Roburt

Bob, so were Ralph's vocals actually featured on any / many of the tracks featured on the Cotillion LP ? He didn't get a name check on the album sleeve, it was Nate who was listed as a member of the group and figured in the group photo that adorned the album's front cover. I think I'd have been very pissed off if I had sung on some of the tracks but not received my due credit.

The Jesse Harrison version is up here (it kicks in at around 41min 30 sec) .......... https://www.mixcloud.com/albertfish/killercrossover2/

More gigs that Delores undertook in the 60's ................ Incidentally, her shows at Club Les Gals (West Mt Royal Ave, Baltimore) must have seemed a bit strange to a church goer like her. The club's clientèle came to watch the sexy exotic dancers more than the featured singer.

When is a soul singer not a soul singer ….. well, the answer is when she's Delores Lynn. Delores was born & brought up in Baltimore (entering this world in 1937). She made her start as a singer at the Metropolitan Methodist Church in Baltimore, where she still sang with the choir in 1991. In her younger years, she founded the group Delores Lynn and The Playboys, which became the house band at the Surf Club and the Biltmore Lounge. The Surf Club (a nightclub on Pulaski Highway at Highland Avenue in East Baltimore) was owned by Amedio Lorenzo Snr, who had purchased it in 1951. During the rock & roll era he booked the likes of Count Basie, Woody Herman, Bill Haley and the Comets, Fats Domino and Louis Prima to play the venue. Sunday jam sessions were also popular at the club. They were hosted by Al "Mad Man" Baitch, a saxophone player whose trio was a regular at the club. Another Sunday feature back then was the 'Battle of the Bands' at which 3 bands would play starting at 2 p.m. and end five hours later. The big name acts played the club on Mondays and during the rest of the week local bands and singers entertained the audiences (the Romanos, the Swingtones, the Crystals, Teddy Bell, Mickey Fields & his All-Stars and the Versatiles plus Delores Lynn). Mr Lorenzo sold the club in 1962 as he could no longer meet the fee's demanded by popular acts. The Biltmore Lounge, which had opened back in 1945, was on the junction of West Fayette & Paca Street in Baltimore. It was still going strong in the mid 50's when Delores played there. Delores went on to perform with the Coasters at the Royal Theatre and at the Cadillac Club with Bobby "Blue" Bland and Nina Simone. In July 1965, she played on a bill at Carr's Beach that also included Nella Dodds, the Ascots and the Uptowns. Gifted with a natural voice, Delores had no formal training and so sang in unpolished fashion. She always preferred jazz and soon became a big draw at local clubs such as the Club Les Gals, Bamboo Lounge, Red Fox and North End Lounge (which was owned by Gary Bartz father). At these clubs, she played in conjunction with the likes of the Al Gross Quintette, the Claude Hubbard Trio and the Donald Criss Trio. The only record release she ever enjoyed was the double sided gem put out on Philly based Junior Records around 1964. With much input from up & coming Philly soul genius Bobby Martin, her single coupled the deep soul styled ballad “Just Tell It Like It Is” with a Northern style cut of great class, “The Big Search Is On”. No doubt she would have preferred to cut some jazz styled songs but back then, an aspiring singer did as she was told when given the opportunity to visit the recording studio. It is likely that more recordings of her vocal efforts exist as she undertook many concerts for the Baltimore based Left Bank Jazz Society. This organisation put on jazz concerts that featured most of the top artists from the early 1960's through into the late 70's. Many of those shows were recorded with the tapes being stored for many years at the Morgan State University library. Delores and DC tenor sax player Buck Hill were among those who played for the Left Bank at the Al-Ho Club up to the end of 1964. Early in 1965 the organisation moved it's shows to the Madison Club (Madison & Chester Street in East Baltimore). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHEsVRi9n-M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H3gvI1n_mow Eventually Delores tired of a performer's life, she settled down & had 4 children. She took numerous jobs and by the 1990's was a security guard at the National Aquarium. She performed volunteer work, designed clothes, moonlighted at Harrison's at Pier 5, upholstered furniture, tended to the needs of her 4 children and 8 grandchildren, her stepmother, father and 89-year-old aunt (who had raised her). Up to the mid 1980's she had no thoughts about singing professionally again but made a return then singing jazz (& some blues) with the Abdu-Raschid Yahya Trio. In 1991, on a dare from co-workers, she took the stage at an Aquarium party with the Peabody Ragtime Ensemble. Ensemble leader Ed Goldstein (the group's tuba player) was amazed at how much she sounded like the legendary Billie Holiday and talked her into acting as vocalist with his group. She then started taking part in shows that honoured 'Lady Day'. Delores went on to sing with the septet at subsequent concerts, including a tribute staged at the Maryland Historical Society to four Baltimore musical greats, Billie Holiday, Eubie Blake, Cab Calloway, and Chick Webb. She also fronted the Ensemble (along with Mel Spears & Ellis Larkins) on a jazz concert celebrating Black History Month. She enjoyed her return to performing jazz and took part in a number of concerts through 1991 / 92.

