Another great soul filled track, that fits perfectly on this playlist. "Never Knew Love Like This Before" by Stephanie Mills was released in 1980, off the heels of the disco era. Still consisting of those familiar disco-pop feels built around twinkly electric piano and a sharp, syncopated guitar, this song hold an everlasting feel good quality. Soulful to it’s core, this tune was co-composed by Grammy-award winning musicians James Mtume, (an American jazz and R&B musician, activist and radio personality) and Reggie Lucas, (a talented guitarist who went on to write and produce several of Madonna’s hits including Borderline and Lucky Star). The pair originally met during a shared stint in Miles Davis’ band, and formed a production team partnership that helped generate hits for a wide range of artists such as Roberta Flack and Lou Rawls. Similarly, the magic of this track has everything to do with the Mtume's and Lucas’ production, as well as with Mill’s magnetic voice. Still one of my favorite tracks on this list!
Stephanie Mills began her career on Broadway, in the original Broadway run of the musical "The Wiz" from 1975 to 1977. The song "Home" from the show would later became a number 1 U.S. R&B hit and her signature song. However, it was her chart topping hits "What Cha' Gonna Do with My Lovin" in 1979 and this featured track, which she won two grammies for Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 1981 Grammy awards, that solidified her presence in the industry; beating out Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Roberta Flack and Minnie Riperton.
Stephanie would continue success through the 80s with her powerful vocals, and can still bring down the house with her performances! I saw her a couple years back and her vocals are still unmatched! I highly encourage you to not only take a listen to this track, but get familiar with her, Lucas' and Mtume's catalog!
You can learn more about Stephanie Mills here:
About The Curator - Lyris Greene
Lyris Greene is a disk jockey (dj) hailing from Nashville, TN, now residing in Atlanta, Ga. Lyris’s name is derived from the word “lyric”, meaning words of a song. Lyris gravitated to music immediately as a child, influenced by her father’s passion for music. At nine years old, Lyris began collecting her own music collection, discovering and developing her connection with music. Now, Lyris is a full time dj and music curator, spending her days consuming and creating custom music experiences to connect people. Lyris feels her life’s purpose is pretty simple, “To spread love through the art of music.”
DJ Lyris aka The Hybrid Specialist
