Too too many, but to name a few . . . James Brown, James Brown, James Brown, Roy Ayers, Roy Ayers, Roy Ayers, Leroy Hutson, Linda Lewis, Kool & the Gang's Music is the Message, Fatback Band, Chocolate Milk, Hugh Masekela, Crown Heights Affair, Jimmy McGriff, Mizell Bros., the disco 12" of "Get Up & Dance" by Freedom, Rare Gems Odyssey, The Meters, Strange Fruit Project, Chuck Brown, Trouble Funk, Rare Essence, Pharoah Sanders, Salsoul, Miami Sound, Philly Sound, Patrick Adams, Leroy Burgess, CHIC, Ramp, New Orleans Sound, New York Sound, Malo, Bohannon, Michael Henderson, my P-Funk fam, Minnie Riperton, Grover Washington Jr.'s Live at the Bijou, Willie Hutch, Teena Marie, Maze, Larry Levan, Kool Herc, Grandmaster Flash, Jam Master Jay, Eric B. & Rakim, Lonnie Liston Smith, One Way, 9th Wonder, Spinderella, Eddie Bo, The Clash, Rufus Thomas, "Slide" by Slave, disco roller skaters, real dj artists, women djs w/skills, Rudy Ray Moore, David Mancuso's Loft, Vince Montana, Erykah Badu, wacky record dealers, WTUL's Bimbo Show, the defunct WAIL FM (NOLA), DJ Slick Leo (NOLA), DJ Jubilee, DJ Captain Charles, the streets of New Orleans, all hip hop pioneers, and a million artists who cut funky records and never made a dime nor got massive recognition.
"All the way live since 1994, DJ Soul Sister specializes in rare groove, deep funk, classic old school funk, breaks, underground disco, true school hip hop, D.C. go-go and "real sounds with your behind in mind."
The host of the 15-year running (in July '09) Soul Power show on WWOZ 90.7FM in New Orleans (Saturdays 8-10pm CST - live at www.wwoz.org) and a live specialty dj artist who has taken the local nightlife by storm, Soul Sister was one of the first US radio DJs to highlight the rare groove format and is one of the few female DJs to spin and mix 100% funk (on 100% vinyl) and related original styles in her live performances.
She's either performed at or been invited to spin at every major music venue or club in New Orleans and people of all ages, races, etc. travel far and near to get down at her now-legendary "right on party situations" and "sound scenes." And her party promotions are designed to be "on the one for fun" and "to pay respect to all of the pioneers and original artists who have shared their music with the people."
Not just a fave on the underground dj circuit, she's also performed at high-profile events like Essence Music Festival (2008-09), New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (2009), Voodoo Music Experience (2008-09) and the Revlon Run/Walk for Breast Cancer in New York. Additionally, she has been invited to open for wide-ranging live local & national acts - everyone from George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic, Isaac Hayes, ConFunkShun, George Duke, Chuck Brown & the Soul Searchers and Living Colour to Afrika Bambaataa, Jurassic 5, ReBirth Brass Band; the VH1 Hip Hop Honors Tour featuring the Roots, Big Daddy Kane & Biz Markie; Musiq Soulchild, Karl Denson's Tiny Universe and Galactic.
When Hurricane Katrina blew threw her hometown, she evacuated with 1 bag of clothes and 2 bags of records, and wound up spinning gigs in both New York City and Los Angeles (Root Down Club @ Little Temple). Back in New Orleans, she currently hosts several popular weekly parties all dedicated to her deepest crates of funky music - including her 5+ year-running HUSTLE party at Mimi's in the Marigny, voted multiple times as New Orleans' best dance party. She's also performed in London, Philadelphia, Brooklyn and San Francisco.
She's been voted "Best DJ in New Orleans" both in Where Y'at Magazine (2008 & 2009 Reader's Polls) and Gambit Weekly ("Best of New Orleans" 2007, 2008 and 2009 Reader's Polls and '02 Writer's Pick); profiled in the local publications OffBeat Magazine (the first DJ to grace the cover (July 2008), Gambit Weekly, New Orleans Magazine, Where Y'at ("Best of the Big Easy" '07), New Orleans Living, Times-Picayune and Antigravity Magazine to name a few. And her parties were recently shouted out nationally via Fusicology.com (DJ Top 5, January 2007), Spin magazine's "Spin 101: America's Best Nights Out" section (June & July, 2006), and in URB magazine (September, 2006). And she was the first woman to be featured in the "Record Rundown" section of the globally popular crate diggers journal Wax Poetics (August, 2007).
In addition to her party promotions and creative dj sets, she is also a tastemaker and recognized authority on funk, soul, disco, hip hop & rare groove music and musicians, and her opinions are welcomed in articles, reviews and broadcast media programs about music and DJ culture. Some of her "opinion leader" highlights include interviewing artists such as Afrika Bambaataa (Red Bull Music Academy) the Ohio Players and Chuck Brown & the Soul Searchers (the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival), being a panelist at the CMJ 2007 Music Conference in New York, and being interviewed by Nelson George on his VH1 Soul TV series "Soul Cities."
Also a respected crate digger, she's been hooked on funky music ever since she bought a cut-out LP of Kool & the Gang's Music is the Message, by accident, when she was 6 in 1980.
Hardly in the game for the hipster novelty and popularity that rare groove and funk DJs hold these days, Soul Sister keeps it real by only playing the sounds that move her soul.
I just saw your name on the Voodoo Fest website for all 3 days. Congratulations! That's a great gig. I hope you have a whole lot of fun and I wish you the best of luck.
Hi! Dad told me that you were out of town. I saw him Aug.7. Vance was playing in a basketball game at Brother Martin for camp. Sis, We have to get together soon........
I am so sorry that I am just now checking in. I wanted to tell you that (as always), you kept the party right at this year's Essence Festival. Much love...stay strong.
Join us in one month's time at The Brooklyn Soul Festival, two nights of the legends of soul music, August 28 and 29, featuring Otis Clay, Barbara Lynn, Maxine Brown, Roscoe Robinson, and Hermon Hitson - backed by Eli "Paperboy" Reed and the True Loves (Aug. 28) and The Sweet Divines (Aug. 29).
$15 advance will call tickets still available via our myspace page, as are special $25 two-day passes - save money by reserving early...tickets will be $20 at the door if we have not sold out. Look forward to seeing you there!
Be sure to come early on Saturday, August 29, for our record and vintage clothing fair 11am-5pm - no cover for this part! Top soul DJs from around the world will be spinning the finest 45s for the dancefloor both nights!
