Died On This Date (July 26, 2010) Al Goodman / The Moments; Ray, Goodman and Brown

Al Goodman
DOB Unknown – July 26, 2010

Al Goodman was a respected baritone soul singer who was part of the ’70s hit-making group, the Moments. Formed in during the late ’70s, the Moments released their first record in 1968 and soon found themselves topping the R&B charts with tracks like “Love on a Two Way Street,” “If I Didn’t Care,” and “Look At Me (I’m In Love).”  Hip Hop fans may recognize elements of “Love on a Two Way Street” throughout Jay Z’s 2009 hit, “Empire State Of Mind.”  During the late ’70s, the group that also included Harry Ray and Billy Brown, rechristened themselves Ray, Goodman and Brown and delivered several more slow jam hits throughout the ’80s.  Al Goodman was 63 when he passed away on July 26, 2010.  Cause of death was not immediately released.

Thanks to Elaine Lewis for the assist.

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Love On a Two-Way Street - The Best of the Moments - The Moments

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Ray, Goodman & Brown

Died On This Date (July 26, 2010) Melvin Bliss / Heavily Sampled ’70s Soul Singer

Melvin Bliss
DOB Unknown – July 26, 2010

Born in Chicago, Melvin Bliss began his career in music at the age of six, first performing gospel and then moving on to jazz.  In 1973, he released “Synthetic Substitution” a soul record that went on to become one of the most sampled songs in music history even though it was an obscure b-side.  Below is a partial list of songs that borrowed elements from Bliss’ recording.  Melvin Bliss was 75 when he passed away on July 26, 2010.

Where You’ll Hear Melvin Bliss Samples

From the-breaks.com

3XDope – “Funky Dividends”
Alkaholiks – “Bullshit”
Alkaholiks – “Turn the Party Out”
Almighty RSO – “One in the Chamba”
Big Daddy Kane – “Just Rhymin’ with Biz”
Big Daddy Kane – “Looks Like a Job for. . .”
Biz Markie – “Cool V’s Tribute to Scratching”
Blessed Union of Soul – “Let Me Be the One”
Boss – “Comin’ to Getcha”
Brotha Lynch Hung – “24 Deep”
Brothers Like Outlaw – “The Real McKoy”
Chubb Rock – “My Brother”
Chubb Rock – “The Night Scene”
Coolio – “I Remember”
Criminals at Large – “Times are Getting Hard”
Da King & I – “Flip Da Scrip”
De la Soul – “Millie Pulled a Pistol on Santa”
De la Soul – “Potholes in My Lawn”
De la Soul – “Sh.Fe.MC’s”
Deee-Lite – “I Won’t Give Up”
Def Jef – “Black to the Future”
Depeche Mode – “In Your Room”
Digital Underground – “Tie the Knot”
DJ Honda – “Out for Cash”
DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince – “Groove”
DOC – “Mind Blowin'”
Dr. Octagon – “A Visit to the Gynecologyst”
Dr. Octagon – “Wild and Crazy”
Eazy-E – “Eazy Street”
En Vogue – “Hold On”
EPMD – “Mr. Bozack”
EPMD – “Scratch Bring it Back”
Gang Starr – “Code of the Streets”
Gang Starr – “Dwyck”
Ghostface Killah – “Deck’s Beat”
Ghostface Killah – “Mighty Healthy”
Goats – “Do the Digs Dug”
Gravediggaz – “Bang Your Head”
Gravediggaz – “Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide”
Group Home – “So Called Friends”
Guru – “Take a Look (At Yourself)”
Guru – “Transit Ride”
Ice Cube – “2 N the Mornin'”
Ice T – “Depths of Hell”
Ice T – “Original Gangster”
Imani Coppola – “It’s All about Me, Me and Me”
King & I – “Flip Da Scrip”
Leaders of the New School – “Bass is Loaded”
LL Cool J – “Crossroads”
MadKap – “Here Comes the Break”
Masta Ace – “Saturday Nite Live”
MC Lyte – “Never Had Nothing Like This”
Mellow Man Ace – “Silly Rabbit”
Method Man – “All I Need”
Naughty by Nature – “O.P.P.”
Naughty by Nature – “On the Run”
Naughty by Nature – “Yoke the Joker”
Nice & Smooth – “Cake & Eat it Too”
Nice & Smooth – “Pump it Up”
Nikki D – “The Beauty Shop”
NWA – “Alwayz into Somethin'”
NWA – “Real Niggaz Don’t Die”
ODB – “Cuttin’ Headz”
Onyx – “Nigga Bridges”
Onyx – “Throw Ya Gunz”
Orb – “Supernova at the End of the Universe”
Papa Chuk – “Make Way for the Rudeboy”
Peanut Butter Wolf – “I Will Always Love H.E.R.”
Penthouse Players Clique – “P.S. Phuk U2”
Pharcyde – “Ya Mama”
PM Dawn – “On a Clear Day”
Public Enemy – “Don’t Believe the Hype”
Public Enemy – “Miuzi Weighs a Ton”
Redman – “I’m a Bad”
Redman – “Jam 4 U”
Run-DMC – “Wreck Shop”
Scarface – “For Real”
Scarface – “Murder by Reason of Insanity”
Schoolly D – “Saturday Night”
Slick Rick – “Venus”
Sloan – “Stove”
Souls of Mischief – “A Name I Call Myself”
Special Ed – “5 Men and a Mic”
Tim Dog – “I Ain’t Takin’ No Shorts”
Tone Loc – “On Fire”
Too $hort – “Hoes”
Tupac – “The Streetz R Death Row”
Tupac – “When I Get Free II”
Ultramagnetic MCs – “Ego Trippin'”
Ultramagnetic MCs – “Pluckin Cards”
WC & the Maad Circle – “A Crazy Break”
Wu-Tang Clan – “Bring Da Ruckus”
Wu-Tang Clan – “Clan in Da Front”
Wu-Tang Clan – “Method Man”



