Mickey & the Soul Generation

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Mickey & the Soul Generation were a funk band from San Antonio, Texas. The group formed in the late 1960s in the midst of the Texas funk scene, which consisted mostly of locally and regionally known bands but which was extraordinarily prolific (and known today mostly through hip hop sampling and reissues on labels such as Jazzman Records).

Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when African-American musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of soul music, jazz, and rhythm and blues (R&B). Funk de-emphasizes melody and chord progressions and focuses on a strong rhythmic groove of a bass line played by an electric bassist and a drum part played by a drummer, often at slower tempos than other popular music. Like much of African-inspired music, funk typically consists of a complex groove with rhythm instruments playing interlocking grooves that created a "hypnotic" and "danceable feel". Funk uses the same richly colored extended chords found in bebop jazz, such as minor chords with added sevenths and elevenths, or dominant seventh chords with altered ninths and thirteenths.

San Antonio City in Texas, United States

San Antonio, officially the City of San Antonio, is the seventh-most populous city in the United States, and the second-most populous city in both Texas and the Southern United States, with more than 1.5 million residents. Founded as a Spanish mission and colonial outpost in 1718, the city became the first chartered civil settlement in present-day Texas in 1731. The area was still part of the Spanish Empire, and later of the Mexican Republic. Today it is the state's oldest municipality.

Texas State of the United States of America

Texas is the second largest state in the United States by both area and population. Geographically located in the South Central region of the country, Texas shares borders with the U.S. states of Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the west, and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas to the southwest, while the Gulf of Mexico is to the southeast.

Contents

History

Mickey Foster and Emil Carter first played together in a Latino soul group called The Royal Tokens. The two split from the group to form a new band; picking up George Salas and Gilbert Rivera, they called themselves "The Fabulous Four". After further lineup changes, the group became "The Fabulous Five", "Mickey and the Fabulous Five" and lastly "Mickey and the Soul Generation". The group won several local talent shows and began recording in a local Tejano studio. Their 1969 single, "Iron Leg", was picked up for distribution nationwide by Maxwell Records, a New York City label, and the 45 sold well regionally in Florida, California, and Texas. At the height of its popularity, it was used in a segment by Nipsey Russell on a routine he did for The Tonight Show. [1]

Tejano music or Tex-Mex music is various forms of folk and popular music originating among the Mexican-American populations of Central and Southern Texas. With roots in the late 19th century, it became a music genre with a wider audience in the late 20th century thanks to artists such as Selena, Mazz, La Mafia, La Sombra, Elida Reyna, Elsa García, Laura Canales, Oscar Estrada, Jay Perez, Emilio Navaira, Esteban "Steve" Jordan, Gary Hobbs, Shelly Lares, Stefani Montiel, David Lee Garza, Jennifer Peña, and La Fiebre.

New York City Largest city in the United States

The City of New York, usually called either New York City (NYC) or simply New York (NY), is the most populous city in the United States. With an estimated 2017 population of 8,622,698 distributed over a land area of about 302.6 square miles (784 km2), New York is also the most densely populated major city in the United States. Located at the southern tip of the state of New York, the city is the center of the New York metropolitan area, the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban landmass and one of the world's most populous megacities, with an estimated 20,320,876 people in its 2017 Metropolitan Statistical Area and 23,876,155 residents in its Combined Statistical Area. A global power city, New York City has been described as the cultural, financial, and media capital of the world, and exerts a significant impact upon commerce, entertainment, research, technology, education, politics, tourism, art, fashion, and sports. The city's fast pace has inspired the term New York minute. Home to the headquarters of the United Nations, New York is an important center for international diplomacy.

Florida State of the United States of America

Florida is the southernmost contiguous state in the United States. The state is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south by the Straits of Florida. Florida is the 22nd-most extensive, the 3rd-most populous, and the 8th-most densely populated of the U.S. states. Jacksonville is the most populous municipality in the state and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. The Miami metropolitan area is Florida's most populous urban area. Tallahassee is the state's capital.

After the release of a second single, "Football", the group went on tour, opening for Sam & Dave, The Supremes, Clarence Carter, and Kool & the Gang in the American South and Midwest. After moving to New York to fill an opening slot for fellow Maxwell artists Faith, Hope & Charity, the group split with its label over monetary disputes and returned to Texas. Further recording ensued at local studios, but the group soon splintered, recording its last singles in 1973. [1]

Sam & Dave American soul and R&B duo

Sam & Dave were an American soul and R&B duo who performed together from 1961 until 1981. The tenor (higher) voice was Sam Moore and the baritone/tenor (lower) voice was Dave Prater (1937–1988).

The Supremes American Motown female singing group

The Supremes were an American female singing group and the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and are, to date, America's most successful vocal group with 12 number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. Most of these hits were written and produced by Motown's main songwriting and production team, Holland–Dozier–Holland. At their peak in the mid-1960s, the Supremes rivaled the Beatles in worldwide popularity, and it is said that their success made it possible for future African American R&B and soul musicians to find mainstream success.

Clarence George Carter is an American blues and soul singer, musician, songwriter and record producer. His most successful records included "Slip Away" (1968), "Back Door Santa", "Too Weak to Fight", "Patches" (1970), and "Strokin'" (1985).

Mickey & the Soul Generation saw little widespread success while active as a band. However, the group became better known when Josh Davis (DJ Shadow) began interpolating their music into his records and mixes. Davis, who called the group his 'favorite funk band', [1] collected the group's recordings and had them reissued on Cali-Tex records in 2002 in the double LP and double CD formats. The reissue, Iron Leg, won highly positive reviews from many press outlets. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] Since then, the group's material has also shown up on funk compilations on record labels such as Jazzman Records. [7]

DJ Shadow American trip-hop musician

Joshua Paul Davis, better known by his stage name DJ Shadow, is an American record producer and DJ. He first gained notice with the release of his highly acclaimed debut studio album, Endtroducing...... He has a personal record collection of over 60,000 records.

Members

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Josh Davis. Liner Notes, Iron Leg. Cali-Tex, 2002, passim.
  2. ↑ Album Review. Sacramento News & Review , March 20, 2003. Accessed November 19, 2007.
  3. ↑ Album Review. Allmusic. Accessed November 19, 2007.
  4. ↑ Album Review Archived 2004-12-01 at the Wayback Machine .. Boomkat. Accessed November 19, 2007.
  5. ↑ Album Review. San Francisco Weekly, January 29, 2003. Accessed November 19, 2007.
  6. ↑ Album Review. Blender . Accessed November 19, 2007.
  7. ↑ Mickey & The Soul Generation at Discogs.
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