Roburt

Ian, the Lee Dorsey (very big when I started on the UK scene) & the SJQ CD's look really nice and will have to find their way to my house (even though I'm still banned from buying any more recids/ CDs by er'indoors). If you don't mind me asking; were sales of the gospel CD set large enough to prompt a follow-up release ??

I believe the big New York launch party (for the box CD / 45's set was yesterday .......... I know lots of the old artists were being bused up from Philly to attend ........... ..........& Kenny Hamber was driving down from New England to be there ...... anyone on here attend or heard how it went (they were after publicity to help launch sales of the set).

...... RE: BUT the organisers want the money in early...so it does have to be paid up NOW ........ .... GUESS the consultant's running the event want their money up front

It's all relative. Don't forget that all the 'city banking' types are still getting awarded 6 figure sums as Xmas bonuses (even though they bankrupted the country only 4 years back). .... AND ... what time of the year is it ...... almost Xmas ..... so those 'hard working' *ankers will all have loads of money burning holes in their pockets in the next 2 weeks. I'd guess that guys like Paul T (full name withheld to protect the innocent) will be spending his usual £thousands at Manships over the 'bonus period'.

Finding it difficult to get hold of copies of records played by competing sound systems, he began recording his own at Federal Studios. His first 45 rpm singles came out in 1958, with some Jamaican R&B and early ska tunes made only for his own sound system. Pete, it ain't too obvious, you have to read between the lines a bit. But, 45's made for other sound systems were only for their use (so obviously pressed up in limited quantities) ..... so he started cutting his own 45's, again made (in limited quantities) only for his own sound system. ....... OR .... am I reading too much into the bit about .... made only for their own sound systems

Being made available as download only in under a fortnight .......... The George Bohannon Quartet's previously unreleased Motown jazz album from 1962 ...... Haven't heard the tracks involved (except the extracts from 2 that escaped on a 45 in 63 & are already up on US Amazon)..... ...... but their take on "Do You Love Me" could well be acceptable (to jazzy types).

Most who have an interest in this subject will know the following ........ but for those still wanting to learn why some JA 45's are so rare ........ ............ lifted from the Wiki entry on Lloyd Daley ...... Lloyd Daley built one of Jamaica most powerful vacuum tube amplifiers with forty KT88 output tubes in the late 1970s for the 'Jack Ruby High Power' sound system, owned by Lawrence Lindo (Jack Ruby). He also built KT88 Amplifiers for Joe Chin ('Unitone' sound system) and Ken Hamilton ('Duke Hamilton' sound system). Finding it difficult to get hold of copies of records played by competing sound systems, he began recording his own at Federal Studios. His first 45 rpm singles came out in 1958, with some Jamaican R&Band early ska tunes made only for his own sound system. He had produced Roland Alphonso ("Bridgeview Shuffle"), Neville Esson, Owen Gray and Rico Rodriguez by the end of the decade, with relases appearing on his own Matador and Mystic labels. He released ska tunes in the early 1960s, with instrumental bands such as the 'Matadors All Stars', featuring most of the members of the later formed band The Skatalites in 1959-1960; or with the trumpeter Raymond Harper ("Heart & Soul" in 1962). Later releases were with rocksteady songs by The Overtakers for instance, always employing excellent session musicians. In 1966 the police dismantled a part of his sound system, because they said it was disturbing the neighborhood, so he sold it. He moved his repair service and record shop in 1968 to 43 Waltham Park Road, which he bought and built, using it as a rehearsal facility and Recording Studio, and had success in the early reggae period on his Matador label with artists like Jackie Mittoo ("Dark of the Sun") or The Scorchers ("Ugly Man"). His biggest hit came out in 1969 with Little Roy and his rasta song "Bongo Nyah" which became a long-time Jamaican number one. He then produced other popular singles for artists like The Abyssinians ("Yim Mas Gan"), The Ethiopians ("Owe Me No Pay Me"), Dennis Brown ("Things In Life"), The Wailing Souls ("Gold Digger"), the first recordings of The Gladiators ("Freedom Train", "Rockaman Soul"), Alton Ellis ("Lord Deliver Us" another Jamaican hit), John Holt or The Paragons. Avoiding the influence of American soul music (ever present through the rocksteady and early reggae era), Daley mostly produced original compositions, preferring religious (rasta) and socio-politicallyrics to love songs. He also released many instrumental tunes with Johnnie Moore or Lloyd Charmers ("Zylon" was a 1969 hit) and dee-jay versions of his hits with artists like U-Roy ("Sound of the Wise" and "Scandal", both recorded in October 1969). In 1971, Daley released Little Roy's "Hard Fighter" version, recorded by The Hippy Boys, and named "Voo-doo". It was one of the first instrumental dubtunes where drum and the bass had a dominating role. Most of Daley's productions have been released in the UK by Pama Records on its subsidiaries Crab and Gas, except in 1972, when he made a license deal with Trojan ......... A good (but pricey) book if you want to learn more ........... .https://www.amazon.co...54867315&sr=1-1 .................. SEE EXTRACT BELOW ..............

