 |
|
|
|
| |
 |
| |
BOGALUSA Records |
| |
|
| |
Hammer Musik and Ingo Kleinhammer have for some time
been pursuing the expansion of their label activities
with special priority on Black Music from America and
Jamaica.
Together with Jim Bateman the BOGALUSA
Label has been founded in New Orleans.
Part of this label are the BOGALUSA Songs and Lusa publishing
companies.
New Orleans has been criminally ignored by the majors
although social conditions and the variety of Live Music
provide a large reservoir of talent in all musical directions.
To date, only Universal has been active in Rap. It is
intended that BOGALUSA
Records will be active in all areas of Black Music.
First signing was John Ellison, who carries on the Soul
tradition and who some time ago recorded the Superhit
“Some Kind Of Wonderful” as leadsinger of
the band Soul Brother Six , one of the few Soulbands to
accompany themselves instrumentally. ( As opposed to bands
such as the Temptations). In addition to John Ellison,
a Live album of the John Handy Quartet Reunion Concert
– “Live At Yoshi´s” – has
also been released. Both releases claimed positive reactions.
In the meantime, the artist roster has been extended and
the activities have widened to Los Angeles and KINGSTON,
Jamaica. Curtis Womack, alias Binky, shows that he has
inherited all the Soul of the Womack family and will carry
on their success. As a young artist he has without doubt
developed his own style. Both his uncles Cecil (Womack
& Womack) and Bobby Womack are very pleased with this
development. Bobby couldn’t resist the chance to
record two duets with his nephew, including the song “Crazy
About You” which is the title track for Curtis´s
new CD-Album
to be released in March 2003. At the same time, the first
single “I Can’t Stop The Rain From Falling”
will also be released with Remixes from Mike Dippon. Another
product from L.A. is an album from R&B legend Fugi
who had his greatest success so far with “Rather
Be A Blind Man” which he wrote for Etta James. This
song sold 8 million copies ! Fugi wrote this song as a
young man in prison and it has been covered since by many
R&B greats.
A decisive factor for BOGALUSA Records was the meeting
between DJ Flava and Ingo Kleinhammer who has a long family
connection to Jamaica which goes back to 1972.
Up till now this connection had only yielded a few Reggae
Copyrights for Hammer Musik.
D J Flava, aka Kemar Mcgregor, was until recently one
of the most important Radio DJ´s in Jamaica and
had made a name through sporadic music
productions and an unusually intensive co-operation
with top Jamaican artists. After long discussions, Flava
and Kleinhammer decided to work closely together with
a priority of offering artists fair deals.
Until now artists had been compensated with flat payments
and had to sign the necessary receipts. BOGALUSA
, however, requires that all performers are given fair
artist and publishing contracts to sign. KINGSTON Songs
was founded to take care of the publishing side.
The Reggae Now logo was
designed to give all the Reggae releases on the Label
an individual identity and will appear on all Reggae
music.
Anthony
B. is currently one of the most important Reggae Artists
in Jamaica and the fact that he has not released an album
for some time increases the expectations for the brand
new album “Smoke
Free”. First single taken from this album was
“Champaign
/ Vacation” which was released on 12”
Vinyl and sold 10,000 copies in three weeks in Jamaica
and the Caribbean and a Gold record (25,000) is very probable.
A 7” vinyl version is currently being prepared in
Jamaica and substantial copies have already been ordered.
The 12” vinyl includes a large
poster (DIN A1 size) which has already found great
acceptance in Jamaica and by tourists there.
The 12” vinyl and CD single are being released in
Germany at present and distribution there is handled by
Zomba who have been especially successful in the Reggae
area.
At the end of February the first volume of a special compilation
series titled “Reggae
Now” will be released. All new, unreleased tracks
featuring Jamaica’s top Artists. The intro is performed
by a so-called caller, made famous through film appearances,
which gives this compilation a special musical form. Artists
such as Sizzla,
Anthony B,
General B,
Curtis &
Bobby Womack (with a Ragga version of “Crazy
About You” ) , Mighty
Diamonds, George
Nooks, Thriller
U and Harry
Toddler and others complete this unusual compilation.
In May the new Album
CD from Sizzla, another top star in the Reggae scene,
is being released. All CD Albums will also be available
on vinyl which is still very important in this music genre.
In Jamaica a 7” vinyl single from Sizzla “The
Girls Dem / Vision “ has been released, selling
in one week more than 6,000 copies. Both tracks are taken
from the forthcoming Sizzla album “Vision”.
|
|
|
|
| |
|
