Roburt

Just checked & it was Lola (not Fluffy) that married one of the Tavares boys in 1970. Lola was a dancer / singer who played Broadway shows, appeared in 60's films & was featured on the Bill Cosby TV Show (so no doubt she knew Bill very well & maybe even his little old man ?!?). Lola was a star in Vegas for some years but went down with an illness in 1972 (think this stopped her dancing for a while). Fluffy & Lola were from Philly originally. Lola cut for Reprise in the 60's ..... was her early 67 Reprise 45 a Virtue Production ??? ..... ..... & did her Italian language version of "Working in a Coalmine" ever actually escape on 45 in Italy ? If so, is it any good ? ..... By 1975 Cuba Gooding (of Main Ingredient) was recording Lola on some new tunes but I don't know if these ever escaped from the tape vaults.

Wasn't Fluffy (a looker by all accounts & ex-showgirl I believe) married to one of the Tavares brothers in the 70's ? Maybe that was her sister Lola .....

Seems that it was a big play back in the day ........

Back to the group / record in question (Shangi-las -- Give Him a Great Big Kiss) ............ It COULD be considered NORTHERN but not NS (IMHO). Many pop songs played on the scene down the years (most being garbage IMO) but they were played and therefore have to figure in the history of NS. Now, I'll go on Facebook & the like and state that I recall Bill Oddie's NS biggie being played on the scene in the 70's and a whole new heated debate can kick off.

Seems that the Sonny Daye on Ru-Jac (Baltimore) had no connection at all with Eddie Daye (of 4 Bars fame). Full story on the 4 Bars (from an interview Eddie himself gave before his death) is here ....... https://www.uncamarvy.com/4Bars/4bars.html So Eddie & the 4 Bars were the backing singers on the Donbut 45 by Vic Marcell (uncredited on the record label though) .....

I have a full album of photos I took at the Ric Tic Review show staged @ the Ritz in Manc. The album is back in the UK though and is old pre-digital print format (& my scanner gave up the ghost a while ago). Seem to recall Rob Wigley (?) giving me a good shot of Edwin Starr on stage @ Hinckley that he had taken at the show, so he may have other gud uns. I also have 100's of artist photos from every Cleggy Weekender from the 1st thru to 2014 (last year's was the 1st I ever missed). Also photos from uda weekenders and live shows in London (100 Club & other venues). Some photos of soul singers I've met up with in UK & US.

A better version of an ad for the same show @ the Howard .......

At the time the group were 'cold as ice' back in the US, after having been a big live draw 4 to 6 years earlier. So they couldn't get many decent US bookings (you needed a hot new release to get high paying live gigs back across the pond). So they saw their UK visit as a way of regenerating their careers. The TOTP appearance was the biggest gig of their time in the UK and as I understand it they learnt a full stage performance (choreography) but this particular guy couldn't remember the moves and was cocking up their wanted 'smooth professional display'. So he was pulled from the stage when the camera was off the group. I believe they finished their performing days down on the US beach music circuit where their old 60's cuts were always popular. Better days (1964) for the group back in their homeland. Back then they were regular performers at the top chitlin circuit theatres such as the Howard Theatre in DC .......

(Nearly) all you need to know about Debbie is detailed here .................. https://www.selrec.com/debbietaylorstory.htm Her Arista stuff was issued on 7" in South America (Brazil, etc.) and here it was common for 7" records to play @ 33rpm. Coz of this, longer versions (sometimes the full LP version) were included on local 7" releases. I have no idea if any of her Today outings escaped in countries such as Brazil and Argentina but if they did it's highly likely that they will feature longer versions than those that escaped on the US 45. Alternatively, many Sth American 7" releases would feature 4 cuts (i.e same as a UK EP release). Coz of this lots of tracks that were LP only in the US / UK escaped in the likes of Brazil / Argentina on 7". Debbie's Brazil 7" release may well be featured on the old 'obscure - unusual foreign release' thread.

The O'Jays tracks released on the label were cut for Cleveland based Saru Records in the period between the group's time with Neptune and Philly Int Records. Eddie Spencer was based out of Toronto and also fronted pop bands (see attached pic in which Eddie is shown top left) as well as performing / recording as a solo artist ........

Robb, the Baltimore / DC Sonny Daye who cut for Ru-Jac must make it at least 3 different soul Sonny Daye's. There were also singers outside of the US that used the name Sonny Day (but I don't think they cut soul records). I'm old too and often have very forgetful moments (hence my inability to recall Frankie Vance earlier on).

