HISTORY
A Scene from the film, Deep City: Birth From The Miami Sound
In 2014 the documentary film Deep City: Birth of the Miami Sound chronicled The Miami Soul Sound's genesis through the lens of the Deep City record label. Deep City, founded by Johnny Pearsall and Willie Clarke, was the first black-owned record company in Florida. The Miami natives met at Florida A&M University in the mid-1950s. After graduation, they returned to Miami as schoolteachers by day and moonlighted as record producers at night. Clarke's songwriting abilities coupled with Pearsall's business acumen made them a formidable duo. They joined forces with producers Clarence Reid and Arnold Albury to create music that stands the test of time. Also featured in the film are singers Helene Smith, the late great Betty Wright, and lead guitarist/vocalist Willie "Little Beaver" Hale. In 1968 Pearsall and Clarke went their separate ways. Clarke became an in-house writer/producer at TK records collaborating with Clarence Reid on hits like "The Clean Up Woman and "Rocking Chair." Pearsall married Smith, and both worked in the Miami-Dade school system. he was an administrator until he died in 2000, and she was a teacher until her retirement in 2013.
Helene Smith was the first artist recorded on the Deep City label. Smith was a shy teenager when she was discovered by Pearsall singing in the chorus at the high school where he worked as an administrator. She became known as the “Queen of Miami Soul” after making a number of brilliant records. Among her most well known songs are Willing and Able, The Pot Can’t Talk About The Kettle, True Love Don’t Grown on Trees, I’m Controlled By Your Love, and an excellent cover of Otis Redding’s Pain In My Heart.
In May of 2017, after a 40-year hiatus, Smith returned to the studio to collaborate with producer/Songwriter Jason Joshua Hernandez, Producer Andrew Yeomanson, aka "DJ Le Spam," and producer/manager Willie Clarke on original material. Sweet Soul, the film chronicles her journey back to the recording studio and the creative process of recording the song "Let A New Day Begin." Directed and produced by the filmmaking team from Deep City, Sweet Soul will make its world premiere at the Miami Film Festival in March of 2021.