Percy Sledge - The Percy Sledge Way

Hey everyone!  I just want to take a moment of your time, while I have your attention.  I have had a crazy couple of months, and various events have brought me to a new viewpoint where blogging is concerned.  Rather than bore you to death, I will neatly summize...  I will be re-upping ALL of my Chitlins posts and hosting them permanently.  I will be moving away from digital collections, and towards single vinyl albums. Secondly, I want to get back to the thing that brought me into blogging in the first place;  vinyl sourced FLAC rips.  Going forward all of my output will be in FLAC.  For those of you who prefer mp3, DL a small program call Trader's Little Helper.  It has a wonderful conversion tool which is easy and quick, yet fully comprehensive. 

So... back to the music!!!  And what wonderful music we have on this one.  Infact, this is by far my favorite Percy Sledge side.  It's an album of covers, but he subtlely makes them his own.  You may find you prefer his treatment over some of the originals.  He does however, set his sights really high.  Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Ray Charles, Solomon Burke... you get the picture?  Sledge went for the biggest and brightest, somewhat risky but ultimately rewarding. 

Aside from each song, what makes this one special for me is the overall vibe - the tracking is perfect, assumably we have producers Quin Ivy and Marlin Greene to thank for this.  Some of these early soul albums can have that "thrown together" sound as singles were what really drove the recording industry at the time.  Rest assured The Percy Sledge Way is one homerun after another with no break in the mood.  Fellas, this one gets my seal of approval if its panties you are trying to remove, or maybe just a heart in need of melting.  PS is relentless in his romantic delivery, as is the band.

This was ripped from my excellent condition LP.  This original mono Atlantic has the faint hint of analog-ness, not enough to distract your listening, but enough to remind you of the vinyl goodness that it's paired with.  I won't remove noise at the cost of the music.  Frankly this rip is in keeping with most of the digitally sourced material we have been listening to here at Chitlins.  Ripped at 24/44.1 wav and dithered to 16/44.1 FLAC... enjoy!!

Pete 'Guitar' Lewis / Jimmy Nolen / Cal Green - Scratchin'

I've been trying to figure out what to feature next, just to keep it fresh. There are still plenty of loose ends and half done artists, I acknowledge, I will pick them up soon. I think a little time with some of the remarkable instrumentalists is in order, not to mention a daunting pile of compilations I'm looking at. So far the response to compilations broken into digestible pieces seems far better that tossing it all out at once. Neither the 3 disc Gospel Alive set nor The Bob Geddins Collection, garnered much reaction when presented as a whole so I am leaning to staggering the larger collections in smaller pieces so that the down loads are listenable.Comments?


this is a tasty little one here: While Cal Green is included for a pair of tracks, this one is all about two Johnny Otis guitar players, Pete "Guitar" Lewis and his successor Jimmy Nolen (later of James Brown fame).

"A sumptuous feast o' hot 'n greasy Texas jump blues guitars, these 22 Federal recordings (waxed between 1952 and 1958) showcase three of the best '50s T-Bone Walker devotees tearing off punchy li'l swirls o' swing on their fat axes. Johnny Otis's band backs stellar Otis-sideman Pete "Guitar" Lewis on eight performances, three of which showcase Lewis's harp chops (he was also a fine singer, a talent never displayed on his Otis sideman sides). Jimmy Nolen would invent the "chicken scratch" funk guitar style behind James Brown in the '60s, but the dozen mid-'50s performances here (supported by Chuck Higgins's combo) are solidly in the Walker tradition. Midnighter guitarist Cal Green is represented by a pair of instrumentals ("The Big Push" is a vamp around "Annie Had a Baby"). Ten tracks are strictly instrumental, ranging from moody "after hours" blues to high-octane rompers, all delivered with that full-bodied blend of grit and sheen that made the best Texas-gone-California blues such an unparalleled gas. Great sound, 'n if you love fat, horn-like guitars (anchored by fat horns 'n solid rhythm sections); here's an earful." AMG

Earl King - Come On, The Complete Imperial Recordings

 Another lovely contribution from guitar gus and one that has become rare and expensive:

Hard to figure out how this is no longer in print as it represents Earl's greatest work. For that matter it is a bit of a mystery to me that in this age of label centered reissues, there is no Imperial box and few of the artists outside of Fats have been compiled either. The catalog apparently belongs to EMI who seem to be out to best MCA in the race for worst stewards of a precious trust. Hopefully they will eventually allow Ace or Kent to do what they are obviously unwilling to do.

"...Various independent record labels in New Orleans created and perfected a sound that would cross over from black to white audiences and vice versa. Earl King's work at both Specialty (home of Little Richard and Lloyd Price) and Ace (home to Frankie Ford and Huey "Piano" Smith) were nothing short of outstanding, but it was his work at Imperial (home to Fats Domino) with Dave Bartholomew that truly stands out. That is the subject of a new complete exploration on Okra Tone/Rooster Records.
Included on this retrospective are King’s Imperial hits “Come On (Parts 1 and 2)” (also known as “Let the Good Times Roll,” the motto of New Orleans), “Trick Bag” and “Always a First Time.” All of these sound as fresh and vibrant as the day they were released in the early 1960’s, displaying Bartholomew's exquisite touch and King's keen execution.
Also included in this collection are other historical recordings plus tracks that were never released. The April 13, 1961 sessions, which featured the great pianist James Booker plus Bartholomew and Wardell Quezergue, are particularly enjoyable. These recordings include “You Better Know,” “Mama and Papa,” plus the unreleased “It’s Wrong” and “Case of Love.”
While this is an excellent collection of a sometimes overlooked but unquestionably important artist, the producers sequenced the music in order of its recording date. This subtracts from a natural flow and makes it feel sometimes more like a historical document than a record. But that does not detract from the overall power and enjoyment you will feel when you press play." Charlie Dahan, All About Jazz. 