So the DC 4 Bars lead used both the name Sonny Daye and Eddie Daye ? Were either his 'real name' or were they just his stage names ?

So is the Sonny Daye who was the lead singer of the 4 Bars the same guy who cut for Baltimore's Ru-Jac Records (Little Sonny Daye with Shyndel's Band – I'm Through With You / A Woman Like You - 1963) or was there a 4th soul singer who used the stage / recording name of Sonny Daye.

My point still stands as I started my post with the statement ..... not exactly the same names !!

RE: Robb's comment on Mary Wells ...... as were most of her non-Beatles 20th Century Fox songs. Did she cut those Beatles songs for 20th Century coz she had become such close friends with the members of the UK group when she was the main support artist on the Beatles big UK theatre tour back in 1963 ??

Some info here on the 70's Imperials .............. https://www.algomes.com/imperials/haroldbio.html Later on (as stated in the above), Little Anthony decided he wanted to return to performing as lead with the Imperials, so he bought the name back from Bobby Wade. After that Bobby named his group the Emperors as they had a long term engagement @ the Emperor Lounge @ Caesar's Palace in Vegas. See attached pics of 1976 version of the Imperials PLUS of Bobby Wade's Emperors .......

Not taken @ Hinckley but members of the Ric Tic Review photographed backstage @ the Ritz (Lou Ragland & J J Barnes in the piccie) .....

This Imperials were Little Anthony's old group after he went into acting & started a solo singing career. The lead singer was ex-Way Out guy Bobby Wade. They didn't have any US hits but made a good living for many years playing the Vegas casino lounges. When I took a whole bunch of UK soulies on the Vegas Soul Trip in 1998, the group were playing a local casino lounge room. I contacted Bobby & told him we were coming to the show. He 'played up' to our crowd, talking about his UK popularity & the Imperial's UK hit on Power Exchange. He then pitched our crowd against the Americans in the audience on soul knowledge / crowd reaction to his questions / the group's show. A very enjoyable night all around (have photos of the show somewhere at home in the UK). However I have this photo on my US based computer from the same trip ...... a few of us Brits in Freddie Empire's Vegas recording studio (Freddie sat front right in the pic) ....

Not exactly the same names ........... BUT ....... There was 60's Baltimore based outfit The Shalimars & the 70's hit makers (for SOLAR) Shalimar .....

RE: my own post ..... There's the Cleveland group Sly, Slick & Wicked PLUS the LA outfit of the same name fronted by Sonny Daye .............. Both group's taking their name from the Lost Generation's hit 45 track !!

There's the Cleveland group Sly, Slick & Wicked PLUS the LA outfit of the same name fronted by Sonny Daye (but not the Frank Wilson / Sonny Daye). Then there were the O'Jays & the OJ's ............ see attached show ad ............. ........... FOOLED YOU .......... there was only the one group but some ad writers obviously hadn't heard of them back in the mid 60's ..... he also struggled with the El Corols name ...... ...... ALSO ...... in the early 60's, ad writers struggled with Billy Stewart's name see below) ......

Then there was J Frank Wilson who fronted the Cavaliers on Josie (see earlier post on Cavaliers). Can't recall his Christian name but didn't Frank Wilson's brother also cut at one time (I think I have one of his 45's at home but can't recall the details).

Numerous examples keep coming to mind. Like the Visitors from LA (TRC Records) and the Chicago group who also used the name and recorded for Dakar. Someone should look through the Soul Harmony Groups book and lots more will be evident. I'd do it but my copy of the book is in the UK and I'm in Florida for a while still.

There was also the 'Golden World' Adorables and the Carolina outfit who cut for Peacock with the Don Thompson Combo. Then there were groups that were basically different incarnations of the same outfit ..... like the Drifters / Original Drifters and the Platters / Buck Ram's Platters. Long running groups would feature numerous different line-ups / lead singers. So the 50's Clyde McPhatter version of the Drifters were totally different to the Ben E King led 60's Drifters and the same thing happened again by the 70's with the Johnny Moore led group that had hits here in the UK with Bell.

The 'Mala' Van Dykes ........ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAlnapPpda4 The 'Baltimore' Van Dykes .... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjqNcxrWoSg https://articles.baltimoresun.com/1990-11-20/news/0502220470_1_van-dykes-roland-brown-bembe-beach