Soul on the Air #19 - Bill "Butterball" Crane, 1968

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As promised in December, "Soul on the Air" is back on "Get on Down"!

WVON's Bill "Butterball" Crane has been featured on this blog before, and I will refer you to that post about information about Mr. Crane. As the comments to that post attest, the Butterball aircheck was one of the most popular ones posted here, and I'm glad to bring you more of Crane on WVON, this time from December 15, 1968. In addition to Crane's great patter, there's lots of good stuff here, including records by Jerry Butler, Ike & Tina Turner (who open the aircheck), Otis Redding, Clarence Carter and the Dells, along with a news break announced by WVON newscaster Clair Nelson.

Keep an eye on this page, because another aircheck will be featured this month. Here's a hint: it's from Washington, D.C.!

An Honor and an Explanation

This morning your ever-lovin' Stepfather of Soul was honored to find that none less than Radio Hall of Fame member Herb Kent had shared my initial "Soul on the Air!" feature on his Facebook page, referring to it as a "great back in the day resource." To get praise from a broadcasting legend set my little heart ablaze, but it also reminded me that I needed to do something here that I've been putting off for a loooooooooooong time: explaining what is going on with this blog.

It's probably no surprise that I haven't done much on this blog in a mighty long time. After doing hundreds of posts on a near-daily basis for a couple of years, "real life" (work, family, etc.) started to get in the way, and to write like that became very tiring. Further, as YouTube and Facebook began to grow, it provided alternative ways for the sharing of this great music. Finally, I was offered the opportunity to do a new "Get on Down with the Stepfather of Soul!" online radio show for Rockin' Radio. In light of all of those things, I decided that I would stop writing the blog in 2013.

When I made that decision, however, I found myself in an interesting position: I realized that the blog actually has two different, and not always overlapping, audiences. Rare soul fans were digging the features on individual records and the podcast, but "Soul on the Air" brought in a new audience: radio aircheck fans were interested, for sure, but more numerous were those who, in reminiscing about the radio stations they enjoyed in their youth, found the blog while doing Google searches on certain DJs and the like. I realized that this blog was a great resource for them, and so I did not pull the plug on the site itself.

Having said all that, I've decided that in 2015 I will focus almost exclusively on the "Soul on the Air" content. I've got many more airchecks to share, and this site will serve more as a repository for the airchecks than it will as a soul music site.

For those of you who enjoyed this site as a soul music site, please note the following (and for the "Soul on the Air" fans, feel free to check these things out as well):

1. I am on Facebook, and I regularly post music there. Feel free to friend me if you haven't already.

2. Since October 2012, I have hosted the "Get on Down with the Stepfather of Soul!" show on Rockin' Radio, where I join the rest of the crew there playing the "best oldies you've never heard" and sharing information about the tunes. A new show is uploaded every month on the "Now Playing" page. Make sure to check out the show, as well as those of my compatriots, Rockin' Randy Tivens, Brian Phillips (who is no stranger to this site), and Jim E. Night!

3. All soul content on this site will remain, but I will not renew dead links. If any features catch your attention, please e-mail me (jasonstone60643@gmail.com) and I can share with you any music that may be of interest.

4. Finally, though many of my colleagues in soul blogging have also retired their sites, some for the same reasons I have, there are still many who are still doing their thing. Check out the links section and you'll find that many of the sites listed are still around, especially those sites belonging to my friend Red Kelly, the "Soul Detective." Enjoy those, and forgive me for not getting around to removing dead links.

It has been a pleasure and honor to do the blog for the last nine years, and I look forward to the next chapter in its existence. Let's keep on getting on down!

Soul on the Air #18: Pervis Spann, 1965

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This "Soul on the Air" post features, in four parts, Pervis Spann, "The Blues Man," whose career at the station covers its past, present and future. Spann was one of the first DJs hired by Leonard Chess when he turned the brokered-time WHFC into "The Voice of the Negro"; when WVON's frequency was moved to 1390 AM by latter owners Globetrotter Communications and the "Good Guys" format was unceremoniously dumped, Spann set up blues station WXOL at the old 1450 frequency; when WVON's calls were changed to WGCI, he snapped them up; and he continues to own the station to the present day, with his daughter, Melody Spann-Cooper, at the helm.

I won't try to tell his multifaceted story here: it will be much better to refer you to this Chicago Reader profile of the legendary DJ/club owner/promoter/TV host/(alleged) huckster, and, if you can find a copy, Spann's book, The 40-Year Spann of WVON, of which I have an autographed copy (I met Spann at a book signing and had a short, but pleasant conversation with him - when he learned I was going to law school part time while working full time, he said "I like you a lot" and proceeded to tell me about one of his hard-working daughters, who was an attorney). Further, if you would like to see the tomfoolery that Spann presided over with comedian/actor Carl Wright for many years on Chicago cable access TV, "Blues and More," look it up on YouTube. It's something else!

