Soulful Cocktails and Dinner

For every event, we ask our clients what genre of music they want played during the cocktail reception and dinner. Many choose jazz, modern love songs and American Songbook selections (Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Tony Bennett) than any other category.

Recently the trend has been for R&B music from the Sixties by such artists as The Four Tops, The Temptations, Martha Reeves and The Vandellas, Marvin Gaye and Otis Redding. Often people will just ask for Motown artists (or similar songs from other labels) to set the mood.

The majority of the songs are from the 1960s, with a few from the late Fifties or Seventies. What sets these songs apart from many others is not only the “toe-tapping beat” but the lyrics-don’t forget that what we are talking about here-are about everlasting and true love. Songs such as “How Sweet It Is” or “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)” were made to be played for joyous occasions such as a wedding reception. Here are our Top 20;

1 HOW SWEET IT IS TO BE LOVED BY YOU MARVIN GAYE

2 I CAN’T HELP MYSELF (SUGAR PIE HONEY BUNCH) FOUR TOPS

3 MY GIRL TEMPTATIONS

4 I WAS MADE TO LOVE HER STEVIE WONDER

5 YOU SEND ME SAM COOKE

6 REACH OUT I’LL BE THERE FOUR TOPS

7 IF I COULD BUILD MY WHOLE WORLD AROUND YOU MARVIN GAYE

8 LOVE MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND DEON JACKSON

9 MORE TODAY THAN YESTERDAY SPIRAL STAIRCASE

10 SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED I’M YOURS STEVIE WONDER

11 MY GUY MARY WELLS

12 WISHIN’ AND HOPIN’ DUSTY SPRINGFIELD

13 THE WAY YOU DO THE THINGS YOU DO TEMPTATIONS

14 THIS WILL BE (AN EVERLASTING LOVE) NATALIE COLE

15 SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL DRIFTERS

16 IT TAKES TWO MARVIN GAYE / KIM WESTON

17 LEAN ON ME BILL WITHERS

18 FOR ONCE IN MY LIFE STEVIE WONDER

19 STAND BY ME BEN E. KING

20 AIN’T NOTHING LIKE THE REAL THING MARVIN GAYE / TAMMI TERRELL

If you have a song(s) you would like to add to our future postings, please include them in the comment box below.

More music suggestions can be found at www.visiondjs.com. If you have already hired Vision Djs for your event, you can access our database of over 75,000 songs at www.visiondjs.com/customeronly.htm You must have a username and password to access this list.

Remember you can become a Vision DJs fan by texting "fan 4visiondjs" to 32665 (FBOOK) from your mobile phone and be added instantly. Standard charges may apply You can also go to www.facebook.com/4visiondjs to become a fan.

View another one of my favorite inspirational movies. http://www.danceintherainmovie.com