Roburt

......... FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN EARLY DETROIT SOUL TRACKS ......... 'History of Soul' Records is a newish CD company operating out of the UK at present. They take 'out of copyright' soul tracks & put together double 'themed' CD releases. So far, they have about 8 CD packages out ........ go here to see details & track listings ....... https://www.historyofsoul.net/ But they have at least another 8 releases in development. One of these is ...... 'Detroit Soul 1957 - 1962'. As yet, I don't have the full track listing for this one but it will include cuts by the Barons, Fabulous Playboys, Melvin Davis, Johnnie Mae Mathews, Timmy Shaw, Falcons, J J Barnes, Walter Hamilton, etc. Each release comes with a detailed CD booklet that sets out the facts surrounding the cuts included in the package. Don't know who they have commissioned to write the Detroit CD notes but the booklet notes I have read for existing releases are good.

Gary Glenn (of Gary Glenn & the Soul Set) was playing live solo gigs around the Pittsburgh area by late summer 1969 ......

The "Water Boy" 45 also escaped on UA in Australia (& no doubt in other countries as well) ..........

Seems that Evelyn Freeman was a gal. She lead a choir and also conducted an orchestra back around 1962. She (they) had an LP out on UA ....... 'Didn't It Rain'. She also cut in the late 50's / early 60's for the likes of Dot & Imperial Records. So, with her leading a choir, I guess different people (male & female) took on lead vocal duties on various songs.

Cleveland Martin (probably without the Soul Sets) was also on the bill of a big NAACP Charity show staged in Pittsburgh at the end of October 1967 .......... This came just over a year after he (& his group) had their 45 (under the name of the Rhythm Rascals) out on Sonic. AS WITH SOME OTHER PITTSBURGH RECORDINGS ....... the Sonic label is not badged as being Pittsburgh based (its LA). The Sonic 45 has connections to Fee Bee, a label that Cleveland would cut for in the 70's as lead of the Del Vikings. The tracks on the Sonic 45 escaped on Roulette in summer 1966.

Paul Serrano had his own studio & label (PS) in the 70's / 80's and before that he played on 100's of Chicago soul recordings. See here ........ https://www.discogs.com/artist/Paul+Serrano#t=Credits_Technical&q=&p=1 Boba will know loads more about his exploits no doubt.

Anyone know when the Single B / Cleveland Martin & the Soul Sets 45 dates from ?? I'd guess that as Odell Bailey & Telldell Music were involved ... AND .... that Cleveland Martin was playing loads of gigs around Pittsburgh then ...that it was 1967-ish. Cleveland Martin had started out in groups at the end of the 50's. He was blind but that didn't stop him carving out a long music biz career. He helped form the Diadems in Pittsburgh who cut for La Vere in 1961. Odell Bailey was involved with the group at that time. They had a 45 out on Goldie in 1964 ("I'll Do Anything") ............ The group changed their name to the Rhythm Rascals in 1966 for a 45 on Sonic that was picked up by Roulette. By 1974, Cleveland Martin was going by the name of Butch Martin and was performing on blues shows around Pittsburgh (see below). Then he (& other members of the Diadems) ended up as members of the Del Vikings in 1976. Also, this is very very speculative, but ........ . could there be a link in label name's between former Swan label head Bernie Binnick's B B Records (i.e. Two B's) and the Single B Record label? Guess not as the B in Single B probably stood for Bailey.

Thought I may as well post up a scan of the Cleveland Martin & the Soul Sets 45 as well ........ .... their single came out on the Single B label which Odell Bailey was involved with (and so this label obviously has connections with the Millage label). Cleveland Martin went on to become a member (singing lead) with the Del-Vikings in the 70's.

There was also a French (?) based group who went by the name of The Earl Lett International Soul Set. They had a 45 out that featured a track titled "Soul Serenade" ... though I think this was a different song to the King Curtis / Willie Mitchell one.

