Andrew Everett

In the 1950s and 60s, the blues was the dominant form of Black vernacular music throughout Texas and the surrounding areas. In segregated neighborhoods, community members gathered in saloons, dancehalls, and each other's homes to hear their neighbors sing their stories of sorrow, heartbreak, jubilation, and triumph. Robert "Mack" McCormick, an academically untrained but fanatical devotee of the blues, stepped into this world and became one of its most devout advocates and documentarians.

In the 1950s and 60s, the blues was the dominant form of Black vernacular music throughout Texas and the surrounding areas. In segregated neighborhoods, community members gathered in saloons, dancehalls, and each other's homes to hear their neighbors sing their stories of sorrow, heartbreak, jubilation, and triumph. Robert "Mack" McCormick, an academically untrained but fanatical devotee of the blues, stepped into this world and became one of its most devout advocates and documentarians.

On March 19th 2017 at The Fillmore in Silver Spring, MD, 46 musicians performed 33 songs paying tribute to the wide variety of music coming out of the UK between 1967 thru 73 – a unique time in music history. Between 1964-66, the majority of British groups performed slight variations on the Beatles two guitars-bass-drums & harmonies attack. After the initial British invasion, a newfound freedom was born that allowed some of the beachhead bands to create innovative sounds and produce some of their best music. There were also one hit wonders and other genesis groups that generated entirely new genres like heavy metal, punk-rock, classical-rock, pop, bubblegum, progressive-rock, glam, folk-rock, and every kind of hybrid. Soon the confines of hit-driven AM radio opened the door for FMs’ longer songs and stream of consciousness set lists. 1967 - 73 was a renaissance era for popular music.

The set includes Otis Clay, Alvin Cash, Harold Burrage, Betty Everett and Lonnie Brooks and also one of the greatest dance 45rpms of all time, ‘Shake A Tail Feather’ by The Five Dutones., which was taken to international fame when performed by Ray Charles in the movie, The Blues Brothers. ‘Move with the groove’ includes a memorabilia-laden booklet complete with a full history of the labels and potted biographies of the featured artists and to paraphrase Symtec & Wylie’s track is ‘Sockin’ Soul Power’ all the way.