Favorite musicians from North Carolina
- Thread starter Top Water
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My best man is the bassist, guitarist is from the same friend group since 94.
John Coltrane ….. Thelonius Monk
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i know he went to school here, but I think he may have been from Massachusetts! If not for that he would have been top of my list.
He and his siblings grew up in Chapel Hill.
My parents lived beside them and my mom would baby sit him sometimes. His bother and my brother were childhood playmates. I wasn't born yet.
Carolina Chocolate Drops, The DB's, The Connells, Super Chunk
Connells at Cat's Cradle back in college circa 91-92 was loudest concert I've ever been to and I've been to far to many in my lifetime.
The Stones, The Who, and especially Bruce Springsteen in Chapel Hill all did damage to my ears. Never heard anyone at the Cat's Cradle or the Pier that I considered overly loud.
For me, that's Soul Asylum at CBGB's in 86-ish
Another vote for Arrogance and I’ll throw in Brice Street. There was another one I thought was local that I can’t recall the name. The album I believe was titled “ Two B’s Please. “ edit to add I think it was the Robbin Thompson Band or something similar. I’m not sure if he’s from North Carolina or Kentucky but Mike Cross was excellent. He’s from the mountains somewhere around here.
It’s hard to believe this thread got this far without anyone mentioning Johnny Bristol.
born in Morganton, nc, he was a shining star at Motown as a producer, arranger, and artist.
he produced many hits, including Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, David Ruffin, Gladys Knight, and Jr. Walker.
he later had a mega hit with “Hang on in there Baby”
he is also the male voice doing the ad libs on “Someday we’ll be Together “, coaxing Diana Ross.
A true unsung superstar
he also produced Boz Scaggs great album, “Slow Dancer” ( with James Jameson on bass)
He is in the NC Music Hall of Fame
born in Morganton, nc, he was a shining star at Motown as a producer, arranger, and artist.
he produced many hits, including Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, David Ruffin, Gladys Knight, and Jr. Walker.
he later had a mega hit with “Hang on in there Baby”
he is also the male voice doing the ad libs on “Someday we’ll be Together “, coaxing Diana Ross.
A true unsung superstar
he also produced Boz Scaggs great album, “Slow Dancer” ( with James Jameson on bass)
He is in the NC Music Hall of Fame
That is great stuff. I friggin love Motown but only vaguely familiar with Johnny Bristol and did not know he was from Morganton. Have alaways wondered who the male vocalist on Someday is but never took the time to research. Thx!
And Little Eva of Locomotion fame was from Kinston. And Roberta Flack from Black Mountain.
Bristol said in a later interview, that as producer of “Someday we’ll Be Together”, he had to get Diana in the right mood to sing it. He said she was acting like a prima donna and thought the song was beneath her.
The Supremes had already split up, Flo was dead, and Mary had enough of Diana. Those aren’t even The Supremes in the background.
anyway, Bristol was in the booth, singing the ad libs in Diana’s earphone. They liked it so much, they left those ad libs in the final mix.
Remember David Ruffin’s two mega hits, “My Whole World Ended”, and “Walk Away From Love”?
Bristol produced both of those and recorded and finished both tracks of backup and orchestra before giving them to David to add vocals.
David was fabulous on both of those, maybe my all time favorites of Johnny Bristol’s work.
He also produced all of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s mega hits.
^ I love it. The Temps are my all time favorite vocal group, and David Ruffin is in my top 5 male singers.
Related, it was incredible seeing Otis Williams still performing with the current iteration of the Temptations Thursday during halftime in Detroit. Not that Richard Sherman is young anymore, but he is a generation behind me and I’m a generation behind Motown 1.0. He was clearly showing genuine respect and admiration.
Related, it was incredible seeing Otis Williams still performing with the current iteration of the Temptations Thursday during halftime in Detroit. Not that Richard Sherman is young anymore, but he is a generation behind me and I’m a generation behind Motown 1.0. He was clearly showing genuine respect and admiration.
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