Royal Studios
Encyclopedia
Royal Studios is a recording studio
located in Memphis, Tennessee
, USA. Established in 1956, it is one of the oldest continuously operated music recording studios in the world.
It is widely known for producer, recording artist and owner, Willie Mitchell
(1928-2010), and notable productions of Al Green
, Chuck Berry
, John Mayer
, Buddy Guy
, My Morning Jacket
, Robert Cray
, De La Soul
, Otis Rush
, Keith Richards
, Solomon Burke
, The Bo-Keys
, Bobby Blue Bland, Ann Peebles
, Ike & Tina Turner
, Tom Jones
, Anthony Hamilton
, Rod Stewart
, Cody Chesnutt
as well as the "Barnyard
" and "Soul Men" Soundtracks.
The studio is presently operated by the family of Willie Mitchell
with son Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell
serving as manager/engineer, son Archie Mitchell serving as an engineer and granddaughter Oona Mitchell serving as administrator.
as the operating studio of Hi Records
.
The original structure was intended for use as a movie theatre, with Shamrock Theatre opening at the location in 1915. Early theatres of this type showed silent movies and were called nickelodeon theatres because of their nickel admission. The Rex Theatre, a previously open-air theatre, took over the location and replaced the Shamrock Theatre. It was converted to sound in the early 1920s and renamed as Royal Theatre.
Royal Theatre remained a neighborhood theatre until it closed in 1955.
In 1956 the theatre was rented by Hi Records
’ President Joe Cuoghi, his partners Quinton Claunch and John Novarese as well as three silent partners including Cuoghi's lawyer, Nick Pesce. Hi Records
converted the theatre into Royal Recording Studios and opened the doors in 1956.
Combo’s “Smokie Part 2”, “Josephine”, “White Silver Sands” and “Don’t Be Cruel” with each selling over a million copies.
In the early 1960s, Hi Records
hired Willie Mitchell
as a recording artist and producer. His involvement with Royal Studios steadily evolved over the 1960s.
Hi Records
founding president, Joe Cuoghi, died in 1970 and the Hi Records label had to restructure. Attorney Nick Pesce became President and Willie Mitchell
was promoted to Vice President. The Royal Studios facility came under the direction of Willie Mitchell
and was renamed Mitchell’s Royal Sound Studio.
In 1968, Willie Mitchell
met Al Green
and offered him a record deal. Willie Mitchell
and Al Green
began producing and co-writing an album titled “Green Is Blues” – Al Green
’s first album released on Hi Records. After this start, Willie Mitchell
and Al Green
collaborated on seven consecutive gold singles starting in 1970. Al Green
sold over 20 million records during his career with Hi Records
. For the purpose of perspective and comparison to a similar label, this was more than the combined album sales of Stax Records
top recording artists Otis Redding
, Sam and Dave, and Booker T. & the M.G.'s
during their entire careers.
Other notable artists with albums produced at Royal Studios during this time include Bobby Blue Bland, Chuck Berry
, Ike & Tina Turner
, Otis Clay
, Ann Peebles
, Rod Stewart
, and Syl Johnson
.
Reaching its commercial peak in the early to mid 1970s, Hi Records
declined during the late 70s as a result of soul music being replaced by disco. Despite the decline of Hi Records
, Royal Studios remained continuously in production of consistent hits from the 1957s through the present.
, one of the sons of Willie Mitchell
. His credit roster includes independent artists and notable acts such as Anthony Hamilton
, Rod Stewart
, Al Green
, De La Soul
, Cody Chesnutt
and 8 Ball. He also serves as vice president of the Grammy Recording Academy’s Memphis Chapter.
Royal Studios features two vintage MCI recording consoles
along with other rare equipment including two original Pultec EQs, Universal Audio
LA2As and LA3As.
351 with tube circuits replacing the entire transistor circuitry, a standard Ampex
351, Studer
B 67, Sony APR-5000, MCI
JH24 and MCI
JH16.
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
located in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, USA. Established in 1956, it is one of the oldest continuously operated music recording studios in the world.
It is widely known for producer, recording artist and owner, Willie Mitchell
Willie Mitchell
Willie Mitchell is the name of:*Willie Mitchell , , musician and record producer*Willie Mitchell , MLB player*Willie Mitchell , NHL player...
