number ninety-six, while spending nineteen weeks on the US chart in total. Overseas, the album entered the UK Albums Chart at number thirty-one, but charted for only two weeks there. Other territories included Switzerland (at number thirty-two), Japan (at number sixty-six), Netherlands (at number sixty-nine), and Germany (at number ninety-two).

Four official singles were released from the album, three of which entered the Billboard Hot 100, as well as the UK Singles Chart. All of them became successful on the dance chart, bringing Peniston two additional number one hits on the US Hot Dance Club Songs. In Japan, the album was shortly followed by Remix Collection, which featured alternate versions of songs issued on singles. It was reissued in Japan on September 11, 1996.^[2] The album was not accompanied by a worldwide tour.

CeCe Peniston セ・セ・ペニストン - Finally ついに (1992)

Finally is the debut album by American singer CeCe Peniston, released on January 30, 1992, by A&M Records. Prior to the release of this album, Peniston released her debut single "Finally", which topped the US Billboard Hot Dance Music Club Play chart on October 26, 1991, peaking eventually at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number two in the UK Singles Chart.^[2] The album yielded two additional singles which achieved dance number one status in the US; "We Got a Love Thang", co-written by Chantay Savage, and "Keep On Walkin'", written in collaboration with Kym Sims. Both songs entered the UK Singles Chart top 10 and the Billboard Hot 100 top 20 in the US.^[3] Despite the success of the singles, the album itself climbed only to number seventy on the US Billboard 200. However, during its thirty-six weeks long presence in the chart it sold over 554,000 copies in the US.^[4] The album peaked at number ten on the UK Albums Chart. The total worldwide sales of the album surpassed 3,000,000 units.^[5] Two further tracks were released from the album which were more in the R&B field; "Inside That I Cried" charted at number ten in the US R&B chart and at number forty-two in the UK, while "Crazy Love" peaked at number thirty-one in the US and at number forty-four in the UK.^[6] The album was part of the resurgence of dance music in the United States during the mid-1990s. 

Jam & Lewis - Jam & Lewis (Volume One) (2021)

 

Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis – The Hit Songs 4xCD (1996)

 

Jimmy Jam And Terry Lewis – The Best Of Jam & Lewis Works On Tabu Records (2015)

 

Freddie Jackson - My First Love 2023

My First Love is the final studio album by the legendary American R&B and soul singer Freddie Jackson, released on May 12, 2023, under the label Climax Entertainment. This soulful, 9-track project was entirely dedicated to his mother, whom he fondly cherished as his very first love.

This album stands as the poignant conclusion to his extensive discography. The iconic voice behind hits like "Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)" and "You Are My Lady" passed away on October 5, 2026, at the age of 70, just three days after his birthday.

R&B singer Freddie Jackson became a stalwart of the genre in the late ’80s and early ’90s. From 1985 to 1992, he scored 19 Top 10 singles—including 10 No. 1 hits—on the R&B charts. His latest album release, My First Love, is a collection of songs continuing the tradition of classic soul sounds Freddie Jackson is known for.
 

Freddie Jackson - Love Signals 2018

Love Signals is the eleventh studio album by American R&B singer Freddie Jackson, released on June 4, 2018, under the Climax Entertainment label. This 10-track project features his signature smooth soul and urban adult contemporary sound, focusing on themes of love, peace, and unity.

Freddie Jackson - For You 2010

Freddie Jackson's first album of original songs since 2004’s It’s Your Move, For You reunites the singer with songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Barry Eastmond. The two go back to Jackson’s 1985 debut and hadn’t collaborated on an album since 1995’s Private Party. At times, there is too much of an evidently conscious effort -- both sonically and lyrically -- to make Jackson sound current. The best moments come during the slower, more sensitive songs, when Jackson is not attempting to keep up with the times. Complemental and background vocalists are so prominent that the album, at times, does not sound like a Freddie Jackson release at all. There just might be enough of him here to satisfy longtime fans who have been waiting six years for new material.
 