On to the aircheck. I have begun acquiring what may be the largest treasure trove of WVON material (and, by extension, R&B airchecks) out there, namely, over 24 hours of WVON broadcasts from Friday, January 29, 1965 through to the following Monday, February 1. This material includes more great stuff by Herb Kent, Ed Cook, Lucky Cordell and E. Rodney Jones, but also material from Spann and other "Good Guys" for whom airchecks were previously not available, such as gospel jock Bill "Doc" Lee, early WVON personality Franklin McCarthy, and talk show host Wesley South.

This aircheck finds Spann laying down soul, blues (of course) and countrified patter for nearly four hours. There are lots of highlights here: "Killing Floor," the then-new Howlin' Wolf single, gets played (it must've been atop the station's hit list at the time, as every other aircheck I've heard so far from this time period includes it), as does "My Girl," then the new Temptations hit; Spann plays the original "Don't Answer the Door" by Jimmy Johnson (later covered by B.B. King; this Jimmy Johnson is not to be confused with Syl's brother, also a fine blues artist), asserting that it's a warning to his fellow "Good Guys";Spann does a sing-along to the Artistics' "Got to Get My Hands on Some Loving"; and he mangles - I mean, reports - the news (interestingly, during his shift, news reports of the funeral of Winston Churchill are not included; those come later in the day). And, of course, there's lots of other good music and commercials to enjoy.

Soul on the Air #17 - Herb Kent, 1971

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It occurred to me that it's been over a year since I presented a new "Soul on the Air" feature on the blog. I decided that I'd put a shorter aircheck up here as an appetizer for what I hope will be a series of posts putting more of these great R&B airchecks out there.

I kicked off the "Soul on the Air" series a WVON aircheck featuring Radio Hall of Famer Herb Kent, and I return to the "Kool Gent" and 'VON today. Here's sixteen minutes of Kent from 1971, spinning mostly Chicago-related soul records, namely "If You Find a Fool Bump His Head" by Bill Coday (which, though recorded in Memphis and given national release on Galaxy, was a product of Denise LaSalle's Crajon Productions, which was based in Chicago), "A Bumpy Road Ahead" by The Lovelites, and "Shadows," a Nickel 45 produced by fellow 'VON "Good Guy" Richard Pegue on the South Shore Commission, a group that hit nationally in 1975 with the disco classic "Free Man."

I say that the playlist is "mostly" Chicago-bent because, after the newscast at the top fo the aircheck, Herb plays "Brown Sugar" by the Rolling Stones, punctuated by interjections about a "5,000-foot chicken." As you may recall, the 1970 aircheck previously posted included a rock item, so it's clear that Kent was not antipathetic to the genre. (On that point, it's interesting to note that at one point after Kent had departed from 'VON, he actually played punk rock on another station!)

RIP Don Cornelius

Reports are in that "Soul Train" creator and longtime emcee Don Cornelius has died, apparently of suicide, at age 75. DC was an inspiration to me and his influence on black music, culture and television will never be forgotten. May he rest in peace.

RIP Sir Lattimore Brown

Sir Lattimore Brown - It's a Sad, Sad World

Red Kelly's e-mail this morning left me stunned. Sir Lattimore Brown was killed on Friday, March 25, when he was hit by a car while crossing the street near his home in Pensacola, Florida.

Lattimore was a true "soul survivor." He lost everything in Katrina, was brutally attacked and injured on the streets of Biloxi, Mississippi, and had survived a cancer scare. I know that when God is ready for us to go, it's time to go, but it is still stunning.

I cannot help but be thankful, however, that God allowed me, Red Kelly, Papa Don Schroeder, Susan Morris and others to be part of Lattimore's life and to get his story out there after years of terminal obscurity. (If you haven't read this amazing story already, see the Lattimore Brown links in the sidebar.) I will forever remember that April night when Lattimore took to the stage in New Orleans and showed that he remained a showman with a love of performing and a true joy of living.

I will post more as more information is available. Rest in peace, Lattimore. It's a sad, sad world indeed today.

Soul on the Air #16 - Mr. Vee, 1972

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Today's "Soul on the Air" feature returns to Chicago's WGRT, which, despite successfully running an R&B format alongside WVON throughout the late '60s and into the '70s (during which it changed calls to WJPC), has been overshadowed by 'VON in the history of Chicago radio. Despite this lack of renown, audio evidence shows that 'GRT had "great" taste in music, as illustrated by this aircheck.

