Tami Lynn R.I.P
Another great lost.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tami_Lynn
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Another great lost.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tami_Lynn
Ebay Results - June 2020 - All The Top Auction Results
Top 100 June auction mv items follow below, a power-house month...
Soul Record Auctions - Recent Completed Soul Auctions
William Powell Heartache Souvenirs Power-house Hear $7200.00 ended 14 Jun Hank Hodge Eye For An Eye Eye Hear $6600.00 ended 14 Jun Sealed Grand Funk Railroad We Re An American Band Ye.. $3650.00 ended 10 Jun Northern Sweet Soul - Hopkins Bros - Shake Cheri - Mag.. $3082.00 ended 29 Jun Soul - Charles Brandy - Blue Cat - Promo - Original - Hear $2120.29 ended 28 Jun Dudley Birch - She Likes To Dance 12 - Karisma Obscure.. $2025.00 ended 14 Jun Modern Soul Funk Electro - Akira Freeze - I Remember - .. $2025.00 ended 29 Jun Sam Williams Love Slipped Through My Fingers Tower Prom.. $1925.00 ended 16 Jun Devotions Do Do De Dop Nation Vg Vg Promo Hear $1825.00 ended 15 Jun Ward Burton - Sweet Temptation - Panther - Vg Mp3 $1775.00 ended 29 Jun Phase Ii 2 Follow Me Ultra Modern Soul Disco Synth Bo.. $1702.77 ended 24 Jun Very Bobby Lindsey Sugar Booger Baby Great Funk On Delt.. $1535.00 ended 09 Jun Crossover Soul Young Ladies I M Tired Of Running Around.. $1415.00 ended 16 Jun Dr Z - Three Parts To My Soul Uk Vertigo Swirl 6360 048 $1350.00 ended 07 Jun The Moments Baby I Want You Hog 1000 Super Original R.. $1302.00 ended 20 Jun Soul Ambitions Traveling Stranger Doo Wop Cross Record .. $1250.00 ended 05 Jun Mad Man Jaga Wakabout Orginal 1978 Press Insane Afrob.. $1213.36 ended 07 Jun Ultra Us Nat Hall - Why You Don T Know On Loop Origi.. $1200.00 ended 23 Jun Ritchie Adams I Can T Escape From You Congress Vg Prom.. $1180.00 ended 14 Jun Ritz Band Northern Modern Soul $1136.00 ended 07 Jun Modern Soul Funk Gospel - Birds Of Harmony - Theme - Il.. $1135.00 ended 21 Jun Crossover Soul Vivian Copeland Chaos In My Heart D Or.. $1125.00 ended 14 Jun Henry The Kasuals Funny Funny Funny B W Forever Chica.. $1026.00 ended 08 Jun Mixed Bag S First Album Mega-rare Orig 76 Jazz Funk Lp .. $1009.99 ended 03 Jun Eddie Curtis Texas Soul Style Shere Kahn Sealed F.. $1000.00 ended 05 Jun Lady Soul Lp By Aretha Franklin Vinyl Nov-2005 4 M.. $1000.00 ended 27 Jun Soul 69 By Aretha Franklin Vinyl Jul-2002 $1000.00 ended 28 Jun Jazz Funk Psych Soul Lp Stark Reality Discovers Hoagy C.. $980.00 ended 23 Jun Curtis Lee - Is She In Your Town - Mira - Mp3 $977.56 ended 29 Jun The Voltaires On Bacone Near Mint My My My Baby .. $967.89 ended 30 May Waymond Hall What Will Tomorrow Bring B W The Apollos S.. $950.00 ended 07 Jun Soul The Malibus On Unity My Love Frustration Vg $930.00 ended 01 Jun Mac Band Foxy Fatts - Do It For You 12 - Budweiser - M.. $900.00 ended 14 Jun Funk Rich Ward My Baby She S Gone Hit Hear $900.00 ended 16 Jun Invaders You Touch My Soul Reggae Waricka Mp3 $898.00 ended 08 Jun Rita Marley Wailers Play Play Play Reggae Wail N Soul.. $880.00 ended 08 Jun Futures - Let S Get To It 12 - Warped - Modern Soul Bo.. $860.00 ended 14 Jun Adams Apples - Don T Take It Out On This World - Brunsw.. $864.92 ended 26 Jun Allen Gauff Jr I Don T Want To Be Alone Mega Gospel Fun.. $825.00 ended 24 Jun Tommy Dodson One Day Love Uptown Label Rpm $811.00 ended 05 Jun Sonny Parker On Hitts 404 - Mr Romance $810.00 ended 01 Jun Sequins Try My Love Gonna Break Your Heart Detroi.. $786.67 ended 16 Jun Beatles Please Please Me 2nd Press Gold Mono Northern .. $772.25 ended 07 Jun Banny Price You Love Me Pretty Baby Soul Jewel Listen $741.00 ended 14 Jun Dale Cunningham Too Young Rockin Blues Soul Cash L.. $731.00 ended 02 Jun Modern Soul - Chosen Few Band - What It Takes To Live -.. $730.00 ended 28 Jun Mega Soul Funk Gospel - Spirit - Put Your Hands Togethe.. $734.21 ended 03 Jun Ex The Day-tons I Ve Got To Tell You About It Sweet .. $733.95 ended 19 Jun Sweet Soul Funk - Fantastic Soul Revue - Mama S Little .. $722.96 ended 29 Jun Jade In Pursuit Ultra Soul Funk Lp Private Pressing Pes.. $700.00 ended 04 Jun Prime Choice Shanell Private Miami Modern Soul Boogie F.. $698.88 ended 08 Jun Betty Chung Bang Bang Ultra Singapore Ep 7 Mini Mini.. $685.00 ended 24 Jun Pookie Hudson All The Places I Ve Been Jamie 1319 Promo.. $680.00 ended 07 Jun Charades - The Key To My Happiness - Mgm - Vg Mp3 $675.00 ended 29 Jun Oneness Watching You Version 12 Si001 Funk Soul Boo.. $670.77 ended 08 Jun Funk Boogie - T Spoon - School Dance - Oil Capital - Mp.. $655.86 ended 28 Jun Private Pleasure - Close To The Heart 12 - Uptown - Mo.. $640.00 ended 15 Jun Funk Sweet Soul - Billy Bj S - Do You Love Jesus - Sh.. $639.00 ended 21 Jun Funk Soul Gospel - Little Stevie - Moving On - Demo Ris.. $627.00 ended 22 Jun Bobby Paris I Walked Away $617.80 ended 28 Jun Soul Bros Gaylads Jackie Mittoo Sound Of Silence R.. $610.00 ended 08 Jun Sonny Parker On Hitts 404 - Mr Romance $600.00 ended 25 Jun Very Private Sweet Soul - The Third Phase - Just For Yo.. $595.66 ended 19 Jun Slang - Knock U Out 12 - Itm - Modern Soul Boogie Vg .. $593.69 ended 15 Jun Modern Soul Gospel Funk Lp - Gospel Unlimited - Gospel .. $594.71 ended 08 Jun Soul Gospel Funk - Al White The Crown Miracles - New .. $594.71 ended 18 Jun Willie Kendrick - Change Your Ways - Rca Victor - Vg Mp3 $585.75 ended 29 Jun Soul Gospel Funk - Al White The Crown Miracles - New .. $588.83 ended 11 Jun Pat The Blenders - Just Because Orig 1968 Fast Eddie $585.00 ended 12 Jun Jimmie Reed Jr I Ain T Going No Where Mercury Vg Hear $575.00 ended 14 Jun Funk - Cold Fire Of The Kashmere Stage Band - Kash Regi.. $566.00 ended 28 Jun J P Robinson You Can Be A Lady Alston Hear $565.00 ended 14 Jun Funk Boogie Charles Marcus So Fine Wine Roses Vg Hear $560.00 ended 15 Jun Dansers Inferno Creation 1 Insanely Sealed Orig 1972 La.. $559.99 ended 03 Jun Earl Connelly - Do You Know What I Mean - Maycon - Mp3 $554.44 ended 29 Jun Nos Original 1974 Magnum Fully Loaded Vinyl 12 Lp .. $530.00 ended 03 Jun Bob Marley The Wailers Feel Alright Rhythm Reggae W.. $530.00 ended 08 Jun Afro Train Ode To Hendrix Mega Monster Afro Funk Psych .. $525.00 ended 21 Jun Kenny Wells Isn T It Just A Shame New R B New Voice.. $521.77 ended 20 Jun Stormy The Devastator Mega Funk I Won T Stop To Cry H.. $520.00 ended 24 Jun Jimmy Cockran Ogbe Orch Experience Ikwu Afro Beat Funk .. $514.00 ended 21 Jun Texas Tejano Ranchera Cumbia Balada Chicano Soul Lot Of.. $510.00 ended 12 Jun 93 Singles-all Listed- All Nr Ex Mint $506.60 ended 02 Jun Ella Williams I Need Your Love Love Affair Vinyl Rpm 7.. $499.99 ended 18 Jun Marie Queenie Lyons Soul Fever Deluxe Lp Vg $496.00 ended 22 Jun Mary Mundy - Stop In The Name Love Is Gone Us Undocum.. $496.70 ended 14 Jun Gene Townsel Can T Stop A Poor Man Mr Boon Tang Rare $494.24 ended 24 Jun Gatherers Upsetters Words Of My Mouth Duke Du153 1973 .. $489.29 ended 29 Jun Howard Guyton - I Watched You Slowly Slip Away - Verve .. $480.00 ended 29 Jun Paul Anka - When We Get There - Rca Victor - Vg Mp3 $472.00 ended 29 Jun Deep Soul Acetate - Cross Jordan Six Wings - On My Wa.. $465.00 ended 21 Jun Funk Sweet Soul - Transfer - Nothing - Greenback - Vg Mp3 $464.00 ended 28 Jun The Beatles Rubber Soul Original Factory Sealed First P.. $464.00 ended 30 Jun Os Brazoes S T Orig 1969 Brazil Bossa Pysch Groove Funk.. $460.20 ended 29 Jun Lou Edwards - Talking About Poor Folk - Columbia Wd - N.. $454.70 ended 29 Jun Soul Funk Lp Mighty Ryeders-spread The Message Sun-glo .. $449.44 ended 25 Jun R B Soul 5 Royales Catch That Teardrop Abc-paramount .. $449.00 ended 15 Jun Modern Soul Disco - Mighty Clouds Of Mccollough - He S .. $449.00 ended 22 Jun Anthony Fontaine How Can I Lose Souled Out $450.99 ended 24 Jun Modern Soul Gospel Funk Lp - Gospel Unlimited - Gospel .. $447.87 ended 08 Jun
Imagine the dancefloor damage you could do with some of them in your box...
Check out our eBay tools for top ways to stay ahead of the game, tomorrows winners today...
