Roburt

JIMMY “WIZ” WISNER…The longtime arranger, composer and pianist –who was involved with so many soul tracks – died yesterday (March 14th) at the age of 86. Not much up on the net about it yet, but I expect some will be posted up over the next few hours.

By all accounts, Alvin was responsible for getting Shorty Long's music career started. It seems Alvin taught Shorty how to play the guitar & gave him encouragement that helped him land gigs at the Old Stables club in Birmingham (late 50's). Again how & where this happened now seems to be lost in the mist of time. Back then, Alvin was in NOla, while Shorty was in Birmingham and the cities are almost 350 miles apart.

I don't recall this being played here back in the 60's (am I wrong ?) ... Dr. John -- The Point (wonder if Alvin is mixed up in there on guitar) ...

Another quote from Dr. John that's on-line ... this was in the early 70's but he was talking about his time in New Orleans record studios at the end of the 50's & into the 60's ... I recorded some single records for Ace around '59, some of them was released. Then I recorded an album for AFO Records, that was Jimmy Battiste and Melvin Lastie's company, I was like the first white act on an all black company. "At the time I was workin' with Battiste and Melvin and those guys, it was a part of their company. But by being an artist, I was tryin' to help them keep their company, their artists, which consisted of Barbara George – she had that 'I Know' record – Prince La-La, who had that 'She Put the Hurt On Me', and there was a few others. There was quite a few artists that they had you know, Tammi Lynn was one of them. Like she was one of the best artists they ever had that they could never get off the ground. "Same with Willie Tee (who had a minor hit with 'Teasin' You'). Willie Tee still has a band in New Aw-lens. He had some good records but they never did get that action. He since then has cut a big band album with H.B.Barnum in L.A. but nothin' happened with it. But I mean, these are artists that just because they don't have a hit Top 40 record, that don't take nothin' away from 'em. And that was it. In the mid-'60's, as Minit was bought out by L.A. based Imperial, as the Lasties and Battistes headed for Los Angeles, the era of New Orleans as a recording center had come to an end. He left New Orleans towards the end of 64, and Tammi Lynn, Earl King + WillieTee were already well know to him before then. As Mac worked a lot with Harold Battiste (AFO), he must have played on Willie Tee's first 3 single releases. Maybe even on "Teasin You", as that was through Earl King. Tammi's first record was also on AFO, so he'd have played on those tracks too. The AFO studio group (ALL FOR ONE) was just about the same set of musicians that Allen Toussaint used on all the Minit / Imperial tracks cut in NOla ... The Minit Men 1960-63 -- Lee Allen, tenor; Red Tyler, bari; Allen Toussaint, piano (replacing Mac who played piano in the AFO band); Roy Montrell or Snooks Eaglin, guitar; Chuck Badie, bass; John Boudreaux, drums. These guys would have played on Alvin's Imperial tracks. After Mac had arrived in LA, he played on loads of pop cuts (Sonny & Cher, etc) plus soul stuff from the Valentinos, Olympics, Sims Twins, Billy Preston & more.

JOY was part of the President / Jay Boy set-up (their discount label). So, it shouldn't be a surprise that these NS comp 'KEEP THE FAITH' LP's (featuring many cuts already put out on Jay Boy) would have been put together & released by the company.

I know DG hated the way the Stones ripped off Irma Thomas songs ... meaning she had little or no profile herself in the UK. Much of their early success was based on them taking ownership of songs like "Time Is On My Side" & "Pain In My Heart" (adapted from "Ruler Of My Heart"). They built their reputation on such songs. For a guy who was passionate about soul music getting it's proper recognition here in the UK and who had Irma up there as just about his fave act, the Stones getting plaudits for their rip-offs must have been very galling. BY THE WAY (linking to another current thread), the Stones also ripped off Alvin Robinson's "Down Home Girl" in similar fashion (their version being completely naff & a total wishy-washy insipid copy).

Alvin / Al / Shine continued to work with Dr. John (after the Zu Zu Band & Pulsar Records) and was in Dr. John's Gumbo band, the outfit that cut the tracks on his big selling GUMBO LP. Before (& after) the sessions that resulted in that album (which incidently also featured Tami Lynn on vocals), Dr. John & his live band toured the UK. Alvin didn't come along on either of those UK tours, I don't know whether this was coz he had bad memories of his 66 UK tour of if he just didn't want to tour all over at those times (1970 & 72).

Yep, the guys involved with the Zu Zu Blues Band project hooked up again & (via Mercury) got Pulsar Records going in LA. Of course, one of the 1st acts they cut was Alvin (in 69, after his Atco released 45 tracks had been put out). The Pulsar 45 was also released as by Shine (Al's nickname). Guess that's why (the nickname) his UK comp LP was titled 'SHINE ON'. Anyone know if the UK LP sleeve notes make mention of events on the UK tour ?

