Just a little over a year since IndiMusic TV launched in September of 2012, the music channel has rapidly
R& B Singer Puff Johnson Loses Battle With Cervical Cancer
Puff Johnson, whose real name was Ewanya Johnson, reportedly died on June 24, 2013 after long battle with cervical cancer.
Johnson emerged on the music scene with the singles Forever More and Over & Over, which appeared on the soundtrack of the film The First Wives Club.
Miracle, her only album was released in 1996. In 1997 Johnson toured Europe as an opening act for Michael Jackson.
Johnson lived in South Africa in 2009 before her stay was cut short when she was arrested and deported to the US in 2010 for not having proper documentation.
Johnson was 40-years-old.
R&B Legend Clarence Burke, Jr. of the Five Stairsteps Passes Away
Clarence Burke, Jr., a founding member of the legendary family group The Five Stairsteps and later the creator (with his brothers) of the disco-funk group The Invisible Man’s Band, has reportedly died at age 62. Causes of Burke’s death have not been released.
Burke had success with both groups, hitting number one in 1970 with “O-o-h Child” as part of the Stairsteps, and later with “All Night Thing” and the Invisible Man’s Band (a song that Burke wrote and produced). The Invisible Man’s Band popularity declined in the 80s, but Burke remained active and continued writing and performing. He was working on an album at the time of his passing.
More information to come as it becomes available.
May 28, 2013, No other details are available , but hisHis manager, Joe Marno confirmed Burke’s death
Long Over Due R&B Museum Headed To Detroit, MI
R&B Music Hall of Fame Museum founder, entrepreneur and comedy basketball Clown Prince of the Harlem Clowns, LaMont “ShowBoat” Robinson from Cleveland, Ohio and his staff of advisors had narrowed the selection down to two cities (Cleveland and Detroit) to develop theOfficial R&B Music Hall of Fame Museum.
The R&B Music Hall of Fame Museum recently announced its partnership with Detroit based entertainment company, the Detroit Touring Company, founded by mogul entertainment promoter Quentin Perry.
The R&B Music Hall of Fame Museum will feature to the world the essence of rhythm & blues music and its components. The R&B Music Hall Inaugural Induction Ceremony will be held on Saturday, September 21, 2013 in Detroit, Michigan at the legendary Detroit Opera House. Tickets will go on sale June 1, 2013 at the Detroit Opera House box office, (313) 237-7464.
2013 induction includes Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, James Brown, The Temptations, The O’Jays, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, The Marvelettes, Enchantment, The Ohio Players, Little Jimmy Scott, Gerald Levert, Aretha Franklin, and The Dramatics, to name a few of the inductees.
Soul Sensation Tweet Returning to the UK to Headline at The Jazz Café
T
weet caused a major stir in 2002 when she released her debut single ‘Oops (Oh My)’ under the guidance of her mentor and record label boss Missy Elliott.
The single was a massive hit across many night clubs in London and generated international stardom.
Tweet who’s real name is Charlene Keys represented her city of New York by releasing a soulful album ‘Southern Hummingbird’ that was packed with quality songs such as ‘Smoking Cigarettes’, ‘Motel’, and the massive London R&B clubs anthem ‘Boogie 2nite’.
Since then she’s taken a break and focus on motherhood and her spirituality. Now she is ready to rejuvenate her career and having signed a new record deal with DuBose Entertainment she is preparing to release a new album titled ‘Simply Tweet’ and perform to her loyal fanbase worldwide with support from DJs across nightclubs in London.
Tickets for her Jazz Café appearance are priced £25 in advance so book now or miss out on a night of great live music.
Website: http://www.londongroove.co.uk
O Records to Livestream More Than 50 bands
50 bands or so will help keep the the music alive for 24 hours during the O Music Awards.
Put on by MTV, VH1 and CMT the show celebrates music and counter culture. June 19 there will ba a 24-hour livestream event that will celebrate live music.
Aaron Neville Opens Zoellner Season
Grammy award winning, New Orleans R&B singer, Aaron Neville will open the 2013-14 season of Lehigh University’s
Zoellner ARts Center Sept.14 including songs from his new cd, “My True Story”.
Featured highlights will include a performance from Matthew Morrison, a Broadway star best known for his star turn on the Fox TV show “Glee”; jazz singer Denise Donatelli, an Allentown native with two Grammy nominations, Tony and Emmy-winning actor John Lithgow in a one-man story show; “The Addams Family,“ a touring production of the hit Broadway play and Grammy-winning jazz pianist Ramsey Lewis with quartet.