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Funky Soul Jazz Instrumental 45 Whatitdo. 45 - Pre-order now
“Crocker Way” feels like an inner-city funk workout with punchy horns, tightly syncopated percussion, and a commanding electric piano lead. Over on the flip, “Steve’s Romp”, takes us swinging into the late night social scene with a Ramsey Lewis-esque groove, drum breaks, and irresistible handclaps. Essential new digs for the connoisseurs
You can order here :
https://lrkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/crocker-way-steves-romp
Starting in 2009, Whatitdo has been a cult fixture in the U.S. West Coast funk scene. And since solidifying their presence in Reno, NV and beyond with their critically acclaimed lo-fi debut record, "Shit's Dope" (2015), Whatitdo is finally back with a new kind of heat on LRK Records.
credits
releases September 14, 2020
Bass - Alexander Korostinsky
Guitar - Mark Sexton
Drums - Aaron Chiazza
Wurlitzer - Christopher Sexton
PRE-SALE LINK: https://lrkrecords.bandcamp.com/album/crocker-way-steves-romp
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Whatitdofunk/
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/whatitdofunk/?hl=en
You Got The Power - Cameo Parkway Northern Soul CD
Cameo Parkway was late to CD but the Northern Soul selections have been trickling onto CD/LP compilation releases legally now for a couple of decades, starting first with the 'Introduction to Northern Soul' boxset I think. Here is the first official CD dedicated entirely to the Northern Soul releases on the label I envisage, I could be wrong. In theory these are out now, but I haven't seen them anywhere and the big A lists them for September.
Although I think I've got just about everything there from other compilations, it's still worth a buy for a couple of songs. There are separate Dance Craze and Chubby Checker CDs too.
https://www.abkco.com/news-feed/cameo-parkway-compilations/
"You Got The Power: Cameo Parkway Northern Soul 1964 -1967, showcases the numerous Cameo Parkway singles that would go on to become part of the soundtrack of Britain’s Northern Soul lifestyle phenomenon. Northern Soul’s emphasis was on obscure yet danceable records, a number of which became the focus of a cult-like worship years after they were first issued, partially due to the rarity of the 45s on vinyl. Recordings by Frankie Beverly & The Butlers, Bunny Sigler, The Orlons, Evie Sands, Candy and the Kisses, Christine Cooper and Eddie Holman are highlights of the 20-track collection."
You Got The Power: Cameo Parkway Northern Soul 1964-1967
You Got The Power – The Four Exceptions
Because Of My Heart – Frankie Beverly & The Butlers
(Whoa, Whoa) I Love Him So – Nikki Blu
Girl Don’t Make Me Wait – Bunny Sigler
It’s Rough Out There – Jerry Jackson
Envy (In My Eyes) – The Orlons
Picture Me Gone – Evie Sands
Country Girl – Vickie Baines
Night Owl – Bobby Paris
Village Of Tears – Ben Zine
You Just Don’t Know (What You Do To Me) – Chubby Checker
The 81 – Candy And The Kisses
Shake And Shingaling (Pt. 1) – Gene Waiters
S.O.S. (Heart In Distress) – Christine Cooper
Eddie’s My Name – Eddie Holman
Pass Me By – Hattie Winston
The Grass (Will Sing For You) – Lonnie Youngblood
(Your Love Was Just A) False Alarm – Tari Stevens
Who Do You Think You Are – The Soul City
You Didn’t Say A Word – Yvonne Baker
Respect Trailer Out
Official Respect Trailer starring Jennifer Hudson
looking good...
Bury Virtual All-nighter goes monthly July 2020
It's now official - In line with the easing of the lock-down, after 15 weekly shows, 'The Bury Virtual All-nighter' is changing to the last Saturday of every month.
Although the radio station will be playing previous sounds played on the show 24/7 as a back-ground to your days. That, along with all the shows to be loaded up on Mixcloud as and when Simon and the team find the time to do so (Something to look forward to)
I know we're not 'out of the woods' just yet, but this show has given so many people a real positive through these very strange and worrying times - A real moment in history.
See you all out the other end one day soon 😉
Len aka @Len
Ace Records - July 2020 Crib Card
The Soul Of The Memphis Boys
60s Soul
Various Artists (Memphis Boys)
CD £11.50
Showcasing the soulful side of the brilliant American Sound Studio session group, 1967-72, directed by Chips Moman and featuring top guitarist Reggie Young.
She's All Right With Me! Girl Group Sounds USA 1961-1968
Girls
Various Artists (Girl Group Sounds USA)
LP £15.60
For those who prefer to own their music on vinyl, the latest in our gorgeously packaged series of American girl group artefacts from the 60s.
Ready Or Not - Thom Bell's Philly Soul Arrangements & Productions 1965-1978
Philadelphia Soul
Various Artists (Producer Series)
CD £12.92
Thom Bell, along with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, was part of the holy trinity of Philly soul. This is the first-ever compilation of his productions and arrangements.
My Young Misery
60s Soul
Darrow Fletcher
LP £15.60
Chicago’s 60s teen soul sensation at his very best.
Pain
Funk
The Ohio Players
LP £15.60
The first in our programme to release all three Ohio Players Westbound albums on vinyl. Gatefold sleeve.
More info, listens, purchase options and look forwards via
https://acerecords.co.uk/browse/releases
Emma Noble - No Turning Back - Out today
Emma Noble - No Turning Back
Out today on all platforms via Cosmos Music
Emma Noble’s sound is rooted in and influenced by her deep love for rare soul, funk and disco. Her passion and knowledge for this music steadily grew since moving to London 10 years ago and delving herself deep into the city’s underground soul scene.
Starting as backing vocalist for ‘New Street Adventure’ (Acid Jazz), she then went on to write with Lack of Afro (Freestyle / LOA Records) and has spent the last few years spinning records all over the UK & Europe as one half of the dynamic DJ duo Noble & Heath....but now it’s time to shine light on her solo artist career.
Noble launches with her debut solo single ‘No Turning Back’, an anthemic, soul-flavoured track about that burning desire for a positive change in life and doing something about it.
Quote from Emma Noble:
“It’s a kind of metaphor about getting yourself out of a situation where you are a bit stuck, and that moment you realise you need to act.
I guess it’s about empowerment and inspiring people who might be in a place where they feel like they aren’t getting the best from life and encouraging them to say “F*** it, I’m getting out of here now"
Rest In Peace Tony Jebb
Rest in Peace Tony 🙏 xx
Site note - due to technical reasons - please use this topic for comments
Little Johnny Jones - Feature
‘LITTLE’ JOHNNY JONES by Pete Nickols (with thanks for additional information from Mike Finbow)
A while back I listed my Top 50 all-time favourite deep-soul recordings and posted this to the Southern Soul Yahoo Group. Although my listing was intended to represent the best secular Deep Soul performances, the recording which made it to No.1 was actually something of a “cheat” on my part. It’s easy to see how important the gospel influence was to the deep-soul style but the recording at the very top of my pile is actually a genuine gospel song, cut in the soul era in the deep-soul mode and simply just SO good that I had to allow it to “cross over” since, if you were to substitute secular lyrics for its sanctified ones, it would need no other change whatsoever, so deeply soulful is the recording as it stands. The piece actually stems from 1972. The pre-disco-era early 70’s indeed saw some wonderful deep soul recordings made and, whilst some fans will always associate classic-soul with merely the 60’s, both the classic soul genre and its deep-soul sub-genre maintained a strong presence up until about 1974.
More about this very special deep-gospel recording by Jimmy Jones in due course - but first, what of the vocalist himself?
Picking the greatest male gospel voice of all time would clearly be a very subjective exercise and, with so many different styles of gospel music and so many different ranges and timbres of voices to choose from, to attempt to make such a choice is almost impossible. The great power lead voices like Ira Tucker, Clarence Fountain, Julius Cheeks, Archie Brownlee, Brother Joe May, Silas Steele and Morgan Babb have to be in the reckoning, plus there have been some great bass-baritones too like Jimmy Jones. Then there are the high-tenors - most notably perhaps the amazing Wilmer ‘Little Ax’ Broadnax – and we can’t overlook the quieter but still super-interpretive lead vocalists, notably the hugely influential Sam Cooke. However for his sheer unbeatable combination of mellifluousness, power-when-needed, shrieking on-key, ad-lib insertions, interpretiveness and emotional involvement, a very real contender for me would have to be ‘Little’ Johnny Jones.
Jones was born close to the Savannah River in Augusta, Georgia on December 8th 1930. His father, the Rev. Benny Jones, was a holiness preacher at the nearby Watts Chapel Church. Johnny’s own introduction to singing in that church came early. He recalls that when he was only 6 or 7 years of age his ‘daddy’ would have him sing to ‘warm up’ the congregation. Then his father would preach before inviting Johnny to sing again.
By the time he was 13, Johnny had joined the local Daggert brothers, Bill, Joe, Richard and Billy-James to form a gospel quartet called variously The Daggert Brothers Quartet or simply the Daggert Boys (note the term ‘quartet’ is traditionally used for all small gospel groups however many actual members they may have). Two years later (and still only 15) Johnny found himself singing second lead in the South Carolina-based quartet Andrew Johnson & The Southern Six. Much later, in about December 1955 this group would cut two sides for John Dolphin’s Los Angeles-based Hollywood label and two more would appear in early 1957 - but of course Jones was no longer connected with the group by then. While Jones was touring with the Southern Six, his talents were noted by Barney L. Parkes, manager of the the significant female gospel soloist Edna Gallmon Cooke (‘The Sweetheart Of The Potomac’), who duly recruited him to become a member of her regular backing group The Singing Sons (who later, without Jones, would evolve into the Florida Robins). It is likely that Jones was recruited to the Sons to simply support her regular personal appearances as Edna did not start to record until the Spring of 1949. The Sons themselves also first recorded in 1949 (on July 14th) but Johnny was not by then amongst their personnel.
Unlike many gospel-raised and trained vocalists, Johnny had never been shy at also utilising his great God-given voice for the ‘devil’s music’ (i.e. that of a secular variety) and in 1955, while the already highly-successful secular group The Drifters were waiting for Johnny Moore to become a permanent lead-vocalist replacement for the booze-loving Little David Baughn, Johnny was asked to sing with the group at some live performances, although he did not feature on any of their recordings.
On his return to his Augusta GA home ground in 1956 Johnny was recruited by the manager of the Swanee Quintet to initially sing second lead alongside the Rev. Ruben W. Willingham as it was felt the addition of a highish tenor voice would keep the Swanees’ sound more contemporary to the gospel needs of the day. The Swanees would become Jones’ ‘home’ for a number of years and he would sing with them on and off up until 1968 - and even return briefly in the late 70’s and for personal appearances on into the 90’s. On his first lead-vocal on his return to the group in 1977, he would cut a gospel version of Phillip Mitchell’s soul-song “Starting All Over Again” which had been a No.4 R&B and No.19 Pop hit for Mel & Tim in 1972 on Stax 0127 after being cut at Muscle Shoals Sound. On Johnny & The Swanee’s 1977 single (Creed 5239) Johnny is actually welcomed back into the group via a spoken intro to the recording.
However, back in the 50’s, his earliest appearances with the group were interrupted when he took on a similar role in the gospel fold as that which he had recently taken with the Drifters in the secular one.
In the late-summer of 1957, Sam Cooke had left the big-name gospel quartet The Soul Stirrers to begin his own solo secular career (his last recording with them was on August 19th that year), and the Stirrers were waiting for his permanent replacement Johnny Taylor to ready himself for that particular hard-to-fill role. In the event, Taylor did not record with the Stirrers until February 4th 1958 and, in the interim, with Cooke gone, Johnny (who knew Sam well from when the Swanees had been supporting the Stirrers on gospel programs) was duly recruited to sing lead on several of the Stirrers’ live performances. However, Johnny Jones did not stay with the Chicago-based Stirrers for long (although he would sing with them again in the 70’s - see later) and claims that the Windy City’s snowy winter weather did not suit his southern Georgia soul. It seems he was also missing his home-town girlfriend and so he soon returned south to resume his residence with the Swanee Quintet.
