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FEATURE IN MUSIC ROW- Nashville Label Releases Curtis Mayfield Tribute
http://www.musicrow.com/2010/09/nashville-label-releases-curtis-mayfield-tribute/

Songwriter/producer/publisher Jerry Michael will celebrate the launch of his new Nashville record label, Cool Pepper Disc, by releasing a new CD in late September honoring the late R&B/soul recording artist/songwriter Curtis Mayfield.

The label’s debut project, The Impressions’ 50th Anniversary Salute to Curtis Mayfield, will feature 17 Mayfield-penned hits, including “Keep on Pushin’”, “Amen”, “People Get Ready”, “It’s All Right”, “Woman’s Got Soul”, and “Talking About My Baby.” An unreleased, never-before-heard version of the 1960s smash “Gypsy Woman” will soon be available for digital download at www.coolpepperdisc.com.

“I worked with The Impressions as an artist and producer in the 1980s,” said Michael, who garnered success as a songwriter and publisher with the hit “Play the Game Tonight” (Kansas) and other cuts by acts such as Pure Prairie League, Aretha Franklin, The Oak Ridge Boys and Shirley Caesar. “These legends of soul were the first group to bring inspirational messages into the pop market. All of their hits were written by Mayfield.

Michael produced and recorded all of the selections on the Mayfield tribute CD. The recordings have been digitally re-mastered and are only available through Cool Pepper Disc. The unreleased version of “Gypsy Woman,” which has sat in a music vault since 1961, features an extended performance by The Impressions. It is available by digital download only.

“When ‘Gypsy Woman’ was originally recorded, it was too long for radio, so they cut the last verse for airplay,” Michael added. “The rest is history. It was a huge hit. Now fans will be able to hear the unreleased version for the very first time.”

For more information visit www.coolpepperdisc.com, send an e-mail message to michael.ent@comcast.net, or call (615) 366-9929.

EMERGING NASHVILLE RECORD LABEL ‘COOL PEPPER DISC’ LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (March 2011) Cool Pepper Disc, among the most exciting and inventive labels to emerge from Nashville in recent history, has officially launched its greatly anticipated website.

“Coolpepperdisc.com has been a long time coming because we really wanted to create an exciting digital experience for fans immediately upon signing on,” said Cool Pepper Disc founder, and producer Jerry Michael. “Everyone here at the label is extremely excited about the site. We think we built something special.”

Beyond the traditional media found on most labels’ websites, Coolpepperdisc.com will feature never-heard-before audio clips, and rarely seen performance videos of labels’ seminal act; Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions.’ The site will also host an innovative blog geared solely towards actively interacting with consumers and fans.

“We really wanted a place where fans could gather and discuss the issues currently facing the music industry as opposed to us simply talking at them,” Michael said, “It is extremely important to all of us at Cool Pepper that we do everything we can to actively communicate with the music consumers that come to our site. Labels don’t support the industry, the fans do. Their musical thoughts, feelings, and desires are the most important, and most valid to us.”

In conjunction with the launch, Cool Pepper Disc has partnered with the equally anticipated re-launch of the illustrious Epitonic.com, set for the first week in March. Throughout its opening month, Epitonic will feature the digital debut of ‘I’m the One Who Loves You’ off of Cool Pepper’s initial release “The Impression’s 50th Anniversary Salute to Curtis Mayfield.”

“Epitonic was a really exciting, inventive site when it was originally launched in 2000, and it remains the same today,” Michael said, “It’s a great communal center for free and legal music downloads, and really the perfect digital environment for us to promote the Curtis Mayfield tribute project. We know the album is an overall outstanding body of work, but now fans can get a small preview of it on Epitonic, and then head over to our website to hear the whole thing.”

All the tracks on the Mayfield tribute album have been digitally re-mastered by Michael whose career has spanned more than 40 years. Michael initially a recording artist for Capitol and Mercury/Smash Records, and went on to become an
established music publisher, songwriter, record producer and studio owner of Suite
900 that was featured on the cover of Mix Magazine and of Pro-Sound News.
His songs have achieved success with gold, platinum and/or multi-platinum albums by top recording acts in pop, rock, R&B, country, adult contemporary and gospel, including Aretha Franklin, The Four Tops, Kansas, Pure Prarie League, Paul Overstreet, The Oak Ridge Boys, Rita Coolidge, Dobie Gray, Exile, and the Queen of Gospel, 11 time Grammy winner Shirley Caesar to name a few.