As every fan of Jamaican made music knows, Curtis Mayfield & the Impressions were viewed as being GODS by the majority of reggae singers / musicians. Too many CM song reggae cover versions to even try to list them all. As the Van Dykes track had such an Impressions feel to it, no doubt some aspiring Kingston singer (or their producer) thought it would be a great idea to do a cover of the song. If Pete S can't come up with an issued version of the song, I guess it never did escape on anything other than an acetate (probably an exclusive made for a sound system that was not taken any further back in the day).

Sam, Fred, Reggie + Nate Evans (the "This Time With Feeling" guy). Come on our kid, if you don't know the full history of the greatest soul group EVER , you're no kind of real soul fan

Muscle Shoals Sound Studio related news ............... https://www.al.com/business/index.ssf/2013/06/post_44.html

A new 2fer CD from those 'History of Soul' boys ....... https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lonely-Avenue-Soul-York-1955-1962/dp/B00CY3GXKM/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1372677307&sr=1-1&keywords=Lonely+Avenue+-+Soul+From+New+York It was the massive internal migration from the South during and just after the Second World War that made New York a mecca for rhythm and blues. The whole city was ablaze with talent during the 50s, when musicians came in their droves. Old style country bluesmen, hip cool jazz players, crooners and balladeers, jump n jive groups, solo performers there was more than enough work for everybody. And behind after them came the record companies, each one looking to promote talent and make money. . The melting pot of styles and musical approaches helped to form the new mainstream of the 60s: Ssoul. These two CDs contain gospel-based blues ballads, uptempo dancers, vocal groups and duets, big bands, smaller combos, exciting one-offs - and everything in between; in fact, the best of soul music in New York at that time and it really doesn t get much better than this! Part of the History of Soul series, the accompanying illustrated booklet is written by John Ridley. The piccy on the front of the CD is of 'Sugar Ray's' Club at 124th Street & 7th Ave in Harlem. This place was owned / run by ex boxer Sugar Ray Robinson and the likes of Kenny Hamber played gigs there at around the time the last tracks included on this CD were cut.

Three or so years back a US ebay seller (from the Baltimore / DC area) got hold of a whole stack of original 60's soul artist publicity photos. These had been 'rescued' from an old booking agent's filing cabinet where they had laid untouched (apparently) since the early 70's. Those photos, coz they had been stored away from the light, dry & at a decent temperature looked almost like new. So it is possible that yours are 'true originals'.

"Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday Sunday" by the Joyful Gospel Singers is a great opening track .......... ... but looking at the EP it was released on, I can't help but crave hearing their take on "People Get Ready". ......... ANY CHANCE ?

Not a real expert on photographic processes but these prints must obviously have been printed up from original film negatives. If negatives are stored correctly (& the film that was originally used has long term chemical stability) then they should last in good condition for a long time. A photographic print is something a lot less stable. Light will effect it badly, so unless an old print is stored in the dark it will deteriorate, fading badly or going yellow. So I guess you have some more recent prints taken from good original 50 year old negatives. Of course, they just could be original prints that have been stored in the dark for the last 50 years.

