David Nathan: The British Ambassador of Soul Podcast

About David Nathan: The British Ambassador of Soul Podcast

With six decades-plus as a renowned scribe and author as 'The British Ambassador Of Soul,' David Nathan offers reflections, reminiscences and ruminations on soul music and matters of the soul and spirit... davidnathan.substack.com (https://davidnathan.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

David Nathan

Category

music · religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

28 May 2025

Latest episode

18 Sept 2026

Latest episodes

16 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   18 Sept 2026

   Sandra St. Victor: The Interview, Pt. 2

   In Pt. 1 of my extensive interview (https://davidnathan.substack.com/p/sandra-st-victor-the-interview-pt) with soulstress of the first order, Sandra St. Victor, we talked about ‘stream of consciousness’ in sequencing her 2026 album, “XI” (Eleven); working with Mother Tongue Records; the genesis of the creation of some of the tracks (such as “Moonchild” and “Regarding Leon”); her collaboration with Lalah Hathaway on “No More Water”); and “What Would Miles Do” and her first encounter with Miles Davis. In Pt. 2, we continue to go ‘deep,’ which in my many conversations over the years with SSV (whose songs have been recorded by more than a few ‘names’ such as Chaka Khan, Prince and Tina Turner) is par for the course - doing some soul talkin’ about Go Up Moses and Roberta Flack; what being a ‘true’ artist means; touring and getting the word out about her latest album among other matters. Beyond the chat, best bet is to check the album and Sandra’s music! DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... is a reader-supported publication. If you’ve enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing to my platform! (C) 2026, David Nathan, All Rights Reserved Get full access to DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... at davidnathan.substack.com/subscribe (https://davidnathan.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

2. 

   17 Sept 2026

   Sandra St. Victor: The Interview, Pt. 1

   HER-STORY As I share in Part I of this in-depth interview, I first heard Sandra St. Victor. an incomparable and uniquely distinctive artist on an advance cassette in 1988 when she, Peter Lord and V. Jeffrey Smith did a one-off LP for Atlantic Records, Chapters: A Novel under the name ‘Evon Geffries & The Stand.” I still remember my reaction: “WHO is this?” Best described as ‘progressive soul,’ there were tracks like “Sex W/O Love” and the emotive standout “Stand And Deliver.” I’m 99% sure I wrote the official press bio that accompanied the release, which sadly, was a little ‘too’ progressive for mainstream R&B radio and thus, audiences. Then, The Family Stand morphed out of the ashes of that brilliant first set to enjoy success (particularly in the UK) with the classic “Ghetto Heaven” and further albums, Sandra first solo venture, Sanctuary - a planned 1993 solo album for Elektra was not released…. Then, without a word of warning, along came Mack Diva Saves The World in 1996 on Warner Brothers: I was hooked. ‘MPH,’ ‘Since You Been Gone’ (my personal favourite) and “Come Over” all did it for me. Since then, I’ve been an unabashed champion for what I consider to be Sandra’s pioneering work through her genre-stretching artistry on two further albums, the 2001 set Gemini: Both Sides and 2013’s Oya’s Daughter. 11 - THE ALBUM Over a decade later, we have 11 (her eleventh record) and for me, it’s not surpisingly a mindblower, worth the wait. In our interview, Sandra shares about the genesis of the album (on Mother Tongue Records) and more…so much so that there is a Pt. 2 on Substack on September 18th, the release date for the LP. Check it. DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... is a reader-supported publication. If you like/love what you read here, do subscribe! © 2026, David Nathan. All Rights Reserved. Get full access to DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... at davidnathan.substack.com/subscribe (https://davidnathan.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

3. 

   31 Aug 2026

   THELMA JONES: MOVIN’ IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION!

