BRITS LOVE CLASSIC SOUL!

The DN Report - March 13, 2024

Mar 13, 2024

I intended to write a new post this past Sunday. After seeing the ever-consistent Jean Carn perform at The Forge club in London on Friday (March 8th), I had an inkling of the subject for this latest post, focused on the reverence and respect that certain American artists get in the UK (and beyond) often not accorded them in quite the same way in the US.

After seeing Will Downing and Maysa in concert performing to a very enthusiastic British audience on a Monday night (March 11th) - an evening not traditionally known as a favored choice for shows in London - what came into focus was what I have observed since consistently since returning to the UK in 2009. While US icons - think Lionel Richie, Diana Ross, Chic, Earth Wind & Fire, etc. - can fill very large venues in the UK, there’s a select cadre of hard-working artists who may not have the pop crossover appeal of such musical legends but who have been enjoying a steady following among British soul music lovers for decades.

It’s not a phenomenon that just began. As I was discovering the emotional pull of R&B in the late ‘60s through the mid-’70s in London - before I began my thirty-year-plus odyssey in America in 1975 - I was very much a part of the dedicated group of Brits who began to nurture their love for the brilliance of soul music purveyors by supporting live performances.

I still remember the thrill of seeing Gladys Knight & The Pips work their tight’n’soulful harmony-and-choreography at The Saville Theatre in December 1967 when one of their first Motown releases, “Take Me In Your Arms And Love Me” became a big UK pop hit; months earlier, watching Sam & Dave and Otis Redding pour impassioned Southern soul into shows at venues such as Fairfield Hall in South London; and in 1968, ‘Lady Soul’ bringing the gospel-according-to-Aretha to a secular audience at the Hammersmith Odeon so powerfully that my British mum who came with me and my sister to Aretha’s first UK performance declared, ‘She reminds me of Mahalia Jackson!’

For American concert-goers at that time - and Black American audiences in particular - Gladys & The Pips, Sam & Dave, Otis and Aretha - were intrinsically part of US culture since their music was on the radio, easily purchased in local record shops and a part of the everyday landscape, so to speak.

In fact, while Brits were being mesmerized by the melismatic riffs-and-runs of the afore-mentioned soul artists in their then-less-than-frequent forays across the ocean, Americans were in thrall of the likes of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and other British bands who in many cases were drawing on their love of R&B to create a musical blend that resulted in what was known as ‘The British Invasion’ of the pop and rock scene, circa 1964-1967.

The growing appreciation of soul music in Britain flourished in the ‘70s and casting modesty to the wind, I joyfully accept that I played a significant role as the US correspondent for Britain’s “Blues & Soul” magazine along with the publication’s founder John Abbey and later, Jeff Vashista (aka Jeff Lorez) in interviewing then-up-and-coming artists sometimes not given - at the time - the same prominence in US media. I take pride in knowing that Luther Vandross, Al Jarreau, Phyllis Hyman, Dexter Wansel, Jean Carn, Shalamar, Evelyn ‘Champagne’ King, Ashford & Simpson, Melba Moore, Gloria Gaynor, Leroy Hutson, Rufus & Chaka Khan and quite a few others got their first UK exposure in the pages of B&S as a result of inteviews I did with them during my early years as a busy on-the-ground music journalist in the US!

The response to the shows by Jean Carn, Will Downing and Maysa in this past week reflect the ongoing mutual love affair between devoted British concert-goers and the US R&B/soul artists who have made it a priority to visit the UK and Europe on a regular basis and to tailor their performances to include specific material from their recorded repertoire that is popular with UK fans.

For Jean, who is a consistent visitor to Britain, an audience sing-a-long on the 1978 track “Don’t Let It Go To Your Head” (which achieved minimal success as a single in the US when it was first released) is a sight to behold!

Often, visiting US artists are surprised at what Brits want to hear! Over the years, I’ve witnessed this on many occasions: when Ashford & Simpson performed at a Birmingham ‘Luxury Soul’ event some years ago, one of the highlights was “Top Of The Stairs,” a track from their 1977 LP “Send It” which Valerie noted they had never ever done in a show that she and Nick had to learn for the UK event! It was considered a British ‘rare groove’ track and from the moment the duo started singing it, the crowd went crazy! (Of note, the song was recorded by another duo, Collins & Collins for A&M Records in 1980 and also gained some notoriety among the UK soul fraternity).

Thank you for reading David Nathan: The British Ambassador of Soul. This post is public so feel free to share it.

When Will Downing, 'The Prince Of Sophisticated Soul’ performs in the UK (as he did on Monday), absolute pre-requisites are his vocal version of the John Coltrane classic, “A Love Supreme,” a Top 20 pop hit on the British charts in April 1988 as well as his versions of Deniece Williams’ “Free” and “Where Is The Love,” a duet with Mica Paris from 1989, both of which gained success on the UK singles listings. In the US, Will has built a solid following as a result of his over twenty albums so his UK hits are thus not part of his regular repertoire.

Because Maysa spent some years as a featured vocalist on albums and live shows with jazz-funk-groove favorites Incognito, tracks like “Deep Waters” from the popular group’s 1993 “Positivity” album are a ‘must’ in live shows she does and in London on March 11th, the crowd loved hearing this classic smooth groove tune.

It may come as a surprise for longtime US fans to learn just how beloved artists like Evelyn Champagne King, Shirley Jones (of The Jones Girls) and Sister Sledge are beyond their homeland and for those who have invested time, energy and money (since inevitably, US artists can usually command more on their home turf than in Europe), it has unquestionably paid off in terms of loyalty and appreciation from Brits.

I’m reminded with great fondness of how the late, much-missed and much-loved Marlena Shaw would come to play at Ronnie Scott’s jazz club in London once (and sometimes twice) a year, do five ‘sold out’ nights at the venue and how much she loved being loved by the audiences who adored her singing “California Soul” and “Woman Of The Ghetto.”

That soul music is universal in its appeal and is truly a transformative art form that bridges cultures is unquestionable. I know. I’m a witness to the incredible contribution of R&B and soul music creators who have provided the through line to so much of my life! Right on, right on….

Finally, a big thanks to all the recent new subscribers to ‘The British Ambassador Of Soul’ platform! I’m so grateful to each and every one of you.

Please feel free to share the newsletter and if you are so moved, it’s cool to upgrade to a monthly paid subscription for the price of a cup of coffee or tea at your favourite cafe! :-)

Stay cool and ever ultra-groovy!

David N