(1928-2010), and notable productions of Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
, Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
, John Mayer
John Mayer
John Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
, Buddy Guy
Buddy Guy
George "Buddy" Guy is an American blues and jazz guitarist and singer. He is a critically acclaimed artist who has established himself as a pioneer of the Chicago blues sound, and has served as an influence to some of the most notable musicians of his generation...
, My Morning Jacket
My Morning Jacket
My Morning Jacket is an American rock band from Louisville, Kentucky.The band consists of Jim James , Tom 'Two-Tone Tommy' Blankenship , Patrick Hallahan , Carl Broemel , and Bo Koster .-History:My Morning Jacket was...
, Robert Cray
Robert Cray
Robert Cray is an American blues guitarist and singer. A five-time Grammy Award winner, he has led his own band, as well as an acclaimed solo career.-Career:...
, De La Soul
De La Soul
De La Soul is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987 on Long Island, New York. The band is best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
, Otis Rush
Otis Rush
Otis Rush is a blues musician, singer and guitarist. His distinctive guitar style features a slow burning sound and long bent notes...
, Keith Richards
Keith Richards
Keith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
, Solomon Burke
Solomon Burke
Solomon Burke was an American singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, mortician, and an archbishop of the United House of Prayer For All People. Burke was known as "King Solomon", the "King of Rock 'n' Soul", and as the "Bishop of Soul", and described as "the Muhammad Ali of soul", and as "the most...
, The Bo-Keys
The Bo-Keys
The Bo-Keys are a soul/jazz band from Memphis, Tennessee, formed as an homage to the city's rich musical tradition.-History:In 1998, Scott Bomar was asked to assemble a backing band for former Stax artist and songwriter Sir Mack Rice...
, Bobby Blue Bland, Ann Peebles
Ann Peebles
Ann Peebles is an African American singer-songwriter who gained celebrity for her Memphis soul albums of the 1970s on the Hi Records label...
, Ike & Tina Turner
Ike & Tina Turner
Ike & Tina Turner were an American rock & roll and soul duo, made of the husband-and-wife team of Ike Turner and Tina Turner in the 1960s and 1970s. Spanning sixteen years together as a recording group, the duo's repertoire included rock & roll, soul, blues and funk...
, Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
, Anthony Hamilton
Anthony Hamilton
Anthony Hamilton or Antony Hamilton may refer to:*Anthony Hamilton , Irish classical author, of aristocratic Scottish ancestry, who lived in France where he was known as Antoine Hamilton; intimate of French aristocracy, he wrote, in French, Mémoires du comte de Gramont *Anthony Hamilton , English...
, Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
, Cody Chesnutt
Cody ChesnuTT
Cody Chesnutt is an American R&B and neo soul musician.-Biography:Cody Chesnutt is an African American musician from Atlanta, Georgia, whose music blends elements of rock, funk, soul, hip hop, and blues. Chesnutt and his former band, The Crosswalk, had a brief stint with Hollywood Records in which...
as well as the "Barnyard
Barnyard (film)
Barnyard is a 2006 computer-animated family comedy film, produced by Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Pictures, directed by Steve Oedekerk . and produced by Steve Oedekerk, Paul Marshal, and Pam Marsden...
" and "Soul Men" Soundtracks.
The studio is presently operated by the family of Willie Mitchell
Willie Mitchell
Willie Mitchell is the name of:*Willie Mitchell , , musician and record producer*Willie Mitchell , MLB player*Willie Mitchell , NHL player...
with son Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell
Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell
Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell is an American musician, songwriter, audio engineer, record producer and owner of Royal Studios in Memphis, TN. He is best known for his work with Al Green, Solomon Burke, Anthony Hamilton, Rod Stewart, John Mayer, 8 Ball, Lamont Dozier, William Bell and Cody...
serving as manager/engineer, son Archie Mitchell serving as an engineer and granddaughter Oona Mitchell serving as administrator.
Establishment
Royal Studios was founded in 1956 in Memphis, TennesseeMemphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
as the operating studio of Hi Records
Hi Records
Hi Records was a Memphis soul and rockabilly label started in 1957 by singer Ray Harris, record store owner Joe Cuoghi, Bill Cantrell and Quinton Claunch , and three silent partners, including Cuoghi's lawyer, Nick Pesce....
.
