BOOKINGS FOR 2017/2018 via FFAR COTTON PROMOTIONS “Contact” page
SOUL BRITANNIA ALL STARS features MADELINE BELL, HAMISH STUART, LINDA LEWIS, CAROL GRIMES, JIMMY LINDSAY and Musical Director, SAM KELLY. Performances have included the BBC Soul Britannia All Stars Revue at the Barbican, London, followed by the Soul Britannia All Stars U.K. tour including appearances at London’s Jazz Cafe and Ealing Festival. Soul Britannia All Stars were also featured on BBC 4’s tv series “Soul Britannia” which examined the dynamic impact of black American and Caribbean sounds on British music.
MADELINE BELL www.madelinebell.com
Madeline Bell is a superb jazz, pop and soul singer, stage star and former Radio 1 DJ. Born Madeline Bell Brodus on 23rd July 1942 in Newark, New Jersey, USA, Madeline was raised by her grandmother, who was instrumental in discovering Madeline’s natural talent at the age of five, encouraging her to sing gospel music in church and at school.
Madeline’s career has continued to blossom proving that her supreme vocal ability has sustained its excellent driving force. On 22nd June 2003 Madeline was honoured with a LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD, presented by the Music Heritage Foundation for her significant and outstanding contribution to the music industry. Madeline has recently completed over fifty interviews for BBC and Independent Radio nationwide in the UK giving an account of her remarkable career. In addition Madeline has contributed to many TV programmes through interviews relating to the music industry. Madeline continues to work with the BBC Big Band and is involved in concerts titled The 3 Divas. These shows have impressed audiences everywhere and have included other top singers, Sheila Ferguson, Ruby Turner and PP Arnold.
A considerable amount of Madeline’s time is spent performing in Holland and Germany and she has completed a series of shows in Movie Theatres in the Netherlands and Belgium incorporating Madeline’s vocal tribute to the great Ray Charles’ Music.
HAMISH STUART en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamish_Stuart
As an original member of the famous Glasgow based soul, funk and disco group Average White Band, Hamish Stuart’s vocals and guitar are well known and loved by fans across the world. In the 1970s the band produced several top selling albums and hits like Pick Up The Pieces, which reached no.1 in the US charts. After his time with AWB, Stuart became an enormously successful musician in his right, working with legends like Aretha Franklin, David Sanborn and Paul McCartney, for whom he played both bass and guitar, and has written for the likes of Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross and George Benson.
LINDA LEWIS www.lindalewis.co.uk
It remains something of a perplexing mystery as to why an artist as talented as Linda Lewis is not a household name in her own country, though recent collaborations with the likes of Basement Jaxx, Common, Turin Brakes and Jamiroquai, shows how highly regarded she is by our hottest chart acts.
Linda was way ahead of her time, fusing seemingly disparate musical elements together – folk, soul, pop, rock and reggae – into a totally unique signature sound. With the recent emergence of black female artists cast in a similar stylistic mould to Linda Lewis, the kind of cultural and musical cross-pollination that Linda Lewis pioneered some 30 years ago is now an accepted part of the popular music landscape. There couldn’t be a better time for a re-evaluation of the remarkable contribution Linda Lewis has made to the UK music scene.
Apart from her own successful singing career Linda Lewis is one of the most in demand session singers in the world. Her voice has been heard on many of the most important albums of popular music over the last thirty years. Her five octave range can be heard on albums that are now part of the history of popular music from David Bowie’s “Aladdin Sane” and Cat Stevens “Catch Bull At Four” to recordings by Jamiroquai, Oasis, Turin Brakes and Midfield General. Linda was delighted to learn that Geffen recording artist ‘Common’ sampled her recording “Old Smokey” on his track Go!, produced by Kanye West. Linda’s most recent session work was on Noel Gallagher’s new album released in 2011. Admirers of her stunning vocal work include Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton & Joni Mitchell.
JIMMY LINDSAY www.reverbnation.com/jimmylindsay
Jimmy Lindsay is a genuine reggae/soul artist with a cultured musical history. He began as a soul singer in the sixties and came to fame as the front man of Cymande in the 70’s. Jimmy’s undisputed excellence when commanding vocal authority and technique is delivered with a remarkable confidence and passion.
Jimmy then went on to a solo career and found himself at the forefront of British reggae aligning himself with reggae greats as Joe Gibbs, Jimmy Cliff, Bob Andy and Bob Marley. Further, Jimmy’s song writing delves deeper into the roots of reggae and communicates a powerful message through his Jamaican roots touching your soul and dancing feet. The strength of song writing is documented on 3 solo albums ‘Where Is Your Love’, ‘Children Of Rastafari, and Jimmy Lindsay and Rasuji Live at The Venue 1980. He has performed alongside ….Ronnie Lane…., E.L.P, Steel Pulse, Status Quo and many contemporaries. His chart success includes his superlative re-working of the 1977 British Reggae award winning single Commodores’ ‘Easy’ and Ain’t No Sunshine’.
In 2006 Jimmy reunited with Sam Kelly, Mike Rose and Pablo Gonzales together with Paul Jobson, Jerome Marcus, Tony Qunta, Tim Herniman and Ray Carless and Jimmy returned as lead vocalist with CYMANDE II to re-deliver the magic of British Black Music once again.
CAROL GRIMES www.carolgrimes.com
Carol Grimes is a smooth jazz and World music singer. She came to prominence in 1969 as a member of “Delivery”, associated with the Canterbury Scene. During the 1970’s she performed regularly on the London blues circuit with her band “The London Boogie Band”. At the same time, she released her first solo album “Warm Blood”, the first release on Virgin’s Caroline label (CA2001), backed by session musicians in London and Nashville. The following year saw the release of a follow-up blues album recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis and Goodyear Studios in Nashville. By the end of the decade, Carol Grimes had moved to a more jazz-inspired style, including “scat” singing. In 1984 she formed “Eyes Wide Open” . Now known mainly as a solo artist she also does theatrical work and teaches voice. Her latest projects are singing with Something Secret, The Shout and U.K. Funk All Stars.
SAM KELLY www.sam-kelly.co.uk
Sam Kelly’s playing career started in the early 1970’s with “Cymande”, an 8-piece ‘Nyah Rock’/British funk band. Although not too well known in the UK, the band worked in the USA between 1971–1974, successfully touring to promote 3 albums which were released on the Janus label, a subsidiary of Chess records. Cymande’s music has retained a cult following over the years and, even today, the name is still well-known by the new generation of successful garage, hip-hop and rap artists who have sampled several of the original tracks.
Sam’s self-taught style of drumming has placed him in the drumseat with Cymande, Dr. John, Chaka Khan, Eddie Floyd, Robert Plant, Michelle Shocked and the late, Gary Moore. In 2008, Sam went into the studio to record the rhythm tracks for the Gary Moore’s last release “Bad for you Baby” followed by a ten-date tour in Germany with Gary’s band.
Besides running three of his own bands (Sam Kelly’s Station House, Sam Kelly’s Blues Band and FOWOKAN reggae), Sam currently tours with Cymande, the Papa George Band, Giles Hedley & the Aviators and Stompin’ Dave.