JUNE 21,2007: "2007 JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION" Hello BLUES and SOUTHER SOUL FANS,with summer officially upon us the temperature outside is definetly hot and just like the temperature my 2007 blues and southern soul ride has been hot as well.I have the pleasure of residing in the magnolia state(Mississippi ya'll) and people from other places complain about the heat and some complain about the mosquitos here in the summertime.I guess those two elements can be sort of disturbing for you non country folks but we are probably "THE HOTTEST"(yes I said HOT again) spot for this blues and southern soul thang.I don't care if its north,south,east or west,the people in Mississippi sho-nuff know how to have a blues and southern soul party.I was able to attend the annual "JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION" in Columbus,Mississippi and just like all the other places that I have attended shows at,there was plenty of good food,good music and most importantly good people on hand for this blues and southern soul gathering.The people in Columbus you all are so blessed to have a good man like Mr. Leroy Brooks on your team.This annual event was so well organized,it was a bright sunny day and there were plenty of vendors on hand so the smell of southern fried food and bar-b-que was in the air.It was a very diverse crowd on hand,there was black,white,young and old people all gathered together to share in this celebration.You could have dubbed this an "ECKO RECORDS SOUTHERN SOUL PARTY" because the lineup included Ecko recording artists MS. Jody,Donnie Ray and O.B. Buchana and good people this was a FREE SHOW.Mr. Leroy Brooks and the rest of the people behind the scenes gave the people in Columbus an early Christmas present.I wasn't even disappointed that ice chests weren't allowed,there were vendors on hand that had my cold Bud Light so you already know Da Big Dawg was good to go.There was some familar faces on hand as well,members from The Kitty Kitty Club,Bluz Queen,Act-N-Bad-4-U,Evelyn,Brenda and my lil sister, Columbus native Yulondra Topp a.k.a. Yo-Yo was in attendance.The two of us had talked about this day for a couple of years and now we were able to do the damn thing together.So with the Bud Light starting to kick in and my lil sis Yo-Yo ready to get her bluz on sit back good people and let me take you on this blues and southern soul ride. The LEGENDARY RICK MASON,host of The Golden Triangle Train in Columbus was the mc for this awesome event.The opening act was the husband and wife duo,Keith and Margie and they aren't strangers to the people of Columbus.I personally have to get better at showcasing these opening acts,now for those of you who attend these shows already know that sometimes the opening acts aren't worth mentioning and thats just as the young folks say keeping it real but Keith and Margie are the real deal.Their music style is so versatile,they are a blend of soul,r&b and blues all wrapped up together.They performed such classic hits as The Isley Brothers"Who's That Lady",The Whispers"Rock,Steady",The Temptations"My Girl",The Intruders"Cowboys To Girls" but the two songs that stood out to me were Betty Wright's "Cleanup Woman" and B.B. King's"The Thrill Is Gone".On "Cleanup Woman" Margie was able to display her terrifc voice that could have made Betty Wright blush,also during this song Kitty Kitty Club member Brenda a.k.a. "On My Own" and this lil adorable young blues fan(I'm guessing about five years old) begin to cut a rug down by the stage area that briefly stole the show.On the "The Thrill Is Gone" Keith showed me that he was a master on the guitar.He took me home with a mean guitar lick that sounded just like Lucille.I heard they play regularly in the surrounding area but this talented duo should be heard by a broader audience maybe Larry Chambers up at Ecko Records is reading this.They had to leave for another engagement after their performance but we did exchange information and I hope that I can see and hear bigger things from KEITH & MARGIE.This was a great performance that set a nice tone for the rest of the show. While waiting on the next performer Rick Mason kept the crowd entertained with a couple of line dances,first he played the Cupid Shuffle and I've seen the kids at home doing this dance but I haven't figured it out yet so I had to chill with a cold Bud Light in hand but he went old school with The Electric Slide and I was able to join in on the fun. The next performer was Ecko recording artist,Donnie Ray whom I dubbed about a year ago Southern Soul's best kept secret.Before he came on stage his guitar player and road manger(now thats working two jobs)called for all the ladies to come to the stage area and they were all led by members of The Kitty Kitty Club.I've been telling everyone for about a year now about my man D-Ray.He walked out on stage and received a nice ovation from the crowd.I sit back and observed the fans because I wanted to see how they were going to enjoy his performance.He opened his performance with "Bang That Thang" and he begin to simulate he was doing just that and the women went wild,with a blink of an eye D-Ray had stole the hearts of all the women down front and captured everyone else in attendance.His next song was "I'll Be Good To You" and he begin to ad-lib with the women and this is always popular with the fans.His next song,"Too Close For Comfort"(which is also one of my favorites)is a nice silky ballad that allowed him to swoon all the female fans and they were really feeling Mr. Donnie Ray."Get It While Its Hot" allowed D-Ray and his band,The Blues City All Stars to go into a synchronized dance routine that was well received by the fans who by now were puppets on a string and D-Ray was the puppet master."Down Home Blues" was his next selection and Chinese Williams(guitar player and road manager)had the crowd clapping their hands and stomping their feet as he displayed his skill on the guitar.His next song was a brand new single titled "Play It Off" and this is going to be another southern soul favorite for the fans.He closed his performance with my personal favorite "A Letter To My Baby" and I believe this was the song that the fans were really waiting to hear because he received his biggest ovation of the night when the band begin to play this song and he closed his performance with a bang.Donnie Ray is a terrifc singer with some slick dance moves that provides the fans with an awesome show especially the