Do you like Soul Music? So do I. Ever wonder why they call it “Soul” music? Allow me to describe it in a way that only I can…
It’s the difference between Little Richard and Pat Boone. It’s the difference between plain greens and seasoned greens with a little pork added. And most of us in the South know that there’s nothing like a nice hunk of pork to change the flavoring of greens. Local artist Mista Marshall is like greens with a hunk of pork, he has “soul”.
As I listen to a few tracks from his upcoming EP release, “Street Preachin” I could not help but to think of all of the artists – Curtis Mayfield and Donny Hathaway, for instance – who may have influenced his music. I may have even heard a little Isaac Hayes in there.
As a full-time school teacher, Mista Marshall understands the challenges facing youth face on a daily basis. Rappers always claim that they write what’s real and what they see everyday. If that’s the case, then Mista Marshall’s first single “The Children” is as real as any song that has ever been recorded as it tells the story of a former student who struggles with a drug addicted mother and absentee father.
The second single, “My Town” speaks of the ills of his community, but also challenges people to find solutions and make things better. While most R&B songs focus on love between a male and female, he stresses the importance of loving yourself first.
Mista Marshall makes the kind of music that makes us appreciate artists like Anthony Hamilton and Jahiem. It’s the kind of music that makes you realize Curtis Mayfield was a gift to our people. It’s music that makes you feel a sense of pride in your community, even when times are hard and conditions are bad.
Could that kind of soul be making a return to city of good abode? I'd say yes, and I think Mista Marshall may be an indicator that hot buttered soul never left, it just took a vacation.
On Another Note: I recently bumped into someone who changed my life. His name is Roger Bethel. Mr. Bethel gave me my first opportunity in radio some 15 years ago. He took a young kid who had no experience whatsoever in electronic media and gave him the chance to learn and grow into a broadcaster. And while he thought he was just teaching skills, he was changing my life and didn’t even realize it. The wonderful thing is that I got the chance to thank him for it.
Ask Myron:Q: “Why is it that you never remember any of the Miss America contest winners? They go on to do good things don't they?”
S. Williams, Memphis
A: Here’s a question for you; how many Miss America contestants can you name? The one that usually comes to mind is actor/ singer Vanessa Williams. But the reason so many of us remember her is because she posed nude and was stripped of her crown.
(Got an entertainment question? Send me an email at
myron@myronmays.com or give me a call at (901) 288-6394. If your question is printed, I'll send you a couple of free tickets to the Stax Museum of American Soul Music.)
