Take Me To The River

 This is for those who enjoy compilations - if you've been hanging out here you have the majority of this material already - that said it is REALLY well well selected and makes for a very enjoyable listen.

Clarence Carter - The Fame Singles, Volume 2 1970-73

 Have you ever seen a self professed 'fat old white guy' with a big grey beard look like a 5 year old on Christmas? That was Cliff when Kent finally came up with volume 2 of the Clarence Carter singles. I had listened to tales of Carter's version of Sixty Minute Man more than once in the previous year and it was guaranteed to be on this set (it is). Not every volume 2 is worthy as we all know, but this one stands up to the high standards established by volume 1. "The second volume of Clarence Carter’s Fame singles opens with his biggest worldwide hit. A cover of a Chairman Of The Board album track, ‘Patches’ is a song that could be considered a corny attempt to capture the heartstrings. In fact Clarence initially refused to record it. He regarded a song about rural poverty as a slight upon his people, while producer Rick Hall thought it could apply equally to black and white Americans. Hall won, and the record climbed into the Top 10 of the pop charts on both sides of the Atlantic.

The first part of this compilation sees the search for another hit of similar magnitude lead Clarence further away from his black southern audience. Over the previous four years he had progressed from a promising newcomer with gritty masterpieces such as ‘Tell Daddy’ and ‘Looking For A Fox’ to a million-selling hit-maker with ‘Slip Away’ and ‘Too Weak To Fight’, all cut for Fame and released on Atlantic Records. A string of Top 10 R&B hits made him one ofAtlantic’s most successful soul artists.

After ‘Patches’, his next couple of singles looked to replicate the story-telling framework. ‘It’s All In Your Mind’ and ‘The Court Room’ were nothing short of excellent, but the public didn’t take to them. With Fame’s relationship with Atlantic not as warm as it had been, Clarence’s singles started to under-perform, to the point where his duet with his wife Candi Staton didn’t even chart. His records were subsequently released on Fame via their new deal with United Artists and began to reappear in the higher reaches of the R&B chart.

This CD features the A and B-sides of the 11 singles scheduled for release by Clarence until the end of 1973, including many tracks that have never been reissued on CD before. It is a fantastic selection of classic southern soul, highlighting one of the greatest talents and biggest stars to have recorded for Rick Hall’s venerated Fame label."

By Dean Rudland

Garnet Mimms - Is Anybody Out There?

At 75, Garnet Mimms is singing better than ever. The proof is all over Is Anybody Out There?, produced and arranged by Nashville's Jon Tiven. Tiven wrote or co-wrote 13 of the album's 15 tunes. He recorded the set in his home studio with wife Sally Tiven on bass, pianist Mark Jordan, and a host of drummers, including Chester Thompson. For his part, Tiven played guitar, saxophones, sitar, and harmonica. Jonell Mosser, Wayne Jackson, choirmaster Shake Anderson, Greg Morrow, Billy Block, Patti Russo, Felix Cavaliere, Buddy Miller, Little Milton Campbell, and P.F. Sloan all guest. But the real story is Mimms. The material is all retro soul-gospel and leaves his previous solo gospel outing in the dust. His calling these days is one of a preacher who counsels prisoners, and in the grain of his beautiful voice is the world-weariness of a man who has traveled many of life's roads but whose hope is unvanquished; in fact, it's firmly intact. Tiven is clearly not interested in having Mimms sound like a museum piece. He goes to great lengths to place his voice in songs that are deeply rooted in Southern soul, blues, and gospel. That said, sometimes it feels like his production goes to extremes. While there are no samplers or drum loops, playing near baroque sitar on some of the album's best songs -- like "Let Your Love Rain" -- can initially be a jarring experience, where it feels as if an alien presence has invaded the recording. Thankfully, Mimms' voice brings the listener right back and shows that everything is basically where it should be.

This doesn't feel like a retro record because Tiven's ideas about how to make soul records have changed substantially since he worked with the late Wilson Pickett. There are times when he feels as if he's channeling T Bone Burnett and Jeff Lynne simultaneously, but there is enough grit in his studio sound to shake any perceived excesses. Mimms responds, and that's all that matters. Listen to his voice on "Sweet Silence," where he hits every note, accentuating the drama in its narrative, and reflects on what is essential in gospel music: the sense of joy and gratitude, of worship that is rooted in the soil and dust but aspires to the glory of heaven. Check the scorching funky blues riffing in the title track and the way Mimms scales the wall of noise to express the tension in the narrative. This is a modern psalm in a time of trouble, and Mimms is the modern day David whose heart is heavy but holding close to the rock of his faith. In "On Top of This Mountain," Mimms gets into a wildly expressive upper register atop a veritable wall of backing voices and reverbed guitars and percussion. It's a hymn but it's also a proclamation of strength, grace, and devotion that knows the very heart of what he's singing about. The funky horns in "Love Is the Reason," which follows it, portrays Mimms effortlessly reaching deep into his belly to let that aforementioned joy become a question, one that only each individual listener can answer. With Is Anybody Out There?, Reverend Mimms, aided by Tiven and his coconspirators, has offered up one of the great surprises of 2008, an album so skillfully wrought and deeply expressive that it cannot help to inspire nearly otherworldly emotions in the listener.
Thom Jurek

