A 50's Detour: Crowley Meets Cosimo!

Warren Storm - I'm A Little Boy (Looking For Love)



The story of Excello Records is generally always built around its "swamp blues" classics by Lightnin' Slim, Lazy Lester, Slim Harpo and others, most of which were recorded at J.D. "Jay" Miller's Crowley, Louisiana studios. Excello's parent, Nashboro Records, however, recorded material in other genres, and in the mid-'50s the label attempted to ride the new rock 'n' roll wave with recordings on Excello, Nasco and Zil. Although lots of interesting material was recorded and released, the only big rock 'n' roll hit the label scored was "Oh Julie," a doo-wop-meets-rockabilly number on Nasco by the Crescendoes. A bulk of the rockin' stuff, however, was recorded by Jay Miller in Crowley, and one of those tracks is today's featured track.

Warren Storm was a session drummer for Miller, and his "Prisoner's Song" is his best-known recording. However, he recorded several Fats Domino-inspired cuts, and "I'm A Little Boy (Looking For Love)," released on Nasco, is my favorite. The groove is so on-point with what Fats was doing that it's as if Miller and Storm had made a quick trip to Cosimo Matassa's studio in N'Awlins and borrowed the sevices of Dave Bartholomew, Lee Allen and the rest of the cats that crafted Domino's sides. Storm even captures Domino's phrasing on the vocals to ride the groove on home. Although it's easy to dismiss the record as an "I'm Walkin'" knockoff, the tune works and I've been giving it a lot of play lately. Hot Slop's Rob Baker introduced me to this fun number some time ago, and it is available, along with lots of other good stuff by Johnny Jano and others, on the Ace comp Hey Baby! The Rockin' South, which features several Jay Miller productions.

A post script: Jay Miller's story has a dark side, however, that is worth noting. Miller, although comfortable with using mixed-race bands on the classic Excello sides, was a segregationist who also owned the Reb Rebel label, home of racist Cajun/country singer Johnny Rebel, whose recordings are revered by hate groups today. Fortunately, white musicians like Warren Storm were not part of that enterprise.

Jimmy Hughes!

Jimmy Hughes - Neighbor, Neighbor

Jimmy Hughes' crying tenor is best remembered for his 1964 hit "Steal Away," which would be covered by a great many artists as one of the archetypal "sneaking around" songs. Although Hughes had worked with producer Rick Hall on a prior single, "I'm Qualified," which was released on Jamie and Guyden, "Steal Away" was a major breakthrough for both men, and Hughes would record for the FAME imprint for the next four years before moving on to Volt, where after one minor hit, 1968's "I Like Everything You Do," his career would falter and he would release his final single in 1971. "Neighbor, Neighbor," a 1966 FAME single, is a guitar-driven piece of bluesy soul in which Hughes tells the title character to butt out of his and his woman's affairs. Hughes' vocals are spot-on and the groove really works well.

The Message In My Mailbox

The Sims Twins - You've Got To Do The Best You Can (With What You've Got)



It's funny how sometimes in life you need to hear an encouraging message. Yesterday was a bad day, with some unpleasant surprises that left me scrambling to make sure "ends met." Fortunately, I was able to get things back under control, but the day's events left me feeling pretty down. When I got home I saw that a Sims Twins record I had bought via eBay - I bought it on a whim, having never heard it - had arrived. So after talking to my wife awhile, I went down to the den and played the record, and then played it again and again.

I featured the Sims Twins on the blog quite recently, so I'll forego any discussion about their career. "You've Got To Do The Best You Can (With What You've Got)" was the first of two 45s the brothers recorded for A&M's short-lived Omen subsidiary (other notable Omen releases include The Wooden Nickels' "Nobody But You" and James Brown Revue member James Crawford's "Honest I Do"). This is a nice gospel-bent number that takes the "rapping" approach of Joe Tex but uses it to discuss overcoming trials and tribulations instead of the affairs of the heart that Tex usually preached about. No production credits appear on the label, but the flip, "Thankful," is credited to J.W. Alexander, so I figure he produced "Do the Best You Can" also. It's a pretty straightforward song, but its message really moved me yesterday evening.

