The Wedding Jam Blog
Memorable Stories from Unforgettable Weddings.
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Saluting Four Musical Icons
In the last few weeks, four icons of soul, funk and disco have left us. We salute Gwen McCrae, Roberta Flack, Angie Stone and Roy Ayers - a quartet of heavyweights who formed something of a musical cornerstone of countless weddings down the years, and will undoubtedly continue to do so.
(Roberta Flack in 1969 - Jack Robinson / Hulton Archive via Getty Images)
It's been a sad couple of weeks for lovers of soul, funk, disco and jazz, as four titans of the genres left us. Gwen McCrae, Roberta Flack, Angie Stone and, most recently, Roy Ayers all shuffled off this mortal coil, leaving us with four special legacies, and music that will live on forever.
In wedding land, each of them were, and still are, pretty omnipresent. Musical diversity and eclecticism is key to our modus operandi, but alongside that variety are always an array of fundamental staples; songs and grooves and vibes so irresistible that most of our DJs, bands and singers can return to, safe in the knowledge they will bring the heat required to any given wedding.
Affectionately known as 'the Queen of Rare Groove', Gwen McCrae's soul, disco, funk and gospel flavours often permeate reception dancefloors, with a number of DJs on our roster turning to the likes of 'All This Love That I'm Givin', 'Funky Sensation', 'Rockin' Chair', and 'Keep the Fire Burning'. Powered by her incredibly soulful voice, Gwen helped pave the way to disco, and she leaves behind a wonderful legacy.
Less about tearing up the dancefloor, Roberta Flack's intimate vocals and heartbreakingly beautiful ballads are something of a go-to for first dances, most notably 'The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face'. An unlikely and astonishing cover and re-work of an English folk song written by Salfordian Ewan MacColl, for his wife Peggy Seeger, it is now known as one of the most beautiful love songs ever written, a reputation for which Roberta is, frankly, almost entirely responsible. What a loss.
The youngest of the quartet, and tragically taken far too soon, Angie Stone could reasonably be considered a pioneer of neo-soul alongside the likes of D'Angelo and Erykah Badu. The polar opposite of an overnight success - her 2001 breakout album Mahogany Soul came after two solid decades in the business - Angie had more than paid her dues and steadily built up a gorgeous body of work. Her sunshine-infused hits like 'No More Rain' make for perfect garden party/drinks reception sounds, and she was often sampled and remixed, bringing Angie to dancefloors everywhere. Carl Cox famously closed his final set after 15 years of residency at Ibiza's Space with his fabulous mix of 'Wish I Didn't Miss You' - a dancefloor rammer fit for any wedding reception.
Most recently, Roy Ayers slipped away aged 84. A vibraphonist extraordinaire, record producer and composer, Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, before going on to become one of the godfathers of neo-soul. While best-known for the utterly sublime 'Everybody Loves the Sunshine' with his band Roy Ayers Ubiquity, he was responsible for a whole heap of the most gorgeous vibes - check out 'Searching' and 'Mystic Voyage'! Roy has been heavily sampled by all manner of hip-hop artists - 'Everybody Loves the Sunshine' alone has been sampled by over 200 artists, including Mary J Blige, Tupac, and Dr Dre - bringing his sounds to new generations and cementing his legacy as one of the greats.
We've been blessed at Wedding Jam to have forged hundreds, if not thousands of magical memories - and a sizeable chunk of those have been soundtracked by these four legends. They have been four sad and painful losses, but their music will live on. Rest in power Gwen, Roberta, Angie and Roy - and thank you for the music.