VOLUME 2!!! The Sound Of The City: A Musical Narrative

The Sound Of The City - Vol. 2 by Poppachubby on Mixcloud

Art Neville - The Specialty Recordings

As a founding member of the Meters and Neville Brothers, New Orleans vocalist and keyboardist Art Neville helped immeasurably to shape the contemporary New Orleans funk sound. Neville's first band, the Hawketts, tasted local success in 1954 with the carnival perennial "Mardi Gras Mambo" on Chess. He cut some nice solo singles for Specialty during the late '50s, notably "Cha Dooky-Doo," as well as contributing two choruses of storming piano to Jerry Byrne's 1958 classic "Lights Out." "All These Things," a gentle ballad, also did well locally in 1962 on the Instant logo. He assembled the Meters in the mid-'60s and the instrumental quartet proved the Crescent City's answer to the MG's until their 1977 breakup. That's when Art and his siblings formed the Neville Brothers, who went on to reign as the leading musical export from New Orleans.
AMG

Remembering Willie Tee 3 - Anticipation and Brothers for Life

Anticipation (1976) was the album Willie considered his masterwork, the full LP at United Artists that was sure to hit, it didn't. With the Gaturs supplemented by fabulous musicians like David T Walker, Lee Ritenour and Julis Farmer just to name a few, and Skip Drinkwater production, the project was clearly targeted to be mainstream. I think it is a pretty strong album, but it just never caught the public ear.

The second album here is a jazz project with brother Earl Turbinton from 1988. Willie plays some really serious piano on this date. Astral Project's Jim Singleton is on bass. 

"Alto saxophonist Earl Turbinton and keyboardist Willie Tee moved into more adventurous territory than usual on this 1988 date. While each was an experienced blues and R&B stylist, they had also maintained active jazz ties since the '50s, although they'd only shown it in New Orleans clubs. They cut loose often here, notably on the rousing "Neferdoris" and first-rate cover of Thelonious Monk's "Think of One." Turbinton's sassy, fiery alto and Tee's lowdown, wide-ranging, expressive piano solos are the highlight, while bassist James Singleton, drummer David Lee, Jr., and percussionist Curtis Pierre add vital support and color, as does guest pianist Wess Anderson on "Think of One" and "Neferdoris." ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide

I guess we will have to assume that Mr. Wynn can't tell the difference between a soprano sax and an alto.

Sticky Heat 1 & 2

Sticky Heat - Lovin' In The Crescent City by Kingcake on Mixcloud

Sticky Heat II - Love's Miseries by Kingcake on Mixcloud

Clarence Carter - The Early Fame Singles 1966-70

Now you may ask yourself 'why is he re-posting this?' - Well for two reasons: A) This one is in FLAC with cover scans (finally got around to it) and B) It is a prelude because my friends Volume 2 has finally been released! Oooo Yeah!

"Born in Montgomery, Alabama on January 14, 1936, Carter attended the Alabama School for the Blind in Talladega, Alabama, and Alabama State College in Montgomery, graduating in August 1960 with a Bachelor of Science degree in music. His professional music career began with friend Calvin Scott, signing to the Fairlane Records label to release "I Wanna Dance But I Don't Know How" the following year. After the 1962 release of "I Don't Know (School Girl)," Carter and Scott left Fairlane Records for Duke Records, renaming themselves the CL Boys for their label debut, Hey. In all, the duo cut four Duke singles, none of them generating more than a shrug at radio.

In 1965, they traveled to Rick Hall's FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals to record "Step by Step" and its flip side, "Rooster Knees and Rice." Atlantic Records took notice and released "Step by Step" on its Atco Records subsidiary, but it flopped. Carter continued as a solo act, signing to the Fame Records label for 1967's Tell Daddy. Several more solid singles followed, until Carter released "Slip Away," which hit number 6 on the Pop Charts. "Too Weak to Fight" hit number 13. Several more soul singles followed, like "Snatching It Back," "Making Love (At the Dark End of the Street)", "The Feeling Is Right," "Doing Our Thing" and "Patches." "Patches" (first recorded by Chairmen of the Board) was a UK number 2 and a U.S. number 4 in 1970, and won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Song in 1971. This disc sold over one million copies, and received a gold disc awarded by the R.I.A.A. in September 1970, just two months after its release. Following "Slip Away" and "Too Weak to Fight", it was Carter's third million-seller.

