Having started as a teenager playing saxophone traveling in Little Richard's band, Winfield was discovered as a singer by Rufus Mitchell, who managed and recorded him on for Ru-Jac label. Mitchell brought Winfield to Arctic Records to start a lifelong affiliation beginning with "Shake That Thing" and his self-penned "Brand New Start" in 1969; included the Gospel album "Sending Up My Timber" in 2003; and culminated in the forthcoming Soul Singer album produced by Tom Moulton featuring Winfield and fellow Jamie veteran artists Kenny Hamber and John Ellison.
Phil Spector, who got his start as a producer watching Lee Hazlewood produce Duane Eddy in Phoenix in the late 1950s, has died at age 81. Jamie put out among his first releases with the Blackwells' "You Took Advantage of Me," which appeared in the Academy Award winning "Green Book."
With great sadness, we report the death of Bonnie Guitar, whose association with Jamie Record Co came through the acquisition of Fabor Robison's interests in Dandelion Music, Fabor and Abbott Records. Bonnie worked closely with Fabor as an artist, making a national hit of "Dark Moon," and in Robison's Malibu studio, becoming a pioneer label executive. More here.
The Kit Kats' Karl Hausman has written a whimsical, enlightening, nostalic, funny and evocative autobiographical novel that closely follows the career of the Kit Kats, the Philadelphia-area supergroup of the 1960s and 70s. Karl's story gently pits love against ambition with the backdrop of working class Philly in the 50s and 60s. It is available on amazon here .
Congratulations to Barbara Lynn on winning a 2018 NEA National Heritage Fellowship! This prestigious honor is awarded to a handful of deserving individuals each year who have dedicated their lives to the folk and traditional arts, and their respective communities. For more information on the NEA and the National Heritage Fellowship: https://www.arts.gov/news/2018/national-endowment-arts-announces-2018-national-heritage-fellows
To read more about Barbara Lynn: https://www.arts.gov/honors/heritage/fellows/barbara-lynn
Multi-Oscar-winner "Green Book" uses 5 Jamie tracks to help tell the story of the travels through Jim Crow South of Italian-American bouncer played by Viggo Mortensen driving jazz pianist Don Shirley played by Mahershala Ali. Jamie Records has five tracks in the film, all 1962 music by Timmy Shaw (R&B), the Blackwells (pop harmony), Bill Massey (big band), and Sue Winford (country).
Jamie Music and Jamie Records share the world's sorrow at the loss of Ned Miller, writer and performer of "From a Jack to a King" and writer of classics like "Dark Moon" and "Parade of Broken Hearts." Working for many years with him and his collaborator & wife Sue, we are preparing a new CD of Ned's songs never previously released. Preview here .