I haven't been able to find out anything about Mr. Vee, which is unfortunate. This two-part aircheck features Vee holding court for an hour of February 11, 1972. After a news break, he gets the ball rolling with the Detroit Emeralds' "You Want It, You Got It." There's lots of surefire hits in this hour: in addition to the Detroit Emeralds record, Joe Tex's "I Gotcha," James Brown's "Talkin' Loud and Saying Nothing," "Jungle Fever" by the Chakachas and "That's the Way I Feel About Cha" by Bobby Womack get played. Of course, there are lesser-known tunes, such as Chicago soulster Otis Brown's "Who's Gonna Take Me Home" - declared a "Too Great to Wait" record and getting some replay from Mr. Vee - and "Our Favorite Melody" by Jimmy Ruffin.

There's other fun stuff here: there's an ad for Soul Soldier, a blaxploitation film about the "Buffalo Soldiers" of the 19th century ("black men who fought the red man for a white government that didn't give a damn about either," declares the announcer) and an Aretha Franklin drop-in when "Oh Me Oh My (I'm a Fool for You Baby)" is played; in addition, there are two playings of the "Sign of the Zodiac" game, whose awesome theme music ("(Pisces) Sign of the Zodiac" by the South Suburban Electric Strings, ironically produced by Richard Pegue, then one of the WVON "Good Guys") and groovy astrological profiles are coupled with a small cash prize (I know $8 - the jackpot in one of the games - went a lot farther in 1972 than now, but it seems low to me).

It's not surprising that this aircheck often pops up on eBay, because it's one of the better ones out there.

Get on Down with the Stepfather of Soul ...on Rockin' Radio!

Right after my guest appearance on Rockin' Radio's "Electro-Phonic Sound of Brian Phillips," I had the unplanned pleasure of substituting for DJ Blast on his "Oldies Time Traveler" January program. Make sure to go to Rockin' Radio and check out the show on the "Now Playing" page, along with all of the other programs! It's always a pleasure to join the Rockin' Radio family!

Everybody's Doin' It (Doin' It), Doin' It (Doin' It)?

B.B. King - The B.B. Jones

First, some housekeeping: I can't believe that I was remiss in announcing on this blog that your ever-lovin' Stepfather of Soul and the Electro-Phonic Brian Phillips have collaborated for the December edition of The Electro-Phonic Sound of Brian Phillips over at Rockin' Radio. Rush on over there and check out the show (via the "Now Playing" page), in which my Stepbrother of Soul and I lay down that good stuff, while it's still online!


Today I feature one of those records that doesn't even come close to representing the best side an artist has ever committed to wax, but for some reason it catches my interest anyway. "The B.B. Jones" was one of three songs B.B. King contributed to the soundtrack of the 1968 Sidney Poitier move For Love of Ivy, the other two being "You Put It on Me" and the instrumental "Messy But Good." The two vocal tracks were co-written by Quincy Jones, who produced all three tunes, and famous poet Maya Angelou, who also co-wrote "Get Myself Somebody," a groovy dancer that's a personal favorite of mine.

"The B.B. Jones" meets most of the criteria for being a good '60s soul "dance craze" record: it's got a good rhythm section working under the vocals; there's a femme chorus lending strong backup support; the lyrics talk up the new dance, both by declaring that "everybody's doin' it," regardless of whether the dance actually exists (and in this case, I strongly doubt it), and by name-checking at least one contemporary dance purportedly replaced by it (in this case, the African Twist); and said lyrics provide amazingly vague instructions as to how to do the dance ("you let your shoulders get loose like stockings on a line," King declares at one point). The record doesn't quite pull it off, though, for a few reasons: (1) King, who has stated in many interviews that dancing was something he was never good at, doesn't convincingly sell the song; (2) the verses and chorus alternate between 4/4 and a funky 3/4 meter, making the erstwhile dance record somewhat difficult to dance to; and (3) the song's repetitive chorus, based around the phrases "everybody's doin' it" and "the B.B. Jones," almost gives the impression that the record is skipping when combined with the aforementioned 3/4 meter.

Someone at ABC Records believed in the tune, however, or at least in the song's Quincy Jones-Maya Angelou pedigree, as it received two 45 pressings on the BluesWay label, both as the "A" side. Further, someone in radio believed in it as well, as it made #98 on Billboard's pop charts while missing the R&B charts altogether. (The second pressing flipped the song with "You Put It on Me," a blues more up King's alley, that made it to #25 and #82 on the R&B and pop charts, respectively.)

Having stated all of the minuses of the record, I have to admit I like it. I like the groove despite the awkwardness the shifting meter creates, probably because of the song's stripped-down arrangement, and even though B.B. doesn't effectively sell the song, he gives it enough "oomph" to make it interesting for a spin or two.

As I once noted on this blog when discussing Johnnie Taylor's "Don't You Fool With My Soul," oddball recordings like "The B.B. Jones" would probably be better received had someone else done them, but they at least give fans a chance to hear something different than the hits they all know and love.

Episode #38B Is Now Online!

