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FUNKIEST MAN ALIVE • GIVE ME THE GREEN LIGHT • ITCH AND SCRATCH (Part 1) • TURN YOUR DAMPER DOWN • FUNKY HOT GRITS • I'M GETTING BETTER • SOPHISTICATED SISSY • FUNKY MISSISSIPPI • GIT ON UP AND DO IT • THE BREAKDOWN (Part 1) • (DO THE) PUSH AND PULL (Part 1) • DO THE FUNKY PENGUIN (Part 1) • DO THE DOUBLE BUMP • FUNKY ROBOT (Part 1) • MEMPHIS TRAIN '75 • LET THE GOOD TIMES ROLL • THE FUNKY BIRD • ROCK ME BACK aka ROCK BACK

The Funkiest Man is Ace's affectionate tribute to one of the true legends of Memphis Soul, and a man whose Stax career ran for over a decade and a half, from the label's earliest days to its closing weeks. It's not a "Singles As And Bs", nor is it a "Best Of" - other Ace/Stax releases have already taken care of business in those departments. What it is, though, is a full-on farrago of funk, with Rufus and a batch of the best musicians Memphis ever produced - I'm talking Bar-Kays, MGs, Isaac Hayes Movement and Memphis Horns here, people! - working up a full head of dancefloor steam on 18 funky sides that, beat for beat, are a match for anything and everything that others from the Golden Age Of Funk could offer in retaliation.

Shangri-la Projects are releasing volume 2 of A History of Garage & Frat Bands in Memphis, 1960-1975 on August 31st. The Memphis garage bands, of which there were literally hundreds, were understandably far more influenced by Stax, Hi, & Goldwax then the San Francisco Sound or anything else. Much of volume 2 is pretty good soul-drenched garage including the Merits, Ponees, Memphis Nomads, and Scepters. There will be a record release party at Shangri-la Records (1916 Madison in Memphis) Saturday, August 31st at 2:00 Labor Day weekend with many of these acts playing backed by the house band the Reigning Sound (Memphis' hottest band right now!).

In addition to the record release party, Memphis is rocking Labor Day weekend with Othar Turner's picnic, the Center for Southern Folklore music festival (always tops!), and the Dirtbombs (Detroit's finest!) playing Sunday night with Stax legend Eddie "the Hawg" Kirkland! Come on down & get sum! Memphis has got its groove back!

Sherman Willmott

Track listing for volume 2: The Breakers - Don't Send Me No Flowers / Ole Miss Downbeats - Geraldine / The Shades - Shady Lady / The Percussions - Your Love / The Merits - Please, Please Little Girl / The Scepters - Little Girls Were Made To Love / The Chasers - I Need Your Lovin' / The Ponees - Move It, Groove It / Tommy Burk & the Counts - Stormy Weather (they recorded also for HIP Records) / Lawson & Four More - Back For More / Ricky & The Rainbows - Going Out of My Mind / The Goodees - Condition Red (originally published as HIP HIA-8005A) / The Memphis Nomads - I Wanna Be Your Lover (originally published as Stax S-243B) / Village Sound - Sally's Got A Good Thing (originally published as HIP HIA-8003A) / Honey Jug - Warm City Baby (originally published as HIP pre 68 H-106A and post 68 HIA 8018A) / Los Angeles Smog Division - Blue Green.

Stax' pop subsidiary HIP A sides and the Memphis Nomads' Stax B side are available on CD for the first time. Orders from Shangri-La Records at www.shangri.com.

Shame On The Family Name - Calvin Scott • Cool Strut - Bernie Hayes • Soul Machine - Reggie Milner • Bump Meat - Sir Mack Rice • Got It Together (Parts 1 & 2) - Rudy Robinson & The Hungry Five • Big Leg Woman (With A Short Short Mini Skirt) - Israel "Popper Stopper" Tolbert with the C A Warren Players • Dirty Tricks - The Sweet Inspirations • How Can You Mistreat The One You Love - Katie Love • From Toys To Boys - The Emotions • Circuits Overloaded - Inez Foxx • Brand New Day - Staple Singers • Cold Blooded - The Bar Kays • Talking To The People - Black Nasty • Bump and Boogie - The Wrecking Crew • Dark Skin Woman - Sir Mack Rice • Ain't No Sin (To Have Fun) - John KaSandra • Do The Side Saddle - Rufus Thomas • Stay Away From That Monkey - Jimmy McCracklin • Crosscut Saw - Albert King • Them Hot Pants - Lee Sain • Devil In A Man - Stu Gardner

Another compilation with various post 68 tracks, all good ones but nothing new, except perhaps "Do The Side-Saddle" by Rufus Thomas which seems previously unissued.

