Roburt

Loads of info on Colette & the bands she was in contained in the 'Baltimore Sounds' book. Seems that she started out fronting Baltimore based the Stepping Stones around 1967. By 1968 she had joined another local band, Status Quo (not the Rossi / Parfitt nutters though this lot seemed to have had a British connection). By spring 1969 she was fronting the Exquisites, who had been big on the local live gigging scene since 67. The band varied in numbers from 9 strong (when they had a brass section) down to just 5 (1970). It was this group that cut the 2 tracks credited to Colette on the Volt 45. She must have cut the songs (which presumably she'd been singing live for a while) almost as soon as she hooked up with the Exquisites. She soon moved on again and by 1971 was a member of the local prog rock group Grok. She quit that group in 1973 and next turned up (1977-ish) singing with Top 40 covers band Phoenix. This outfit played all over the place, touring extensively. By 1980, she seems to have left the performing side of the music biz. She & the groups she was in seemed to have little connection to Mary Mullaney, Joan Hager (mainly a country & folk singer / song writer) & Sam Unger, though obviously Sam Unger (& his Enjay Record label) provided the conduit for the record deal with Stax. No idea which local studio was utilised by Colette & the band to cut the 2 songs but there were a number of basic studios around Baltimore by the end of the 60's.

She's no fan of Ian Levine ............

Bettye LaVette a while ago (@ Cleggy) ......

Here's that poster ...........

I had a Mojo Club poster (for a niter with a live act). Pasted it up on the inside of a built-in wardrobe in our 1st house in Dony (Hexthorpe) back in 69. Of course, we moved & the poster remained stuck on that bedroom wall (doooh) ....

I still think that you're wrong (too early) on the recording dates of these Verve released tracks. The group were still on Musicor until the end of 1966 & so wouldn't have been looking to cut indie tracks for their own label until well into 67 at the earliest. Perhaps the cuts were made in 67 independently and then when Verve showed an interest, they went into the Verve studios (late 67 / Jan to Aprl 68) & added to the original recordings. Some Verve 45 releases do not have cuts that follow a similar numbering system & I think these are the 'bought in' tracks (such as the Bobby Hatfield 45). The ones that have the numbering around #10478? to 10490? would at least have been 'tinkered with' on Verve's time thus them being assigned cut designations that followed their numbering system. Saying that, the Webs 45 (VK10610) cuts were assigned Verve numbers but maybe as they were Bob Bateman / Lou Courtney made tracks they were done direct for Verve. Artists who only had one 45 on Verve would have been assigned a number close to their singles release date (IMO). The likes of Jay Jordan's Verve outing had number 103927/28 and was a March 68 release. To me at least, that would mean that all Porgy's cuts given a Verve number would have come after the Jay Jordan cuts so must come after March 68. Release date of the group's 2nd to last Musicor 45 was the end of May 66 with their last 45 on the label escaping at the very end of that year ....

More info on Porgy ............. his song writing details ........... PORGY WILLIAMS aka NAPOLEON EUGENE WILLIAMS CURRENT BMI AFFILIATION: #: 56632671 Song Title BMI Work # DO THE ANYTHING 310242 ESTABU 382517 GIRL AND THE BOY 470041 LOVE CHAINED 914519 MAGIC MAKER MUSIC MAKER 943053 THAT S MY GIRL 1480666 TIME OUT TO CRY 1517083 He's no longer a member at BMI (he's let his registration lapse) but one of his old publishing companies is still registered .... STAMI MUSIC CO, C/O HERMINE HANLIN, 51 WEST 86TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10024-3613 One of his songs (the co-written effort "Time Out To Cry") is assigned to Motown's Stone Agate Music. It seems that other group members included Richard Parks & his brother John (now passed). Richard was living in the NY area (Bronx?) when last heard from. I'd guess that Sylves Records was Porgy's own label BUT why he would put out 2 x 45's with almost the same release number I don't know ..... Sylves 123 (P&Ms 45) AND Sylves S123 (Porgy Williams -- Lonely Man's Hum") .... obviously #123 was just made up as an easy number to utilise but why use it twice ?

Many US recordings actually escaped on the Trans-World label itself around that time (Ruby Andrews, Sandpebbles, Parliaments) whilst others were issued up there using their US label name ....

I can't say. If the copies initially stayed in the US then I'd say it was to cash in on Luther's US success, but if all the 73 copies were just shipped straight to the UK, then it will have been the 45s UK profile that got it re-issued. I was only into mainstream soul in 72/73 & not following the UK NS scene at all (though I was selling old 45's from my collection to some of the Dony lads & to the likes of Temple back then).

In June 1967, Way Out Records signed a deal with Canadian based Trans-World for that outfit to release their product. The only one of the Cleveland company's 45s to escape in Canada was the Occcasions "Baby Don't Go" (a Big Jim label release in the US). Anyone here know if this 45 escaped in Canada on the actual Trans-World label (if so it would have been around TW1672 or 73) or if like the Bunky releases Trans-World put out, it was issued on the US label imprint ??

