Daddy B. Nice’s

Southern Soul Award Nominees and Winners!

 

January 10, 2021:
Daddy B. Nice Announces the FINALISTS for the 2020 (14th Annual) SOUTHERN SOUL MUSIC AWARDS. Winners in all categories will be posted at the end of each list of finalists in the near future.

Best Debut: Finalists

Poka Jones—-“Love Thyself”

Rich Wright—-“I Been Loving You”

Leroy Germaine—-“Grown Folks Party”

Mr. Lyve—-“City Country Boo Thang”

Kinnie Ken—-“I Got The Good Good”

Calvin Taylor—-“Southern Soul Kind Of Vibe”

Benito—-“Nose Wide Open,” “Gwadamala”

Lokey Kountry—-“Goin’ Out”

Evette Busby—-“Ready For Love”

MeMe Yahsal—-“Eye Candy”

Derrick Salter—-“We Steppin'”

WestDawn—-“I Wanna Love You,” “Strong Country Man”

Arthur Young—-“Funky Forty,” “Stroking”

Pretty Kenny—-“Listen Girl”

Isaac Lindsay—-“Chokin’ Kind,” “Sho’ Wasn’t Me”

Parooze—-“Wipe Me Down”

Banky—-“Stay In Your Lane,” “Tonight Gonna Be Your Night”

King South—-“Lookin’ Good”

Stuff Music—-“2Step”

Mr. Nelson—-“Southern Soul Man”

Ms. Kida—-“Sunshine”

Cadillac Man—-“Southern Soul Woman”

Tha Party King—-“Work That”

Donyale Renee—-“Size Doesn’t Matter”

Rita Brent—-“Quarantine Shuffle,” “Can You Rock Me Like A Pothole”

Tasha Mac—-“Get It My Way,” “I Just Want To Ride”

J’Cenae—-“I’ll Be Down In A Minute”

Ju Evans—-“Tasty Girl”

Best Debut: “Funky Forty” and “Stroking” by Arthur Young

Listen to Arthur Young singing “Funky Forty” on YouTube.

 

Best Collaboration: Finalists

Terry Wright, Vick Allen—-“It’s Over”

Sir Charles Jones, Jeter Jones, King South—-“Like Voodoo”

Bigg Robb, Wendell B—-“Take It Off”

Bigg Robb, O.B. Buchana—-“Cuttin’ Up”

J-Wonn, Jeter Jones—-“Step With Me”

Arthur Young, Sassy D—-“Netflix & Chill”

Kinnie Ken, Sojo—-“I Got The Good Good”

Arthur Young, Jeter Jones—-“Flashlight”

Solomon Thompson, Lebrado—-“That Booty”

Hisyde, Avail Hollywood—-“Is It Ova?”

Dave Mack, Miss Portia—-“Bothered”

Benito, Lady Q—-“Nose Wide Open”

Johnny James, Adrena, Lady Q, Miss Portia—-“Good Thang (Remix)”

Jeter Jones, King South, Stan Butler, Rhomey Rhone, DJ Big Tony—-“Jood Wood”

J’Cenae, Wendell B—-“I’ll Be Down In A Minute”

Mr. Nelson, Sonya B—-“Southern Soul Man”

Jeter Jones, Sir Charles Jones, R&B Pooh—-“Moonshine”

Carolyn Staten, Jennifer Watts, Unkle Phunk—-“Nukie Pie”

Best Collaboration: “Nose Wide Open” by (Beat Flippa), Benito, Lady Q

Listen to Benito and Lady Q singing “Nose Wide Open” on YouTube.

 

Best Cover Song: Finalists

Jennifer Watts—-“Kiss Me Where You Miss Me”

Jeter Jones—-“Mind Playing Tricks On Me”

Towanna Murphy—-“Doing The Right Thing With The Wrong Man”

Isaac Lindsay—-“Chokin’ Kind,” “Sho Wasn’t Me”

Ms. Kida—-“Sunshine”

Rosalyn Candy—-“Funky Forty Reply”

Tiffstar Haywood—-“Juke Joint”

Toia Jones—-“No Pain No Gain”

Stephanie Luckett—-“In Love With Your Stuff”

Ricky White—-“Southern Soul Nation”

Dee Dee Simon—-“Anaconda”

Volton Wright—-“Circles”

Best Cover Song: “Mind Playing Tricks On Me” by Jeter Jones

Listen to Jeter Jones singing “Mind Playing Tricks On Me” on YouTube. 