Freddie Jackson - Transitions 2006

 With Transitions, Freddie Jackson makes another label jump, this time to Fort Lee, New Jersey's Orpheus imprint. Jackson's sound is not significantly different, but then, when you have a voice like his, it doesn't have to be. Jackson is one of the great urban balladeers and uptown soul singers of the era. He has a career track of strong singles, consistent albums, and a presence that is undeniable. He is a crooner whether the tune is a string-sodden love song such as the opener, "Until the End of Time," or a finger-popping mid-tempo groover like "Hold on Me." Jackson reveals on this album the depth of yearning in the grain of his voice. It's full of dreams and possibilities, heartbreak and desire. Check "How Can I" with its flamenco guitar opening, and the shapeshifting electric guitars that underscore every line. There's the dreamy "More Than Friends," where the influential traces of Marvin Gaye, Ronald Isley, and Al Jarreau all come together in Jackson's delivery. The strutting bedroom funk of "Superman" is one of those tracks where Jackson lays his vocal deep in the cut. The final cut is a stellar, and ingenious, medley of Delaney & Bonnie's "Superstar" and "Wind Beneath My Wings" as a closer. The added bonus on this set is a DVD that includes no less than 17 videos and is, essentially, a greatest hits. From "Rock Me Tonight" and "Nice & Slow" to "You Are My Lady" and "Don't Wanna Lose Your Love," plus more. This is a nice touch for an indie, and gives Jackson fans and newcomers plenty to sink their teeth into.

Freddie Jackson - Personal Reflections 2005

Especially when compared to his explosion onto the adult contemporary and quiet storm radio scene in the '80s, the '90s weren't too kind to Freddie Jackson. A longtime soft rock radio staple, his instantly recognizable anthems began to show their wrinkles and cracks with their dated productions, and were slowly replaced with more current and polished productions. Thankfully, with Personal Reflections Jackson reminds everyone why he was such a potent force in the great quiet storm invasion of the '80s, and why his name belongs up there with some of the style's most well-known artists. This comeback album starts off in fine form with a fantastic and by the numbers cover of Paul Davis' anthem "I Go Crazy" and works its way through some of soft rock's most cherished ballads. Jackson never strays too far from the course, thankfully doesn't attempt to demonstrate vocal acrobatics whenever there's a free space of music, and somehow manages to make one of AM pop's most treasured songs (Captain & Tennille's "Do That to Me One More Time") sound like it was custom written for him, all within a reasonable and unbloated running time of 40 minutes. It's a solid statement that's filler-free, and one of his best works in over a decade. Personal Reflections should help to reestablish Freddie Jackson as one of contemporary soul music's most beloved quiet storm crooners.
 

Freddie Jackson - It's Your Move 2004

 After taking a considerable amount of time off, Freddie Jackson appeared poised to take over the spot he so rightfully held on the throne of urban adult contemporary radio during the '80s. However, the landscape and climate of urban radio changed and left Jackson having to adapt, which gives It's Your Move a bit of a hurried, uneven production style throughout. Jackson's voice is still the dominant focus, as smooth and assured as ever, even though it feels at odds with the slick and overly polished production sound. Nevertheless, fans pining for new Jackson material will be pleased in what they hear here, even if it isn't exactly his finest offering.

Freddie Jackson – Live In Concert 2000

 A live album gave James Brown's career a big kick in 1962 and this live set might rejuvenate New Yorker Freddie Jackson's ailing career. Not! While Jackson wastes no time singing the hits of others, the bane of many live urban recordings and concerts, the 11 tracks stretch far beyond their original parameters: four are longer than eight minutes, and two run more than nine (yawn). Fleshed-out tunes are not for everybody; most people like to hear recordings close to what they heard on the radio. If this is you, this showcase of Jackson's singing and speaking ability will leave you cold.

Freddie Jackson - Life After 30 / 1999

Life After 30 is the ninth studio album by the American singer Freddie Jackson.^[2] It was released by Orpheus Music on September 14, 1999. Jackson's only album with the label, it peaked at number 81 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
 

Freddie Jackson - Private Party 1995

 Freddie Jackson was part of the sophisticated soul invasion of the '80s that included Anita Baker and Luther Vandross. But while Baker and Vandross followed platinum album with platinum album into the '90s, Jackson's own megahit streak -- which began with the Rock Me Tonight album -- didn't carry over into the next decade. He makes his Scotti Brothers debut with Private Party, which includes the Top 25 R&B single "Rub Up Against You," produced by Gerald Levert and Tony Nicholas. For the bulk of the production of the album, Jackson is reunited with producer Barry J. Eastmond, who played a significant role on his platinum debut. Most of the material falls in the "let's shower together" category, though it must be pointed out that the content never goes into the overly graphic area of a lot of modern R&B. The second single, "(I Want To) Thank You," is a nice change of pace with its simple sentiment of appreciation. "I Tried My Best" tells of a fading love affair: "I tried my best to be a good friend/All of the kisses I used to know/Suddenly they've all turned cold." On the next track, Jackson is still suffering through the pain on "No One Else." But he's back on his feet with the midtempo "Lay Your Love on Me." "Teach Me" has one of Jackson's best performances ever. Yasha Barjona produces the elegant ballad "Once in a While," an appropriate album closer. Freddie Jackson's romantic balladeering is, for the most part, not the kind of material you would find at the top of the charts these days. And that's a shame.

