Late Sunday Post

The CBS Trumpeteers - Right John

I'm running behind today and am too busy to write much. Today's selection was the B-side to the Trumpeteers' Nashboro remake of their 1948 hit "Milky White Way."

A Slow One For Saturday

Doris Duke - To the Other Woman (I'm the Other Woman)

Doris Duke's early '70s work with Jerry Williams, Jr. (Swamp Dogg) for Canyon and Mankind is phenomenal, and I encourage you to check out the "I'm a Loser" CD from Kent Records to get the full story. Today I'm in a rush, so I'll post Duke's biggest hit, "To the Other Woman," a great ballad with phenomenal lyrics and a great melody (which Bobby Byrd lifted, incidentally, for "It's I Who Loves You (Not Him Anymore)," the flip to "I Know You Got Soul").

What It Is, Potato Salad!

Friday, Saturday & Sunday - Potato Salad

Today's selection is a little piece of Miami funk from a group I know nothing about. "Potato Salad" is a pretty strange tune, but the Miami groove is there and on a wintry day that is enough in itself! The single was released on Dig, a Henry Stone label. I don't know how many Dig 45s were released, but this particular one was distributed by Stax, whose "snapping fingers" logo is in the background of the label. (Was such "watermarking" common? One of Kim Weston's Mikim 45s has the Volt logo similarly positioned.)

The Sweethearts of Nashville Soul

The Avons - Tell Me Baby (Who Would I Be)

In the mid-'60s WLAC-TV (now WTVF) in Nashville aired a locally-produced program called "Night Train," which was hosted by black music impresario Noble Blackwell. A couple of episodes still exist and I have both in my video collection. The show is very interesting to watch, as many artists from the greatly unheralded Nashville soul music scene are featured: the show's band is Jimmy Jones & The King Casuals and featured artists include Joe Perkins, the Spidels, Hal Hardy, Jimmy Church and today's featured artists, the Avons. I don't recall the names of the three women in the group off-hand, but they are featured on both episodes and were both beautiful and talented.

The Avons recorded a few 45s for RCA, Excello and Ref-O-Ree. I've heard some of the Excello tracks as well as today's selection, which came out on Ref-O-Ree. "Tell Me Baby (Who Would I Be)" features a nice swinging groove and great vocal work from the group. It's a shame that the Avons, like many other Nashville acts, didn't break into the big time and that their work was underappreciated. Fortunately, the Nashville scene is starting to get some publicity, as the excellent "Night Train to Nashville" boxed sets have been successful and the Country Music Hall of Fame has now dedicated an exhibit to Nashville's soul scene.

A Tribute to a King

Joseph Henry - Who's The King (You Know It's Me)

I have just learned from scouting the Freyer-Mantis funk 45 board that the retro-funk artist Joseph Henry has passed away. Henry's "Who's the King (You Know It's Me)" was a major hit for the now-defunct Desco label, and Henry's vocals graced other Desco and Daptone recordings. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Mr. Henry, Desco or Daptone Records, I point you first to Daptone Records' Joseph Henry tribute and encourage you to look at the rest of the site. The folks at Daptone and similar labels have done a great job at recording new material in the vintage '60s and early '70s funk style. Their most well-known act to date is Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings (whose live shows are PHENOMENAL; I'll have to post some of their stuff another time).

"Who's the King" finds Henry conjuring up James Brown and Bobby Byrd over a hurtling groove and an enthusiastic band. I know this post doesn't follow the "vintage soul/funk/etc." mantra of this blog but I cannot pass up a chance to honor such a great performer.

Let's Fix Something ...

June Conquest - What's This I See



I have realized in reviewing my archived posts that on this blog that female artists are woefully underrepresented. Hopefully this and the next few posts can fix that!

Today's post is from June Conquest, a great Chicago soul singer who unfortunately never reaped the full rewards her talent deserved. Conquest's three best-known singles came from her involvement with Curtis Mayfield in the mid-to-late '60s: "Take Care" was released on Mayfield's Windy C label, "What's This I See" was the first release for the Curtom label and her duet with Donny Hathaway, "I Thank You," was a minor hit in 1971 (the song had been released earlier with no success but was re-released to cash in on the success of Hathaway and Roberta Flack's duets on Atlantic).

"What's This I See" has an attractive rhythm and solid singing by Conquest and by The Impressions (singing backup). The song was a big local hit in Chicago (but didn't fare well elsewhere. It's a shame because it's such a great tune.

Rainy Night in Memphis

Brook Benton - I Keep Thinking to Myself

Brook Benton's legendary career requires no write-up by me, so I'll just focus on today's selection. "I Keep Thinking to Myself" was a one-off single for Stax in 1974 after Benton ended his stay with Cotillion (where he had struck paydirt with "Rainy Night in Georgia"). This tune didn't make the Billboard R&B chart: it was probably too relaxed and conversational for 1974, and it probably didn't matters that Stax was faltering as a label (Shirley Brown's "Woman to Woman" (on Truth) would end up being the final #1 R&B hit for the company, which went bankrupt in the end of 1975). The conversational tone of the song, though, is what makes it a favorite of mine. Benton's wistful lyric is tenderly handled by the master singer - check out his line "I built me up and let you fall" in the last verse and the range tricks he does a la "Rainy Night in Georgia" in the fade. Simply beautiful.

The Last #1 R&B Hit Blues Record

Slim Harpo:
Baby Scratch My Back b/w
I'm Gonna Miss You (Like the Devil)



Today's A-side selection has the honor of being the last blues recording to hit #1 on Billboard's R&B charts. Harpo himself referred to the 1966 recording as an "attempt to do rock 'n' roll" but what the song really did was lay down a nice swampy boogaloo beat on which Slim drawled his suggestive monologue and showed off some good harmonica work. Harpo would successfully revisit this approach on the great two-part "Tip on In" and the oh-so-funky "Te Ni Nee Ni Nu," both of which I will post in the future.