Hmmm, given that these were all singles I would wish to ask Mr. Dahan what other method of sequencing he would suggest, aside from alphabetical or release date, what other criteria is there and what would constitute his "natural flow"? 

Huey 'Piano' Smith and the Clowns - Having a Good Time

Another tasty tidbit from Guitar Gus.
 Huey "Piano" Smith (born January 26, 1934, New Orleans, Louisiana is an American rhythm and blues pianist whose sound was influential in the development of rock and roll.

His piano playing incorporated the boogie styles of Pete Johnson, Meade Lux Lewis, Albert Ammons; the jazz style of Jelly Roll Morton and the piano playing of Fats Domino.

Smith was born in New Orleans' Garden District, and was influenced by New Orleans' piano innovator, Professor Longhair. He became known for his shuffling right-handed break on the piano that influenced other Southern players.

Smith wrote his first song on the piano, "Roberson Street Boogie" (named after the street where he lived), when he was only eight years old, and performed the tune with a friend. They billed themselves as Slick and Dark. Smith attended McDowell High and Xavier University of Louisiana in New Orleans. When Smith was fifteen he began working in clubs and recording records with his flamboyant partner, Eddie Jones, who rose to fame as Guitar Slim. When he was eighteen, in 1952, he signed a recording contract with Savoy Records, which released his first known single, "You Made Me Cry". In 1953 Smith recorded with Earl King.

In 1955, Smith turned 21, and became the piano player with Little Richard's first band for Specialty Records. The same year he also played piano on several studio sessions for other artists such as Lloyd Price. Two of the sessions resulted in hits for Earl King ("Those Lonely Lonely Nights"), and Smiley Lewis ("I Hear You Knocking").

In 1957, Smith formed 'Huey 'Piano' Smith and the Clowns' with blues singer and female impersonator Bobby Marchan, and signed a long term contract with former Specialty record producer, Johnny Vincent at Ace Records. They hit the Billboard charts with several singles in succession, including a breakout Top Five R&B hit entitled "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu". The record was issued as "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu Part 1" on the topside, (a vocal) and "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu Part 2", an instrumental, on the flip. The lyrics were written by John Vincent, and the record sold over one million copies, achieving gold disc status.

In 1958, Vin Records, a subsidiary of Ace Records, released a popular single "Little Chickie Wah Wah" with Clowns singer Gerri Hall, under the billing of Huey and Jerry. Meanwhile, Ace Records released several more singles from 'Huey "Piano" Smith and the Clowns', including "We Like Birdland", "Well I'll Be John Brown", and "Don't You Know Yockomo" (later in 1964, New Zealand artist Dinah Lee took her energetic version of this song to number 1 in both New Zealand & Australia).

Their most famous single, released in 1958, "Don't You Just Know It" b/w "High Blood Pressure", hit number 9 on the Billboard Pop chart and number 4 on the Rhythm and Blues chart. It was their second million seller.

In 1959, Ace Records erased Huey Smith's vocal from the now classic single Smith composed, arranged and performed entitled "Sea Cruise", and replaced it with a more energetic vocal track by white singer Frankie Ford. The tune was a huge hit for Ford.

Smith left Ace Records for Imperial Records, to record with Fats Domino's noted producer (and fellow Louisianan) Dave Bartholomew, but the national hits did not follow. Instead, Ace Records again overdubbed new vocals by Gerri Hall, Billy Roosevelt and Johnny Williams on another one of Smith's unreleased tracks, to produce the last hit single credited to Huey "Piano" Smith, entitled "Pop-Eye".

In the years following, he made several comebacks, performing as 'Huey "Piano" Smith and the Clowns', 'The Hueys', 'The Pitter Pats', and as 'Shindig Smith and the Soul Shakers', but he has never attained his former degree of success. Thereafter, Smith joined the Jehovah's Witnesses, and left the music industry permanently.

In 2000, Smith was honored with a Pioneer Award by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation.

Ernie K-Doe - A REAL Mother-in-Law for Ya!

Another Westside  set from Guitar Gus.
  Ernie K-Doe (February 22, 1936 – July 5, 2001), born Ernest Kador, Jr., was an African American rhythm and blues singer best known for his 1961 hit single "Mother-in-Law" which went to #1 on the Billboard pop chart in the U.S.

Born in New Orleans, K-Doe recorded as a member of the group the Blue Diamonds in 1954 before making his first solo recordings the following year. "Mother-in-Law", written by Allen Toussaint, was his first hit, and was #1 on both the Billboard pop and R&B charts. K-Doe never had another top-40 pop hit, but 1961's "Te-Ta-Te-Ta-Ta" (#21) and 1967's "Later For Tomorrow" (#37) both charted in the R&B top 40.

In the 1980s K-Doe did radio shows on New Orleans community stations WWOZ and WTUL. The shows were known for his explosively energetic announcements and frequent self promotion (occasionally causing problems for the non-commercial station). K-Doe's catch phrases included "Burn, K-Doe, Burn!" "I'm a Charity Hospital Baby!" and (addressed to himself) "You just good, that's all!". For a time he billed himself as "Mister Naugahyde" until he was ordered to desist by the owners of the Naugahyde trademark. K-Doe then explained that it was a misunderstanding; he was actually referring to himself as "Mister M-Nauga-Ma-Hyde", a word he invented himself. (It was always "mnaugamahyde", y'all just don't understand us)
In the 1990s K-Doe began billing himself as "The Emperor of the Universe" and wearing a cape and crown he became a famous local eccentric on the New Orleans scene. (Some of us accepted his coronation) K-Doe continued performing and occasionally recording until shortly before his death. Always an elaborate showman, one of K-Doe's most notable later performances was at New Orleans' Aquarium of the Americas where he performed at a benefit for a local group aiding people with disabilities. The show ended with K-Doe performing seven continuous renditions of "Mother In Law" (I've seen him do ten) while dancing in front of the Gulf of Mexico shark tank exhibit dressed in a green plumed cape. Later recordings of note include "White Boy, Black Boy." While best known as a singer, he was also an accomplished drummer.

