We know lots about soul artists these days (well about many of them, not the really obscure acts) ... but that wasn't always the case.

Back in the mid 60's (& for a few years after then), lots of the info available to us was a bit iffy ... to illustrate that here's an article from 1968 that was written after the group were interviewed when HOUSEPARTY was a chart single ... seems that Philly soul hadn't broken through commercially yet in spring 68 (?!?!?) plus that artists like the Artistics & Impressions were from Philly ...  

Edited May 29, 20186 yr by Roburt

More Showstoppers info & pieces from that time ...

The best that their hit 45 did back in the US (on national charts that is) was back in May 67 ... when it was bubbling under the Hot 100 ...

 

Great articles 

Didn't know Harold Wilson was a fan.  I can imagine him and Mary rolling the carpet back in the sitting room at No 10 and putting the Showstoppers on the radiogram.

depends what he had in his pipe ??

A few  more piccy bits ... starting back in the USA ...

The Showstoppers seemed to be 'dead in the water' back in the US by 1969 ... they spent a lot of time over in the UK (+ in Europe) from then, playing gigs here in 69, 70 & 71. Their last 3 single release (excluding reissues) were all UK productions. The 1st of these was produced by Beacon's house producer Milton Samuels (+ the group themselves) & this escaped on Beacon in April 71. Next came yet another Beacon 45 in September 71, this being a joint effort by Milton Samuels & Biddu. Their last single release, which escaped in October 72, was produced by the same pair. By 1972, Beacon seemed to be struggling to stay afloat & their major artists were leaving the label for pastures new. None of the Showstoppers later 45's sold too well and the group (having become discouraged) returned to the US and broke up.

Their guitar player, John Henry Fitch Jnr, stayed on in the music biz. He'd actually started out as one of Frankie Beverly's Butlers & had later been given his own solo 45 by Beacon back in early 69 (John Fitch & Associates). This was to reward him for the good work he was doing in the UK with the group. After his work with the Showstoppers ended, he mainly took to song writing and did well at this till the end of the 70's (the likes of Evelyn King, Carol Douglas & Wardell Piper all cutting his songs). His 1st (?) song writing success had been with "What Can A Man Do".  

By the time their hit was being reissued on Cream (76) & then Inferno (79), the group were just a distant memory to just about everyone back in Philly. 

Great seeing all those pics of the many label versions and releases John. It must have been far and away the best seller for Beacon. Never seen the Star and Stork labels -which countries?

guess you like the record!? And a house party  - when’s the next?

Paul T

2 hours ago, Rictic66 said:

Great seeing all those pics of the many label versions and releases John. It must have been far and away the best seller for Beacon. Never seen the Star and Stork labels -which countries?

Paul T

The Star label 45 was from Finland and the PARK 45 from Belgium. Their hit track also escaped in Iran on a Royal label 4 track EP (anyone got a scan of that one's label ?).  

15 hours ago, Roburt said:

The Star label 45 was from Finland and the PARK 45 from Belgium. Their hit track also escaped in Iran on a Royal label 4 track EP (anyone got a scan of that one's label ?).  

Park or Sark any which way it is from Holland and not Belgium.

Imagine if it hadn't charted!  Surely this would have been the monster of all monsters?