They weren't really mod types, just 'run of the mill' young Brits trying to break into the music biz. The shot above (& others taken the same day on Bognor Regis stn) were done by them & their manager. They'd decided on the style of dress as most of their work was backing up US soul acts or playing UK R&B clubs. So looking like mods was good for the image (as was playing covers of current soul hits at the time).

Yep, more & more old stuff from newspapers & music mags is getting digitised & put online ... it's just taking so long for much of the stuff that interests us to turn up. That ad for the Granby Halls is great ......... Another gem of info that's out hiding on the net is this Alvin Robinson tit-bit ........... Alvin was from NO, la (New Orleans) and was a respected studio guitarist chasing sessions for himself as the featured artist (this was late 50's / early 60's). He wasn't too successful but was eventually signed to Imperial and enjoyed 3 x 45 releases on Imperial in 61/62 (before he moved to NY). Back then, he would hook up with all the other NO based musicians to play gigs / sessions (Alan Toussaint & his group of guys + Mac Rebennack / Dr.John). After his NY stint was over, Alvin moved to LA in early 66 and hooked up with other old NO guys there. Dr John got him involved with a bunch of NOla guys in the studio. This resulted in cuts attributed to The Zu Zu Blues Band (others were shopped around as by Jessie Hill and the Poopettes). The group members were :- Ike Williams, trumpet; Tank Jernigan, tenor sax; Mac Rebennack, piano; Alvin Robinson, guitar; Al Frazier, bass; John Boudreaux, drums; Jessie Hill, percussion and vocals. This band did some gigs,and then recorded. They cut a whole album of stuff but could only get A & M to put out a 45 (Scepter-Wand took some of the other cuts but didn’t put them out). The band broke up & some of the members went back to LA studio session work, hiring themselves out to anyone who wanted a NOla funk sound. So, Alvin was on cuts laid down in LA in early 66 (just as a guitarist) but only 2 (?) of these escaped the vaults. These formed A &M 45 # 790 by the Zu Zu Blues Band -- "Zu Zu Man / Side Show" ... these sides got UK soul club plays and the A side was booted with a PART 2 version on the tuvaside. Alvin's NY based manager had released existing tracks on his own label (see scan on 1st post) in April 66 which Strike had put out in the UK, so no doubt, Alvin focused on that after the Zu Zu Blues Band project didn't really work out. Preparations for his UK tour (discussions between Joe Jones & Roy Tempest must have taken place around August 66) and as a result, Alvin flew over here in September 66. No doubt he had a few days rehearsing with the Noblemen in London. As a long time US studio session guitar player, more used to working with NOla funkers, I just wonder what he made of the UK beat group guys selected to back him up.

I find it frustrating that there is much more documented info on the UK backing group (the Noblemen / Motivation) involved with these tours than there is about the soul acts they backed up ... but then, I guess their members are still around to ask - though why no one seems to have asked them about the US acts they supported or their impressions of the clubs (Gliderdrome, Wheel, Mojo, Tiles, Marqee, etc) I can't think ... SO FRUSTRATING ... A pic from 66 of the Noblemen ...

Everyone on here has slightly different interests ... as I reach my 70's, I am getting overly nostalgic & keep looking back to the 60's through rose coloured glasses. I like to read of old clubs I attended or knew about ... about old soul records I knew / owned back then ... BUT .. my main interest is in details on soul acts. I like to research artist bio's & find out some of the many curious events that they endured down the years of their career ... the missed opportunities (at least 3 male singers on the 60's Balto soul claim it was they that was 1st asked by Otis Redding to travel down to Memphis to cut "Sweet Soul Music") ... the rip offs (managers running off with their gig money or record company advance) .... the double dealing (a beautiful female singer who had to sleep with an agent to get a try out with Stevie Wonder's Wonderlove backing singers) .. ETC ETC. I get really frustrated that the vast majority of such data is just about totally lost to us now (the singer having passed away or lost his memory, the venues closed & demolished, the old TV video tape lost / thrown away or taped over, the recording master tapes of unissued soul rotted away before anyone got the chance to listen to them) ... BUT lots of info relating to US soul acts is difficult to get coz US media largely ignored them & their exploits till the end of the 60's and so, the detail was never really documented in the 1st place. I can (sort of) understand that ... why would a US music TV show host know who / what The Stones were on about when told they'd only appear on his show if they had Howling Wolf with them. WHAT REALLY GETS MY GOAT THOUGH is the vast amount of lost knowledge of the exploits of US soul artists here in the UK. AS AN EXAMPLE .... take the case of Alvin Robinson ... maybe he didn't have any big pop hits but he was a mainstream artist who had years of success (in later years, in even toured the US as part of Dr. John's live band ... but little or nobody sat him down & asked him about his career in detail) ... Alvin had his first UK 45 release in 1964 (Pye International), this was followed by "Fever" on Red Bird later that same year. Jump forward to summer 66 and he had a high profile release on the UK indie STRIKE RECORDS ... so by September 66 he had established a decent profile with UK soul fans. I guess his US manager (Joe Jones) came to a deal with the guys at STRIKE and a UK tour was organised. This ran for a number of weeks and featured a good few major shows at top venues ... HOWEVER ... most of the info on that tour now seems totally lost to us ... Never mind, what Alvin made of the UK, the clubs he played, the British band that backed him up, the food, the travel arrangements, the digs, the soul fans he met here, ETC. All I've been able to establish is that he arrived here in September 66 and Roy Tempest selected the Noblemen (Motivation) to back him up on his dates (they had just backed up the Vibrations & Edwin Starr on similar UK gigs & would follow on by doing the same job behind the Coasters here). Included in the gigs the ensemble played were shows in Boston (the Gliderdrome), Birmingham (2 nights at the Cedar Club) and a show at Newcastle University (in early November). But just about everything else about his time in the UK now seems to be gone for good. ..... Did he do a London show ? Did he get a reception from Strike Records, was he provided with copies of his newish UK 45 to hand out as promo items, were any press / radio interviews organised for him, do any photos exist of him in the UK (performing or otherwise) ... NO IDEA AT ALL !!! SUCH IS LIFE I GUESS.

