Happy birthday to singer/dancer/actress Mayte Garcia. Prince fans of course know Mayte both from her backing vocals on many of Prince’s early to late 90s songs and from her dance moves on stage with Prince. Prince and Mayte were husband and wife during this period as well. What’s Mayte doing these days? Check out her website for photos and Mayte news! Have a great day Mayte!
Here’s something to talk about. The legendary singer Bonnie Raitt is 62 years old today. I’ll bet you didn’t know that in the mid-1980s, Bonnie Raitt recorded some music with Prince. The songs and album have never seen the light of day, but I’ve heard a few samples, confirming that the sessions actually did take place. The strange thing about the songs is that Prince was able to take Bonnie Raitt’s distinctive voice and backed with his funky music, he made her sound like one of his protégés. We can only hope that one day the songs will see a release, but I would not hold my breath, just in case.
People still laugh about my one-on-one encounter with the legendary singer Joni Mitchell, so in honor of her birthday, here’s the story. Joni was attending a birthday party for another icon, Milton Berle, during the 1990s and when I spoke with her, I had the chance to ask her any question. Did I speak to her about her legendary songs such as “Big Yellow Taxi,” “A Case of You” or “Help Me”? Nope! Instead, I asked her about a unreleased song penned by Prince that he wrote for her. The song is called “Emotional Pump.” I asked if it was ever recorded and Joni told me, “I love Prince, but frankly I am too old to run around on stage in lingerie.” I am taking that to mean “no, the song was not recorded.” Happy birthday Joni!
FDeluxe: Jellybean Johnson, Eric Leeds, Susannah Melvoin, St. Paul Peterson
October 29, 2011 was a day that funkateers in New York have been looking forward to for a very long time. Fdeluxe played their debut show in New York at Joe’s Pub to a sold out crowd and they brought the funk! In the mid-1980s, Prince formed a side project called The Family and they were the first band signed to his Paisley Park label. Their self-titled debut album is one of the funkiest albums to come out of the 1980s with songs like “The Screams of Passion,” “High Fashion,” “Mutiny” and the original version of “Nothing Compares 2 U.” The band recently reunited after 25 years apart and re-christened themselves Fdeluxe after Prince dickishly threatened legal action if the band kept their original name. Under any name, St. Paul Peterson, Susannah Melvoin, Eric Leeds and Jellybean Johnson put the “F” in “funk” in New York.
St. Paul Peterson
The band recently released “Gaslight,” their first album in 25 years and they played many tracks off the album tonight including the ultra funky “@ 8,” the title song, “Leeds Line,” highlighting the talents of one of the best saxophone players of all time, Eric Leeds, as well as the lush “Over the Canyon.” The audience couldn’t have been happier in spite of a rare October snow storm in Manhattan making the commute to Joe’s Pub an unexpected weather adventure. Getting to hear live versions of songs like “Desire” and “High Fashion” and “Mutiny” literally made my mouth hurt from smiling so big. Those are songs I know inside and out and even if the rest of the world wasn’t hip to the funk, The Family (and now FDeluxe) have given my life endless hours of listening pleasure.
Susannah Melvoin
After every song, there was thunderous applause and it’s clear that New York does not want another 25 years to pass before FDeluxe plays for us again. Before the night was over, Jellybean Johnson played bass as well as the drums, St. Paul Peterson played keyboards as well as the bass and Susannah shook her money maker and turned the funkin’ crowd out! Eric Leeds had many great solos and I watched in awe as he destroyed us with his amazing saxophone playing.
Eric Leeds
Video from the show will be coming soon and perhaps in the comments section, you can let me know whether you’d like to see “High Fashion/Mutiny,” “The Screams of Passion” or “Nothing Compares 2 U.” Viewer’s choice! I can’t thank FDeluxe enough for such a great night and it will be one that I don’t forget any time soon!
I’m giving you fair warning: Penguin Prison is a group you are going to be hearing a lot about in the coming years. The band, whose music can be described as an electro hybrid of Prince and Michael Jackson, is the brainchild of New York’s Chris Glover. In under 2 years, Chris Glover has remixed artists as from Kylie Minogue to Jamiroquai and he’s about to release his debut album in the US on October 18, 2011. The album will be released in the UK & Ireland, most of Europe (aside from France, Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg), and Australia on September 5, 2011! There’ll also be an exclusive, limited edition HMV double CD, plus exclusive bonus content with the album download from iTunes and Amazon. Penguin Prison is notorious for giving their fans free remixes, so you should definitely stay connected to them on Facebook or Twitter. Before you read an interview I conducted with lead singer Chris Glover, get to know their music with their latest single, the infectious “Fair Warning.”
Be the First to Comment 
