A true great has passed. Aretha Franklin, “Queen of Soul,” had long been ill and on August 16, 2018, she succumbed to complications of advanced pancreatic cancer while in hospice care at her Detroit home, according to her family. The beloved performer leaves an iconic legacy instrumental in changing popular music the world over. Her early issues on Atlantic Records in the … [Read more...]
Local and national stories, reviews, and information highlighting African American music and artists.
The interview that ‘blessed’ Robyne Robinson’s career
This two-part installment of Purple Music shares the story of how Robyne Robinson — Twin Cities broadcast legend, style guru, and cultural icon in her own right — came to be the first and only media professional to interview Prince Rogers Nelson on local television. Conclusion of a two-part story Prince’s request for an interview was still fresh on Robyne … [Read more...]
Pioneering broadcaster Robyne Robinson reflects on Prince interview
This two-part installment of Purple Music shares the story of how Robyne Robinson — Twin Cities broadcast legend, style guru, and cultural icon in her own right — came to be the first and only media professional to interview Prince Rogers Nelson on local television. First of a two-part story One night in Fargo It was a summer night in 1984 when — sitting in a Town … [Read more...]
George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic deliver a funky good time
If you haven’t experienced George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic live, you’ve missed out on an incredible experience. This latest tour is reportedly Clinton’s last before he retires, and let me just say, the man can still funk after all these years. Clinton and his crew landed the mothership at the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis on July 17 to a sold-out crowd. The … [Read more...]
Prince is often called a modern-day Mozart
So why isn’t he in the Songwriters Hall of Fame? "Take this beat, I don’t mind. I got plenty others and they’re so fine. " —Prince, “I Wish U Heaven (Parts 1, 2 & 3)” “Like books and Black lives, albums still matter,” said Prince during his final appearance at the Grammy Awards in February of 2015. These sentiments offer us a rather fitting starting point to talk … [Read more...]