E. Mark Windle 21 October 2025. A story of the early days of Hendrix, The King Kasuals and the Nashville R&B scene Motown had The Funk Brothers, Stax had The Memphis Horns, Muscle Shoals had The Swampers, and Nashville’s Black music scene had The King Kasuals. Er, wait a minute. Who? The partnership that existed betweenContinue reading “Before the Wind Cried Mary”
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Malnutrition, Infection and Poor Wound Healing—Contributors to the Predicted Gaza Death Toll
E. Mark Windle 30 May 2025. A range of amino acids, vitamins and minerals are essential for the manufacture and functioning of immune cells. Optimum immune function is dependent not only an adequate intake of these nutrients but also on the ability of the body to utilise them. Chronic gastrointestinal disease and related malabsorption, vomitingContinue reading “Malnutrition, Infection and Poor Wound Healing—Contributors to the Predicted Gaza Death Toll”
Stop and Start Over. The Berkshire Seven Story
E. Mark Windle 24 May 2025. Unless you live in the clandestine world of the rare soul record collecting and are familiar with the label’s output, you’d be forgiven for being unaware of any recordings or artists associated with Stop Records Inc. After all, Stop didn’t have any huge hits. It operated on a shoestringContinue reading “Stop and Start Over. The Berkshire Seven Story”
From a Whisper to a Scream: Toussaint and Hurricane Katrina
E. Mark Windle 28 March 2025. Joining the dots between a North Carolina soul band, New Orleans music legend Allen Toussaint and the wrath of nature. For Roger Branch, sound engineer and founder of the sixties R&B band The Tempests, New Orleans had an attractive pull for studio engineering and production work. Like most musiciansContinue reading “From a Whisper to a Scream: Toussaint and Hurricane Katrina”
One Dollar Cover, Warm Beer and Good Old Soul Music
E. Mark Windle 22 March 2025. I reckon there will be a few tears shed in the Carolina Rock n Roll Remembered and I Remember the Cellar Facebook groups this week. I just discovered on my social media feed that The Cellar burned down early Saturday morning. Once upon a time, this place really meant something to the music-lovingContinue reading “One Dollar Cover, Warm Beer and Good Old Soul Music”
Just Enough to Hurt Me. The Astors Story
E. Mark Windle 17 April 2023. This week marks the passing of singer Curtis Johnson, founding member of Memphis soul group The Astors. They may be one of Stax’s less instantly recognisable acts (at least to a mainstream audience), but their work is very familiar to, and respected by, the UK and European rare soulContinue reading “Just Enough to Hurt Me. The Astors Story”
The Yorkshire Soul Connection: an Interview with Garry Cape
E. Mark Windle April 2023. When I asked reissue / retrospective soul label owner Garry Cape about the motivating factors for his 2020 return to the soul market with the reactivation of his Hit and Run label series, issues of mortality seemed to be at the top of the list: “I guess it had somethingContinue reading “The Yorkshire Soul Connection: an Interview with Garry Cape”
Life Stories, the Ghostwriter, and Authenticity: Finding Voice and Personality
Writers are obsessed with capturing voice. Whether it’s their own for a self-penned memoir, an imaginary character in fiction writing, or for brand representation in commercial copy, the goal is to tell a story that is believable, relatable, representative of the subject and always deserving of the reader’s attention.
Moral Code, or F**k it? Hancock, the Lockdown Files and the Art of Breaching Non-Disclosure Agreements
E. Mark Windle 4 March 2023 Right, let’s get this straight. The creation and implementation of a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is to guard privileged trade or personal information. As such, it is one way of interpreting the UK’s Data Protection Act, which gives individuals and organisations the right to privacy, and control over how divulgedContinue reading “Moral Code, or F**k it? Hancock, the Lockdown Files and the Art of Breaching Non-Disclosure Agreements”
North Broad Street Records: Lovemasters “If You See Kate” / “Let’s Stay Together”
E. Mark Windle 2nd September 2022. As North Broad Street Records goes from strength to strength, September sees the arrival of the seventh vinyl release in their series of quality previously unissued soul recordings. NBS 007 takes us to the Windy City for two fine tracks by the group who previously gave us a northernContinue reading “North Broad Street Records: Lovemasters “If You See Kate” / “Let’s Stay Together”“