Died On This Date (July 25, 1984) Big Mama Thornton / Blues Legend

Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton
December 11, 1926 – July 25, 1984

Big Mama Thornton gave the world two of the greatest songs in rock history, “Hound Dog” and “Ball and Chain.”  And they  would become signature songs for two of America’s biggest rock icons.  Just starting out in the early ’50s, Thornton, along with producer Johnny Otis, worked up a hard electric blues version of “Hound Dog” which was given to her by the songwriting team of Leiber and Stoller.  Her’s being the first recording of the song, she sat at the top of the R&B charts for seven weeks.  Elvis Presley rocked the song up a bit three years later, sending his career into the stratosphere.  Unfortunately, Thornton’s career didn’t take the same path.  She worked consistently throughout the ’50s and ’60s, but was never able to duplicate the success of “Hound Dog.”  And while her career was on an upswing in late ’60s, she wrote and recorded “Ball and Chain” for Arhoolie Records.  The song found its way to the great Janis Joplin who added her own sass to it on stage at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, a watershed moment in her career.  Sadly though, Thornton was again unable to capitalize on the success.  As the year’s progressed so did Thornton’s abuse of alcohol.  By the early ’80s, the once “Big Mama” was but a shadow of herself, weighing less than 100 pounds.  She died of heart and liver problems on July 25, 1984.

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Hound Dog: The Peacock Recordings - Big Mama Thornton

Died On This Date (July 20, 1969) Roy Hamilton / ’50s R&B Singer

Roy Hamilton
April 16, 1929 – July 20, 1969

Roy Hamilton was a popular and influential R&B singer in the ’50s.  A former heavy weight Golden Gloves boxer, Hamilton began his musical career as part of the gospel group, the Searchlight Singers in the late ’40s.  Over the course of his career as a solo artist, Hamilton scored several Top 15 hits including, “Unchained Melody,” “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” and “Don’t Let Go.”  He is said to have been a direct influence on the Righteous Brothers and Jackie Wilson.  Hamilton died at the age of 40 shortly after suffering a stroke.

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Roy Hamilton

Died On This Date (July 13, 1984) Philippe Wynne / The Spinners

Philippe Wynne
April 3, 1941 – July 13, 1984

wynnePhilippe Wynne is best remembered as a one-time lead singer for the Spinners during the band’s hit-making years of the ’70s.  Prior to the Spinners, Wynne briefly sang in Bootsy Collins’ Pacesetters and James Brown’s JBs.  With the Spinners, Wynne sang lead on such hits as “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love,” “One Of A Kind Love Affair,” and “The Rubberband Man.”  Wynne left the group in 1977 and briefly sang in George Clinton’s Parliament.  Phillipe Wynne died the day after he suffered a heart attack while performing on stage in Oakland, California.  He was 43.

What You Should Own

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The Very Best of the Spinners - The Spinners