This month: Felice Rosser
Back in the mid-70s, when female guitarists were a rare commodity, and black female guitarists even rarer, Detroit bassist and songwriter Felice Rosser put herself in the heart of the New York underground, invested with a sense of egalitarianism and unsurpassable musical heritage. However, despite moving in the most inventive circles of the time and helming her band, FaithNYC, for almost 40 years, Rosser's name remains frustratingly unfamiliar. In the wake of Faith's new release, Love Is A Wish Away, Record Collector decided to find out more.
"When I was coming up, Motown was exploding," explains Rosser during our Zoom chat. "It was also very local. The Supreme house was in our neighbourhood, and we used to go there for Halloween... everybody knew somebody, or your father had worked with somebody." In Rosser's case, it was a brief stint at Golden World records, early home to the likes of Edwin Starr and Tamiko Jones, and the 20 Grand nightclub, the local spot for black entertainers including Parliament-Funkadelic and Stevie Wonder. Absorbing everything around her, Rosser was lucky enough to see Sonny Terry, Brownie McGhee, Eddie 'Son' House, and her favourite, Howlin' Wolf. This was never considered particularly remarkable.
"It was very close to you," says Rosser. "That's just what you did." Speaking fondly of growing up in Detroit - a rough working-class city-Rosser was also turned onto another burgeoning scene.
Bu hikaye Record Collector dergisinin February 2025 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye Record Collector dergisinin February 2025 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
WINDOWS ON THE WORLD
At the peak of their powers in the early 70s, by 1975 there were signs that Led Zeppelin were burning out, and their legendary appetite for excess, not to mention stadium-straddling, mythically charged, epically inclined hard rock, might be waning.
HI-FIDELITY?
Running a record shop is a dream for many music aficionados. Steve Burniston investigates how to run a successful one
THE ENGINE ROOM
The unsung heroes who helped forge modern music
45 SHEFFIELD 45s
Continuing our celebrations of RC's 45th birthday and following on from our look at the best 45s to come out of Manchester, Liverpool, Bristol and Glasgow, we focus on the urbanisation formerly known as Steel City: Sheffield. Close to the (Nether) Edge: Jeremy Allen
Finished Symphonies
In the late 80s, Shelleyan Orphan made rarefied, ravishing, precious (both meanings) baroque pop, all chamber quartet accompaniment and literary reference points, like an 18th century Cocteau Twins.
"BLACK BRITISH PEOPLE HAD SOMETHING TO SHOUT ABOUT"
Breaking new ground for black music in Britain from his teenage years in Matumbi in the early 70s, Dennis Bovell went on to become one of reggae's most highly regarded producers, helping popularise lovers rock. He also played a pivotal role in post-punk's experimental incorporation of dub influences on records like The Slits' Cut and The Pop Group's Y. As new compilation, Sufferer Sounds, reaches back to his early days to compile some of his best early dub plates, Lois Wilson gets the full backstory from one of British music's most enduring forces.
FRENZY REUNITED
Swindon's finest musical export, XTC were also one of the most quietly influential British bands, setting a template for Britpop while pioneering a brand of left-field guitar pop – from herky-jerky invention to consummate craftsmanship – that has spawned many imitators.
Paperback Blighters - The books every record collector should read.
The books every record collector should read. Vinyl, you may have heard, has made a big comeback. In 2022, sales of vinyl albums surpassed compact discs (CDs) for the first time in more than three decades in terms of global revenue, racking up more than $1.2bn.
"Beware the Savage Lure/of 1984..." - David Bowie is one of the most venerated musicians ever. But even he had his bad periods.
David Bowie is one of the most venerated musicians ever. But even he had his bad periods. For many, 1984 remains the nadir of his Phil Collins” phase; an artistic/sartonial/tonsorial disaster area. But was it really that awful? Forty years on, Matt Phillips explores Bowie's so-called annus horribilis.
