There's been a fair bit of interest around '70s soul singer/songwriter Bill Withers in the last few months – we've seen several interviews pop up, including a cover story for Wax Poetics and this very candid set of interviews for the Black Entertainment Network's EURweb site. In them, Withers explains the mystery of why, after a string of big hits in the '70s and early '80s like "Ain't No Sunshine," "Lean On Me" and "Just the Two Of Us," he promptly seemed to have vanished for the next twenty years. There was no elaborate conspiracy theory, just record label apathy to supporting Withers:

"even after “Just the Two of Us,” I felt like okay, maybe I can get off of [CBS]. [The label told me], “If you could get somebody, any other record company, to give us $100,000, which is chump change in this business, [you can leave].” And nobody would touch me, then. This business back then, when one white guy spoke against you, that was your ass. That’s something I’ve never talked about, but basically I got shut down. When I made records that turned out to be part of the landscape now, like “Lovely Day,” all I got was complaints [from the label]."

(Withers also shares a bizarre story about one record label trying to entrap him in a potential pedophilia set-up).

Surprisingly, touring was not as successful for him as many would assume. He explained:

"I never sold that many tickets. It was not profitable for me to keep performing. When I worked, I was the opening act. I opened for Phyllis Hyman, I opened for Jennifer Holiday, those were the only gigs that were there for me. I couldn’t sell enough tickets to go on the road. I opened for the Fifth Dimension and had to play in front of the curtain. How much room is on the stage in front of the curtain? By the time I got through buying tickets and paying the band, I was losing money."

Despite all this, Withers at least has maintained a decent sense of humor and perspective about what's happened and as he notes, he's not so famous that he can't walk out without people recognizing him everywhere:

"There were some sisters sitting at the next table and they were talking about some “Bill Withers song,” you know. So I thought I’d have some fun, I leaned over and said, “You won’t believe this but I’m Bill Withers.” And this lady said, “No you’re not. Bill Withers is dark-skinned, darker than I am.” And she was a dark-skinned sister. So even if I’m standing there, people argue. So I just let it go."

(Source: EURWeb)

--O.W.

It's a story so strange, you'd think it was from an episode of ... South Park. Isaac Hayes, erstwhile soul maestro, now the voice of "Chef" on South Park has asked to be released from the show, citing the show's irreverence towards religion as the main reason. In a statement, Hayes said,

"There is a place in this world for satire, but there is a time when satire ends and intolerance and bigotry towards religious beliefs of others begins. Religious beliefs are sacred to people, and at all times should be respected and honored. As a civil rights activist of the past 40 years, I cannot support a show that disrespects those beliefs and practices."

That sounds great but we have to ask: has Hayes not watched the show he's been on since 1998? Did he miss all the times South Park has satirized Christians, Mormons, Jews, Muslims, and Buddhists?

What apparently sparked this row is when the show satirized the Church of Scientology of which (drum roll please) Hayes is a member. That seemed to be the real issue though Hayes didn't come out and say it (the timing seems juuuuust a bit coincidental though). South Park co-creater Matt Stone made this exact point in responding to Hayes' complaint:

"I never heard a peep out of Isaac in any way until we did Scientology. He wants a different standard for religions other than his own, and to me, that is where intolerance and bigotry begin."

Chef, say it ain't so! (Source: Billboard)

We reported on that bizarre (supposedly joke) plot to down Ne-Yo in order to boost sales of Hawthorne Heights: the figures are in and you can't stop, won't stop Ne-Yo from scoring the top album this week in the Billboard charts. The upstart R&B star managed to sell over 300,000 units of In My Own Words – greater than a 2:1 lead – over the #2 album which wasn't HH; it was Disney's soundtrack to High School High (last week's #1). Hawthorne Heights came in at a respectable, but hardly spectacular, #3 with a little over 114,000 units sold of If Only You Were Lonely.