This Quintet’s roots stemmed from The Hallelujah Gospel Singers, formed in 1939 by Charlie Barnwell who, with Rufus Washington and William ‘Pee Wee’ Crawford began touring around their native Georgia and South Carolina before linking up in 1945 with James Anderson and Ruben Willingham to create the Swanee Quintet. For ten years they would feature on a local daily radio show, during which time they won the regional Golden Cup Award for seven consecutive years. In one public performance they allegedly sang in front of 18,000 people and they also appeared at New York’s prestigious Carnegie Hall in 1957 – but they did not begin their recording career until around December 1951, some six to seven years after their formation. It was then that they featured as one of the first gospel acts to record for the Nashboro label.
Nashboro Records had been formed in June of that year by Ernie Young, the owner of Ernie’s Record Mart mail-order operation, by then based at 179 Third Avenue in Nashville. After an early aborted attempt by Young to create a “hillbilly” music outlet, Nashboro quickly became his main gospel logo, while blues and R&B would later emerge on his Excello subsidiary, introduced in August 1952.
From his early days with the Swanees it seemed Jones possessed a light and airy albeit genuinely impressive tenor (clearly influenced by, but not derivative of Cooke) but it held latent power and could also effortlessly soar into the falsetto range, sometimes proving an almost startling but very successful complement to Willingham’s preaching baritone (as on the absolutely outstanding “Sleep On Mother” from 1958, the lovely lilting-paced “Lowly Jesus” from about 1959, and the pacy foot-tapper “Holy Ghost Got Me” from 1960) whilst it was also sometimes allowed full rein as a solo tenor lead-voice (as on “Over In Zion” and the self-penned “My Father’s Land” both from 1959, plus “Take The Lord With You”, “Great Change In Me”, “I Want To Move” and “Jesus Loves Me” all from about 1961/2). By the time of these slightly later Swanee tracks, over in the secular arena the classic soul era was only just beginning but on performances like “I Want To Move” Jones already used the kind of emotive melismas, shrieks and “Oh Lord” ad-lib-interjections that would become the staple fare of the deepest secular examples of soulful vocal interpretation. Even based on Jones’ earliest gospel recordings, respected gospel authority and historian Opal Louis Nations regarded him as “perhaps the finest, most delicate falsetto lead of all time” and, as Nations adds: “he possessed a unique way of effortlessly splitting one note into two”. Jones’ lyrical, soulful, smooth timbre and often – though not always - restrained singing style may have been related to his long-term denominational affiliation with the African Methodist Episcopal Church. This denomination has historically featured less-demonstrative musical rituals than, for example, the Black Baptists or the Pentecostalists.
In 1966, the Swanees supported the James Brown Revue at the famed Apollo Theatre in Harlem and from this association James and his band (with the help of Bob Holmes) produced and recorded the group on 4 tracks. Two of the tracks, the Willingham-led “That’s The Spirit” and the Jones-led “Try Me Father”, were first issued on a 45 by Syd Nathan’s Federal label (#12542) as by Rev. Willingham & His Swanees. Federal was of course also the label for which James Brown himself recorded and “Try Me Father” is simply a gospelising by Jones of Brown’s September 18th 1958-recorded secular Federal 12337 R&B hit “Try Me”. But Jones’ recording was cut some 8 years later in the middle of the classic 60’s soul era and is an outstanding example of a 60’s gospel performance which uses the then contemporary deep-soul style. It could easily have scraped into my Top 50 male Deep Soul performances of all time and it certainly “bubbled under” (to borrow an old Billboard phrase). Later, when the four Brown-related tracks were leased to Creed, the same two sides from the Federal single also saw release on a Creed 45 (#5180) and then all four would appear on the first album released by that label on the Swanees entitled “Step By Step “(Creed 3001).
In 1968, Jones was tempted by New York-based record store and label-owner Bobby Robinson to try his hand at some more secular material and two singles emerged. A tasty countrified soul style was employed on Johnny’s version of the otherwise rather hoary old tune “Tennessee Waltz” while its flip (on Fury 550) was the bouncy ”I Find No Fault (In My Baby’s Love)” which would become a favourite on the UK Northern Soul scene. “No Love As Sweet As Yours”/”Stand By Me” duly followed on Fury 553.
Jones’ gospel peers didn’t take too kindly to this secular recording adventure (especially as the record labels gave artist credit to “Johnny Jones & Swanee Quintet”) but with no commercial success attained by these 45s, Johnny’s vocal talent and considerable reputation allowed him to return to the gospel fold, albeit he now left the Swanees and formed his own Johnny Jones Singers, which also featured the three Mimms brothers, Augustus (Gus), Dennis and another Johnny. Whilst rehearsing his new group Johnny also took on work as a brick mason at Babcock and Wilcox’s Augusta facility.
Johnny and his new group cut three LPs for Creed over as many years, namely “He Walks With Me” (#3013), “Let’s Go Back To God” (#3018) and “A Long Way From Home” (#3025) and several singles for the label also saw release including our featured one from 1972, which (like some of the others) was credited solely to Jones. This superb recording. which deservedly hits my male deep-soul top-spot, is Jones’ version of his self-penned “The Name Jesus” on Creed 5209. With a suitably plodding-paced guitar riff, some gorgeous sanctified organ fills throughout and the use on backup purely on the title phrase and climactic passages of the impressive Mimms brothers, the scene is beautifully set for the totally involved, melisma-full, falsetto-utilising, super-interpretive. emotion-laden lead-vocal from Johnny Jones, by then already some 41 years of age. Jones simply hits the peak of his very considerable powers on this amazing mind- (and ear-) bending paen to the Son of God, although the all-enveloping deep-soul musical setting means this song could just have easily been directed, not at a religious deity, but to the girl of Jones’ dreams. Whilst the singer’s religious sincerity should not be doubted, you don’t have to be able to associate personally with these feelings to wallow shamelessly in the soulful intensity of the piece.
Johnny Jones - The Name Jesus - Creed
It was probably just after this recording that Johnny (ever the journeyman singer) enjoyed a second brief spell with The Soul Stirrers. It seems Stan Lewis’ Shreveport-based Jewel label had contracted the group by this time and in 1973 one side of Jewel J-210 featured a stunning version of “Stand By Me Father” with Johnny taking lead, albeit the issued 45’s label showed the title simply as “Stand By Me”. Around this same period, there were five genuinely live Soul Stirrers tracks either cut by Jewel or acquired by them but not released at the time. Johnny sang lead on a nice rendition of “That’s Heaven To Me” but also on an absolutely outstanding, intense and extremely emotive interpretation of the much-recorded gospel favourite “When The Gates Swing Open” (a song later beloved by the great gospel and soul singer Otis Clay but perhaps best-nailed in 1966 by the amazing female soloist Inez Andrews). The other Stirrers live cuts were the sermonette “Free At Last” with Martin Jacox on lead and “Wade In The Water” and “Resting Easy” which each had Martin and Johnny sharing the lead duties. These five live tracks finally emerged in 1990 on a P-Vine PLP-2171 various Jewel artists gospel compilation entitled “Downhome Gospel Live Vol.2/Too Close To Heaven” and the full group line-up on the recordings was Jones, Jacox, Jesse J Farley and Arthur and Rufus Crume.
Over time, as members of The Swanee Quintet passed away they were replaced by Augustus Mimms and also Johnny Mimms, thus effectively ending the existence of the Johnny Jones Singers, with Johnny himself, as already noted, occasionally still sharing a role at live Swanee performances with the group’s main lead voice in the 90’s (as it had then been for many years) namely that of Percy Griffin. Johnny Jones eventually passed on October 23rd 2000 in Richmond County, Augusta GA. He is buried in the local Walker Memorial Park.
A memorial appears on the Find A Grave web-site but this gives Johnny’s birth date as 1939 and therefore his age at death as 60/61. However, this does not tie in with the chronology of his musical career as summarised herein and I’m sticking to the birth date given near the start of this piece (as provided by gospel authority Opal Louis Nations in his 1995 notes to Johnny and the Johnny Jones Singers Nashboro 4535-2 CD reissue compilation “Let’s Go Back To God”). Therefore, Johnny was some six-and-a-half weeks short of his 70th birthday when he sadly passed while still a member of the local African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Greater Ward Chapel.
R.I.P. Johnny Jones
Impulse - I Really Love You b/w Get The Funk Off My Back - Kandi
Two new previously unissued tracks from the same sessions that brought you the previous release “You Changed Me” and “What’s That Sound” in 2018.
Firstly “I Really Love You" is an excellent modern soul dancer already being championed by Dj’s in the know, while “Get The Funk Off My Back” is a more funk influenced outing that would be at home in either a funk or modern soul set.
Copies available at £12.00 each plus £3.25 postage (1st recorded, UK) overseas at cost.
Again only a limited number of copies available therefore sorry only one copy per person
To reserve PM @Louise or E-mail: david.welding@blueyonder.co.uk
The Groups History:
Impulse were (and are still in the main) a group of Milwaukee, Wisconsin musicians who during the 1970’s worked as the backing and touring band for another Milwaukee group The Quadraphonics , who during 1974, recorded a solitary 45 single “Betcha If You Check It Out/Prove My Love To You” for the Carl Davis/E. Rodney Jones owned Innovation II Record label. The Quadraphonics 45 would also land a subsequent national distribution on the major Warner Brothers label. The original members of Impulse were Michael Reese (Rhodes Piano and background vocals), Cedrick Rupert (Lead and Rhythm guitar), Jeffrey Williamson (Drums and background vocals) and Robin Gregory (Bass and background vocals).The band would later be joined by John Gee as their lead singer and fellow songwriter. John Gee had begun performing secular music in the late 60’s with another Milwaukee oufit, The Chefs, as their original lead singer from 1967 through to his departure in 1972. His replacement was Michael Moncrete who featured as the group’s lead on their desirable 1974 funk outing “Mr Machine” released on their own Pro-Gress Label. John Gee’s solo artist credits can be found on the 1980 release “Not Enough Love Makin’/You Are That Man (Why Don’t You Be That Man” on the Oakland C.A Pashlo label (Although recorded in Milwaukee). Followed by the 1985 modern soul dance floor favourite “So Good To Me/Just Get On” recorded under the artist name of Jon Pierre Gee on his own Kandi Inc, record label, as a 45/12” single and cd album project. Later projects included the 1995 Jon Pierre Gee & Touch album (featuring legendary rock drummer Anysley Dunbar (renowned for his work wth John Mayall, Frank Zappa, Whitesnake and Journey). Jon returned again in 2005, with the Ah’vant Soul cd album project,which featuring some of the former members of Impulse and Jon’s business and personal partner, Kat Webb. Jon also at one point sang with original drummer Billy “Stixs” Nicks version of the Jr. Walker’s All- Star Band.
Returning to 1976 the musicians of Impulse migrated to Oakland California where they hooked up with a fellow Brewtown producer and recording artist, one Harvey Scales. Scales himself in 1976, through his earlier local hit “Glamour Girl” (recorded for the local Sauk City, Cuca Label) and a string of recordings for Lenny Lacour’s Magic Touch label. Of which “Get Down” had bought him both National and International attention after being picked up Atlantic Records was at the height of his powers. Further enhance by the success of Johnnie Taylors Columbia Records platinum hit “Disco Lady” a song Scales co-wrote.
