Blackpoolsoul

I would ask one of the DJ's , I am sure Dave Thorley walked up to Sam (It's the trousers !!!) was there and this lot

This group began life in the Penn Hills, Pennsylvania, in the 1960s where they performed in the Pittsburgh area as the popular local band known as The Igniters. The Igniters, made up on musicians that included Ronnie “Byrd” Foster, Jeff Bobula, Bob McKeg, Joe Santavicca and Jackie Keir along with the singer Frank Czuri, were often seen at The Varsity House in Pittsburgh as its house band and gaining a large fan base with their renditions of the R&B and British Invasion popular songs of the day. In 1968 The Igniters managed to gain themselves a recording contract from Atlantic Records which gave them the accolade of being only the second white act taken on by them. However, the company decided they wanted them to change their name and after the possibility of Mack’s Factory was shelved, Jimmy Mack & The Music Factory came to be. The released their single “Baby, I Love You”, which was originally a hit for The Ronettes, backed by “The Hunter Gets Captured By the Game” in the latter half of 1968 and managed to reach No. 41 on New Haven, Connecticut’s WAVZ. This name for the group only survived for a brief time, however, when their name was changed yet again. This time they became Friends and even though recording a single on the Atlantic Records label in 1970 it was not enough to keep them together and they went their own separate ways before much time had passed. Many years later in 2003 the band, returning to their original name The Igniters, staged a reunion concert in Harmarville, Pennsylvania. https://sites.google.com/site/pittsburghmusichistory/pittsburgh-music-story/rock/the-igniters

And I am now glad that I "suggested" about "The Smith Connection" as Discogs has The Smith Brothers as all the same group https://www.discogs.com/artist/998182-The-Smith-Brothers I think that the T-Neck, Gold Future and LA/VEG singles are The Smith Connection AKA The Smith brothers, but someone here can probably advise please (not wanting to go way off topic) There is a comment further down on this video

I did wonder ? that's why I posted it, thanks Ady

There was a nice video put together on you tube I assume the info is correct

Brilliant, as they say here in the north of England "int tinter-net grate" https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=X82Du-kvBHgC&pg=PA225&lpg=PA225&dq=fred+barr++gospel&source=bl&ots=m_hGMeov95&sig=ACfU3U3laTnY6Xd5hxui5Cshj6cSksw72g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi3kezoqZjoAhXRolwKHQtFB8EQ6AEwCHoECAYQAQ#v=onepage&q=fred barr gospel&f=false

If this has been covered before I do apologise and please direct me This thread refers to the labels Holton Records, and it's sub labels I was 14, at school, when I sold some dinner tokens to buy a copy of Rufus Lumley "I'm Standing", of course years later I found out it was a bootleg 😭 "53" Years later I spotted something when seeing the Tommy Dent up for sale, Stan Vincent, who worked closely with Mike Duckman in New York, Lou Christie related and others. I messaged Andy Rix who suggested I create this thread as I knew he had commented about Stan and his involvement in The Crow "Your Autumn Of Tomorrow" and I guess he will add much needed stuff to this new thread, as hopefully will others It transpires that the President of Holton Records was Mr Fed Barr who was a DJ for WWRL Radio (apparently he kept every Soul hit in New York) https://www.americanradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Archive-Record-World-IDX/IDX/60s/67/RW-1967-02-04-OCR-Page-0068.pdf https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=6QgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA30&lpg=PA30&dq=fred+barr+radio+dj&source=bl&ots=XrXY8P3gus&sig=ACfU3U19KpxKtPdfviSvvjBGR1gOtuHA6w&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjQi6W67ZfoAhV_QUEAHaDcA5QQ6AEwAXoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=fred barr radio dj&f=false It appears that he also worked in the Gospel field with Doc Wheeler involved with Clara Ward Any more info would be appreciated

Could they had been an early name of the "Smith Connection" Danny Smith, Louis Smith and Michael L. Smith, or is that another cul de sac I have driven down

To add to this a nice article about them https://doo-wop.blogg.org/leopards-1-lee-the-c29631380

So that begs another question who is Rose ? the dates for the Pure Soul Band and The Funkateers are the same year, were they the same group ? (interesting that Bill Moore who played on Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" was featured as well in 1971) Perhaps someone on here knows him and can contact him https://www.jackashford.com

I thought would add these scan connections in the mix to add to the story, especially date wise (and especially the MAM/ London? connection, or not) There is a a small link here showing Baku (1974) https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=TlIhAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA4298&lpg=PA4298&dq=Baku+publishing+company+chandler&source=bl&ots=IE99fO25Ld&sig=ACfU3U1HipvRyb5mKHCzG0xhOZsY5FAIUg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiJl_jSrpToAhX1QEEAHbfsDSAQ6AEwAHoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=Baku publishing company chandler&f=false

