Roburt

The musical director at the Turntable Club was Charles Davis, a famed jazz sax player. This probably explains why the club still put on jazz nights each week, even in 1969 & 1970. Monday & Tuesday were jazz nights, with a live act. Wednesday was talent show night with acts just turning up & performing. No doubt, if a really impressive act turned up one week, they would be considered for a record deal with Lloyd's Turntable Records. Thursday through Sunday was when the headline act (Howard Tate, Jean Wells, Jean DuShon, Brenda 'Lee' Jones, the Buckeye Politicians, the Coasters or Lloyd himself) would perform. If you had made it along to the club in April 70, you would have been given a free copy of Howard Tate's 'Reaction' LP.

This is probably a question that only the likes of Ian Dewhirst or similar (guys who were regular visitors to NY in the 70's) can answer ... I'm after info on Lloyd Price's club that was located at 1674 Broadway (Between 52nd Street and 53rd Street). The place has a long history of being a night club. From 1949 to 1965 it was the famous jazz club, Birdland (owned by Morris & Irving Levy & named after Charlie Parker). As a jazz venue it struggled from late 63 and by 64 had started booking soul singers (the Lloyd Price Revue doing very good business there in April 64). After a while in limbo, the club was refurbished & opened as Lloyd Price's Turntable Club, live acts being the main draw (though Lloyd advertised the club as 'the Home of WWRL DJ's'). During this period, Lloyd's business partner, Harold Logan, was shot dead in the office above the club (May 69) in mysterious circumstances. The Ed Sullivan Band (leader Ray Block) used the club to rehearse for their slot on the TV show most Saturday & Sundays, so the place was kept busy. As the 60's drew to a close and into the early 70's, the club still managed reasonable business. But by mid 71 it was struggling, so Lloyd renamed it the Crawdaddy Club and undertook a week long engagement himself to try to boost business. Live acts still appeared at the club and in 1974, Rudy Gay (a 22 year old from Farmville, NC) was spotted performing at the club and recommended to the other members of Ace Spectrum. He auditioned for the group & was taken on as a member. The place was still going as the Crawdaddy Club in 1975 but by then, records were mainly keeping the punters entertained (Lloyd afterwards claimed it was one of the 1st disco's in NY). In the summer of 75, Lloyd (who by then was running a big youth development project) was using it as a recording studio to teach some kids about the biz. In the early 70's, Lloyd had become friends with Don King (about to become a big boxing promoter) and the pair promoted some big fights together. By the mid 70's, Don King was also trying to establish his own record label and he would get the groups he'd signed to play gigs at the club to help learn their trade, gauge their popularity with the NY crowd. But by 1976, Lloyd had sold the place & it had been re-badged as the disco, Boombamakaoo. It quickly became one of the top discos in Manhattan, with current DJ Bobby Morales being a punter there in its early days. By November 1976 it was one of the places to be seen, mainly due to the work of DJ Jorge Wheeler. A typical playlist at the club was documented at that time .................. ..... DJ Jorge Wheeler's Picks ANOTHER STAR - StevieWonder (Tamla) DON'T WALK AWAY - General Johnson (Arista) DOWN TO LOVE TOWN - Originals (Motown) GOIN' UP IN SMOKE / THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES / MUSIC MAN - Eddie Kendricks (Tamla) I BELIEVE IN LOVE - Rock Gazers (Sixth Avenue) LIKE HER! - Gentlemen & Their Lady (Roulette) MESSAGE IN OUR MUSIC - O'Jays (Phila. Intl.) SPRING AFFAIR / SUMMER FEVER - Donna Summer (Casablanca) WHEN LOVE IS NEW - Arthur Prysock (OldTown) YOU'RE MY DRIVING WHEEL - Supremes (Motown) An earlier one of his top spins had been Crown Heights Affair's "Dreamin A Dream" (back in 1975). I have no idea when Boombamakaoo went under, but for one night in 1979, it was turned back into the Birdland Club. The place is still a night club, now its Flashdancers Gentlemen's Club (a strip joint). Did anyone here visit the club in any of its Turntable / Crawdaddy / Boobamakaoo periods. If so, can you pass along anything you can recall about the place. CHEERS.

Will day tickets be available (want to see the Impressions again) ?

A good few of them are (about 10 I'd guess). However the vast majority are worth next to knowt. Can't recall at the mo which ones are collectable; the David Ruffin is one I like a lot. It tends to be the 'original song' ones rather that the synthed up 60's classics recuts.

