Church of the Good Groove: The June Edition

The brand new edition of my monthly curation for SoulandJazz.com and three new releases you don't want to miss!

Hello friends!

I’m wrapping up this latest liner notes assignment, so the next 1985 feature is delayed for one more week…but (!) there are some things to share.

The June edition of Church of the Good Groove went live this past Sunday and you can listen here. The playlist is below:

Dorothy Norwood—He’s A Friend (SMBD ’79 Edit)—12″ Single—(Original 1977) 2018
The Gospel Truth—He Can Do It—7″ Single—1981
Denny Duron—I’m in Ecstasy—The Winner—1979
The Travelaires I’m Thankful—7″ Single—Date Not Known
The Devoted Souls—Keep on Holding On (KON Rework)—12″ Single—(Original 1980) 2018
Danny Lee & The Children of Truth—Wrapped Up—Essence—1974
Connie Johnson—No More Searching—I Do—1980
Spiritual Four—If You Think Your God Is Dead—7″ Single—1978
The Weeks Sisters—Heavy Load—Down By The Riverside—1975
Gospel Enchanters—I’m Not Tired—7″ Single—1973
The Brothers of Washington DC—Love Was Then He Brought Me—The Light— 1979
The Chronicle—Church Mystery—7″ Single—1976
The Gospel Orion—I’m Running—7″ Single—1978
The Wondering Souls—Coming Again—God is Watching—1978
Five Stars of Baltimore—Mistreated—Waiting and Watching—1979
Brother Allan Johnson—Keep Your Mind on High—Make Your Life Brand New—1978

In Other News

A new retrospective CD that collects the early recordings of the dynamic Drinkard Singers was released earlier this year. It gathers the group’s earliest recordings, dating back to 1954, and ending at 1963. I was thrilled to see that my feature on Cissy Houston was quoted in the liner notes and even more thrilled to see that GMIML friend Dwayne Lightsey helped the record company find some of the recordings. The collection is highly recommended. You can purchase via Amazon here.

In related news, I was honored to write an essay for the forthcoming 12-disc box set that collects Dionne Warwick’s legendary recordings for Scepter Records. This comprehensive collection contains 280 tracks, 60 bonus tracks, 16 of which are previously unreleased. The essay contains length in-depth essays by Joe Marchese of The Second Disc and David Nathan, The British Ambassador of Soul, and an essay by yours truly about Ms. Warwick’s historic gospel album, The Magic of Believing. The release date is set for June 27th.

You can pre-order via Cherry Red Records.

The first single from the forthcoming Rambo Women album (a collaboration between Reba Rambo and her daughter, Destiny Rambo Khouri) was released in April and I am late telling you about it! “We’ve Weathered Storms Before” is a fresh, new arrangement of Dottie Rambo’s 1983 composition, originally recorded on the Sons of Thunder, Daughter of Light album. It’s a delicious slice of Americana that The Second Disc called “a poignant collaboration from three generations of Rambo Women.” I’ve been privileged to hear this much-anticipated album and all I can say is…get ready!

You can stream “We’ve Weathered Storms Before” on all digital music outlets. Click here to listen on YouTube.

In Case You Missed These

This feature from May looks back at two releases from 1975 by Evie and The Downings, two very different artists whose specialty was in interpreting the music of others.

Another article centered around three gospel artists who released groundbreaking albums in 1975 with three very different intentions: D.J. Rogers, Andraé Crouch & The Disciples, and Danniebelle Hall.

This is one of my favorite 2025 features that focuses on the evolution of contemporary gospel music by examining thirty years of recordings: James Cleveland & The Cleveland Singers (1965), The Twenty-First Century Singers of Nashville (1975) and Bobby Jones and New Life (1985), and how the contemporary and traditional sounds circle and morph into one another.