Seems that there was just the ONE Gil Bernal in the music biz ........ Lionel Hampton was the star of the show at the Coliseum in Baltimore back in mid December 1951 ..... His vocalists on that show are listed as Irma Curry, Janet Thurlow & Gil Bernal.

Here's another of his 45 outings ..... Its his RCA release from July 1967 -- "This Is Worth Fighting For" ...... .... it must date from around the time his Bumps 45 was issued. His treatment of the song shows his old style type vocal delivery ..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xwHX7PfCOc His later RCA cut "Can You Love a Poor Boy" is a better track.

Gil Bernal certainly had a long music biz career. He was signed to a new record deal (with Ameret Records of LA) in 1970 and probably worked in the biz for even more years after that. BUT he got his start many years earlier ... ..... here's a review of a gig he did at NY's Capitol Theatre in January 1951 in conjunction with Lionel Hampton & George Kirby ...... ... CORRECTION ....... Seems that this guy could have been a different Gil Bernal (2 guys in the music biz with that name would be mighty mighty strange though) .... THIS Gil B died in July 2011 and was a versatile sax player (aged 80 when he passed) who had played on the 50's hit "Smokey Joe's Cafe" and had worked with Spike Jones, Ray Charles, Quincy Jones & the Coasters in addition to Lionel Hampton. However, I've also seen him described (in 1954) as tenor sax and vocal star, so maybe it was one & the same person.

I seem to recall a soul / mod club that had a good reputation being located quite close to Liverpool Street Stn in the East End ... ...... though I could be mis-remembering as we used to go down that way to visit Petticioat Lane market on a weekend.

I was testing you to see if you were ready for the Weekender DJing circuit (Cleggy, Blackpool, etc). ........... YOU PASSED !!!!

When chasing down info on 45's to try to establish where they were cut / released (city of origin, etc), you are often stymied by the guys involved having names such as Smith, Jones or Brown. Such names make finding out which part of the US (Canada) these guys worked from almost impossible. However, with the tuva side of the "Right On" 45 we have a Jerry Joung heavily involved. With a name like his, it shouldn't be too hard to determine where he usually worked .... but till now, I've failed to find where he was based. Can you search for composers / song titles with SOCAN ??

Loads of previous threads have dealt with different Numero releases .... They do a really good job; tracking down old artists / producers/ studio owners and buying up old stock, acetates and master tapes to enable them to license & release the stuff. They go for obscure labels and have unearthed loads of great 'forgotten' soul / funk tracks Their Boddie Studios (Cleveland) and Lou Ragland box sets are great examples of the quality releases they put out.

I framed up similar memorabilia many years back (30+) and have had the results hanging up in my record room ever since (see below). Such stuff can be really effective; I used to be the guy that decorated the 'Soul Barn' (a well known private soul party event that used to be staged in a barn in South Yorkshire) and had 100's of soul 45 label / old music ads / soul show poster scans printed up to hang on the walls (it helped that I worked in a place that had a drawing office / print room, so could produce stuff that was 4ft x 6ft in size). Used some of my old stuff to decorate a village hall a while back (it was hosting Paul Dunn's big birthday bash) and will do the same next year to celebrate my old mate's (Tom Sleight) 65th birthday party. Pulling montages together to form an effective poster can be quite a lot of fun. Only trouble was at the Soul Barn, too many guests had a lot to drink & nicked the wall hangings at the end of the night.

https://cumberlink.com/news/opinion/blogs/thats_entertainment/entertainment-temptations-singer-s-final-fight/article_65bdb890-3a39-11e2-8a32-0019bb2963f4.html

Damon Harris @ Prestatyn 2007: Sound check run through before show .....

He's in discussion with Amazon.com re:book sales .......... ... but says there will be more from him (dates, etc) on Facebook as soon as he knows.

