Ronnie McNeir
Who Is Ronnie McNeir? What do Smokey Robinson, Teena Marie, The Four Tops, David Ruffin, Eddie Kendrick, Kim Weston, L.J. Reynolds, Kirk Whalum, Rena Scott, Rene & Angela, Carrie Lucas, and Theo Peoples have in common? Well, Ronnie McNeir has produced, recorded with, written for, and/or played keyboards behind this all-star soul list. Despite his impressive resume, Ronnie McNeir is virtually unknown… in the United States.
Dexys Midnight Runners
Dexys Midnight Runners - the name consistently spelled without an apostrophe - were a British post-punk and northern soul band who achieved their major success in the early to mid 1980s. The word "Dexys" in this case, comes from a colloquialism of "dextroamphetamine" or "purple hearts," a type of amphetamine diet pill that was a popular "upper" drug with England's Northern Soul scene in the 1960s.
The Funk Brothers
The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit musicians who were the house band at Detroit's Motown Records from 1959 to 1972, when the company moved to Los Angeles. Their story was told in Paul Justman's 2002 documentary film Standing in the Shadows of Motown, based on Allan Slutsky's book of the same name.
Jimmy James
Multiple artists are known as Jimmy James. 1. Jimmy James (born Michael James, 13 September 1939, Jamaica) is a soul music singer. "The Vagabonds" was the name of Jimmy James backing group. They signed a recording contract with Pye Records and released their best known studio album, The New Religion in 1966. He's particularly known for his cover of Neil Diamond's "Red Red Wine". In the 1970s the band had hit singles in the UK Singles Chart with " I'll Go Where Your Music Takes Me" and "Now Is The Time".