Roburt

Back in the late 50's & early to mid 60's, only one venue was more important than the east coast chitlin-circuit theatres (Royal, Howard, Uptown, etc) and that was ... Carr's Beach, Annapolis. Being a Beach resort, they only staged live shows (for blacks) between May & September, but during that period of each year they booked all the top black acts. Those acts were booked to play the venue by Balto label owner Rufus Mitchell (Ru-Jac). Rufus always had his hand on the pulse of what was happening in Baltimore soul circles. In summer 61 (June / July), they had one guy jointly topping the bill twice in just a 2 week period ... a young singer who titled himself John F Kennedy ... (see attached ads). On his first booking there, it states DIRECT FROM DETROIT, but he wasn't a Detroit based singer (perhaps he'd just returned from a booking there) ... On his 2nd appearance on the beach he's called the YOUNG PRESIDENT OF R & B ... so he's a young guy and seems to be riding on the back of President JFK's popularity with the black community (so guess his real name wasn't JOHN F KENNEDY but something not too distant from that). Now, in the mid 60's, two Baltimore groups came together to form Frankie & the Spindles, one of these being Frankie & the Spinners, led by Frankie Kennedy. Frankie had been born in 1948 and his full name was Franklin C Kennedy / F Kennedy -- not too far removed from John F KENNEDY. Anyone know if the guy performing solo on Carr's Beach in summer 61 was in fact, Frankie of the Spindles ? BTW, in September 71, the Chi-lites record label had no intention to immediately put the group's LP track "Have You Seen Her" out on 45. Frankie & the Spindles quickly recorded a version of the song, Lucky 'A' released it as a single and it instantly started to get lots of radio plays (especially in Balto / DC / Norfolk / Philly areas). Seeing the reaction the 45 was getting, Brunswick relented & the Chi-Lites version was issued on Brunswick in mid October 71.

2 or 3 decent books on black radio & it's decline too.

Record companies always knew the power that radio stns had on their sales market ... so lots would 'butter them up' by giving promo / plugging jobs to radio DJ's or by sending their acts to play free live gigs on radio DJ promoted events. Baltimore was always considered an influential market in black music circles -- some 45's were even test released just in Baltimore initially (if the 45 didn't take off there, then it wouldn't get a national release). The 'Music That's Made It' WSID ad shows the changes by around 1973 -- in the 60's, many black stns were driving the market forward; spinning new unknown tracks & breaking them to record buyers -- by the mid 70's, they were almost exclusively following trends and just concentrating on spinning the hits.

Bunny Jones led a fascinating life ....

An extra bit of info, connected to my last post ... The Foundations manager ran his own record label (TREND) -- after first running his own chain of record shops. The Foundations live act was always filled with cover versions of obscure soul tracks. They said it was coz they had a large record collection -- really it was their manager (who's chain of shops imported US 45's to sell) who had the large stock of soul records. www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TZABCzz7ac

Some gud stuff in there too ...

Nina Simone in action in Harlem in 69 ... don't know if Doris Willingham was still singing backing for her. Summer Of Soul | A Questlove Jawn | Trailer | Hulu - YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFpPsW4ZKoE

It seems strange now but lots of UK pop groups had a soul song as their signature 'live show' tune ... Some are well known, others not so .... GENO WASHINGTON -- Michael ALAN BOWN SET -- Headline News JIMMY JAMES & VAGS -- Hi Diddley Dee Dum Dum & Ain't Love Good, Ain't Love Proud The MOVE -- Open The Door To Your Heart & Zing went the Strings Of My Heart AMEN CORNER -- Our Love Is (In The Pocket) & I Don't Want To Discuss It And Amen HOLLIES -- Stay & Just One Look THE ACTION -- I'll Keep Holding On & Baby You've Got It Zoot Money BRB -- Stubborn Kind Of Fellow & Please Stay The Artwoods -- I Take What I Want & I Feel Good (Benny Spellman song) Herbie Goins & The Night-Timers – No. 1 In Your Heart Ronnie Jones & BJ's -- You're Looking Good Chris Farlowe -- In The Midnight Hour ETC. ETC.

One week in London -- December 1965 ... when you could go to 100's of different nights over a 10 day period & see dozens of great live acts (most UK based though) ... Hedgehoppers Anonymous didn't qualify, but there were loads of good acts on at the silver Blades Ice Rink ... BACK THEN it was normal to board over say an ice rink or a swimming baths pool, to put on a dance (R&B night even).