Under the auspice of Scales, Impulse recorded the self titled debut album project at Wally Heider’s Studio in San Francisco. The album was initially a proposed release for the Casablanca label which never materialised, a further offer from Jerry “The Ice Man” Butler to release the album on his newly formed Chicago label, Fountain Records also failed to materialise, leaving the album unreleased, It is from the surviving master tapes of these sessions that the above two tracks “I Really Love You/Get The Funk Off My Back” have been taken for the release of Impulse’s second 45 outing.
Throughout all the above mentioned projects Jon has used and enjoyed performing with the original members of Impulse, as both musicians and co songwriters. They still from time to time perform together today (2020). With the exception of drummer Jeffrey Williamson who passed away during 2015, his replacement being Coley Jackson. Lead and Rhythm guitarist Cedrick Rupert who in the very late 70’s left the group to follow his heart and married a girl from Lake Charles, Louisiana, his home with the exception of a brief period of residing in Florida, until his recent passing in 2020. His replacements in Impulse included Joe Chatman and later Rudy Jacobs the original lead guitarist with Harvey Scales & The 7 Sounds.
Words By David Welding.
With Acknowledgements to Jon Pierre Gee.
Soul Voices - 60s Big Ballads - Kent Records
Details follow of a great new Kent Records release titled Soul Voices, 60s Big Ballads is the tag line and it most certainly lives up to that tag.
Out right now on Cd, and also available via a mp3 sampler format, via both download and streaming services. A powerful and dramatic collection that demands to be played loud.
Release Notes Preview
Majestic male vocalists singing over subtly orchestrated arrangements of superb songs were the pinnacle of 1960s black music sophistication.
Male soul balladeers from the 60s have always been particularly admired. Roy Hamilton, Walter Jackson, Lou Johnson and Ben E King – some of the A-listers featured here – epitomise the genre and have devoted followers. This grand sound evolved from the first soul records which emanated in the early 60s mainly in New York, where three quarters of the tracks here were recorded.
Four are previously unissued. Kenny Carter’s ‘Big Bad Rain’ is a superb Larry Banks and Herman Kelley song, stunningly arranged by New York studio maestro Garry Sherman. Clarence Pinckney is lesser-known but delivers the Billy Terrell song ‘Just Outside Of Lonely’ with aplomb. Prolific recording artists Junior Lewis and Billy Watkins both add a new song to their already impressive CVs. Lewis’ recording is a demo of the tender Buddy Lucas song ‘I Love You So Much’ which was never covered for a release. Its sparse backing seems appropriate to the song, especially next to Jimmy Radcliffe’s ‘Through A Long And Sleepless Night’, which has a minimal arrangement but made it to 45. Billy Watkins sang in most soul styles in a 20-year Los Angeles recording career. His reading of the jazz standard ‘I Want To Be Loved’ was clearly Sam Cooke-inspired and reeks of sophistication.
Also available as Soul Voices - 60s Big Ballads (Sampler) (MP3), MP3 (£4.74)
Full release notes and more via https://acerecords.co.uk/soul-voices-60s-big-ballads
Audio Previews
Leaflet Scans
Tracks
1. Forget The Girl - Walter Jackson
2. They Say I'm Afraid - Freddy Butler
3. Heartache (Hurry On By) - Roy Hamilton
4. Big Bad Rain - Kenny Carter
5. (There's) No Place To Hide - Ben E King
6. Lonely People Can't Afford To Cry - Clyde McPhatter
7. Gloomy Day - Herb Johnson
8. Just Outside Of Lonely - Clarence Pinckney
9. Seeing Is Believing - Tony Mason
10. Don't Make Me Over - Tommy Hunt
11. Reach Out For Me - Lou Johnson
12. Now You Are Gone - Brooks O'Dell
13. You Got Too Much Going For You - Jimmy Beaumont
14. A Day Or Two - Garrett Saunders
15. Where Does Love Go - Freddie Scott
16. I Can't Stand To See You Cry - Chuck Jackson
17. Anytime You Want Me - Garnet Mimms
18. Can't Stand No Fooling Around - Gene Burks
19. I Want To Be Loved - Billy Watkins
20. Lover's Competition - James Carr
21. You're A Lucky So And So - Sammy Sevens
22. Good For A Lifetime - Al Hibbler
23. Through A Long And Sleepless Night - Jimmy Radcliffe
24. I Love You So Much - Junior Lewis
https://acerecords.co.uk/soul-voices-60s-big-ballads
Bootsy Collins interview
Bootsy Collins: 'We're all funky, just not all of us know it'
Details below...
The P-Funk bassist was a street kid in the 60s, got his break with James Brown, then spent much of the 70s taking LSD. He talks about drugs, racism, police brutality – and the healing power of music
Bootsy Collins: ‘Funk just brings people together. It doesn’t have nothing to do with colour.’
At the age of 17, William “Bootsy” Collins packed up his homemade bass guitar and left home to tour the world with James Brown. He was heading off in pursuit of the funk. Or, as he calls it now – aged 68, in his high-pitched rasp down the phone from Cincinnati, Ohio – “the fonk”.
Full piece via
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/jun/15/bootsy-collins-were-all-funky-just-not-all-of-us-know-it
Photo By MikaV
Bootsy Collins’s Stars is out now; all proceeds from the streams and downloads go to the MusiCares Covid-19 relief fund
Stuart Cosgrove - Apologies alone are not enough to atone for racism
An interesting article from Stuart Cosgrove shows up on The National newspaper website. Known to many on here as the author of such books as Detroit67, Memphis68, Young Soul Rebels and more, the author passes on his take on the current mainstream media's reaction to the killing of George Floyd.
It was inevitable that George Floyd’s killing would reverberate arounds the media and lead to an outpouring of self-recrimination. We had seen the script before in the aftermath of the Harvey Weinstein trial. Film and television are by their nature sensitive and often self-obsessed industries, but they are also made up of creative people working away on the imprecise role of being a motherboard of national taste and tolerance....
Full article via
https://www.thenational.scot/news/18516110.stuart-cosgrove-apologies-alone-not-enough-atone-racism/
Darrell Banks - It's Not Fair To Me - Cannonball Records 45
Previously unissued from Darrell Banks
'It's Not Fair To Me'
The Lost Atlantic Recording Sessions New York 12/26/1967
Acetate Studio Demo Restored/Remastered + 2020 Version + Instrumental
3 tracks 7”/45rpm - Core Black Vinyl - Picture Sleeve
Out End of July 2020
Although we are beyond 40 releases across the 3 labels, here we are at the milestone of #30 on our main outfit Cannonball Records. We just wanted to celebrate it with one special release. The cooperation between our label and Detroit’s finest Peoples Records dates back to our #004 Big Lee Dowell. The slow ballad on acetate that later became the record many of you know as “What I Done Wrong” in fact was among the tens of listenings me and Brad had on a sleepless winter night of 5 years ago in Detroit. We have been doing projects together ever since. Now it’s the case of this beautiful previously unissued recording that was part of a session Mr. Banks did on Boxing Day of 1967 at the legendary Atlantic Studios in New York. In particular 2 of the songs recorded on that day went lost for decades. Here we present one of them, trying to give it the deserved justice. No one know how the acetate made it there, but it was found and phisically restored by Brad in Detroit and being such an important find for the world of Soul we eventually managed to track down and inform Darrell’s’ sister Lois, who rounded up what remains of the family and gave us the green light to the project. We are testing the beta version of this new little software that does wonders when it comes to isolate vocals and, given the bouncing nature of the original song, we just thought a humble groovy alternate version would have been just perfect for the flipside.
So we did. Being the man a treasured icon of the Northern Soul scene there’s plenty of bibliography out there that tells about this incredible Artist, who was moody and quick tempered although an overall mighty entertainer, so there’s no point in resuming here once again his life and career background. We are all going through difficult times and many of the historical racial issues that dominated the world at the times of Darrell Banks are not yet solved. In these sad sad times for the human race we are just proud to release a previously unissued song from yet another black man shot to death by a cop in the streets of Detroit on a spring day of 1970. Black Lives Matter. Always did and always will. #blacklivesmatter
CBLL30 Darrell Banks "It's Not Fair To Me"
3 tracks 7" / 45rpm
Out End of July 2020
Preorders
https://www.cannonballsoul.com
Northern Soul Calendar 2021 - Early Bird Offer
NORTHERN SOUL CALENDAR 2021
Pre-order - Special Early Bird Offer only £9.99 plus p&p available from March to August. Regular price of £12.99 plus p&p from September onwards.
...make a date with Northern Soul
PERFECT FOR A WALL NEAR YOU!
OVER 400 HISTORIC DATES
CURATED BY RICHARD SEARLING
This unique full-size (600mm x 300mm), full-colour, wall calendar is a collectable guide through 2021 featuring month-by-month information with over 400 key birthdays of the legends of Northern Soul, Modern Soul and Motown, plus other historic dates from the timeline of this incredible scene!
https://northernsoulhistory.ecwid.com/Northern-Soul-Calendar-2021-EARLY-BIRD-OFFER-p139554770
Top 10 Mixcloud Northern Soul Trending Chart June 2020
Richard Searling's Va-Va All-Nighter special, 6.6.2020
by Richard Searling spurs1961
2,220
"Rare, And Well Done" 7.6.2020
by Richard Searling spurs1961
1,238
"A Cellar Full Of Soul" 7.6.2020
by Richard Searling spurs1961
906
04.06.20 Eddie Piller's Eclectic Soul Show* #lockdownlive
Totally Wired Radio
816
THE PETE SMITH NORTHERN SOUL SHOW 2020 # 44 – “JOHNNY ON THE SPOT”
Pete Smith (Planet Records)
715
soulsville floor fillers 6th june 2020
by Harry Grundy
428
SPACEJUNK EPISODE 13
by SPACEJUNK radio
366
Dean Anderson's Sound Of Soul ™ 4th June 2020 My Life in 10 Lockdown Specials
by The Sound Of Soul ™ Radio Show
245
RECORD ROULETTE CLUB #112
DANIEL J HENRY
158
Northern Soul Selection Delite Radio 06/06/2020
by Craig Hannington
285
There you go, just a quick grab of what's currently trending Northern show wise on Mixcloud, you can catch the full list here
https://www.mixcloud.com/discover/northern-soul/gbr/
A fair representation of all things northern mixcloud wise?
Let us know...
Timmy Willis Feature
Information about soul vocalist Timmy Willis has always been sketchy but the singer’s “Easy As Saying 1-2-3” is such a monumental slab of deep-soul that I thought a little digging was in order. Of course, the Northern fraternity will doubtless prefer his “Mr Soul Satisfaction” and that’s their prerogative for it’s certainly a fine uptempo stomper.
Timmy was born Henry Lee Sapp in or close to Columbus Ohio (date unknown but probably circa 1947/8). In 1966 the would-be vocalist encountered Eugene and Walter McMahan at the local Preview Lounge, the McMahans being teenage musicians from a large local family (they apparently had 13 other siblings!) who had already managed to secure for themselves a residency at the Lounge. The three guys all soon hooked up, Sapp perhaps wisely changing his moniker to Timmy Willis while his back-up friends were already known as the Show Pushers.
Managed by Roy Hoover, Timmy Willis & the Show Pushers soon made it to Detroit, where, in 1967, they made contact with the local well-respected drummer, arranger and producer George McGregor. McGregor’s interest in music had begun in his early teens at Hutchins Junior High School on the west side of Detroit, where his fellow pupils apparently included Popcorn Wylie, Barrett Strong, Smokey Robinson and Aretha Franklin.