A Message From The "Other Jimmy"

Jimmy Lewis - Goodbye Sorrow

If you've read this blog for any significant amount of time you've probably realized that I have particular admiration for three Jimmys who made strong contributions to soul music (and other genres) as artists, but more notably as songwriters: Jimmy Lewis, Jimmy Holiday and Jimmy McCracklin. Recently I featured Jimmy Holiday's "I Found a New Love," a powerful piece of optimistic soul. My favorite Jimmy of the three, Mr. Lewis, provides a nice companion piece in today's post.

"Goodbye Sorrow," a 1962 Cyclone single, was Lewis' vinyl debut, and it finds Lewis emulating Sam Cooke over a nice pop-slanted beat that could also have worked nicely for the Drifters. I suppose Drifters leader Bill Pinkney considered the same to be true, as Jimmy was recruited to join the group in the following year! (Jimmy would sing lead for the group from 1963-65, which leads me to believe he probably sang lead on the James Brown-produced Drifters sides.)

There's Room In "Soul Heaven" For Opera: RIP Luciano Pavarotti

Back in around 1998 or so I remember sitting in a bar in Chicago with a fellow, and we were feeding the jukebox and playing lots of different music. Eventually some Sinatra came on and we began talking about how although Sinatra was not a "soul singer," the man certainly had "soul." The conversation then stretched into one about how in just about any genre of music you can think of, there are folks who have "soul," that "something" that you can't describe, but you know it when you hear it. Well, in the world of opera, Luciano Pavarotti, who has passed away at age 71, was one seriously soulful man. And if the passion and soulfulness of his singing within his field were not enough for me to make that claim, I was pleased to find these two videos on YouTube of the opera master collaborating with Barry White and with James Brown on "You're The First, The Last, My Everything" and "It's a Man's Man's World," respectively. I suppose Pavarotti can now join those two in "Soul Heaven," and what flavor he will bring to the proceedings!

Feeling Stax-i-fied With William Bell!

William Bell - Never Like This Before

William Bell's recordings for Stax from 1961 through to the label's demise in 1975 are often overlooked among discussions of Otis Redding, Rufus and Carla Thomas, Isaac Hayes and the Staple Singers, but his fine singing and songwriting resulted in lots of great material that is worth seeking out. William Bell told Rob Bowman that up-tempo tunes were never quite his forte at Stax, as the net result was somewhat less "soulful" than ballads like "You Don't Miss Your Water" or "Somebody Mentioned Your Name." Fortunately, as far as I'm concerned, his up-tempo stuff is sufficiently soulful. Today's selection was a 1966 release, which was coupled with the great "Soldier's Goodbye" (featured in an April 2006 post). "Never Like This Before" is a hard-hitting testimony of how love can make one feel. Bell really puts over the lyrics while Booker T. & The M.G.'s and the Mar-Keys do their usual job of laying down a hot stomping groove. It's getting a lot of rotation on my personal playlist these days, and I played it at "Rhythm & Booze" last month. Get on down with William Bell!

The good thing is that Bell is still very active, running his Wilbe Records and touring around the globe. Here's a great video from YouTube showing Bell rehearsing "Never Like This Before" with a band during a trip to the UK.

And One More Thing ...

I promised to publicize what's going to be a great soul weekender in November, and I forgot to get it up here. To rectify that situation:



The Brothers of Soul and J.J. Barnes are going to be there, which means it's going to be very special! If you have the chance to get out there, do go! I wish I could! (See this info page from the Emerald City Soul Club for details.)

A Jr. Walker Addendum

Gregory Rose asked that I share a better MP3 of Jr. Walker's "I'll Go Where Your Music Takes Me" with you, as the one included in the mix from Saturday's post is not of the best fidelity. You can download the tune here. Thanks again to Greg for the great post and for sharing this music with us.

