The Artists

Nina Simone, the High Priestess Of Soul, was the greatest interpreter of song of the past half century. Her performances were like seances leading her audience into deepest realms of emotion and spiritual essence. View the Nina Simone catalogue at Amazon.	Fela Anikulapo-Kuti singlehandely created the musical genre known as Afrobeat. More importantly he spoke truth to power in spite of the best efforts of the authorities to destroy him. He was not afraid; Anikulapo means "he who cannot be killed." View the Fela Anikulapo-Kuti catalogue at Amazon.
Sun Ra claimed to be from outer space; his mission was nothing less than the salvation of humanity. He intended his music to be a bridge to a higher reality and as such created some of the most unique, strangest and challenging music ever made on this planet. View the Sun Ra catalogue at Amazon.
Yabby You, known as "The Jesus Dread", created deeply spiritual music, a profound roots reggae that reverberated around the world. He did so while triumping over crippling physical ailments with a single-minded determination to bring his spiritual message to the people. View the Yabby You catalogue at Amazon.	Nadia Gamal was the greatest oriental dancer of her time, a star of both dance and film in the Middle East. Yet few outside the Middle East and Middle Eastern dance community ever witnessed her elevation of danse oriental to high art. View the Nadia Gamal catalogue at Amazon.
Augustus Pablo was an originator of dub music--and therefore a source of many of the innovations of electronica, hip-hop and dance music-- but he also recorded some of the deepest, most haunting instrumental reggae ever. A mysterious figure, he was never seen by most of his fans around the world. View the Augustus Pablo catalogue at Amazon.	Bob Marley may be the most globally popular "concious" artist; more than any other artist he made reggae a world-wide phenomenon... his Legends album continues to be one of the strongest-selling "catalog" albums nearly thirty years after his death. He did this without having any true pop radio hits...but often lost in the mystique of of his legend is the depth of his devotion to the plight of oppressed people everywhere, especially those of African decent. View the Bob Marley catalogue at Amazon.
New Orleans has been a well-spring of so much American music and at the root of New Orleans music is a quintessential New Orleans groove. The Neville Brothers--Art, Aaron, Charles and Cyril-- are the First Family Of Groove, a trance-inducing amalgam of Africa, The Caribbean and African-America. View The Neville Brothers catalogue at Amazon.