Sirius Channel 51, Heart and Soul will be celebrating Black History month with a tremendous reflection and celebration of the contributions of African-American music pioneers. Also consider that there are tremendous African-Canadians who have contributed to the great development of many genres of music.  

Heart and Soul plays a healthy slab of R & B from today while playing classic material from the 90’s and further back.  Lionel Richie and Alicia Keys are among two of the many greats featured on this channel.

One of the reasons I raise this great tribute being held on Channel 51 is that I get a chance to acknowledge some of the influential African-American and African Canadian musicians who influenced my passion for different styles of music.  One of my biggest influences as a bass player is Sly and the Family Stone / Graham Central Station Bass Pioneer Larry Graham.  Graham was the inventor of what the modern world refers to as slap bass, originally and technically referred to as thump and pluck. Larry developed a percussive style which caught the attention of listeners the world over. His style contributed tremendously to the compsitional structure of Sly Stone’s great music. Bass players the world over now had something to build upon and a musical vehicle to expand their style. Music would become funkier, and thump and pluck would become a great tool for writing great bass lines. case in point, listen to the great bass work of Chuck Rainey in “Peg”.

I am also a bona-fide fan of jazz legends Ella Fitzgerald Carmen McRae. These two women to me were jazz vocalists defined in the highest way possible. The world was a better place because of their contributions to music.

While I am pleased to celebrate Black History Month with Sirius, I am even more pleased to celebrate the contributions of all the great talents of the world, regardless of race.  Scan your Sirius dials, and celebrate the greatness heard on the airwaves every single minute of every day.