In addition to this song being the last #1 R&B blues hit, "Scratch My Back" was the first blues record I ever heard. I was equally enamored of the flip, the slower, reverb-laden "I'm Gonna Miss You (Like the Devil)." Peter Guralnick once wrote that Harpo's singing was similar to that of a black country singer or a white R&B singer trying to impersonate a member of the other genre, a very accurate assessment. "Miss You" is an out-and-out blues, with Harpo doing his thing vocally and on the harmonica and the heavy reverb making for some great turnarounds in the choruses.

We Need More Love (That's the Truth, Ruth!)

Rev. "Singing" Sammy Lewis - We Need More Love

For today's selection I go back to the Sunday Gospel Open House album. I don't know much about Rev. Lewis other than that he cut a couple of albums for Checker, one of which I own. "We Need More Love" is dark and atmospheric, and Lewis' intensity really hammers home his message.

Here It Is! Episode #2!

Better late than never!

Episode #2 of "Get On Down With The Stepfather of Soul" is now online! The playlist appears below:

1. Otis Redding, "Loving By The Pound"
2. Clarence Carter, "Thread the Needle"
3. Tammi Terrell, "Come On And See Me"
4. Gene Chandler and Barbara Acklin, "Anywhere But Nowhere"
5. Fontella Bass Coca-Cola Ad
6. Gloria Walker, "Talking About My Baby"
7. Jean Wells, "Have a Little Mercy"
8. Roy Hytower, "The Undertaker"
9. Hank Ballard, "Woman Is Man's Best Friend"
10. Howard Tate, "I'm Your Servant"
11. Francine King, "Two Fools"
12. Gladys Knight & The Pips Coca-Cola Ad
13. Harmonica George, "Get In The Kitchen And Burn"
14. The Stingers, "I Refuse To Be Lonely"
15. Cody Black, "I'm Slowly Molding"
16. James Brown, "Shhhhh! (For a Little While)" (background)
17. The Soul Brothers Six, "I Can't Live Without You"
18. Buddy Lamp, "You Got The Loving Touch"
19. Little Richard, "Poor Dog (Can't Wag His Own Tail)"
20. Reuben Bell & The Beltones, "Another Day Lost"
21. The Gospel Classics, "More Love, That's What We Need"
22. The Soul Twins, "Mr. Independent"
23. The Lafayette Leake Trio, "After Hours" (closing theme)

The show can be downloaded HERE; it's a big file (77.4 MB), but hopefully I can get an RSS feed going for it! If anyone knows anything about RSS/XML/Podcasting who would like to help me with this, your help would be welcomed!

The Crown Prince of Dance!

Rufus Thomas - Funky Robot



I will refer you to Patrick Montier's excellent Stax Records site (see link on right) for information about the late Rufus Thomas, whose fantastic soul and funk recordings demonstrate that "The World's Oldest Teenager" was an appropriate moniker. His other moniker, "The Crown Prince of Dance" is equally appropriate, as he put out records for the Dog, the Cissy, the Funky Chicken, the Breakdown, the Push and Pull, the Funky Penguin, the Itch and Scratch, the Robot, the Funky Bird and the Double Bump. Al Bell once said that if there was any new dance coming out he could show it to Rufus Thomas and he would get a hit out of it!

"Funky Robot" came from Rufus' 1973 album "The Crown Prince of Dance." Although neither the album nor singles pulled from it (including "Funky Robot") were as commercially successful as his prior album, "Did You Heard Me?" (which gave the world "(Do The) Push and Pull," "The Breakdown" and "Do the Funky Penguin"), I think it's one of his best albums. Rufus and the band appear to be relaxed and having fun on the funk tracks, and most of the songs, like "Funky Robot," have a "part 1" and "part 2" feel to them, with Rufus and the band ad-libbing all over the place. In "Funky Robot" Rufus tosses off little chants throughout the second half and, to my delight, the bass player starts playing a different rhythm for each chorus, with the final chorus seeming to riff off of "Shortnin' Bread"! This is the real funk; did you heard me?

Look At Them Having Fun!

Charles Spurling - Popcorn Charlie



Charles Spurling was a writer/performer/producer for King Records in the mid-to-late '60s. Spurling had five single releases as an artist, the last of which being today's selection. "Popcorn Charlie" has an interesting slow funk groove that slips and slides along while Spurling and an uncredited female discuss the Popcorn and other dances that "Charlie" should be doing.

"Popcorn Charlie" was one of many "popcorn" records that flooded the R&B market in the late '60s. James Brown was responsible for quite a few of them. In his own name he had the instrumentals "The Popcorn" and "Lowdown Popcorn," had a #1 R&B hit with "Mother Popcorn" and recorded the two-parter "Let a Man Come In and Do the Popcorn," each part of which was released as its own single (and both of them charted)! (A further record, "Popcorn With a Feeling," was released under the pseudonym "Steve Soul".) He also produced Hank Ballard's "Butter Your Popcorn."

Although "Popcorn Charlie" is touted as a "James Brown Production", I read somewhere that Spurling actually produced the single but had it billed as a Brown production in order to boost sales and airplay. JB, annoyed at such a ploy, called disc jockeys and made them withdraw support of the single. I don't know if this story is true, but I think it's pretty conceivable. Any info on this would be welcomed. (I also seem to recall that Hank Ballard's LP "You Can't Keep a Good Man Down" from that same era was credited to Brown as a producer although he didn't produce a fair number of the tracks - come to think of it, Spurling produced many of them!)