For more information about the "The Impressions' 50th Anniversary Salute to Curtis Mayfield" or general inquires about Cool Pepper Disc visit http://www.coolpepperdisc.com, send an e-mail to mike@coolpepperdisc.com or call (847) 921-7865.

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CONTACT:
Mike Sinsheimer
Cool Pepper Disc: Director of Digital Promotions
Mike @coolpepperdisc.com
(847) 921.7865


Jerry Michael:
Cool Pepper Disc: President, Founder
Jerry@coolpepperdisc.com
(615) 366-9929



EMERGING NASHVILLE RECORD LABEL ‘COOL PEPPER DISC’ DEBUT RELEASE PROVIDES STIRRING SOUNDTRACK FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (February 2011) – Cool Pepper Disc’s debut release, “The Impression’s 50th Anniversary Salute to Curtis Mayfield,” serves as an emotive and poignant soundtrack for Black History Month, offering a vivid sonic recollection of the divisive 1960s civil rights movement.
“Drawing inspiration from church, The Impressions songs reflected the country's social and political concerns of the time, capturing the mood and aspirations of America like no other during the 1960s,” said prominent songwriter/producer/publisher and Cool Pepper Disc founder Jerry Michael, “These legends of soul were the first group to bring inspirational messages into the pop market. They helped pioneer the genre.”
The Chicago-based Impressions exploded onto the music scene with the 1958 national hit “For Your Precious Love.” The song became a top five single, and is widely accepted today as the catalyst for the emergence of Chicago Soul. The Impressions subsequently became a powerhouse group of the "Soulful Sixties," providing a perpetual series of chart hits that served as the score for the civil rights movement. The group’s success was so prolific that The Impressions even managed to take a stand against the British Invasion, and the arrival of The Beatles charting no less than five Top 20 hits in 1964, all crafted and tailored by Mayfield.
Cool Pepper’s debut album features previously unreleased recordings of 17 Mayfield-penned hits including "Keep on Pushin'," "Amen," "People Get Ready," "It's All Right," "Woman's Got Soul," "Talking About My Baby," and a never- before-heard extended version of the 1960s smash "Gypsy Woman" which has sat in a music vault since 1961. It is available by digital download only at http://www.coolpepperdisc.com
"When 'Gypsy Woman' was originally recorded, it was too long for radio, so they cut the last verse for airplay," Michael stated. "The rest is history. It was a huge hit. Now fans will be able to hear the unreleased version for the very first time."
All the tracks on the Mayfield tribute album have been digitally re-mastered by Michael whose career has spanned more than 40 years. Michael initially achieved success as a recording artist for Capitol and Mercury/Smash Records, and went on to become an established music publisher, songwriter, studio owner, and record producer at Suite 900 in the United Artists Tower on Nashville's Music Row. His songs have been featured on gold, platinum and/or multi-platinum albums by top recording acts in pop, rock, R&B, country, adult contemporary and gospel, including Aretha Franklin, The Four Tops, Kansas, Pure Prarie League, Paul Overstreet, The Oak Ridge Boys, Rita Coolidge, Dobie Gray, Exile, and Shirley Ceasar.



For more information about the "The Impressions' 50th Anniversary Salute to Curtis Mayfield" the extended version of "Gypsy Woman", or Cool Pepper Disc visit http://www.coolpepperdisc.com, send an e-mail message to mike@coolpepperdisc.com or call (847) 921-7865.

###

CONTACT:
Mike Sinsheimer
Cool Pepper Disc: Director of Digital Promotions
Mike @coolpepperdisc.com
(847) 921.7865


Jerry Michael:
Cool Pepper Disc: President, Founder
Jerry@coolpepperdisc.com
(615) 366-9929



NEW NASHVILLE RECORD LABEL TO RELEASE IMPRESSIONS' 50TH ANNIVERSARY SALUTE TO R&B LEGEND CURTIS MAYFIELD
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (September 2010) -- Hit songwriter/producer/publisher Jerry Michael will celebrate the launch of his Nashville record label by releasing a new CD in late September honoring the late R&B/soul recording artist/songwriter Curtis Mayfield.

