Stepfather of Soul Piggybackin'

Honey & The Bees - Love Addict

Today your ever-lovin' Stepfather of Soul has picked a tune featuring an artist that has recently been profiled elsewhere, so I'll be diplomatic and say I'm syndicating blogs, but others may say I'm just being lazy! At any rate, Honey & The Bees have been recently featured at Oliver Wang's excellent Soul Sides blog and I refer you to that post for info about this awesome femme soul group. "Love Addict" is a storming piece of Philly soul with a groove that grabs you right out the gate. I've really been jamming on this one lately! I've got to have it - it's become a habit!

PS: While you're over at Soul Sides check out the feature Oliver did about The Icemen's "My Girl, She's a Fox", from which both John Legend and Amy Winehouse appropriated portions for "Slow Dance" and "He Can Only Hold Her," respectively. I enjoy both the Legend and Winehouse recordings, and was thrilled to hear the source of the great groove. Great work as always, O-Dub!

It's Gospel Soul, Children!

"Little Willie" Patterson & The Famous South Land Singers:



Letter From Jesus

b/w



New Born Soul

First of all, Happy Mothers Day to all mothers who stop by this blog today. God bless you all!

Today's selection features "Little Willie" Patterson, one of the many gospel-singing minors whose records dot the landscape. Truthfully, soul and gospel records featuring kids are not always that good, but fortunately "Letter From Jesus" b/w "New Born Soul," a 45 on Designer (another one of those awesome, "pay-as-you-go" labels that are so interesting to collectors), is actually very good. Patterson is backed by the Famous South Land Singers, an adult male group who backed up quite a few Designer artists. On "Letter From Jesus" Patterson and the group's soulful vocals ride the slightly-strutting groove. "New Born Soul" is a stronger recording. Over a more traditional gospel backing, Patterson sings and shouts while the group rambles along. This is a fun 45 that I hope to get my hands on soon; in the meantime, I thank John Glassburner for these great tracks.

A Little More Lattimore!

Lattimore Brown - Yak-a-Poo

I really don't know what happened yesterday as far as posting to the blog goes, as I had stuff prepared and yesterday wasn't too busy, but somehow I didn't get around to it. I'll save what I had in mind for later. For today, however, I revisit Lattimore Brown, who was featured in a recent post. When Brown wasn't doing deep Southern sides (Note to self - make sure to post "Bless Your Heart (I Love You)" soon!) or soulful groovers like "Bag of Tricks" he was fond of doing neat covers and crazy dance records like today's selection and "Shake and Vibrate" (pronounced by Brown as "vib-er-ate," of course). "Yak-a-Poo," a 1970 single on Renegade, is one of those loosey-goosey funky 45s that are good to take into the weekend, as Brown's patter, ostensibly directed at a female dance partner, goes nowhere in particular but the band lays down a nice funky groove with good horn charts. Get on down, y'all!

Groovin' With The Violinaires!

The Violinaires - It's Wrong To Fight

Today is "Wednesday Get Down Gospel Time" thanks to the Violinaires, whose six-decade career continues at present, but whose fame among soul fans rests with (1) their being the group in which Wilson Pickett made his professional debut (although he did not record with them, a most unfortunate fact) and (2) their '60s and early '70s sides for Checker, in which the group hooked up with the Chess studio musicians to lay down some awesome funky gospel 45s and the highly-collectible Groovin' With Jesus LP. (You can check out the title track and a sharp picture of the group at Quartet Radio.com; while there, check out the other great gospel resources from the site.)

"It's Wrong To Fight" comes from the '60s and finds the group working the Checker "gos-pop" sound for all its worth. While the groove struts along, James Blair and the group bring a "peace" message. This tune just barely meets its "gospel" quotient by doing a verse about David and Goliath; otherwise, it's just a solid piece of '60s soul that is totally "get down"-worthy.

Sweet Soul Harmony

Eddie & Ernie - I Believe She Will



After six posts in a row featuring '70s soul, today's selection takes us back to the '60s on a sweet soul harmony tack. Eddie & Ernie's sublime harmonies and awesome songs were covered in this blog on Valentine's Day and I'll refer you to that post for more info about the great but unheralded duo.

"I Believe She Will" had a 1966 release on Shazam before it was picked up by Chess, which had a couple of years before picked up their "Time Waits for No One" and "It's a Weak Man That Cries" (both released on Checker). This is solid Southern soul, with the duo working their magic in a very gentle manner with the gospel-tinged ballad. Although the lyrics are very optimistic, there's something about the way they sing it that leaves a touch of sadness behind, which perhaps accurately portrays the anxiety that relationships sometimes bring. As the old DJ's used to say, if you don't dig this, you've got a hole in your soul.

