vendredi 5 décembre 2025
jeudi 4 décembre 2025
Judy Cheeks – Judy Cheeks (1973)
The daughter of soul singer Julius Cheeks, Judy Cheeks covered territory similar to her father -- as well as her godfather, Sam Cooke -- but with the spin of '90s house/club music as a backing instead of sweet soul music. An infrequent recording artist during the 1970s and '80s, Cheeks kept her schedule filled as a studio vocalist but later gained exposure on the Euro-dance charts with several early-'90s singles, including "So in Love (The Real Deal)." Her first album of the '90s, Respect, included several of her earlier singles and featured production from Brothers in Rhythm, Roger Sanchez, and Love to Infinity. Cheeks died on November 26, 2025, at the age of 71.
mardi 2 décembre 2025
Soul and Dance music star Judy Cheeks dies at 71
(November 30, 2025) Judy Cheeks brought fire to the dance floor for over four decades, winning over fans around the world for both her talent and her versatility. We’re sad to report Ms. Cheeks has died at age 71.
Cheeks’ musical journey started long before the clubs. Born in Miami on February 13, 1954, she was the daughter of gospel great Rev. Julius Cheeks. She stepped into the spotlight in 1973 with a debut album produced by Ike & Tina Turner. A tour with the Turners followed, where she even performed as an Ikette.
By the late ‘70s, Cheeks had relocated to Germany and found international success with Mellow Lovin’, a disco classic that shot up the dance charts. She continued honing her craft as a songwriter, penning tracks for Motown and lending her powerhouse vocals to legends like Donna Summer, Stevie Wonder, and Thelma Houston.
The ‘90s brought a resurgence for Cheeks, as she scored big on the dance scene with chart-topping club anthems like “Respect” and “As Long As You’re Good to Me.” Her album Respect cemented her status as a dance star, and she kept the energy high with later releases like True Love Is Free (2013), Danger Zone (2018), and A Deeper Love (2019).
Cheeks remained a force well into the 2020s, collaborating with POSE in 2023 and dropping Be Happy in 2024. Whether in the studio, on stage, or through her writing, Judy Cheeks inspired both fans and other performers with a talent as rich as her legacy.
Words and Music 1983
Words and Music is the twelfth and to date final album by American soul/R&B group Tavares, released by RCA Records in 1983. The album contains a top 10 R&B single in "Deeper in Love". The single, "Words and Music", peaked at #29 on the R&B chart.
New Directions 1982
New Directions is the eleventh album by American soul/R&B group Tavares, released in 1982. It is the group's first album for RCA Records following their departure from Capitol. Lead single "A Penny for Your Thoughts" peaked at #16 on the R&B chart and #33 on the Billboard Hot 100, the group's highest placing on that chart since 1977, and which would turn out to be their last single to register there. The track was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1982. New Directions reached #30 on the R&B albums chart.
Loveline 1981
Loveline is the tenth album by the American soul/R&B group Tavares, produced by Alan Abrahams and released in 1981 on the Capitol label. It is the last album that Tavares recorded for Capitol after a nine-year association which covered their whole recording career to that date. The group moved to RCA for their last two albums.
Loveline is Tavares' second successive album to fail to register on either the pop or the R&B top 100.
The incipit of the song Loveline is very similar to the Alton McClain and Destiny's 1979 hit "It Must Be Love".
Love Uprising 1980
Love Uprising is an album by the American soul/R&B group Tavares.[4][3] It was produced by Benjamin Wright and released in 1980 on Capitol Records.[1][5] Love Uprising at the time was Tavares' least successful album, their first to fail to register on either the pop or the R&B top 100.
Supercharged 1980
Supercharged is the eighth album by the American soul/R&B group Tavares.[2] It was produced by David Foster, Benjamin Wright and Bobby Colomby, and released in 1980 on Capitol Records.[1] Supercharged is similar in style to the group's previous album Madam Butterfly, although not as highly regarded at its predecessor. Lead single "Bad Times" reached the R&B top 10 and #47 on the pop chart, the group's first showing on that chart since "More Than a Woman" in 1977. Supercharged made #20 on the R&B chart and #75 on the pop chart.
Madam Butterfly 1979
Madam Butterfly is the seventh album by the American soul/R&B group Tavares, released in 1979 on Capitol Records.
By this stage in the group's career, they had become known as a disco act due to successful singles such as "Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel", "Whodunit" and "More Than a Woman." However, Madam Butterfly is noted for its lack of anything approaching disco material, and, as such, is considered to be more akin in style to the group's 1973-'75 albums than to their '76-'78 Freddie Perren-produced output.
"Never Had a Love Like This Before", one of several slow jams on the album, became a top 5 R&B hit and has subsequently become a quiet storm radio classic, while tracks such as "I'm Back for More" are more funk-based than listeners had come to expect from Tavares. The title track Madam Butterfly received considerable airplay on R&B radio stations, and became a hit, but was not released as a single by Capitol. The album performed respectably on the R&B chart, peaking at #13, but failed to achieve substantial sales in the crossover market. Its reputation has grown over the years and it is now considered among the group's best.
Future Bound 1978
Future Bound is the sixth studio album by American soul/R&B group Tavares, released in 1978 on the Capitol label.
The album peaked at No. 55 on the R&B albums chart. It also reached No. 115 on the Billboard 200. The album features the singles "More Than a Woman", which peaked at No. 36 on the Hot Soul Singles chart and No. 32 on the Billboard Hot 100, "The Ghost of Love", which peaked at No. 48 on the Hot Soul Singles chart, and "Timber", which reached No. 94 on the Hot Soul Singles chart.