George McGregor says that he cut Timmy Willis’ first recording of the potent "Mr Soul Satisfaction" in Muscle Shoals at his own cost, chiefly to get that southern-soul-horns sound on it. Some say the rhythm section sounds more like a Detroit crew so I guess it’s possible that just the horns were added in the Shoals but this isn’t what George says. Anyway, it’s certainly a great dance record and it would be coupled on a 45 with the plodding and rather gloomy McGregor song “I’m Wondering”. George would take the finished master of “Mr Soul Satisfaction” to Sidra and do a deal with them for it. They duly released it on Sidra 9013 in November 1967 and subsequently licenced it to Veep whose version (#1279) was released in January 1968. The success of this 45 (it made No.39 on the R&B chart and bubbled under the Pop one at No.120) was the reason that George was awarded a position as Sidra’s A&R director.
Timmy Willis -Mr Soul Satisfaction
George knew of the Sidra group called The Precisions from when they were on the D-Town label but he had not yet joined Sidra when their "Such Misery"(arranged by Dale Warren) was released in 1966 on the Sidra subsidiary Drew (#101). Once he himself took charge of producing the group, George decided to base its sound around Billy Prince as lead vocalist and co-wrote "Why Girl" to capture the sound he envisaged. At the time copies of "Sugar Ain't Sweet" c/w "What I Want" had been pressed as promos for the second Drew single by The Precisions but the discs were ‘off-centre’. So, rather than re-master them, George took the chance to get rid of "Sugar Ain't Sweet" which had been put together by Dale Warren as the A side of the single and replace it with "Why Girl". I imagine any spare copies of "Sugar Ain't Sweet" were junked and this is why they are so rare.
Strangely, in another quote (from an interview of George by Soul Source’s Rob Moss), McGregor says “we did 'Such Misery' on Timmy Willis first but then decided to put it out on the Precisions to kinda launch them”. However, if he arrived at Sidra after the Precisions first Drew 45 of the song had been cut he could hardly have been that involved, albeit in yet another quote (this time from his sleeve-notes to a Precisions Outta Sight CD) he says “the first version recorded of ‘Such Misery’ was tried using Paul Merritt (so apparently not Timmy Willis) on lead vocals. He left the group shortly afterwards and his version was not used for the first Drew 45.” The Merritt version was the one much later released on a Joe Boy single, wrongly credited to Timmy Willis due to duff information. This UK single was a year 2000 one-sided commemorative release on JBA-007V3 relating to the Northern Soul nights held at the Lea Hall Social Club in Rugeley in the UK, a long-time local facility, originally opened to serve the area’s coal-mining community.
Joe Boy was a UK indy label run by graphics designer Glenn Gunton, who sometimes used the name ‘Joe Boy’ as his own alias, and who would go on to become a director of the aforementioned Outta Sight Records, along with long-time Northern Soul guru Tim Brown. In 2010, Outta Sight would release “The Sound Of Sidra” CD (OSCD 011) which included Willis’ “Mr Soul Satisfaction” and three Precisions tracks – and later they would release the Precisions CD compilation referred to in the previous paragraph.
McGregor explained to Rob Moss that “Sidra was owned by two white guys, Ray Jackson and Joe Casey, and a black guy Joe Brown. Joe Casey's kids recorded for us. They were called Ronnie and Robyn. Sidra gave me a chance to recruit artists, write and produce, so I got right to it. We had the Precisions, Barbara Mercer, and Timmy Willis and I used Mike Terry to arrange. Our tactics were to see what kinda thing Motown were putting out on the Tempts and then do the opposite with the Precisions – if they put a ballad out we would put something out up-tempo. If they put out something funkier, we would put something smooth out, and it was working. It was driving them crazy over there. Paul Williams and Otis (Williams) of the Tempts told me this themselves. On the third release we kinda got hijacked 'cause Mike Valvano and Charlie Basaline came in and convinced Sidra’s owners to cut one of their songs, 'If This Is Love (I'd Rather Be Lonely)' on the Precisions. It should never have been released as the A side – we should have gone with 'You'll Soon Be Gone'. We lost momentum. I was told later that Motown had paid Mike and Charlie $10,000 to go over to us to wreck the system, by putting their song out on them. The Precisions were as good as the Tempts and should have been a lot bigger than they were. In the end, there was a lot of politicking that destroyed us (Sidra) – I guess that's what Motown wanted.”
Anyway, back in the late 60’s, buoyed by having a modest hit with Timmy’s first 1967 outing, Veep duly put out two more Willis sides in July 1968, this time clearly cut in Detroit, namely “Gotta Get Back To Georgia” and “Don’t Let Temptation (Come Between You And Me)” on Veep 1288, both co-penned by long-time producer (and husband of Kim Tolliver) Fred Briggs and the aforementioned Mike Valvano. The “B” side was a stunning piece of emotional slow-to-mid-paced soul with Willis singing powerfully and impressively, whilst “...Georgia” was a driving piece of swampy funk, again with Willis performing really strongly, albeit things get a tad messy mid-track when he ‘fights’ vocally with the could-be-better girl back-up singers and the tune loses a bit of direction until it returns to its strong main groove. Sadly, though, this 45 failed to chart.
Interestingly, in a August 17th 1968 special Billboard World Of Soul edition, Timmy Willis’ personal manager is listed as Sidra co-owner Ray Jackson with his booking agent shown as Phil Walden, who was of course more usually associated with southern-based singers. However, Timmy stuck with George McGregor as a producer with further writing ventures and recordings duly resulting. George again takes up the story, explaining how he recorded stuff with a view to leasing it to the national labels:
“If I produced a session I usually would not play drums on it 'cause I couldn't see the big picture and might miss something on the recording. At that time, we would cut the session first and then shop it to different companies later. If I came up with songs, I would assemble the musicians on the understanding that if I got a deal they would get a share of it. We had a real tight bond and trusted each other, so there was a lot of honesty amongst us. We supported each other. I would usually go to New York to get a deal 'cause that was the closest and best place to get to the record companies. I got a deal for Tobi Lark at Cotillion (as Toby Lark in 1969 she cut the old Joe Morris-penned standard “Shake A Hand” and McGregor and Mike Valvano’s “Twenty Four Hours”, both sides produced by McGregor, Valvano and King Curtis on Cotillion 44025); Gwen Owens at Jubilee (actually at Josie, the Jubilee subsidiary, Timmy Willis and McGregor co-penning her Josie 1009 August 1969 No.40 R&B hit “Keep On Living”); Rena Scott at Epic (“I Finally Found The Love” and “Testify”, coupled on 1972’s Epic 5-10864, were both produced by George who also solely penned the ‘A’ side and co-penned the ‘B’ side); Almeta Latimore (real name Hattie Almeda Latimer) at De-Vel (“La La” on De-Vel ZS7 6754 from 1973) but we went down to Memphis to record that one 'cause I wanted a different sound. We went to Stax. She was a good writer and had a hell of a voice; Bettye Lavette at Epic (Epic 50143 from 1975 saw one side, “Thank You For Loving Me” penned and produced by George while #50177 from the same year saw one side produced by George and Ron Dunbar, namely Kenny O’Dell’s country-song most associated with Charlie Rich, “Behind Closed Doors”); and Ruby Andrews at ABC (George co-penned and produced 4 of the 9 tracks on Ruby’s 1977 Detroit-recorded album “Genuine Ruby” # AB-1002 having also co-penned and produced her earlier 1976 ABC 12215 single side “I Got A Bone To Pick With You”. From the album, George’s “Queen Of The Disco” also saw 45 release for Ruby in 1977 on ABC 12257 and the same year his “Cinderfella” also made it to the ‘B’ side of Ruby’s ABC single #12286).
But back in the late 60’s, it was McGregor’s connection with Jerry Blaine’s New York label Jubilee that would provide the outlet for Timmy Willis’ own next two 45s. In May 1969 Jubilee put out “I Finally Found A Woman” (#5660), a self-penned, high octane, drum-propelled dancer complete with Pickett-esque screams, the side hitting No.44 on the R&B chart coupled with the pretty impressive country-soul styled mid-pacer “Neveruary” (a track co-penned by Willis and McGregor). Then, in January of the following year, the ultra-deep and absolutely top-drawer piece of emotional soul “Easy As Saying 1-2-3” (#5690) was released and made No.46 on the same chart, coupled with the strutting, powerfully-delivered “I’m A Man”, both these sides being solely penned by Willis.
Timmy Willis - Easy As saying 123
“Easy As Saying 1-2-3” made No.4 in my all-time Male Deep Soul Top 50 and is much-revered by deep fans, not the least of whom was the late, great Deep Soul guru Dave Godin, whose description of the track in his notes to UK Kent’s 1997 CD release “Deep Soul Treasures Volume 1” (CDKEND 143) sums it up perfectly: “ A superb deep church organ opens with a few sparse chords that are soon joined by a sharp and cutting guitar - and Timmy Willis’ exquisitely sweet, light yet rasping tenor declaims the lyrics with an intense and magical conviction. Obviously under the spell of the winning musical formula of the late Otis Redding, Timmy’s voice is actually much more pure and assured. Stunning brass work...cascades across the vocal patterns in an almost independently-minded way and the end result is an outstanding Deep Soul classic....and in order to ease the emotional pain that this presents you with, what do you have to do? Why, spin it again...and again...and again.”
Now, looking at the labels of Timmy’s two Jubilee 45s all one sees is reference to them being Gee-Mac Productions (i.e. George McGregor) with the publishing chiefly in the hands of Jerry Blaine’s Jubilant company. Therefore at first glance they appear to be no more than George McGregor-produced Detroit sides leased out to a New York label for national distribution. However, well-informed southern soul fans, including John ‘Sir Shambling’ Ridley and UK Ace/ Kent regular compiler and annotator Tony Rounce have long been convinced that these sides were cut in Muscle Shoals, with Ridley certain the players on the session(s) were Eddie Hinton, Barry Becket, David Hood and Roger Hawkins. To my ears, “Neveruary” has the most obvious Shoals area sound of all of these fine recordings, a cut which aurally just couldn’t have stemmed from any Detroit studio of the time.
Rounce also suggests that Willis’ second 45 from 1970 could have been cut in the Shoals a year or two earlier than its release date. Now, Willis’ first Jubilee 45 saw release (as already noted) in May 1969 and I personally think both of these sides plus both of those on the second Jubilee release were probably all cut at one and the same Shoals-based session as it seems unlikely to me that George McGregor would send Timmy – a singer with only one small hit under his belt at that time – all the way down to Alabama on two quite separate occasions. It is surely more likely that four or more tracks were cut at this session, four of these seeing release on the two subsequent Jubilee 45s.
However, the next question is - where in the Shoals would such a session have been held? Well, most people would look at the personnel allegedly present (as stated by Ridley) and plump immediately for Muscle Shoals Sound – but that studio had only been opened by the guys soon to be known as The Swampers on April 1st 1969 (this date is confirmed on Page 14 of Section 8 of the MSS entry to the US National Register Of Historic Places, the first time I have found such confirmation as no researchers seem to have suggested a single date before). Of course, April always seemed likely to be the month the studio opened as the first noted visitor to record there was Cher, brought down to Alabama to cut her first solo album at a session commencing on April 21st by Jerry Wexler, who had a major interest in the studio, wanting to retain access to the same Shoals musicians he had recently been using at Fame and having therefore paid towards the cost of its new 8 track system, Atlantic’s engineer-supremo Tom Dowd having first ensured that the proposed MSS set-up would be fully compatible with Atlantic’s own system back in New York.
