Jun 9, 2026 10:54 AM
In Memoriam: James Blood Ulmer, 1940–2026
With deep sorrow and profound love, we announce the passing of James Blood Ulmer, a boldly innovative guitarist,…
Concord Records has signed Grammy-winning singer Rita Coolidge. The label will produce and release her first new recording in over five-years and her first jazz album of her career.
Coolidge, who scored gold and platinum hits across multiple genres and decades, is perhaps best known for her signature songs “(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher,” “We’re All Alone,” “The Way You Do Those Things You Do” and “Fever.” The versatile singer also recorded “All Time High,” the theme for the James Bond movie “Octopussy,” and landed on the adult contemporary charts with “You” and “I’d Rather Leave While I’m In Love.”
Coolidge’s first album for Concord, slated for summer of 2005, will be overseen by Concord Executive Vice President John Burk, who most recently worked with Ray Charles on the platinum recording Genius Loves Company, and produced by Jimmy Haslip of The Yellowjackets. The CD will include a repertoire of popular jazz and pop standards, as well as “A Song For You,” a song Leon Russell wrote as a love letter to Coolidge that she has never previously recorded.
“I am thrilled that I have finally been given the opportunity to create a jazz CD, a genre that I have loved all my life. To be able to do so with a label that has a reputation as solid and as well-respected as Concord Records is quite rewarding,” Coolidge says. “Everyone at the label is so genuinely passionate about the music. I am very excited to be able to work with them all.”
To the world, James Blood Ulmer was a legend, a visionary and a musical force whose sound was distinctive and unique. To his family, he was their teacher, their storyteller and a source of strength.
Jun 9, 2026 10:54 AM
With deep sorrow and profound love, we announce the passing of James Blood Ulmer, a boldly innovative guitarist,…
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