The song 'Here Come The Girls' was released in 1970 in England, but was not a hit. It was re-released in 2007 as a result of its use in an advertising campaign for 'Boots' stores and reached No. 43. A cover by the Sugababes reached No.3 in the UK charts in 2008.


K-Doe died in 2001 and, after a traditional jazz funeral, was interred in the 200-year-old Duval tomb in Saint Louis Cemetery #2, in his native New Orleans. He had burial space in his father's family cemetery in Erwinville, LA, but his widow, Antoinette, as well as his fans and friends in New Orleans, wanted his remains in the city, so the Duval family offered him some of their burial space. He is buried in the same tomb with his second mother-in-law, with whom he was very close, and his best friend, Earl King.

His widow, Antoinette K-Doe, continued to operate his music club/bar, "Ernie K-Doe's Mother-in-Law Lounge," which houses a life-size statue (okay first off it is not a statue, it is a mannequin, but if you had any respect for Antoinette, you referred to it as Ernie) of K-Doe himself. The club was severely damaged by Hurricane Katrina in late 2005 and had to shut down. With the help of the Hands on Network and the musical artist, Usher Raymond, Antoinette reopened the Mother-in-Law Lounge on August 28, 2006 in its original location at 1500 N. Claiborne Avenue. (It was closed after Saint Antoinette's death but now Kermit Ruffins has bought it and reopened it with his "Treme" money. Halleluiah!)

Antoinette also led a tongue-in-cheek campaign for K-Doe's election for mayor of hurricane-ravaged New Orleans in 2006, five years after his death. She is quoted as saying "He's the only one qualified -- that's my opinion." (One again, folks don't understand her sense of humor, it was the Ernie at the bar running, not the one in the grave.) Although K-Doe's name did not appear on the ballot, "his" campaign generated revenue from T-shirt and bumper sticker sales. Antoinette used the proceeds from these sales toward rebuilding the Mother-in-Law Lounge, as well as providing help to the New Orleans Musicians' Clinic, both of which were damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

In November 2007 the British-based high street beauty store and pharmacy Boots used his 1970 performance of the song "Here Come The Girls" as the soundtrack to a Christmas TV commercial. This led to the song being re-released as single in the UK in December 2007, and a new Boots commercial featuring the song was aired between June and August 2008 with a summer theme. The same song was also sampled on the Sugababes' single "Girls", which was then itself used in another Boots commercial in November 2008.

Antoinette died in New Orleans on February 24, 2009, Mardi Gras morning, after suffering a massive heart attack. (I was fortunate enough to have spent Lundi Gras afternoon with her, my last memory is a big wet kiss and her extracting my promise to return tomorrow for her otherworldly red beans, like it was possible I could forget!)

In 2009 Ernie K-Doe was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.

Blowing the Fuse 1959

If you have begun to notice that some very familiar tunes sound different in this set it is likely because these are the originals by the black artists rather than the white covers that sold more copies and are more often played.

"Blowing the Fuse: 29 R&B Classics That Rocked the Jukebox in 1959 is among the finer entries in this excellent series issued by the Bear Family label. For starters just look at the list of artists that appear here: James Brown, Lavern Baker, Lloyd Price, Bo Diddley, Jackie Wilson, Brook Benton, the Coasters, the Flamingos, and more. It's loaded. Just looking over the contents makes a serious music listener wistful for a culture where the juke box still thrived everywhere, from diners to bars and even bowling alleys. These early sides by some of the greatest R&B artists are not to be missed. Brown's "Try Me," drips with so much lonely ache, you want to help him find his woman. Likewise, the lonely sax blowing behind Baker is a response to her every brokenhearted line. Price's "Stagger Lee" is one of the great reads of the song -- whether Greil Marcus likes it or not -- the groove is tight, tough, and it sounds like the unfolding of an epic, and it all happens in two-minutes-and-22 seconds. There's also a smoking version of Wilbert Harrison's stroller "Kansas City." Hank Ballard's "The Twist" is rawer than the Chubby Checker version, which is why the latter was probably the hit. There isn't a track on this monster that doesn't shimmy, shake, or groove, and you need it. Period." Jurek, AMG

Blowing he Fuse 1958

 The one thing I will point out personally here is track 4 by Roy Hamilton - now you know who Elvis was REALLY copying!

"While the 1958 volume in the Bear Family label's Blowing the Fuse series may not have as many utterly well-known hits, that doesn't mean it's not every bit a treasure trove of fine music. Far from it, and it does have its share; Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode," Johnny Otis' "Willie and the Hand Jive," Jackie Wilson's "Lonely Teardrops," Fats Domino's "Whole Lotta Loving," the Monotones' "Book of Love," and Bobby Freeman's' "Do You Wanna Dance" all qualify in this category, as does Little Richard's "Good Golly Miss Molly." But there are other smoking cuts such as Roy Hamilton's rock & roll and R&B hybrid "Don't Let Go," the early soul of Sam Cooke's early solo effort "I'll Come Running Back to You," and Little Willie John's "Talk to Me, Talk to Me." But the side opens with the inimitable wail of the Hollywood Flames' "Buzz, Buzz, Buzz," which is early rock & roll as it engaged doo wop. And then there's the scorching original version of "Rockin' Robin" by Bobby Day. In other words, it's about as necessary as a record of early rock & roll and R&B can be. Get it." amg

Dan Penn - Do Right Man

There has really never been a doubt about who the first white guy to get a post here would be, it was only a matter of when and I just can't resist anymore because it just isn't fair to keep this in my pocket any longer. Do yourself a favor today, you need this album, period!

