In this episode we invite David Nathan to look back on his illustrious 60 years as "the British Ambassador of Soul".
Our guest commences by recalling his gateway into Black American music: the covers of Shirelles and Miracles classics included on the first two Beatles albums. He furthermore describes the thrill of seeing Motown star Mary Wells supporting the Fab Four at Kilburn's State Cinema in October 1964, followed by his founding of the Nina Simone Appreciation Society.
We hear about the Soul City record store David ran with the legendary Dave Godin – and about John Abbey's trailblazing Blues & Soul magazine, for which our guest began writing in 1968. Barney quotes from David's 1968 B&S profile of Aretha Franklin, with whom he later enjoyed a long friendship. The release of Make It Easy on Yourself – a box set David compiled of Dionne Warwick's immortal Scepter recordings – is the cue for us to hear clips from his 2012 audio interview with the Bacharach & David muse... and to learn about another "soulful diva" who became his close friend.
We bring our guest's story more up-to-date with his reflections on yet another diva/pal, the one and only Chaka Khan. Mention of the former Rufus frontwoman's favourite producer, Arif Mardin, leads to discussion of Main Course, the Mardin-helmed album on which the Bee Gees "went disco" 50 long summers ago. David then reminisces about his own disco dalliances in '70s New York and his mid-'80s coastal switch to L.A.
We wrap up by paying tribute to another key white writer on Black R&B and soul: the late Michael Lydon, whose voice can be heard in this episode introducing his fabulous 1977 audio interview with the wicked Wilson Pickett.
Mark and Jasper talk us out with their thoughts on (and quotes from) pieces recently added to the RBP library, including Jim Farber's 1978 interview with Earth, Wind & Fire's Maurice White and Ian Winwood's 2001 trashing of Creed live in Louisville.
Many thanks to special guest David Nathan. Visit his website at davidnathan.com. Dionne Warwick: Make It Easy On Yourself – The Scepter Recordings 1962-1971 is out now on SoulMusic Records.
Pieces discussed: Aretha Franklin: Aretha's Artistry, Dionne Warwick (2012), Chaka Khan: Back...From Back In The Day, Back on course with the Bee Gees, How the Bee Gees got into Disco: An Oral History of Main Course, Arif Mardin: Producer, Wilson Pickett (1977), Return of the Wicked Pickett, Top Tunes: The Beach Boys, Bobby Womack: Bobby's got Understanding, Earth Wind & Fire: Extraterrestrial R&B, Creed live and From Kingston with love.