The original structure was intended for use as a movie theatre, with Shamrock Theatre opening at the location in 1915. Early theatres of this type showed silent movies and were called nickelodeon theatres because of their nickel admission. The Rex Theatre, a previously open-air theatre, took over the location and replaced the Shamrock Theatre. It was converted to sound in the early 1920s and renamed as Royal Theatre.
Royal Theatre remained a neighborhood theatre until it closed in 1955.
In 1956 the theatre was rented by Hi Records
Hi Records
Hi Records was a Memphis soul and rockabilly label started in 1957 by singer Ray Harris, record store owner Joe Cuoghi, Bill Cantrell and Quinton Claunch , and three silent partners, including Cuoghi's lawyer, Nick Pesce....
’ President Joe Cuoghi, his partners Quinton Claunch and John Novarese as well as three silent partners including Cuoghi's lawyer, Nick Pesce. Hi Records
Hi Records
Hi Records was a Memphis soul and rockabilly label started in 1957 by singer Ray Harris, record store owner Joe Cuoghi, Bill Cantrell and Quinton Claunch , and three silent partners, including Cuoghi's lawyer, Nick Pesce....
converted the theatre into Royal Recording Studios and opened the doors in 1956.
History
Soon after its establishment in 1956, Royal Studios became known as the “House of Instrumentals”. This name was due to its production of instrumentals hits including Bill BlackBill Black
William Patton "Bill" Black, Jr. was an American musician who is noted as one of the pioneers of rockabilly music. Black was the bassist in Elvis Presley's early trio and the leader of Bill Black's Combo....
Combo’s “Smokie Part 2”, “Josephine”, “White Silver Sands” and “Don’t Be Cruel” with each selling over a million copies.
In the early 1960s, Hi Records
Hi Records
Hi Records was a Memphis soul and rockabilly label started in 1957 by singer Ray Harris, record store owner Joe Cuoghi, Bill Cantrell and Quinton Claunch , and three silent partners, including Cuoghi's lawyer, Nick Pesce....
hired Willie Mitchell
Willie Mitchell
Willie Mitchell is the name of:*Willie Mitchell , , musician and record producer*Willie Mitchell , MLB player*Willie Mitchell , NHL player...
as a recording artist and producer. His involvement with Royal Studios steadily evolved over the 1960s.
Hi Records
Hi Records
Hi Records was a Memphis soul and rockabilly label started in 1957 by singer Ray Harris, record store owner Joe Cuoghi, Bill Cantrell and Quinton Claunch , and three silent partners, including Cuoghi's lawyer, Nick Pesce....
founding president, Joe Cuoghi, died in 1970 and the Hi Records label had to restructure. Attorney Nick Pesce became President and Willie Mitchell
Willie Mitchell
Willie Mitchell is the name of:*Willie Mitchell , , musician and record producer*Willie Mitchell , MLB player*Willie Mitchell , NHL player...
was promoted to Vice President. The Royal Studios facility came under the direction of Willie Mitchell
Willie Mitchell
Willie Mitchell is the name of:*Willie Mitchell , , musician and record producer*Willie Mitchell , MLB player*Willie Mitchell , NHL player...
and was renamed Mitchell’s Royal Sound Studio.
In 1968, Willie Mitchell
Willie Mitchell
Willie Mitchell is the name of:*Willie Mitchell , , musician and record producer*Willie Mitchell , MLB player*Willie Mitchell , NHL player...
met Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
and offered him a record deal. Willie Mitchell
Willie Mitchell
Willie Mitchell is the name of:*Willie Mitchell , , musician and record producer*Willie Mitchell , MLB player*Willie Mitchell , NHL player...
and Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
began producing and co-writing an album titled “Green Is Blues” – Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
’s first album released on Hi Records. After this start, Willie Mitchell
Willie Mitchell
Willie Mitchell is the name of:*Willie Mitchell , , musician and record producer*Willie Mitchell , MLB player*Willie Mitchell , NHL player...
and Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
collaborated on seven consecutive gold singles starting in 1970. Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
sold over 20 million records during his career with Hi Records
Hi Records
Hi Records was a Memphis soul and rockabilly label started in 1957 by singer Ray Harris, record store owner Joe Cuoghi, Bill Cantrell and Quinton Claunch , and three silent partners, including Cuoghi's lawyer, Nick Pesce....