"If James Brown is Soul Brother Number One, you can make a very credible case for Dan Penn being number two. The Alabama native has had a hand in writing a fair number of classic soul songs, and here he commits his versions of them to tape for the first time, recording, of course, in Muscle Shoals, with their fabulous house band, and a horn section including former Memphis Horn member Wayne Jackson. It's a tall order Penn sets himself, offering himself up for comparison with greats like James Carr, Aretha Franklin, and James and Bobby Purify, who have sung his songs -- and that's just the start of the list. However, he comes out very well, beginning with a quiet take on"The Dark End of the Street," coming across like a note to a secret lover, rather than a cry of pain. "It Tears Me Up" conveys the anguish,"You Left the Water Running" bounces in its pain, and "Do Right Woman Do Right Man" is advice to a friend, instead of Aretha's extra freedom cry for equal rights."I'm Your Puppet" becomes a sigh of resignation. Given tracks like that, the other songs will inevitably suffer by comparison, and, to be fair, "Memphis Women and Chicken" is little more than a throwaway. But even the lesser-known material from a craftsman-like Penn is head and shoulders above most of the competition, and "Zero Willpower," a song that he took 20 years to complete, has soul classic written all over it, as good as the greatest hits. Penn can't just write 'em, he can perform 'em too, in a manner as soulful as the greats, as this record shows. The man deserves to be an American musical icon." by Chris Nickson, AMG

 I just had to include this review so that it isn't just me gushing over this magnificent little gem. I can't seem to get this one off my player, I'm just hooked on it. From the opening moments of "Dark Side" you will be transfixed by the power of this man's genius. I have read all the stories of how Dan's demo's were so good they challanged the artists who had the hits with them to even match the deep soul of Penn's versions, but until you hear something like this it isn't real to you. The vulnerability in Penn's  version of "It Tears Me Up" is unbelievably moving, it is unfathomable that they did not put it on the radio in 1994, how could it miss being a hit?

I enthusiastically second the final statement of the review, Penn belongs in a very special group of pure originals, Muscle Shoals should erect statues of Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham in the center of town for crying out loud. Oh Yeah, Spooner? Well of course he's on the record too!

 

 "Dan Penn (born Wallace Daniel Pennington, 16 November 1941) is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and record producer who co-wrote many soul hits of the 1960s including "Dark End Of The Street" and "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" with Chips Moman as well as "Out Of Left Field" and "Cry Like A Baby" with Spooner Oldham. Penn also produced many hits including "The Letter" by The Box Tops. Though considered to be one of the great white soul singers of his generation, Penn has released relatively few records featuring his own vocals and musicianship preferring the relative anonymity of songwriting and producing.

Penn grew up in Vernon, Alabama, and spent much of his teens and early twenties in the Quad Cities/Muscle Shoals area. He was a regular at Rick Hall's FAME Studios as a performer, songwriter, and producer. It was during his time with FAME that Penn cut his first record, "Crazy Over You" in 1960, and wrote his first hit, "Is a Bluebird Blue?" which was recorded by Conway Twitty in the same year, and was later covered by James Brown. The success of the #6 pop hit, "I'm Your Puppet" by James & Bobby Purify convinced him that songwriting was a lucratively worthwhile career choice.

In early 1966, Penn moved to Memphis, began writing for Press Publishing Company, and worked with Chips Moman at his American Studios. Their intense and short-lived partnership produced some of the best known and most enduring songs of the genre. Their first collaboration, the enduring classic "Dark End of the Street", was first a hit for James Carr and has since been recorded by many others including Roy Hamilton, Aretha Franklin, Clarence Carter, Elvis Costello, Frank Black, Gram Parsons, Richard & Linda Thompson, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt. It was also used in the hit movie "The Commitments".A few months later, during the legendary recording sessions that saw Jerry Wexler introduce Aretha Franklin to FAME Studios and her first major success, the pair wrote "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" in the studio for her, which went to #37 in Billboard in 1967. The song has since been recorded many times including by Barbara Mandrell, Cher, Etta James, Joan Baez, Marva Wright, Phoebe Snow and Willie Nelson. It has also been recorded with Japanese lyrics as "Onna No Sadame". In early 1967 Penn produced "The Letter" for The Box Tops.

He and long-time friend and collaborator Spooner Oldham also wrote a number of hits for the band, including "Cry Like A Baby", another song which has been covered many times, including by Cher, Kiki Dee, Kim Carnes and Lulu. Other songs written or co-written by Penn which have been recorded many times include "I'm Your Puppet" a #6 hit in 1966 for James and Bobby Purify, and also recorded by Sam & Dave, Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Irma Thomas, Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, Peter & Gordan and Tierra, "Woman Left Lonely" recorded by Janis Joplin, Elkie Brooks, (Do Right Woman) Charlie Rich, Cat Power, Irma Thomas, Rita Coolidge, Patti Page & Clementine, and "Sweet Inspiration" a #5 hit for the Sweet Inspirations in 1968, and also recorded by The Supremes, Vonda Sheppard, Rita Coolidge, and Wilson Pickett, and "You Left The Water Running" a #42 hit for Otis Redding in 1966, and later recorded by the Flying Burrito Brothers, Huey Lewis, and Wilson Pickett.

