Eddie Hubbard

Available on Dec 1st 2008 Tommy Hunt - Only Human, My Soulful Life. Book review To Soul music lovers the world over, we often only see a very small part of the lives led by our heroes and heroines, via their recordings, or when we cheer them from the stage in a live performance. I feel that we often forget that these artists, like us, have a human side to them, far removed from the glitter and adoration heaped upon them by us, and the uphill struggle it took them to become a star name in the first place. Tommy Hunt is now a household name to most Soul music fans throughout the UK and beyond, via his live performances at Wigan Casino in the 70's and his multitude of great recordings such as " Never Love a Robin ", "Words Can Never Tell It "[Dynamo], "I'll Make You Happy " [Capitol] and " I Don't Want To Lose You " [Atlantic], but it wasn't always like this... On December 1st his autobiography, "Only Human - My Soulful Life " written with Jan Warburton, is released through Bunkhouse books, and tells in his own words, how he rose through humble beginnings in Pittsburgh USA to become a member of the world famous " Doo - Wop " group The Flamingos, later signing for Florence Greenberg's Sceptre /Wand set up, and having a massive hit with " Human “. Having his follow up record upstaged by Dusty Springfield ,working with Burt Bacharach/ Hal David, Luther Dixon and many more, live appearances at New York's Apollo theatre, with some great tales of his time spent rubbing shoulders with other famous Soul stars, like Marvin Gaye, James Brown, The Shirelles and many more, the desperation of prison, drugs, and his saving grace, the UK's Northern Soul scene, plus the ultimate honour of being inducted into the " Rock and Roll hall of Fame". Having read the first five chapters of this book in advance, I can confirm that this is a compelling read, and having recently chatted at length with Tommy during the recent" Soul in the sun" weekend in Lanzarote, I can also assure potential readers, that he tells one hell of a story, with wonderful recall, warmth and humour, which has whetted my appetite to read the rest of his life story in full. An essential purchase, just in time for Christmas!! . This book is available from all good book shops, plus online at: www.bankhousebooks.com www.amazon.com and www.amazon.co.uk Also available through Tommy’s website: www.tommyhunt.co.uk for a signed copy. Eddie Hubbard [November 2008] Out 1st December and can be pre -ordered from Tommy's website photo from www.tommyhunt.co.uk

Hayley Records - The Best of Hayley CD by Eddie Hubbard Hayley records is an independent record label from the Midlands UK , specialising in unearthing unreleased and rare 60’s, 70’s and 80’s Soul recordings , especially from Detroit . After over a decade of releasing quality CD compilations and limited edition ‘ 45’s they finally present “ The best of Hayley “ which contains 16 mouthwatering tracks plus one “ hidden “ bonus track !! The first two tracks are covers of old classics ,“ Show and tell “ [ the old Al Wilson side ] is given a more uptempo treatment , performed by Deep Soul giant Charles Brimmer , and easily a match for the original , perhaps even better ? Next we have a brilliant version of Tony Clarke’s “ The entertainer “ , by Motown evergreen Jimmy Ruffin , with most of the Funk brothers in attendance , a simply stunning update . The next three tracks are real desert island tracks for me , all deeply soulful ballads , which really hit the spot .Marvin Gaye is still missed so much by everyone , the tribute song “ Thank you Marvin “ performed by Tim Carter is the perfect tribute to a sadly lost mega talent . “ You’ve gotten to me “ by Karen Pree is beautiful slow burner , with the delicious Ms Pree delivering this song in brilliant fashion . Loretta Kendricks “ My feelings keep getting in the way “ is a fantastic song rescued from the vaults . Clarence Jackson had many quality sides released in Detroit , here we can enjoy “ I miss you “ from the 80’s ,a quality track with an insistent beat . Another sadly recently deceased Artist is Emanuel Lasky , during the 70’s he actually shared a house with Marvin Gaye and “ A different kind of different “ is the result of this creative pairing , a superb lilting side which wouldn’t sound out of place on a Marvin Gaye or Leon Ware album . “ Thinking of you “ by Tim Murray was a popular dancer during the late 80’s early 90’s period , here we have the superior original by it’s songwriter Melvin Davis , a legend in his own right of course .Superlatives fail me when listening to Almeta Latimore’s “ These Memories “ simply one of the finest 70’s tracks ever , I’ll personally never forget her live performance of this stunning song , another desert island disc . Sweet James Epps of The Fantastic 4 has a highly collectable ‘45 in” Love at first sight “ on the tiny Motor -pool logo , here is the original version performed by the legendary JJ Barnes , which begs the question which ,is the best version ? Make your own mind up , I really can’t decide . Another legendary track from the 70’s is “ I wonder why “ by the mysterious Sy Hightower , an ultra soulful vocalist who has this track included on this CD , an amazing record in every way . Stevie Wonder’s “ Contract on love “ is a popular early dancer on the Northern scene , here we have a modern update by Dathan Jones , with production by the legendary Cindy Scott , a very creditable version . Karen Pree makes her second appearance on this CD with the the uptempo dancer “ Can’t help loving the one who’s loving me “ this track is scheduled to be released on a ‘ 45 soon , sure to be a dance floor monster methinks . Next up is the mysterious Thunderbird Sound ,with a stunning instrumental “ In heaven and on earth “ , rumoured to be The Funk Brothers moonlighting in Ohio , this track is indeed full of all the essential ingredients that made the Funk brothers such a hot studio outfit . Cut at the same session as “ Sliced tomatoes “ The Just Brothers “ Honey “ is a storming vocal dancer rescued from the vaults by Hayley records and rebuilt from scratch , a great record in the traditional sense of Rare Detroit Soul . From the same time frame as the Charles Brimmer track which opened this CD , comes an amazing dancer from the legendary Lynn Varnado with “ Ain’t that something “ a wonderful Clay McMurrey production that bridges the divide between Northern and Modern Soul . And that should have been the end of the CD , already an essential purchase , but if you leave the CD running after the last track , after a couple of minutes an amazing unissued unknown duet ,performs a killer version of Omar Chandlers “ You come from heaven “ .A real surprise to the listener which takes this compilation to another level , a must buy compilation . Eddie Hubbard 2008 Competition here you go, a chance to win the review copy all you have to do is answer the morning tv question below Just send it via this link along with valed email and member name! Winner will be drawn out of the Soul Source hat in 7 days (midnight 22nd Oct) Q. What UK City is Hayley Records based in ? Further info and ordering details on this release can be found on the Hayley Records website via link below http://www.hayleyrecords.co.uk