 

Best Mid-Tempo Song: Finalists

Avail Hollywood—-“Love Train”

Arthur Young—-“Funky Forty”

Tucka—-“Won’t Disapprove”

Benito, Lady Q—-“Nose Wide Open”

Sassy D, Arthur Young—-“Netflix & Chill”

J. Red The Nephew—-“Milk”

Lokey Kountry—-“Goin’ Out”

R&B Pooh—-“Out In The Country”

Magic One—-“Nose Wide Open”

Wendell B—-“That’s What We Gone Do”

Dee Dee Simon—-“Da Fire”

Chris Ivy—-“Thick N Juicy”

Ronnie Bell—-“Go Get A Room”

David J—-“Last Few Dollars”

Vickie Baker—-“Talk In Your Sleep”

Arthur Young—-“Stroking”

Best Mid-Tempo Song: “Won’t Disapprove” by Tucka feat. Marcus Fisher

Listen to Tucka & Marcus Fisher singing “Won’t Disapprove” on YouTube.

 

Best Club Song: Finalists

Mr. David—-“Cheatin’ With The DJ”

Dr. Dee—-“Another Weekend”

Hisyde, Avail Hollywood—-“Is It Ova?”

Big Yayo—-“Get It”

Kinnie Ken, Sojo—-“I Got The Good Good”

Luster Baker—-“Southern Soul Train”

Karen Wolfe—-“Grown Folk Step”

Tha Party King—-“Work That”

Jeter Jones—-“Mind Playing Tricks On Me”

Benito—-“Gwadamala”

Carolyn Staten, Jennifer Watts, Unkle Phunk—-“Nukie Pie”

Chrissy Luvz—-“I Sing Da Blues”

Narvel Echols—-“Country Folks Party”

Best Club Song: “Nukie Pie” by Carolyn Staten, Jennifer Watts, Unkle Phunk

Listen to Carolyn Staten, Jennifer Watts & Unkle Phunk singing “Nukie Pie” on YouTube. 

 

Best Longtime Veteran: Finalists

Vickie Baker—-“Talk In Your Sleep”

Sir Charles Jones—-“Still In Love”

Lenny Williams—-“Southern Girls”

Sheba Potts-Wright—-“One Freak To Another”

Karen Wolfe—-“Grown Folks Step”

T.K. Soul—-“That’s Life”

Wilson Meadows—-“We Doin’ All Right”

Chris Ivy—-“Sad Rat”

Willie Clayton—-“Love Don’t Hurt Me”

Omar Cunningham—-“Call Me Daddy”

Gregg A. Smith—-“Party Warrior”

David Brinston—-“I’m An O.G.”

Best Longtime Veteran: “Cheatin’ With The DJ” by Mr. David

Listen to Mr. David singing “Cheatin’ With The DJ” on YouTube

 

Best Female Vocalist: Finalists

Carolyn Staten—-“Nukie Pie”

Miss Portia—-“Bothered”

Dee Dee Simon—-“I Put It On Him,”
“Da Fire”

Adrena—-“Don’t Mess With My Man”

Karen Wolfe—-“Grown Folk Step”

Summer Wolfe—-“Leave Me”

Lady Q—-“Nose Wide Open,” “Torn Between The Two”

Rosalyn Candy—-“Nobody Said It Was Going To Be Easy,” “Funky Forty Reply”

CoCo Wade—-“He Working Me”

Chrissy Luvz—-“I Sing Da Blues”

Sassy D—-“Netflix & Chill”

Sheba Potts-Wright—-“One Freak To Another”

Best Female Vocalist: “I Put It On Him” and “Da Fire” by Dee Dee Simon

Listen to Dee Dee Simon singing “I Put It On Him” on YouTube. 