Other notable songs written or co-written by Dan Penn are "I Hate You" recorded by Bobby Blue Bland and Jerry Lee Lewis, "Handy" and "Everyday Livin' Days" recorded by Merrilee Rush, "I Got a Feelin For You" recorded by Kelly Willis, "I'm Not Done Lovin' You Yet" record by Neil Young's wife Pegi on her solo album, Like A Road Leading Home recorded by Albert King and Jerry Garcia, "Nobody's Fool" recorded by Alex Chilton, "Time I Took A Holiday" recorded by Nick Lowe, "Where You Gettin' It" recorded by Theryl DeClouet, "Out of Left Field" recorded by Percy Sledge and Hank Williams, Jr., and "Slippin' Around" recorded by Clarence Carter and the Detroit Cobras.

Penn continued writing and producing hits for numerous artists during the 1960s and finally released a record of his own, the 1972 single entitled "Nobody's Fool". He was coaxed into the studio again in 1993 to record the acclaimed "Do Right Man" which saw him reunited with many of his friends and colleagues from Memphis & Muscle Shoals. He also has recently written and produced for the Hacienda Brothers.
He now lives in Nashville, and continues to write with Oldham and other contemporaries such as Donnie Fritts, Gary Nicholson and Norbert Putnam. He and Carson Whitsett have had their collaborations recorded by Irma Thomas and Johnny Adams and often teamed with writers Jonnie Barmett and later, Hoy Lindsey. The Penn/Whitsett/Lindsey team are responsible for Solomon Burke's "Don't Give Up On Me" (also recorded by Joe Cocker), and Penn produced 2005's Better to Have It by Bobby Purify that featured twelve songs from the team. He and Oldham also tour together as their schedules permit."

I wonder who that bass player with him is?

Sam Cooke - My Kind Of Blues

Ripped at 24/44.1 wav and dithered to 16/44.1 FLAC... enjoy!!

RCA Victor LPM-2392
1961

Sam Cooke's voice is justifiably legendary, but most of his RCA albums are astonishingly little-known today, and My Kind of Blues explains why this is so, at least in part. The singing is superb throughout, but the repertoire, even in 1961, was not terribly well defined or the recordings well arranged. The basic problem lay in the nature of Cooke's career arc, which probably straddled too many styles and musical worlds for his own good -- the spiritual and the secular, pop and rock & roll, and pop and soul, all as defined in his time (which was, effectively, from the early '50s to the early '60s). The "blues" as a label on an album had a much wider meaning than it would have had at the other end of the decade, or any time since -- Cooke was part of a world where adult pop still held sway and seemed, at least for the LP market, a more attractive target than the teenage or even collegiate audiences of the time. Thus, the "blues" heard here would have been appropriate for a mainstream singer -- say, Sinatra, or Nat King Cole -- circa 1961 (or, really, about 1957 -- Cooke's producers were very conservative) -- rather than what most listeners today would call blues. Brassy, big-scale orchestrations abound, and even the leaner textured songs, such as "Little Girl Blue" and "You're Always on My Mind," rely on a reed or horn section, respectively, to augment the electric guitar, piano, bass, and brushed drums at the core of their arrangements. Some of this works beautifully, as on "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out," which was a good enough song to make it into Cooke's set at his Copa appearances, and, along with a handful of other tracks here, also onto the compilation The Rhythm and the Blues (and the box set The Man Who Invented Soul). All of this is what would probably be called "smooth blues" (assuming it is defined as blues at all in a modern sense); it's more soul of a pop variety. But Cooke's voice carries it -- even the weakest arrangements and material get elevated, as the best of Cooke's interpretive instincts overcome the worst of his producers' instincts. Given its limitations, My Kind of Blues was never going to be a defining album in Cooke's output, and had he lived past 1964 it almost certainly would have been relegated to his "early period" in a full career. Its strongest moments, of which there are many, stand on their own, however, and the leanest of the arrangements point the way toward greater things that were to come, including the best parts of Mr. Soul and the whole Night Beat album.  - Bruce Eder/AMG

Blowing the Fuse 1957

 Now I know that Cliff will disagree but I still say that any similar collection made over the last 30 years would be laughable in comparison to these babies.I mean just look down that list of names!

1957 was one fun year on the jukebox. The rise of the vocal groups continue; they seem to take up at least half of this one. The teen domination of the market is clearly evident in the increase of cornball and romance and the decrease of adult themes, even the Ruth Brown tune is shockingly 'sweet'. Still the beats will get your foot patting for the whole ride.

While lighthearted fun pieces are clearly in vogue, the are still some surprising moments of gravity provided by Junior Parker, Slim Harpo, Fats, Roy, Bobby, Little Richard and Ernie Freeman.

The Complete O.V. Wright on Hi Records, Vol. 1 In The Studio

By the time O.V. is released from the Texas penitentiary in 1975, he was incarcerated on a narcotics charge, his old label has been sold and his contract along with it. As Don Robey's health failed he sold everything to ABC, who were less than enthusiastic about Wright in the wake of the absence from the market. After a couple of half-hearted attempts at recording him, ABC handed Wright back his contract and he was a free agent.

His friend and collaborator Willie Mitchell was now at Hi records and riding the wave of success with both Al Green and Sil Johnson and he was more than happy to add O.V. to the stable and hoped he would propel him  to the kind of stardom that he had found with Green. I imagine he was even more motivated because by this time there was already evidence that Green was loosing it and becoming unstable.

The O.V. that came to Hi was not the man who had made those phenomenal Back Beat recordings. Drugs, alcohol and heart trouble were taking a serious toll on his body although he strove to hide it from nearly everyone. The voice was still better than anyone else and apparently at first he was still the show stopping live performer he had always been.