Cool Pepper Disc's debut project, "The Impressions' 50th Anniversary Salute to Curtis Mayfield", will feature 17 Mayfield-penned hits, including "Keep on Pushin'", "Amen", "People Get Ready", "It's All Right", "Woman's Got Soul", and "Talking About My Baby". An unreleased (never- before-heard) version of the 1960s smash "Gypsy Woman" will soon be available for digital download at http://www.jmichaelent.com.

"I worked with The Impressions as an artist and producer in the 1980s," said Michael, who garnered success as a tunesmith and publisher with the hit "Play the Game Tonight" (Kansas) and other cuts by acts such as Pure Prairie League, Aretha Franklin, The Oak Ridge Boys and Shirley Ceasar. "These legends of soul were the first group to bring inspirational messages into the pop market. All of their hits were written by Curtis Mayfield."
Michael noted that he produced and recorded all of the selections on the Mayfield tribute CD. The recordings have been digitally re-mastered and are only available through Cool Pepper Disc in Nashville. The unreleased version of the Mayfield-penned hit "Gypsy Woman", which has sat in a music vault since 1961, features an extended performance by The Impressions. It is available by digital download only.

"When 'Gypsy Woman' was originally recorded, it was too long for radio, so they cut the last verse for airplay," Michael added. "The rest is history. It was a huge hit. Now fans will be able to hear the unreleased version for the very first time."
At age 16, Mayfield quit school, leaving to form a five-piece group called The Roosters. Later, the name would change to The Impressions. The lead singer was Jerry Butler, fellow member of Mayfield’s
grandmother’s congregation. In 1958, a year after Mayfield left school, The Impressions scored a national hit with “For Your Precious Love” – one of the songs heralding the emergence of "Chicago Soul of the Sixties". Butler (and his lead voice) went solo after “For Your Precious Love”, leaving most of the responsibilities for The Impressions to Mayfield.
Mayfield was now in charge of a group that had morphed from five to three pieces, a vocal rarity in the R&B/soul field at that time. But he turned it to his advantage, taking over as lead singer and putting together arrangements and harmonies for three voices that worked to set the group apart. As a result, The Impressions became a powerhouse group of the "Soulful Sixties", with a consistent string of chart hits. The group even managed to take a stand against the arrival of The Beatles as chart dominators. When the British Invasion started in 1964, The Impressions racked up no less than five Top 20 hits that year, all crafted and tailored by Mayfield. The legendary songwriter/performer died in 1999 after racking up numerous hits with The Impressions and as a solo artist.

Michael's career spans more than 40 years. He has achieved success as a recording artist for Capitol and Mercury/Smash Records; a music publisher; a songwriter; a record producer; and a studio owner and manager. He also has served as the owner of a booking agency and concert promotion company. His songs have been featured on gold, platinum and/or multi-platinum albums by top recording acts in pop, rock, R&B, country, adult contemporary and gospel, including Aretha Franklin, The Four Tops, Kansas, Pure Prarie League, Paul Overstreet, The Oak Ridge Boys, Rita Coolidge, Dobie Gray, Exile and Shirley Ceasar. As a former member of the popular 10-piece soul band The Entertainers, he performed on concert stages in Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe and top venue circuits across the nation. For many years, he ran a state-of-the-art recording studio called Suite 900 in the United Artists Tower on Nashville's Music Row.

His newly founded Cool Pepper Disc record label will spotlight artists in various musical formats.

"It’s ironic how all this come about," Michael said. "Curtis was going to produce me in 1970 when I was a recording artist. He and the head of Curtom Records came to see me perform a show in Chicago. We spent the next afternoon together going over songs. What a treat it was to sit with him as he played and sang songs for me. It was even announced in Record World, which was a popular music magazine at the time."
The record label's attorneys had a difference of opinion on the contract, so the artist deal never materialized. Michael ended up taking a position with a different record label in Atlanta.

For more information about the new Cool Pepper Disc CD "The Impressions' 50th Anniversary Salute to Curtis Mayfield" or the unreleased version of "Gypsy Woman", visit http://www.jmichaelent.com, send an e-mail message to michael.ent@comcast.net, or call (615) 366-9929.
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