   TIMING IS EVERYTHING… The world of soul music is full of its fair share of recording artists and performers who, for whatever their destiny may be, don’t ascend to the heights of recognition their talent warrants or deserves. In the crowded pantheon of ‘60s and ‘70s R&B, Thelma Jones is not - as she herself would acknowledge - a ‘household’ name. Indeed, like many a soulful purveyor of emotive and passionate singing - even in the hallowed hierachy of avid record buyers and listeners - Thelma is known only by a dedicated few, most notably and in particular in the UK. With the 1967 blues ballad “Never Leave Me,” Thelma achieved US Top 50 R&B chart status - and yet, some of her recordings for the Barry label achieved a greater reception among Britain’s ‘Northern Soul’ community. DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. SOUL CITY RECORDS - REVIVED & REJUVENATED… In 2025, I was approached by UK-based Charly Records to consider the relaunch of Soul City Records, a label that I co-founded with Dave Godin and Robert Blackmore in l968 as a natural outgrowth of our shop that only sold American R&B 45s and LPs. Soul City Records lasted for almost two years -and yet, among Britain’s hardcore soul music fraternity of the ‘60s, it became somewhat the stuff of mythology and legend. Our 1969 releases included the original recording of “The House That Jack Built” by Thelma Jones (covered and a big hit for Aretha Franklin in 1968) and in what I can only call synchro-destiny, August 2026 sees the ‘return’ of Thelma to the revived Soul City label with two brilliant new recordings, “Love That Man” and “Movin’ In The Right Direction.” Timing is, indeed, everything! (Note: The transcript for the audio has been edited) DAVID N: Welcome everybody. I am so excited to have a conversation today with the incomparable Ms. Thelma Jones! She is about to have a new release, first release ever anywhere in the world of two recordings she has done. “Love That Man “and “Movin’ In The Right Direction.” It’s even more wonderful for me that they’re on Soul City Records, which is the label that I started with Dave Godin and Robert Blackmore, originally back in 1968. One of our first releases back then was also a recording by Thelma, “The House of Jack Built” and here we are all these years later, reuniting with Thelma for this brand new release. So welcome Thelma! THELMA J: Thank you so much. I’m so grateful to be here and I’m doing very, very well. DAVID N: Well, I’m sure people are going to want to know how this whole new recording came about. Share with us a little bit about the whole process that led to this release on Soul City… THELMA J: Well, it was actually the producer of this record and the writer is Mr. James Holvay. We were doing some music projects together and he was interested in putting together a promo or a theme song for President Obama at the time for his second re-election campaign [in 2013]. He came up with this song, “Movin’ In The Right Direction, and “Love That Man,” which will be the A side. That’s how we decided to do it. DAVID N: Did you have any plans for it being released at that time, when it was recorded? THELMA J: At that time, we did not. He was going to present it to the Obama campaign managers, and I don’t know that he ever had the opportunity to do that, but then he was at some point planning to release “Love That Man”, but it just never happened until now. DAVID N: And we can tell the story… I don’t mind us telling the story about how this came about. Because in the interest of transparency for everyone who will be listening to this, I have known Thelma personally as a dear friend for quite a few decades. I think how I recall that one of the people at Charly Records, was working with a gentleman you mentioned, James Holvay, and had this track and he wasn’t 100% sure who it was. He asked me to listen to it and I said, well, I’m not sure, I think it’s Thelma Jones. Then as you recall, Thelma, I believe I played it to you on the phone. I think that’s how I did it. THELMA J: You did. I had actually forgotten that we did that session. When I heard it and I said, ‘I’m not sure. Are you sure that’s me?’ It was quite comical because you said, ‘yes, Miss Thelma. I know your voice. I know the inflections, the way you phrase, that is you.’ After I listened to it, I went, ‘oh, yes. I remember recording this with James Holvay’. DAVID N: Yes. At that point, we had not heard “Movin’ In The Right Direction.” We only heard that one song, “Love That Man.” I remember what I did, actually, when I heard it… and I diDavid N’t know anything about James Holvay…and I went online and tried to see, ‘ Has this been something that Thelma did thatI diDavid N’t know about? I coulDavid N’t find it anywhere, of course, it haDavid N’t been released. Then, as you know how it’s all turned out, Chary Records working with Soul City label has been able to work it out to have it released. I’ve got to tell you, from my perspective, it sounds absolutely brilliant! To me, it has that kind of almost like a Chicago soul sound to it. So tell me about what you remember about the session. I mean, anything you want to say about the actual recording of it? THELMA J: Well, it’s very interesting that you mentioned that it has the Chicago soul sound, because that’s where James is from, Chicago. That is his musical background. Of course, R&B music, but he especially loved Curtis Mayfield. But he really, really loved that sound that is specific to Chicago. What I remember about the session was that I loved it, it was an easy going feeling in the studio, no pressure…it was just easy. I actually enjoyed it which I can hear that through the listening to the song afterwards. DAVID N: I have to tell you that I personally was a little torn between which I thought should be the A or B side because “Movin’ In The Right Direction” is as much a great recording as “Love That Man”. Do you want to say anything a little bit about “Movin’ In The Right Direction” because it seems kind of topical… given what’s going on in the world. I particularly noted that the flavor of it that would be reminiscent a little bit of Mavis Staples, I would say, in reference towards the end of the recording. THELMA J: Oh yes, oh yes. It is really interesting the times we’re living in and the message in the song that he was offering to the Obama campaign at the time. It is reminiscent a little Mavis. DAVID N: I know it’s been a while since you had a new record out, Thelma, so we want to catch people up a little bit about what you’ve been up to. I do recall specifically that you’ve had a couple of times coming to Europe, which has been quite amazing because I think both or three occasions that you have been over on this side of the pond, as they used to say. One was in Northampton, was very much a ‘Northern Soul’ event. I think it’s okay to tell people that, when we were there, it was really interesting how much those recordings that you made all the way back in the years, in the 60s, still resonate with that particular audience, songs like “Stronger.” I just want you to share with us a little bit about when that happened, what was your reaction to it? THELMA J: I was just really overwhelmed and amazed and so appreciative because that the fan base was still there and remembered the songs and was singing along with me. It was just wonderful. DAVID N: Then, of course, you and I got together again in Italy at Porretta, which is also very memorable to me because I recall that you treated us on a Sunday morning at a local church with an incredible rendition of “Take My Hand, Precious Lord, “which I know is very much a part of your gospel roots. I want to say a little bit about that too, because I think that’s also, for people who haven’t heard from you for a while, let’s give them some idea of your story in as much as it began in the world of gospel. You singing that song was very fitting, I think, on that occasion [in 2010]. THELMA J: That’s my roots, my base. That’s what I started out singing. The music was, of course, gospel. I think I remember the first time I ever sung a song in public was in the church. I was about five years old and my aunt bribed me into singing because she’s a very devout Christian. She came to visit and she heard me singing every blues song that was popular at the time and she said to me, ‘well, do you know any songs about Jesus?’ I remember that vividly, I said, ‘no, ma’am’ and she says, ‘well, if I teach you a song about Jesus, I’ll make a very pretty little dress. Will you sing it at church?’ I went, ‘oh, you know, being a little Taurean baby, I wanted that pretty dress!’ So I said, oh, yes, ma’am.’ She taught me this song, ‘I’ll Fly Away’ and I ended up singing it in church for the first time. The response was so overwhelming. I ended up becoming a member of the choir and singing gospel music for quite a long time. DAVID N: Well, what’s amazing is that you said you were five? THELMA J: Five. Four or five. I was very little. DAVID N: Yeah. I mean, do you have to stand on a little stool or something? THELMA J: Well, you know, that’s interesting. the acoustics in the churches in those days, you really didn’t need a microphone so they let me stand on the little platform just below the pulpit so everybody could see the little person that was singing. It was almost frightening to a certain degree because the people reacted so emotionally and everybody wanted to grab you and squeeze you. They were shouting, ‘Praise the Lord! That was kind of scary to me, but I wanted that little dress and I got it. DAVID N: So your aunt did come through with the dress, right? THELMA J: Oh yes, it was pretty. She was an excellent seamstress… DAVID N: One question for you in terms of the recordings. that you made for that label, Barry Records. Of course, as I mentioned earlier, some of those recordings went on to become what we would call ‘Northern Soul’ classics, unbeknownst to you or I actually, because I was in America when they were becoming ‘Northern Soul’ classics. I didn’t know, and I’m assuming you didn’t know at the time that some of those recordings, there were quite a few of them. I’m remembering some of the names, they weren’t all ‘Northern Soul classics’, but I remember “Souvenirs Od A Heartbreak. Was there a song called “One More Chance”? “Gotta Find A Way”? THELMA J: Yes, that was one of my favorites. DAVID N: Yes. But the point being, you were still recording at that time for Barry [Records] THELMA J: Barry Records was with Mr. Hy Weiss. It was his label and I was brought to him by Arthur Prysock… we did a lot of shows together. DAVID N: I didn’t know that. THELMA J: [Arthur Prysock] was just really a nice man, I really enjoyed working with him. We did all kinds of shows, especially in the New Jersey area and New York, the jazz clubs around town. You know, he thought I was very talented and he took me to Hy Weiss who he signed to his label. DAVID N: Do you want to also share a little bit about the history of [the song] “The House That Jack Built” because I don’t know that everybody knows the history of how that came about and how it ended up with somebody else, which we’ll mention in a minute too. Can you tell us a little bit about the song and what you remember about the session or anything about that particular recording? THELMA J: Well, it was very interesting. Bobby Lance wrote and produced that particular session. It was recorded in New York because Bernard ‘Pretty’ Purdie was on the drums. I remember that because he was a famous drummer. DAVID N: Yeah, of course. THELMA J: And The Sweet inspirations, which was Myrna [Smith], Estelle [Brown{ and Cissy [Houston} and another young lady. Sylvia and we actually we were from the same town, Fayetteville [North Carolina]. I didn’t know it at the time. DAVID N: Yeah, Sylvia Shemwell. THELMA J: Yes, The Sweet inspirations did the backup. We did the session and I somehow, I think Cissy mentioned it to Aretha…and they went in the studio and did it. Their version was the big hit in America. Before that, my version of ‘The House That Jack Belt, because they released it first, was the theme song for Tent City for the March on Washington. You know I never knew that. That’s what the people were playing there. at that time. And the reason I know about it, because it was one of the, my version of ‘The House of Jack Built’ was quite popular, before [Aretha] recorded her version. There was a newspaper… I don’t remember if it was “The Amsterdam News”, but it was a prominent African-American newspaper reported that “The House of Jack Built” was the theme song for Tent City.* DAVID N: Wow. See, even though I’ve known you all these years, I never knew that. From a perspective of Soul City Records in England at the time, and we had a few releases, and I don’t actually know how one of my partners in that, Dave Godin, got the rights to release “The House of Jack Built” but he did and I remember we put it out. I think we released it on Soul City. after Aretha’s version came out because it was the original. So yours came out first in America, then hers came out and in Britain, yours came out. It was included on the first LP we did at Soul City called “Soul From The City, Volume One.” I was asked to write the notes on the back. And we had a little picture of you and I said something, ‘the beautiful Miss Thelma Jones,’ you know.. that was my first time writing a lot of notes or sleeve notes for an LP… so that was the beginning of you and I being connected in that way. Then of course, moving forward to Columbia Records, which would be about 1977, I think, something like that, where we connected again, you recorded a Columbia album. One of the tracks was a single that came out before the LP, which was “Salty Tears,” which is still thought of as one of the most soulful recordings of the 70s. Do you remember much about “Salty Tears”? THELMA J: That session was done in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. DAVID N: Yes, with Brad Shapiro. THELMA J: Brad Shapiro was the producer. That was a real exciting experience. I just returned from India. I think five or six weeks in India [in an ashram]. I came back and my first sort of introduction to the world was going into the studio and recording “Salty Tears.” I remember the experience. It was quite amazing. And I was so unbelievably impressed with the musicians at that time in Muscle Shoals.. They were so soulful. At that time I thought the band was black, but they were not…which has nothing to do with anything, they were just so great. I walked in the studio and started to record and went, ‘oh wow, beautiful Muscle Shoals, Alabama.’ DAVID N: Then, of course, you have the album called “Thelma Jones” ….a couple of songs that people really resonated with. I remember there’s your version of [The O’Jays] “!Now That We Found Love.” THELMA J: And,..”Stay A While With Me” DAVID N: Yes….and “How Long”… THELMA J: ‘How long you’re going to stay mad this time?’ DAVID N: Yes. And a song called” I’d Rather Leave While I’m in Love.” THELMA J: Oh, yes. That was Carol Bayer Sager. DAVID N: That’s right. Yes. I think you’d agree with me that particular album stands the test of time. THELMA J: Yes, because recorded in a soulful way, because that’s the way I sing. But the genres of music was all very different. “ Angel in the Morning.”…so many other people recorded it. It was a very, very interesting and I think ir was a well done album, produced by Bert DeiCouteaux, whose background was classical music. DAVID N: I remember coming to the studio and meeting you with our mutual friend Gary Byrd. Then I guess it was someone at Columbia who asked me to write the notes for the back of the album… I still have a copy! It’s one of my prized possessions! In other words, you were on the first liner notes or sleeve notes I did in England ever…and then here we are on the “Thelma Jones” album, the same thing in America. So I guess you give me a couple of my ‘firsts’ in my career! There you go. THELMA J: And here we are today! DAVID N: So let’s just move forward now to when you moved to LA. I remember very vividly going to see you on several occasions when we both lived in Los Angeles. You still live there. When I was there, I remember different gigs that you went to, especially one that you did I think was it [for] The Rhythm and Blues Foundation? Yes, we did one for to raise money for ‘The Rhythm and Blues Foundation’ and of course, one of the things that’s memorable to me is that you ended up reuniting with The Sweet Inspirations. THELMA J: Yes, And Evelyn Champagne King, because she was on that show as well. What a sweet lady! The reason I mentioned her, because we both had the same manager at one time. DAVID N: Okay. While you haven’t done as much recording, you have definitely been doing regular performances, I know, at different places throughout the LA area and so forth. Would it be true to say that you, the part of your show…is about one of the primary influences of your whole life, someone I got the opportunity to meet on the only time she came to England, and we know who that is, Big Maybelle! THELMA J: Oh, yes. Oh, yes. She was absolutely amazing, unique, one-of-a-kind.’ Miss Mabel.’ DAVID N: As I remember you told me she was somewhat of a mentor for you too. THELMA J: Oh, she was definitely one of the main, I would say, big influences in my life and a mentor, yes. She had a lot of faith in me because when I worked with her at the Apollo Theater, I was on the same bill with her, which was such an honor. she assigned her private assistant to me to go and find wardrobe. She just took me under her wing: she thought I had a big voice. She used to refer to me as ‘that little bitty girl with that big old voice.’ That’s when I had, I do believe [the record] “Never Leave Me.” DAVID N: That’s right. Yeah. THELMA J: It was a hit at that time. She was just… wonderful to me. DAVID N: Yes. Anything else you want to say about what it’s like to, I would say back, but in terms of recording, back in the spotlight again? How do you feel about it? THELMA J: I’ve heard it said, and I know from my own life experience, it’s true. What is meant for someone to have in their destiny, no one can remove it or take it away. And if it’s not meant, no one can give it to you. After all these years, so many years back, here we are still standing, still here, still singing. It’s very, very exciting. DAVID N: I mean, personally, it just means so much to me that this recording is coming out on Soul City, obviously, for all my connection with the label, but also with my connection to you. I’m really thrilled, thrilled, thrilled at the kind of work that that Charly Records and the Soul City label are doing to let people know that Thelma Jones is here and with new music, then they’re going to love it. And who knows, maybe at some point we’ll see you on this side of the Atlantic. THELMA J: Oh, that would be so divine. So divine. You never know. DAVID N: All right. Well, thank you, Thelma. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your energy. Thank you for being a friend of mine for so long. THELMA J: Oh, yes, we have had a continuous, it’s been a continuous unbroken string, a stream, I should say. And that within itself is unusual. DAVID N: It is over decades, over oceans. THELMA J: And very harmonious and positive all those years. DAVID N: Yes. Well, again, everybody, so I know it’s like a little bit of a promo, but that’s what it’s meant to be! If you haven’t yet checked it out, go to the Charly Records website and you can, right now, purchase on vinyl and it’s available to stream. Meanwhile, there’s a little video that you can see on Thelma. It’s just all a great experience. Really. one thing I do want to say to complete …our interview, is that you are one of the only two artists who are still with us, vibrant, alive, singing from the original Soul City label, the other one being Gene Chandler and it’s quite something, Thelma. THELMA J: It is quite amazing. DAVID N: It is. It’s amazing. It’s amazing. And without giving too much away, I know one of the projects that you have in mind coming up at some point will be a return to your roots with doing an album at some point in tribute to one of your greatest gospel influences, correct? THELMA J: Oh, yes. Oh, yes. I’m looking forward to doing that. Old school gospel, as they would say. DAVID N: That’s right. In tribute to Albertina Walker. THELMA J: She’s one of the greats. Yes. DAVID N: Well, you’re one of the greats too. And I’m grateful for your time today. And just let’s keep on keeping on and…”Movin’In The Right Direction.” THELMA J: ‘Moving in the right direction… we can’t stop now!” DAVID N: That’s right. All right. Thank you, Thelma. All right. Have a lovely rest of your day. All right. THELMA J: You have a wonderful rest of your day as well, your evening. DAVID N: Bye-bye. Bye-bye. *Note regarding Thelma’s reference to “Tent City”: It was formally known as Resurrection City. It was a 16-acre temporary encampment constructed on the National Mall in Washington as the centerpiece of the Poor People’s Campaign, a multi-week demonstration organized by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and was conceived by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. BUY/STREAM - THELMA JONES: LOVE THAT MAN/MOVIN’ IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION (https://davidnathan.com/thelma-jones-love-that-man/) (C) 2026, David Nathan, All Rights Reserved DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... is a reader-supported publication. If you’ve enjoyed reading and listening to this post, I soulfully invite you to subscribe and share! Get full access to DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... at davidnathan.substack.com/subscribe (https://davidnathan.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

4. 

   17 Aug 2026

   ARETHA: UNTIL YOU COME BACK TO ME...