One story of a tour that gives you an idea of his ability to tear up a house was a tour with Tyrone Davis, Johnnie Taylor, Little Milton and O.V. The discussion on the first day centered around the performing order and since Wright was the only guy who didn't seem concerned with the subject he was asked to lead off the show. By the end of the night all three of the other guys told the promoter that O.V. would close the show for the remainder of the tour, no-one wanted to follow him ever again.

The material on this set is unquestionably good but there is a feeling of Willie Mitchell trying to shoehorn O.V. into Al Green's loafers. Green and Wright were very different but somehow Mitchell failed to alter his approach. The Hi band had fallen into a very comfortable groove and certainly by the late 70's was getting a little stale (Mitchell later acknowledged that). All that said, even flawed O.V. Wright is better than damn near anyone else so don't think for a second that this isn't worth hearing.

Health problems derailed Wright a number of times in the last 5 years of the decade, but each time he emerged from the hospital he returned to work and by 1980 he was an emaciated shadow of his former self. The last year of his life Wright returned to Gospel and was quoted as saying that he never really liked singing Soul, and had always longed to return to the Gospel fold. In November 1980 Wright collapsed while on the road and despite Roosevelt Jamisons' heroic efforts to get him to an adequate hospital, Wright died shortly after reaching the hospital, he was 41 years old.

Wright laid in an unmarked grave in Memphis for some 28 years until 2008 when a fund and concert was put together to put a proper marker on the grave on the anniversary of his death.

The Bob Geddins Blues Legacy, vols 1-4

"Bob Geddins was a man with a big heart; a true music lover who persevered with his recording and distribution business even though he was repeatedly ripped off by partners and let down by artists who broke their contracts.

He is responsible for developing the Bay Area blues sound of the late 1940s and 1950s in his Oakland studios and some of the best loved vintage recordings from the West Coast were made for his Big Town, Cava-Tone and Rhythm labels.

For all the usual reasons, musicians were leaving their home states and moving to California and Geddins attracted some of the most popular into his recording studio. Lowell Fulson, Roy Hawkins, Johnny Fuller and Jimmy McCracklin are all included in this box set as well as some pretty obscure names like pianist Fats Gaines and Johnny Ingram whose Rhythm Czars featured Jimmy Nelson on vocals and John Patterson on some pretty swingin' sax. Johnny Fuller, whose down-home Mississippi blues with a beat, laid back vocals and versatile guitar wrangling reminds me of early Muddy Waters, has sixteen stellar tracks; his ringing guitar clanging away on ‘How Long?', ‘Too Late To Change' and ‘The Roughest Place In Town' which is a virile version of ‘Tin Pan Alley'.

Fuller appears again later with some superb down-home blues guitar on Willie B Huff's four sides. This girl has one deep bluesy voice and it's perfectly suited to her big song ‘Operator 209' (her version of Lightnin's ‘Hello Central') but then she's just as good when she hits a higher register on ‘I've Been Thinkin'And Thinkin' which has Lafayette Thomas on guitar.

KC Douglas, another Mississippian transplanted to California, is here roaring out his greatest song ‘Mercury Boogie'. This version leaves all others, bar none, doodlin' in the dirt! Juke Boy Bonner's rural style comes direct from Texas and although usually a one-man-band, he adds guitarist Lafayette Thomas on ‘Well Baby' and ‘Rock With Me Baby' with pretty good results. Big Mama Thornton really rocks with the thumping ‘Don't Talk Back', a fabulous gospel singed screamer she made with The Hi-Tones (better known as James Brown's second set of Famous Flames). Roy Hawkins and Jimmy McCracklin supply the early R&B jump while Little Caesar forsakes his usual rockin' R&B groove on ‘Big Eyes' a Coasters-type spoofy tune before sailing into a big blues ballad that Big Joe Turner would be proud of.

There are 107 tracks on this wonderful set and not a dud among ‘em, compiler Neil Slaven supplies his usual informative sleeve notes and the presentation is snazzy with all those vintage colour photos of the Bay area.

Excellent, highly recommended, top class, five stars."

Robert L. "Bob" Geddins (February 6, 1913 – February 16, 1991) was an American San Francisco Bay Area blues and rhythm and blues musician and record producer.

Geddins was born in Highbank, Texas, United States, a town ten miles south of Marlin, who came to Oakland, California during World War II, and worked there until his death in 1991.

From 1948 onwards he founded and owned numerous small independent record labels, such as Art-Tone, Big Town, Cavatone, Down Town, Irma, Plaid, Rhythm, and Veltone. He also leased his recordings to Los Angeles labels such as Swing Time, Aladdin, Modern, Imperial, Fantasy, and also to the Chicago operated Checker label.


"...
Bob Geddins was largely responsible for developing blues in the San Fransisco-Oakland area in the late 1940's into the late 1950's. Largely unknown today except by deep blues record collectors, Geddins struggled to record a number of good local talent. Artists like Lowell Fulson, Jimmy McCracklin, Roy Hawkins, K.C. Douglas, Mercy Dee Walton (a personal favorite), Johnny Fuller, Juke Boy Bonner, Big Mama Thornton, and other singers who were virtually unknown-all recorded for Geddins on his various labels. Geddins himself (along with his brother on vocals) is even heard on the track "Irma Jean Blues", something he would do when the mood struck.


A TV/radio repairman by trade, Geddins would start up a record label when he had the necessary cash, only to see his labels go out of business, usually because he had no real distribution-he was the sole distributor of his artists. Another reason his labels didn't last was someone would cheat him in a shady business deal, but Geddins would persevere and start up another label when he could. Geddins realized that there were few labels catering to the population which had moved there looking for work. He was basically a one man record label-even owning his own pressing plant.

