One of my forthcoming Kent projects is a whole CD on Brooks O'Dell, covering his complete recordings 1963 - 72 (including many unissued's!)

The time is fast approaching for me to write the sleeve notes, and it's approaching without my having found any interviews or biographical material around which I can base said sleeve notes.

Has anyone out there ever interviewed Brooks O'Dell, or perhaps read an interview with him that they can point me in the direction of? Considering the fact that his career spanned two decades and around 10 years in real time - not to mention the additional fact that he recorded in several of soul's major cities during his career, and with important producers like Swamp Dogg, Luther Dixon and Carl Davis - written info on the man seems to be virtually non existent.

I've got some nice pix and label shots for the booklet, but - at this point, at least - no words, so I could use at least a little help here, if not more!

Thanks in advance for anything you can come up with...

TONE

One of my forthcoming Kent projects is a whole CD on Brooks O'Dell, covering his complete recordings 1963 - 72 (including many unissued's!)

The time is fast approaching for me to write the sleeve notes, and it's approaching without my having found any interviews or biographical material around which I can base said sleeve notes.

Has anyone out there ever interviewed Brooks O'Dell, or perhaps read an interview with him that they can point me in the direction of? Considering the fact that his career spanned two decades and around 10 years in real time - not to mention the additional fact that he recorded in several of soul's major cities during his career, and with important producers like Swamp Dogg, Luther Dixon and Carl Davis - written info on the man seems to be virtually non existent.

I've got some nice pix and label shots for the booklet, but - at this point, at least - no words, so I could use at least a little help here, if not more!

Thanks in advance for anything you can come up with...

TONE

Brooks O'Dell, one of my favorite "beat ballad" singers, look forward to seeing this CD!

as ya say he worked with Swamp Dog (Jerry Williams). wasnt he the "Brooks" in Brooks and Jerry along with Jerry Williams? Have you thought about asking Jerry Williams a bit about Brook? with him coming over for the Feb Prestatyn an all, just a thought Tony.

steve

Tony, have you been in contact with Swamp Dogg? Perhaps he can help you out in some way.

...Should perhaps have mentioned that yes, I have of course been in touch with Swamp - it would have been very difficult to license Swamp's unissued B O'D tapes for thsi project (which we have done) without having been in touch

What Swamp knows will, unfortunately, not be enough to fill a whole booklet.

I was really looking for a substantial interview, either published or unpublished. Or failing that, just lots of info that some O'Dell obsessive might have collected down the years...

Hi Tone

Perhaps a posting on the Southern Soul list might unearth some facts? Swamp posts on there regulary too - You might get a bit of a thread going?

Look forward to the CD coming out.

Best

rich

Hi Tone

Perhaps a posting on the Southern Soul list might unearth some facts? Swamp posts on there regulary too - You might get a bit of a thread going?

Look forward to the CD coming out.

Best

rich

Hi Rich,

I'm not actually a member of that list, believe it or not! But you're right, it would be a sensible place to get something going, and I know a man who is a member, so I'll have a word with him tonight down the pub and see if he'll open a thread on my behalf...

Ta

TONE

One of my forthcoming Kent projects is a whole CD on Brooks O'Dell, covering his complete recordings 1963 - 72 (including many unissued's!)

The time is fast approaching for me to write the sleeve notes, and it's approaching without my having found any interviews or biographical material around which I can base said sleeve notes.

Has anyone out there ever interviewed Brooks O'Dell, or perhaps read an interview with him that they can point me in the direction of? Considering the fact that his career spanned two decades and around 10 years in real time - not to mention the additional fact that he recorded in several of soul's major cities during his career, and with important producers like Swamp Dogg, Luther Dixon and Carl Davis - written info on the man seems to be virtually non existent.

I've got some nice pix and label shots for the booklet, but - at this point, at least - no words, so I could use at least a little help here, if not more!

Thanks in advance for anything you can come up with...

TONE

'watch your step' was a big hit in Chicago.

I have an unreleased acetate of Channel 3 doing "the lively ones".

Tony,

Trust the CD will include Brooks' epic "You Better Make Up Your Mind" , which I first heard off that legendary UK 6T's Stateside compilation LP of Amy Mala Maxx etc sides, the title of the LP eludes me just now and I am a bit lazy to dig it out at the moment ...

I can't recall any late 60's / early 70's issues of Blues & Soul having any pieces on Brooks O'Dell though.

I guess that you may have seen this web page https://www.songramp.com/homepage.php?userid=11240 in which you'll note that Tyrone Thomas (of the Whole Darn Family fame and the classic funk cut 7 Minutes of Funk as well as the guy who did the rare soul/ modern classic "You're Hardly Gone" on Polydor) - and who is still active on the performing scene today - had a direct connection with Brooks O'Dell back in the mid 60's as well as being connected with Swamp Dogg. Might be worth getting in touch with Tyrone Thomas then, his contact details are on that web page.

