SOUL MASTER HOWARD TATE TELLS HIS DRAMATIC STORY ON NEW ALBUM

“A PORTRAIT OF HOWARD” features classics and guest performances by Lou Reed, Carla Bley, Larry Goldings along with members of Elvis Costello’s band

NEW YORK - Howard Tate, the master soul singer from the 1960s who recently returned to the stage following a 30-year hiatus, will be releasing a new studio album, “A PORTRAIT OF HOWARD” (September 19; $17.99 Suggested List Price), this fall.  The record follows his Grammy-nominated comeback, Rediscovered (RCA), released in 2003.

Opening with “I’ll Be Home” (Randy Newman), Tate takes listeners on a journey through his tumultuous life on “A PORTRAIT OF HOWARD.”  It is a journey that has brought Tate from R&B stardom to the depths of disillusionment and back again, and in collaboration with producer Steve Weisberg, he relays these experiences through a representative selection of songs.

With each song holding symbolic meaning in his life, Tate goes through the classics on this new album: “Close To You” (Bacharach/David) speaks of love in his life intertwined with the romantic beginnings of his career; “Homewrecker” (Nick Lowe), an honest depiction of the result of time spent away from his family while on the road, leading to the loss of it all in “Gone” (written for Tate by Nick Lowe and Chrissie Hynde).  The legendary Lou Reeds joins in on “How Do You Think It Feels,” an especially moving track reflective of Tate’s own feelings and struggles when he found himself homeless and addicted to crack after facing the cumulative trauma of leaving the music business, divorcing his wife, and losing a child. 

Tate goes on to bring back hope to the album with the track “Louisiana 1927” (Newman), descriptive of the promise of a new beginning, and with “The Lord Is Listenin’ To Ya, Hallelujah” (featuring Carla Bley) that beginning has finally arrived after Tate hears God’s calling and decides to clean up his life and go into the ministry.  He then close with “Solid Ground,” a testimony to where the singer finds himself today, the ultimate finish to a life that has seen the best and the worst this world has to offer.

Howard Tate’s musical career began in 1966 with his debut record, Get It While You Can whose three hit songs – the title track, “Ain’t Nobody Home,” and “Stop” - garnered him critical acclaim.  Rolling Stone called the album “a spectacular showcase of suave, muscular gospel-powered singing, heavily influenced by Sam Cooke, with a joyous, shrieking falsetto that became Tate’s trademark.”

Despite his successes, Tate was unhappy with how the music business was treating him in the early 1970s – Tate never saw a dime in royalties and felt like he was being taken advantage of – and soon decided to walk away from the industry and never look back.  To all who knew him, Howard Tate completely vanished off the face of the earth for nearly 30 years.  After facing hardships and spending a good part of the 1980s on the streets of Philadelphia, he turned his life around and began again as a minister in the early 1990s.  Then in 2001, a musician Tate had toured with back in the 1960s ran into him in a supermarket, and within hours Tate’s old producer, Jerry Ragovoy, was calling – resulting in his return to the studio and the Grammy-nominated Rediscovered.

Music luminaries have recognized and celebrated Tate’s trademark voice throughout the years, with Elvis Costello calling him “the missing link between Jackie Wilson and Al Green.” Among the well-known musicians that have all covered songs originally recorded by Tate are Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, Aretha Franklin, Grand Funk Railroad, the Band and Ry Cooder.

Tate is now performing both in the U.S. and internationally with his eight-piece band and acoustic trio, and will be featured at the Telluride Blues & Brews Festival in September.

Howard Tate’s “A PORTRAIT OF HOWARD” will be in stores September 19.

SOUL LEGEND IS BACK AT THE TOP OF HIS GAME!
HOWARD TATE LIVE

Listen Now!

New CD Features 15 Recently Recorded Live Tracks
In Stores Via Shout! Factory February 21st

One of the last great soul singers still standing, Howard Tate disappeared, literally, after a run of R&B hits in the late ’60s.  Now, nearly 40 years later, he's back with Howard Tate Live, a soul-stirring gift from Shout! Factory out on February 21st. Howard Tate Live captures the soul legend on stage doing his best known songs plus highlights from his latest album Rediscovered.  Recorded on June 26, 2004 at the Tunø Island Music Festival in Denmark, Howard Tate Live contains 15 of the singers most popular songs, many of which are currently unavailable to consumers. Howard Tate Live will be available for the suggested retail price of $13.98.

Howard Tate Live is the only comprehensive collection of the singer’s key recordings.  Tate’s soul shines through as he belts out faithful renditions of his classic R&B and Pop chart hits including Stop (recorded by Jimi Hendrix), Ain’t Nobody Home (recorded by B.B. King)and Look At Granny Run Run (recorded by Ry Cooder).  Essentially a collection of greatest hits, Live showcases the forefather of modern soul’s spiritual voice against the backdrop of his remarkable band. 

Tate retired from the music business in the late 1970s and went missing leaving many to believe he was dead.  After a New Jersey disc jockey found his whereabouts, Tate had made an amazing comeback in 2003 with Rediscovered.  The Grammy® nominated album reunited him with his old producer Jerry Ragavoy who with Tate, produced some of the most influential soul recordings of the late sixty’s including Get it While You Can (made famous by Janis Joplin). 

Shout! Factory is a diversified entertainment company devoted to producing, uncovering and revitalizing the very best of pop culture.  Founders Richard Foos, Bob Emmer and Garson Foos have spent their careers sharing their music, television and film faves with discerning consumers the world over.  Shout! Factory’s DVD offerings serve up classic, contemporary and cult TV series, riveting sports programs, live music, animation and documentaries in lavish packages crammed with extras.  The company’s audio catalogue boasts GRAMMY®-nominated boxed sets, new releases from storied artists, lovingly assembled album reissues and indispensable “best of” compilations.  These riches are the result of a creative acquisitions mandate that has established the company as a hotbed of cultural preservation and commercial reinvention.  Shout! Factory is based in Santa Monica, Calif.  Its fine products are distributed by Sony BMG Music Entertainment Inc.  For more on Shout! Factory, visit www.shoutfactory.com.

CONTACT
Shout Factory:
Amanda Hale
ahale@shoutfactory.com
310-979-5604

HOWARD TATE: LIVE
Catalog Number: DK 10045
Price: $13.98 SRP
Release Date: February, 21 2005

1. Introduction
2. Stop
3. Part-Time Love
4. Look At Granny Run Run
5. Show Me The Man
6. Eight Days On The Road
7. Sweet Sixteen
8. Every Day I Have The Blues
9. Ain’t Nobody Home
10. Sorry Wrong Number
11. Mama Was Right
12. Get It While You Can
13. She’s A Burglar
14. I Learned It All The Hard Way
15. Eternity