Well, it would help if I ran a record label on which I could release the track. ...... but I guess a UK outfit (BBE) is already in touch with Exact Change as they have included the groups "Get Ready" on their 'Best of Disco Demands' comp CD package ........... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD5idGxxdxo Have to drop BBE an e-mail to see if they might also be interested in "Love Is The Answer".

Paul, I think it would be very easy to make contact with them ....... EXACT CHANGE MUSIC - Contact: William Butler Jr -- Phone: (301) 325-1857 EXACT CHANGE MUSIC, 1400 ELLWOOD AVE. BALTIMORE, MD 21213-3906

The 75 minute documentary was fascinating. What a true individual Bill was / is. He didn't enjoy touring, so he just gave it up. Wasn't bothered about all the money he was missing out on. Didn't like the advice the record company A&R men were giving him, so quit recording rather than compromise. You've got to admire a guy with such principals.

Now, Now, Arthur. If its so unloved, why do you keep playing it & people who hear it, want to own it ?

Aaron Johnson wrote "I've Been Looking" but Deloris Ealy wrote a few songs herself (some in conjunction with Aaron). The publishing on her songs is all over the place these days ......... Some are administered by a publishing company in Oakland, some by another in Detroit (TellDell Music -- "I Wish You Were Mine") & yet others by an outfit from San Pedro, Cal. 3 totally different concerns spread across the States & yet she only has 7 songs registered in all.

Mitty Collier version is way better than the Linda Queen effort ........ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAG36ZvfcRU

Think I'll ask Kenny Hamber to get in touch with William 'Billy' Butler to discuss a licensing deal to get this track put out officially.

Yep, that sure looks like James.

Jimmy had been in a nursing home in S.C. when he passed. He had been battling Alzheimers for the last 3 years. Here he is with his gold disc for "Disco Inferno".

No live acts, no modern room, no attend. Bring back Prestatyn.

Before helping form the Tramps, Jimmy was lead singer for the Exceptions (Cameo) / Four Exceptions(Parkway).

Jimmy Ellis (Trammps) R.i.p. View full article

With the interest in the song(s) on this acetate album, someone should ring up Billy Butler and license it for UK release. Where's Paul Mooney when he's needed ?

............ Here's what I have on the song ......... Song: LOVE IS THE ANSWER Songwriter/Composer: WILLIAM 'Billy' BUTLER JR & ALLAN HARRIS Publishers: EXACT CHANGE MUSIC EXACT CHANGE MUSIC - Contact: William Butler Jr EXACT CHANGE MUSIC, 1400 ELLWOOD AVE. BALTIMORE, MD 21213-3906 Phone: (301) 325-1857 Billy Butler & Alan P Harris wrote a few songs together (others included JUST LET ME KNOW + WE CAN WORK IT OUT) Alan Harris compositions registered with BMI: GET READY FOR LOVE; I'M A LOVER; JUST LET ME KNOW; PASSION; SOMEBODY PLEASE SEND MY BABY BACK; WE CAN WORK IT OUT. For some strange reason, even though Alan Harris is credited (by BMI) as the co-writer of "Love Is The Answer" they have him down (on this song) as Not Affiliated with them (guess someone cocked up their registration on the song).

Original US was on Nola. 1st UK release was in 70's on Contempo-Raries, above is the recentish 7" pressed up to meet demand (big soul & lovers rock scene play).

Depends which tour the live show was filmed during. Hope its his 1st US / UK tour as his backing band back then were the ex Watts 103rd St Band guys (James Gadson, Bernard Blackmon & Melvin Dunlap).

I'm told that Sir Jimmy taught Kegsy all his moves !! (well they were near neighbors).

Colin Curtis; always plays a great set at Modern nights. I'm less taken with his jazz spots but that's down to my personal taste (quite selective about what jazz tracks I like).

I also agree, Macca's talking total sense. And Kegsy was as well; he really must have turned over a new stone this year.

i've never heard of CD's being used and if i did i would avoid any venue that used them everything i want to listen to is on vinyl ........ you have obviously never been to a modern night then as the vast majority of MS DJ's take as many CD / CD-R's with them as they do vinyl. For Y2K stuff (which is CC's bread & butter these days), you can search around everywhere and maybe find SOME of the tracks on vinyl BUT unless you have a vinyl fetish, why bother ? If I like & want to dance to a particular tune, I dance to it ... I don't give a sh*t what media it is being played from (but then I spend nearly all my time in the Modern Room at events I attend so the OVO issue doesn't figure for me at all). I find it a total laugh that DJ's such as Soul Sam have CD only tracks transferred onto carvers rather than play em off the original format, perverse or what.