Freddie Jackson - At Christmas 1994

At Christmas is the seventh studio album by American singer Freddie Jackson. It was released by Orpheus Music and RCA Records on October 25, 1994. His first Christmas album, it consists of eleven tracks, featuring four original songs, three of them co-penned with Jackson, and seven cover versions of Christmas standards and carols. The album reached number 65 on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.

Featuring overstated atmosphere, Jackson makes the effort to co-pen three original songs - "One Wish," "Come On Home for Christmas," and the title track.
 

Freddie Jackson - Here It Is 1994

 After several years of R&B success but no crossover hits, vocalist Freddie Jackson left Capitol for RCA late in 1993. His RCA debut has several excellent performances, but unfortunately, there's no single standout cut. There are brilliantly sung numbers, ("Come Home II U," "I Love," "My Family") but there's no track that can stand alongside "Rock Me Tonight," "Nice And Slow" or any of a half-dozen other past Jackson hits. Jackson merits pop attention more than many others with a much larger profile.

Freddie Jackson - Time For Love 1992

Freddie Jackson ended his five-album stay at Capitol ended with Time for Love, a satisfying effort that isn't much different from his previous Capitol releases. The New Yorker obviously knew what his strengths were -- smooth soul/urban contemporary music and romantic ballads -- and once again, the singer succeeds by zeroing in on them. The standout track is a poignant cover of the Gamble & Huff classic "Me and Mrs. Jones" (recorded by Billy Paul in 1971 and subsequently by the Dramatics), and Jackson also brings plenty of honest emotion to such slick yet gritty tunes as "I Could Use a Little Love Right Now," "Trouble" and "Can We Try." Though it falls short of the excellence of Rock Me Tonight and Just Like the First Time, this CD was a welcome addition to his catalog.
 

Freddie Jackson - Do Me Again 1990

This album accents Jackson's strengths; no one sings with more conviction, earnestness, and passion on love ballads, as he demonstrates repeatedly during such songs as "Love Me Down," "Do Me Again," "All Over You" (CD bonus cut), and "I'll Be Waiting for You." He has yet to record a captivating uptempo tune, but "I Can't Take It" came close. It's doubtful as to whether Jackson can overtake Vandross in the '90s, but hopefully RCA will at least put him in the race.
 

Freddie Jackson - Don't Let Love Slip Away 1988

Don't Let Love Slip Away is the third studio album by American singer Freddie Jackson. It was released by Capitol Records on July 29, 1988. The album reached number one on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and peaked at number 48 on the Billboard 200. It was eventually certified gold by the RIAA in April 1989. Its singles, "Nice 'N' Slow" and "Hey Lover", reached number one on the R&B chart.
 

Freddie Jackson - Just Like The First Time 1986

 Freddie Jackson does not lose any momentum with this album. As with his initial project (Rock Me Tonight), he is in excellent company with four Top Ten songs. The initial release, "Tasty Love," has that standard Jackson rhythm arrangement, and the melody and his vocals remain inviting to the listener. This sumptuous single seduced the Billboard R&B charts for 26 weeks, claiming the number one spot for four consecutive weeks. "Have You Have Ever Loved Somebody" is a gracefully flowing midtempo ballad, in spite of its intermittent cadence in the verse. Jackson's passionate vocal execution is an irresistible magnet to the listener. After less than 18 weeks following its release, this single held the number one position on the charts for two weeks. Slightly slower than the aforementioned, "I Don't Want to Lose Your Love" also has a intermittent cadence supported by an appealing hook line. It became a number two single after only 16 weeks. Jackson switches gears and ignites the album with the chart-buster "Jam Tonight." With a bouncy groove, an irresistible rhythm, and lyrics inciting a dancefloor craze, Jackson cruises through this finger-snapping groove. On the charts for 15 weeks, this single also rose to the number one spot. There are no album fillers here -- only quality songs.