So if Willis’ first Jubilee 45 was already on the market by May of that year, it is clear that the two tracks on it must have been cut in April or earlier and therefore, whilst they indeed could have been very early products of the new MSS studio, I can now confirm (I believe for the very first time anywhere) that they were not - and that in fact these tracks (and most likely Willis’ other two Jubilee sides, including “Easy As Saying 1-2-3”) were cut at Fame on March 14th 1969, with Eddie Hinton on guitar and David Hood on bass and with almost certainly Barry Becket on organ and Roger Hawkins on drums, as correctly surmised by John Ridley. This confirmation comes from David Hood himself who kept session dates in a book and has come up with this one, albeit from the hundreds of sessions in which he featured he cannot personally recall the occasion. He agrees from hearing MP3s of the tracks that it certainly appears to be Eddie Hinton on guitar - and long-term No.1 Eddie Hinton expert and Zane CD compiler/producer/owner Peter Thompson (who has released all those wonderful Hinton demos on his label and who also kindly contacted David Hood for me) similarly agrees this has to be Hinton.
The one surprising thing is that in his interview with Rob Moss and in his self-penned notes to the Outta Sight CD, George McGregor never once mentions going down to the Shoals in ’69 to cut these particular sides and, seeing as he claims he had done just that somewhat earlier to record Timmy on “Mr Soul Satisfaction”, it seems very odd that he would not mention returning there at this later date.
Anyway, three months after Willis’ “Easy As Saying 1-2-3” left the charts, Jerry Blaine would retire from the record business, selling Jubilee to a company called Viewlex - but as Timmy’s Jubilee outings had only been leases, this didn’t stop the singer hoping for more success, perhaps with other ‘national’ labels with which McGregor already had connections. However, this prospect seems to have come to nothing at this time and Timmy’s Detroit connections were soon more or less severed in 1971 when he returned to his native Columbus, Ohio to rejoin what was essentially an enlarged version of the Show Pushers.
Eugene and Walter McMahan had most likely returned to Columbus from Detroit somewhat earlier, after it had become apparent that their services were no longer required in respect of Willis’ recordings with McGregor; but two of their younger siblings, Jerry and Ronnie, along with three of that pair’s classmates (Ron Johnson, D. C. Collins, and Cornell McLeary) had all got together to form the strangely-and-somewhat-psychedelically-named group the Suspicious Can Openers. On Timmy’s return to Columbus he duly joined this group as their main vocalist, his manager Roy Hoover and Eddy Parker forming a production team, named Mo-Soul Productions. By now this group was a full horn-funk ensemble and it duly recorded a couple of instrumentals, namely the tense funker "Fever In Your Hot Pants", penned by Parker and Willis and the slow "Tuesday In the Rain", penned just by Parker, which was actually a backing track designed for an unreleased vocal, possibly by Willis. This instrumental 45 appeared in 1971 on Mo-Soul 111123, having been recorded at Columbus’ Magnetic Studio.
Around this time a photo appeared of the group:
With six guys in the photo it seems clear that Willis was included in it along with the two McMahan brothers and their three pals and, as he was the featured vocalist and the guy now with three hit records to his name, it seems likely he is the person centrally seated in the contrasting predominantly white outfit. No solo photo of Willis is known to exist in the public domain so this may be all we have - but of course the guys in the photo are not actually named at all let alone by their positions in it - and so we can’t be 100 per cent certain that Willis actually is the guy sitting in the middle.
It’s interesting to note from the sticker attached to the photo that the group’s agency for personal appearances in the early 70’s was based not in Ohio but in Pauline, Kansas and during this period the group regularly played club venues both in their local region and also more widely in the mid-west.
There is another photo of the group, probably taken somewhat later in view of the even bigger Afros and the ‘flares’ being worn, which can be found in the Black History section of the Pinterest web-site. This though is somewhat blurry, albeit 6 guys still feature so Timmy may well be in there somewhere!
Apparently the Can Openers finally disbanded in 1974. However, in that same year, Mo-Soul released another 45, this time by a certain Vikki Kenyatta (with Linda Davis) on Mo-Soul 481-28. This was a vocal version of "Tuesday In The Rain", apparently using the same instrumental recording that had been released by the Suspicious Can Openers. It's possible that the vocal had also been recorded earlier, although whether it is the one that was originally intended to compliment the Can Opener’s backing track is uncertain.
The B side was again a purely instrumental version of “Tuesday In The Rain” apparently credited this time simply to the Mo-Soul Band. According to the Discogs web-site, The Mo-Soul team would next release a 45 on their Kandun label. It seems unlikely that any of the Can Openers were involved as apparently the label credit is simply awarded to the Jupiter's Release Band and, in any event, the Can Openers had probably already disbanded by the time of this recording. The 45rpm records web-site’s list of Ohio label releases includes one further Kandun 102689/102690 release from 1977 by a certain Butch Johnson, which coupled “Everlasting Life (Everlasting Love)” with “Smooth Dancin’”.
During his early 70’s spell with the Can Openers, in 1972 Timmy Willis also managed to secure what would turn out to be his final solo recording session, over on the West Coast and it seems he toured again as a solo act for a while after this release. The 45 on Epic 10934 coupled “Give Me A Little Sign” with “Don’t Want To Set Me Free” and was released in November 1972. Despite a Radio Action and Pick Single reference in the December 23rd edition of Billboard, the 45 never made it to the charts and, frankly, wasn’t quite in the league of his best earlier work. The record was produced by Marlin McNichols and Melvin ‘Wah Wah’ Watson (real name Melvin Ragin and best known as a fine Motown Funk Brothers guitarist) and these two guys got co-writer credits on both tracks along with Willis himself. The sparse staccato funk of “Don’t Want To Set Me Free” is well above average for this genre and the ‘A’ side “Give Me A Little Sign” is a stop-go ballad with a well constructed hook, Timmy certainly giving it the full treatment, especially at the climax when he really cuts loose.
To my knowledge no further information about Timmy’s activities after the mid-70s has ever surfaced but if anyone knows different please help complete the Timmy Willis story.
Peter Nickols
Joe Valentine Feature
When it comes to recording top-drawer ultra-emotive deep-soul, only a few exponents have managed to produce more than one supreme example in their recording careers and even the very few, like James Carr for example, who managed to produce several, usually released quite a large number of soul sides in total throughout the classic-soul era from which those few deep gems emerged. However, when we consider that, even including unreleased items at the time, Joe Valentine only put down some 14 tracks in the early-soul era between 1960 and 1968 and yet still managed to produce three stone deep classic performances (all of these actually recorded in the two-year period 1967 to 1968), this clearly says a lot about the man’s impressive voice and its ability back then to be intensely emotive.
What’s more, Joe wrote all his own material – no external writers renowned for their ability to create such emotional soul (like Dan Penn, George Soule or George Jackson for example) were involved – and all of Joe’s deep-soul gems were originally cut for his own Val label out of Austin, Texas.
Joe Valentine (Joseph F. Valentine), recording artist, musician, song-writer and club-owner was born on February 3rd 1937, the eldest son of his like-named father Joseph F. and mother Myrtle K. Valentine of Reserve, Louisiana, a community situated some thirty miles north-west of New Orleans on the east bank of the mighty Mississippi. Joe was born into a musical family with a history that dated back many years. His grandfather, Peter Valentine, played trumpet with a Dixieland band and his uncle, Kid Valentine (1896 to 1987) was known as Kid Thomas and became a significant jazz figure, his band playing regularly at Preservation Hall in New Orleans from the 60’s to the 80’s. Kid also toured Russia and other parts of Europe playing clubs and festivals. During the 60’s he recorded widely for the Jazz Crusade label both with his own band and with Big Bill Bissonnette’s Easy Riders Jazz Band. Kid would make more than twenty tours with the Easy Riders to the US North-East.
By the age of 5 Joe was singing and playing piano in kindergarten and, while he was still in short pants, his mother Myrtle secretly stole her husband’s stocks and bonds – which she later duly replaced – to buy him a piano. Keyboards would remain his main instrument but he became a genuine multi-instrumentalist, being particularly adept on the saxophone.
Joe began his professional career at age 14, as a featured vocalist with the Mitchell Lennox Rhythm Swing Band and was soon signed to Percy Stovall’s Continental Music Attractions.
Stovall had run the Hurricane night spot in New Orleans in the 40’s and became a local promoter who also ran his own band, a band Crescent City soul-man, Raceland, Louisiana-born Willie West would later use when he opened shows in the area both for Otis Redding and Mary Wells. William Bell recalled Stovall fondly when he said: “New Orleans was the first city in which ‘You Don’t Miss Your Water’ went to No.1 and a promoter down there named Percy Stovall called me and said ‘I can do 10 dates on you from Pascagoula all the way to Opelousas’. I told him ‘Fine, just set ‘em up’.”
Meanwhile the young Joe apparently supported an also young Ray Charles at one point and it wouldn’t be too long before he would form his own band, the first incarnation of Joe Valentine & The Imperials.
When still only about 18 years of age, Joe moved to Baton Rouge and would spend the next 10 years there as a regular attraction at West Baton Rouge’s Carousel Club.
He cut what is generally regarded as his first record, ”I Still Love You”/ “Young Lover” in circa 1960 for Merit Records (#1002). It is usually said that Joe was still only 16 when he made his first recording but, if the Merit sides were indeed his first songs on wax, then he was actually much older, closer indeed to 22 years of age at that time. He would go on to cut further singles through 1963/4 on Rachan 311 (“She’s Gone Again”/”Coming On Home” – reissued on Athens 209) and on Doug 849 (“Sweeter Than Sugar (And Twice As Nice)”/”Let It Be Love”). Of these sides, “She’s Gone Again” was a very good early piece of mournful deep-soul but not quite in the same league as Joe’s three deep winners yet to emerge later in the decade.
The Rachan label was out of Winston-Salem, North Carolina (the very next single to Joe’s release, The Ascots with Bob Davidson’s “Have Gun (Will Travel)” coupled with “White House” on Rachan 312, shows this location on its labels).
The Athens label was based at 1719 West End Building, Nashville.
Not much is known about the Doug label but both the songs on Valentine’s Doug 45 were published by Red Stick Music, a company owned by Sam Montel (real surname Montalbano) who was based in Baton Rouge and who, around the time of this release (1963), had just launched Dale & Grace on his parent Montel imprint. Another of his labels was Michelle named after one of his daughters but he certainly created a number of other small short-lived imprints, usually using a person’s name, so it seems quite likely (as Joe Valentine was then living in Baton Rouge) that Doug might well have been a local Sam Montel-owned enterprise.
In 1967, Joe relocated to Austin, Texas where he would remain for the rest of his days.
Once there, he formed his own Val label and first recorded the moody, still Crescent City-styled mid-pacer “One Night Of Satisfaction” and the superbly deep “I Can’t Stand To See You Go” on Val 67119, these sides later picked up for issue on his Ronn label (#14) by Shreveport’s Stan Lewis.
Next, on Val 7225, Joe cut the bouncy dancer later favoured by the UK Northern Soul scene, “I Lost The Only Love I Had”. This was coupled with the ultra-deep winner “Surely I Will Never Do You Wrong”, this latter track seeing a title-change to “You Got To Believe In Me” when eventually picked up (though not issued at the time) by Stan Lewis.