female fans.Columbus,Mississippi did exactly what I did the first time I saw D-Ray perform,they became BIG FANS of Donnie Ray.With his strong stage presence and charisma D-Ray will in my opinion become one of the top performers in the industry.Promoters and club owners please add this man to future shows I guarantee you will contact me and tell me Big Dawg you were right.For all the latest news on Donnie Ray please visit www.eckorecords.com The next performer was Ecko recording artist,MS. Jody.I was very familar with her music but I've never had the opportunity to see her perform.As she walked out on stage I notice that a lot of the fellas had taken up residency down by the stage area but there were still plenty of females holding it down and showing Ms. Jody some love.She opened her performance with Peggy Scott Adams "I'm Getting What I Want" and this was well received by the crowd.Her next song was a rendition of Shirley Brown's"Too Much Candy" and I was impressed with her vocals on this cut.Can't no one sing a Shirley Brown song like Shirley Brown but anytime fans can hear one of her songs you know that there will be some love shown.She kept her Shirley Brown theme going with her next selection "I've Got To Sleep With One Eye Open".Her next two songs were from her debut cd, "Sugar Daddy" and "I Never Take A day Off" and she begin to get a lil bit more comfortable with her performance as she ad-lib with some of the fellas in the crowd.Her next song went over well with the ladies"What You Gonna Due When The Rent Is Due" got a nice ovation and a lot of the women were feeling this cut.Her next song,"You Dog Is About To Kill My Cat" had the crowd singing and laughing.She got the crowd dancing with "You Got To Know How To Work It" as she also started to shake a lil tail feather.She closed her performance with "Big Daddy Don't You Come" which is an uptempo song that allowed the dance party to continue.I was disappointed that she didn't perform "MS. Jody" because it was my personal favorite.If you are a fan of Peggy Scott Adams then you will enjoy MS. Jody,her music and vocal style definetly has that Jimmy Lewis and Peggy Scott Adams vibe to it.She is a newcomer on the southern soul scene but she is cut from the old school cloth.She has a nice voice and as she develops a stronger stage presence I expect to see her mature into a top entertainer among the southern soul divas.Yes with a lil more polish I do see a star on the rise.For all the latest MS. Jody news please visit www.eckorecords.com The last performer of the night was "The Gentle Giant Of Southern Soul" Ecko recording artist,O.B. Buchana.Every fan in attendance(about 3,500) all directed their attention to the stage area.He received a thunderous ovation as he walked out on stage,yes both the women and men were showing The Gentle Giant much love.He must have felt all the love because he was really amped up as he told the crowd in a very explicit way lets get this party jumping.He opened his performance with "I'm In Love" and the ladies all agreed as they were going crazy down by the stage area.The moment was so surreal."Booty Scoot" was his next selection and he and his band members tore up the stage with their now very popular dance routine.He dances very well to be such a large man(Thanks for giving us big guys hope)."It's Over" was well received by the crowd as his soulful baritone voice(Tyrone Davis vibe)filled the night air.He has become so versatile with his vocals and this could be heard with his rendition of Al Green's "Love And Happiness".I am truly amazed by his vocals on this cut.How can someone belt out a Tyrone Davis sound and then harmonize Al Green?He gave the crowd a sample of a song that I wish he would perform at his shows,"Stage In The Sky" was done acapella and the crowd went wild as he briefly teased us with this cut."You Can Be A Fool And Don't Know It" sounded like another cut from the early Tyrone Davis years.His next song is one of my personal favorites,"Like My Woman" was well received as he begin to adlib with the men and women in attendance.He closed his performance with "Lets Get Drunk"(He downed a half gallon of Crown) and "Back Up Lover" which was the highlight of his performance as several women from the crowd got to go one on one with members of the band and the band got real FREAKY ya'll.For the grand finale O.B. and his hype man were joined on stage by a female fan and like a feather they picked her up in the air and O.B. spreaded her legs over his shoulder and began to simulate his version of "Candy Licking",Marvin Sease eat your damn heart out.He was a crowd pleaser on this night and I can honestly say that O.B. Buchana did his thang.I have to give him mad props and much love,"The Gentle Giant Of Southern Soul" is among the southern soul elite and is definetly one OF MY FAVORITE PERFORMERS.For all the latest news on O.B. Buchana please visit www.eckorecords.com In closing I just want to say that Larry Chambers of Ecko Records has a very talented roster.I want to give a shout out to Mr. Leroy Brooks and let him know that the fans of this genre of music really appreciate what you have done,there aren't many like you my friend.The good people of Columbus and the surrounding area got the opportunity to see MS. Jody,Donnie Ray and O.B. Buchana for free and these hardworking artist gave us a show to remember.I also would like to give a shout out to Keith & Margie, MS. Jody,Donnie Ray,O.B. Buchana,the Kitty Kitty Club and Rick Mason.I would also like to give a special shout out to my lil sis Yulondra Topp.Yo-Yo I want to thank you for always being so supportive.You were truly the first one to encourage me that I was a positive face and voice for this blues and southern soul thang.I was so glad to finally be in your presence and have the opportunity to get my bluz on with you.And finally I won't be able to get out to many shows in the upcoming weeks.I know a lot of artist and promoters contact me and ask will I be able to make it to one of their shows but my fiance',Sylvia Burks(MZ K9) will be having surgery soon and all my time will be with her.I want you the fans to include Sylvia,myself and the kids in your prayers.I know she will have a sucessful surgery and a speedy recovery.Please continue to get your blues on and maybe some of you can take me on a blues and southern soul ride.Like always I had a great time at this show and I wanted to share it with you the greatest fans in the world.Take care and MAY GOD BLESS ALL OF YOU. BIG K9