   This post is part of my ‘Living Memoirs’ series On the 8th anniversary of Aretha Franklin’s transition, August 16th, I consider which of my precious memories of ‘The Queen of Soul,’ as a singular influence on my life, both musically and personally to share…and there are many. As a prelude to the specific reference in this title’s post, a few words about the origins of my association with Aretha that morphed in later years into a for-real, much-treasured mutually-respectful friendship… NINA SIMONE: “David, have you heard Aretha Franklin? She’s great!” I never imagined when Nina Simone first shared her name with me on a June Saturday at Heathrow Airport in 1965 after she and I (as the teenage founder of the first UK appreciation society/fan club for ‘The High Priestess Of Soul’) met for the first time that Aretha would figure so prominently throughout the decades that have followed: such is synchro-destiny! Not long after Nina’s reference to Aretha, noting that I should check out her music, I was at a Dionne Warwick/Shirelles fan club beach party in Littlehampton and on the battery-run record player, someone played a track from a prized US import LP: I literally gasped! ‘Who is THAT?’ I exclaimed. “Oh, that’s A-reth-a Franklin” was the reply, with a very English interpretation of the daughter of a preacher man’s name! The song? “Walk On By,” recorded by Aretha just months after Dionne’s big 1964 global hit, ironically with the same background vocalists, namely Dionne’s younger sister Dee Dee, aunt Cissy Houston and future Sweet Inspirations, Estelle Brown and Sylvia Shemwell. Thus my journey into the world of Aretha Louise Franklin began; soon after, I purchased Yeah!!!, the only one of the then-six Columbia LPs released in four years since the start of her secular recording career, aged 18, in 1960, that had been released in the UK; I still remember how much I loved the cover as much as I loved the collection of mostly jazz and pop standards contained therein - and smile fondly noting that the very same photo adorned the programme for her ‘celebration of life’ service on August 31st, 2018. THE LETTER, THE PHONE CALL AND THE MEETING… So many memories…writing two fan letters to Aretha in the spring of 1966 (one addressed to her in care of her father’s church) and getting a handwritten reply a few months later; then, calling to wish her a merry Christmas in December 1966, when she told me, shyly, I was the first person she’d ever spoken to in England and learning during the call that she was getting ready for her first recordings for Atlantic Records the next month: neither she nor I could have had any knowledge that a few weeks later at the now-famous/infamous one-off session in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Aretha’s destiny would change forever. Mine too, as it turned out when the lyrics of “I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)” became my as-lived experience with my first boyfriend, first name, ‘Franklin’: ‘You’re no good heartbreaker, you’re a liar and a cheat!’ I still remember singing along to it at a fan club party with all the soulfulness my English teenage voice could muster! Through the years that followed, Aretha and her music formed much of the tapestry of my life during my twenties. I finally got to meet her (at Gatwick airport with her sister Carolyn and then-husband/manager Ted White) in 1968 and took my mother and sister to see Aretha’s first London concert at Hammersmith Odeon at which my mother smiled, ‘She reminds me of that gospel singer Mahalia Jackson,’ a very wise observation on the part of Mrs. Nathan! MISTAKEN IDENTITY AND JERRY WEXLER’S NOTE… I wrote my first of what would be dozens of articles on Aretha in 1966 for “Rhythm & Soul USA,’ the short-lived UK magazine for Dave Godin’s ‘Friends Of Rhythm & Blues Society’: excited as I was, I was later deeply embarassed that CBS Records that sent us a photo of her sister Erma for the story and we had printed it in error. Oops… Subsequently, I expressed my passion for Aretha’s music, notably in 1967 for the UK Atlantic fanzine, ‘Uptight’an’Outtasight.’ earning me a personal typewritten letter from no less a luminary than Jerry Wexler, the wise executive who had signed Aretha to Atlantic in November 1966 (initially offering her contract to Jim Stewart at Stax Records who - in retrospect - thankfully passed on having her join the label’s roster). Along with his letter of thanks for me sharing about Aretha in print in the UK, Jerry had enclosed a promo copy of her then-forthcoming 45, “Baby I Love You”! Wow. It was the ‘B’ side, Aretha’s spine-chilling version of bluesman Howlin’ Wolf’s “Going Down Slow” that really did it for me. Going through my own personal blues with boyfriend number two, William, I remember playing it over and over again on the record player in his tiny bedroom, although he seemed oblivious to just why Aretha’s gospel-fused wail seemed to resonate so much with me at age 19… ALWAYS ON MY PLAYLIST… I could, but I won’t, detail every subsequent Aretha ‘event’ in my life and career from then on, some of which was detailed in the chapter of my 1999 book, The Soulful Divas (which you can download (https://davidnathan.com/product/aretha-franklin-a-rose-is-still-a-rose/) at my website.) Instead, I’ll focus on a particularly special time in Aretha’s career and life and in mine too… It’s September 7th, 1973, just a few weeks after Aretha’s completed another recording session in New York (which has been her home for some years) as part of what would become her February 1974 album, Let Me In Your Life. It’s a rare one-off date, inasmuch as Aretha is recording just one tune distinct from the usual three or four she cuts at the same time. Present are ‘A’ list musicians, such as Bernard ‘Pretty’ Purdie on drums, Chuck Rainey on bass, Hugh McCracken on guitar, Richard Tee on organ. Kenneth Bichel on synthesizer and ‘The Sweehearts Of Soul’ (Margaret Branch, Ann S. Clark, Pat Smith), Aretha’s touring background vocal group on hand with special guest, fellow Atlantic recording artist Donny Hathaway on electric piano. Atlantic’s masterful arranger Arif Mardin, concert master Gene Orloff and a string session, engineer Lew Hahn and Jerry Wexler (credited wirh Arif Mardin and Aretha as co-producers of the session). Aretha sets the tone on piano and as revealed many years later through vault research by yours truly, there’s a full demo of the song in which Wexler references the song as having a reggae-type beat, with that specific piece missing from the version of the demo released in 2012. Released as a single in November, just a few months later, “Until You Come Back To Me (That’s What I'm Gonna Do),” is clearly intended to be the last addition to the Let Me In Your Life album most likely because the previous sessions for Aretha’s 13th Atlantic LP in 7 remarkable years don’t seem to have yielded an obvious hit. It turns out to be just that when it’s her biggest pop & R&B chartmaker in two years and a certified gold 45 to boot… A PHONE CALL FROM BACKSTAGE AT THE APOLLO THEATER, HARLEM… While I had written much about Aretha from 1966 on, I hadn’t conducted a ‘proper’ interview with her for Blues & Soul (the publication I had started writing for ‘officially’ in 1970) until 1973. Of note: I used an informal conversation she and I in her dressing room at the UK television show Top Of The Pops in July 1970 as a feature which became my first-ever cover story for the magazine! The opportunity to speak with Aretha arose ahead of the UK release of “Until You Come Back To Me” : I was more than delighted that the magazine’s founder and editor, John Abbey had ok’d it for me to conduct the interview which would be the cover story for the final year-end edition of Blues & Soul in 1973. The logistics of the transatlantic call were a little challenging: Aretha was in the midst doing some shows at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem and the only way to get it done, given the time difference between London and New York, was mid-evening when I was at home in the flat I shared in Willesden with my friend Angus. I still vividly recall that - way before any notion of a mobile phone - I had to wait by the dial-up phone in the hallway until the ‘magic’ hour when an international operator would connect us! With pen in hand (note: also the title of one of the tracks on Let Me In Your Life, retrieved from a 1971 recording session), I stood by the phone, waiting for the call. I can still picture myself anxiously waiting. No call at the appointed hour. My instructions were to call a number for the backstage phone at the Apollo if the time came and went without a ring-a-ding. I complied, explaining that I was calling from London as arranged to speak with Miss Franklin. “Hold on,” the unidentified responder said. “Let me check with her manager.” A minute or two later: “I’m sorry, you’ll have to call back. Miss Franklin is running a little late.” “Hi David, how are you? How’s everything in London?” The honeyed tones of Aretha thirty minutes later provided blessed assurance! A little banter and then, down to business. Talking about “Until You Come Back To Me,” Aretha noted, “Stevie [Wonder] and I are old friends, you know. He often drops material by at the studios for me – and this particular song was written with another old friend, Maurice Broadnax [and Clarence Paul].” Referencing her then-upcoming LP for Atlantic (with whom, Aretha said, she was “almost re-signed”), she shared further: “Now, let’s see. We’ve got some really funky tunes in there and some nice ballads… I am very happy with the finished product, actually…there’s the old Wilson Pickett song, ‘I’m In Love’, the Etta James hit, ‘At Last’, ‘Eight Days On The Road’ and at least one of my own songs, ‘Oh Baby’, which I wrote with a friend, Bernice Hart. I haven’t written too much lately – just enough to let out what I wanted!” (Note: “At Last” didn’t make the final line-up at the time but was shelved until release in 2012). We completed the call with Aretha mentioning that she’d been busy decorating her newly-acquired New York home and after some time off, she was getting back to live performances, noting that in the year ahead, 1974, “we’ll be doing a tour of Japan as well as [a] European trip.” We said our goodbyes, Aretha off to prepare for her next show at the Apollo, me taking in that I had just completed an exclusive interview with ‘Lady Soul’ (as she often referred to back then), balancing my notebook and phone at the same time and hoping my scribbled notes would be legible! A PS: when Let Me In Your Life hits the streets in January 1974, the cover depicts Aretha looking simply radiant. I still consider it the most beautiful of all the album photos of Aretha, ever. The pic of the LP shows a smiling, relaxed young woman, experiencing a new zest for life and photographer Joel Brodsky truly captured a ‘brand new’ Aretha! There is a story about the poster I had of the album cover which adorned the wall of my New York apartment bedroom for years but quite how it fell off the wall is a story not appropriate for THIS post, trust me! I promise to tell it one day! OCTOBER 1974, RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL, NEW YORK CITY… As it turned out, Aretha didn’t make it to London in 1974 as she had hoped - but I made it unexpectedly to New York almost a year after our interview. My then-London flatmate Gary had invited me to come to visit some months after he decided to stay in America: fortuitously, I arrived towards the end of October just in time to see Aretha perform at the vast Radio City Music Hall venue. In all, there were four shows, two each night on October 29th and October 30th. Thanks to Atlantic’s wiz publicist, the late Barbara Harris, I got two tickets to see Aretha at the hallowed theatre although I can’t recall which night. All shows had the same sequence and memorably, the entire audience at the performance I attended with Gary audibly gasped when Aretha entered the famous stage through the floor dressed in a clown’s oufit with six clowns dancing alongside to the strains of the showbiz tune, “That’s Entertainment”! (Note: a song that she had recorded at Columbia Records in 1964 which remained unreleased until 2011). The rest of the show had some great moments including the standout “Angel” and when she sat at the piano during the second half of the concert, the audience erupted in joy with an epic “Dr. Feelgood” followed by a rousing “Spirit In The Dark.” The entire four shows were recorded but remain (for reasons not completely known) in the tape vaults. It was truly a night to remember, especially given this was my first time seeing Aretha in America; with another ’synchro-destiny’ experience, I saw Aretha at the very same venue in October 2014, forty years later: when I shared that with her, she smiled and asked what she did at the show in 1974: “You came up through the floor dressed as a clown!” I grinned. “Oh r-e-a-l-l-y? Right…yeah, I remember that!” “I’M GOING OUT TO VOTE…” My last phone conversation with Aretha occured in November 2016 when I was visiting Detroit for a Motown Museum meeting. I’d let her know beforehand that I would be in the city and she asked if I could bring her some souvenir from London before I headed out. I obliged and we talked about meeting up so I could give her the gift. “David, let’s see when we can do that,” she said during our conversation, “but right now, I have to go out and vote!” She was referring to the 2016 Presidential elections… We didn’t actually get to say hello in person: I was unaware of the degree to which Aretha was dealing with health challenges at the time and although I was disappointed that we didn’t say ‘hello’ in person, I later understood… I could, as it clear from this and the voluminous number of words I’ve written about Aretha, share so much more as I reflect on Aretha’s music and presence as a source of deep gratitude. I smile thinking of our off-the-cuff conversations particularly in the last few decades that sometimes started with, ‘Hi David, how are you? So what’s the gossip?!’ (particularly when I lived in L.A.); of her unwavering support for The Rhythm & Blues Foundation and how on one occasion, she challenged two of the other ‘ladies’ in the house to match her donation of $50,000….. a story yet to be told; and of the time I shared that I sang along with her early Columbia recordings as a teenager in London, loved the song “Soulville” and thought she was singing about ‘fresh ice cream down in soulville’ only to find out from a friend that it was actually ‘black-eyed peas’ Aretha was singing about. When I told her, she hollered! ‘Well, the fresh ice cream would have been alright too!’ Clearly, there’s a whole book about my life and times with Aretha, just waiting to emerge… The title of a phenomenal TV special performance from 1973 with Ray Charles sums it all up for me: when it comes to Aretha, ain’t but the one! Ever grateful. © 2026, David Nathan, All Rights Reserved. DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... is a reader-supported publication. If you like what you’ve read, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... at davidnathan.substack.com/subscribe (https://davidnathan.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

5. 

   10 Aug 2026

   Renewing My Faith In Music...