With the advent of disco in the mid 1970s, Carter's career suffered, before he found a new audience with songs such as "Strokin'" and "Dr. C.C." in the 1980s and 1990s, which appealed (and still appeal) to a primarily African-American working-class audience that was also interested in contemporary blues and soul artists such as Denise LaSalle, Bobby Rush, Marvin Sease and Sir Charles Jones. "Strokin'" was given great acclaim when it was used in the Eddie Murphy film The Nutty Professor. Carter's strong soul sound also found an audience within the then-nascent hip-hop community. Most notably, the horn break from Carter's song "Back Door Santa", is sampled in the Run-D.M.C. Christmas song "Christmas in Hollis"

Remembering Willie Tee, Part II - The Gaturs Meet The Wild Magnolias

Bo Dollis

Either the Gaturs started out as The New Orleans Project or they were also known under that name, I've never been sure which. In 1971 the band hooked up with Big Chief Bo Dollis' Wild Magnolias to craft a new music together; a stunning blend of New Orleans funk and Mardi Gras Indian music that had never before been heard (remember that this is 5 years before the Meters/Nevilles team up with the Wild Tchapitoulas). Not only do these albums precede the Tchapitoulas album, they are, IMO, FAR superior. As much as I adore the Meters, this was a deeper, greasier funk groove than even my boys could manage; I think primarily due to the wonderful sax of brother Earl Turbinton, the twin miracles of Snooks Eaglin on guitar and Ervin Charles on bass (a man even George Porter looked up to) and of course the phenomenal vocals of Big Chief Bo Dollis. I swear there were nights when Bo would holler his "Heee Yaaaa!" to begin Hand Wanda and he would peel the last of the paint off the walls of the old Donna's on Rampart street.

It was Jazz Fest's Quint Davis who was at least partly responsible for this marriage and the beginnings of moving the Wild Magnolias from being just another tribe to being a professional music act. For me these two records are in my desert island picks, I just could not imagine being without them. The second album (1974) has my favorite Mardi Gras tune ever to this day, the Willie Tee penned 'New Suit'. The tendency is to focus on the powerhouse vocals and the whole 'different' nature of what is going on here, but you shouldn't lose site of the fact that they are inventing a genre that we take for granted now, 40 years down the road - the truth is even today it has never been done better.

The Gospel Truth - The Gospel Soul And Funk Of Stax Records

A stellar batch of smoldering gospel soul and good word funk – long under-appreciated material released in the early-to-mid 70s on the Truth & Gospel Truth labels, imprints of the mighty Stax Records! The sound is often early 70s Memphis soul & funk to the bone – a few strings bring some soaring moments, but the groove is nice and gritty – with the gospel coming from the heart & soul of the singers. The set features a couple of numbers from The Staple Singers released on Stax proper back in the day, plus lesser known and equally great numbers from Clarence Smith, The Marion Gaines Singers, The Rance Allen Group, The Sons Of Truth, Joshie Jo Armstead, Louise McCord and many more released on Truth & Gospel Truth in the first half of the 70s. Titles include "Son Of The Deacon" by The Sons Of Truth, "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child" by Clarence Smith, "(There's Gonna Be A) Showdown" by Rance Allen Group, "You Can't Stop Me Now" by The Marion Gaines Singers, "it Will Soon Be Over" by The Marion Gaines Singers, "Stumbling Blocks, Steppin' Stones (What Took Me So Long)" by Joshie Jo Armstead, "Brand New Day" and "Name The Missing Word" by The Staple Singers and more.

Diunna Greenleaf - Crazy But Live in Houston

Well, what do you know?   My Nigerian server was showing unusual speed this morning.  So I tried to upload one of the albums to Zippyshare that I have been trying to post recently...finally with success!

Given the level of enthusiasm about Marva Wright here at Chitlins, I had the idea for a series of posts on other powerhouse blues divas who are still with us and active.   I would like to start with Diunna Greenleaf,  an amazingly powerful singer from Houston, Texas.

Diunna Greenleaf is still in her 40s, making her somewhat of a youngster among old school blues/soul singers.  As you will hear, however, Ms. Greenleaf embodies blues/gospel sensibilities that would make you think that she is from an older generation.   She is also a scholar of the blues who is acutely aware of the history of the music.  She even served for a while as the President of the Houston Blues Society.  

I heard Diunna for the first time live a few years ago.  I was blown away and amazed that I could have been unaware of her up until that time.   I bought this self-produced and released CD from her at the concert.  At that time, it was still her only recording.  She has since released two other records.  I would say that none of her recordings yet capture just how good Diunna can be live.  In fact, there are a few posts from her concerts on Youtube that may be the definitive record of her art so far.  But this is nevertheless an excellent recording, and, in my opinion, still far and away her best record.    It is also the most difficult of her records to track down.   So it certainly deserves a post here. 

Diunna has a very good band, Blue Mercy, that features Albert King Award winning guitarist John Richardson.  Richardson fills out this record with a barrage of tasteful licks.   As opposed to Diunna's studio recordings, there are few original compositions on this album.  But there are some complete re-workings of blues/soul classics that are as every bit as refreshing as would be good original songs.  Together with a few blues chestnuts are some songs not commonly covered on the Circuit.  I guarantee you that this is the bluesiest version of Sly Stone's If you Want Me to Stay that you will ever hear. 