Many UK T/Mot 45's were pressed up over an extended period by EMI from 66 to around 1970 ... Motown fans discovering old UK released 45's and requesting copies from their local record shop + extended club plays for many releases meant the demand for numerous T/Mot went on for an extended period. I would guess this single falls into that category ... ... I BELIEVE .. that if any UK copies of TMG560 exist without the 'SOLD IN THE UK SUBJECT TO ..' notation, then they will be later pressed items ... .... anyone know the date when EMI dropped this text from their 45 releases ??

The sleeve of the US LP that the above mentioned 45 EP was lifted from .. ... of course, later on ... the BBC Record Dept. also got in on the act when they used the title for one their albums ...

Many on here seem to have used this thread to take unnecessary pops at DG .... I'm loath to give them further ammunition to vent their misguided opinions ... BUT ... found this on-line ... the incident I highlight dates from March 67 ... when did Dave start using KEEP THE FAITH ??? ........

If you're also interested in info on Bull & El Capalaras ... you need to get the upcoming issue of SOUL UP NORTH.

Ady, is this late 68 proposal (detailed in Record World), the label that eventually (some months later) emerged as Deep Soul Records ??? ....

DG always had great taste in music. Around summer 1985, I skipped off work over a lunchtime & went to listen to him talk about soul music at a Sheffield museum. Chatted with him afterwards & gave him a tape of some new tracks Lou Ragland had just sent me on a 12" test press. About a week later, I got a letter from Dave saying how much he loved one of the tracks (MAKING LOVE) .... time moved on & even though it was still a very rare track , it became a top anthem on the London 2-Step scene (1990) ...

A selection of front page extracts ... from 65, 66 & 67 ....

The front page always featured some good stuff .... the inside pages even more .... From 68 & 69 ... I can't remember seeing the ad in any other record mag .... that 45 by the Miami based group also escaped in the UK of course ...

I've been using it for about a year now ... they have lots of ads that didn't appear in Cashbox & Billboard ... plus very different new release reviews & more ... it's good just a select a particular issue & scan thru it ... you find allsorts of great soul related stuff ...

Inially, you chased UK released stuff ... when those copies dried up, you bought import copies of stuff that you knew from UK release ... then postal dealers started selling (by auction) loads of US imports that hadn't gained UK release. I'd scan the lists for artists I knew, or labels I knew and buy blind, bidding low values for each ... I seem to recall the bids started as low as 2/6 (12p) ... I'd win some of em, not others ... some I won would be great (I liked all soul, fast, slow, funk, southern, Detroit, New York, LA), so it was easy for me as I had wide tastes. Others would be dross but overall, it was worth bidding in that style (I got Slow Fizz -- the Sapphires early on but never liked it much coz of the stupid lyrics, so I sold it on). Not long after this, outlets such as Soul City and F L Moores were selling imports by the box load, I also started to get lists from a NY area vinyl warehouse where stuff on little labels started at 10c, Motown / Stax at 25c ... again I'd buy lots of stuff blind. Then around 1970, Contempo started selling loads of imports, many being US copies of in-demand club tracks ... so it was possible to get hold of 'rare stuff' (by mid 70's standards) but it was very much a hit & miss affair with you picking up a Tobi Legend, Valentinos, Spooners Crowd, Reuben Wright, Steve Mancha by chance more than design.

AND MORE FROM 74 ....

There was loads of good jazz funk around in 74 too ....

Gladys Knight & the Pips won the 1974 Top Pop 45 Act Award .... not much change from 73 ....