Freddie Jackson - Rock Me Tonight 1985

Here on his debut album, Freddie Jackson enjoyed admirable chart success with each of the four singles. The initial single, "Rock Me Tonight (For Old Times Sake)," was a very rhythmic ballad with an easy-flowing chorus enhanced by some nostalgic lyrics. It hit the Billboard R&B charts in April 1985, and stayed afloat for 26 weeks. The song peaked at the number one position, and held it for six straight weeks. Jackson came right back with "You Are My Lady," a romantic and ideal wedding song whose simplicity and substance assisted in its migration to the top spot on the charts, where it had a run of two straight weeks. The third and fourth singles were the dance-oriented "He'll Never Love You (Like I Do)" and the picturesque "Love Is Just a Touch Away." While the beat is aggressive on the former, Jackson's debonair approach to the lyric keeps the song under control. Jackson gently caresses the lyric with his soothing tenor on the latter. Respectively, the songs peaked at numbers eight and nine after 17 and 14 weeks on the charts. The New York native even undertakes the jazz standard "Good Morning Heartache" with a mellow but fiery passion. Jackson's utilization of his vocal skills with much vibrato, which became a signature of his, was very well received.
 

R&B legend Freddie Jackson dies at 70

 

(October 6, 2026) This has been a sad year for soul music fans, one in which so many great artists have died. But some passings have additional weight, and feel like the end of an era. This is one of those. We are extremely sad to inform readers that R&B great Freddie Jackson has died, just three days after his 70^th birthday. Jackson had announced two years ago that he had been diagnosed with kidney disease, but it is unclear whether that was the cause of his passing.

Jackson’s family posted a heartfelt tribute on Facebook: “It is with profound sadness and heavy hearts that we share the passing of our beloved Freddie Jackson, who went home to rest last night. Freddie was more than a legendary voice. He was a kind, generous soul who loved his fans, his family, his friends, and his music with everything he had. For decades he gave us the songs that became the soundtrack to our love stories, our celebrations, and our most treasured memories. That gift will live on forever.”

It is tough to look at the emergence of adult-oriented R&B music in the 1980s without focusing on the ascent and chart dominance of Freddie Jackson. Born in New York City, Jackson began his professional career in the late 1970s, including a stint with the group Mystic Merlin, before emerging as a solo artist in spectacular fashion in 1985. His Capitol Records debut, Rock Me Tonight, became a platinum smash, led by the six-week #1 R&B title track and the equally memorable ballad “You Are My Lady.” The album immediately established Jackson as one of the premiere male vocalists of his generation.

And the hits kept coming. Jackson followed with another platinum album, Just Like the First Time, which included the chart-toppers “Tasty Love,” “Have You Ever Loved Somebody” and “Jam Tonight.” He also scored with “Hey Lover,” “Do Me Again,” “Nice and Slow,” and his wonderful duet with Melba Moore, “A Little Bit More.” In all, Jackson placed ten songs at the top of the R&B charts, becoming one of the dominant adult soul singers of the second half of the 1980s.

 

While musical styles changed in the decades that followed, Jackson continued recording and performing, releasing independent projects including Life After 30, Transitions, For You, Love Signals and, most recently, My First Love. We last wrote about him as he released the touching tribute to his mother, “Never Let Go,” three years ago.

For SoulTrackers, Freddie Jackson represented a special era when sophisticated soul ballads ruled radio, and few singers delivered them with more elegance or feeling. Songs such as “Rock Me Tonight” and “You Are My Lady” have long since moved beyond hits to become part of the soundtrack of a generation.

We send our condolences to the family, friends and millions of fans of Freddie Jackson around the world. Rest in Peace, Freddie Jackson.

Change - The Glow of Love (Bonus Tracks Edition) 2026

 

Skyy - Skyy High (The Original Studio Albums Collection)

 

Eduardo "Ed" Motta - Brazilian Boogie

Son of Luzia Motta (sister of Tim Maia) and Antonio Motta,^[2][3] Ed Motta listened to disco, soul and funk from an early age. He became a fan of rock music as a teenager.

His musical career started as vocalist of the hard rock band Kabbalah.^[4] After hearing Jeff Beck's album "Blow by Blow", he realized that the British guitarist had soul and funk influences.^[5] While still in his teens, he abandoned his studies to dedicate himself to music, and explored a fascination with soul music. He worked as a DJ and produced the fanzine "Curto Circuito",^[6] eventually meeting guitarist Luiz Fernando Comprido,^[5] with whom he formed the "Expresso Realengo", later renamed "Conexão Japeri" which recorded their first album in 1988.

In 1990 Motta departed to begin his solo career, recording his debut Um Contrato Com Deus, where he played almost all the instruments by himself. Since then he has released several solo albums. In 1997 he supplied the soundtrack to the film, Pequeno Dicionário Amoroso (The Book of Love).