All in all, this is quite a satisfying record.   Most importantly, make sure not to miss Diunna when she comes to your town.  Her live shows can be nothing less than transcendent.  This album only hints at what she is capable of.  The best on wax is yet to come.    

Tuts Washington - New Orleans Piano Professor

A man whom both James Booker and Professor Longhair counted as a mentor and an influence should be enough resume' here. Oddly enough he managed to outlive both of them. Aside from a few stray singles as a sideman this was a man who was rarely recorded; only three times that I know of, he did not trust record men and chose to ply his craft as an old fashioned 'piano professor' who played daily to make his way.

"Isidore "Tuts" Washington (January 24, 1907 – August 5, 1984) was an American Louisiana blues pianist, who exemplified the New Orleans rhythm and blues style, also made famous by musicians such as Professor Longhair.

Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, Washington taught himself piano at age 10, and studied with New Orleans jazz pianist Joseph Louis "Red" Cayou. In the 1920s and 1930s, he was a leading player for New Orleans dance and Dixieland bands. His unique style of play blended elements of ragtime, jazz, blues, and boogie-woogie.

After World War II, Washington joined the band of singer/guitarist Smiley Lewis; they released several well-known songs on Imperial Records including "Tee-Nah-Nah," "The Bells Are Ringing" and "Dirty People." He then moved to St. Louis to play with Tab Smith. He returned to New Orleans in the 1960s, continuing to appear at restaurants in the French Quarter, clubs such as Tipitina's, and at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. For years he had a regular gig playing piano at a bar in the Pontchartrain Hotel. Although he avoided recording for most of his career, he released the solo piano album New Orleans Piano Professor on Rounder Records in 1983.

Tuts Washington died on August 5, 1984, after suffering a heart attack while performing at the World's Fair in New Orleans. In 1998, Night Train International Records released a live recording by Washington, Live at Tipitina's '78."  wiki

Darrell Banks - I'm The One Who Loves You

 Patsoul's contribution of Banks' Atlantic album gave us the opening chapter of his musical legacy. Here is the next and sadly final chapter of that story.

Banks came to Stax in 1969 and a flurry of recording resulted in the one full LP, a couple singles and some demo's. Once again the amazing folks of Kent/Ace have managed to assemble everything and preserve this too brief talent. Banks was shot and killed in early 1970.

Garland Green - Jealous Kind Of Fellow

Another Unkie Cliff discovery--
Garland Green (born Garfield Green Jr., June 14, 1942, Dunleith, Mississippi) is an American soul singer and pianist. Green was the tenth child of eleven born in his family, and lived in Mississippi until 1958 when he moved to Chicago. While working and attending Englewood High, he sang on weekends, and one day while singing in a pool room, he was overheard by Argia B. Collins, a local owner of a bar-b-que chain. Collins agreed to bankroll Green's attendance at the Chicago Conservatory of Music, where Green studied voice and piano, and played in local bars and clubs.

In 1967, Green won a local talent show at a club called the Trocadero. His prize was a concert opening for Lou Rawls and Earl Hines at the Sutherland Lounge. In the audience was Mel Collins, and his wife Joshie Jo Armstead, who was a songwriter who had written tunes with Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson prior to the couple joining Motown. The couple arranged for Green to do a recording session in Detroit and released the result as a single on their label, Gamma Records, a song called "Girl I Love You." It sold well locally and was picked up by MCA subsidiary, Revue Records for national distribution. Revue released three further singles from Green who then moved to MCA's main label, Uni Records.

In 1969, "Jealous Kind of Fella" became a major national success, reaching #5 in the Billboard R&B chart and #2 in the Cashbox soul chart. Written by Green, R. Browner, M. Dollinson and J. Armstead, the record was released in the U.S. in August 1969. It sold a million copies by March 1971. Uni released an album from Green, but the follow-up single did not sell well and Green eventually left MCA, also parting company with Armstead. He then signed with Atlantic Records subsidiary, Cotillion Records, which released five singles from Garland, but only one proved a real success, "Plain and Simple Girl". Produced and arranged by Donny Hathaway, this reached the R&B Top 20.

Moving on to Spring Records in 1973, Green recorded five more singles, some of which charted modestly, notably "Let the Good Times Roll" (not the Shirley and Lee song) and "Bumpin' and Stompin'." His recording for the label, "Just What The Doctor Ordered", remained unissued until 1990, when it was included on a compilation album of his Spring singles on the UK label, Ace/Kent. A move then to RCA Records resulted in three singles and an album, produced by the Los Angeles, California producer/singer Leon Haywood.

In 1979, Green moved to California, and eventually signed with a small independent label, Ocean-Front Records for an album produced by Lamont Dozier and Arleen Schesel, the latter of whom Green later married. The album featured a re-worked version of a major hit for Dozier 10 years earlier, "Trying To Hold On To My Woman". When the label closed, Green continued to record and self-release. In 2011 Green signed a deal for a brand new album with Special Soul Music, a new division of the label CDS Records. The album, entitled I Should've Been The One, was released February 2012. It was his first album of new material in 29 years.