Owned by Chess; run by THE GOOD GUYS ... E Rodney Jones was one of the good guys ... he had a few records credited to him; which no doubt he used (at various times) as his WVON show theme tune. His was the voice used (as that of a radio DJ) in the film MAHOGANY ...

Nina live @ Carnegie Hall ... YOU CAN SING A RAINBOW ... she had started out wanting to be a classical pianist & you can tell that from this track ... ww.youtube.com/watch?v=jf65e9YX50Q

Seems that Andy Stroud was quite an astute manager. As stated above, he hooked up with Nina in 1961 when her career was a bit in the doldrums. She'd had hits in 59/60 /61 but no 45 hits since then up to 1963. She'd cut a live album @ NY's Village Gate in 62 and this had captured her dynamic stage act. Nina was a very difficult person to deal with (when she was feeling out of sorts). She'd turn up late for gigs; sing what she wanted, not what her audience wanted; fall out with club owners (she was booked into the Village Gate on a regular basis from the end of the 50's to the end of the 60's -- but that didn't stop her claiming the club's owner treated her badly coz he was Jewish); she'd sell (or Andy would) the rights to her songs when she needed the money & then complain if future royalties didn't come her way from later sales. Anyway, Stroud decided to book Nina into Carnegie Hall in Manhattan (just about NY's most prestigious music venue). He needed help landing the gig as he was a black, unknown to the Hall's management team. But land the gig he did and the show went ahead. Seeing it as a 'career relaunch' Andy organised for the concert to be recorded. This took place & an album escaped on Colpix in 63 (containing 7 tracks). Eight more would escape on her 'Folksy Nina' album in 64 but there were still more 'unused tracks' from the concert. In all 18 songs she'd performed that night had been recorded & in 1990's, the master tapes from that recording were uncovered in a NY vault (the remaining unissued tracks also escaping in 2005). I guess Andy Stroud wouldn't just have put that one master tape in the vault, he'd have placed all the tapes he regarded as having 'value' in there. Whether that included the Getto Kitty tapes I have no idea. BUT IF IT DID, then they must still be around somewhere in New York.

Dave makes mention of Tony & Tyrone's close friendship with Carolyn & Aretha Franklin, but he didn't extend that to include the 3rd sister -- Erma. Erma had lost her Epic record deal in 63 & wouldn't sign with Shout (where she had big hits) till 67, so her career must have been at a bit of a low point in the mid 60's, albeit that she was still a singing sister of the future 'Queen Of Soul'. In 65, Aretha was still signed to Columbia and had a top 20 R&B hit with "One Step Away" (which was coupled with "I Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's Face" on the 45). So Erma must have landed these booking partly coz Aretha was 'back in fashion' & on the charts. Seems Erma was also a friend to Tony & Tyrone as she took them on a tour down the US east coast with her in 1965 ... see attached Baltimore club ad from August 65 ...

In the early years, there was a Hammond organ (seemingly abandoned) in the backstage area. It was discussed that it should be acquired but those old things are very heavy, so it was not touched. No idea when it did go & who got it.

Seems someone's lost their ID from last year ...

Back to Nina Simone again ... and her old backing singer ... well Doris has a reissue out here ...

Anuda memory jerker ...

Went to everyone up to Ady handing over too ... have so many great memories ... Dougie letting me help him at all the sound checks, spending time with the artists, going to the 'Smallest Pub in the UK' (just down the road) ... early events - Sunday night chalet parties, later events -- Saturday afternoon caravan piss-ups / bolox talkin. Finding bargains on the Friday afternoon at the record bar. Selling some of them on just a few hours later -- got quite a few copies of the Bobby McClure Island 45 for 20p each out of a 60's stall cheap box & sold (all but one) on for a quid each to mates just 5 hours later. Fighting over copies of import 45's brought around to our dive (missed out on the great Icemen slowie "How Can I Get Over A Fox Like You" which Charlie get coz his money was out the quickest ... looking on in amazement as Tall Pimple asked "wot you all doing fightin over that, you can't dance to it"). Meeting up with the Macce lads every year -- remembering not to drink with them, otherwise a whole days events would be 'lost in the twilight zone' ... Got 1000's of photos around here (both prints from the early days & digital uns from after).