. For the purpose of perspective and comparison to a similar label, this was more than the combined album sales of Stax Records
Stax Records
Stax Records is an American record label, originally based in Memphis, Tennessee.Founded in 1957 as Satellite Records, the name Stax Records was adopted in 1961. The label was a major factor in the creation of the Southern soul and Memphis soul music styles, also releasing gospel, funk, jazz, and...
top recording artists Otis Redding
Otis Redding
Otis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer-songwriter, record producer, arranger and talent scout. He is considered one of the major figures in soul and R&B...
, Sam and Dave, and Booker T. & the M.G.'s
Booker T. & the M.G.'s
Booker T. & the M.G.'s is an instrumental R&B band that was influential in shaping the sound of southern soul and Memphis soul. Original members of the group were Booker T. Jones , Steve Cropper , Lewie Steinberg , and Al Jackson, Jr....
during their entire careers.
Other notable artists with albums produced at Royal Studios during this time include Bobby Blue Bland, Chuck Berry
Chuck Berry
Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
, Ike & Tina Turner
Ike & Tina Turner
Ike & Tina Turner were an American rock & roll and soul duo, made of the husband-and-wife team of Ike Turner and Tina Turner in the 1960s and 1970s. Spanning sixteen years together as a recording group, the duo's repertoire included rock & roll, soul, blues and funk...
, Otis Clay
Otis Clay
Otis Clay is an American R&B and soul singer, who started in gospel music.-Life and career:...
, Ann Peebles
Ann Peebles
Ann Peebles is an African American singer-songwriter who gained celebrity for her Memphis soul albums of the 1970s on the Hi Records label...
, Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
, and Syl Johnson
Syl Johnson
Syl Johnson is an American blues and soul singer and record producer.-Biography:Born Sylvester Thompson in Holly Springs, Mississippi, United States, Johnson sang and played with blues artists Magic Sam, Billy Boy Arnold, Junior Wells and Howlin' Wolf in the 1950s, before recording with Jimmy Reed...
.
Reaching its commercial peak in the early to mid 1970s, Hi Records
Hi Records
Hi Records was a Memphis soul and rockabilly label started in 1957 by singer Ray Harris, record store owner Joe Cuoghi, Bill Cantrell and Quinton Claunch , and three silent partners, including Cuoghi's lawyer, Nick Pesce....
declined during the late 70s as a result of soul music being replaced by disco. Despite the decline of Hi Records
Hi Records
Hi Records was a Memphis soul and rockabilly label started in 1957 by singer Ray Harris, record store owner Joe Cuoghi, Bill Cantrell and Quinton Claunch , and three silent partners, including Cuoghi's lawyer, Nick Pesce....
, Royal Studios remained continuously in production of consistent hits from the 1957s through the present.
Operation and Facilities
Royal Studios is presently in operation at the original location under the management of Lawrence "Boo" MitchellLawrence "Boo" Mitchell
Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell is an American musician, songwriter, audio engineer, record producer and owner of Royal Studios in Memphis, TN. He is best known for his work with Al Green, Solomon Burke, Anthony Hamilton, Rod Stewart, John Mayer, 8 Ball, Lamont Dozier, William Bell and Cody...
, one of the sons of Willie Mitchell
Willie Mitchell
Willie Mitchell is the name of:*Willie Mitchell , , musician and record producer*Willie Mitchell , MLB player*Willie Mitchell , NHL player...
. His credit roster includes independent artists and notable acts such as Anthony Hamilton
Anthony Hamilton
Anthony Hamilton or Antony Hamilton may refer to:*Anthony Hamilton , Irish classical author, of aristocratic Scottish ancestry, who lived in France where he was known as Antoine Hamilton; intimate of French aristocracy, he wrote, in French, Mémoires du comte de Gramont *Anthony Hamilton , English...
, Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
, Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
, De La Soul
De La Soul
De La Soul is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987 on Long Island, New York. The band is best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
, Cody Chesnutt
Cody ChesnuTT
Cody Chesnutt is an American R&B and neo soul musician.-Biography:Cody Chesnutt is an African American musician from Atlanta, Georgia, whose music blends elements of rock, funk, soul, hip hop, and blues. Chesnutt and his former band, The Crosswalk, had a brief stint with Hollywood Records in which...
and 8 Ball. He also serves as vice president of the Grammy Recording Academy’s Memphis Chapter.