Geddins' artists were a combination of locally or regionally known musicians, and "walk-ins"-people who literally walked in wanting to record a track or two. When Geddins recorded someone, he wanted it to sound as sad as possible. As Geddins said, "I want black folks to feel the troubles of the old times". And all the tracks have a certain sad aura about them, especially the slower tunes. Even the up-tempo jump tunes have a certain amount of sadness- a reminder of hard times. But as with all good blues, there's a small amount of optimism heard in these songs which gives added depth to the music.


The groups range from small two or three man bands, to larger ensembles including a proper rhythm section and a horn or two. But no matter the size of the band, these tracks are a great example of what people in the Bay Area were listening to after WWII, and on into the 50's. In many ways these artists are closer to what large numbers of people in the region preferred to listen to. None of the major record labels would touch this music-especially artists not nationally known. And while a few of the artists heard here went on to larger fame, many remained locally popular/and or faded back into obscurity.

This set is a window into another time and place long since past. But listen to this music and be transported back to a time of local watering holes, with ten cent beer and a jukebox in the corner-probably playing some of this very music. It's exciting, and it's real,and while the people and the era have vanished, this collection takes you right back there again, every time you hear it.

Sam Cooke - One Night Stand!

"Not only is this one of the greatest live soul albums ever released, it also reveals a rougher, rawer, and more immediate side to Sam Cooke that his singles only hinted at, good as they were. Working with a merged band that included guitarist Cliff White and drummer Albert "June" Gardner (New Orleans own)  from Cooke's regular touring outfit and saxophonist King Curtis and his band, Cooke brings a gospel fervor to these whirlwind versions, which are fiery, emotionally direct, and hit with uncommon power. Every track burns with an insistent, urgent feel, and although Cooke practically defines melisma on his single releases, here he reaches past that into deeper territory that finds him almost literally shoving and pushing each song forward with shouts, asides, and spoken interactions with the audience, which becomes as much a part of this set as any bandmember. "Chain Gang" is stripped down to a raw nerve, "Twistin' the Night Away" explodes out of the gate like a runaway rocket, and Curtis' sax breaks on "Somebody Have Mercy" make it sound like the saxophone was invented for this one song alone...... Although recorded January 12, 1963, at the Harlem Square Club in Miami in 1963, RCA didn't release it as an album until 1985. The set was remixed from the original first generation three-track tape for 2000's The Man Who Invented Soul box, and while the music (and Cooke's vocals in particular) sounded much cleaner, much of the crowd noise from the 1985 mixes was toned down, robbing the recording of some of its claustrophobic, frenzied power. The mix used here seems to more or less split the difference, but the crucial key is and was always Cooke's vocals, and while he was a marvelously smooth, versatile, and urbane singer on his official pop recordings, here he explodes into one of the finest sets of raw secular gospel ever captured on tape. It is essential listening in any version."  by Steve Leggett, AMG

YEAH, WHAT HE SAID!!

The album that terrified RCA so badly that they suppressed it for 22 years! The idea of it being compared to the Copa album was something they felt the need to avoid at any cost.

Sam Cooke's SAR Story

Given the fact that no less than Peter Guralnik has written superb notes to this historic set, you will have to excuse me for choosing to spare myself the embarrassment of attempting any sort of synopsis beyond saying that the Gospel disc is glorious and indispensable for any fan, the secular disc is perhaps less so, although the Sims Twins tracks alone are enough to make it worthwhile. Here is a link to Guralnik's notes and pictures from the accompanying book for this set. The book is 86 pages long so you will have to forgive me that I only scanned the covers and discography for the download.

http://www.songsofsamcooke.com/albums/sar_records_story.htm

The dl links are in the comments below.

"Sam Cooke's SAR Records Story is a double-disc set presenting material recorded for the legendary soul singer's own SAR label from 1959-1965, much of it produced by Cooke himself and including a few of his rough, unreleased demos. The first disc covers the label's religious side, with a multitude of cuts from Cooke's former group the Soul Stirrers (now with Jimmie Outler on lead vocals), plus a generous helping of songs by R.H. Harris & His Gospel Paraders and the Womack Brothers. The second disc covers essentially the same gospel-derived soul territory but with a secular bent, featuring future stars Bobby Womack (with the Valentinos), Billy Preston, and Johnnie Taylor, plus L.C. Cooke, Johnnie Morisette, the Sims Twins, and Mel Carter. All in all, it's an excellent look at a lesser-known portion of Cooke's career, and there's some great, underappreciated music to boot. [The 1995 edition was also produced in a 'longbox' packaging format.]" ~ Steve Huey

None But The Righteous: Chess Gospel Greats

I thought this would go nicely with our Chess Story. What you will find here is wildly varied in terms of style. It mirrors the secular counterpart in every way, aside from lyrical content. Stripped down, bluesy quartets through to high spirited, funky soul jams.

We also get to hear from some lesser known artists, which is also why I have chosen this album. Aside from greats like Aretha Franklin and The Soul Stirrers, we are treated to local Windy City talent.

We even get treated to Elder Utah Smith. If you missed KC's post, it's here and it's a wild one.

An excellent comp, all pre-approved by Jesus for your eternal enjoyment.