Get on Down With Betty Everett on Sound Stage Seven!

Betty Everett - Hey Lucinda

Betty Everett and her recordings were recently featured here, and as promised then today's post features her 1976 Sound Stage Seven single "Hey Lucinda." By this time Everett was working with Chicago record producer Leo Austell and this Jones Girls-influenced record made its way to be one of the last 45s on SS7, which by that time had slowed to a crawl. The label, bereft of John R at the A&R helm and distributed along with its parent Monument label by CBS, had released barely more than a handful of 45s per year after 1970, the last hit being Joe Simon's "Misty Blue" from 1972, released to cash in on Simon's hits on Spring. Considering the state of SS7 by that time, it's no surprise that the record didn't go anywhere upon release, which is a shame because it's a great record. "Hey Lucinda" bumps along nicely, and Betty and the backup singers sassily give the title character warning about the man she's interested in.

Get on Down With the Mighty Clouds of Joy!

The Mighty Clouds of Joy - Mighty High

The Mighty Clouds of Joy have been featured on this blog before, in reference to the one-time membership of Bunker Hill. Outside of Bunker's involvement with the group, the legacy of the group is on-going. The Mighty Clouds were one of the more electrifying groups in gospel in the '60s and '70s, as their dynamic showmanship and willingness to adapt their sound to the times positioned them as the vanguard group. By the mid-70s, the group was part of the ABC Records roster after the label's purchase of Duke/Peacock. In 1976 the group hooked up with producer Dave Crawford and broke yet newer ground by putting a disco groove to their gospel and hitting big with today's selection.

"Mighty High," not unlike the stuff the Staple Singers had done for Stax, was religious but not overtly so. Jesus' name does not appear on the record, although God is mentioned, so it's not exactly spelled out what it means to "ride mighty high." The group doesn't have to say, however, because by the time the two short verses are dispatched and Willie Ligon's famous growl takes over for the rest of the song, you know absolutely that this song is straight-up church, despite the disco groove. Get on down with the mighty glory - ride mighty high!

Bill, Denise, Willie, Hi, Crajon & Galaxy

Bill Coday - Get Your Lie Straight

Today's selection has a story with a lot of famous names involved, hence the title above. Soul singer Denise LaSalle (born Denise Craig) and her then-husband Bill Jones had a relatively short-lived recording and production concern in Chicago called Crajon (CRA from LaSalle's maiden name and JON for Jones), from which they were able to garner some national action with Bill Coday (featured today) and the Sequins ("Hey Romeo") while LaSalle herself had a string of hits on Westbound, most notably with "Trapped By a Thing Called Love" (the flip of which, "Keep It Coming," appears on the newest episode of the podcast). Although Crajon was based in Chicago, LaSalle opted to have Willie Mitchell and the Hi musicians work their magic on her own recordings and most of the Crajon stuff. LaSalle has interviewed that the choice to go to Memphis was spurred by Al Perkins' hits with Mitchell at the helm ("Yes My Goodness Yes"), because she surmised that if Willie Mitchell could get hits out of an artist of limited vocal talent like Perkins, then he could do magic with her!

Willie Mitchell's magic certainly worked when Bill Coday recorded "Get Your Lie Straight" in 1971. The driving groove and Coday's bluesy vocal really sells the song, which in parts is clearly derivative of Johnnie Taylor's 1970 hit "Love Bones." The record had an initial release on Crajon before Galaxy picked it up for national distribution and carried it into the R&B charts. LaSalle, Mitchell and Galaxy would hit again with Coday with "If You Find a Fool Bump His Head," but eventually Coday's hits dried up. LaSalle herself would have a few more hits on Westbound before divorcing Jones, moving to Memphis and moving on to Malaco, where her X-rated soul blues reading of "Down Home Blues" would make her a label mainstay in the '80s and other "grown folks" records like "Lick It Before You Stick It" would keep her busy in the soul blues circuit. At present, LaSalle has returned to her gospel roots, although she has a MySpace page that features soul blues material. Coday himself would revitalize his career in the soul-blues realm and is still doing his thing.

It's '70s Soul Time!

