Tag Archives: Hi Records

BACKBEATS: SOUL SEARCHIN’-FINDING GOLD IN MEMPHIS 1968-1979.

BACKBEATS: SOUL SEARCHIN’-FINDING GOLD IN MEMPHIS 1968-1979. During the sixties, Southern Soul was at the height of its popularity. Independent labels like Stax, Goldwax and FAME, and majors like Atlantic released some of Southern Soul’s most commercially successful and critically acclaimed music. However, one label’s success lasted from the late sixties, right through the late …

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ANN PEEBLES-TELLIN’ IT.

ANN PEEBLES-TELLIN’ IT. It’s been a while since I looked back at the Hi Records back catalogue, so thought that I’d rectify that by doing a review of one of Ann Peebles’ albums. With seven albums to choose from, I’ve plenty of great music to chose from. Previously, I’ve written about Ann’s most successful album, …

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LOVE AND JEALOUSY AND BACK TO MY PLACE BABY.

LOVE AND JEALOUSY AND BACK TO MY PLACE BABY. If I was to say the words Southern, Deep, Crossover, Modern and Northern what would you say? Many people would immediately say soul. They would be correct, but they’re also the themes for some of the Backbeats compilations that have been released since 2009. In total, …

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O.V. WRIGHT-WE”RE STILL TOGETHER.

O.V. WRIGHT-WE”RE STILL TOGETHER. I’ve always thought that O.V. Wright was one of the most underrated Southern Soul singers of his generation. In some ways, his music was overshadowed by the success of Al Green, who was on the same label as O.V. Hi Records. Whereas, Al Green had numerous critically acclaimed albums, O.V. only …

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ANN PEEBLES-IF THIS IS HEAVEN.

ANN PEEBLES-IF THIS IS HEAVEN. Since I first started buying soul music, there are certain labels which have been great favourites of mine. Among them are the obvious ones Stax, Fame, Philadelphia International, Cadet, Motown and of course Hi Records. Hi had been founded in 1957 by a group of people including Ray Harris, a …

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AL GREEN-THE BELLE ALBUM.

AL GREEN-THE BELLE ALBUM. When Al Green released The Belle Album, it was a very different album to those that preceded it for several reasons. Belle reflected the changes that were happening in Al’s personal life. For several years, religion had played an important part in his life, and he’s struggled to come to terms …

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ANN PEEBLES-I CAN’T STAND THE RAIN.

ANN PEEBLES-I CAN’T STAND THE RAIN. For many years, I’ve loved Southern Soul music, and during that time, discovered a number of great artists and labels. Two of my favorite labels are Stax and Hi Records. Previously, I’ve written about some of the great artists who recorded on Hi Records, including the legendary Al Green, …

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SYL JOHNSON-DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH.

SYL JOHNSON-DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH. In previous articles I’ve written about Southern Soul, I’ve focused on one particular label, Hi Records. Previously, I’ve written about three of their most famous artists, the legendary Al Green, O.V. Wright and Otis Clay. These three artists produced some of the most successful and critically acclaimed albums on the …

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OTIS CLAY-TRYING TO LIVE MY LIFE WITHOUT YOU.

OTIS CLAY-TRYING TO LIVE MY LIFE WITHOUT YOU. Recently, I was listening to a compilation of Stax Records music, 3000 Volts of Stax, and came across a track by Otis Clay called Come To Me. This set me thinking about how great a soul singer Otis Clay was. I have long been a fan of …

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OV WRIGHT-THE BOTTOM LINE.

OV WRIGHT-THE BOTTOM LINE. The album that I am now going to write about, is one that I discovered when crate-digging, many years ago in a record shop. This album is OV Wright’s album The Bottom Line. Wright released The Bottom Line on Hi Records in July 1978. However, many people will never have heard …

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AL GREEN-IS LOVE.

AL GREEN-IS LOVE. Al Green released Is Love in 1975. At that time, his career was perceived as being in decline. The sound that Green, and producer Willie Mitchell, had carefully created, and became the Hi Records sound, had been widely admired up until then. However, in 1975, this sound was seen as stale and …

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