The Sojourners - Sing And Never Get Tired

"We're living in trying times. We can split the atom, clone DNA and send images and ideas across the world at the speed of light, but we still haven't learned to live together and hear the cries of our brothers and sisters when they need us the most. Doctors are working hard to cure AIDS and cancer, but no matter how far science advances, there are some things it will never be able to explain. Why do we suffer? How come we still treat each other so bad? 
 

No. Science will never mend a broken heart or help us transform despair into hope. Sometimes, faith is the only thing that can carry us from darkness to light, and often music is what illuminates us on that journey.

It's during those times that you want to call on The Sojourners. 

The celebrated Canadian gospel trio's third album, Sing and Never Get Tired produced by Cousin Harley's Paul Pigat offers new hope for people living in desperate times. With its twelve new songs of faith, struggle and the promise of redemption, the music on Sing And Never Get Tired has the power to soothe the hurts brought by modern life. With a more raw and bluesy edge than they've ever shown us before, singers Marcus Mosely, Will Sanders and newcomer Khari McClelland prove that there's still no kind of music that's more stirring, uplifting and inspiring than gospel music when it's done right. 

Sing and Never Get Tired is a classic gospel album sung in a soulful, rootsy, bluesy style and with a musical backdrop that recalls the best of sixties gospel and rock music. With its earthy vocals, gorgeous harmonies and effortless swing, it is music with the power to heal and transport. It is music created by men who are living in the same world full of struggle and cares that we all have to endure. Sing and Never Get Tired is an album for our times where the rich still get richer and the poor still get poorer. More than anything else, it's an album of hope that reminds us that no matter how many times we get cheated, lied to and knocked down, faith can move mountains and music can give us the strength to get up, wipe ourselves off and try all over again."

- Doug Heselgrave.

Marva Wright - Born With The Blues

A little treat for our friend FOB, don't be too put off by the weird little rap opening, it is over fast and doesn't return. As you can see the album has been released in at least two forms by two different labels; this is the third album of hers that I've discovered multiple versions of, if you are buying one make sure you check the tracks, I've twice now bought something it turned out I already had.

Through the course of this album Marva's guests include James Rivers, Walter 'Wolfman' Washington, Sonny Landreth, Herman Ernest, Davell Crawford, and Lenny McDaniel. Not exactly an insignificant group of sidemen, eh? As usual Marva throws back her head and sings the crap out of this stuff, she didn't know any other way. Best of all this album doesn't repeat any songs from the others.

Behind Closed Doors - Where Country Meets Soul

This is easily the best of these Country Soul comps that I've heard yet. For one thing, most of these songs are actually played as country songs, something you certainly couldn't say about the second 'Dirty Laundry' for example.

I REALLY, really want to hate that this opens with Aaron singing 'The Grand Tour' .....really... only problem is that he kills it and it fits. Magnificent statements by Big Sol, Percy and Esther follow and this thing is off to a fantastic start! A little stumble with track 5 to MY tastes, but they quickly recover with perfect tracks from Ann Peebles and Bobby Sheen. Tami Lynn delivers the kind of rendition of 'Wings Upon Your Horns' that would silence even a noisy Saturday bar room. Look down the list, these are familiar names around here, no duds, the songs are well chosen and enjoyably sequenced. This is a compilation that I will return to!

Three cheers and a 'hell yeah you right' for compiler Tony Rounce!

The Sound of the City: New Orleans

 Well since Mr. Gillett's work is so well received around these parts, let's explore some of his published compilations. Our favorite uncle is once again our treasure chest. These Gillett compilations are uniformly well thought out and selected. For someone like pmac or myself, we have all these songs on multiple other sources and this one isn't exactly essential. That said, if you don't have a ton of this already this is as well selected a two disc set as one could ask for, absolutely first rate start to finish and a very entertaining listen.

The Sound of the City: New Orleans [EMI, 2003]
Surely some exploiter will step forward, or wouldn't it be nice if the Smithsonian strong-armed licensors into sluicing royalties right to the Ninth Ward? But with Rhino's three-LP canon long ago put under and Shout! Factory's four-CD Doctors, Professors, Kings & Queens tourist-board hype, this Charlie Gillett creation is easily the finest available overview of the lost city's rock and roll heritage even if you have to e-mail England to get one. On what is essentially a rock-era survey, the New Orleans tinge sustains a perilous segue from "Let the Good Times Roll" to "West End Blues" to (Bobby Bland's) "St. James' Infirmary." No Mardi Gras krewes, but Gillett does remember every major artist as well as irreplaceable one-shots from Jessie Hill's high-principled "Ooh Poo Pah Doo" to the Animals' carpetbagging "House of the Rising Sun." And though he deals a few sixes and sevens, ace finds start with Archibald's boogie-woogieing "Stack O Lee," Jerry Byrne's frenetic "Lights Out," Willie Tee's pimping "Thank You John," and two very different Bobby Charles songs--one young, dumb, and itching to be free, the other disabused, disabusing, and longing to make love work. A   
R. Christgau

Tracklist in comments

Willie Willis - Blues, Food For The Soul

The best intentions, yadda, yadda,yadda...I AM compulsive -- 
This bad boy has been cropping up in torrents and websites all over the web lately. I must join the chorus; it may have taken 30 years to 'hit', but it is surely "da sh_t". Maybe it's recent popularity on the web will lead to a reissue.

