Sheldon Taylor's Souls of Black Notes

                                                          " Gotta let that groove loose / deep inside your soul "                                                              --- Off The Wall (1979)                                                                                    IT TAKES TWO When R&B duets found their way into music playlists back in '79 they were hugely successful. At the height of dance music's popularity, The slow -burn romanticism of Peaches and Herb ' s Reunited and Billy Preston and Syreeta Wright's With You I'm Born Again re sonate s with audiences .                                                   THE BIG THREE The emergence of Rick James, Prince and Michael Jackson represents a turning point in Black music. Where Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye's calling card was their studio genius, James, Prince and Jackson created a new kind of R&B superstar and

                                                                                                                  "Like the sweet song of hit music/                                     they’ll always be something new "                                                                                             --- And The Beat Goes On (1979)                                                                                                             FAMILY AFFAIR                                                                           1979 is major family affair in R&B. Philly sister act Sister Sledge releases the fittingly titled We Are Family album. The record finds Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards at the peak of their popularity and creative powers. The craft a palette of sonic textures that frame Joni, Debbie, Kim and Kathy's solos and harmonies perfectly. The album cover is sultry and the hits are endless. Thinking of You , He ' s Th