Roburt

Wonder if its too late to wing off a letter to Dept. B for promo copies of these two ............

Mitty's 1972 gospel remake of her biggest hit ............. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i9r_hkqROo

More info on Mitty's career here ............... https://blogs.suntimes.com/hoekstra/2012/11/the_giving_soul_of_mitty_colli.html

As I stated earlier, Eli 'Paperboy' Reed is a big fan of Mitty's ............ https://www.theage.com.au/articles/2008/12/23/1229998532694.html Rusty Springboard also used to credit Mitty as being a big influence on her singing style.

Mitty always felt that she had been ripped off (royalties wise) during her secular music career. She was still peeved as late as 2009 ........ https://articles.chicagotribune.com/2009-08-26/entertainment/0908260153_1_radio-stations-tom-joyner-morning-show-radio-personalities Did the Performance Rights Act ever pass into law in the US or did the media owners manage to get it blocked ?

Mitty was still touring across the US on packages in 1965 / 66. Here's a Hot Rod Celebration Show (WWIN Baltimore DJ) staged at the Royal Theatre that Chess Records provided all the acts for (I guess Hot Rod had been featuring lots of Chess tracks on his WWIN show over the previous few months).

Her first ever release from back in June 61 ...........

This lady came back into the news when Eli 'Paperboy' Reed first hit it big as he had played in her Chicago church when at college in Chicago and she had helped inspire him (even more) into singing 60's style soul. She goes back many years and gave up singing soul over 40 years back (returning to her gospel roots). She cut a few decent gospel tunes from the 70's on but it's her Chess outings from the 60's that she is remembered for. She enjoyed her first 45 release around her 20th birthday (June 1961) with "I Gotta Get Away From It All". By the end of 1961, she was starring on big R&B Revue shows such as the one in Chicago over Xmas that year (Lloyd Price topped the bill with the Spaniels, the Sheppards, Erma Franklin, Buddy Lamp & of course Mitty also performing). Her biggest hit came in 1964 and it was a straight copy of a gospel tune. Here she is performing the song on 'the Beat' .........

Seems the show is still selling out every night and though the critics mauled it, the audience (in the whole) are loving it. It's reported that the show's gross take each week is just under $1.5 million and its this years biggest hit on Broadway. Tickets (via lastminute.com) are just over £80 each (including all fees)

It would really be good if some of those 'Allen Ludden's Gallery' TV shows have survived. Here's info on a few 'soul people' that he had on to chat & perform over a period of just one month ............. September 12th 1969 Hosted by Allen Ludden, guests include singer Angeline Butler September 11th 1969 Hosted by Allen Ludden, guests include singer Lenny Welch September 5th 1969 Hosted by Allen Ludden, guests include singer Nancy Ames September 4th 1969 Hosted by Allen Ludden, guests include singer Thelma Houston August 28th 1969 Hosted by Allen Ludden guests include singer Johnny Mathis & the Danny Cox Trio August 25th 1969 Hosted by Allen Ludden, guests include singer-actress Sharon Cash with the Back Porch Majority. August 21th 1969 Hosted by Allen Ludden, guests include singer Gerri Granger August 20th 1969 Hosted by Allen Ludden, guests include singer Angeline Butler August 19th 1969 Hosted by Allen Ludden, guests include singer Gerri Granger August 15th 1969 Hosted by Allen Ludden, guests include singer Joe Williams August 14th 1969 Hosted by Allen Ludden, guests include singer Jackie DeShannon August 13th 1969 Hosted by Allen Ludden, guests include actor / singer Della Reese ....... H B Barnum & Band backed all the singers who appeared on the shows

Obviously this came out on 'Little Michaels' own vanity label, he may even have bought the studio time himself to cut the tracks. It says it's a release out of Houston on the net and the title of tuva side would make it a summer to late 1970 period release. What are the writers names on the two songs as 'Little Michael' was probably involved.

One of her soul goodies ............... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8XGsshGuQs

SHOULD HAVE POSTED THIS THREAD IN 'All About The Soul' SECTION. SHOULD BE MOVED !!