Royal Studios features two vintage MCI recording consoles
Music Center Incorporated
Music Center Incorporated is the former name of a United States manufacturer of professional audio equipment that operated from 1955 till 1982 when it was acquired by the Sony Corporation...
along with other rare equipment including two original Pultec EQs, Universal Audio
Universal Audio (company)
Universal Audio is a designer and manufacturer of audio signal processing hardware and software founded in 1958. The current incarnation of the company was re-established in 1999 by brothers Jim Putnam and Bill Putnam, Jr., sons of the original founder Bill Putnam...
LA2As and LA3As.
Vintage Tape Machine Collection
Royal Studios remains in possession of one of the widest collections of studio grade vintage reel-to-reel tape machines. Several of the tape machines are unique and customized. The collection includes a uniquely modified 8-channel AmpexAmpex
Ampex is an American electronics company founded in 1944 by Alexander M. Poniatoff. The name AMPEX is an acronym, created by its founder, which stands for Alexander M. Poniatoff Excellence...
351 with tube circuits replacing the entire transistor circuitry, a standard Ampex
Ampex
Ampex is an American electronics company founded in 1944 by Alexander M. Poniatoff. The name AMPEX is an acronym, created by its founder, which stands for Alexander M. Poniatoff Excellence...
351, Studer
Studer
Studer is a Swiss manufacturer of professional audio equipment, founded in Zurich in 1948 by Willi Studer. It is known primarily for the design and manufacture of analog tape recorders and mixing consoles. Studer also produce other technology solutions, such as telephony management systems and...
B 67, Sony APR-5000, MCI
Music Center Incorporated
Music Center Incorporated is the former name of a United States manufacturer of professional audio equipment that operated from 1955 till 1982 when it was acquired by the Sony Corporation...
JH24 and MCI
Music Center Incorporated
Music Center Incorporated is the former name of a United States manufacturer of professional audio equipment that operated from 1955 till 1982 when it was acquired by the Sony Corporation...
JH16.
Notable Recordings
Royal Studios has served a variety of artists during its operation. The list below is of notable albums which feature recordings from Royal Studios. These albums went Platinum, Gold or won a Grammy or other significant recognition.- 1966: Charlie RichCharlie RichCharles Rich was an American country music singer and musician. A Grammy Award winner, his eclectic-style of music was often hard to classify in a single genre, playing in the rockabilly, jazz, blues, country, and gospel genres.In the latter part of his life, Rich acquired the nickname The Silver...
– Love Is After Me (USA) - 1967: Bobby Blue Bland – A Touch Of The Blues (USA)
- 1967: Chuck BerryChuck BerryCharles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter, and one of the pioneers of rock and roll music. With songs such as "Maybellene" , "Roll Over Beethoven" , "Rock and Roll Music" and "Johnny B...
– Chuck Berry In Memphis (USA) - 1968: Ike and Tina Turner – Too Hot To Hold (USA)
- 1969: Ike and Tina Turner – The Hunter (USA)
- 1970: Al GreenAl GreenAlbert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
– Get’s Next To You (USA) - 1971: Al GreenAl GreenAlbert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
– Let’s Stay Together (USA) - 1972: Al GreenAl GreenAlbert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
– I’m Still In Love With You (USA) - 1973: Al GreenAl GreenAlbert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
– Livin’ For You (USA) - 1973: Al GreenAl GreenAlbert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
– Call Me (USA) - 1974: Otis ClayOtis ClayOtis Clay is an American R&B and soul singer, who started in gospel music.-Life and career:...
– Trying To Live My Life Without You (USA) - 1974: Ann PeeblesAnn PeeblesAnn Peebles is an African American singer-songwriter who gained celebrity for her Memphis soul albums of the 1970s on the Hi Records label...
– I Can’t Stand The Rain (USA) - 1974: Al GreenAl GreenAlbert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
– Explores Your Mind (USA) - 1975: Al GreenAl GreenAlbert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
– Al Green Is Love (USA) - 1975: Al GreenAl GreenAlbert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
– Full of Fire (USA) - 1975: Syl JohnsonSyl JohnsonSyl Johnson is an American blues and soul singer and record producer.-Biography:Born Sylvester Thompson in Holly Springs, Mississippi, United States, Johnson sang and played with blues artists Magic Sam, Billy Boy Arnold, Junior Wells and Howlin' Wolf in the 1950s, before recording with Jimmy Reed...
