Let's Tell It Like It Is. . .
In 1955 rock and roll was still a secret. Then, in 1956, a little-noticed film, "Rock Around The Clock," debuted and put rock and roll on the map. In 1972 reggae was just another anonymous Caribbean rhythm. Then, in 1973, the film "The Harder They Come" opened to scant audiences. Its soundtrack, published in late '72, seduced listeners around the world (including many R&B fans) and made reggae a phenomenon. In 2010 Southern Soul music is at such a crossroads, poised to break out, if only a filmmaker could find the means to tackle the subject in spectacular fashion. Your Daddy B. Nice's fantasy is a fast-moving, Tarantino-esque panorama of the most feverish moments in chitlin' circuit concerts, with Southern Soul stars in their prime at their most climactic concert peaks, with women screaming and baring their bodies and men out of their minds with inebriated joy--an R-rated, chitlin' circuit version of the "Beatles At Shea Stadium." Until that joyous day, Southern Soul fans will have to fend for themselves in exploring the genre, and Daddy B. Nice's Links page is able and willing to help. At this point in time, there are four indispensable Southern Soul information sites. Two, Jerry Mason's "Boogie Report" and Funky Larry Jones' "Soul & Blues Report," specialize in industry news and chart reports. And two, Daddy B. Nice's "SouthernSoulRnB" and Dylann DeAnna's "Blues Critic," specialize in artist/material background and perspective. In addition, a new site, Soul Blues Report (not to be confused with Soul AND Blues Report above) has become a handy daily headline service for the Southern Soul online community. There are many other worthy specialty and periphery sites, but these five "base" sites--at least for the time being--are the points from which anyone who wants to climb the mysterious mountain of Southern Soul music should begin their expeditions, and return to explore again and again.

The Boogie Report
Jerry Mason's "The Boogie Report" has long been the standard for Southern Soul music websites. Our favorite of its many departments is the "Radio Reporters" section, an ongoing list of chitlin' circuit deejays' current playlists.

WMPR
WMPR out of Jackson, Mississippi. the capital city of Southern Soul, is our favorite Southern Soul radio station, and it now offers high-quality streaming. Although online service can be erratic, the station's schedule is as close to full-time, local-color Southern Soul music as you will find anywhere. The best times to listen are week-days at 5-9 am (DJ Outlaw), 1-4 pm (DJ Ragman) and 4-8 pm (DJ Handyman). All times are USA Central Time Zone. Weekends are to be avoided, as they are mostly devoted to non-Southern Soul material. (P.S. I'll amend that. C. E. Robinson's Saturday night show is a blast. Authentic Southern Soul. DBN)

Blues Critic
Blues Critic is a content-rich site specializing in today's under-the-radar blues and soul musicians. Our favorite department, "Soul Blues Artists," contains rare, finely-detailed discographies. But in recent years it has become much bigger than that, embracing knowledgeable interviews, charts, concert reviews and more.

Soul And Blues Report
Soul and Blues Report chronicles chitlin' circuit radio activity, and our favorite page, "Reports," monitors the latest deejays and playlists from an ever expanding roster of Southern Soul stations.

Chico's Radio
Internet radio station Chico's Radio hosts the newest, "cutting-edge" Southern Soul music. Loyal listeners know that DJ Chico Jackson is their "bloodhound," always on the track of whatever's new. If you can do without the bells and whistles (and documentation) of sites like the Chitlin' Circuit, Chico's is hard to beat for pure, uninterrupted Southern Soul music, 24 hours a day.

Soul Express
Soul Express, based in Finland, is a phenomenally rich information site, with literate, intensively-researched articles on Southern Soul and other R&B artists. Columnist Heikki Suosalo's Southern Soul profiles are particularly recommended.

IntoDeep Music
IntoDeep is a European site that is surprisingly knowledgeable about contemporary Southern Soul.

Da Dawg Pound
Big K9 attends a lot of Southern Soul concerts--maybe more than anyone except Cassaundra Peagler--and he takes a lot of pictures. Need we say more? Oh--and by the way--the Big Dawg has established himself as Southern Soul's most consistent and informative concert reviewer.

Chittlin' Circuit
Chittlin' Circuit, the home of "Chittlin' Circuit" magazine, is an internet radio station that queues songs by computer, along with artist, song and album names. Chittlin' Circuit also has a nifty computer-designed "request" link, allowing listeners to request up to three songs per hour.

American Blues Network
American Blues Network is quickly rising in the Southern Soul Internet radio mix. If you can get past the station's annoying label of "party blues and oldies" instead of "Southern Soul and Blues," which is what they're playing, you'll find chitlin' circuit RnB rendered with scintillating sound quality and 24/7 consistency. Best time to listen: Saturday mornings for their top singles countdown.

Moonman Radio
DJ Moonman broadcasts over the Internet from the "most powerful city in the world," Washington D.C. Moonman has been around a long time, but of late his playlist (now advertised as "Southern Soul & Solid Gold") has become much more up-to-date and perspicacious. Songs are accompanied by documentation.

Soul Tracks
Say you're a Southern Soul fan but you want to step back into the (non-hiphop-rap) old-school or classic soul world of which Southern Soul is just a part. Soul Tracks is your site.

In The Basement
Soul music's quality quarterly, essential reading for the real soul fan. Each issue contains at least 76 pages packed with features based around up-to-date interviews, discographies, masses of cd reviews, dvd and book reviews, news, views, gig reports and much more.

Sir Shambling's Deep Soul
Sir Shambling specializes in Deep Soul and recordings from below the Mason-Dixon line between 1960 and 1980, and more. Boasts an exhaustive and ever-growing list of "independent" soul artists.

Randy's Rodeo
Unique and highly-informative window onto the mainstream music scene, with an obsesssion for detail and an editorial generosity that is breathtaking. For instance, the Southern Soul fan can quickly find the best books on Rhythm & Blues, or thumb through the latest mainline stories featured in "Rolling Stone."

Red Kelly's Blog: The "B" Side/ A Celebration Of The Other Side
Your Daddy B. Nice stumbled upon this site quite unawares. It contains a goldmine of information on R&B artists and is highly recommended.

Soul Blues Report
Not to be confused with Soul & Blues Report, Soul Blues Report is an outstanding new resource for Southern Soul fans who want to keep up with the latest developments in the genre on a day to day basis. The site monitors new activity in Southern Soul and Southern Soul-related blues and provides headlines and links.

Southern Soul Radio
Southern Soul Radio offers live deejays Monday through Friday playing the best in Southern Soul music. Now it also has easy and instant access to the music. No downloading of a special music player required.

Get Blues Info
This well-conceived site covers the blues with an emphasis on Southern Soul--a great new addition to the online community in 2009. Of particular interest: links to streaming videos of artists.

Breezy Love Radio
Brand new internet station specializing in Southern Soul, from Breezy Love, a longtime Mississippi deejay who knows her stuff.