At #4 is Alan Jackson's Precious Memories, trailed by Mary J. Blige's Breakthrough. #6 had The Legend of Johnny Cash riding a post-Oscar wave back into the Top 10 (the movie's soundtrack jumped 156%, up to #11 too). The former #1, the companion album to the Curious George album by Jack Johnson % Friends is now at #7, followed by Carrie Underwood's Some Hearts (it got a boost from Underwood's appearance on American Idol the other week), and then James Blunt's Back to Bedlam. At #10, it's Andrea Bocelli's Amore. (Source: MTV News)

This is kind of a strange business story coming out from Chicago's Victory Records. The imprint has rockers Hawthrorne Heights in their stable and their new album came out the same time that R&B crooner Ne-Yo was vying for the charts too. In a suspicious email from the other week, Victory's street team director, Abby Valentine suggests that in order to ensure a successful debut for Hawthorne Heights, Ne-Yo's album should be sabotaged. In the email. Valentine writes:

"If you were to pick up (a) handful of Ne-Yo CDs, as if you were about to buy them, but then changed your mind and didn't bother to put them back in the same place, that would work ... just relocating a handful creates issues."

After the story initially broke (not to mention what we would imagine to be a very angry call from Ne-Yo's Island Def Jam label over to Victory), Valentine sent out a second email claiming that the first one was, "absolutely a joke."

Well, not everyone believes Valentine, including our friends over at Coolfer.com who reprint the original email and argue, "Is the email legitimate? Coolfer would guess yes." We'd agree: screwing over your competitor is hardly some new thing in the music industry (hello ... payola anyone?), it's just rare that we get to see a street promoter be so brazen about a tactic like this in public.

If it were a joke, it wasn't a very funny or creative one. Nice try Valentine but I think someone might start polishing their resume since they might need to send it out soon to find a new job. (Sources: Coolfer.com, AOL News)

First Ray Charles, then Johnny Cash, now ... Marvin Gaye is slated to get the feature film bio-pic treatment (insert obligatory "Let's Get It On"  joke here). The film, Sexual Healing will be focused on Gaye's final three years of life as he came out of a very dark period following his cocaine addiction, up through his return to fame with the song, "Sexual Healing," ending with his murder at the hands of his father in 1984.

Slated to play Gaye is Jesse Martin, most often seen on Law and Order but most recently on Rent and for those who remember him back on Ally McBeal, you know dude can sing. Whether he can sing like Gaye ... eh, we don't quite remember how tight his falsetto is but he does bear a passing resemblance to the late Motown star.

Director Lauren Goodman says that Gaye is an ideal subject for a cinematic treatment:

"As a filmmaker, I was drawn to tell the story of a human being who was never fully realized, one with faults and foibles and an uncommon grace expressed every time he picked up the microphone."

It's worth noting that the reason why the film has such a precise focus wasn't so much a narrative decision as a legal one: the filmmakers were unable to acquire easy rights to Gaye's Motown years (by far, his most extensive and prolific) so they ended up focusing on his late years, when he had moved onto Columbia. Hey, at least this means there might be sequel opportunities. (Source: MTV News)

The phrase "silent partner" is going a bit literal when it comes to Usher's relationship to the Cleveland Cavaliers. There was a minor buzz last year when the R&B star became a minority owner in the basketball team. He made several high-profile appearances at Cavaliers games; in turn, Usher's music was a constant fixture at home games at Quicken Loans Arena.

What a difference a year makes: in this current season, Usher has been a no-show at all home games and likewise, the once frequent pumping of Usher's tunes through the Arena's speakers have now fallen silent. Most damning, Usher isn't listed in the team's own media guide; a strange exclusion given the fanfare surrounding his involvement from before. So what gives? Right now, no one's saying though Usher's publicist released a statement that said, "Usher is still a minority owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers and remains very active in building the brand." The mystery continues...(Source: MSNBC)

Sad news from the world of R&B/soul today: Wilson Pickett, one of soul's biggest stars from the 1960s, has passed away from a heart attack at the age of 64. Pickett began his career in his native Alabama but came to national attention at Atlantic Records. More a shouter than a crooner, Pickett's powerful vocal style brought the notice of Atlantic producer Jerry Wexler who took Pickett down to Stax Studios in Memphis where he minted some of his biggest hits, including "In the Midnight Hour," arguably his best known hit.

However, Pickett's legendary head-strong attitude lead to clashes between him and Stax and was a catalyst behind Wexler turning to Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama where Pickett then recorded late '60s hits like "Land of 1,000 Dances" and his famous cover of "Mustang Sally." By the early '70s, he had moved up North, working with Philadelphia producers like Gamble and Huff.

Pickett's manager Margo Lewis had this to say about the late great:

""Wilson was a consummate entertainer. He truly loved to perform, and when he took the stage, he would give the audience every last bit of energy in his body ... No matter what your age is, his records will pull you out of your seat onto the dance floor. Soulful and intense, that was Pickett, the music and the man."