   (This is a much longer post than usual since it’s my first in a few weeks! Now, let me say from the jump that I have never lost my faith in music and in particular, soul music as the bedrock, tapestry and foundation of my current incarnation. It’s true that the R&B and soul sounds that nurtured me, provided comfort, frequently brought joy in the midst of pain, energized me, gave cause for celebration and was - more times than I can remember - the soothing balm for a love-gone-bad, a few sleepless nights and (not just) Tuesday Heartbreaks, with a nod to the ‘Wonder ‘Man - have decidedly changed, as have I. My life has been informed in many ways by songs that are embedded deep into my ‘interesting’ psyche! Randomly…“You’re Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else” (The Jones Girls), “Be Thankful For What You Got” (William DeVaughn), “Payback Is A Dog” (The Stylistics), “Optimistic” (Sounds Of Blackness), “Tired Of Being Alone” (Al Green), "Surrender” (Diana Ross), “Baby Hang Up The Phone” (Carl Graves), “I Know You I Live You” (Chaka Khan), “Giving Love” (Voices Of East Harlem), “Make Me A Believer” (Luther Vandross), “Can’t Hide Love” (EW&F) and “Until You Come Back To Me” (Aretha Franklin) are just a miniscule ‘glimpse’ into the treasure trove of tunes that have been my musical ‘companions’ through these many decades of my as-lived experiences… and I ain’t ashamed to say so! Which, dear reader (with apologies to Bridgerton fans for ‘borrowing’ from Lady Whistledown!) brings me fortuitously to the title of this post. True that in the last decade, there hasn’t been a whole lot of music by legendary or contemporary artists that held my attention for more than a little while which may have as much to do with how my own life path has changed, just like everyone else’s! Nothing, as Benard Ighner so eloquently stated, ‘stays the same’. It’s the nature of our human journey that we change and if we resist change, it makes no difference anyway and often makes the pathway harder and tougher. A wise man once noted that it’s best to ride the horse in the direction it’s going! Forgive the brief ‘tangent-izing’ as I like to call it: essentially, there have been some bright spots in the music I’ve heard and the shows I’ve seen but not what I’d call a tidal wave of songs or performances that have fuelled my fire like music from the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s and a little of the ‘90s. Then…somewhat unexpectedly in the last few weeks, my attention has been drawn to two recordings and one video that have brought much enthusiasm and renewal to my essential love and passion for music itself - and in all these specific instances - not what you ‘might’ think my ‘British Ambassador Of Soul’ moniker would be enchanted by! MADONNA: GOOD FOR THE SOUL I’m fessing up: I lived in New York City when Madonna’s arrival on the music scene, with all the hype that surrounded it, basically left me mucho disinterested. I knew she’d worked with my good friend Reggie Lucas, something that in the world of ‘really?’ we had in common (since Reggie and musical partner Mtume had actually produced a full-on - never released - recording with me as soulful vocalist). Some of her early recordings were bouncy and breezy (“Holiday,””Borderline”): I ‘may’ have even smiled at “Like A Virgin” (a state that was just a vague memory for me in 1984!). Through all that the world of Madonna offered in the years that followed, I paid scant attention, although in the interests of transparency, I was quite happy to work with a few of the artists as a media coach and bio writer that were signed to her Maverick Records label in the ‘90s including N-Phase and Dalvin DeGrate. One album, 1998’s “Ray Of Light” piqued my interest, signalling what seemed like a personal and musical transformation for Madonna: that the track “Shanti/Ashtangi” was sung entirely in Sanskrit was a particular revelation and it remains a favourite, if truth be told, not on my regular playlists. For the most part, I never paid heed to what ‘Lady’ Madonna was up to - or as far as recording went, not up to. Politely and not personally, she was not on my radar until my dear friend, colleague and fellow Substack-er Tim Dillinger, with whom I have regular conversations, mentioned the release of “Confessions II,” the first new album by Madonna in seven years. I ‘confessed’ to Tim, with no pun intended, that I was somewhat surprised that Madonna was an artist he had any particular affinity for or interest in, given his deep love for gospel/soul and related genres. In his recent Substack post, “Madonna: The Gospel/CCM Connections,” (https://godsmusicismylife.substack.com/p/madonna-the-gospelccm-connections) Tim shared that as a child of the 1980s, her music remains important to him. When Tim started to wax lyrical about “Confessions II,” I listened. I value his opinions when it comes to music. Anyone who shares a passion, as do I, for artists such as Laura Nyro and Teena Marie knows a thing or twenty about real, when it comes to music! Tim suggested I give the new Madonna album a try, explaining that, given my years in New York in the mid-’70s through the early ‘80s and in particular the many Saturday nights-into-early-Sunday-mornings spent at clubs like the famed Paradise Garage, I just ‘might’ enjoy some of the dance-flavoured tracks on “Confessions II”. I listened to the entire album a couple of times over and had to ‘confess’ that it really resonated with me, as Tim had suggested it might. Now, It takes something for me to add a new recording to my ‘Liked Songs’ playlist which consists of classics like “Blessed” (The Emotions), “At The Concert” (Roberta Flack & Michael Henderson) and “Same Ole Love” (Anita Baker). “Good For The Soul” hit the spot. Given my deep interest in ‘matters of the Soul,’ I was drawn in, no surprise given that the track begins with ‘everything begins with consciousness,’ a quote from French philosopher Albert Camus. Lyric lines like ‘Echoes of voices recalling the time, we will be one, we will be divine, time is a river we cannot unwind,’ along a propulsive rhythm almost had me dancing on a London bus when it came up on my playlist! When I shared my enthusiasm with Tim on our next call, he was not surprised: I told him that the lyrics on “Good For The Soul” in particular along with other songs on the album seemed to reflect Madonna’s own personal journey and he agreed. The album is a potent reminder that any judgement we may form about the creative journey of an artist who has stood the test of time (no easy endeavour in this fast-paced digital age) is worthy of review. Indeed. MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO & CYNTHIA ERIVO: I KNEW YOU WERE WAITING (FOR ME) Yes, the second biggest pop hit that The Queen Of Soul, my dear Aretha Franklin had in her illustrious recording career, the first being her anthemic reading of Otis Redding’s “Respect” in 1967, as a duet with George Michael some two decades later, was the subject of another recent conversation with my friend Tim! He had written another Substack post, "1986: I Want to Be in the Mainstream II (https://godsmusicismylife.substack.com/p/1986-i-want-to-be-in-the-mainstream-964)” in which he shared how the song was - and I quote -’a testimony of survival and victory that summarizes, in some ways, Franklin’s own climb back to the top.’ When Tim and I were talking further about the recording, I recognized that Clive Davis at Arista was indeed astute at suggesting the song to Aretha given whatever personal challenges she had faced in the few years before she recorded it with George. With 1985’s “Who’s Zoomin’ Who” platinum album and the hit singles therein, Aretha was enjoying a major resurgence and teaming her with George Michael was a brilliant move. Unbeknownest to either Tim or I when we were having the conversation in late May, another artist - with a connection to the afore-mentioned Madonna since her debut album was released on Maverick Records a few decades ago - had recorded a version of “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” for her forthcoming album, Synonym. Indeed, slowed down as a duet with Cynthia Erivo and released as the first track from the album of collaborations with a star-studded list of artists and musicians, “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” has immediately been added to my ‘Liked Songs’ playlist, a sign of just how much I love Meshell and Cynthia’s hypnotic take on the song. As I noted in my chat with Tim, the lyrics of the Aretha-George duet are powerful; heard in this new reimaging of the song resonates in a whole new way for me personally. Meshell Ndegeocello has had a remarkable career, no doubt. A cursory glance of the Wikipedia entry on her reveals that her 1993 set, Plantation Lullabies was considered by some as heralding the ‘birth of neo-soul,’ a statement that in hindsight seems debatable. Not for any particular ‘reason’ but Meshell’s work hasn’t often been on my radar and in doing some research on her extensive discography, I discovered that she had recorded an entire album in 2012 in dedication to Nina Simone who, for those of you know my history are aware, jumpstarted my own lifelong passion and dedication to Black music as a teenager in 1965. Checking it out in hindsight, I note that Meshell’s repertoire choices for Pour une Âme Souveraine: A Dedication to Nina Simone, recorded for the Paris-based Naive label, indicate a real awareness of the depth of Nina’s catalogue and include some fascinating choices, such as “Either Way I Lose,” “Don’t Take All Night,” “Real Real” and “Turn Me On.” When it comes to Nina, Meshell clearly knows her stuff! While I get regular emails from a prominent UK publicist informing me of various festivals, events and new releases, not all of them are relevant to my particular musical leaning. That said, the press release about Meshell’s third Blue Note album piqued my interest in particular for its choice of repertoire - ranging from tunes associated with Human League (“Don’t You Want Me”) to Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway (“Be Real Black For Me”), Sonny & Cher (“I Got You Babe”) and Dennis Edwards (“Don’t Look Any Further). Syonynm isn’t Meshell’s first forray into ‘reinvention’ in her own unique way with recordings by others: 2018’s Ventriloquism ventures into the R&B and pop arena with a daring approach to hits by Sade, Tina Turner, Force MDs and TLC. Clearly, Meshell Ndegeocello consistently demonstrates a ‘real artist’ approach, an essential element reminiscent in how Nina, Roberta Flack, Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, Marvin Gaye and a few other lesser-known but equally bold artists such as Zulema, D.J. Rogers and Jon Lucien (interestingly, all signed to RCA Records in the ‘70s) crafted their work. Certainly, “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” has led me to go back and check Meshell’s catalogue: no doubt there are some of my readers, friends and colleagues already familiar with her artistry who might ask what took me so long! Well, everything in its own time, I say and I look forward with genuine excitement to hearing Synonym when it’s released in October, providing another example that the very title of this particular Substack piece holds true: my faith in music continues to be renewed! DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. LEEE JOHN & BYRON STINGILY: PROUD & BOLD In the interests of full disclosure, I have known Leee John since I conducted the very first interview he did, with his friend and then-musical partner Russell Fraser, as part of a duo known as Sight & Sound in October 1974 for my ‘Take A Look Around’ column in Blues & Soul magazine. I still remember (as does Leee!) how he and Russell came up to the Contempo office-turned-record-shop on Hanway Street in London one afternoon and boldly asked if I would do an interview for their then-first release for EMI. They were both still in school and truth be told, it was that ‘boldness’ that had me say ‘yes’ without having heard the music on a cassette! One late afternoon after school, we met at the small bar underneath the Contempo office and of course, it was orange juice all around! Memories indeed! Leee’s career as a recording and performing artist began to take shape a few years later when he, Ashley Ingram and Errol Kennedy formed the group Imagination, achieving consistent success in particular in the UK and Europe with ‘80s hits like “Body Talk,” “Just An Illusion” (a US R&B Top 30 charted single), “Music And Lights,” “Changes” and “Instinctual,” (a US Dance chart #1 in 1987). I recall meeting up with the trio at the time I was living in L.A. and they were recording the album, “Closer” and it was good to reunite with Leee, who I would see on occasion during my visits to London. While Imagination continued to record and perform through the ‘90s, Leee’s solo tenure took hold in the 2000’s with a series of dance-oriented singles such as “Your Mind, Your Body, Your Soul” and of particular note for this Substack post, “U Turn Me On,” with Byron Stingily of Ten City fame. In 2005, Leee stepped into new musical terrain with the jazz-flavoured album, “Feel My Soul”: I recall seeing his performance at the renowned New Morning club in Paris and I was thorughly impressed with his adept interpretations of a number of classic standards, including a very emotional reading of Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit,” no easy task for any performer. All of which, dear reader (again a nod to Lady Whistledown from Bridgerton!), leads me with a long intro to “Proud & Bold,” released just a few weeks ago, a musical reunion with Leee and Byron Stingily. When I watched the video which landed in my WhatsApp feed last week, I felt compelled to call Leee to share just how much I loved it! For real. When we spoke, he shared about the song’s inspiring statement, noting, that he observed so many of the everyday challenges in the world today and penned lyrics that reflected the importance of celebrating self-belief, resilience, unity and upliftment. The music is vibrant, Leee and Byron’s voices gell and the track could easily have me boogie once more (well, maybe not quite as well as I used to)! That said, it’s the video itself that really does it for me - and I’ve seen more than a few videos in my life and times! It’s simply brilliant and any statement about being ‘proud and bold’ is always going to get my ‘thumbs up’. Check out the video and the tracks (with stellar remixes, available on all digital platforms). As I listen again, I’m reminded of a few moments in my longtime friendship with Leee including a hilarious time when we sang together in his house to some of our favourite ‘70s and ‘80s dance anthems including “Pieces Of Ice” by ‘The Boss,’ Diana Ross. Fortunately for one and all, never captured on film or tape! Much like in my reference to both Madonna and Meshell Ndegeocello and their respective abilities to reinvent themselves musically over time, I salute Leee John for his consistent commitment to staying the course, proud and bold. ZED SOUL: TIME TO SHINE Put it down to my British upbringing, the cultural leaning to not - for want of a better phrase - ‘big up’ myself too much since, by observation, Brits (distinct from their American counterparts) are discouraged from extolling their accomplishments, given the inbuilt British tendency for self-deprecation. How do I know? Well, when I left Britain in 1975 for what turned out to be three decades in America, I was immediately struck by the difference in how Americans societally had no ‘issue’ with speaking ‘proud and bold’ (referencing the last segment in this post!) about their achievements to the point where, on occasion, I found it irritating. I figured that too much ‘boasting’ was definitely not appropriate and that letting one’s accomplishments ‘speak for themselves’ was the way to go! Right? No, wrong! Well, with some moderation, that is. There’s a difference between ‘false’ modesty and being genuinely humble; by observation, I can say that since returning to Britain some seventeen years ago, I could tell when underneath the ‘oh, it’s no big thing, I was just doing what I do,’ there could be a seething resentment for not being recognized for what what one might have achieved that was worthy of praise. Well, here’s my disclaimer for THIS post: you’re about to find out, dear reader (note: I’m now ‘owning’ the phrase, forget about Lady Whistledown and Bridgerton!) that I’m no longer hiding my talents as a really good songwriter: per Miss Ross, ‘I’m coming out!’ which brings me to the subject of this fourth section of my ‘renewed faith’ post, namely the song “Time To Shine,” one of the four tracks I co-wrote with my friend and musical colleague Amar Naik that are on his recent Zed Soul album, “Those Words.” My work as a songwriter dates back to the late ‘70s, when ensconced in New York, I began expressing my aptitude as a lyricist with collaborations with friends like the late John Simmons (later, musical director for Stephanie Mills and then Whitney Houston, until his passing in 1989) and Phillip Ballou (later, longtime touring and session vocalist with Luther Vandross and James Taylor among others). Neither of them were ‘slouches’ when it came to their knowledge of music. I also wrote a few tunes myself and yes, remarkably, I still have cassettes with songs like “Everybody Needs Their Dreams” (a tune I played for my late father who felt that any notions of being a recording artist in my own right were unlikely to manifest since he said I didn’t ‘look’ the part of becoming a ‘pop’ hitmaker, whatever that meant, but really did like the song!), “Who You Gonna Choose?” (with double-tracked vocals that I sang in falsetto as if I were a Bee Gee!) and “We Got To Go Our Separate Ways,” a straight-up soul-inflused blues tune. To reference The Carpenters, that was ‘long ago and oh, so far away’. In the ‘80s, I continued my songwriting exploits with another friend, the talented Byron Motley and others with, sadly, little result in terms of placement. I did consider that just maybe it was because being known as a music journalist within the music biz might have affected whether producers and artists took me seriously as a composer. Who knows? My contuining passion for expressing myself as a lyricist finally began to flourish and result in recordings by others when I began to collaborate with the multi-talented producer/songwriter/musician, Mr. Preston Glass. Together, we’ve co-written and have had recordings on several songs and seeing my name as a credit on tunes by the likes of The Spinners, Russell Thompkins Jr., Chubby Tavares and others has been amazing. My collaborations with Amar and Zed Soul began a few years ago and with the release of the Zed Soul debut set (which has deservedly received a great response from the UK soul music community and beyond), I’m thrilled that songs like “Who’s Gonna Rescue My Heart?” and in particular, “Time To Shine” are being heard for the first time worldwide. I single out “Time To Shine” because much like Leee John & Byron Stingily’s afore-mentioned “Proud & Bold,” it’s all about empowerment and as the title suggests, stepping up, stepping out and indeed, shining! Amar’s great production on the track featuring Thir13een has easily found its way onto my ‘Liked Songs’ playlist as I bop along on my (mostly) daily walks! And…if I thought nobody knew I was a songwriter, that’s become a myth with the recent release of two tracks on the Soul City label which began life all those years ago with John Simmons and Phillip Ballou, namely the rare groove classic “Ain’t Nothing Like The Love” and “We’ll Be Together,” proof that a good song can be timeless! Move over, Lionel Richie! THE WOMACK SISTERS Just when I thought I had referenced recent music that seemed worthy of mention in this ‘renewed faith’ piece along come The Womack Sisters! Truth be told, the trio’s name had somehow been on the outer edges of my consciousness if only because of the name ‘Womack’ - although, yes, there are a few ‘Womacks’ out there who are not a part of the renowned soul music family (like Lee Ann Womack, an award-winning country singer/songwriter)! I can’t offer any explanation as to why I ‘slept’ on the music of these three amazing women; maybe it’s just all about timing. What really woke me up to the music that BG, Zeimani and Kucha have been making for a few years now was an interview by Alexis Petridis a few days ago in the UK online edition of The Guardian which is my only ‘go-to’ for news. Alexis is the head rock and pop critic, a description that always irks me since I don’t quite know how one earns the ‘right’ to be a ‘critic’ as such! Not personal to Alexis - who I’ve never met - but not a term I relish or savour. The Womack Sisters have been releasing music officially since 2017 with the single “Darling,” then with an EP, “Legacy” in 2022 and subsequently, a few standalone singles (including an amazing version of their grandfather Sam Cooke’s “Just Another Day” from his early years in gospel with The Soul Stirrers); and now, with Daptone Records, a full album which features a few of the singles released previously. I’m somewhat at a loss (unusual as it may seem!) to pick any one track from their recorded works. As part of ‘soul music royalty’ (mother Linda and father Cecil of Womack & Womack fame, with Cecil’s brother, the legendary Bobby Womack, their uncle), the sisters have not only inherited the vocal traditions associated with their family heritage, they have created their own sound and style. Listening to “I Don’t Want You (To Say Goodbye)” with Kucha’s deeply soulful lead vocals, no kidding, I am reminded of Aretha at her very best in those early Atlantic years, with BG and Zeimani providing family harmonies reminiscent of the Franklin sisters Carolyn and Erma. Now, those of you who know how much Aretha means to me know that I don’t make such comparisons lightly. The videos supporting their recordings also show retro-yet-contemporary styling: I confess I think the finger-snappin’ “If I Let You” is mesmerizing while “Darling” with those ‘60s bee-hive wigs took me back to the era of The Ronettes and some of Motown’s finest girl groups early on. It takes a lot for me to enthuse as much as I have, literally in the last few days about my personal ‘discovery’ (a little late though it may be) of The Womack Sisters. I’ve learned that the trio has performed in the UK a few times, as recently indeed at The Jazz Cafe (my least favourite London venue, oh well!) in May this year and later that month, at an outdoor festival just twenty minutes from where I live - oops. I asked my dear friend Michael, with whom I speak frequently, albeit from a few thousand miles away if he was familiar with The Womack Sisters and he responded with a definitive ‘yes’! Yes, y’all, I’m hooked! The Womack Sisters - to quote Shirley Ellis (1963) and Gladys & The Pips (1969) - get right down to the real nitty gritty, believe it. Can’t wait to see them live in performance back in the UK and meanwhile, I’ll watch the videos and stream the music on their new self-titled album - and if you like real soul music, I invite you to do the same. © 2026, David Nathan, All Rights Reserved. DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... is a reader-supported publication. If you like what you’ve read and heard, feel free to become a paid subscriber! Get full access to DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... at davidnathan.substack.com/subscribe (https://davidnathan.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