Gerri on a German TV show (the song choice is dire though) ............ ... the first few seconds of this feature Allen Ludden talking ..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isU0F_BGRQM

Another clip of her doing 'cabaret material' ........... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s460zBYwtmo She appeared on 'Alan Ludden's Gallery' TV show and the backing band on that series was the H. B. Barnum Band ........... .... https://www.tv.com/shows/allen-luddens-gallery/august-21-1969-1381971/ I guess her appearances on there would be the best chance to catch her singing more 'soul-styled' numbers. Do any clips of the Gerri (or the other soul stars) who appeared on the show still exist ??

Back on a US TV show (Tonight Show with Johnny Carson + Allen Ludden) ............ ..do any clips survive of her singing one of her own good soul tracks ?? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DX6WObx8zIU

Gerri on a Canadian show .............. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JFyPhktrZM

Gerri on the Johnny Carson Show .............. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ya6_1QlBAs

Another old TV clip of Gerri & Sammy Davis ("I discovered her...ere .. which isn't true") .... Sammy took her on tour as part of his live review show for over 18 months .... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGO4BYlQe0A

Starting out at age 14 in Newark, NJ, Gerri Granger got an unlikely chance to sing at Teddy Powell’s Lounge on an amateur night. She won that night, but being a singer was not first and foremost for her. After graduating from Weequarhic Hugh School in Irvington, New Jersey, Gerri received an Art Scholarship to study Industrial Design and this led her to study at New York University. Her first record deal was with Big Top who put out "Castles In The Sky" in the summer of 1962. Her last outing on Big Top was in February 1962, this being the 'Giant / Baum / Kaye' song "Breakdown". Meanwhile she had begun to perform locally with Lloyd Price’s Big Band and then did a stint on the circuit in the Catskills of New York State as a singer and dancer. She had 45's released on Lloyd Price’s Double L label out of New York City ("You Must Be Doing Something Right" & “The Show Stopper”: 1965/66). Her talent caught the eye of the William Morris Agency, who would help launch her TV career. She would meet her mentor in entertainment, Sammy Davis Jr. during those times and went on to have a great career working with him lots of the time (she was a regular on his TV shows). The majority of the time she mainly focused on television work. Her TV credits include appearing on Ed Sullivan, Johnny Carson, Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin, David Frost, Dick Cavett, Allen Ludden, Steve Allen. Joey Bishop, Virginia Graham and Jonathan Winters. She was a regular on a weekly variety series “What’s It All About World” with Dean Jones, plus a TV Variety Special “The Singers” with Mel Torme and Jack Jones. She was with Bell Records in 1971 and had a New York cut album released by United Artists ('Add a Little Love') in 1972 which included the track "Til I Find You". She was then signed by 20th Century who put out her popular "Can't Take My Eyes Off You / Hot Ta Trot" on 12" in 1975. She had a good life back then, being involved in television work not only in the States, but in Europe as well (singing, acting and entertaining). Her most popular NS track was “I Go To Pieces” (Bell). She cut some of her tracks in New York based Oda Studios. The guys at the studio had this to say about her .... “She projects her voice skillfully and easily, making particularly good use of the rich, lower areas of her range. She phrases perceptively, enunciates cleanly and does it all with a casual throwaway manner as she takes confident command of the stage”. After taking a hiatus from singing, she returned to the biz, going back into the studio to cut some new tracks and starting touring again. She gets introduced by Sammy Davis 50 secs into this video .......... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=actE5uCT-k4 https://www.discogs.com/artist/Gerri+Granger

Just come across this & don't recall seeing it before ................

I have an almost mint copy of this. Was buying B&S every month back then and, like most other B&S buyers at the time, got a copy. So back then there were many copies about. These days I guess they are a lot more scarce. VALUE ....... I have no idea at all but guess the likes of Pete S will have an idea. Has Manship sold a copy in the recent past by any chance ?

Released in the US as just by Ila. Details here .... https://www.45cat.com/record/nc807334us Never seen a US or UK copy. Guesses on the net place this as a mid 70's release, your UK copy shows it was a 1971 release. Track included on Ila Van comp CD.

Not much Pete, apart from jocko 'coming out' as my biggest fan.

Sorry s(waggy) but there is a SS rule that good records can't be sold to Dony Rovers fans !!