(Source: MTV News)

An all-star line-up is set to pay tribute to the legacy of soul/rock pioneers Sly and the Family Stone on a new remix CD. Different Strokes By Different Folks finds nearly two dozen different rock, R&B and hip-hop stars tackling renditions of their favorite Sly Stone songs. Given that we can pretty much expect Sly to, you know, never record again (his reclusiveness have become legend), a remix/retread might be about the only way we get to hear any "new" material by this Bay Area group.

The line-up is eclectic, to say the least. Maroon 5 doing "Everyday People" is too "out there" but Chuck D, D'Angelo and Isaac Hayes teaming together for "Sing a Simple Song" is unexpected as is Buddy Guy teaming with John Mayer to cover "You Can Make It If You Try." Here's the full tracklisting:

"Dance To The Music" - Will.I.Am
"Everyday People" - Maroon 5
"Star" - The Roots
"Runnin' Away" - Big Boi featuring Sleepy Brown and Killer Mike
"Family Affair" - John Legend, Joss Stone and Van Hunt
"(You Caught Me) Smilin'" - Scar, Cee-Lo, Big Boi and DJ Swiff
"If You Want Me To Stay" - Devin Lima
"I Get High On You" - The Wylde Bunch
"Love City" - Moby
"You Can Make It If You Try" - Buddy Guy and John Mayer
"Sing A Simple Song" - Chuck D, D'Angelo and Isaac Hayes
"I Want To Take You Higher" - Steven Tyler and Robert Randolph
"Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey" - Nappy Roots and Martin Luther
"Thank You Rhythm Nation 1814" - Janet Jackson and DJ Reset

(Source: SOHH.com)

It's been a bad week for Chicago's musical community. Not only did they lose native son Lou Rawls, but Pilgrim Baptist Church burnt down last Friday. The 116 year old building is credited as the birthplace of modern gospel after Thomas Dorsey took over as musical director there in the 1920s and '30s. Though Black spiritual music has a long history, Dorsey's innovation was merging traditional hymns with emergent blues forms, thus "creating" gospel. Under his tenure, some of the giants of the form came up, including Mahalia Jackson and James Cleveland.

The cause of the fire is not currently known though it may have been accidentally started by repair crews working on the aging church's roof. Said former pastor Rev. Hycel Taylor, "It is a great loss. It was the center of spiritual life for the community for so long."(Source: MSNBC)

As we reported last Friday, Lou Rawls died last week, after a long bout with lung cancer (he was 72). Coincidentally, the last major public performance that Rawls gave was for the annual United Negro College Fund (UNCF) telethon which was filmed in September but wasn't broadcast until this past weekend, just following the announcement of Rawls'" death.

UNCF's "An Evening of Stars,"  made mention to Rawls' passing before it aired, broadcasting a message that read, "In memory of Lou and in celebration of his devotion to UNCF, please make a contribution to help deserving students earn a college degree,". The evening was tied around Stevie Wonder and featured many stars Smokey Robinson, Toni Braxton, and Fantasia singing many of Wonder's classics. Rawls actually helped begin the telethon back in the 1970s and this past weekend, it racked up over $15,000,000 in support. (Source: MSNBC)

Now that Destiny's Child is a memory, Beyonce is thinking about resuming her solo career ... but not too soon. The singer and aspiring actress is trying to stay fully focused on her upcoming film role in Dreamgirls and told Billboard that she won't get started on her sophomore LP until after shooting is done:

"I'm not going to write for the album until I finish doing the movie. I've never been so excited about a movie in my life. I want to give 100% to this film, because I know I was born for this role."

The film, which is slated for release in December of this year, is based on the award-winning 1981 Broadway musical. Based loosely on the careers and lives of different 1960s female soul groups like the Supremes, Dreamgirls follows three women as they pursue a career in R&B: Beyonce plays Deena (probably a nod to Diana Ross), joined by former American Idol contestant Jennifer Hudlin (Effie) and stage/film actress Anika Noni Rose (Lorrell). The film also stars Jamie Foxx as the group's manager and Eddie Murphy as a soul singer named James "Thunder" Early who first hires the group as back-up singers.