There was a Soul Set label ...... AND .... lots of groups who used the Soul Set name. There was one outfit down in North Carolina, one (?) based in Pittsburgh and one or more in the Philly / New Jersey area. I presume that Cleveland Martin & the Soul Sets were related in some way to Gary Glenn & the Soul Set (both were from Pittsburgh I believe). Were the B B Records and Sock & Soul groups one and the same ? .......... BUT ..... just how many different groups did use the name ??

A couple of Millage acts (the Contrails & Captions) were on this big charity show held in Pittsburgh in late October 1967 ..... ......... the AMM label's studio backing band, the Up-Set (Upsets) also played live gigs at venues across the city back then ....... BTW, the top local act on the charity show bill, (Sonny Gilmore &) the Premiers , had recorded for RCA in the late 50's.

Out in the US in about a months time this documentary features some of the greatest backing singers ever !!!! It concentrates on the careers of the likes of Merry Clayton, Darlene Love, Claudia Lennear (Ikette), Tata Vega, Lisa Fischer, etc. Tap to view this Soul Source News/Article in full

Can't believe how cheap the Backbeats CD's are, even though they have quality content ........ Bought 2 off Amazon today ........... 'More Xover Soul' ,........,, £3.60 'Dance Floor Revolution' .. £3.83

These two gals ..........

This track dates from 1973 and must have been cut in the NY area, so I guess the Rich Ward in question is the guy detailed below. He had recently quit the New York Police in summer 69 and was starting to make his way as a singer ........

In 1974, Landy McNeil was stating that "Making My Daydream Real" had been a chart hit .... but then as the writer of the song he would have been I guess.

Pete, can't see what you're on about, I think Wayne had a great hairstyle !!!!

When the Kelly St John Millage 45 (# 105) was released,it was announced that the single would be distributed by Pittsburgh based P & M .......... (see post #25 above). It seems to me that the distributor concerned was more likely the one below (run by ex record label guy & restaurant owner Paul McGrath) ...... The 45 was seemingly 'promoted' by P.M. Record Promotion Service ....... SO WHY ..... ...... do sleeves for promo copies of this single still show the Mortuary address; most strange ??

Not alotta people know that ........ Timi Yuro was so popular in the Philippines in the 60's that she got to appear in 2 films made there in 1967; Incognito & 'Buhay Marino'.

I'm suprised that she didn't call it Dusty ... ..... coz her & Dusty Springfield got to know each other when they both appeared at the 1965 San Remo Song Festival (Petula Clark was also on there that year). BTW, Ben E King and Peggy March were on the year before (64). I guess the San Remo Golden Strings were on every year at 'Festival Time' ..... .

When Diamond Records picked up the Contrails "Someone" in October 1966 (& released it at the end of that year), they licensed the 45 in from Bailey - McClendon Productions of Pittsburgh. So Odell Bailey still seemed to be operating out of Pittsburgh at the end of 1966.

Here's the SDF thread I believe Robb is on about ............ ....OR ...... it could be this one .................

......... I beg to differ .......... A Gino Soccio 12" .......

Roadshow Records was a label that operated in the US from 1972 to 1979 ......... https://www.discogs.com/label/Roadshow For a spell, Scepter distributed the label in the US and some of the 45's were put out on Scepter itself with a Roadshow 'badge' at the side of the label. Don Downing was the first artist to have a release on the label but quite quickly, the likes of B T Express & Enchantment signed up and had big hits for the label. B T Express had three R&B Top 10 hits released on Roadshow (2 of which made #1) and Enchantment had two R&B Top 10 hits on the label (1 making #1). Shirley Caesar & Al Wilson joined the label later on. It seemed to just be an outfit that signed up acts from across the States rather than being a label that developed its own acts. Stuff from the label was also released abroad, much on Pye International here in the UK. However, there were Canadian & Australian versions of the label that put out its product in those countries.