In 1994, he lived in New York City for a year. There he recorded an album with American musicians that has not been released yet. He discovered the universes of classical music, which eventually reflected on his musical conception. Once opposed to Brazilian music, he discovered that foreign artists had recorded Brazilian songs, such as recordings of Francis Hime's Minha by jazz artist Bill Evans,^[8] and discovered a partnership between Brazilian Marcos Valle and American Leon Ware,^[9] famous for composing the song I Wanna Be Where You Are, recorded by Michael Jackson.

 

In 1999 he translated Phil Collins's songs for the Disney film Tarzan into Brazilian Portuguese.

His album Aystelum was nominated for the Latin Grammy Awards of 2006 in the Latin jazz category.

Motta has worked with Cassiano, Roy Ayers, 4 Hero, Seu Jorge, Eliane Elias, Incognito, Bo Diddley and Ryuichi Sakamoto among others.

His work covers a variety of genres from jazz to popular Brazilian music, rock to Hollywood film soundtracks, funk, classical music, AOR, bossa nova and reggae.

 

Melba Moore - The Fabulous Melba Moore

 Moore was born Beatrice Melba Smith on October 29, 1945, in New York City to Gertrude Melba Smith (1920–1976), who was a singer professionally known as Bonnie Davis, and Teddy Hill (1909–1978), a big band leader.^[5][6] Moore grew up in the Harlem section of New York until age nine, when her mother remarried, to jazz pianist Clement Leroy Moorman and the family relocated to Newark, New Jersey. For high school, Moore attended Newark Arts High School,^[7][8] graduating in 1958.^[9] In 1970, she graduated from Montclair State College with a BA in music.

 

In 1975, Moore signed with Buddah Records and released the critically successful R&B album Peach Melba, which included the minor hit "I Am His Lady". The following year, she scored her first significant hit with the Van McCoy-penned "This Is It",^[13] which reached the Billboard Hot 100, the top-20 position on the R&B chart,^[14] and top-10 in the UK Singles Chart, and became her biggest success in that country.^[15] "This is It" also became the number 1 disco track in the UK for that year.^{[citation needed]} Eighteen years later Australian singer Dannii Minogue covered this song, which this time made it to number 10 on the ARIA chart.

In 1976, she scored her third Grammy nomination with the R&B ballad "Lean on Me", which had been originally recorded by Vivian Reed and later by Aretha Franklin, who recorded the song as a B-side of her 1971 hit "Spanish Harlem". The song is notable for Moore's extended long note at the end. In 1983, she re-recorded the song as a tribute to McCoy, who had penned the song and had died four years earlier. Throughout the rest of the 1970s, Moore struggled to match the success of "This Is It" with minor R&B/dance hits. However, her hit 'Pick Me Up, I'll Dance' released in May 1979, produced by McFadden & Whitehead and released on Epic Records, did have considerable UK disco success, reaching UK chart position 48. She had another hit that same year, also produced by McFadden & Whitehead: a cover version of the Bee Gees' hit "You Stepped into My Life",^[13] which reached the top 20 on the R&B charts and 47 on the Billboard Hot 100.^[14]

In 1982, Moore signed with Capitol Records and reached the top 5 on the R&B charts with the dance-pop/funk single "Love's Comin' at Ya",^[14] which also hit the top 20 in the UK^[15] (on EMI America EA 146) and became a sizable hit in some European countries for its post-disco sound, followed by "Mind Up Tonight", which was another top 40 hit in the UK, reaching position number 22.^[15] A string of R&B hits followed, including 1983's "Keepin' My Lover Satisfied" and "Love Me Right", 1984's "Livin' For Your Love", 1985's "Read My Lips"—which later earned Moore a third Grammy nomination (for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance),^[13] making her just the fourth black artist after Donna Summer, Michael Jackson and Tina Turner to be nominated in the rock category—and 1985's "When You Love Me Like This".

In 1986, she scored two number 1 R&B hits, including the duet "A Little Bit More" with Freddie Jackson and "Falling".^[14] She scored other popular R&B hits including "Love the One I'm With (A Lot of Love)" and "It's Been So Long".^[14] That same year, Moore also headlined the CBS television sitcom Melba; its debut aired the same night as the Challenger explosion, and the show was abruptly cancelled, though five episodes aired that summer. Her success began to wane as the decade closed, although she managed two further Top 10 R&B hits, "Do You Really (Want My Love)" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing".^[14] Moore had a starring role in the 1990 horror film Def by Temptation.