Taking a Raggedy Ride with Barbara Acklin

Barbara Acklin - A Raggedy Ride

It's a shame that the late singer/songwriter Barbara Acklin's legacy came more from her outstanding compositions for others (Jackie Wilson's "Whispers (Gettin' Louder)," "Oh Girl," "Have You Seen Her" and others for the Chi-Lites) than from her own career as an artist, because she had a pleasant voice that graced quite a few fine records for Brunswick in the '60s and '70s, most notably hits like "Love Makes a Woman" and her duets with Gene Chandler. The unlikely story of her rise as Brunswick's top songwriter and of her own (sometimes star-crossed, as in the case of "Am I The Same Girl") recording career can be found at the Brunswick Records website.

One of the more interesting records Acklin made was 1969's "A Raggedy Ride," the flip to "Seven Days of Night." Co-written with Eugene Record and Brunswick exec and producer Carl Davis, "Raggedy Ride" is a quirky piece of light funk with a jaunty groove, and Acklin's sassy vocal puts over the "I'd rather have a raggedy ride than a dressed-up walk" lyric appropriately.

Keeping It Real With Kip Anderson

Kip Anderson - Woman, How Do You Make Me Love You Like I Do

As I mentioned on Friday, deep soul legend Kip Anderson has passed away. Despite a string of fantastic 45s for Vee-Jay, Everlast, Tomorrow, ABC, Checker and Excello, commercial success eluded Kip. Unfortunately, while Anderson's records became highly-prized among deep soul fans and record collectors, Kip's career faded and a heroin addiction resulted in a ten-year stint in prison. Fortunately, Kip was able to get clean and get back into music, releasing some good gospel and soul-blues material as well as leading several gospel choirs and hosting gospel radio shows. Today's post is in honor of Kip, whose awesome records will continue to enthrall soul fans for all time.

"Woman, How Do You Make Me Love You Like I Do" was penned by Kip's frequent collaborator Charles Derrick and recorded at FAME studios in Muscle Shoals, and it's a very nice gospel-styled ballad over which Kip wonders about his woman's power over him. A very effective monologue by Kip seals the deal. The 45 was the first of three 45s that were released on Checker (the other two being "Without a Woman" and "A Knife and Fork"), and it made enough noise for Solomon Burke to cover it for his King Solomon album.

Soul Power!

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights



Daptone Records flagship act Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings have appeared on the blog before, and I really dig what they do. I saw Sharon and company in Chicago after their first album, Dap-Dippin', came out and the sure soul power they produced knocked my socks off. Since then they have released another album, Naturally, which is a must-have for anyone who appreciates solid soul music, and a handful of singles. Their third Daptone album, 100 Days, 100 Nights, is going to drop on September 25, and the title track is worth mentioning today.

The entire 100 Days, 100 Nights album is a bit of a departure for Sharon and the group, as they cut back on the funk a little bit to focus on a straight-up soul sound. The title track, however, is an interesting hybrid of the two approaches. After a horn fanfare, "100 Days, 100 Nights" starts off with the group's standard groove, as Sharon lays out the song's premise. But after a little bit of this the band switches gears and over a more churchy, almost Five Royales kind of groove takes over and Sharon does her thing most effectively.

The kind folks over at World's Fair sent me a review copy of the album this week, and I tell you it is one of the most solid total albums I've heard since John Ciba's Sound of Birmingham comp from last year. Daptone Records has outdone itself this time!

If you are interested in the album, I encourage you to go over to World's Fair's Sharon Jones page to learn more about Sharon and the album and to stream two other cuts from the album ("Let Them Knock" is my absolute favorite from the album, and I'm sure it will be one of yours also), and then go to Daptone Records' website for release details and for the other great music from the label.

Get on Down With Jr. Walker's Biggest Fan!