"Willie Willis is one of those undiscovered Dallas blues treasures who, someday, is going to bust out of those tiny bars and move onto the festival circuit. Another overnight success, with 50 years of experience, just waiting for the right break. ...Despite his long career, Willie has only a handful of recordings in his own name. He has a distinctive original style, both on guitar and vocals, that is immediately recognizable....
"I'm from Fairfield, Texas, born December 12, 1932. We had a big family of 11. It was only myself and my older sister that took up music and she played for church all the time. My sister and my mom both wanted me to play with my sister in church. I came out wanting to play blues. I took the other side of it, so that was that.

I grew up listening to WSM in Nashville and John R's show in WLAC in Nashville. I was torn between two types of music at that time, hillbilly music and blues. Hank Williams Sr. was one guy then in the country field that I really loved. The man was just incredible. Not only was he a good song writer and singer, he had one of the best country bands that has ever been. He had some great musicians. Louis Jordan was tops in the black music field back then.

The first blues song I learned how to play was an old John Lee Hooker song, came out in 47, "Boogie Chillun". I started to carry my old guitar to school, sit out there at break time, and I'd have all the little girls gathered around me. I had all the peanut butter sandwiches I wanted to eat, if I trusted them! Anything I wanted, long as I played that one song. I was attracting so much attention out there my school teacher wrote a note to my mom. Not only did I get my behind tore up, I had to stop carrying my guitar. I was grounded, man! I missed all those peanut butter sandwiches! Those little girls just pulled up stakes and went on about their business...." you can find the rest of this interview HERE.

The Sound Of The City - The Charlie Gillett playlist

  I would like to assume that most of you have read some edition of Charlie Gillett's excellent book. If you haven't then you need to go buy one, they are plentiful and cheap.

In the back of that book Gillett has a 390 track playlist that only someone as crazy as my friend Cliff would set out to actually assemble in it's entirety. Well he did and it plays like one of the better musicology classes one could take. The sequencing essentially give the audio illustration of the book.

If you should notice that the list is larger than the one in your edition of the book, it is because this one incorporates all the material from all the editions. Once again, THIS IS 390 TRACKS! To do this, even in 160 mp3 requires well over a gig so it is a 7 part group of zippyshare links that are connected.

"These are the records which moved rock ’n’ roll another inch or two forward. The reasons for including each record vary, but each of them became a part of the background for anyone making records thereafter. Some are here because they brought a new musical idea into the framework of “rock’n’ roll” – piano boogie, guitar boogie, bass boogie; others redefined the use of an instrument – electric guitar, back-beat drums, electric bass, electric piano. And each new way of using a voice is represented by the person who thought of it first, usually with their first hit. The list is biased against the real giants of the era – Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Bob Dylan – whose every record tended to be a trigger for a host of imitators; for them, and for the Motown artists, a few representative records are listed, trying to catch most facets of what they did. It is easier to represent contributions by the majority of performers who only had one basic idea. Most of the records in the list were best-sellers, and they are listed in the chronological order in which they first surfaced on a national chart in the USA (pop, rhythm & blues, or country and western) or Britain. In addition to the artist, title, and record label, the recording location and producer are listed, to give an idea of the geographical shifts during the period, which saw records made in most regions of the United States and then, increasingly important through the sixties, in Britain. A few records are listed which were not hits, mostly to represent the first recording of a song which became part of the rock ’n’ roll repertoire, but occasionally to acknowledge a record whose value was recognized too late to affect its chance of making the charts. The term “producer” did not come into common use in the music industry until around 1957, so for prior recordings the terms “arranger” and “supervisor” have been used. The letters “p”,“a” and “s” are used in the following pages. Ideally, the name of the recording studio and the recording engineer would be provided too, but as such information is still largely undocumented, I have not attempted to find it. The labels listed sometimes include the original label in parentheses before the name of the label which licensed the record for national distribution; and sometimes add in parentheses the name of a parent company where the record was a hit on a subsidiary label."

Gillett, Charlie (2011-01-04). The Sound of the City: The Rise of Rock & Roll (Kindle Locations 9725-9736). Souvenir Press. Kindle Edition.

Al King - Blues Master

"Telling these guys named Al King apart is like looking for a specific dune in the desert," a research assistant griped to his boss, vintage R&B blaring on a jukebox in the background. "That's a good image," the clever musicologist snapped, "because the guy you are looking for used to record for a label called Sahara!"