The 17th season, which will feature a mix of music of various genres — dance, theater, circus arts and more.
Tickets are on sale to subscribers. Single tickets go on sale July 17 at http://www.zoellnerartscenter.org

Eclectic Music Festival Headlining Kameko
Kameko creator of the musical genre he calls Evalt (Evolutionary Alternative Music)is also headlining the Evalt Music Festival at the Villa Marina on May 18. The event will showcase many live layered parts; including hip hop, electro, pop, classical, funk, rock and soul.
The eclectic show will also feature British pop star Sabrina Washington.
The New York-based Baltimore native Kameko is no stranger to the music scene. He has been writing and working with big names including Mary J. Blige, Michael Jackson, Vanessa Williams, Toni Braxton and Grace Jones.
“Tired of Being Broke” from his first debut EP, and this year is scheduled to release a full album titled, ‘Royalty’.
March of last year he was arrested for two days in Liberia, after some confusion, he was eventually charged with stirring political tension between Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and election rival Ambassador George Weah, having been invited to country by the president to perform at the 15,000 seat ATS Stadium.
Rita Marley, widow of the reggae legend, was supposed to make an appearance although she had pulled out due to illness. Her invitation was instead sent to George Weah, and was interpreted as an expression of political support, leading to Kameko’s arrest, just two days prior to the start of his Tired of Being Broke Tour. All charges were eventually dropped the following week.
For more information visit: www.evaltmusicfestival.com
Krip-Hop Nation Mini-Concert/ Honoring Blind Joe, The Joe Capers Legacy
Krip-Hop Nation Mini-Concert/ Honoring Blind Joe, The Joe Capers Legacy
When: February 2013 Thursday, Friday and Sunday (Feb 14-17/2013)
Where/Venues: SF Main Library-The Latino Room, Mental Health Consumers Concerns ( 2975 Treat Boulevard, Building Concord, California 94518)11-3pm, The Living Room Project (West Oakland) & Eastside Arts Alliance (East Oakland)
Feb 14th Mental Health Consumers Concerns (Concord, CA) Time: 11-3pm
Feb 15th SF Main Library-The Latino Room 1-4pm & Eastside Arts Alliance (East Oakland) 7-9pm
Feb 17th The Living Room Project (West Oakland) 7:30-10:30pm
What: Musicians and poets with disabilities come together as a coalition named Krip-Hop Nation, for a Bay Area Mini-Concert and to honor the late Blind Joe Capers. The concert will feature a mixture of music from Punk, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Spoken Word to Rock. A panel of speakers will explain Krip-Hop and talk about why Krip-Hop Nation is important. Musicians and poets will tell their stories about dealing with the entertainment industry underground and living in the community as an artist. A sneak preview of an upcoming documentary about the late Joe Capers aka Blind Joe who worked with Oakland CA Hip-Hop artists like MC Hammer, Tony Tone Toni and more, along with a multi-media presentation with audio interviews and a slide show of over one hundred pictures of Krip-Hop artists from around the world will round out the program. This event is about more than music. It will be an arena for advocacy, education, building cultural activism through artistic expression and coming together.
Who:
Fezo Madone – Lives Boston, MA & Sacramento, CA.USA and is a hip hop artist/activist determined to use his mic and his feet, to turn the hip hop community and the perception of his disability upside down. Jones is the President and CEO of SoulTouchin’ Experiences. His farewell offering, Vocal Tai Chi will be out soon.
Joy Elan is from Oakland and Berkeley, CA. She received her undergraduate degree in African American Studies at UC Berkeley and her graduate degree in Education at Stanford University. She is currently working with urban youth and raising her daughter in the San Francisco Bay Area and is an author of, Signs of Life: Past, Present and Future and a well-known Bay Area Black Hard of Hearing poet.
Lateef McLeod – Lateef McLeod is a phenomenal black poet with cerebral palsy who just published his first poetry book entitled A Declaration Of A Body Of Love this year. He is also in process of writing a novel tentatively called The Third Eye Is Crying. He was also a cast member of the 2007 Sins Invalid performance and the 2011 artist-in-residence Sins Invalid performance entitled Resident Alien.
Lee Williams? – Lee Williams is a disabled African American activist, artist, poet, songwriter, singer, athlete and father. Lee performed with the late Celeste White. He played Porgy in George Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess at the Black Repertory Theater in Berkeley, CA and has appeared on the big screen in, Made in American that featured Whoopie Goldberg and Ted Danson. His CD of spoken word & music, Phase V, came out in 2006. Lee Williams lives in Antioch, CA.
