Category: Blog

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Renee/Sta-Set/Conduc/Brainstorm/Twin Stacks Labels

It’s always exciting when we are able to expand the Secret Stash family.  Today is especially exciting as we are welcoming Renee/Sta-Set/Conduc and related labels and publishing companies!  It goes without saying that our work with the One-Derful! label group has inspired in us a very special interest in Chicago soul music.  This label group, owned and operated by Leo Austell in the 1960s and 1970s, includes killer Chicago R&B cuts of all stripes from the likes of Betty Everett, Cicero Blake, Roy Hytower, Wales Wallace, and many many more.  As the new owners of this stunning collection of recordings and compositions, we look forward to giving it the love and care it deserves for many years to come!If you have any information, questions, or interest in this collection of music, don’t hesitate to contact us.

 

 

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BELOVED SOUL SINGER, SONNY KNIGHT, PASSES AT 69 YEARS OF AGE

Sonny Knight and the Lakers

(Minneapolis, MN: Secret Stash Records; June 17, 2017) – It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of our dear friend, Sonny Knight, at age 69. In March 2017, it was announced that Sonny Knight and The Lakers would suspend their tour schedule for Sonny to focus all of his energy on cancer treatment and recovery. At that time Sonny stated, “I’m canceling my shows because I want to give them the best that I’ve got.” Since the band’s 2013 introduction to the Minnesota scene, and soon after the world at large, Sonny gave just that: his best to his band members and to the music-loving crowds who attended their shows across the globe.

 

Second and third chances often aren’t happenstance but instead made. After a short stint in the mid-‘60s recording singles as Little Sonny Knight and then as a member of funk group Haze in the ‘70s, Sonny traded in his microphone for a stick shift and a breeze as a full-time truck driver who traveled the United States. Much of this was after an honorable few years in the US Army serving the country he loved.

 

With those experiences in tow, he entered back into the music business in 2014 as a solo artist with a renewed vigor in the studio and on stage. From heartfelt ballads to upbeat dance numbers, Knight captivated audiences the world over with his backing band, The Lakers.

 

Sonny leaves a legacy of entertainment and a joy for life that won’t soon be forgotten by his family, friends, band, and fans. Upon the release of I’m Still Here, his debut album with the Lakers, Sonny opined, “Sometimes I wonder, why me? Why are all these great things happening now? All I can say is thanks. These are dreams that I had forgotten. Only now that they are starting to come true do I remember that I had them at all.”

 

Many thanks to all of Sonny’s fans for their support throughout the years. You meant more to him than you’ll ever know.

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Sonny Knight And The Lakers Cancel All Tour Dates as Knight Continues Cancer Treatment

SONNY KNIGHT - Album Sample 2-min
Last week Minneapolis-based soul singer, Sonny Knight, went to The Mayo Clinic to learn if the chemotherapy he started in March has been effective in treating cancer located in his lung, ribs, and spine.  Thankfully, test results showed the cancer has shrunk.  Because the treatment is working, Knight will continue receiving it.  While this is great news in his fight against cancer, the 69-year old retired truck driver and his band are canceling all of the concerts on their books, almost 40 dates nationwide.  In March the band was forced to cancel their tour dates through May, but it has become clear that Knight needs to take more time to get well before he will be road-ready.  Because of the unpredictable nature of his treatment, they’ve decided to cancel everything and start booking again once Knight reaches sustained wellness.
 
Sonny had this to say, “I feel really bad about canceling my tour dates.  I hate letting people down, but I need to take the time to fight this battle. My joy lies in music, and just because I’m not on stage doesn’t mean I won’t be creating music behind closed doors.  My best work is still ahead of me.  This is just a bump in the road.  Thanks to everyone for all the love, support, and patience.”
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Sonny Knight Battles Cancer, April and May Tour Dates Cancelled

Sonny Knight and the Lakers

Sonny Knight Battles Cancer

The 68-year-old singer and his band, The Lakers, must cancel April and May tour dates while he undergoes chemotherapy.

 

In January Sonny Knight And The Lakers canceled a performance scheduled to take place at The Chalberg Theatre in the northern Minnesota city of Brainerd. The cancellation was to clear Sonny’s schedule for the biopsy of a nodule on his left lung.  His doctors have determined that the nodule is cancer, which is also located in part of his rib cage and shoulder. It is believed that the cancer started in his shoulder, where he received pain mitigation treatment many times over the last two years.  Now Knight and company will cancel all performance engagements through the month of May so he may undergo and recover from chemotherapy.  They will resume touring in June.  

 

“The last four years of being a part of the lakers have been the best years of my life.  It’s incredible all the people that have come out and given us so much love and support.  I’m canceling my shows because I want to give them the best that I’ve got, and right now the chemo won’t let me do that. After my treatment, I’ll be back to give that love back to the people.   Just know I’m not done. We gotta keep on moving. That’s all I want to do is keep on moving.” -Sonny Knight