Episode #38B of the "Get on Down" podcast is now online! This podcast features the usual wide range of material but also pauses to honor Albertina Walker and General Johnson, whose deaths bookended Solomon Burke's. May they rest in peace!

1. Albertina Walker & The Caravans - Certainly Lord
2. Junior Wells - It's All Soul
3. Chairmen of the Board - When Will She Tell Me She Needs Me
4. Tenison Stephens - Love Is Blind
5. James Brown - I'm Shook
6. James Brown - "Take Him to the Man" PSA
7. "Shaft" Radio Ad
8. Little Oscar - (Sing About It, Shout About) Justice
9. Chairmen of the Board - I Can't Find Myself
10. J.J. Barnes - Snow Flakes
11. Harvey Scales & The Seven Sounds - Sun Won't Come Out
12. The Salem Travelers - Wade in the Water
13. Luther Ingram Radio Ad
14. Clydie King - Direct Me
15. Robert & Ron - I Ain't Finished Yet
16. Barbara & The Uniques - What's the Use
17. Solomon Burke - I'll Never Stop Loving You (Never Ever Song)
18. General Johnson - Only Time Will Tell
19. Bobby Byrd - "Fight Against Drug Abuse" PSA
20. Richard Barbary - Get Right
21. Simtec & Wylie - Can't Break Away
22. Chairmen of the Board - I'm on My Way to a Better Place
23. The Caravans - Amazing Grace
24. The Music Makers - Spring Fever (Pt. 1)

The Solomon Burke Tribute Podcast Is Now Online!

Episode #38A of the "Get on Down" podcast, a 90-minute special, features the diverse music of the "King of Rock 'n' Soul," Solomon Burke, who passed away on October 10, 2010 at age 70. May he rest in peace!

SEGMENT ONE - Get on Down with Solomon Burke! (Pt. 1)

1. Get Out of My Life, Woman
2. Stupidity
3. Soul Meeting (The Soul Clan)
4. It's Been a Change

SEGMENT TWO - Soul Alive!

5. Medley:

a) Tonight's the Night
b) Beautiful Brown Eyes
c) It's Just a Matter of Time
d) The Women of Today (monologue)
e) Hold What You Got
f) He'll Have to Go

SEGMENT THREE - Get on Down with Solomon Burke! (Pt. 2)

6. Generation of Revelations
7. Ookie Bookie Man
8. Boo Hoo Hoo (Cra-Cra-Craya)
9. Cry to Me

SEGMENT FOUR - Solomon Country!

10. That's How I Got to Memphis
11. Sit This One Out
12. Can't Nobody Love You
13. Just Out of Reach
14. The Electronic Magnetism (That's Heavy Baby)

SEGMENT FIVE - Music to Make Love By

15. Let Me Wrap My Arms Around You
16. Over and Over (Kissing and Hugging)
17. You and Your Baby Blues
18. Dreams

SEGMENT SIX - 21st Century Solomon!

19. Send for Me
20. Nothing's Impossible
21. Don't Give Up on Me

(EDITOR'S NOTE - Episode #38B, a "normal" episode of the podcast, will be posted later this week, if time permits.)

The Stepfather of Soul Supports National Coming Out Day!

Harrison Kennedy - Closet Queen

In addition to today being Columbus Day, today is also National Coming Out Day, a day designed to promote equal treatment of homosexual, bisexual and transgender people by encouraging them and their straight allies to "come out" in favor of the cause. I stand today as an ally to the cause because in America in 2010 there's no reason to stand idly by while rampant discrimination exists on a daily basis.

Now, I'm sure some of you will say, "how can you do 'Sunday Gospel Time' posts on this blog but support gay rights?" My answer is simple: no matter what your religious beliefs are, it's impossible to condone the bullying of gay youth (even to the extent that these kids commit suicide), or to deny a gay person from making decisions regarding their partner's health care in a time of medical crisis, or to support the denial of marriage licenses to gay people when any fool can go to a courthouse or Las Vegas and get married, or even to have groups like the Westboro church showing up at military funerals to spout hatred while hiding behind their First Amendment rights. I believe that even if my religious heritage does not endorse homosexuality, I am certainly unqualified to judge others; Lord knows I've got my own problems!

Back in 2007 I featured Harrison Kennedy's "Closet Queen" on this blog, and today I'm going to "re-up" the song. To take such a pro-gay stance on a soul record in 1972 was pretty heavy, and it ensured that the song would remain strictly an album cut on Kennedy's Hypnotic Music LP. (In today's world of hip-hop braggadocio I'm sure such a message would still receive limited airplay.) The message of the song still rings true today, however, so I dedicate it to all who are participating in National Coming Out Day. Kennedy's question from the song still makes sense: "Is it the different ways we love that hurts? Or the different ways we hate?"