(EDITOR'S NOTE - Some time ago Gregory Rose emailed me after seeing my post featuring Jr. Walker & The All-Stars' version of "These Eyes". In corresponding with him I came to learn that Greg is a serious fan of Jr. and the All-Stars, having acquired not only copies of Jr.'s recordings ("if Jr. blew it, I got it," he told me) but also quite a bit of memorabilia, including one of the Motown legend's saxophones. I asked him if he would like to write a bit about Jr. and help put together a mix of Jr.'s music for "Get on Down ..." and he was very happy to oblige, sending pictures and audio files to flesh things out nicely. So I present at this time the first guest blogger ever on "Get on Down ...", Gregory Rose, in his own words. Read his words, listen to the great mix that he and I put together, and just feel the love that Greg has for the man and his music, the kind of love that "Get on Down With the Stepfather of Soul!" is all about. The playlist for the mix appears at the end of the post.)





One can log onto just about any historical music website, and find biographical information about Junior Walker & The All-Stars, or of Junior himself: Motown recording star; several gold records; a Grammy; appearances on "SNL," "Midnight Special," "Soul Train," and David Letterman; and even a performance at Bill Clintons' Inaugural Party in 1993. But my appreciation and admiration of this great saxman started back around 1966, learning to do the "Shotgun," a dance routine my brother did.

Nobody was blowing the sax back in the era of electric guitars, and even Motown itself was not known for instrument playing stars, just the polished and well-groomed stage acts and great voices of the main Motown groups. Junior was very much his own man. Berry Gordy, founder of Motown, was always forbidding anyone from "messing" with Junior. His rough vocals, more fitting of the Stax label of Memphis, really did fit well with Motown. And although Junior had several hits in the 60's and 70's, his stage personna was not about records or recording studio sessions - it was always about the show, the performance, the stage.

I grew to love this man's music, and through the years, bought every album and 8-track released. I finally got to see him live in 1985, then again in 1988 and 1989, long after his big hits. But that didn't matter.

I had my license plate personalized with his name, JRWALKR, and I used to get lots of looks. In 1989, he came to a club in Knoxville, Tennessee, and I bought tickets to both shows. I went to the show with a photo of my car, showing my tag with his name. I thought, "if I can get someone to give him this photo, maybe I can meet him." Sure enough, a member of his party took my photo, and told me to wait and they would come get me. During intermission, I was led backstage, and there he sat, towel wrapped around his neck, resting with the band. When he saw the photo, he smiled, walked up to me with his hand out, and said, "man, that's all right - I don't even have that on my car!" And there you have it, a man that was not stuck on himself. As one of his sons told me soon after his death, his dad would often stop on the road and help some stranger who was having car trouble. After helping them, he would turn down offers of pay, say you're welcome to the person, and drive off - all the while, the stranded motorist didn't even know who had helped them.



When Junior died in 1995, I sent flowers to the funeral, along with my license plate, not for any purpose other than to let the family know how much Junior was admired and respected. I was soon contacted by one of his sons, and ever since then we have kept in touch, sharing photos, videos, music, and information. Earlier this year, I was able to purchase my most prized possession, a sax that Junior owned. Through the years, I've located rare recordings, photos, posters and other memorabilia about him. I have also visited his home in Battle Creek.



Junior's recordings not only spanned several decades, they also spanned differing styles. His early hits like "Shotgun" and "(I'm A) Roadrunner" were of the old-style R&B hits of the day. Later, more strings and orchestration were added for songs like "These Eyes" and "Gotta Hold On To This Feeling," two of my favorites, along with "What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)." Later, when Motown tried to resurrect his sound in the disco era, the songwriting was not as good, but even so, Junior maintained that trademark sax sound. Junior did not have a trained voice, but it's hard to imagine any other voice melding with that sax sound. They went so well together. I truly do miss him.

Gregory Rose
Lawrenceville, Georgia



PLAYLIST

1. (I'm A) Roadrunner
2. Do The Boomerang
3. How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
4. What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)
5. These Eyes
6. Gotta Hold On To This Feeling
7. Do You See My Love (For Your Growing)
8. These Things Will Keep Me Loving You
9. Walk In The Night
10. Moody Junior
11. Still Water
12. Way Back Home
13. Dancin' Like They Do On Soul Train
14. I'll Go Where Your Music Takes Me (radio edit)

(Special thanks to Gregory Rose for sharing the love with me and all of you. Long live the music of Jr. Walker!)