 The last two Mercury albums from 1979 and 1981 from the great song stylist - first time on CD ever!
• A teen star in the ‘50s (as “Little Esther”), an R&B hitmaker in the ‘60s (“And I Love Him”), a jazz stylist and disco favourite in the ‘70s (“What A Diff’rence A Day Makes”), the late ESTHER PHILLIPS was capable of creating a truly diverse legacy of recordings
• Esther signed with Mercury Records in 1977: as Executive Producer, Esther chose star drummer/artist in his own right, Harvey Mason as a producer for her third set (“Here’s Esther...Are You Ready?”).
• With Mason, Esther put her distinctive vocal stamp on hits of the day (Natalie Cole’s “Mr. Melody” and Elton John’s “Philadelphia Freedom”) alongside great original tunes such as “Bedtime Stories,” a popular rare groove cut among UK soul music lovers.
• Esther’s fourth and final Mercury LP (“Good Black Is Hard To Crack”) was produced by renowned jazz saxman Benny Golson (writer of “Killer Joe”): once again, the earthy singer chose a range of great material including Willie Nelson’s “Crazy,” Loleatta Holloway’s “Cry To Me” and “We’ve Got A Good Thing Going,” another popular UK groove track, originally cut by Michael Jackson.
• Notes by Soul Music.com founder David Nathan, who knew Esther well, include quotes from producers Mason and Golson.
About the Writer
David Nathan is the founder and CEO of SoulMusic.com and began his writing career in 1965; beginning in 1967, he was a regular contributor to Blues & Soul magazine in London before relocating to the U.S. in 1975 where he served as U.S. editor for the publication for several decades and began being known as 'The British Ambassador Of Soul.' From 1988 to 2004, he wrote prolifically for Billboard, has penned bios, produced and written liner notes for box sets and reissue CDs for over a thousand projects. He returned to London in 2009 where he has helped create SoulMusic.com Records as a leading reissue label.
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