 

Best Male Vocalist: Finalists

Magic One—-“Nose Wide Open”

R.T. Taylor—-“Rock With You”

Avail Hollywood—-“Love Train”

Jeter Jones—-“Mind Playing Tricks On Me”

Sir Charles Jones—-“I Don’t Understand”

Wendell B—-“Get’cha Head Right”

Hisyde—-“Is It Ova?”

Benito—-“Nose Wide Open”

T.K. Soul—-“That’s Life”

Arthur Young—-“Funky Forty”

J-Wonn—-“Yo Luv Baby”

Cadillac Man—-“Southern Soul Woman”

Narvel Echols—-“Pour Me A Drank”

Tucka—-“Won’t Disapprove”

Best Male Vocalist: “Get’cha Head Right” and “Staying In Love Ain’t Easy” by Wendell B

Listen to Wendell B singing “Get’cha Head Right” on YouTube.

 

Best Ballad: Finalists

Wendell B—-“Staying In Love Ain’t Easy”

Sir Charles Jones—-“I Don’t Understand”

Wendell B—-“Get’cha Head Right”

R.T. Taylor—-“Rock With You”

Jeter Jones—-“You Know I Miss You”

LaMorris Williams—-“Stay Here Forever”

Jeter Jones—-“Package”

Terry Wright & Vick Allen—-“It’s Over”

R.T. Taylor—-“Southern Soul”

David Brinston—-“I’m An O.G.”

J-Wonn—-“Yo Luv Baby”

Ms. Kida—-“Sunshine”

Pokey Bear—-“Reasons”

Wendell B & Bigg Robb—-“Take It Off”

Best Ballad: “I Don’t Understand” by Sir Charles Jones

Listen to Sir Charles singing “I Don’t Understand” on YouTube

 

Best Chitlin’ Circuit Blues Song: Finalists

Ricky Wayne, Luziana Wil—-“Teach My Son”

Lil’ Jimmie—-“No Drawers On”

Big Pokey Bear—-“Can You Keep A Secret?”

Narvel Echols—-“Pour Me A Drank”

John Cummings—-“Memphis Blues Brothers”

Big G—-“Keep On Rockin'”

J. Morris Group—-“Happy Weight”

J.T. Watkins—-“Nosy Neighbors”

Ronnie Bell—-“Go Get A Room”

Dr. Dee—-“Another Weekend”

Wendell B—-“Cadillac Willie

Mr. David—-“Cheatin’ With The DJ”

David J—-“Last Two Dollars”

Tyree Neal—-“Can Somebody Take Me?”

Kinnie Ken, Sojo—-“I Got The Good Good”

Arthur Young—-“Funky Forty”

Best Chitlin’ Circuit Blues Song: “Pour Me A Drank” by Narvel Echols

Listen to Narvel Echols singing “Pour Me A Drank” on YouTube.

 

Best Out-Of-Left-Field Song: Finalists

Lokey Kountry—-“Goin’ Out”

Stan Butler—-“Deeper In Your Body”

Cheff Da Entertainer—-“I’m Sorry Baby”

Uncle Wayne—-“I’m Free”

Dave Mack, Tyree Neal—-“Private Party”

Mr. David—-“Cheatin’ With The DJ”

Gwen Yvette—-“Mood Swings”

Mz. Connie—-“The Mz. Connie Cha”

Miss Portia, Ice Doll—-“Closet Freak”

Mr. Sipp—-“Played Yourself”

JL—-“Party (Casino)”

Annie Washington—-“Man Like You”

Stan Butler—-“Threesome With My Wife”

Rita Brent—-“Quarantine Shuffle”

T.K. Soul—-“That’s Life”

Best Out-Of-Left-Field Song: “That’s Life” by T.K. Soul

Listen to T.K. Soul singing “That’s Life” on YouTube.

