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Mike and Malcolm’s Gospel and Blues Show
Alternate Sundays
Tune-in for a soul stirring experience, and don’t be surprised if you hear something unexpected!
Malcom: I grew up in the 60s and as a child I fell in love with the American Jazz and Soul music I heard on the radio, by artists such as Sam Cooke, Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. Later, my tastes broadened to also include most other types of black music, including Blues, Gospel, R&B, West Indian, African and Latin. These categories can be useful labels, but much black music does not neatly fit any one category, as many of us well know.
I have spent much of my adult life spreading the joys of the music as an enthusiast, occasional writer, and regular DJ. At their best, the rhythms, vocals and melodies of black music are unsurpassed for sheer beauty and deep emotional effect.
On our show, Mike and I are mainly playing top quality American music with a Gospel, Blues and Soul flavour, drawn from the golden eras.
Mike: My interest in black music began in the early sixties when I heard for the first time artists such as Ray Charles, James Brown, Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson, and the groundbreaking music emanating from Detroit and Memphis. By 1965 I was playing piano in an Ipswich based R & B outfit, the Sullivan James Band, whose gigs included a couple at the infamous Orford Cellar in Norwich. Performing the music myself made me appreciate not only the extraordinary vocal prowess of the artists, but also the high level of musicianship involved.
As my interest grew I began tracing the history of what was then being labelled as “soul” music, and found that the one common denominator was invariably the black church. There then followed a seemingly endless but rewarding voyage of discovery, which over the years has revealed a wealth of fine music and talented singers both in the gospel and secular field. It is examples of this music that Malcolm and I will be playing in our fortnightly Sunday morning show. Hope you’ll be able to join us and share in our enthusiasm.
Hear Mike and Malcolm’s Gospel and Blues Show at the following times on Future Radio:
| Mike and Malcolm’s Gospel and Blues Show / Hillbilly Hoedown | Sunday | 09.00-11.00 |