6. 

   4 Jul 2026

   MISS LORRAINE ELLISON STOPPED ME IN MY TRACKS ONE DAY IN MY KITCHEN...

   I was in the kitchen in my modest abode in London and as is often the case, I like to listen (and often singing along with) tracks from a Spotify playlist I created some time ago entitled ‘David Nathan’s ‘60s Uptown Soul Favourites (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1AL58zKGaiNMo2CJrVAwx2?si=7a247dd69ecf499e).’ While cutting up some cabbage and garlic bulbs (both organic, of course!) to steam for my evening meal, I joined in with Maxine Brown (“One Step At A Time”), Dee Dee Warwick (“I’m Gonna Make You Love Me”), The Radiants (“Voice Your Choice”) and Irma Thomas (“It’s Starting To Get To Me Now”), all reminders of my youth, each song serving up a particular memory from the time when I first began to treasure real soul music... Soul music has ALWAYS been an ‘as lived’ experience for me since the day I heard. and instantly fell in love with, Dionne Warwick’s heart-breaking ode, “Walk On By,” when I was 16 and smitten in deep unrequited for Marilyn Wolff who said she only went out with older boys. It is still my favourite recording of all time…. SINGING ALONG WITH…LORRAINE ELLISON? AN ‘ACQUIRED’ TASTE… Back in my kitchen: the greens and garlic are ready and the playlist is still on. It’s natural for me to keep on singing along but it’s time to eat…until THAT voice, the unforgettable cut-you-to-the-core-emotion-beyond-emotion sound of Miss Lorraine Ellison bringing every shred of deep intensity to her version of a no-chance-in-a-million-possibility-of-being-hit-recording of “You Don’t Know Nothing About Love,” previously recorded by another unheralded soul music hero, Carl Hall in 1967. Lorraine Ellison’s vocal style is an acquired taste, not as Brits like to say, ‘everyone’s cup of tea.’ Like me, when it comes to love and romantic partnerships. I am, unashamedly, ‘an acquired taste’. A friend of mine in Los Angeles once remarked - when I asked why he never introduced me to prospective guys to date - ‘You’re not the marrying kind.’ I was highly offended at the time and I knew truth when I heard it: for much like the super-soulful Lorraine Ellison at her stratospheric best, an acquired taste, indeed. The result was minimal popularity other than with ‘those in the know’ (think the iconic Laura Nyro, Patti LaBelle and a few other discerning folks including her longtime producer Jerry Ragovoy), Lorraine didn’t find compromise easy when it came to being true to her art and fully being herself. RANDY’S RECORDS, “I DIG YOU BABY” AND “PLEASE DON’T TEACH ME TO LOVE YOU” I first came across Lorraine Ellison’s name sometime in late 1965 or early 1966. I don’t have any idea how I discovered the existence of Randy’s Records, a shop in Gallatin, Tennessee that specialized in mail order and shipped 45s to the UK.... Among my prized possessions to this day are the very same singles I purchased back in ‘66 still intact - two 45s on Mercury Records by the ‘mysterious’ Miss Ellison… About six months after Lorraine’s second Mercury single was released (with a brilliant ‘B’ side, “Please Don’t Teach Me To Love You,” penned by the ever-amazing Van McCoy with a lyric to which I could relate as a lovelorn teen!), a new recording emerged on Warner Brothers, seemingly ‘out of nowhere’. As I would discover eight years later in my first full-on interview with Ms. Ellison, it was hardly that... “Stay With Me” was written by Ragovoy with George David Weiss (known for such standards as “What A Wonderful World,“ “Lullaby Of Birdland”) and there are few words that can describe the dramatic nature of the song. Suffice to say that Lorraine Ellison brought all the power and emotion of her years as a gospel singer with the family group, The Ellison Singers to the 3-minute-plus opus: no surprise that Janis Joplin and Bette Midler were among the high-powered vocalists who delivered their own ‘take’ on the song after Lorraine’s definitive original. Lorraine, 1974: I remember that first session on “Stay With Me” particularly vividly. Jerry called up and told us we had the studio for three numbers — because Frank Sinatra had cancelled one of his sessions. Well, Garry Sherman was the arranger for the session and he had a huge orchestra assembled…for Frank Sinatra! No one told them that he’d cancelled and that I was going to be recording instead and it was real funny watching them go over the scores for the songs we were doing. When the time came’ for me to come out to record, the guys just fell apart — Frank sure had changed! “WHO IS THAT?” AND A CHANGE OF MIND… The first time I heard “Stay With Me” was a month or so after its release in America in October 1966. I was staying at the home of Dave Godin, the ‘Godfather Of R&B’ in the UK: it was during a time when he and I were working on the plans for what would be Soul City, the record store we created (with Dave’s friend Robert Blackmore) which opened on December 10, 1966. Dave regularly received promotional copies from Pye Records in the UK, who were at the time the British licensees for Warner Brothers Records. After the postman delivered a package from Pye, Dave put on Lorraine’s 45. I was in the room I slept in when I heard “Stay With Me” and I vividly remember my reaction! “Who is THAT?” I yelled. Dave played the record a second time, which was unusual for him. He would only do that if a particular disc was of interest. I was stunned by the sheer emotion imparted by Lorraine on the record. Dave seemed to concur. It was the essence of what we would come to know as ‘deep soul’ and initially, he thought “Stay With Me” was amazing.... REVERENCE FROM LAURA NYRO AND OTHER NOTABLES… Lorraine became revered among pop and rock luminaries such as Van Morrison and Laura Nyro (who loved her work and had planned to write a song for recordings Lorraine was doing with photographer-producer Stephen Paley - see photo below) Mass appeal evaded her, no doubt because Lorraine’s vocals were so ‘outside’ the usual approach that female artists took at the time. While Aretha Franklin and Patti LaBelle (another Philadelphia native) were known to praise Lorraine’s recordings, the fact that she did almost no live performing was a detriment although she continued to record (mostly with Jerry Ragovoy) for Warners, only switching producers - after a less-than-successful sessions with Paley in Muscle Shoals in 1970 - and then, finally, Warners’ executive Ted Templeman who masterminded her final self-titled LP, released in July 1974 which was the catalyst for my lengthy phone interview with her for Blues & Soul, the most extensive article on her to ever appear in print. SWEET & SOULFUL SISTER LOVE… Such is the synchro-destiny of my life: in October 1974, when I visited America for the first time, I took a day or so for a whirlwind trip to Philadelphia during which I got to met Lorraine Ellison in person! The circumstances remain a little hazy and it may well have been that I visited her a second time after I began my tenure writing for Blues & Soul in America in the early months of 1975. What remains forever fixed in my memory banks was her kindness and warmth. She invited me to stay over at her home in Philly with her husband Sam and children, including Tonya, who remarkably, I met when I lived briefly in the city in 2008 when we took a trip to the very house (whose address I had memorized from when I first went there!). That was two years after I had spoken with Tonya and Lorraine’s granddaughter Sidny on the phone after the folks at Rhino Records gave me the amazing opportunity to create “Sister Love,” a 3CD compilation of all of Lorraine’s Warner Brothers’ including a whole disc of unreleased demos, many of which featured Lorraine accompanying herself on the piano without any other instrumentation. It was the second reissue compilation I had created from Lorraine’s over 60 recordings for Warner Brothers, the first an Ichiban Soul Classics 23-track CD thanks to my friend John Abbey, who was the editor and owner of Blues & Soul for many years and without whom I may never have had the chance to write for the magazine in the US in 1975, let alone begin my own reissue label twenty years later. More synchro-destiny… Like so many of the greatest artists that I’ve ever had the pure joy to meet after relishing and bathing in the magnificence of their work, Lorraine never got the public acclaim, recognition and acceptance her unique talent deserved…and yet, I muse, if she touched just one soul - and I know she did, speaking directly and personally - then there’s a quiet assurance that she got her divine job done. Please do listen to this playlist (https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0wlv7F5f797lo4IdFHaxED?si=bc8a884843ee4636) I created of some of Sister Love’s work but a warning: please don’t try sing along! DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... is a reader-supported publication. If you’ve enjoyed this post, please consider subscribing and if you are already a free subscriber - thank you and it’s cool to upgrade if you are moved to do so! © 2026, David Nathan, All Rights Reserved. Get full access to DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... at davidnathan.substack.com/subscribe (https://davidnathan.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