Al King was born Alvin Smith, August 8, 1926 in Monroe, LA. He was singing in the church choir by age ten and had the requisite god-fearing/blues-hating grandmother who whipped his butt each time he was caught showing interest in the blues which only caused him to get better at not getting caught. He recalled taking a whipping for sneaking out to see Billie Holiday, I know that personally I'd cheerfully take a whuppin' to see Billie even today!

He went into the service straight out of high school and was cut loose by Uncle Sam in California in 1947. King first tried San Francisco but soon went south to L.A. where work and music opportunities were more plentiful. He did a single for John Dolphin and a few more with a vocal group, but his career gained little traction until he hooked up with Johnny Otis for a time. The exposure with Otis lead to a pair of recording sessions up in Oakland where his bandleader turned out to be a 17 year old Johnny Heartsman. A friendship was formed that later lead to the music here on this disc.

Al Smith (not yet using King) had no success in making a name for himself in those sessions, but he did develop contacts and friendships with the like of Jimmy McCracklin and Bob Geddins and soon moved back to the Bay Area, this time on the Oakland side. He did some touring as a backup singer for McCracklin, and some unsuccessful singles for Geddins, but still he worked a day job to eat.

Finally in 1964 Al met Ron Badger who owned the Shirley imprint and Badger believed in him enough that a session ensued with Heartsman and his band backing. Smith had used the middle initial K for some time as a personal tribute to B.B. King, but on these sessions and thereafter he used King as a surname. The results are your first four tracks here. The first pair of tracks were released on Shirley to some modest jukebox success.

Whatever arrangements that had financed the Shirley session were clearly short-term because his next trip to the studio was self financed on his own label, Flag. The single (On My Way/Reconsider Baby) with Heartsman's band backing, turned out to be more successful than King's tiny label could manage and when Shahara Records of Buffalo, NY sent a telegram ordering 2,000 copies, there was no way King could afford to fill the order. Fortunately Sahara could afford the pressing and was willing to strike a deal that included the additional 8 tracks here.

King signed with Modern in 1968 resulting in the material on the earlier post here. His recording career ends in 1970, but he continued to be active in Bay Area blues clubs and festivals. I've realized through the course of these two posts that I actually saw him at least twice -- Preslives may well have seen him too.

Albert King - More Big Blues

The Bobbin and King singles may not be quite the equal of the subsequent Stax recordings, but they sure don't suck!

Al King & Arthur K. Adams - Together

  Cliff found this Ace cd which pairs Al King, a West Coast blues guy whom he had been investigating, with Arthur K. Adams, a West Coast blues guy whom I had developed an interest in. Both these guys, like a Ray Agee or Jessie Belvin, are illustrative of the development of West Coast soul out of the uptown blues pioneered by T-Bone Walker, Lowell Fulson and Charles Brown.

Al King was born Alvin K. Smith in Monroe, Louisiana in 1926. Like many WWII vets he was cut loose in 1947 in the Southern California area. He first began working in the Los Angeles R&B scene, first with John Dolphin and later with Johnny Otis, but he eventually migrated north to Oakland where he hooked up with guitarist Johnny Heartsman and producer Bob Geddins.

These recordings find King back in L.A. singing in front of Maxwell Davis' band and recording for the Biharis at a time roughly concurrent with Albert King's run at Stax. I don't think there is much doubt that the first track, 'My Name Is Misery', shows some influences from Albert's 'Born Under A Bad Sign'.

You couldn't tell from this cover here, but while King is in his early 40's at the time of these tracks, Arthur K. Adams is nearly 20 years his junior. Adams was born in Medon, Tennessee in 1943, but by 1959 he was touring as a backup singer for Gene Allison who abandoned the teenager in Dallas, Tx. Adams worked his way up in the Dallas/Ft. Worth scene, gaining a good reputation both as a singer and guitarist; he was a mere 21 when he moved to Los Angeles in 1964. Within a couple years Adams found his way to Kent/Modern and the Biharis where his first project was as a rhythm filler on B.B. King's 'The Jungle'. That cover picture with the fellah in the hammock and the red guitar?...not B.B. at all, it's Adams!

While at Modern Adams was used to fill out some of their unfinished B.B. King tracks as well as contributing some killer guitar to sessions by Larry Davis and the above Al King tracks. Adams eventually became a first call session guy in the L.A. studios, contributing to hits by the Jackson Five, Quincy Jones and countless others. He also worked extensively in T.V. and movies (he is the guitarist behind Bonnie & Clyde) and as a frequent contributor to the Jazz Crusaders.

Barbara Lewis - The LPR Collection

It just didn't seem right to leave this in the shares, so I'm bringing it on up.

 Barbara Lewis (born February 9, 1943) is an American singer and songwriter whose smooth style influenced rhythm and blues. Lewis was born in Salem, near Ann Arbor, Michigan. She was writing and recording by her teens with record producer Ollie McLaughlin, a black DJ at Ann Arbor radio station WHRV, now WAAM.