– Take Me To The River (USA) - 1975: Rod StewartRod StewartRoderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
– Atlantic Crossing (USA) - 1976: Al GreenAl GreenAlbert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
– Have A Good Time (USA) - 1977: O.V. WrightO.V. WrightOverton Vertis "O. V." Wright was an American singer who is regarded as one of Southern soul's most authoritative and individual artists...
– Into Something I Can’t Shake Loose (USA) - 1981: Jesse WinchesterJesse WinchesterJesse Winchester is a musician and songwriter who was born and raised in the southern United States. To avoid the Vietnam War draft he moved to Canada in 1967, which is where and when he began his career as a solo artist. His highest charting recordings were of his own tunes, "Yankee Lady" in 1970...
– Talk Memphis (USA) - 1985: Al GreenAl GreenAlbert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
– He Is The Light (USA) - 1986: Wet Wet WetWet Wet WetWet Wet Wet are a Scottish pop rock band that formed in the 1980s. They scored a number of hits in the British charts and around the world. The band is composed of Marti Pellow , Tommy Cunningham , Graeme Clark and Neil Mitchell...
– Popped In Souled Out (UK) - 1988: Keith RichardsKeith RichardsKeith Richards is an English musician, songwriter, and founding member of the Rolling Stones. Rolling Stone magazine said Richards had created "rock's greatest single body of riffs", and placed him as the "10th greatest guitarist of all time." Fourteen songs written by Richards and songwriting...
– Talk Is Cheap (UK) - 1989: Al GreenAl GreenAlbert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
– As Long As We’re Together (USA) - 1992: Pops StaplesPops StaplesRoebuck "Pops" Staples was a Mississippi-born Gospel and R&B musician.A "pivotal figure in gospel in the 1960s and 70s," he was an accomplished songwriter, guitarist and singer...
and The Staple SingersThe Staple SingersThe Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples , the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha , Pervis , Yvonne , and Mavis...
– Peace To The Neighborhood (USA) - 1994: Tom JonesTom Jones (singer)Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
- The Lead and How To Swing It - 1995: Toshio Orito – Soul Joint (Japan)
- 1996: Krzysztof Krawczyk (Poland)
- 1997: Boz ScaggsBoz ScaggsWilliam Royce "Boz" Scaggs is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He gained fame in the 1970s with several Top 20 hit singles in the United States, along with the #2 album, Silk Degrees. Scaggs continues to write, record music and tour.-Early life and career:Scaggs was born in Canton,...
– Come On Home (USA) - 1998: Otis RushOtis RushOtis Rush is a blues musician, singer and guitarist. His distinctive guitar style features a slow burning sound and long bent notes...
– Any Place I’m Going (USA) - 2000: De La SoulDe La SoulDe La Soul is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987 on Long Island, New York. The band is best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
– Art Official Intelligence (USA) - 2000: Marti PellowMarti PellowMarti Pellow has been the lead singer of the Scottish pop group Wet Wet Wet since their formation in 1982. He has also recorded solo material.-Early life:...
– Smile (UK) - 2001: Robert CrayRobert CrayRobert Cray is an American blues guitarist and singer. A five-time Grammy Award winner, he has led his own band, as well as an acclaimed solo career.-Career:...
– Shoulda Been Home (USA) - 2001: Jean-Jacques MilteauJean-Jacques MilteauJean-Jacques Milteau is a French blues harmonica player, singer, and songwriter.- Career :Milteau became interested in the harmonica when he first heard folk and rock music in the 1960s...
– Memphis (France) - 2002: Al GreenAl GreenAlbert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
– I Can’t Stop (USA) - 2003: My Morning JacketMy Morning JacketMy Morning Jacket is an American rock band from Louisville, Kentucky.The band consists of Jim James , Tom 'Two-Tone Tommy' Blankenship , Patrick Hallahan , Carl Broemel , and Bo Koster .-History:My Morning Jacket was...