7. 

   21 Jun 2026

   REVISITING: FISH & CHIPS...AND CHICAGO SOUL ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON...

   This post is part of my ‘Living Memoirs’ This post was originally published on March 4, 2024. I’ve revised it for many of the subscribers who have graciously signed up since then and added audio. It seems fitting given this is Father’s Day in the US (June 21st 2026) Today’s been a different kinda Sunday. I had what my Dad used to say was a ‘lie-in’. My father Mark Nathan worked on Saturdays from early morning when he would prepare the big pans from the massive vats of oil for frying fish and chips until it was time for the shop above which we lived on Kilburn High Road in NW London to open. He’d take a break in the mid-afternoon when the shop and restaurant that was part of the popular eaterie (frequented by pop stars of the day and future music legends who would record at Abbey Road and Decca studios in the area - think Beatles, Rolling Stones, etc.) was closed. Think of a siesta without the attendant sunshine! By 5pm, he’d be back behind the counter, making piping hot chips (and not the skinny ‘French’ fries that became popular in the years that followed but the original chunky kind) and frying fish to perfection… The record player on which I would wear out my favourite R&B and soul 45s and LP tracks - Dionne Warwick, Martha & The Vandellas, Lou Johnson, Baby Washington, Ketty Lester and others - was originally in my parents’ bedroom. Sunday mornings, out of respect for my hard-working Dad’s need for extra sleep and a ‘lie-in,’ I would refrain from blasting tunes although I have a very strong memory of asking him if I could play tracks from one of my then-most treasured possessions, the high-priced import LP, “Forbidden Fruit” by Nina Simone, just a few months before I started the UK appreciation society for her… “I really like the jazz on that record,” my Dad responded, listening to Nina’s soothing tones on tunes like “I’ll Look Around,” “No Good Man” and “I Love To Love.” I smiled and flipped the LP over for more Simone stylings, “Where Can I Go Without You,” “Just Say I Love Him,” “Memphis In June” as my father rested from the late Saturday night where more than a few less-than-sober guys from the Irish pub next door had kept the shop open till midnight… Fast forward to today’s Sunday ‘lie-in’ many decades later which ended around noon. Time to do some house chores and then the lurking question: do I give in to hankering for some fish-and-chips on this particular Sunday? I kept telling myself that I have enough food in the flat but the desire for the very British dish is too strong: ‘Temptation ‘bout to get me…’ I walk part of the way to the shop in Victoria, earpods in, letting Spotify jump through my “‘60s Uptown Soul Favourites”. Love singing along a tune or two much to the likely bewilderment of those walking down Vauxhall Bridge Road since all they can hear is my melodic melismas with no idea of what I’m listening to! My yearning for fish and chips (not quite as amazing as my Dad’s from back in the day) is now satisfied after I reach one of London’s better fish-and-chip shops. The playlist has settled on a slew of amazing R&B anthems that just ‘happen’ to have originally been recorded in Chicago. Algorithms being what they are, a few other Windy City classics recorded at or for Chess Records are also providing a soul serenade for me on this Sunday leisurely stroll. “There ain’t room enough for two, in sharing your heart with someone new, whatever I do, it’s getting mighty crowded, I’m telling you!” opines Betty Everett with a song that provided her with a UK mid-sized pop hit in early 1965. Her erstwhile duet partner, ‘The Iceman’ Jerry Butler is pouring his cool-but-emotive feelings into “I Can’t Stand To See You Cry,” and I’m singing along with a tear-in-my-voice. Worth noting: both songs were penned by the super-brilliant Van McCoy who must have had more than a few heartbreak moments in his life given his lamenting lyricism… Mood change. Some of my absolute all-time and forever faves that were cut at Chess follow. I remember well that some of the songs I’m grooving to were included on a 1966 Chess/Checker LP, “Sing A Song Of Soul.” Billy Stewart’s been “Sitting In The Park,” Jackie Ross talkin’ “Selfish One,” Mitty Collier declares “I’m Satisfied” and then two choones that are ever and ever dear, The Radiants with “Voice Your Choice.” The Knight Brothers’ “Temptation ‘Bout To Get Me.” It still does… As I head towards the bus stop, Major Lance shares… “Walking through the park, it wasn’t quite dark, there was a man sitting on a bench…” And in sync with him, I too sing out, ‘Um, Um, Um, Um, Um’… I realize just how totally brilliant so much of this Chicago soul music of the ‘60s is and how it shaped my teen years and beyond. The wonderful arrangements, the amazing vocals and production. I end my Sunday mid-afternoon journey with Gene Chandler’s unbelievable vocal masterpiece “I Fooled You This Time” (to which I do not sing along!) and a ditty from Johnny Nash, “Love Ain’t Nothing (But A Monkey On Your Back)”… It might have been the lure of fish and chips and the ‘sense’ memory such a dish evokes of my father and his Sunday ‘lie-ins’ but give me a meal of Windy City soul classics anytime and it will surely provide satisfaction beyond, beyond… DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... is a reader-supported publication. As you can tell, I love writing these posts! Your support makes a difference! Please consider becoming a subscriber. © 2026, David Nathan. All Rights Reserved Get full access to DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... at davidnathan.substack.com/subscribe (https://davidnathan.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

8. 