Also you might find that Tyrone Thomas will give you "straighter answers" rather than the eccentric Swamp Dogg, judging from the interview done with Tyrone in the latest issue of the world's best rare funk/soul/beats magazine, Wax Poetics.

Incidentally, if you read the info on Tyrone Thomas on the abovementioned web page, you will note that Tyrone Thomas also apparently was in the band backing legendary soul group Smoke who did that fantastic 70's rare soul LP on J Bridge !!!!

Hope that helps Tony !

(By the way I preferred your previous avatar but we won't go into that again ... in any event your present avatar may be considered by the politically correct as possibly misogynistic or exploitative of women ... what a world we live in .... )

Tony,

Trust the CD will include Brooks' epic "You Better Make Up Your Mind" , which I first heard off that legendary UK 6T's Stateside compilation LP of Amy Mala Maxx etc sides, the title of the LP eludes me just now and I am a bit lazy to dig it out at the moment ...

I can't recall any late 60's / early 70's issues of Blues & Soul having any pieces on Brooks O'Dell though.

I guess that you may have seen this web page https://www.songramp.com/homepage.php?userid=11240 in which you'll note that Tyrone Thomas (of the Whole Darn Family fame and the classic funk cut 7 Minutes of Funk as well as the guy who did the rare soul/ modern classic "You're Hardly Gone" on Polydor) - and who is still active on the performing scene today - had a direct connection with Brooks O'Dell back in the mid 60's as well as being connected with Swamp Dogg. Might be worth getting in touch with Tyrone Thomas then, his contact details are on that web page.

Also you might find that Tyrone Thomas will give you "straighter answers" rather than the eccentric Swamp Dogg, judging from the interview done with Tyrone in the latest issue of the world's best rare funk/soul/beats magazine, Wax Poetics.

Incidentally, if you read the info on Tyrone Thomas on the abovementioned web page, you will note that Tyrone Thomas also apparently was in the band backing legendary soul group Smoke who did that fantastic 70's rare soul LP on J Bridge !!!!

Hope that helps Tony !

(By the way I preferred your previous avatar but we won't go into that again ... in any event your present avatar may be considered by the politically correct as possibly misogynistic or exploitative of women ... what a world we live in .... )

Thanks for this, I'll check Tyrone out. later today 'our time'

Yes, it contains everything that Brooks recorded between 1963 and 1971-2, which is when he appears to have fallen off the map. The prize for many will be the unissued Columbia track from the "Standing Tall"/"Lively Ones" session (eh. Boba ) but the unissued Swamp Dogg productions that would have made up the rest of Brooks' Mankind LP have a gem or two among them, too.

It's already been mastered and, assuming I can scrape together sufficient info to write a sleevenote, it'll be out in March.

Swamp fans should note that Kent has a Swamp Dogg V/A anthology out in February, "Blame It On The Dogg", which contains lots of one offs and rarities, and a bunch of unissued's from the likes of Eleanor Grant and Kenny Carter...

Thanks for this, I'll check Tyrone out. later today 'our time'

Yes, it contains everything that Brooks recorded between 1963 and 1971-2, which is when he appears to have fallen off the map. The prize for many will be the unissued Columbia track from the "Standing Tall"/"Lively Ones" session (eh. Boba ) but the unissued Swamp Dogg productions that would have made up the rest of Brooks' Mankind LP have a gem or two among them, too.

It's already been mastered and, assuming I can scrape together sufficient info to write a sleevenote, it'll be out in March.

Swamp fans should note that Kent has a Swamp Dogg V/A anthology out in February, "Blame It On The Dogg", which contains lots of one offs and rarities, and a bunch of unissued's from the likes of Eleanor Grant and Kenny Carter...

U got all the label scans you need Tony? Brooks is a personal favourite of mine -having been put onto his music back in the late 70s by one Mr R. Cozens from Southgate.

U got all the label scans you need Tony? Brooks is a personal favourite of mine -having been put onto his music back in the late 70s by one Mr R. Cozens from Southgate.

Fully labelled up for this one, I'm glad to say, but as always the offer's appreciated, il mio amico...

Like Sunnysoul, I first heard Brooks on the Stateside "An Album Full Of Soul", a pioneering set that set very high standards in album compilation and one of the best five bob's worths that I ever found among the many second hand record shops that used to populate the northern end of Upton Park's Green Street...

Fully labelled up for this one, I'm glad to say, but as always the offer's appreciated, il mio amico...

Like Sunnysoul, I first heard Brooks on the Stateside "An Album Full Of Soul", a pioneering set that set very high standards in album compilation and one of the best five bob's worths that I ever found among the many second hand record shops that used to populate the northern end of Upton Park's Green Street...

That's the LP, Tony, remains one of the greatest soul compilations ever !

That's the LP, Tony, remains one of the greatest soul compilations ever !