Lewis' first single release in 1962, the uptempo "My Heart Went Do Dat Da," did not chart nationally, but was a local hit in the Detroit, Michigan area. She wrote all of the songs on her debut LP, including the hit "Hello Stranger" which reached #3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, and featured extensive use of the Hammond organ. Lewis had moderate follow-up hits with "Straighten Up Your Heart" (#43) and her original "Puppy Love" (#38) before Bert Berns produced her million-seller "Baby I'm Yours" (U.S. #11), written by Van McCoy. Berns also produced the followup "Make Me Your Baby" (U.S. #11) which had originally been recorded by the Pixies Three, and Lewis' final Top 40 hit "Make Me Belong to You" (#28 in 1966), written by Chip Taylor and Billy Vera.

At the end of the decade, she released a grittier-sounding album on Stax Records.

However, over the next decade, a number of other artists had success with Lewis' songs. Her own composition "Hello Stranger"- which had been remade in 1966 by the Capitols – was a regional hit in 1973 as remade by Fire & Rain and in 1977 Yvonne Elliman's version reached the US Top 20 and the UK Singles Chart Top 30: Elliman's version also topped the US Easy Listening chart for four weeks. In 1985 Carrie Lucas' remake of "Hello Stranger" was a Top 20 R&B hit and in 2004 Queen Latifah remade "Hello Stranger" for her The Dana Owens Album.

"Baby I'm Yours" charted in versions by country singer Jody Miller and Debby Boone (the B-side of her single "God Knows"). In Canada, Suzanne Stevens had a hit in 1975 with a disco version of "Make Me Your Baby." Cover versions of Barbara Lewis' tracks continue into the new millennium with the Arctic Monkeys, including a version of "Baby I'm Yours" as a B-side to their 2006 single, "Leave Before the Lights Come On."

In 1995, Lewis' "Baby I'm Yours" was featured on the soundtrack for the film, The Bridges of Madison County. She received the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1999.

Rance Allen - Stax Profiles

Detroit-born singer, pianist, and guitarist Rance Allen, along with his brothers Steve and Tom Allen, made clear the gospel roots of soul with these impressive tracks recorded between 1971 and 1975 for Stax Records and the Stax imprints Gospel Truth and Truth. With his jaw-dropping multi-octave vocals, which could soar into an ether-ionizing high falsetto, Rance never recorded a note that didn't seem to brim with joy, even when he works around the blues form like he does here on "What Is This?," and along with the solid musicianship of his brothers, the Rance Allen Group pioneered a truly American mix of gospel, soul, jazz, and blues. This generous set (it tops 75 minutes in length) includes the best of the group's Stax-era sides, including the hits "I Belong to You" (which eerily presages contemporary urban soul) and the beautiful David Porter-penned "Ain't No Need of Crying," as well as another Porter composition, "Ring My Bell," and a joyous, stomping cover of Sister Rosetta Tharpe's "Up Above My Head," where Rance's vocal soars up into the high atmosphere at the end of lines as if it had wings. An upbeat, bubbling set that is sure to chase the blues all the way back to Georgia, or wherever the blues comes from these days. - Steve Leggett / AMG

CD > EAC > FLAC 16/44.1 

B.B. King - Blues Is King...plus

To compliment KC's live B B King post - Here is the other great live 60's recording made by the master B B King.
Charles Sawyer, in his 'B B King - The Authorized Biography', has this to say about this album, released in 1967 :

"This album is my own favorite. More than the Regal performance, recorded in a cavernous theater, this performance, taped in a Chicago nightclub, catches B.B. at the height of his powers as a  performer. All B.B.'s studio cuts miss one thing which is pivotal in his live performances: the unique voice of his instrument. The rich, sonorous sound of his sustained notes and the harsh edge of his attack seem to disappear before studio microphones. This recording has them both, full-blown, and the intimate atmosphere of a nightclub is thick in every groove. B.B.'s guitar solos are among his very best, marred only slightly by the use of reverb in places ( an uncharacteristic choice for him )."

I agree with this view but see both albums as essential to any Blues collection  - The '...plus' in the title refers to the added single 45 release ( A & B sides - Sweet Sixteen Parts 1 & 2 )  taken from the same gig and not included on the original release. Enjoy

James Govan - Wanted, The Fame Recordings

 The vaults of Fame continue to produce heretofore unknown treasures from the golden age of the late 60's to early 70's. Only 3 of these 16 tracks ever saw the light of day even for a hot second. That leaves me shaking my head in wonder...this stuff isn't just good, it's REALLY GOOD! The version of 'Something' alone is worth the price of admission! Dan Penn, George Jackson, now James Govan...I'm rubbing my hands together in anticipation of the next gems to be unearthed.

Born in Mississippi in 1949, Govan was raised in the Memphis area and has been a fixture on Beale Street for more than 20 years. These recordings from even 20 years earlier reveal a chapter that was largely undocumented and unremembered, even by soul fanatics. As far as I know Govan is still singing at the Rumboogie Cafe even today...at least he was last time I was there. He is also a good guitar player although I don't think he is playing on any of this material.