1 Don't You Want To Go - The Meditation Singers
2 None But The Righteous - The Norfleet Brothers
3 Anyway You Bless Me Lord - The Bells Of Joy
4 Never Grow Old - Aretha Franklin
5 Oh What A Meeting - The Soul Stirrers
6 I've Been Weeping For A Mighty Long Time - The Original Five Blind Boys Of Mississippi
7 When My Time Comes - Reverend Alex Bradford
8 Resting Easy - The Soul Stirrers
9 Two Wings - Reverend Utah Smith
10 Your Mother Loves Her Children - Reverend C.L. Franklin
11 Old Time Religion - The Violinaires
12 Life In Heaven Is Free - Cleo Jackson Randle
13 Walk In The Light - The Evangelist Singers Of Alabama
14 The Angels Keep Watching Over Me - Sammy Bryant
15 Floods Of Joy - The Windy City Four
16 I'm Gonna Tell God - Elder Beck
17 You've Got The Jordan River To Cross - Martha Bass
18 Don't Give Up - The Southern Stars

Good News - 22 Gospel Greats (From the Vaults of Vee-Jay)

 This old Charly collection of Vee-Jay Gospel highlights is a classic. A particularly good set for someone who doesn't have a lot of Gospel or someone looking for an entry compilation. The disc is set up like a multi-act Gospel show with a pair of songs from each of the first four acts and then seven each from the "headliners".  Your very own Sunday morning Gospel hour.

Bigg Robb - Blues Soul & Old School

OK, bloggers, time for something a little more contemporary - Bigg Robb!   This one is bound to get mixed reactions here.  But if you have never heard of Bigg Robb, bear with me for just a bit.  You may end up deleting these MP3s immediately after listening to them.  Or you may end up on the dance floor with a new perspective on modern Blues and Soul.  As for me, I've been on the dance floor with a new perspective from Bigg Robb for a number of years already.

I remember that, back in the 90s, they would sometimes refer to the blues/soul being played on the Chitlin' Circuit as music for the over-30 crowd.  Well, now it is usually more like over-50, if not over-60.   So what about the future?

Well, thankfully, there are some people making serious attempts to modernize the music for the new age, while still respecting the beautiful essence of classic blues and soul.   I would put Bigg Robb at the front of this movement.  In my mind, he has been suprisingly successful, artistically as well as commercially.    Check out some of the youtube videos of live performances by Carl Marshal of Good Love Will Make You Cry (Included on this album).   What a crowd of fans, a good number of which are decidedly under 50!

Bigg Robb has recently entered the over-50 crowd, himself.  He comes from Cincinnati, Ohio, and began his career as a radio DJ, where he came into contact with Bootsy Collins.  His primary mentor was Robert Troutman of Zapp.   Robb's early interests were primarily in the emerging Hip Hop scene and deep funk.  Gradually, he developed a major interest in old school blues, soul, and gospel, and has worked in recent years to produce a modern version of this music with the full palette of Hip Hop production techniques at his disposal.   In my mind, Bigg Robb uses this palette with taste in a manner that complements rather than obstructs the soulfulness of the music.  This is not a Hip Hop sampling of Blues & Soul.  Blues and Soul are at the core here. 

Blues Soul & Old School was a quite popular release in 2008, especially Good Love Will Make You Cry, which was the runaway #1 Southern Soul single in 2008.   Not every track here reaches that level.  But there are a number of other standouts, including  Keep on Swinging and Grown & Sexy (one mix featuring another younger sensation of the Circuit, Sir Charles Jones).  

Lowell Fulson - The Complete Chess Masters

Lowell Fulson's career is so long that it needs digesting in segments. In his own analysis the 40's were his Swing Time years, the 50's were his Chess years, the 60's his Kent years, the 70's were Jewell, the 80's he "laid low" and in his final decade he made some nice albums on the Bullseye imprint of Rounder.

The 50's long-distance marriage of Fulson and Chess is an uneasy one from the start. Fulson needed a new label, Chess was signing every major Blues artist they could get their hands on so the initial hookup is easy to get, although Aladdin would seem a more natural fit in hindsight. The problem was that Lowell was based in Oakland and L.A., had his own West Coast club blues style that he was developing, and he had a tight, well rehearsed band that he was unwilling to art with. Guys like Ray Charles, Stanley Turrentine, Maxwell Davis, David Newman, Dexter Gordon and Lloyd Glenn passed through that band!

When discussions of Fulson's first Chess session began, the tension between Lowell and Leonard Chess began. Chess assumed that Lowell would come to Chicago and record in his studio using Willie Dixon and the gang but Fulson was having none of leaving his band behind and instinctively knew he didn't want Chess contriving his sound. After some invective laced tirades from Chess melted a few phone lines, the agreement was made that Fulson would be record the first time in Dallas and the results would be mailed to Chess. Chess warned the record had better hit or else. It did.

Reconsider Baby was Fulson's biggest single ever, the opening walking bass/piano line is punctuated by Lowell's biting guitar then soon adds his plaintive vocal and the marvelously swinging but understated horns that are just perfect. The track makes it to #3 on the R&B charts and you would think that Fulson had proven his point. Leonard Chess still obstinately insisted that the next session take place in Chicago, in January no less! One can imagine that Fulson was less than thrilled at the prospect.

The first Chicago session is by all accounts excruciating for all concerned. Dixon, Spann and the Chess horns sound leaden and primitive compared to Fulson's L.A. band and Lowell fights with Chess and Dixon the whole way. The first track, Lonely Hours is suitable for a boat anchor, so heavy and plodding it is hard to believe it is Fulson. Check Yourself recovers some of the Fulson swagger as does Do Me Right but the session is far from successful and Fulson flees home to California.

Lowell's next session is done in L.A. with a return to his bounce and swagger but a year later Chess once again drags him to Chicago in the dead of winter with entirely similar results. The resulting 5 tracks are mostly leaden and forgettable with the possible exception of Smokey Room. This time Fulson flees Chess studio never to return and for the rest of his tenure everything is done in L.A. and finished product is mailed to Chess with instructions to not mess with it. This in large part accounts for why Fulson's records sound like nothing else at Chess.