I just wondered, as the whole thing was so confusing. However I have explained that my theories are sometimes wrong before, but occasionally throwing a curve ball creates more info IMHO, as we can see from this thread and how informative it is. I have however looked back at a comments made by Neil Rushton in another thread about Jack and the pressings at Monarch (he said that not all the stock was released by Monarch as Jack had not paid them), so my theory, which came from someone saying years ago that they were "bootlegs" at a soul event, appears totally incorrect. I learn everyday Robb from experts like you and am very grateful for all this knowledge As regards bootleggers using stampers, Simon actually did just that in LA with the Mel Britt and when it was pointed out to him in his apartment that the stamp was "not quite right" he started throwing them in disgust , but that's not for this thread 😀

I am pretty sure that Lorraine stated in 2012 on the other thread, that she did NOT know of the Miko/Magnificent at all, in fact she was investigating what had gone on and noted that Miko was named after Jack's daughter, I guess sadly she never found out

I know this thread is 8 years old But thought would share info on Gloria Toote ( an amazing woman) Gloria E.A. Toote, attorney and real estate developer, was born on November 8, 1931, in New York City. Toote had been advisor to four American presidents. She was a graduate of Howard University where she received her B.A. degree in 1952 and went on to receive her J.D. degree in 1954. To complete her studies, she also attended Columbia University, where she received her M.A. degree in 1956. Toote, a conservative Republican, has held positions in the Nixon, Ford and Reagan presidential administrations. From 1966 to 1970, Toote served as president of Toote Town Publishing Company and Town Recording Studios, Incorporated. From 1971 to 1973, she was Assistant Director of ACTION, and from 1973 to 1975, she was Assistant Secretary for Equal Opportunity in the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. In 1976, she served as an uncommitted New York State delegate to the Republican National Convention and gave the seconding nominating speech for Reagan as president. During the Reagan administration, Toote was vice chairman of the United States Office of Private Sector Initiatives. She is a founding member of the board of governors of the National Black United Fund and a member of the steering committee for Citizens for the Republic. In the late 1980s when Toote began developing real estate in New York City, she became the president of TREA Estates and Enterprises, Incorporated, an apartment building operating firm. Toote received special achievement awards from the National Association of Black Women Attorneys; and in 1992, the National Political Congress of Black Women recognized her contributions for furthering the participation of African American women in the political process. Toote lived in New York City. Toote passed away on May 18, 2017. https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/toote-gloria-ea

Thanks so much, that's kind of you and will help this thread 😀, hopefully with them being Monarch Pressings making them both 1976 (I think) that's what they are on Discogs) and Blondie ‎– X Offender Acetate (Monarch 99895 is listed as same date) If I can just throw a spanner in the works, based on Ady's comment about Jack having no memory of it and let's suppose he wasn't involved, could it be that a well known person to all soul collectors, who managed to get hold of masters reguarly (by hook or crook), had them done ?

Following your point about MAM, I thought it would be interesting to add a scan of The Pure Soul Band (B side) and the video ( on MAM's label (A side), It is so odd that the MAM has exactly the same catalogue number as Gilbert O'Sullivan ? When I asked Ady Croasdell about the Magnificents in January (a sensitive time as Lorraine had just died 😭) he very kindly messaged me quoting "He'll probably have done it so that it looked like a new recording for the MAM people; Jack has no memory of it."

Perhaps the next thing is to ask if anyone would be kind enough to provide dead wax details, to see if there are any clues There is an Eddie for sale in this link, but I can't make out any stamped or etched details

I am still confused as to why Jack would use 2 tracks by 2 different artists on one release and name them The Maginficents without Lorraine being aware, just seems so odd ?

That is a fantastic point as it seems very strange on such a major label that it appears very few were pressed

Thanks for that, so I guess Jack took the masters with him to LA and released it correctly as Eddie Parker, as opposed to The Smith Brothers / Perfections which he called then called The Magnificents as covered in the other thread

I noticed recently that the MAM / Miko copy sells for a fortune Is there a difference? my ears are not as good as they used to be and it sort of follows from this thread about the label when Mr Ashford moved to LA in 1970. (ACE notes) and all the confusion with The Magnificents (normally Northern Soul DJ's covered up records !!!)

Just found this note on you tube video made by his wife Marie Johnson 6 years ago referring to The Soul Majestics (maybe this was after they recorded though) "TC. Stanley Anderson who sang with the group in 1972. He went to The Chi-Lites for a short while. He died in Perivale Middlesex, England, because he couldn't receive a heart transplant."

That's the one I quoted on 23rd February 😀

Brilliant and a possible connection with Thaddeus S. Wales ? and the Ethics ?