There’s a pretty cool story behind this week’s Music Monday selection…
Picture this…a young concert promoter in Ohio holds a talent search to discover local talent, finds a young lady with such a beautiful voice that he creates a record label to record her music. The label only lasts a little longer than a year, but long enough to put out 3 singles from the young woman, along with her debut Soul LP entitled, Barbara Howard-“On The Rise”. The album pretty much went nowhere and only a small quantity of “On The Rise” LP was pressed, but over the years it has become a favorite of Soul DJs and Crate Diggers on the strength of her beautiful song “Welcome Home”. It has become so highly sought after that original copies of the LP now go for $250 bucks online. By the way, that young man, named Steven Reece, married Ms. Howard and they went on to have three kids, including one who went on to the OH state legislature. With a voice like that, I can see why he locked her down.
“On The Rise” was recently re-issued on both digital and vinyl, and I’m glad because her simple yet heartfelt renditions of soul classics are great. She really works the material and makes it her own. Check it out…Tidal and Spotify streams below…and you can also read more about Barbara Howard’s story over at Vinyl Me, Please.
24 Bit Qobuz Link: https://open.qobuz.com/album/k6s332ngxj5va
I’m an audio writer who started as a young audio salesman/consumer electronics professional back in the late 90s. That’s where I discovered the magic of 2-Channel sound. My thirst for great sound has led me on a delightful music quest that continues today.
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