About

About That’s My Jam

Welcome — or welcome back — to That’s My Jam!

For rookies and veterans who forgot, That’s My Jam is a blog devoted to exploring the familiar, forgotten and future of dance, pop and R&B music. We curate the history and happenings of these rhythmic-based genres, and the artists who compose and perform them.

Why make the connection and focus on these? Well, dance, pop and R&B are three genres within popular music that overlap, influence and complement each other. Artists constantly blur the lines between them, leading to crossover success on the Billboard charts, audio variety on albums, and airtime in diverse nightclubs and on radio stations around the globe.

But we recognize that they are not interchangeable — each has its own recipe and distinct flavor.

We aim to please the palate of those who love listening to dance, pop and/or R&B — from aficionados to casual fans. Because of the amount of video on this site, we’re heavily skewed to the MTV Generation and beyond… you know, the people who remember and grew up listening to electro funk, freestyle, new jack swing, hip-hop soul, Euro dance, deep house, trance, teen pop, the Latin explosion, neo soul, crunk & B, hip-pop and more.

Our readers also appreciate the innovative sounds that have influenced today’s performers (think Motown and disco), as well as those artists making noise abroad.

That’s My Jam has always strived to be a fun, informative and regularly updated source about dance, pop and R&B — from our humble beginnings in 1998 with a La Bouche fan page, to1999’s Jams & Grooves on Hotmail/MSN groups, to the Countrygeto eCircle in 1999, to our Blogger site that’s been serving up the goods in healthy-sized portions since 2007.

We’re glad to have you joining us on our journey to explore all things dance, pop and R&B!

Contact us at mail@thatsmyjam.net.

About the Blogger

To borrow some phrasing from one of Brown Sugar‘s most repeated quotes: When did you first fall in love with music? Up until this writing, I hadn’t given much thought the exact instant I started loving music. I remember the first song I liked being Kool & the Gang’s “Celebration.” I’m not talking about hearing the song during an old-school flashback or family reunion, I’m talking about when the song was a hit in 1981.

I also remember being captivated by Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” video in 1983 and my aunt giving me my first cassette tape in the form of MJ’s blockbuster full-length album. I also can’t forget begging mom and dad to play Midnight Starr’s “Operator” whenever it was time to clean house and a record needed to be played in the background.

I recall being entranced by music videos from Dire Straits, Peter Gabriel, Genesis and A-Ha. At the same time, the soundtrack in my mom’s car was consistent doses of Cyndi Lauper, Tina Turner and Bruce Springsteen, while dad was scouring Salt Lake City looking for the latest from LL Cool J, Newcleus and Grand Master Flash. Both mom and dad appreciated the artists formerly and currently known as Prince, a less controversial Madonna and the “following in her brother’s footsteps” prodigy known as Janet Jackson.

I was influenced by Bobby Brown’s style — mostly his hair, when I had plenty to accomplish a great flat top — but gravitated to the new jack rhythms he, Al B. Sure! and Keith Sweat were kicking. Around this time, I started my love with freestyle and house and, after a move to Phoenix, discovered the diverse offerings of Latin music.

I investigated tunes from before my time, thanks to the sample-heavy tracks gracing radio during junior and senior high school. My tastes also opened up to the underground sounds spun by the likes of Richard Vission, DJ Enrie, Paul Oakenfold and Paul van Dyk. I started relying on nightclubs to satisfy the need for dance tunes from overseas.

I allowed myself to get unapologetically excited for Britney Spears, NSYNC and Christina Aguilera’s latest concerts and “must learn the choreography” videos, while simultaneously mellowing out to Neo soul singers such as Alicia Keys, Erykah Badu and Maxwell, and getting into radio promotions for Mega 104.3.

I shared my love of music as a DJ at Empire Roller Rink in Columbia, Mo., during graduate school, spinning the hot tunes for the DILIHs (who are unaware of their nickname or what it stands for) and later writing music features for 944 magazine.

And then, in 2007, this blog was born — a labor of love that allows me the chance to talk music, new and old, and also allows me to continue falling in love with it over and over again.

˜Joel