HIS 1966 COLUMBIA 45 THE LIVELY ONES / STANDING TALL IS A GREAT DOUBLE SIDER. HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN MORE OF A CHANCE TO RECORD MORE STUFF AT THIS TIME. HOW GOOD WOULD A COLUMBIA LP HAVE BEEN THO' CHANCES ARE THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN COVERS OF MISTY AND ELEANOR RIGBY ON THERE,

BEST, BRI PINCH.

HIS 1966 COLUMBIA 45 THE LIVELY ONES / STANDING TALL IS A GREAT DOUBLE SIDER. HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN MORE OF A CHANCE TO RECORD MORE STUFF AT THIS TIME. HOW GOOD WOULD A COLUMBIA LP HAVE BEEN THO' CHANCES ARE THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN COVERS OF MISTY AND ELEANOR RIGBY ON THERE,

BEST, BRI PINCH.

Couldn't agree more.. excellent double sider.. Standing Tall the better side imo

Paid about £25 for this in the mid 90's.. anyone know what this goes for now??

Jon

Couldn't agree more.. excellent double sider.. Standing Tall the better side imo

Paid about £25 for this in the mid 90's.. anyone know what this goes for now??

Jon

£75-£100. Popular Greatstone spin

£75-£100. Popular Greatstone spin

The unissued Columbia track "The Heartless One" (which will be on the CD) is just as good as the two that were issued back to back, if not better!

i can contact tyrone if you want me to, am in regular contact with him, he came to my indie soul party in new york last year.

Here he is! https://picasaweb.google.com/lifeandsouluk/...629377758835762

Edited January 4, 200817 yr by lifeandsoul

i can contact tyrone if you want me to, am in regular contact with him, he came to my indie soul party in new york last year.

Here he is! https://picasaweb.google.com/lifeandsouluk/...629377758835762

I've dropped him an e-mail this morning, but if he doesn't respond to it I will take you up on your offer. He may 'bite' because I also mentioned that his version of "God Bless" (as Wolfmoon) is on the upcoming SD multi-artist Kent compilation that's out in February...

Edited January 4, 200817 yr by TONY ROUNCE

I've stored away in my feeble brain that he was once a memeber of the Majestics, with Barry White?? Is that true or have I made it up?

BTW I like this site when looking up info on artists. I cant find Brooks O'Dell on here though.

https://www.soulwalking.co.uk/index.html

I've stored away in my feeble brain that he was once a memeber of the Majestics, with Barry White?? Is that true or have I made it up?

think he was in a version of the majestics ( not the linda group ) also in a group called the commmanders apparrently .

BRI PINCH.

There's a bit of info on Brooks here - https://www.sixtiesdetroit.com/60s-detroit/v-63-10.htm

The unissued Columbia cut that Tony's managed to get out of Sony for this CD is absolute mid-tempo magic. I'll be spinning it at the 100 Club on the 19th if anyone is desperate for a preview.

There's a bit of info on Brooks here - https://www.sixtiesdetroit.com/60s-detroit/v-63-10.htm

Great stuff, you're going to make Mr Rounce very happy!

Leave it blank,just loads of picture`s ............

There's a bit of info on Brooks here - https://www.sixtiesdetroit.com/60s-detroit/v-63-10.htm

Top notch, thank you for steering me towards this. I'm still on the hunt for more info, but with a bit of help from here and a bit of help from 'there' I'm slowly pulling bits together.

I've contacted Tyrone Taylor and received no reply after nearly a week, so if whoever offered to contact him on my behalf would now like to do, so I'd be grateful...

Like i said, great stuff. And thanks again

TONE

Top notch, thank you for steering me towards this. I'm still on the hunt for more info, but with a bit of help from here and a bit of help from 'there' I'm slowly pulling bits together.

I've contacted Tyrone Taylor and received no reply after nearly a week, so if whoever offered to contact him on my behalf would now like to do, so I'd be grateful...

Like i said, great stuff. And thanks again

TONE

Ahem , Tony, no wonder you haven't heard from Tyrone, because it's Tyrone Thomas you should be after !

Good name for a soul man though ... Tyrone Taylor !!!

Ahem , Tony, no wonder you haven't heard from Tyrone, because it's Tyrone Thomas you should be after !

Good name for a soul man though ... Tyrone Taylor !!!

Slip of the keyboard - I was thinking of the reggae artist Tyrone Taylor ("Cottage In Negril" etc).

Anyway it's Tyrone Thomas who I e-mailed. And he still hasn't replied in any event

Slip of the keyboard - I was thinking of the reggae artist Tyrone Taylor ("Cottage In Negril" etc).

Anyway it's Tyrone Thomas who I e-mailed. And he still hasn't replied in any event

Or maybe you had soul duo "Thomas & Taylor" on your mind !

Trust the CD will include Brooks' epic "You Better Make Up Your Mind"

Good call...looking forward to the CD already.

Anyone got a West Coast demo copy...is it a WD?