Back to B: She wants to hit the studio in May and get her new album out by September. No title yet or guest list though one can presume that she'll be linking back up with producer Rich Harrison ("Crazy In Love") who spent 2005 busy by helping Amerie with her LP. (Source: EURWeb)

Jamie Foxx already has his Oscar; now he's thinking Grammy. His second album in 11 years, Unpredictable, drops on December 20th and Foxx is out to prove he's not a gimmick or just trying to capitalize on his recent fame. Those in the know recognize that Foxx is not like, say, Eddie Murphy who put out an ill-advised CD at the height of his fame in the 1980s. He released an album back in 1994, Peep This and though it didn't blow up, it did suggest that Foxx took his musical aspirations seriously. However, it took until Kanye West and Twista's 2003 song, "Slow Jamz," which featured Foxx as a guest, that the actor came back into the musical mix.

Within months, Clive Davis of J Records, offered Foxx a contract. Says Davis, "I was impressed by his natural passion for music. He's a true music lover. When he's not making a movie, he's in a studio making music." For the album, Foxx went into the studio with a bevy of different songwriters and producers (including Warryn Campbell, Timbaland and West) and Foxx tells Reuters that this made a huge difference:

"I've got some real writers and producers this time and a real record label that has the money. I didn't have anything back then. I waited 11 years because I didn't want to be out there looking goofy.

In terms of guests, Foxx invites a large number for the album including Ludacris, Mary J. Blige, Twista, the Game, Snoop Dogg, and Common.

You can listen to the album's title track, "Unpredictable," here. Our opinion: Foxx's verses are like a more polite version of R. Kelly's salacious lines but they're still more than a little hokey as he croons about the different ways he plans on sexing his love interest. Ludacris' cameo is rather phoned in too. On the plus side, Kanye's production is butter smooth as usual and the hook is laid back and slick, very reminiscent of mid '70s soul. (Source: AOL News)

Usher's got something new to add to his confessions: he's helping tank the movie studio that put his film out. Lion's Gate bankrolled Usher's recent In the Mix, where the singer has his first starring role as an aspiring DJ who finds danger (and romance!) when he helps protect a mob boss' daughter.

Anyone who saw the t.v. previews of this film pretty much could tell it was going to suck, badly, but the film performed even worse than expectation, pulling in a paltry $8.6 million in 10 days.

Lion's Gate was already in trouble given a string of flops that's included High Tension and Happy Endings (we don't even remember these films) and In the Mix's failure has meant bad news for the company's stock which is currently resting at a 52 week low on the Canadian stock market. Says company CEO, Jon Feltheimer:

The disappointing performance of the theatrical release In the Mix, coupled with recent softness of family home entertainment product, direct-to-video releases and decreasing library margins due to catalog product mix, has put pressure on this year's EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization).

That's just a fancy way of saying "we're bleeding money over here." Guess it's just not Usher singing ... the blues that is. (Source: EURWeb)

Mary J. Blige has never had a major movie career but that might change as the R&B singer has landed her first big role, playing soul/jazz diva Nina Simone. Those are big shoes to step into and given Blige's lack of prior experience, it might seem a bit risky but then again, Diana Ross was an unproven actress when she agreed to play Billie Holiday in The Lady Sings the Blues and that turned out ok for her.

The movie will be set in Paris, where Simone spent much of her time, and will focus on Simone's relationship with manager Clifton Henderson. Backing the film is both MTV Films and Paramount and notably, the producers are also from the musical set, including Jimmy Iovine (president of Interscope Records) and Paul Ronseberg (Eminem's manager). There's no director tagged to the film yet but the script is being written by t.v. scribe Cynthia Mort. (Source: MTV News)

Collaborations between R&B and hip-hop artists is hardly anything new but typically, these associations have been organic, built between label-mates or even childhood friends. However, as the New York Times reported over the weekend, increasingly, backroom industry dealings are creating "arranged marriages" between artists who have never worked with one another before.

Musical mentorship is always a gamble, even between best of friends. Case in point: Jay-Z has been trying to help his childhood buddy Memphis Bleek attain stardom for years now but it's clear that no matter how powerful Jay-Z may be, he can't simply will audiences to get behind any artist he chooses. On the other hand, the risk occasionally pays off, such as between Ciara and Missy Elliot or Eminem and Dr. Dre.

Putting together relative strangers is a curious move however but it's an experiment that's yet to bear definite results one way or another. The Times article focuses on R&B singer Governor and Atlanta rapper T.I. – an unlikely pairing and as it was, third choice after attempts to hook Governor with Dr. Dre and 50 Cent both failed. Will the third time prove to be the charm? Too early to say but T.I. is at least optimistic:

"If there wasn't a genuine connection between us, this situation wouldn't work. We've got a feel for him, loved his music, loved his work ethic. It's a good marriage."

