Category: Urban Star Louisiana Artist Spotlight

Artist Biography by Neil Z. Yeung Southern bluesman Pokey Bear injects a larger-than-life swagger into his R&B-infused bayou soul. Similar in old-school sound and spirit to Willie Clayton, the Baton Rouge party-starter is also a James Brown-influenced soul man at heart. One-third of the Louisiana Blue Brothas with Tyree Neal and Adrian Bagher (the trio issued Love on the Bayou in 2014), Pokey Bear also released the solo effort Josephine Son Pokey in 2014. The album included sensual dance tracks like “The Gingerbread Man” and “Mr. Hit It and Quit It” as well as his de facto theme song, “They Call Me Pokey.” Mr. It Ain’t Fair arrived in…

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Artist Biography by Mark Deming Contemporary soul singer T.K. Soul has built a loyal grassroots following for his music that mixes R&B traditions with modern-day attitude and hip-hop accents. T.K. Soul was born Terence Kimble in Winnfield, Louisiana on August 26, 1964. From a young age, Kimble had a keen ear for music, and soaked up the influences of soul, funk, and R&B artists ranging from Stevie Wonder, the Jackson 5, and Al Green to Maze, Rick James, and Prince. When he was ten years old, Kimble picked up a guitar, and discovered he could easily play it by ear. Before long, Kimble was also playing keyboards, drums, and bass,…

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Crystal Thomas is a Shreveport-based songwriter, singer and trombonist who regularly performs around Louisiana. A performer of the blues and gospel, you can find her (if not in churches) at various clubs like Southern Soul Lounge and at the venerated Monday Night Blues Jam at Lee’s in Shreveport. In this episode of Confetti Park, Crystal shares a delightful story about how her desire to perform overcame her lack of musical know-how when she was just a child.

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