The Origins And Tribue To "The Quiet Storm"

The Quiet Storm. That time of night when you turn the lights down low, light a candle, and play some of those silky, sultry, and smooth jams. But there a point in time when the slow jam was not specifically celebrated... until someone rolled up on the scene and branded this ode to love making in musical form.

This is Melvin Lindsey. Not many people know of him but thanks to him and WHUR (Washington DC) in 1976 he pioneered the Quiet Storm Format.

The "Quiet Storm" name comes from one of the most iconic voices in R&B, Smokey Robinson and his song "Quiet Storm" (and for those hip-hop heads, yes De La Soul sampled this in Breakadawn)

He brought the Quiet Storm to WKYS, one of the biggest radio stations in the Washington DC market for a number of years.

Via youtube.com

After WKYS he went on to host Screen Scene for BET and also worked for Washington, DC television stations WTTG and WFTY and for WJZ in Baltimore, MD. Here is an interview he did in 1989 with the group Seduction.

Sadly he passed in March 1992 but this music format lives on on many urban radio stations all over the US. So here is an ode-to-the-Quiet-Storm, a series of Quiet Storm "mix tapes" that DJ Lou from Paris Creative has created.

The Quiet Storm Vol #1

Via mixcloud.com

The Quiet Storm Vol #2

The Quiet Storm Vol #3

The Quiet Storm Vol #4

The Quiet Storm Vol #5

(hint: Smokey's "Quiet Storm" kicks off this mixtape)

The Quiet Storm Vol #6

Thank you Melvin for starting a movement that will never end as long as there is love and soul.