 

Best Producer: Finalists

Beat Flippa (Daniel Ross)—-“Nose Wide Open” (Benito, Lady Q), “Is It Ova?” (Hisyde, Avail Hollywood), “My Bed” (Omar Cunningham), “We Steppin'” (Derrick Salter), “We Doin’ Alright” (Wilson Meadows), “No Drawers On” (Lil’ Jimmie)

Slack (Ronald Jefferson)—-“(Soul Brothers) Moonshine” (Jeter Jones, Sir Charles Jones, R&B Pooh), “Nose Wide Open” (Magic One), “Mind Playing Tricks On Me” (Jeter Jones), “Rock With You” (R.T. Taylor), “Get It My Way” (Tasha Mac), “Rock With You” (R.T. Taylor)

Charles Jones—-“I Don’t Understand” (Sir Charles), “Still In Love” (Sir Charles, Jeter Jones), “Just Hang Tonight” (Sir Charles, Wilson Meadows), “I Wish I” (Sir Charles)

Unkle Phunk (Earl Williams)—-“Talk In Your Sleep” (Vickie Baker), “Nukie Pie” (Carolyn Staten, Jennifer Watts), “Kiss Me Where You Miss Me” (Jennifer Watts), “Southern Soul Train” (Luster Baker)

Tony Tatum—-“Last Few Dollars” (David J), “Funky Forty” (Arthur Young), “Stroking” (Arthur Young)

Highway Heavy (Charles Lewis)—-“Bothered” (Miss Portia, Dave Mack), “Private Party Reloaded” (Jeter Jones, Dave Mack, Tyree Neal), “Mr. VIP” (Coldrank), “In My Name” (Pokey Bear, Johnny James)

John Ward—-“I’m An O.G.” (David Brinston), “Memphis Blues Brothers” (John Cummings), “One Freak To Another” (Sheba Potts-Wright), “Night Time Lovers” (Gerod Rayburn)

Best Producer: Beat Flippa

Listen to Hisyde & Avail Hollywood singing the Beat Flippa-produced “Is It Ova?” on YouTube.

 

Best CD: Finalists

Dee Dee Simon—-Da Fire

Jeter Jones—-Mufassa

R&B Pooh—-The Prince Of Trail Ride Blues

Wendell B—-Real Talk

Beat Flippa (Various Artists)—-P.O.T.Y. (Producer Of The Year)

Ju Evans—-All About Soul

Uncle Wayne—-The Birth Of Hithm & Bluez Vol. 2

King Fred—-A Taste Of Soul

Unkle Phunk (Various Artists)—-Unkle Phunk’s Juke Joint Vol. 1

Big G—-Keep On Rockin’

Sir Charles Jones, Jeter Jones—-The Jones Boyz: 2 Kings

CoCo Wade—-Get Up And Dance

Lenny Williams—-Fine

Ricky White—-Southern Soul Nation

LaMorris Williams—-Another Level

LaMorris Williams—-Unfinished Business

Gregg A. Smith—-The Real Deal

T.K. Soul—-Chocolate Jamz

T.K. Soul—-Southern Soul Royalty

Sir Charles Jones—-Intimacy

Bobby Rush—-Sitting On Top Of The Blues

Sheba Potts-Wright—-So Damn Good

Pokey Bear—-Crown Me

Tyree Neal—-I’m Missing My Baby

Nelson Curry—-It’s Time For Soul

Jaye Hammer—-Best Of Jaye Hammer

Willie Clayton—-Born To Sing

Cupid—-Capricorn

Big G—-Midnight Love

Bigg Robb—-Smooth Grown & Sexy

T.J. Hooker Taylor—-Who Is T.J. Hooker Taylor? EP

Arthur Young—-Funky Forty EP

Ronnie Bell—-365

Magic One—-The Magic Show II

Johnny James—-The Book Of Isaiah

R.T. Taylor—-The Mule Man

Itz Karma—-Karma Unleashed

Best CD: Real Talk by Wendell B

Listen to Wendell B singing “Staying In Love Ain’t Easy” from the album REAL TALK on YouTube. 

 

Congratulations to all!