Love Storm 1977
Love Storm is the fifth studio album by American soul/R&B group Tavares, released in 1977 on the Capitol label.
The album peaked at No. 15 on the R&B albums chart. It also reached No. 59 on the Billboard 200. The album features the singles "Whodunit", which peaked at No. 1 on the Hot Soul Singles chart and No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Goodnight My Love", which reached No. 14 on the Hot Soul Singles chart.
Sky High! 1976
Sky High! is the fourth studio album by the American soul/R&B group Tavares, released in 1976 on the Capitol label.
Sky High! peaked at no. 20 on the R&B albums chart and no. 24 on the Billboard 200. The album features the singles "Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel", reaching no. 3 on the Hot Soul Singles chart and no. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Don't Take Away the Music", that charted at no. 14 on the Hot Soul Singles chart and no. 34 on the Billboard Hot 100. Both songs reached no. 1 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. As of 2025, "Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel", has 443.9K videos on popular short-form video content social media app, TikTok[
In the City 1975
In the City is the third studio album by American soul/R&B group Tavares, released in 1975 on the Capitol label.
The album peaked at No. 8 on the R&B albums chart. It also reached No. 26 on the Billboard 200. The album features the singles "It Only Takes a Minute", which peaked at No. 1 on the Hot Soul Singles chart and No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, The Edgar Winter Group's "Free Ride", which charted at No. 8 on the Hot Soul Singles chart and No. 52 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "The Love I Never Had", which reached No. 11 on the Hot Soul Singles chart.
Hard Core Poetry 1974
Hard Core Poetry is the second studio album by American soul/R&B group Tavares, released in 1974 on the Capitol label.
The album peaked at No. 12 on the R&B albums chart. It also reached No. 68 on the Billboard 200. The album features the singles "Too Late", which peaked at No. 10 on the Hot Soul Singles chart and No. 59 on the Billboard Hot 100, Hall & Oates' "She's Gone", which charted at No. 1 on the Hot Soul Singles chart and No. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Remember What I Told You to Forget", which reached No. 4 on the Hot Soul Singles chart and No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Check It Out 1974
Check It Out is the debut studio album by American soul/R&B group Tavares, released in 1974 on the Capitol label.
The album peaked at No. 20 on the R&B albums chart. It also reached No. 160 on the Billboard 200. The album features the title track, which peaked at No. 5 on the Hot Soul Singles chart and No. 35 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "That's the Sound That Lonely Makes", which reached No. 10 on the Hot Soul Singles chart and No. 70 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Legendary Tavares lead singer, Chubby Tavares, dies at age 80
Every soul music death hurts, but this one has a special sting to us at SoulTracks. The Tavares family posted on social media the sad news today of the passing of Antone “Chubby” Tavares, lead singer of the vocal group Tavares:
It is with great sadness that we share news of our Dad Antone “Chubby”Tavares passing. He passed last night at home in peace & comfort. Within the past year his health has declined but, his spirit and attitude always remained positive. Dad and his brothers touched many people and brought Joy worldwide. They were Blessed to experience many places and things. A Celebration Of Life to honor him will be held at a later date. The Family appreciates your prayers during this difficult time.
Tavares was the first act we ever profiled on SoulTracks, in large part because of my personal affection for the group. I first interviewed Chubby when I was an 18 year old freshman writing for a college newspaper, and had the chance to speak with him several times over the years. He was always both kind and humble about his accomplishments, and those accomplishments are many. The five brothers from New Bedford, Massachusetts – Ralph, Tiny, Chubby, Butch and Pooch – created some the most consistently high quality soul and dance music of the 70s and early 80s.
Originally called “Chubby and the Turnpikes,” the Tavares brothers spent the late ’60s and early ’70s in their native New England covering tunes of R&B greats at various clubs, while trying to land a record deal. They finally scored a contract with Capitol Records’ then-new black music division and released the single “Check It Out” in 1973. It soared to the top 10 on the R&B charts and became the group’s first top 40 pop hit. What came after that was a string of hits that led Blues & Soul magazine in 1976 to label Tavares “The Next Supergroup.”
“It Only Takes A Minute,” “Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel,” “She’s Gone,” “Never Had A Love Like This Before” and many, many more memorable cuts established the Tavares Brothers as 1970s R&B music royalty, even allowing them to survive the mixed blessing of having their version of “More Than A Woman” as part of the Grammy Award winning soundtrack for Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. That participation gave the group its greatest exposure ever but brought with it a label that Tavares would spend years trying to shake – that of “Disco Group.” In that decade that highlighted so many groups, from the last Detroit days of Motown to the arrival of hot sounds in Philadelphia and Los Angeles — the Tavares brothers proved themselves to be among the most versatile and talented, and time has been kind to their enviable legacy.
After the group’s last major label release, 1983’s Words and Music, brother Ralph Tavares retired, and Tavares became principally a touring group, often performing in multi-artist shows with other 70s R&B and dance acts. Chubby also made a stir as a solo artist, with a series of albums in the last decade working with legendary producer Preston Glass. He continued to perform with his brothers until early 2023, when Chubby announced his retirement to focus on his health and his family.
The death of Chubby Tavares is a sad coda for our long relationship with one of SoulTracks’ favorite singers, even as we marvel at more than five decades of incredible music memories he created. Rest in peace, Chubby.
lundi 1 décembre 2025
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