– It Still Moves (USA) - 2004: Al GreenAl GreenAlbert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
– Everything’s O.K. (USA) - 2005: Buddy GuyBuddy GuyGeorge "Buddy" Guy is an American blues and jazz guitarist and singer. He is a critically acclaimed artist who has established himself as a pioneer of the Chicago blues sound, and has served as an influence to some of the most notable musicians of his generation...
– Bring ‘Em In (USA) - 2005: Roy Young – Memphis (Israel)
- 2005: Marti PellowMarti PellowMarti Pellow has been the lead singer of the Scottish pop group Wet Wet Wet since their formation in 1982. He has also recorded solo material.-Early life:...
– Moonlight Over Memphis (UK) - 2006: Axelle RedAxelle RedAxelle Red is a Belgian singer-songwriter.-Biography:She was born at Hasselt, Flanders, Belgium, the daughter of Roland Demal, a solicitor in Hasselt and Councillor for the Flemish Liberals and Democrats in the City Council.Nowadays a committed artist and a militant humanist, back in 1993 Axelle...
– Jardin Secret (Belgium) - 2006: The Bo-KeysThe Bo-KeysThe Bo-Keys are a soul/jazz band from Memphis, Tennessee, formed as an homage to the city's rich musical tradition.-History:In 1998, Scott Bomar was asked to assemble a backing band for former Stax artist and songwriter Sir Mack Rice...
– Barnyard The Movie Soundtrack (USA) - 2006: John MayerJohn MayerJohn Clayton Mayer is an American pop rock and blues rock musician, singer-songwriter, recording artist, and music producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut and raised in Fairfield, Connecticut, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He moved to Atlanta in 1997, where he refined his...
– Continuum (USA) - 2007: Bernard LavilliersBernard LavilliersBernard Lavilliers is a French singer.He was born Bernard Oulion in Saint-Étienne, Loire.The band Fatals Picards wrote a song Bernard Lavilliers, satirizing Lavilliers' image as a former adventurer.-Discography:...
(France) - 2008: Anthony HamiltonAnthony HamiltonAnthony Hamilton or Antony Hamilton may refer to:*Anthony Hamilton , Irish classical author, of aristocratic Scottish ancestry, who lived in France where he was known as Antoine Hamilton; intimate of French aristocracy, he wrote, in French, Mémoires du comte de Gramont *Anthony Hamilton , English...
– Soul Men The Movie Soundtrack (USA) - 2008: Axelle RedAxelle RedAxelle Red is a Belgian singer-songwriter.-Biography:She was born at Hasselt, Flanders, Belgium, the daughter of Roland Demal, a solicitor in Hasselt and Councillor for the Flemish Liberals and Democrats in the City Council.Nowadays a committed artist and a militant humanist, back in 1993 Axelle...
– Sisters & Empathy (Belgium) - 2008: Denise LaSalleDenise LaSalleDenise LaSalle is an American R&B/soul and blues singer, songwriter, and record producer.-Career:...
(USA) - 2009: Rod StewartRod StewartRoderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
– Soul Book (USA) - 2010: Marti PellowMarti PellowMarti Pellow has been the lead singer of the Scottish pop group Wet Wet Wet since their formation in 1982. He has also recorded solo material.-Early life:...
(UK) - 2010: Axelle RedAxelle RedAxelle Red is a Belgian singer-songwriter.-Biography:She was born at Hasselt, Flanders, Belgium, the daughter of Roland Demal, a solicitor in Hasselt and Councillor for the Flemish Liberals and Democrats in the City Council.Nowadays a committed artist and a militant humanist, back in 1993 Axelle...
(Belgium) - 2010: Solomon BurkeSolomon BurkeSolomon Burke was an American singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, mortician, and an archbishop of the United House of Prayer For All People. Burke was known as "King Solomon", the "King of Rock 'n' Soul", and as the "Bishop of Soul", and described as "the Muhammad Ali of soul", and as "the most...
– Nothing’s Impossible (USA) - 2011: Sir Cliff Richard – Soulicious (UK)
- 2011: Cody ChesnuttCody ChesnuTTCody Chesnutt is an American R&B and neo soul musician.-Biography:Cody Chesnutt is an African American musician from Atlanta, Georgia, whose music blends elements of rock, funk, soul, hip hop, and blues. Chesnutt and his former band, The Crosswalk, had a brief stint with Hollywood Records in which...
– Landing On A Hundred (USA)