 

DBN notes: A permanent listing/link in Daddy B. Nice’s Comprehensive Index to Southern Soul Music will be made on behalf of each winner. In the early years of the award I also posted all of the finalists, but in recent years I haven’t been able to keep up with the volume of data-entry required to do that. Southern Soul music has grown by leaps and bounds, and this past year (2020) has seen the greatest growth, which is why I start this year’s categories with “Best Debut,” which could have numbered one hundred. (I did get all the “Best Debut” finalists in the Comp Index last year. They deserve the recognition the most.)

December 26, 2020

Daddy B Nice’s “Year In Review”

2020: The Year In Southern Soul

One thing’s for sure. No one will soon forget 2020.

The Covid 19 pandemic hit southern soul artists where it hurt. Live concerts, their major source of income, all but disappeared in the spring and summer, even as outdoor gigs inched back towards normal in the fourth quarter. Filling the vacuum was recording on a scale never seen before in southern soul. Hundreds of new artists migrated to the genre from mainstream R&B and hiphop, while hundreds of veterans recorded albums and singles. Representing the former (not to mention the low cost of living in the South) was Arthur Young’s popular debut single and EP “Funky Forty,” while veteran Wendell B’s hit-laden REAL TALK dominated the solo LP’s for much of the year with songs like “Beautiful,” “Get’cha Head Right,” “Staying In Love Ain’t Easy,” “Still Learning Bout Love” and “Cadillac Willie”.

May, not April, was the “cruelest” month. Little Richard entered Soul Heaven May 9th, followed by Betty (“Clean Up Woman”) Wright on May 10th.

Gerald Robinson, aka Larome Powers,followed on June 17th in Dallas. As a songwriter in the Johnnie Taylor/producer Don Davis constellation, Robinson penned over one hundred BMI-registered songs, including Jesse James’ classic “I Can Do Bad By Myself”. As a vocalist, Larome Powers recorded notable singles “Shake and Shimmy” and “Knocking” for Malaco-affiliated Waldoxy Records. He was 67.

Singer Bobby Jonz (aka Bobby Jones), who recorded everything from southern soul to country music, passed away July 21st in Las Vegas from complications brought on by the Covid-19 virus. He was 84. A powerfully robust vocalist, Jonz was a member of a stratum of singers one could best call interpreters. In recent years he had fronted a blues band that played the casinos.

Finally, Roy C. (aka Roy Hammond), the godfather of Carolinas’ southern soul and an inspiration to artists as diverse as Hardway Connection, Big G and the Carolina beach music circuit, died in his home in Allendale, South Carolina on September 16th. Roy C’s solo career roughly approximated the span of Johnnie Taylor and Bobby “Blue” Bland, but with one glaring difference. His extensive and widely-admired catalog of recordings never made it beyond the Carolinas to the greater chitlin’ circuit, much less a national audience.

While Little Richard acquired great fame and fortune and Betty Wright achieved a short-lived celebrity, the trio of Jonz, Powers and Hammond were the quintessential toilers through southern soul’s darkest, most obscure period—the chitlin’ circuit circa the late eighties, nineties and early aughts—sustaining the culture that would become 21st-century southern soul. And what a scene it had become in 2020.

In the early days of rock and roll, the Lovin’ Spoonful asked, “Do you believe in the magic of rock and roll?” The artists were so infatuated with rock and roll (already a decade in the making) they reveled in its distinctiveness. And it was like that for southern soul in 2020. Southern soul came in for much love, and the “haters” were sent scurrying back into their cubbyholes. Everybody, it seemed, was recording songs in and about “southern soul”.

“Ain’t no woman/Like a southern soul woman,” sang Cadillac Man in “Southern Soul Woman”.

“I’m a southern soul girl/I need a southern soul man,” sang Sonya B to Mr. Nelson in “Southern Soul Man”.

“We’re stepping out to the southern soul,” T.K. Soul sang in “Bout To Go Stepping”.

“I represent southern soul all day/And until the day I die,” King Fred sang in “Different From The Rest”.

Mr. David may have said it best in “Cheatin’ With The DJ”. 

“I took my woman to the hole in the wall,
To listen to some soul and blues,
Because hiphop is cool every once in awhile,
But southern soul is what we choose.