However, Joe’s next outing appeared solely on the Ronn label (#30), this being another deep-jewel called “A Woman’s Love” which was coupled with the faster, would-be dance-crazer, “Hands On, Hands Off”
As you will surely have noted, it was within this fine clutch of 1967/8 recordings that we find our three deep-soul gems. They were “I Can’t Stand To See You Go”, “Surely I’ll Never Do You Wrong” aka “You Got To Believe In Me” and “A Woman’s Love”.
For years I have tried to decide which of these deep masterworks I prefer the most and it comes down to almost a tie between “I Can’t Stand To See You Go” and “A Woman’s Love”, with the latter track just shading it. In my all-time Top 50 deep-soul listing I have “A Woman’s Love” at No.12 and “I Can’t Stand To See You Go” at No.32. “Surely I’ll Never Do You Wrong” is just a tad tougher and rougher and is largely an almost spoken rather than sung piece. It doesn’t feature in my all-time Top 50 and yet its almost funerial approach is something which massively appeals to many deep-soul lovers, myself included.
Looking at these 3 gems in a little more detail, “A Woman’s Love” has an almost regal beauty about it. It’s a super-emotive slow-paced paen to womanhood and the need a guy has to be loved - and when Joe lets go vocally (melodiously but powerfully) in front of the impressive brass it’s surely a goose-bump-inducing moment for any deep-soul fan.
“I Can’t Stand To See You Go” is Joe’s most reissued side and the lovely, almost drifting organ work and the sparse but so effective guitar fills and runs beautifully complement the tear-inducing, oh-so-emotionally-involved mellifluous vocal. No huge histrionics here – one can just wallow unashamedly in Joe’s sheer involvement in the piece and his utter sadness at the departure of his loved one.
The scene for “Surely I’ll Never Do You Wrong” is set by some striking but mournful brass work in the introduction and then Joe enters the fray, almost speaking rather than singing his demonstrative appeals to his girl to believe in him and to not ditch him for a third party. Then the emphasised parts of the vocal are sung before speech returns - but it’s a spoken plea which is so phenomenally soulful in its delivery that the listener simply becomes enveloped in Joe’s expressive prose. This is an outstanding listening experience rather than an outstanding song but it’s still ‘deep-soul heaven’.
Also a consummate live performer, in his time Joe has apparently shared the stage with not only Ray Charles but also Chuck Berry, Joe Simon, Johnnie Taylor, Jackie Wilson, Eddie Floyd and Joe Hinton. In the early 70’s, he toured the U.S. and Europe with the late Joe Tex as both his bandleader, piano-player and additional featured vocalist. Around this time Joe also co-wrote the 1971 releases of "Wheels of Life" (King 6373 and People 2503) for Lynn Collins, who was a performer with the James Brown review from 1969 through the 70s and who enjoyed 9 R&B hits in that decade (2 of which were Pop hits too).
In 1979 Joe cut a one-off solo 45 for Cocoa Studio (#0369) (see track-listing below), a release which put him closer perhaps to “country” than “soul” - but by the late-80’s Lynn Collins was touring with Joe Valentine’s own Band and on his 1991 album “For Ever And Ever” (recorded in Austin TX on Tee-Jay NR 18554) he duetted with her on 3 of the tracks (see discography below for track-listing).The recordings were produced by Ron Brown and Nolan Smith and Joe’s manager at the time is shown as Tobe Addison. His 90’s Tee-Jay sides would also include at least 3 duets with another female vocalist, Linda Green (see tracks 24, 25 and 26 of “Then And Now” track-listing below).
An earlier also Austin-recorded Tee-Jay extended-play 12 inch album called “One Night Stand” (NR 17381) had emerged in 1988. This had contained just 4 solo Valentine tracks, 2 each of which had been also paired on two separate 45s (see track-listing below for details).
By this time, Joe had also become owner of (and regular performer at) the Valentine’s Night Club in Austin which he had opened back in 1986 inside The Chariot Inn. Then in 1992 he would buy the 311 Club on Sixth Street where he played several nights a week with his brothers Boddie Valentine on drums and Tony Valentine on bass.
Back in 1990, Japanese P-Vine had issued 6 of Joe’s Val/Ronn tracks on their various-artist CD named after one of those tracks, “A Woman’s Love – Classic Soul Jewelry #1” (PCD 2162) (see track-listing below). Then, in 2001, UK Westside issued four of the same tracks on their compilation “Soul Jewels Vol.1 – Losers Win Sometime” (WESA 912) and, in the same year, Fuel included “I Can’t Stand To See You Go” on their “From Chicago To Shreveport” various artists compilation (#2000). Fuel would also reissue the same Valentine track on their later “Jewel/Paula Story” CD in 2011 (once again, see discography below).
Meanwhile, in 2000 Joe issued two CD’s semi-privately. These were “From The Soul” and “Love Is On My Mind” (see track-listings below).
Then in 2002, he released a 2-volume CD set, "Then and Now" (subtitled “Singing In The Key of Love”). Volume 1 ("Then") contained 14 of Joe's best songs from the 60's & 70's, while Volume 2 ("Now") featured 15 Tee-Jay tracks from the 80's & 90's. These were issued as two separate CDs in their own individual jewel-cases, each being given the same issue number, Val 2001 (see below for track-listing).
Joe sadly passed away July 13, 2018, aged 81 in the Eastside home he had built himself – shortly after telling his children it was his "time to go." He had been suffering from Alzheimer's, according to his son Joe Valentine, the youngest of his – wait for it - 22 children – and the fourth to be named Joe.
His obituary stated: “Joe is preceded in death by his son, Leslie; parents, Joseph and Myrtle Valentine; and brother, Anthony F. Valentine. He leaves to cherish his memory his partner Sue Arledge; his children; and a multitude of grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, nephews, cousins, and a host of others whose lives he touched in a multitude of ways.”
"He was a one-in-a-million talent who knew how to make you feel what he was singing," said vocalist Lynn Field, whose 8-track Tee-Jay NR 18555 album “Take Me In Your Love” (recorded simply as by Lynn) was produced by Joe in 1991.
Lynn (above) absolutely nailed it on the head. That great ability is precisely what shines through his finest performances. Sadly, we have to say R.I.P. to Joe Valentine– but for deep-soul fans the emotional involvement he poured into those special Val/Ronn recordings will live on forever.
DISCOGRAPHY
Merit 1002 I Still Love You/Young Lover (c.1960)
Rachan 311 & Athens 209 She’s Gone Again/Coming On Home (1963 on Rachan, 1964 on Athens)
http://www.sirshambling.com/artists_2012/V/joe_valentine/index.php
(You can hear “She’s Gone Again” here by clicking its blue-text title but there are occasional bleeps in the recording inserted to avoid illegal copying of this track for commercial gain)
Doug 849 Sweeter Than Sugar (And Twice As Nice)/Let It Be Love (c.1963/4)
(Note: this Doug 45 was also issued with “I Need You” as the flip – but this song is identical to “Let It Be Love”).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHrMjJSNkYM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LjrTK9NNx8
Val 67119 & Ronn 14 One Night Of Satisfaction/I Can’t Stand To See You Go (1967)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mh40_9BIt10
Val 7225 I Lost The Only Love I Had/Surely I’ll Never Do You Wrong (= *You Got To Believe In Me – Ronn unissued) (c.1968)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alpxeEq5YtM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9MyAWPmbiA
Ronn 30 A Woman’s Love/Hands On, Hands Off (1968)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NnFqaLvXKc
Ronn unissued: *You Got To Believe In Me (P-Vine PCD 2162 & Westside WESA 912) I Can Feel My Love Coming On Strong (P-Vine PCD 2162 & Westside WESA 912) Soul City USA (P-Vine PCD 2162).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjR1fKX4GhQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHjD-xGB8v8
Cocoa Studio 0369 Until The Real Thing Comes Along/There Goes Another Dream Of Mine (1979)
Tee Jay NR 17379 One Night Stand/All The Love I Have For You Is Gone (1988)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkjLkoooGiM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xy2tbpI90Gc
Tee Jay NR 17380 Sharing Your Love/True Love (1988)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYpI9szcEZA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8E-yfvMphBo
“One Night Stand” (Tee Jay NR 17381) (1988) track listing:
Side 1: 1 One Night Stand 2 All The Love I Have For You Is Gone
Side 2: 1 Sharing Your Love 2 True Love
“A Woman’s Love” (Jap. P-Vine PCD 2162) (1990) various artist compilation.
6 tracks by Joe Valentine 1 A Woman’s Love 2 I Can’t Stand To See You Go 3 One Night Of Satisfaction 4 I Can Feel My Love Coming On Strong 5 Soul City U.S.A. 6 You’ve Got To Believe In Me.
“For Ever And Ever” (Tee Jay NR 18554) (1991) track listing:
Side 1: 1 Our Love Will Last Forever 2 One More Night With You 3 If You (duet with Lynn Collins) 4 Let’s Have Tonight (duet with Lynn Collins)
Side 2: 1 Forever My Love 2 To Be In Love With You 3 You Know (duet with Lynn Collins) 4 Our Love Will Last Forever (instrumental version)
“From The Soul” (Val 1937D) (2000) track listing:
1 Turn Back The Hands Of Time 2 I Can’t Give You More (Than All The Love I Have) 3 That’s What Love Is About 4 In The Name Of Love 5 I Should Have Known 6 This Time 7 I Had It All The Time
“Love Is On My Mind” (Val 2001D) (2000) track listing:
1 I Need Some Lovin’ Tonight 2 Make Sweet Love To You 3 Let’s Make Love Tonight 4 Kick Me When I’m Down 5 You’re Bad 6 Since I Met You Baby 7 Come To Me
Val 7225 I Lost The Only Love I Ever Had/Surely I'll Never Do You Wrong (2001) (Note ~ this was a legal reissue by Joe himself of his c.1968 Val 45 – see above)
“Soul Jewels Volume 1 – Losers Win Sometime” (Westside WESA 912) (2001) various artist compilation.
4 tracks by Joe Valentine 4 You’ve Got To Believe In Me 9 A Woman’s Love 15 I Can Feel My Love Coming On Strong 25 I Can’t Stand To See You Go
“From Chicago To Shreveport” (Fuel 2000 3020611452) (2001) various artist compilation.
1 track by Joe Valentine 6 I Can’t Stand To See You Go
“Then And Now” (Val 2001) (2002) track listing:
(Disc 1 – Vol.1 - 60’s & 70’s) “Then” 1 I Lost The Only Love I Ever Had 2 Surely I Will Never Do You Wrong 3 Woman's Love 4 I Can't Stand To See You Go 5 One Night Of Satisfaction 6 I Can Feel My Love Coming On Strong 7 Soul City U.S.A 8 Another Dream Of Mine 9 Until The Real Thing Comes Along 10 Our Love Will Last Forever 11 You Know (Joe Valentine With Lynn Collins) 12 Let's Have Tonight 13 Our Love Will Last Forever
(Instrumental) 14 Hands On Hands Off
(Disc 2 – Vol.2 - 80’s & 90’s) “Now” 1 One More Night With You 2 If You (Joe Valentine With Lynn Collins) 3 Forever My Love 4 To Be In Love With You 5 One Night Stand 6 All The Love I Have For You Is Gone 7 Sharing Your Love 8 True Love 9 If You Let Me 10 Look What We've Done (Joe Valentine With Linda Green) 11 Let Me Be There For You (Joe Valentine With Linda Green) 12 Don't Know How to Live Without You (Joe Valentine With Linda Green) 13 Come to Me 14 Let's Have Tonight (Joe Valentine With Lynn Collins) 15 First Day of Your Life
(You will find many if not all of these tracks on You Tube. Two of them are the same two songs that appeared on Joe’s Cocoa Studio 45 but I have never heard the original disc so I am not sure whether the versions on this compilation are the originals or re-cuts).