   30 May 2026

   REVISITED: 'SOUL' HAS NO COLOUR

   In the autumn of 1962, a 23-year-old Dusty Springfield was on a visit to America en route to Nashville to make a country music album with the folk/pop trio, The Springfields with brother Tom and Tim Feild. The group had achieved success with the single, “Silver Threads And Golden Needles” which was the first single by a British group to reach the top 20 of the US Hot 100. “The Exciters sort of got you by the throat...out of the blue comes blasting at you ‘I know something about love’…” Springfield reportedly declared, “That’s what I wanna do” During a stopover in New York, per Wikipedia, while taking a late-night walk by the Colony Record Store on Broadway, Dusty heard a record that have a major impact on her musical direction: “Tell Him” by the group The Exciters was playing and she’d recall, “The Exciters sort of got you by the throat...out of the blue comes blasting at you ‘I know something about love’…” Springfield reportedly declared, “That’s what I wanna do” and by the time she began her solo career a year or so later, Dusty Springfield focused on making music with a pop-and-soul flavour. I recall a conversation with my dear friend Carl Bean some years ago during which he shared how he met Dusty during one of her first few visits to New York at a time when he was singing with the famed gospel group, The Alex Bradford Singers who were performing in the off-Broadway musical, “Black Nativity,” the same show that brought Madeline Bell to Britain in 1962. Carl had a vivid memory of taking Dusty (who he likely met through Madeline) to Harlem and specifically to The Apollo Theater and how she was thrilled to witness R&B hitmakers in action. 1963 was a pivotal year in my teenage ‘discovery’ of the popular music of the day. The Beatles were everywhere and I knew that to be ‘included’ with my classmates at Kilburn Grammar School in N.W. London, my slowly-growing LP collection - subsidised by my pocket money from working at a sweet shop with the too-friendly-with-his-hands son of the family who owned it - might have to shift from film soundtracks that my parents bought (“West Side Story,” “South Pacific” and my all-time favourite, the 1956 epic, “The King And I”) and a few classical albums (Holst’s “The Planets,” Saint-Saens’ “Danse Macabre” and likely on an EP at the time, Ravel’s poignant “Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte”) to less-lofty lilts like “All My Loving” and “Love Me Do”! The first two LPs by The Beatles included a plethora of cover versions of American R&B hits: “Please Mr. Postman” (The Marvelettes), “Money” (Barrett Strong), “Chains” (The Cookies), “You Really Got A Hold On Me” (The Miracles), “Twist & Shout” (The Isley Brothers) and “Baby It’s You” (The Shirelles), all providing Brit youngsters like me with the opportunity to hear music that the Fab Four themselves loved at a time when UK record companies did little to promote (or even release) the original recordings they licensed from the US labels who owned them. In some ways, I could ‘credit’ John, Paul, George & Ringo with ‘introducing’ me to R&B through their covers of US R&B hits and in hindsight, it’s not accidental that my first experience of a live show was at the venue next door to where I lived in October 1964 when their special guest was one, Mary Wells! I shared about the experience on a previous Substack post. (https://davidnathan.substack.com/p/my-first-concert-the-beatles-and-8b0) In November 1963, “I Only Want To Be With You,” Dusty’s first single as a solo artist, was released and I recall how quickly it became one of my personal favourite records of the day. As a fifteen-year-old, I was experiencing ‘puppy love’ and infatuation over red head Marilyn Woolf, a pupil at the girls’ school across the street from Kilburn Grammar School: I would dote on her when I would see her walking down the street (future shades of a Hal David lyric that would be the catalyst for my embrace of soul music just months later….think Dionne, “Walk On By”)… By April 1964, “A Girl Called Dusty” was beginning its ascent up the UK album charts while afore-mentioned Dionne Warwick’s “Walk On By” was also starting its journey as a British pop hit - and as noted in my last Substack post (https://davidnathan.substack.com/p/60-years-ago-i-bought-a-record) (“60 Years Ago I Bought A Records”), my ‘official’ journey into the world of American R&B and soul music began. You can check out Dusty's first solo album here (https://open.spotify.com/album/1ulDMEpgJC1L4W05dMyqHl?si=04ytGToISlaS6FK657xGmg) It’s amazing looking at the list of twelve tracks on the British version of that first Dusty Springfield LP: it’s entirely made up of Dusty’s versions of a range of US hits such as “Mama Said” and “Will You Love Me Tomorrow,” both originally recorded by The Shirelles; “When The Lovelight Starts Shining Thru His Eyes” (from The Supremes); “You Don’t Own Me” (Lesley Gore); “Mockingbird” (by Inez & Charlie Foxx); and no less than three compositions from Burt Bacharach & Hal David, “Wishin’ & Hopin’” and “Anyone Who Had A Heart,” both originally cut by Dionne (less, we might add, than a few months after the famous UK ‘chart battle’ between Dionne and Cilla Black!); and “Twenty-Four Hours From Tulsa” which had been a UK Top 10 hit for Gene Pitney in January 1964. The only track on “A Girl Named Dusty” that doesn’t seem to have been recorded by any other artist was “Nothing” which we can surmise - from comments on various interviews about Dusty’s early visits to New York - was a song she got from songwriters at the famous Brill Building, ‘home’ for tunesmiths like Carole King & Gerry Goffin and afore-mentioned Burt & Hal. Dusty’s ability to bring her innate soulfulness to her music was often downplayed in the UK, in particular by ‘purists’ who always contended that ‘the original is always the best.’ While I was often on the side of the contingent who felt like UK artists were not bringing the same authentic feeling to their cover versions of American R&B tracks (think The Moody Blues’ “Go Now” versus original by Bessie Banks, The Rolling Stones’ “It’s All Over Now” versus The Valentinos and, of course, The Animals’ “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” written for and first recorded by Nina Simone), I clearly felt Ms. Springfield was different, even in 1964! Indeed, I was referencing Dusty in the same ‘breath’ as Dionne and using the term ‘soul’ which may indeed have been my own first published penning of the word! This extended unplanned Substack piece on Dusty was prompted by a BBC radio interview I did on Sunday (May 19th, 2024) celebrating the 60th anniversary of the release of her first LP - alas with a somewhat unprepared broadcaster who referenced her having been the first British artist signed to Motown, a fact I had to correct live on the air by informing him that she was signed to Atlantic Records, home to one of her musical idols, Aretha Franklin. (Research reveals that she met Aretha in early 1969 when Dusty was doing new vocals for her Atlantic debut, “Dusty In Memphis” which contained “Son Of A Preacher Man,” a song originally intended for Aretha who initially rejected it and subsequently did a version after Dusty’s became a US Top 10 hit - go figure!). I shared during my brief BBC interview about the only time I met Dusty Springfield in person. It was circa the late ‘80s when she was living in West Hollywood and I was living in the mid-Wilshire area of L.A.: I remember having my hair cut at a unisex salon by a friend of mine in a small street off of Melrose Avenue and in conversation, she mentioned that there was another British person having their hair done at the same time. “I think she’s a singer….her name is Dusty something” were the words my hair stylist was uttering! I immediately asked her to stop cutting my curly locks! I was on the left side of the salon and Dusty Springfield was on the right. I was nervous about saying hello to her - which may seem strange when I reflect that I had spent hours upon hours over the preceding years in the homes of Aretha, Dionne, Luther, Maurice White and others and by 1987 or thereabouts, I had established myself as bonafide scribe in the world of R&B and soul music. I gingerly walked to where Dusty was sitting: “Excuse me, Miss Springfield,” I proffered timidly, “I’m also from Britain and I just want to let you know that I grew up listening to your music!” While she might have been a little taken aback by being acosted in a hair salon by a ‘fan,’ she smiled. “Really?” I quickly added that I’d known Vicki Wickham (her longtime friend and oftimes manager) for many years - in fact from 1965 when I first went to the studios of “Ready Steady Go!” with Nina Simone - and Dusty beamed. “You know Vicki? “ I might have gushed a little in letting Dusty know that my all time favourite recordings of hers included “Some Of Your Lovin’” and she remarked that it was also one of her own favourites - although my reason had much to do with the slow dance I did with my then-new boyfriend William on our second date in the summer of 1967! I mentioned her cover version of the Randy Newman song, “I’ve Been Wrong Before” (from her second UK LP, “Ev’rything’s Coming Up Dusty”) which had also been recorded by Cilla Black in 1965. She nodded, maybe a sign of recognition that we both might have found some validity in the title and lyrics of the song. Conscious of our surroundings and both of us were in mid-hair-cut, I told her my name and asked her if she would let Vicki know we’d met before I bade her a fond farewell. When I look back, I think of the countless conversations we might have had about our mutual love for R&B and soul music; about how she had played a significant role in my personal journey with mid-‘60s recordings like “I Wish I’d Never Loved You” (still an all time fave), “In The Middle Of Nowhere” and “All Cried Out”; about my own career as a dedicated music journalist and meeting so many of the artists we both admired such as Aretha (whose “Won’t Be Long” Dusty had covered in 1965); about my longstanding friendship with Doris Troy, who sang backgrounds with Madeline Bell and others during recording sessions in London also in the ‘60s; how much I enjoyed her work with Jerry Wexler, Tom Dowd & Arif Mardin and later, with Thom Bell, Gamble & Huff; and how my favourite‘70s recordings included the stunning soul tune, “Who Gets Your Love” from her underrated “Cameo” LP. Literally, I could have spent hours with Dusty Springfield given our mutual longtime love affair with music. Those few minutes in the hair salon remain precious; the BBC interview-gone-bad on Sunday May 15th 2024 served unwittingly to remind me of just how important Dusty Springfield’s soulful contribution has been in my life. She exemplifies through her timeless recordings that soul (as in soul music or indeed the Soul itself) has no colour. © 2026, David Nathan, All Rights Reserved DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... is a reader-supported publication. Your subscription encourages me to keep providing posts such as this…and more! With soulful appreciation and gratitude! Get full access to DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... at davidnathan.substack.com/subscribe (https://davidnathan.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

9. 

   26 May 2026

   SOUL TALKIN' WITH JOHN LEGEND: "WAKE UP!" IS AS TIMELY AS EVER...

   In September 2010, David Nathan ('The British Ambassador Of Soul') reconnected with John Legend to talk about his "Wake Up!" album with The Roots. Six years had passed since their first meeting in 2004, when David interviewed John for his record company bio for his "Get Lifted" debut album. Much had happened in between for John, by 2010 a global hitmaker with multi-platinum albums, hit singles and Grammy Awards galore... Check the "Wake Up!" album here (https://open.spotify.com/album/06UOP7uyZN8AIYH6U20VkP?si=BjPbR7_eRA2G8bkWhVuUPQ) Get full access to DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... at davidnathan.substack.com/subscribe (https://davidnathan.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

10. 

    19 May 2026

    Northern Soul...And Where It All Began...

    If the time-honoured saying, ‘what goes around, comes around’ has any merit, I can attest to its relevance! When I wrote a Substack post about ‘Northern Soul’ in October 2023, reflecting on how the genre had ‘survived’ for decades becoming more popular than ever and indeed, my connection with the genesis of the term, I had no inkling of what would unfold. A year later, I was the first guest on the “Northern Soul Time (https://youtu.be/eKOgSjazReU?si=Tazoca8GycceUENb)” podcast with Kev Roberts to discuss the origins of ‘Northern Soul’ at Soul City in 1968. Little did I know that recording the session with Kev, who has been a pioneer in the world of Northern Soul for decades, would result in Charly Records (who hosted the podcast) asking if I would be interested in a relaunch of the Soul City label! With the prime assistance of Philippe Matos and Glenn Gunton at Charly Records, the ‘official’ return of Soul City Records became ‘real’ with the launch at Richard Searling’s Blackpool International Soul Festival in June 2025. Almost a year later, Soul City Records, (https://charlydirect.com/collections/soul-city) the label that Dave, Robert and I created all those years ago, is back in full force with 7 singles and one album to date. The interest in the genre continues with the May 2026 UK release of the film “Northern Soul - Still Burning” (in which I have a cameo appearance talking about the origins of the term at the Soul City shop in London). To quote Tina Turner, ‘never in my wildest dreams’…. (Below a revisit to the original October 2023 post with minor amendments) Northern Soul. Amazing, after reaching my sixth decade working in the world of soul music, to see how this globally-recognized genre has provided distinguished careers, fame, fortune and household names for thousands of DJs and the like along with books, films, events, festivals and more and has generated millions of dollars, pounds, yen, etc. for decades. Literally. Who knew? Certainly, not the late Dave Godin (the original founder of the Tamla Motown Appreciation Society, often and in many ways justifiably referred to as ‘The Godfather Of R&B’ in Britain in the mid-’60s), nor I nor Robert Blackmore as the three co-owners of Soul City (which we started in December 1966), then proudly touted as “Europe’s only 100% R&B and Soul Record Shop.” DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. I was there, right there, in London in the spring of 1968 at Soul City - which had changed location from a tiny south London premises in working class Deptford to a more ‘upmarket’ location at 17 Monmouth Street in the West End’s theatre district - where and when the term ‘Northern Soul’ was - in many ways - first born! Note the emphasis on ‘first’! Now, you should know that it can be challenging. The passage of time can produce distortion in sorting fact from fiction. Nothing has been more clear for me, than the distinction between truth and myth when it comes to the origin of ‘Northern Soul.’ Myths abound about how the term was created - and over time, I’ve heard a few! I have been blessed (and I could say, from the standpoint of myth-makers, cursed!) with a photographic memory and unlike the lyrics of “The Way We Were” (popularized by Gladys Knight & The Pips), I do not ‘simply choose to forget.’ I just can’t help but ‘tell it like it is’ (thank you, Aaron Neville, whose 1966 recording provided the backdrop for tears during a slow dance on my 19th birthday, February 15th 1967…and that’s another story to be told!). But…no more digressing: the real deal about ‘Northern Soul’ and how it came into existence, follows. By the spring of 1968, we were receiving regular shipments of 45s and LPs as imports from Mr. & Mrs. Shapiro, who owned an export business in Florida, and had begun working with us at Soul City in 1967 at the very start. As word-of-mouth resulted in an increase in customers at the shop, still maintaining our mandate of selling only American-derived R&B and soul records, Soul City was considered a haven for like-minded R&B and soul enthusiasts in Britain. As the genre’s hitmakers became more integrated into mainstream awareness - think the success of Motown via the launch of the Tamla Motown imprint through EMI, television shows like “Ready Steady Go!” (championed by producer Vicki Wickham), radio broadcasters (Tony Blackburn, Mike Raven included) and first UK concerts by Aretha, the Stax/Volt revue, James Brown and a plethora of club dates by all manner of artists including Irma Thomas, Garnet Mimms, Inez & Charlie Foxx and Dee Dee Warwick among others - US soul music was a burgeoning business. Saturday mornings were busy. Apart from regular customers in search of the increasing number of UK releases of US tracks and compilations by CBS, Stateside, London and Polydor/Atlantic (often less easy to find in local high street record stores), we had the precious imports, often arriving on Thursday or Friday. Our instructions to Mr. Shapiro were simple: please send a certain number of copies of new US releases on major labels such as Atlantic, Stax, Chess, Motown, etc. and include a few of the week’s new 45s on smaller record labels. Thus we would get just a couple of 45s by Big John Hamilton, Sandi Sheldon, Roy Redmond, Cliff Nobles, Tobi Legend, Toussaint McCall and Al Wilson (ironically on the US label, Soul City Records!), among others. Saturdays would also bring football fans from the Midlands and the North of England to see matches with London clubs like Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspurs and Chelsea. Football (not the US derivative which was the equivalent to Britain’s sports fans of rugby/rugger) was a mainstay in Britain, as it remains decades later. For the growing number of R&B and soul music lovers who were among the football supporters in London for the day, Soul City became a ‘must visit’ destination. Dave Godin began noticing that the customers from Manchester, Wigan and Birmingham crowding into the small shop on Monmouth Street were particularly interested in imported 45s: back then, we had turntables behind the counter so we could play a sample of a track before customers chose to purchase it. In an interview Dave did in 2002 with Chris Hunt for MOJO magazine, he said, “I had started to notice that northern football fans who were in London to follow their team were coming into the store to buy records, but they weren’t interested in the latest developments in the Black American chart. I devised the name as a shorthand sales term. It was just to say “if you’ve got customers from the north, don’t waste time playing them records currently in the U.S. Black [music] chart, just play them what they like – ‘Northern Soul.’” More mythology: the first time ‘Northern Soul’ as such appeared in print was NOT in the regular column Dave contributed to ‘Blues & Soul’ magazine in June 1970, a few years after Dave had devised the term at Soul City: rather, in issue #36, June 19th, the title of his column was ‘The Up-North Soul Groove’ and in issue #37 was ‘Pt. 2’. Nary the direct phrase ‘Northern Soul’! Just a few weeks earlier, I had left Soul City (another story of ‘high drama’ with the changing of front door locks which I’ll save for another Substack!) and on July 31st [1970] closed its doors; Dave in a ‘disagreement’ with the editorial direction of ‘Blues & Soul’ stopped writing his column for the magazine, leaving just a tad of mystery as to when he supposedly used specifically the term ‘Northern Soul’ in print for the first time and who claimed he did! All of which brings me to note that despite whatever others may have said about ‘Northern Soul’ (regardless of when it appeared publicly in print) it was birthed in the hallowed office of Soul City in 1968 by Dave Godin. It would be literally decades until I attended my first Northern Soul ‘Weekender’ - and it was in Los Angeles when about 300 diehard fans staged an event at a hotel attended by artists such as my longtime friend Thelma Jones (who had recorded tracks like ‘Stronger’ that had become a Northern Soul favourite) and Jackie Lee (of ‘The Duck’ fame) among others! Playing a part in soul music history is cause for celebration for me and I am deeply grateful. DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. © 2026, David Nathan/All rights reserved Get full access to DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... at davidnathan.substack.com/subscribe (https://davidnathan.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

11. 