That old deejay was spinning
And people were dancing,
And no one sat down in a chair.
They played Sir Charles Jones,
Then they played T.K. Soul,
Put on some Tucka and Big Pokey Bear.”

And like any other genre riding the headwinds of wider popularity, southern soul added a new meme to its celebrated list: “my sidepiece,” “sugar shack,” “twerk,” “hole in the wall,” “rocking the boat,” “stand up in it,” etc. The new term was “Nose Wide Open.” (Imagine a bull’s flaring nostrils). It meant to be totally “smitten” by a loved one. The new meme figured in not one but two popular singles in 2020.

In the Slack-produced song, Magic One sang, “You got my nose wide open/I think you know it/You can have anything you want from me/I can’t control it.”

And in the Beat Flippa-produced song, Benito sang, “You got my nose wide open/I never felt like this before/You got my nose wide open/I can’t take this shit no more.”

To which Lady Q responded: “Now you say/That I got your nose wide open/But you got mine wide open too/And you know we can work this thing out/Don’t throw it away.”

Both heralded Louisiana producers were extremely busy in 2020, Slack with well-received albums by Jeter Jones and a bevy of aspiring new singers, Beat Flippa with Pokey Bear and Flippa’s own twenty-seven-track (count’em) compilation, P.O.T.Y (Producer Of The Year), a strong contender for album-of-the-year honors. Producers Ron G, John Ward and Unkle Phunk (with a new sampler announcing his bid for recognition) were also in the mix.

The “Black Lives Matter” movement coursed through the southern soul community as the debate over historic racial inequities raged across America. Dozens of singles on the topic overwhelmed radio and internet deejays. Charles Evers, the brother of civil rights martyr Medgar Evers and the “godfather” of Deep South, southern-soul, radio-station owners, passed away, but WMPR Jackson, Mississippi soldiered on under the guidance of his daughter Wanda, playing southern soul music on a daily basis. Meanwhile, CD Baby, the eponymous indie music seller (and southern soul artists’ longtime go-to choice for distribution) closed its doors.

Jeter Jones continued his torrid recording pace, publishing no less than two full-length albums and too many collaborative singles to list, one of the best (“Flashlight”) with the aforementioned young gun Arthur Young. The DBN 5-star-rated MUFASSA collection boasted a superb, southern soul remake of a rap single, “Mind Playing Tricks On Me”. And one of the biggest and most pleasant of the surprises of 2020 was Jeter Jones teaming up with Sir Charles Jones (no relation) on the album THE JONES BOYZ: 2 KINGS.

On the CD Sir Charles was represented with the third recorded version of “Moonshine,” formerly called “Soul Brothers Moonshine” on P2K DaDiddy’s WELCOME TO THE BOOM BOOM ROOM and Jeter Jones’ MUFASSA albums, making it the “King’s” most high-profile release of the last three years. Jones also released a purely romantic solo album called INTIMACY and a strong new ballad, “I Don’t Understand”.

Other artists recording two albums in 2020 were T.K. Soul (one new, one retrospective) and LaMorris Williams. Onetime musical partners Big Yayo (mentor) and J-Wonn (student) continued going their separate ways, each growing in professional stature. Tucka impressed with a tuneful new single, “Won’t Disapprove,” while Avail Hollywood published a powerful new album and guested on Hisyde’s #1 single “Is It Ova?,” from the Beat Flippa POTY sampler. Lil’ Jimmie was featured on the same compilation with a single called “No Drawers On”. The only problem was the “drawers” being mis-spelled as “Drawls” in the track credits, meaning no slow-and-lazy, country-western speech.

Just as the pandemic was first hitting America’s shores. Pokey Bear held court at the most grandiose birthday extravaganza ever seen in southern soul. His new album CROWN ME arrived later in the year, and a new single, “Excuse Me,” was slated for a DBN #1 Single spot to begin the new year. Most importantly, Daddy B. Nice made official what everyone knew in their hearts was right in proclaiming Pokey the #1 recording artist in southern soulon his new Top 100: The New Generation.

