Echoes (originally Black Echoes) is a monthly magazine of soul, jazz, R&B, hip hop and reggae. It was founded as a weekly newspaper, Black Echoes, in 1976 and later changed its name to just Echoes. It became a monthly magazine in 2000.[1]
History
Early years
The first issue of Black Echoes (as it was originally named) was published on 30 January 1976. It was a weekly 24-page tabloid newspaper covering several genres of black music – at the time mostly soul, funk, reggae, northern soul and some blues. It took in the rise of hip-hop and R&B during the 1980s, and added jazz to its repertoire.
Publishers were John Thompson, former boss of IPC (where he was publisher of Melody Maker, Sounds, Disc and Music Echo – later to become Record Mirror/Disc and then Record Mirror), and Alan Walsh, co-founder of Sounds and former jazz journalist with Melody Maker.
Black Echoes was the only weekly read for black music fans across the genres.
The paper's first editor was Peter Harvey, with Alan Walsh as Editor-in-Chief.
21st century
With colour playing an ever more important part in the printing process of newspapers and magazines, Echoes (as it was renamed in 1981) metamorphosed into a four-colour, glossy magazine in January 2000.
Editors
Peter Harvey (1976–1978)
Chris Gill (1978–1983)
Debbie Kirby (1983–1994)
Chris Wells (1994–present)
Contributors
Contributors past and present include:
Chris Wells – current Editor. Joined as staff soul writer in 1984; appointed Deputy Editor the same year; became Editor in 1994. Continues to specialize in soul, both new and old.
Kevin Le Gendre – current Deputy Editor; broadcaster and writer on jazz.
John Masouri - writes about reggae, author of several books and speaker.
Mike Atherton - writer on '60s/'70s soul, reggae and blues, and contributor to Blues Unlimited and Record Collector.
Paul Phillips – Black Echoes' advertising manager wrote reports as 'The Rambler'.
Paul Mooney – contributor and Deep Echoes columnist since 1976, now a music publisher and record company owner
Sunil Chauhan – hip-hop writer.
Andrew Lubega [Mr. Drew] – former staff writer, now regular R&B columnist and feature writer.
Adam Mattera – former staff writer, former Editor of Attitude magazine, now regular contributor.
Laurence Prangell – columnist and co-owner of London's Soul Brother Records.
Dan Dodds [Soul Jones] – soul, funk & slop features writer, regular contributor.
Stuart Cosgrove – writer and former head of Channel 4 programming.