    17 May 2026

    Celebrating Chaka Khan!

    My very encounter with Chaka Khan was in 1974 when I conducted our first ever-interview for Britain’s Blues & Soul magazine as the group Rufus began making headway in America with their Stevie Wonder-penned hit (and now-classic) “Tell Me Something Good.” That was 52 years ago: we’ve done countless interviews since and have established a personal rapport that I consider to be very precious. I outlined some of it in the chapter of my 1999 book, “The Soulful Divas” (https://davidnathan.com/product/chaka-khan-a-woman-a-backbone-through-the-fire/)(available for digital download); and we’ve had many more conversations (both on and of the record) since. It’s particularly appropriate for me to create this post after seeing the brilliant “I’m Every Woman, The Chaka Khan Musical’ last night in London, which is now scheduled for a July-September run in the UK (https://www.imeverywomanthemusical.com/) DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. © 2026, David Nathan/Blue Butterfly Entertainment Ltd. (UK), All Rights Reserved Get full access to DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... at davidnathan.substack.com/subscribe (https://davidnathan.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

12. 

    1 May 2026

    'UNSUNG', FOR REAL...

    With the creation of ‘My Living Memoirs’ series on Substack, time to a revisit to my earliest posts, with my dulcet tones adding an audio version! In 2007 when I lived in L.A., I first heard about the proposed US television series “Unsung.” One of my neighbours, Jeff Meier was involved with the company that was producing it for TV One: I recall our conversation about which artists would be among those we thought should be included in the first batch for the show which was designed to provide insight and information on the careers of artists deemed 'unsung'. I remember that we both thought Phyllis Hyman and Donny Hathaway were definites and by the time the first episodes were being put together, I was ensconced in Philadelphia in April 2008 for an 'unforgettably-forgettable' ten months (the real story behind my use of that description of the 'City Of Brotherly Love' is for another time). I was thrilled to be interviewed for three of the first four shows, offering commentary on Donny (as the only journalist to have interviewed him in the UK on his one visit to London, September 1973 when he was on a brief vacation); Phyllis, with whom I conducted her first interview for Blues & Soul when we were Manhattan neighbours in 1977 and subsequently got to know in the ensuing years; and The DeBarge family, more from an overview of members of the family’s career, although I had done stories on El, Chico and Bunny for B&S at different times in the ‘80s and ‘90s. Acknowledging that in the upper reaches of ‘Unsung’ artists, Phyllis, Donny and others that have featured in the series (with over 150 episodes on TVOne, sadly none of which has been available to viewers outside the US) are certainly in the realm of those who deserve further recognition within the music industry and in the media, there’s a large cadre of recording artists and performers who have distinguished themselves in the world of soul/R&B, gospel, jazz and related genres that remain truly ‘unsung.’ I was very fortunate to be involved with The Rhythm & Blues Foundation as its Secretary for a number of years and had the true joy of working on our Pioneer Awards (mostly an annual event) in which we got to give honour and recognition (along with a financial award) to many of the hitmakers of the ‘50s and ‘60s in particular. More than a few tears flowed when the likes of Baby Washington, Maxine Brown, Don Covay, Dee Dee Warwick, Betty Everett, Gloria Lynne, Ernie K-Doe and Garnet Mimms were among the hundred or so artists, producers, musicians and songwriters who were recipients of the prestigious Pioneer Awards. Many, if not most, had never received any kind of recognition from the music biz for decades of hard work and little tangible reward. One memory forever etched in my consciousness was when I was with one of the 1996 honourees when she got the news that she was being recognized. My longtime friend, ‘Mama Soul,’ my godmother in the music biz, Doris Troy wept openly when I handed her the phone with the call from the R&B Foundation…. I could write pages and pages about Doris, who rose to prominence in 1963 with her timeless anthem “Just One Look” - and in fact, when I included a full chapter on Doris and her career in my 1999 book, “The Soulful Divas,” (https://davidnathan.com/product/doris-troy-just-one-look-its-mama-soul/)I got a few ‘comments’ on why I chose to place her in a tome with ‘legends’ often known by just their first name - think Aretha, Nina, Dionne, Gladys, Diana, Chaka, Natalie and so on. My response was always the same: it’s my book and my choice to include whoesoever I want! Doris may not have reached the lofty heights of superstar fame and yet, she was revered for her ‘60s recordings on Atlantic, cut a Northern soul classic (“I’ll Do Anything,” co-written with Philly hitmakers Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff), worked with The Beatles at Apple Records and - by virtue of “Mama, I Want To Sing” (the musical co-written by her younger sister Vy Higgensen, the famed radio personality in her own right and her late husband Ken Wydro) based on Doris’ career, got to travel the world playing the role of own mother! For rock and pop fans, Doris was the voice on Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side Of The Moon” and The Rolling Stones’ “You Can’t Always Get What You Want.” Early on, she was one of the primary background vocalists on sessions with sisters Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick for the likes of The Drifters, Solomon Burke and Chuck Jackson among others. I spent literally hours and hours in her company over decades - in London, L.A. and New York - and we were real life friends! Doris’ down-to-earth humour and sass were well known and she was undoubtedly a woman of faith. We played the card game UNO together (I usually lost), joked around and I listened to her ‘mother wit’ words of wisdom (‘baby-baby, make sure you get your money!’) knowing she had had her own share of bad dealings within the music biz that were more often than not the lot of Black performers of the ‘60s in particular. I still recall that at the services for Doris (who made her transition at the age of 67 in 2004), Valerie Simpson shared that it was Doris who taught her and then-budding songwriting partner Nick Ashford the fundamentals of music publishing back in the day since Doris herself had begun her own career as a songwriter: “Just One Look,” a song she co-wrote that was originally cut as a demo in the basement studio at 1650 Broadway in 1963 became her theme tune and a pop music classic with later use in commercials and films was a source of great pride for Doris. The nature of life - and mine in particular - has had many amazing circuitous events, and no coincidences. When I went into a New York recording studio in 1979 with my good friend John Simmons (then starting his tenure as musical director for Stephanie Mills and then as MD for Whitney Houston during her very first few years as a mega-hitmaker) to produce a few tracks on Doris, I could never have imagined that decades later, those recordings would be assembled on a CD for all to hear! Listening to the Omnivore album, “Another Look” (released in March 2024), the disco heat of our composition, “You Got Me Baby” along with all-the-bells-and-whistles reading of “It’s All In The Game” (complete with live string and horn sections) plus sessions I produced in 1980 with Doris, I can only shake my head in wonder! Doris Troy remains - along with so many other for-real salt-of-the-earth foundational artists - in the pantheon of true pioneers in the world of soul…and beyond. Grateful. © 2026, David Nathan/Blue Butterfly Entertainment Ltd. (UK), All Rights Reserved. DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... at davidnathan.substack.com/subscribe (https://davidnathan.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

13. 

    22 Apr 2026

    Nina Simone: A Conversation Between Generations, Pt. 2

    When fellow Substack-er Thea Wood and I set up our interview about the omnipresence of Nina Simone in global culture and music, we touched upon as much as we could within the 55-minutes of our chat. We both agreed that there was a whole lot more we could have covered! In Pt. 1, Thea asked me about how I got to hear Nina’s music for the first time in 1964, how I went on to form the first UK appreciation society for her in the spring of 1965 even though she had yet to perform in Britain! We talked about my first encounters with Nina in person and more! In Pt. 2, we got to the heart of what it is about Nina's music, her voice and her presence that has captivated generations the world over. I shared some ‘myths’ about Nina’s ‘mainstream’ reach in America in the ‘60s and later, in the conversation, that European - and particularly British - audiences embraced Nina and her artistry from those very first performances in the summer of 1965 until her passing on April 21, 2003 - and beyond. What Thea discovered through our chat - complete with my ‘attempts’ to recreate Nina’s very distinctive speaking voice! - was the ‘realness’ of Nina I was so blessed and fortunate to witness. Nina’s recorded legacy lives on and I was so thrilled to be asked by renowned producer Cheryl Pawelski to write liner notes for and co-produce an expanded edition of her last album, “A Single Woman”. In doing so, I was reminded of Nina’s brilliance and genius. Whatever soul-deep ‘agreement’ we made before we both showed up in this incarnation, I am ever present to the magic of ‘synchro-destiny’ that has allowed me, 62 years after I cried with ‘recognition’ at a voice unlike any other to continue being in some way or other, an everlasting champion for Nina Simone. Grateful. If you missed Pt. 1 of the interview Thea and I did, click here (https://davidnathan.substack.com/p/nina-simone-a-conversation-between). A link to the vinyl and CD reissue of “A Single Woman” here (https://amzn.to/4dXYQ4N). And, you can get the digital download of my chapter on Nina in my book, “The Soulful Divas” here (https://davidnathan.com/product/nina-simone-the-one-and-only-high-priestess/). © 2026, David Nathan/Blue Butterfly Entertainment Ltd. (UK). All Rights Reserved. DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... at davidnathan.substack.com/subscribe (https://davidnathan.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

14. 

    21 Apr 2026

    Nina Simone: A Conversation Between Generations, Pt. 1

    When I first fell under the musical spell of Nina Simone in late 1964 at the age of 16, I had no inkling that the combination of her original version of “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” and “Black Is The Colour Of My True Love’s Hair” (track one, side one of “Nina Simone At Town Hall,” one of the only albums by her released in the UK at the time) would affect my life and indeed, my destiny in this incarnation. By April 1965, I had formed the very first British ‘appreciation society’ (aka ‘fan club’) for Nina who had yet to perform in Europe and was virtually ‘unknown’ to all but a few transatlantic jetsetters… The long-and-winding-and-outside-of-any-logic journey - from my 17-year-old Self to now - would take more than a few Substack posts to tell! Suffice to say that who Nina Simone has become 61 years later - and 23 years after her passing into another realm - is beyond any thought, notion or dream I might have had about her and more importantly, her musical, cultural and global impact. Aware more than ever of Nina’s omnipresence among generations, I have been curious as to what is about her distinctive artistry that has enthralled such a diverse range of music lovers the world over. Enter Thea Wood, a fellower Substacker, who founded Herizon Music with a mission to uplift the next generation of women in music through education, work experience, and role-modeling programmes. When Thea commented on one of my earlier posts about Nina, she seemed an ideal ‘candidate’ to speak with about how Nina Simone’s music has made a difference for GenX and GenZ peeps - and why. In the first part of our interview (originally planned for publication in Black History Month on February 21st, the 93rd anniversary of Nina’s birth in this incarnation), Thea asks about my history with Nina; in the second part, I delve into how Thea first heard Nina and we consider her profound cross-generational reach worldwide… DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. © 2026, David Nathan/Blue Butterfly Entertainment Ltd. (UK), All Rights Reserved. Get full access to DAVID NATHAN: JUST MY SOUL RESPONDING... at davidnathan.substack.com/subscribe (https://davidnathan.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

15. 

    31 May 2025

    Pt. 2: The Ann Nesby Interview With David Nathan

    Ann Nesby, two-time Grammy winner, discusses her early career, musical influences like Aretha Franklin, and experiences with Sounds of Blackness in an interview with David Nathan.

16. 

    28 May 2025

    My 1st Podcast! Special Guest, Ann Nesby

    David Nathan interviews Ann Nesby, the Queen of Inspirational Soul, in this debut episode, exploring her musical journey and influences.

Podcast Authority Score: 6 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

11

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

0