Got confirmation from one of the Motown studio team of what I am on about above. He confirms that the Motown musician rate (in the 60's) per guy was JUST $25 per session. A session usually ran for 6 hours, so that worked out at around $4 per hour. The US musicians union got involved & the rate was forced up to $125 per session eventually. The norm after Motown (& Golden World) went 'union', was $60 for a 3-hour session -- with a 4 song limit for masters and 6 song for demo versions. Wonder what the Motown band members got paid for playing on Motown Review shows .... these were staged (in the 60's) @ chilin circuit theatres (Howard in DC, Fox in Detroit, Royal in Baltimore, Uptown in Philly, Apollo in NY, etc) and a weeks engagement ran to 17 separate shows -- 2 each night Mon/Tues/Wed/Thurs with 3 on Frid / Sat /Sun. So 17 shows over a 7 day period (the usual stunt length at one of those theatres) would probably have earnt each musician around $200 I guess. The guys involved thru the 60's were under the leadership of (a different times) Popcorn Wylie, EVD, Choker Campbell & Hamilton Bohannon.

From memory a typical studio musicians pay rate back in the late 60's / early 70's was around $10 to 15 / hour -- and lots of studios / producers tried to pay less than 'union rate'. Today, things have moved on but not by that much. A typical studio musician (not a 'name' session player) will get around $25 per hour or $50 per completed song. Backing singers getting around the same rate. Using those figures, I'd guess that the Getto Kitty session ran for quite a while. I assume Weldon's band was around the same strength as when he backed up Nina Simone, lets go for a 5 strong musician team. Guess those guys did the backing vocals themselves (sounds that way on the 45), then no extra backing singers. But, to be safe, lets assume 2 backing singers. So a 7 strong team + Getto Kitty herself (who wouldn't be paid as it was her session and she was being charged with everything (studio hire, musician . backing singer hire, arranger & producer (both Weldon himself). That would make (in my guess) the assembled teams hourly cost around $1000 an hour all in. So that would mean a session length of over 4 hours in all. Experienced musicians would practise the songs ahead of actually going into the studio, so could lay down a full track in around 30 minutes (for a 3 minute + cut). Assuming all the above (& it's a big leap), then they could have cut around 6 to 8 tracks in all.

WPDQ were tipping a Jonathan King 45 in late 72, no accounting for taste I guess. They were still pop in 74 as were spinning a James Taylor track. Still pop / rock in early / mid 75 as they were playing tracks by Kraftwerk & UK rockers Yes. They switched formats in summer 75. By 1976 / 77 / 78 / 79, they'd seen the writing on the wall and were then tipping 45's by the likes of the Dramatics, Ashford & Simpson, David Oliver & Platypus. The Billboard report (below) seems to be wrong as WPDQ was still going strong in the late 70's & 80's. By 85 it seems they were well established as a R&B stn and getting a 45 played by them was influencing other similar stns to playlist them also (so the stn seemed to be a trendsetter).

I made mention of Donald's connection with Doris Willingham in 1966 (for the Hi-Monty 45). Is anything known about the Hi-Monty label (who owned it, etc.) ?? Is the Doris W 45 the only one on the label ?

WPDQ .... it was more usually a pop stn but went R&B by the 80's ... they did play lots of soul in the 70's though ...

I'll start with the Fat Larry Band's track. Yes, it would have been a Philly radio hit initially. Years later, I was taken around lots of Vegas music rooms by Lou Ragland to meet the acts performing live. One act I hit it off with was a 4 / 5 strong group in a small casino next to New York, New York (<< where the Motown Cafe was based back then). Can't remember the name of the group but they were good live (have a video of them here somewhere & they have been mentioned on here before). Anyway, being a Brit I asked if they'd recorded as that was how their name would become known outside of Vegas. They said NO, coz you always get ripped off when recording. Then their singer chipped in ... "I was the lead vocalist on "Centre City" he said but didn't stay with Fay Larry coz of a dispute ... STRANGE OLD WORLD.

From my above posting, I'd add a comment. . . $4000 for working on the Getto Kitty session seems a lot, even if Weldon was paid the whole sum to cover both him & his band members playing on the session, him arranging & producing it too. $4000 would seem to me to cover a long studio session -- much longer than would be needed to just cut 2 tracks. Weldon & his guys were accomplished live / studio guys & experienced in studio work. So they would have come prepared & would have glided through each track quite quickly (IMO). Now Getto Kitty was probably in the studio for the 1st time, so might have had nerves, maybe not being a great singer anyway -- so maybe she needed 4 / 5 attempts at each song to get a usable take. My GUESS would be though that more than 2 tracks were laid down at the session & that Andy Stroud would have been provided with a master tape containing 4 (or more) finished cuts. What would have happened to that master tape after 72/73 is anyone's guess.