Episode #17 of the podcast is now online, with a '70s soul sound that's good for some head-noddin' get down! Here's the playlist:

1. Etta James - Quick Reaction and Satisfaction
2. Candi Station - I'd Rather Be An Old Man's Sweetheart (Than To Be a Young Man's Fool)
3. Jerry Butler - Don't Rip Me Off
4. Millie Jackson - Now That You Got It
5. Charlie Whitehead - Between the Lines
6. Jimmy Lewis - Where Was He
7. The Detroit Emeralds - I Bet You'll Get (The One Who Loves You)
8. Staple Singers "Be Altitude - Respect Yourself" Radio Ad
9. Denise LaSalle - Keep It Coming
10. Little Royal - I'll Come Crawling
11. Chairmen of the Board - When Will She Tell Me She Needs Me
12. Ilana - Where Would You Be Today
13. Lyn Collins - Me and My Baby Got a Good Thing Going
14. Raynel Wynglas - Bar-B-Q Ribs
15. "Shaft" Radio Ad
16. Little Lois Barber - Thank You Baby
17. The Temprees - Explain It to Her Mama
18. The Whatnauts - Why Can't People Be Colors Too
19. Skull Snaps - It's a New Day
20. Dorothy Norwood - There's Got to Be Rain in Your Life (To Appreciate the Sunshine)
21. Funkadelic - A Joyful Process

Johnnie Taylor's Platinum Soul!

I know that I wrote on Tuesday that I'd have the podcast up, but Tuesday night was too busy. Last night, though, I spent about three hours putting the playlist together for a '70s soul show, and I'm excited about recording it and getting it online tonight. It's going to be a nice mix of groovy and funky '70s soul with a healthy dollop of sista soul, and I think you're really going to like it! While listening to material to assemble into the show I revisited today's selection and knew it just had to be featured today.





Johnnie Taylor - Running Out of Lies

1976 was a banner year for Johnnie Taylor, who was making his debut as a Columbia recording artist after leaving Stax, which officially closed its doors in the beginning of the year. Johnnie's debut LP, Eargasm, hit the streets and "Disco Lady," the lead-off single, hit big and sold lots of records. Lots of records. So many that the RIAA, which had just established the "platinum" designation for record sales, awarded the first ever platinum single to "Disco Lady" and Taylor enjoyed major R&B and pop chart success, the latter of which was a rare feat for Taylor, whose bluesy, "grown-folks" brand of soul generally didn't fare too well on pop radio. Columbia, like most major labels, decided that disco was the way to go (despite the fact that "Disco Lady" wasn't really a disco record) in light of this, so unfortunately subsequent albums and singles by Taylor on Columbia upped the disco quotient only to achieve diminishing returns. By the end of the decade Taylor would leave the label and sign to Beverly Glen in the beginning of what would be a pretty successful soul-blues career that would sustain him for the rest of his life.

The Eargasm LP, however, was not totally consumed by "Disco Lady" and disco songs. The album is actually stunning, effectively mixing uptempo mid-'70s groovers with the bluesy kind of stuff that Taylor had been doing all along. "Running Out Of Lies" is a neat mix of lowdown blues and stylish 1976 soul that is my favorite JT Columbia recording. You know you're in for the real soul thing when that organ and bass intro sets the sombre mood. As that groove hunches along, Taylor spins his tale of the "man loves two" dilemma, and just when you think the record is a masterpiece, JT takes it one step further. The strings and horns drop out and that sinister groove returns, and Johnnie takes it to church with a monologue that takes on a sermonological tone. By the time the chorus is reprised, you're drained. It's too bad more "real soul" like this wasn't being made by 1976!

More Throwback Soul!

The Right Kind - (Tell Me) Why Did You Have to Lie

Today's selection is a nice piece of throwback soul from The Right Kind, who recorded for Galaxy at the dawn of the '70s. I don't know anything in particular about them, except to say that their best-known record, "(Tell Me) Why Did You Have to Lie," is a serious piece of throwback soul. This could clearly have been a Five Royales record from back in that group's heyday, considering the gospel call-and-response harmonies and lead vocal and the Lowman Pauling-esque guitar work that resonates throughout the track. Something this bluesy probably was eaten alive by the hit parade at the time, but it is a stunning gem that is worth hearing. (The same is true for lots of Galaxy's output, and fortunately there are several great comps that cover the material.)

The Northern Soul of James Brown?!?

James Brown - Why Did You Take Your Love From Me

The phrases "James Brown" and "Northern Soul" generally never intersect in a discussion of the latter phrase, unless the thought is "the Northern Soul crowd preferred uptempo Motown-styled dancers over the raw sound of southern soul or James Brown," but JB's massive catalogue is one chock full of surprises, and today's selection provides the lone intersection point.

It's only fitting, then, that such an abnormality as "Why Did You Take Your Love From Me" appeared as an album cut on JB's I Can't Stand Myself (When You Touch Me), which stands more as a testament to the growing funk sound that JB was cooking up, as the classic title track and "There Was a Time" were hot hits for Brown at the time. "Why Did You Take Your Love From Me" features a driving piano groove (think "Shhhhhhh (For a Little While)") and an interesting vocal from JB, in which he really works the choruses and uses the verses to do some pretty desperate pleading.