Chalky

The Chairmen of The Board (Featuring Ken Knox) have a new CD and download release on MoPhilly Records. 2018 will also see the group back in the Uk for several dates around the country. Confirmed so far... April 19th Under The Bridge London / UK April 20th Hamptons Sports and Lesuire Chelmsford / UK April 21st 1865 Southampton / UK April 26th Gorilla Manchester / UK April 27th The Plug Sheffield / UK April 28th Dudley Town Hall Birmingham / UK More details can be found at the group website https://www.thechairmenoftheboard.com/tour The Chairmen Of The Board (Featuring Ken Knox): “Words Left Unsaid” Liner Notes. When one of America’s most evergreen soul groups, The Chairmen Of The Board, collaborates with one of Philadelphia’s most prolific song writing teams, The Steals Brothers, who in turn are aided and abetted by one of Detroit’s most respected producers and arrangers McKinley Jackson, then you just know that the end product is going to be something that’s an extra bit special. Back in 1967, The Chairmen Of The Board became the flagship act of the newly formed Holland/Dozier/Holland inspired Invictus/Hotwax labels. As the 1970’s dawned, they scored a string hits with “Give Me Just A Little More Time,” You Got Me Dangling On A String,” etc which brought the group international acclaim while their 1972 outing “Elmo James” (although a US-non hit) also becoming a chart hit with their European fans. In later years the group became a headline act within the Carolina Beach Music Scene, with their 2002 Surfside records outing, “Bless Your Heart,” becoming a highly collectable classic. Sadly original group leader General Norman Johnson passed away in 2010, and at his request fellow Board member Ken Knox continues to lead the group to this day, being ably assisted by new group members Thomas Hunter and Brandon Stevens and a "Hot" six-piece backing band, The Executives. In 2017 Ken Knox’s Chairmen Of The Board called upon The Steals Brothers/McKinley Jackson’s Mac-Mer-Mel Production Co. to record the upbeat song, “All I Need Is You Tonight,” released as a down-load-only as the lead song for this CD album project on their MoPhilly International Records label. “All I Need Is You Tonight” is a song first written for Arthur Prysock (Released on Old Town Records in 1976) by respected Philly wordsmiths Mervin “Mystro” and Melvin “Lyric” Steals whose extensive song writing catalogue also includes the 1972 Atlantic records million seller, “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love,” which they wrote for another hit-making Detroit group, The Spinners. The third main protagonist within MoPhilly International, is McKinley Jackson whose horn playing and arrangements can be previously found on many other former HDH acts' recordings like Laura Lee, Honey Cone and Freda Payne as well as his own group, The Politicians Featuring McKinley Jackson on Trombone. He also produced Lamont Dozier’s “Out Here On My Own” an ABC album. McKinley is currently working as the Musical Director for Motown's Legendary Otis Williams’s Temptations. The opening track on the album is an up-to-date rework of The Major Harris Boogie Blues Band’s 1974 Atlantic records release, “Each Morning I Wake up,” a great up-tempo, feel good song to open an album with. The other up-tempo songs featured are the Steals Brothers/McKinley Jackson penned “Get Your Lovin’ While I Can,” a song previously recorded by another perennial favourite Beach Music group, The Embers, and later by Philly outfit, Earl Young’s Trammps. Followed by the Ken Knox penned “I’m Ready Willing And Able” previously recorded in 2014 by Ken Knox & Company, Soul Music Lovers should not only get prepared to put their dancing shoes on, but should also be sure to have a box kleenex close at hand. The two remaining tracks on the album are there to remind us of what The Steals Brothers do at their best and that is to compose beautiful songs of love. Firstly the title track of the album “Words Left Unsaid,” a ballad that just oozes that classic Philly Sweet Soul Sound, a song that they first recorded on former Fat Larry’s Band lead singer, Darryl Grant. Followed by a totally new song, which Melvin “Lyric” Steals wrote in collaboration with Philadelphia's Teddy Prendergrass’s former keyboard player, Alfred aka “Alfie” Pollitt entitled, “No One Else.” Now with The Chairmen Of The Board (Featuring Ken Knox) firmly ensconced as the flagship act at MoPhilly International (MPI) Records, we can only look forward to the future with great relish! Words By: David Welding Soul Junction