“Jewel/Paula Story” (Fuel 2000 3020618972) (2011) various artist compilation.
1 track by Joe Valentine 8 I Can’t Stand To See You Go
Texas - A Big State But A Small World
Now Out - The Devonns Album - Record Kicks
KX073 THE DEVONNS - The Devonns LP | CD | LTD 45 | Digital pre-order it on Bandcamp
RECORD KICKS PRESENTS CHICAGO SOUL SENSATION THE DEVONNS’ SELF-TITLED DEBUT ALBUM.
Record Kicks is proud to present Chicago soul sensation The Devonns' self-titled debut album. "The Devonns" is out on JUNE 05 (New Release Date).
The Devonns are a group of young musicians based in Chicago, Illinois. With their debut album, they take us back to the golden era of 70’s Chicago soul, drawing influences from bands such as The Dramatics, The Isley Brothers and Leroy Hutson, yet always bringing in their own unique modern twist. The album was produced by Paul Von Mertens (Mavis Staples, Paul McCartney, Elton John) and it sees the participation of percussionist, organist and guitarist extraordinaire Ken Stringfellow, best known for his work with REM since 1997.
1.Come Back 03:42
2.Green Light 03:25
3.Tell Me 04:05 video
4.Think I'm Falling In Love 04:58
5.Blood Red Blues (Protest Song) 04:24 video
6.More 04:35
7.Ain't That A Man For You? 03:06
8.I Know 04:46
9.So In Love With You 03:41
10.Long Goodbye 04:28
about
The Devonns dust off the golden age of 70's Chicago Soul with their self-titled debut album on Record Kicks.
Straight from the streets of Chicago, Illinois, The Devonns (pronounced "De vaughns") are the brand new soul outfit and the latest addition of the Record Kicks' family, whose self-titled debut album that drops April 03, is an assortment of influences taking us back to the heyday of soul.
Drawing influences from bands such as The Dramatics, The Isley Brothers and Leroy Hutson, yet bringing in their own unique modern twist, influenced by artists such as Jamie Lidell and Raphael Saadiq; singer Mat Ajjarapu explains how unintentionally, the rich heritage of Chicago's history with soul music influenced him.
"The city was at the epicentre of a lot of good music back in the 50's all the way to the 80's, a lot of the labels specialising in soul were based in the Chicago and we even had our own sound known as "Chicago soul". Through several years of crate digging it surprised me how many songs I loved were recorded in this city, for example one of my favourites is this great little song by The Natural Four, produced by Leroy Hutson 'Can This Be Real', and released via Curtom Records."
The Devonns by The Devonns
Order, read, listen via
https://thedevonns.bandcamp.com/album/the-devonns
Ebay Results - May 2000 - Months Top 45s Listed
Soul Record Auctions - Recent Completed Soul Auctions [sorted by value]
Funk Boogie Charles Marcus So Fine Wine Roses Vg Hear $5105.00 ended 18 May Sweat Band Ft Jeff Floyd Fellows Be Kind Modern Soul.. $4050.00 ended 12 May Ice Reality Ultra Modern Soul Original Ice Mp3 $3160.00 ended 11 May Hopkins Bros Shake Cheri Your Kiss Of Fire Magnetik.. $2839.00 ended 19 May Eddie Parker But If You Must Go Mam Miko Promo Hear $2827.77 ended 17 May Al Dos Band Doing Our Thing With Pride Exc Condition Mo.. $2781.68 ended 20 May J T Parker - If You Want To Hold On - Academy - Mp3 $2719.69 ended 25 May Super - Dynamics - I M A Lonely Man B W Dig This - Dy.. $2450.00 ended 18 May I J Harris All Ready To Go Ultra 70 S Soul Funk Cash.. $2247.00 ended 11 May Orig 74 Anderson Brothers I Can See Him Loving You G.. $2225.00 ended 07 May Jimmy Wallace I Ll Be Back Alpha Vg Hear $1592.89 ended 18 May Bill Bush - I M Waiting - Ronn - Mp3 $1525.00 ended 25 May The Equatics Doin It Original Ultra Soul Funk Lp Pri.. $1500.00 ended 18 May Yvonne Baker - You Didn T Say A Word - Parkway - 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Barbara St Clair - Teacherman - Crosseyed.. $515.00 ended 24 May Unity Love Is All We Have Left Hear Nm Le Cam Ft Wor.. $510.00 ended 10 May 45 Soul J P Robinson You Can Be A Lady Alston .. $510.00 ended 24 May Entertainers - Beg Me - Bowmar - Mp3 $510.00 ended 25 May 70s Sweet Soul Sex It S You Baby It S You Super City .. $504.00 ended 17 May Appreciations - I Can T Hide It - Aware - Mp3 $500.00 ended 25 May Prince Conley All The Way I M Going Home 1961 7 Satel.. $491.75 ended 30 Apr Chappells Chapells - Help Me Somebody - Bedford - Mp3 $491.58 ended 25 May R B Soul Little Jimmy Ray You Need To Fall In Love Ga.. $490.00 ended 18 May Johnny Thompson Given Up On Love Soul Crossover On Ja.. $488.00 ended 14 May Jimmy Mcfarland Lonely Lover Rpr Promo Hear $480.00 ended 18 May Illustration Who Told You Obscure 70 S Soul Mountain .. $471.00 ended 11 May Gloria Relations Sweet Soul 45rpm Hook Line Sinker .. $465.00 ended 28 May Jamo Thomas I Spy For The Fbi Polydor Demo Dj Northern Mod $464.84 ended 08 May Soul Liberation - Who Are You Lp - Rainbow Sound - Mode.. $459.00 ended 18 May Bibleway - Tears Lp - Bwc - Soul Funk Gospel $449.44 ended 17 May The Blenders It Takes Time Soul A F O Listen $449.44 ended 24 May Hear Modern Test Pressing Patterson Twins Gonna Find .. $449.00 ended 10 May After Hours I Don T Wanna Cry Sweet Soul Condor Promo.. $449.00 ended 11 May Ex-ta-c Ecstasy Squeeze Modern Soul Ok T Mp3 $449.00 ended 11 May Modern Soul Boogie - Young Devines - Risky - Dass - Mp3 $449.00 ended 24 May Evangelist Rosie Haynes - He Can T Fail Lp - Sog - Disc.. $442.00 ended 17 May Noe And The Semitones Oh Darling What Shall I Do Tx G.. $442.00 ended 18 May Impossiveis My Old Friend 7 Brazil Funk Psych Disco Ou.. $440.00 ended 16 May The Tempos Countdown Here I Come Canterbury Wlp .. $440.00 ended 20 May Sweet Soul Acetate 8 - Gene Wade The Twilights - Cry.. $437.11 ended 25 May Bob Collins - Inventory On Heartaches - Main Line - Vg .. $437.00 ended 25 May Spiedels Dream Girl Providence Promo Mp3 $436.00 ended 11 May 5 Royales Catch That Teardrop R B Abc Paramount Mp3 $432.77 ended 11 May Sugar Boy Williams Little Girl Five Long Years Herald R.. $429.85 ended 09 May Children Of The Last Days - S T 12 - Soul Funk Gospel .. $426.00 ended 17 May Modern Soul - Power Of Attorney Band - Love For You - S.. $424.00 ended 24 May Modern Soul - Sudden Change - Used To Think - Blackout .. $424.00 ended 24 May 60 S Connie Questell Decca-31855 Give Up Girl Monst.. $407.00 ended 08 May Fred Bridges Baby Don T You Weep Versatile Promo Hear $406.99 ended 17 May Nolan Chance -just Like The Weather- Ultra Wlp 1965 Us .. $405.00 ended 08 May Creators I Can T Believe It S True Obscure 70 S Soul .. $405.00 ended 11 May Northern Deep Soul - Alfred O - Do What You Wanna Do - .. $405.00 ended 25 May 98 Singles-all Listed- All Nr Ex Mint $395.62 ended 24 May
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Ace Records June 2020 Release News
Ace Records June 2020 Release News
New releases from Ace records
Soul Voices - 60s Big Ballads
60s Soul
Various Artists (Kent)
CD £11.50
Majestic male vocalists singing over subtly orchestrated arrangements of superb songs were the pinnacle of 1960s black music sophistication.
Expansions
Funk
Lonnie Liston Smith
LP £21.94
Lonnie Liston Smith’s 1975 classic reissued on 180g vinyl. An album whose influence resonates down through the decades.
Southern Soul Brother: The Murco Recordings 1967-1969 (MP3)
Southern Soul
Eddy Giles
MP3 £7.99
Eddy Giles’ complete 60s recordings, including unreleased tracks.
Shreveport Southern Soul - The Murco Story (MP3)
Southern Soul
Various Artists (Label Stories)
MP3 £7.99
Authentic Southern Soul from Dee Marais' Murco, Peermont and Hy Sign labels that operated out of Shreveport, Louisiana throughout the 60s and 70s.
Southern Funkin' (MP3)
Funk
Various Artists
MP3 £7.99
Dirty grooves from the deep south.
Documenting The Sensation Recordings 1948-1952
Blues
John Lee Hooker
CD £32.66
John Lee Hooker’s 1948-1952 recordings made in Detroit, Michigan by Bernard Besman with 19 previously unissued. Includes an introductory note from Peter Guralnick, a detailed sessionography and an overview from Dr Wayne Goins. There has been meticulous tape research for the best sources so the mastering far exceeds anything presented before.
Boppin' By The Bayou - Feel So Good
Louisiana/New Orleans
Various Artists (By the Bayou)
CD £11.50
28 cool tracks from the hottest studios in steamy Louisiana, including 12 previously unreleased.
Ghostown 40th Anniversary
Punk Rock
The Radiators
LP £23.79
A vinyl version of The Radiator’s “Ghostown” pressed on two clear vinyl discs, with a thick card sleeve and two printed inner bags. Limited edition of 1000 copies.
Boom
Psych / Garage
The Sonics
LP £21.94
A 180g black vinyl replica release of “Boom” – the Sonics’ second album, originally released in 1966 on Etiquette Records in wonderful mono.
Bob Stanley & Pete Wiggs Present Occasional Rain
70s Rock
Various Artists (Saint Etienne)
CD £11.50
This is England, the day after the 60s. It’s a time of flux. On the cusp of progressive rock but without a rule book, many groups hold fast to psychedelia’s adventurousness and melodic delights, while they are also happy to venture deep into the jazz and folk scenes. The result is some wonderful, atmospheric, rain-flecked music.
Don't Blow Your Cool! More 60s Girls From UK Decca
Girls
Various Artists (Beat Girls)
CD £12.92
Superior British girl-pop from Decca Records’ 1960s catalogue, including a generous batch of new-to-CD titles.
Ace Records on Twitter
@AceRecordsLtd
It's the first Ace new release day since the pandemic hit folks! We're glad to be releasing records again.
1:15 PM · May 29, 2020
Get more info via https://acerecords.co.uk/