Enajita Pela Enajite Loicy Pela is a disabled queer woman of color musician, poet, writer and activist. She has been playing music in the bay for 8 years, and has finally landed like-minded musicians. Eni writes lyrics and composes songs through blues, jazz, and soul rock all mixed up with the facts of life as a disabled, queer, woman of color.
Vivi T – a Bay Area-based poet with POOR Magazine’s and Advocate with the Homeless Action Center in Berkeley, has been slappin’ rhymes since her early days as a recording artist in the U.K. and today, performing with POOR Magazine’s Po’ Poets Project throughout the Bay Area and beyond with what she describes her poetic style as ‘floetic’, a droppin’ n’ poppin’ poetry style, speaking on struggle and truth.
Leroy F. Moore Jr. is a Black writer, poet, hip-hopmusic lover, community activist and feminist with a physical disability. He has been sharing his perspective on identity, race & disability for the last thirteen years or so. He is also the creator of Krip-Hop Nation (Hip-Hop artists with disabilities and other disabled musicians from around the world) and produced Krip-Hop Mixtape Series. Leroy is currently writing a Krip-Hop book on musicians with disabilities from the Blues to Hip-Hop .
Neo Soul Artist KAMEDAH Set To Release 2013 Album
KAMEDAH is back in the studio ready to take care of business with her record label, Chicago’s Infusion Music Group, a music management and artist development company headed by business and IMG President, Alex Griffin.
KAMEDAH released her debut single last summer, “Don’t Act Like (She is Just a Friend)” and generated lots of press landing her interviews in two Chicago ran publications.
KAMEDAH’s hit single, “Don’t Act Like (She is Just a Friend)”, is now available for purchase on iTunes, CD Baby and on her official website: kamedah.com.
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Truth Tone Records & Soul Artistry Present: LuvNmusik
Yolonda is a natural and soulful singer, songwriter, poet and model. Her sound is the perfect mix of rhythm & blues, jazz, soul and gospel.
KALAMAZOO, MI — Part of an artistry collective, Truth Tone Records, record a based in Kalamazoo, and as a performing solo artist, Lavender will debut her second studio album, Generes In Me. 
Yolonda will perform on Feb, 15 at Shakespeares Lower Level. Tickets are on sale now. Presale, $7 day of show $10.
Headlining several natural hair, health and beauty exops including the World Natural Hair Health and Beauty Show, Naturally Me Media’s Fro Fashion Week and being crowned runner up in the World’s Next Top Natural Hair Model Contest are a few of Yolonda’s major accomplishments.
Yolonda has opened for many R&B acts that have come through Kalamazoo and SW Michigan including The Spinners, Vaughn Anthony , Keith Murray, Sunshine Anderson and Elzhi, Abyss, Georgia Me, Men at Large.
Last summer she performed at Soul of the City Festival in Grand Rapids where classic ‘70s and ‘80s funk-R&B-soul bands such as Lakeside (“Fantastic Voyage”) and Midnight Star (“Freak-A-Zoid”) headlined.
Yolonda also takes pride in using her talents to better her community and has done so by being apart of African American history celebrations, war veteran fundraisers and community outreach concerts.
Enjoy a live band performance and a after party following the show with DJ Conscious.
For more information about the Valentine concert and album release party call 269-779-0480.
Check out her latest single from the album, “Kalamazoo” written by DC from Truth Tone Records and production provide by Achickwitbeatz.
R&B Singer Cecil Womack Passes Away At 65
Cecil Dale Womack R&B singer, songwriter and record producer passed away on February 1 in Africa. Cecil started singing with his brother Bobby Womack and their other siblings, Harry, Friendly and Curtis. Sam Cooke recognized their talent and changed the group’s name to the Valentinos.
Cecil produced and wrote songs for Teddy Pendergrass, Patti LaBelle and Motown’s Mary Wells, his first wife.
When Cecil married Linda(daughter of late Sam Cooke), the two performed together as Womack & Womack and made six albums together. The first single from their Love Wars album, “T.K.O.,” reached the Billboard R&B chart and their next single, “Love Wars” reached No. 14 on the U.K. singles chart in early 1984. The third single from the album, “Baby I’m Scared of You,” was successful in the U.S., reaching No. 25 on the R&B charts.
Cecil and Linda moved to Africa in recent years so he could explore his heritage. In later years he took the name Zekuumba Zekkariyas.
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