Errol Dunkley "Black Cinderella" for 13thStreetPromotions.com

OLDIES SUNDAY: Errol Dunkley – Black Cinderella (1972)


Today’s Oldies Sunday selection comes from Reggae Musician, Errol Dunkley. Titled “Black Cinderella“, this was produced by Jimmy Rodway for Fe Me Time Records in 1972. Errol considered it a tribute to hard working black women, but it sounded more like a love song than the aforementioned idea. The creation for this came about when Jimmy introduced Errol to one of his poems of the same name. After some adjustments, Errol recorded the single and it immediately became a hit in a time of Black Empowerment.

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Harry J Allstars "Liquidator"

OLDIES SUNDAY: The Harry J Allstars – The Liquidator (1969)


Today’s Oldies Sunday selection comes from The Harry J Allstars, lead by the late Producer, Harry Johnson a.k.a. Harry J. Titled “The Liquidator“, this was an instrumental created in 1969 for Harry J Records. The people involved in the creation along with Harry included Winston Wright (Organs), Aston Barrett (Bass), and Carlton Barrett (Percussion). It was said the Instrumental was originally made for Singer Tony Scott’sWhat Am I To Do” minus a few elements. It was recorded but Harry Johnson bought the rights to the song, licensed it to Trojan Records with credit to The Harry J Allstars and added more instrumentals.

The Liquidator” became a huge success where on October 1969, it peaked at #9 on the UK Singles Chart and in 1980 it peaked at #42. The Instrumental was also became one of the anthems for the emerging “SkinHead” youth subculture. The Bass line for “The Liquidator” was later sampled by American Producer Al Bell, which was used for the massive “I’ll Take You There” single performed by The Staple Singers in 1972. It has since been sampled by Chubb Rock, Dennis AlCapone, Bassomatic and others while it was covered by “ErnieRanglin, Val Bennett, Keith Levene and others. “The Liquidator” is also used by popular Football teams Chelsea, West Bromwich Albion, and Wolverhampton Wanderers to name a few. Chelsea is one of the teams to have claimed first usage of the Instrumental and is played in tribute to the winners of the UEFA Champions League.

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OLDIES SUNDAY: Boris Gardiner – Every N***** Is A Star (1973)


Today’s Oldies Sunday selection comes from a great singer, Boris Gardiner. Titled “Every Nigger Is A Star” and produced by Leal Records in 1973, this was created in the era of Blaxploitation Films and strong Black Pride. Boris created this song as an effort to bring a positive tone to the word “Nigger” the same way Hip Hop music has been doing today in various songs. Boris also sang about loneliness, reflecting on Africa, and acceptance and recognition of the black man. The song was featured on the soundtrack that he and his brother Barrington were contracted to make for the movie of the same name. The movie was made also in an effort to bring a change to the word, but turned out to be a huge flop in Theaters.

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OLDIES SUNDAY: @ItsTheTifa – Bottom Of The Barrel (2008)


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Today’s Oldies Sunday selection comes from one of Dancehall’s leading ladies, Tifa. Titled “Bottom Of The Barrel” which was produced by Ward 21 and released in 2008, we hear Tifa portraying herself as being superior to many other females out there. She speaks about women who do not take care of themselves and get caught up in many careless situations and shouts out all the women who keep themselves on point at all times and stay out of distasteful situations. “Bottom Of The Barrel” was Tifa’s first top ten hit in 2008 and became a favourite for many listeners. Since then she has made her way to be hailed as one of Dancehall’s elite artists belting out hit after hit ranging from “Hot Gal” anthems, R&B singles to even songs where she showcased how lyrical she can be. She was also a part of the female trio, “TNT” with Ward 21 label mates Natalie Storm and Timberlee which produced a mixtape titled “TNT – Three The Hard Way” in the same year.

Today, Tifa is currently signed to North America based Island Kings Records, the face of “Sound Is Genius” where she has released a line of Headphones, a Digicel Jamaica Brand Ambassador and is still a sought out artist. With “Bottom Of The Barrel” added to the list of her most loved singles, she still has many more hits to add to it.

Thank You Tifa for this song!

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OLDIES SUNDAY: John Holt @ @SunSplash_ES 2013


JH

With the news of the passing of Reggae Icon John Holt, 13th Street Promotions today honours his life and work by showcasing one of his final concert performances. Joined by Lloyd Parkes and We The People band and introduced by Sophia Brown, viewers will be treated to over an hour of John Holt reeling through his many hits at the 2013 staging of Rototom Sunsplash in Spain. With a career spanning over 50 years, John Holt started out a member of group, “The Paragons” before finding great acclaim as a solo artist. With over 40 albums to his name, Holt paved the way for many Reggae artists and was a top act at many concerts. He has been sampled by Kanye West (Jay-Z’s “Encore”), Supa Dups (Collie Buddz’s “Blind To You”), Lily Allen (Friend Of Mine) and covered by the likes of Blondie, UB40, U-Roy and many more. As said recently by Reggae Singer Bob Andy, “He lived a full life!“. Walk good John Holt! Check out the video below and share your thoughts in the comments section.

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OLDIES SUNDAY: @GraceJones – Pull Up To The Bumper (1981)


Today’s Oldies Sunday entry comes from Model/Singer/Actress, Grace Jones. Titled “Pull Up To The Bumper” and produced by Chris Blackwell and Alex Sadkin for Island Records in 1981, Grace’s lyrics were depicted to have sexual connotations and of course sparked some controversy at that time. With lyrics like “Pull up to my bumper baby, with your long black limousine..“, various media outlets refused to play it. It was revealed years later that the lyrics were not meant to have a sexual theme.

Pull Up To The Bumper” was the third single off her fifth album, Nightclubbing, which was released in 1981. With her “New Wave” style of music that incorporated a fusion of uptempo Funk and R&B, the single became a hit. The song charted high in many countries and peaked at #2 on the US Hot Dance Club Songs chart. With its success, “Pull Up” was remixed many times and was covered by Dancehall artist Patra (Lady Patra) in 1995. Over the years it has been covered by other acts and even sampled on Hip Hop singles by Spice 1, Coolio and more. With her talents as a Model, Actress and Singer, Grace Jones went on to be a household name and a huge influence to many in the entertainment world boasting many more hits along the way.

Thank You Grace Jones for this timeless gem.

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