Bigg Robb released a new album and connected with Wendell B on a powerful collaboration called “Take It Off”. Longtime veteran Lenny Williams reappeared with a new single, as did old pro Willie Clayton with “Love Don’t Hurt Me”. Bobby Rush was featured on the soundtrack of a neo-black-exploitation flick, THE DOLOMITE KID. Terry Wright and Vick Allen got together on a Wright-style ballad of regret, “It’s Over,” and Omar Cunningham told fans to “Call Me Daddy”. Shirley Brown, Latimore, William Bell and Steve Perry of “Booty Roll” fame were among the artists conspicuously AWOL.

John Cummings’ “Memphis Blues Brothers” catalogued the musicians populating the Memphis scene. Johnnie Taylor-sired TJ Hooker Taylor put out his most definitive album to date. Narvel Echols recorded the brand-defining album of his career, headlined by a scorching blues, “Pour Me A Drank”. Ronnie Bell finally got “Shipping Cost” on an album, and Johnny James and Stan Butler were unlikely but ever-present purveyors of new material.

Southern Soul’s trio of leading ladies—Nellie “Tiger” Travis, Ms. Jody and Karen Wolfe—released no new albums and only a few singles in 2020, but veteran Vickie Baker dropped a new single and Sheba Potts-Wright returned with a 5-star-rated album. Up-and-coming divas including Crystal Parker, Carolyn Staten, Adrena, Dee Dee Simon, Ms. Portia and Rosalyn Candy worked hard to narrow the gap between the “pack” and the “peak”. Meanwhile, Lady Q, Shell-B, Annie Washington, Lady Trucker and Tasha Mac held down the “big woman” niche.

Near the end of the year, the ladies of southern soul (inspired by Dee Dee Simon) came through for the holidays with The Queens For Life Virtual Christmas, featuring Nellie “Tiger” Travis, Karen Wolfe Bass, Dee Dee Simon, Lady Q, Queen of Soul, Crystal Thomas, Jesi Terrell, Krishunda Echols, Zelda Tomas, Tiffany “Ms Tip” The Singer and Mz Pat. And last but not least, the late Denise LaSalle (2019) was commemorated in a new autobiography, ALWAYS THE QUEEN, co-written by David Whiteis and published by the University of Illinois Press.

–Daddy B. Nice

January 3, 2021

Top 25 Southern Soul Songs of 2020

 

1. “Cheatin’ With The DeeJay”——Mr. David

 

2. “Staying In Love Ain’t Easy”——Wendell B

 

3. “Funky Forty”——Arthur Young

 

4. “Won’t Disapprove”—–Tucka, Marcus Fisher

 

5. “Pour Me A Drank”—–Narvel Echols

 

6. “Mind Playing Tricks On Me”——Jeter Jones

 

7. “I Don’t Understand”——Sir Charles Jones

 

8. “Get’cha Head Right”——Wendell B

 

9. “Nukie Pie”—–Carolyn Staten, Jennifer Watts, Unkle Phunk

 

10. “Love Train (Black Locomotive)”—–Avail Hollywood

 

11. “Is It Ova?”—–Hisyde, Avail Hollywood, Beat Flippa

 

12. “Nose Wide Open”——Benito (Teddy Bear), Lady Q, Beat Flippa

 

13. “I Put It On Him”——Dee Dee Simon

 

14. “Nose Wide Open”——-Magic One

 

15. “Rock With You”——R.T. Taylor

 

16. “That’s Life”——T.K. Soul

 

17. “Last Few Dollars”——David J, Tony Tatum

 

18. “Goin’ Out”——Lokey Kountry

 

19. “Can Somebody Take Me?”—–Tyree Neal, Omar Cunningham

 

20. “I’ll Be Down In A Minute”——J’Cenae, Wendell B

 

21. “One Freak To Another”——Sheba Potts-Wright

 

22. “I Got That Good Good”——Kinnie Ken, Sojo

 

23. “Memphis Blues Brothers”—–John Cummings

 

24. “Da Fire”—–Dee Dee Simon

 

25. “Touch Me”——J-Wonn

 

—Daddy B Nice



 

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