(Source: Coolfer.com)

A weird tension is brewing between Mary J. Blige and Vibe Magazine over the current issue of the mag that features Blige on the cover. The singer was on-hand at the recent Vibe Awards where she was given the VLegend Prize for her accomplishments but Blige used the opportunity to scold Vibe editor in chief Mimi Valdés by complaining,

For so many years, VIBE has given me great, great, great covers, but I must say, I'm very, very disappointed at the cover this time, so Mimi, me and you really need to talk, as women. No disrespect, but I really hated the way you guys shaved off my head, pushed my forehead way back behind my ears. I'm just insulted, so that's no respect on the cover, but I thank you, and I appreciate this award."

First of all, we actually have to agree here: Blige looked really weird on the cover when we picked up the issue. It was, as they say, "not a good look." That said, if Blige had beef with the magazine, she should have picked up the phone. You don't accept an award from an organization and then turn around and blast that organization for what amounts to a bad photograph (or Photoshop job) and then try to throw a measly, "no disrespect," in the mix too. Sorry Mary, we love ya, but that's just tacky.

Valdés responded to Blige in an open letter which basically says, "hey, if you look weird, don't blame us. We got Polaroid proof! (It's all love though)." (Sources:

Pandemonium broke out at a suburban mall in Minnesota over the weekend when teenage fans of the boy band, B5 lost control of themselves and bumrushed the stage. About 2,000 people came out to see the group play at the Brookdale Center Mall, outside of Minneapolis. Barely into their second song, the fans went hysterical, screaming, running to the stage, grabbing at the band members and getting into fights with one another. According to Christopher Taykalo of Radio Disney (who sponsored the event), "It just seemed like a girl frenzy."

It took 70 officers from "23 area communities" to respond, though the whole matter was quelled in under an hour. Ironically, B5 (made up of five brothers from Atlanta), came to prominence this past summer as part of BET's "Scream Tour IV." (Source: CNN)

The results of this past weekend's Vibe Awards has been balanced by not only who won, but also by the observation that no one got stabbed or beat up. Provided, last year's awards were a fiasco after a man named Jimmy Johnson ran up on Dr. Dre and sucker-punched him, then later got shanked by Young Buck. That said, news items about the ceremony almost read as if they were anticipating a repeat.

In any case, among the many not-stabbed-or-punched artists to walk away with awards, Mariah Carey ruled the night with four prizes, including for R&B Voice of the Year, best R&B Song ("We Belong Together"), Album of the Year and Artist of the Year. Pizzow. Reelest video honors went to (who else?), R. Kelley for his inventive/bizarre "Trapped In the Closet" cycle. Kanye West took Best Rapper honors and the Next Award, for best new artist, was shared by Young Jeezy and Keyshia Cole. (Sources: Vibe, EURweb)

R. Kelly's "Trapped In the Closet" began as an imaginative way to compose a narrative suite of songs, telling a story over five parts, all repeating the same drip-drop track. It was a creative idea at the time – not something you hear everyday, for certain – but as parts 1-5 have now grown to 9-12, the songs are either becoming played out or this will go down as one of the most insanely genius (emphasis on insane) moments in pop music.

It is surreal either way. MTV breaks down the continuing plot line beginning with Part 9 and we won't even try to summarize it except to say it involves a well-endowed little person who has flatulence problems when he's nervous.

Seriously.

By the way, Kelly released all twelve parts on DVD yesterday in case you're feeling really bored. (Source: MTV News)

Ok, so we said we didn't want to report on music stories that don't actually involve music but this is too intriguing to pass up (though, *sigh*, it is about a Jackson). According to Young DeBarge, the brother of R&B singer James DeBarge, James and Janet Jackson had a baby girl back in the 1984 when they were married for a brief time (barely a year). Given Jackson's age (18) and other factors, Janet gave her daughter (Renee) to older Jackson sister Rebbie to raise.

This is all gossip mill fodder to be sure but frankly, we're rather amazed that in the intense media lens that the Jackson family has always been under, that they were able to hide the truth behind Renee's paternity/maternity for over 20 years. Sure, rumors had circulated for a long time, but until Young DeBarge's revelation to a local NYC radio station, nothing had been substantiated. (Source: EURWeb)