RUFUS THOMAS INTRO
KNOCK ON WOOD EDDIE FLOYD
CALIFORNIA GIRL EDDIE FLOYD
DARK SKIN WOMAN SIR MACK RICE
I¹M AMONG FRIENDS SIR MACK RICE
INTRODUCTION TO FUNN
I LOVE MUSIC
YOU WANT MY LOVE
MASQUERADE
INTRODUCTION TO GEORGE PARKS
WAKE ME UP BEFORE YOU LEAVE
INTRODUCTION TO RUFUS THOMAS
DID YOU EVER LOVE A WOMAN
DOUBLE BUMP
ARTISTS RECOGNITION

It took years of professional tenacity to get these great artists to Main Street in Memphis, Tennessee in June 1976. Racial barriers had been torn down and STAX Records was living proof that blacks and whites could love and respect each other. Just listen close to Sir Mack Rice sing about his STAX experiences in " I'm Among Friends" , or the excitement in Eddie Floyds voice when he proclaims his appreciation for his fans support of his music. Rufus Thomas gave Sun Records it's first hit with "Bear Cat" and now he's on Main Street showing off his STAX crown jewels! When you think the party's over, Marvell Thomas and Funn knock your socks off showing their world connection to Memphis Soul. Legendary STAX writer George Parks delivers "Wake Me Up Before You Leave" giving the audience the hope of a new chapter in Memphis Music History. This is Memphis Music at it's very best!!

With Spooner Oldham, Ronnie Williams, Bobby Manuel, Steve Potts & More. Stereo. Live performance. Personnel includes: Carla Thomas (vocals); Spooner Oldham (vocals, piano); Dave Smith (vocals, bass); William Brown, Reba Russell, Dan Penn (vocals); Bobby Manuel (guitar); Jim Spake (saxophone); Scott Thompson (trumpet); Ronnie Williams (Hammond B-3 organ); Steve Potts (drums).

Recorded live at Art Village, Memphis, Tennessee on February 10, 2001. Includes liner notes by Isaac Hayes. Tracks list: 634-5784 - (featuring William Brown), B-A-B-Y, Gee Whiz, I'll Take You There, Lean On Me, Let Me Be Good To You, Little Red Rooster, Lovey Dovey, These Arms Of Mine - (featuring William Brown), When Something Is Wrong With My Baby - (featuring Carla Thomas/William Brown).

Apart from the Only The Strong Survive DVD already advertised here, Pennebaker Hegedus films are collaborating with the Criterion Collection to put together the Monterey Pop box set, including the feature film Monterey Pop and the short films, Jimi Plays Monterey and Shake: Otis Redding at Monterey along with rarely seen outtake performances. This DVD box set will feature a new Dolby 5.1 soundtrack remixed by Eddie Kramer, interviews with festival organizer Lou Adler, filmmaker D.A Pennebaker and others, multiple commentaries and more. Available Fall 2002.

If you were at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, please email them your stories for possible inclusion on the DVD.

Rythm Oil: a Journey Through the Music of the American South by Stanley Booth. Among other non Stax pages, very interesting moments, including a relation of Otis' last recording session. More details and ordering informations at this address: http://www.tenhighranch.com/sbooth.html

Jean-Yves Mougin is a french painter, specialising in oil paintings of Soul singers. He did the cover of the latest "lost" Sam Moore CD. Look at his site and find other portraits, including Otis Redding, Johnnie Taylor, etc. at www.painterofsoul.com

Legendary artists from Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding to Peter Gabriel and U2 have used the distinctive sounds of The Memphis Horns brass section to enhance some of the biggest hits of all time. Now, with ILIO Entertainments' Memphis Horns CD-ROM library, music professionals looking to dress up their tracks can have easy access to the best of Wayne Jackson and Andrew Love, who together form this multi-platinum duo.

"These two musicians may well be the most recorded brass section of all time," says Mark Hiskey of ILIO. "They've played with the best in the world, on some truly legendary records. Having their performances ready for use by music professionals brings their rare talent and extraordinary skills to an even broader audience."

The Memphis Horns library is a phrase-based brass collection of trumpet, trombone, baritone and tenor sax sounds, delivering hundreds of phrases in multiple keys and tempos. The phrases are presented in two ways: in their original, complete form; and divided into flexible short phrases. This allows users to easily integrate them in a way that best suits their needs.

The duo's work has drawn praise from top recording artists, whose biggest hits have prominently featured their horn work. "As far as I'm concerned, The Memphis Horns have been and still are the definitive soul horn section of my generation," says Billy Joel. Adds Steve Winwood, "Incredible melodic compositional skills combined with the ability to complement any music they turn their hand to have made Wayne and Andrew the legends they are now."

Written and arranged by Jackson and Love especially for this library, the performance styles included in this library range from Slow Soul to Passionate Pop to Furious Funk, representing decades of recording by the music industry's top producers, engineers and recording artists. "Their goal was to be authentic in style and flexible in usability," says Hiskey.

The Memphis Horns CD-ROM includes phrases ranging in tempo from 70 to 140 BPM, each in five harmonically related keys. Also included are chromatically multi-sampled unisons, chords in major, minor, major 7, minor 7 and chord swells. Additionally, there's a variety of unique brass effects like flutters, Harmon mutes, tone clusters, falls and rips, plus some of Love's famous solo sax work.

The CD-ROM library is priced at $299 for the multi-disc collection, and a 2-disc CD-audio set is available for $149.The library is compatible with Akai, Giga, E-mu and Roland software sample systems.