Blues & Soul
Blues & Soul is a British music magazine,[1] established in 1967 by John Abbey. The Independent has noted Blues & Soul as being the equal of magazines such as NME and Q. Billboard magazine has called Blues & Soul "a respected publication."[2][3]
Editor | Lee Tyler |
---|---|
Categories | Music |
Founder | John Abbey |
Year founded | 1966 |
First issue | October 1967 |
Country | United Kingdom |
Based in | Croydon |
Language | English |
Website | www |
ISSN | 0959-6550 |
History
John Abbey, a devotee of American R&B music, established a magazine entitled Home of the Blues in 1966. This came about while Abbey was working for a travel agency in London. The magazine went on to publish its own musical charts, cover events and clubs and feature reviews, interviews and other musical articles. Blues & Soul's R&B charts were compiled via a poll record sales throughout Britain. The publication soon gained further popularity in the UK and Europe covering genres of music such as soul, R&B, dance, jazz, hip hop, reggae and world music. With issue number 12 the magazine's title was changed to Blues & Soul.
In addition to Abbey's contributions, material was provided by writers such as former Motown press officer Sharon Davis and British soul fan Dave Godin. Within a June 1970 column of Blues & Soul, Godin went on to coin the term "Northern soul". The business gradually expanded and Abbey set up an associated record label called Contempo Records,[4] which released the UK's first 12-inch singles. Abbey moved to Atlanta, Georgia in the mid-1970s and established Ichiban Records,[4] while the editorship of the magazine was taken over by Bob Killbourn in 1979.[5][6][7][8][9] Another important contributor, David Nathan, began writing for Blues & Soul in the early 1970s, first in London, then from 1975 as the magazine's principal New York correspondent.[10]
Blues & Soul's charts, from the start of such, became increasingly popular within the UK.[11] During 1979, DJ Pete Tong started being a journalist at Blues & Soul. Within the following year, he became the features editor of the magazine.[12][13] Fellow UK publication Black Music was also absorbed in April 1984 by Blues & Soul.[14] Blues & Soul has also, from its inception, bestowed awards to artistes based upon an annual readers poll.[15][16]
By 2006, the magazine had published 1000 issues.[5]
The magazine returned in printed form in August 2010 with a special vintage edition.
In July 2011, Blues & Soul was relaunched permanently in print as a two-monthly magazine alongside its ongoing presence online, helmed by editor Lee Tyler plus assistant editor (and long-time contributor) Pete Lewis.
References
- "Blues and Soul Music Magazine - About". www.bluesandsoul.com.
- Gallivan, Joseph (May 19, 1993). Media. independent.co.uk. The Independent.
- Label Founders Boast Diverse Musical Backgrounds and Teamwork. 107. Billboard. April 8, 1995. p. 28.
- Gregory, Andy (2002). The International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002. Psychology Press. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-85743-161-2.
- "Bob Killbourn, "Picking up the reins"". bluesandsoul.com. Blues & Soul.
- Meadows, Eddie S. (June 10, 2010). Blues, Funk, Rhythm and Blues, Soul, Hip Hop, and Rap: A Research and Information Guide. Routledge. ISBN 9781136992568.
- Richardson, Clive (November 11, 2015). Soul Citizen - Tales & Travels from the Dawn of the Soul Era to the Internet Age. lulu.com. Lulu Press. p. 76-82. ISBN 9781291246735.
- Brewster, Bill (January 19, 2018). "Interview: Dave Godin". redbullmusicacademy.com. Red Bull Music Academy.
- Johnson, Phil (October 20, 2004). "Dave Godin: Esperanto-speaking vegan who became an apostle of soul". independent.co.uk. The Independent.
- "David Nathan", Rock's Backpages (Retrieved 11 June 2015).
- Simpson, Dave (August 6, 2009). "The scenes that time forgot". theguardian.com. The Guardian.
- "Pete Tong". thevogue.com.
- Ramsamy, Gemma Kappala (March 26, 2011). "Pete Tong: Soundtrack of my life". theguardian.com. The Guardian.
- "Black Music". rocksbackpages.com. Rocks Back Pages.
- "Blues & Soul". rocklistmusic.co.uk.
- O' Brien, Lucy (March 1, 200). "This soul is organic". theguardian.com. The Guardian.