Damon (& his group) played Prestatyn Legends Weekender in October 2007. Though I spent a bit of time talking with him back then, he was more private about his medical challenges then. He showed no signs (then) of the problems he must have been experiencing and put on a really great show.

Pat Hervey ........ doesn't look very funky IMO ........

Seems that the 1st 100 copies will be higher spec (colour photos, etc) & will each be signed before being sold ............... the rest will have paperback covers + B&W photos. All down to the cost of production Bruce says on Facebook.

Damon Harris, ex Philly singer (Young Vandals, Unifics, Impact & solo artist) PLUS ex Temptation is close to death. He has been fighting prostrate cancer for some time The ex Temptation great is reminded daily that he is in the fight of his life and it is a battle that gets more challenging as each second ticks off the clock. Harris is open about his illness, which he was diagnosed with in 1999, and blunt about his prospects. "I'm here by the grace of God only," he said. "My worse fears are dying as a broke and alone musician." It wasn't as though Harris mismanaged his earnings with The Temptations. Prostate cancer, like any other cancer, is expensive to fight. The Baltimore native said he goes month-to-month often not knowing how he will meet his bills. Rent on his condo near Baltimore is paid, "whenever I can make the payment," he said. "I live a very simple life, but I'm sick and there isn't much I can do. I've been offered gigs, some I haven't been able to do because, since October, I haven't been able to walk much," he said. "I'm still here," he said. "Cancer has been trying to shut my system down and the doctors here have been trying to put it off as best they can." .... INFO found using link posted up on net by MAA (Motown Alumni Association).

'GROWING UP IN THE SOUND OF PHILADELPHIA' ............. EXTRACT ............ ~From The Chapter~ "LIFE IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY BEGINS" “This is T Life,” Earl Shelton announced to me and this is Bruce Hawes,” he said to T. Life. The two of us shook hands. “I want you to listen to some of his songs and let me know what you think,” Earl Shelton stated. T Life agreed and invited me into his office. Now Theodore Life was also an artist on Philadelphia International Label. ‘T~Life,’ as he was called then, would discover Evelyn Champagne King’ a few years later. T Life would also have in his group, Talmadge G Conway who was another talented staff songwriter and a member of his signed band, ‘Spiritual Concept.” Roland and Carl Chambers were also members of this exotic 'Funk Rock Band' of Philadelphia International Records. Then, another member was a GREAT and wonderful songwriter named: Dexter Wansel. In later years he would become a staff member and Produce Patti LaBelle and write, ‘If Only You Knew,’ with someone from my post High School group, 'The Original Overbrook Singers,' a gospel group that I had just recently quit being a member of. His collaborator name was the amazing creator, Cindy Biggs. Cynthia Biggs and I had collaborated on, a few years before she met Dexter, her very first song

Grant Smith & the Powers MGM 45 cut "Thinkin About You" is quite a decent blue-eyed soul track (with a bit of a 'Foundations' feel to it at the start) ..... ........ the track was written & (is credited on the label as being) produced by Al Rain .......... Al Rain who still lives in Toronto said this about the cut ..... The tracks were done here at Sound Canada, produced by John Irvine (great guy). John ,Brian Ayer & I went to N.Y. to meet Tony Orlando who was A&R man at MGM. They loved the record & offered me a contract which was shortlived because of finances, I'm told. ....... and the Tiaras add backing vocals to good effect ........ "You Got What I Want" is more messy but still has a very R&B feel to it. More about Grant Smith & the Power ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grant_Smith_%26_The_Power

In the early to mid 60's, London clubs had all the best soul / R&B acts on .......... mainly coz US acts would visit the London offices of their record labels to do promo work or appear on a London based TV / radio show. Whilst here, if they had the time, they would play a London club / theatre gig. All the top UK artists (in the soul field) also based themselves out of London back then, so London gigs were local for them ........... easier to get to & make money out of (no big petrol or B&B bills) ......... so the best acts were on in London all the time. If visiting US acts were undertaking a UK tour, then they would head off up north. But many times, they didn't have the time to play too many northern gigs (all the best bookings were Friday/Saturday/ Sunday nights & the Yank acts couldn't hang around without work for the other 4 days of the week). So the 'in-crowd' acts were on in London and because of this, much of their audience gravitated towards the capital. Not to say that there weren't 'soul outposts' in the north though (the Mojo, Wheel, etc + back then at times the local Top Rank or Locarnos).