You just can't beat the 1960's Impressions sound and Curtis Mayfield's songs from any era. This version isn't 'too different' from that original sound ........ so everything is good.

The Bob Soprano 45 was cut up in Boston at Joe Saia's Triple A Studios on Dorchester Avenue. Saia had also managed Teddy & the Pandas, a local garage band that were signed to Musicor by Boston based A&R guy Bruce Patch. Patch worked with Musicor Records and so was probably the link between Bob Soprano and the record label. It was Patch's job to get local radio DJ's to play the records he was pushing on behalf of Musicor (& other labels). Joe Saia also worked with local radio DJ (& record store owner) Skippy White. Skippy ran a number of locally based labels (Wild, Stop, Silver Cross, My Records, Bluestown) as well as Mass Record Distributors. Skippy White was a DJ at WILD in Boston in the 60's and this radio station had broadcast both Italian language shows and R&B music shows up to 1967. It therefore seems likely that WILD & / or Skippy White were also involved with Bob Soprano landing his 45 release on Musicor. Incidentally Jackie Shane ("Any Other Way" on Cookin' & Sue) also cut with Skippy White for his Stop Records label.

The R & R Hall of Fame has finally gotten around to seeking out 60's soulsters from the HofF's home city. Lou Ragland was one of those selected for interview ............ https://rockhall.com/blog/post/9395_cleveland-soul-interview-with-lou-ragland/

Ady got me to interview Mary (with much help & assistance given by Paul Dunn on the day) at that early Cleggy weekender. The interview took place in a Cleggy fish & chip shop. 'Normal folks' were coming in to eat their dinner as we occupied a booth and questions & answers were exchanged as the video cameras rolled. I asked her how a lady so diminutive in stature came to possess such a BIG voice, she thought for a few seconds & then just burst straight into a gospel song. At the end of her rendition, everyone in the restaurant just burst into applause. Mary truly was a special person.

Just got back from an 8 day cruise to learn that Mary (& Bobby Bland) have passed. SAD SAD NEWS ........ just shows that we are losing old soul singers on a much too regular basis at the moment.

I always liked S.O.U.L. and the group's releases (fine Cleveland soul, some cuts with a jazzy edge). Got a copy of their Musicor 45 ("The Jones" -- Musicor 1500) from October 74 and their Dynamo 45 ("I Need Somebody To Love" -- Dynamo 6004) from 1975 many many years ago. Never considered either at all rare though single releases on both those labels were sporadic back in those years .... ..... remember Ady asking me about the Dynamo 45 and him inferring it was rarish but still not at all sure that is the case. I would guess that there were more S.O.U.L. tracks cut around the mid 70's and always wanted to hear any that existed.

Stone Flower was Sly's own label and he did a distribution deal for it with Atlantic ......... Sly & F S were of course signed to Epic / Columbia themselves ......... ..... so putting out a few copies of his new LP on his own label may have been his way of 'winding' the management guys at Epic up (Sly was always in dispute with some record exec or promoter back then as he was high lots of the time). The 'I Want To Take You Higher' book states that he made a lot of money from the release of 'Stand' and used some of it to get offices in Hollywood to base his new Stone Flower Productions concern in (these offices were opposite the big Capitol Records building). But by 1971, his label had enjoyed 2 x 45 hits (on Little Sister) so I doubt putting out copies of 'Riot' on the label were to raise it's profile.

More REAL singers ....... the Mighty Clouds of Joy ............ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiDCAXIw0yU

....... And ........ the same programmes take on Bobby Womack ............. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERq36gghWr8

.. AND .. 44 mins on David Ruffin ............. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fJf0da68xo

Back with the best ....... the Temptations .......... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJluqa0jud4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltRwmgYEUr8

I believe that Mickey Stevenson has written his autobiography & it should hit the shops next year.

Yet more Hy-Lit ............. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm9FqHW-_a4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC3aGqz2MIA

More clips from the Hy-Lit Show ............... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puJ13fyjnHM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgtpreUfcS0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6K0Xh6mo0I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buyHuaL7bF4