Luther Ingram had a #1 R&B 45 plus a #9 R&B 45 in 1972 (both on Koko -- the 2nd 45 being released at the end of 72). So I'd say any re-release of this 45 in 73 would have been to try to cash in on his then current success.

No idea why it's so rare BUT it was released in July 68 between 45's from Eddie Bannon & the Webs ("We Belong Together" -- Verve 10610: also on a yellow promo that looks almost identical to the P&Ms45). The A side of this 45 bears the next number up from the group's May 68 Verve 45 release "Love Chain" (which is 104,783). B side of this earlier 45 has track #104788 .... so all those cuts must have been laid down at the same session. I'd guess that the cuts on the Sylves 45 were completely different recordings. The Nick Ashford Verve 45 "California Soul" has #104911 assigned to it & that 45 was a May 68 release. From that I'd say that the P&Ms Verve session would have taken place around March/April 68. Guess the 2nd Verve 45 from the group was put out just as a promo 45 and limited copies pressed up to send to one radio area that was used by Verve to test reaction to new releases (Baltimore was such a radio market back then). Any idea where the known copies of this 45 turned up ? The 45 must not have gained any radio plays and so that was it as far as Verve were concerned.

Anyone heading home (on the Monday) in a north-westerly direction from the Cleggy Weekender could call in on their way home. It'd make an interesting break in the journey.

Bettye spent some considerable time with us that weekender ...... though she always put on a great show by then she HATED doing NS shows and told us so at every opportunity. She refused to do any after she went big with the US rock crowd BUT it seems she needs the money again now. So, she's doing them once again.

The poster for that City Hall Jnr Walker show is illustrated in the book on the 'Art of the Mojo' by the guy who did the decorating @ the club + all the venue's (Stringers) posters ......... (BOOK was available on Amazon ... 'Pop Art of Sheffield's King Mojo & Beyond'. I got a copy a few years back). The poster looks just like a typical Mojo Club poster but states the venue was the City Hall Ballroom (it was green with text in black & some white -- group's name). My scanner's bust but I can take a photo of the poster & put it up here if there's any interest in it.

If you want to check this guy out via Facebook .... look up Dondi Allen (coz that's his full name).

I was in Southampton @ 6am today, but was in the middle of the North Sea when Eli performed there last night !!!

Info on the 1962/63 group on this clip ........ group included Claude Johnson & Don Thomas (later of Drifters) ... .... seems that the surname of the 3rd guy would have been Morris (judging by the names of the above song's writers) ....

Guess this Mystics were from Cincinnati .... as were the doo-wop group on King back in 62/63 (I bet these guys were more to Robb's liking) .... Gene Redd was involved with these 60's guys ....

That Olympia label is a 70's outfit from Cincinnati Ohio. One other 45 on the label I know about (+ an LP by Bobby Kent). Other 45 is by Fast Eddie & Fast Company ..... Dave Thorley has a copy for sale -- "Love Madness" (so will be able to tell you the names involved ... but I believe its a Eddie Fast*@?*^* PLUS the Bill Lane who was responsible for the Mystics 45).

No doubt the guys @ Secret Stash UK (across on Facebook) will give you the full sp as they can be in touch with the Leaners. See recent 'Secret Stash' article on here for more info on the site.

Loads of Mojo & Contempo-Raries + lots of JayBoy & UA Midnight Hour 45's were put out to meet demand from the NS scene crowd. Some Stateside, Bell & Tamla Motown singles (+ the odd London label thing) stayed on the books for month after month, again due to steady buying by NS'ers . I know that doesn't really count as a 're-issue' but in effect they were as every other 45 that had escaped on those labels at the same time had long been deleted. Those 'non-deletions' started in the 60's. Of course Pye Disco Demand, Grapevine & the like (which came later) also catered almost exclusively for the NS scene but most of that stuff was escaping in the UK for the 1st time.

Well "Never For Me" was big here in the UK in the early 70's ... so I'd guess they were pressed up & all immediately shipped across here.

Brenda can be a bit skitzy at times but her hearts in the right place (most of the time). Another guy that Harvey (& Lou) were working with is ex-Clevelander Billy Wells. A picture of them both in the studio ... .... PLUS a pic of Harvey with Phil Flowers Jnr .......

RE: By 1978, Ronnie was an important member of Cleveland based gospel outfit, the Hubbard Singers. He also secured a role in a hit stage play 'Singin & Shouting' with another member of the cast being Alltrinna Grayson ......... Alltrinna Grayson, as we all know, hooked up with Bobby Womack in the mid 80's and cut a wonderful track in conjunction with Wilton Felder (of the Crusaders) ...