Press Release: The Cooperettes/The Toppiks “Win All Your Love” SJ1009 Release Date: Monday October 23rd 2017 The Cooperettes were four sisters, Janette, Angela, Debbie and Tina Cooper from Germantown PA. Who began their singing career under the guidance of their mother Ethyl. Originally performing gospel as The Little Cooperettes they dropped the ‘Little’ when they switched to secular music. Still under the wing of the matriarchal Ethyl Cooper they signed to the management of respected Philly radio disc-jockey and entrepreneur Sonny Hopson (The Mighty Burner) securing a recording deal with Brunswick Records in 1966. Their first release “Goodbye School/Goodbye School (Inst)” (BR-55296) made sufficient noise in and around Philadelphia for Brunswick Records to release a second 45 “Everything’s Wrong/Don’t Trust Him” (BR-55307), a cover version of the Chubby Checker song from the previous year which become a local hit for The Cooperettes. The Cooperettes third and final Brunswick release was to be the Harthon Productions produced dance theme song “Shing-A-Ling/(Life Has) No Meanings Now” (BR-55329) a 1967 release that would later through its instantly recognizable drum roll introduction become an all time classic within the UK Northern Soul Scene. Sonny Hopson would later secure the girls a second recording deal with a major label with the 1968 Morris Bailey penned song “Trouble” gaining a release on the ABC label, released twice with different flipsides, “Peace Maker/Trouble” (45-1156) and “Spiral Road/Trouble” (45-1197). The Cooperettes final release would be the1971 mid-tempo crossover outing “Win All Your Love” b/w the sister funk dancer “Satisfaction” released on the IDB label (I-D-B 1007). The I and D being the initials of the former label owners christian names the late Irving Neiburg and Danny Odom. Danny Odom was also the former manager of the Philly hit group The Intrigues of “In A Moment” fame with the B in IDB being taken from the local label name Bullet which The Intrigues hit “In A Moment” was first released on.The youngest Cooper sister Tina would later marry Danny Odom. The Toppiks were an all male vocal quartet featuring Theodore (Ted) Mills, Charles Henderson, Ronald Nelson and a fourth member only remembered by the name of Chuck. As the Toppiks the group recorded a solitary release the sweet sounding “Give It A Chance To Grow/Surrender” (Larsam 12739) with Larsam being derived from the two owners, Sam Reed and Philadelphia Deejay Larry Daley’s christian names. Both songs were written by R.E.Whitfield, Sam Reed and Ted Mills. Sam Reed being the respected Jazz saxophonist and one time leader of Philadelphia’s revered Uptown Theatre’s house band. Sam also produced Patti LaBelle & The Bluebells 1969 recording “Loving Rules” (Atlantic 45-2629)a song written by his former his wife and Bluebelle’s member Sarah Dash. The Toppiks would during 1972 audition for the Philly based WMOT Production Company alongside another group called The Shades Of Love. WMOT felt that The Shades Of Love (whom they contractually owned) lacked a strong lead singer, so they made the decision to release the other members of The Toppiks and signed Ted Mills only to WMOT as a singer/songwriter and then installed him as the new lead singer of the Shades Of Love. Ted alongside original Shades Of Love members brothers Vernon and Wendell Sawyer, Keith ‘Duke’ Beaton and Richard Pratt later underwent another name change to become the hit group Blue Magic who through WMOT signed to Atco records and went on to score several billboard hits including their million seller “Sideshow” and a gold album “The Blue Magic”. Renowned for their slower ballads and choreographed stage shows the group went into decline due to the musical shift to disco in the late 1970’s although they continued to record for the Atco, Capitol, Mirage and Columbia labels. Ted ‘Wizard’ Mills in 2007 recorded the “3 Tenors Of Soul” album with original Stylistic’s lead singer Russell Thompkins Jr and William Hart of the Delfonics. While both sides of the Toppiks Larsam 45 has always been appreciated by the sweet soul fraternity and is now to be joined by their previously unissued version of “Win All Your Love”, The Cooperettes version did receive a brief flirtation upon the northern scene during the 1980’s via DJ Pat Brady possibly as a cover up or not ? (neither he or I could remember). Although failing to make any impact then, The Cooperettes version did later find a natural home with crossover aficionados, as more copies of the record tricked in. Never an easy record to find it is now available to a wider audience. Preview - Listen Now Your browser does not support the audio element SJ109 Cooperettes-Toppiks-PROMO.mp3 Words by David Welding Acknowledgements to: Pat Brady, Alfred Brown (Lead singer of The Intrigues), David Brown, Ted Mills & Sam Reed. Buy now via http://www.souljunctionrecords.co.uk/SJ1009.html And the usual stockists