Katie Webster - The Swamp Boogie Queen

Katie Webster (January 11, 1936 – September 5, 1999), born Kathryn Jewel Thorne, was an American boogie-woogie pianist. Webster was initially best known as a session musician behind Louisiana musicians on the Excello and Goldband record labels, such as Lightnin' Slim and Lonesome Sundown.  She also played piano with Otis Redding in the 1960s, but after his death went into semi-retirement.

In the 1980s she was repeatedly booked for European tours and recorded albums for the German record label, Ornament Records. She cut You Know That's Right with the band Hot Links, and the album that established her in the United States; The Swamp Boogie Queen with guest spots by Bonnie Raitt and Robert Cray.  She performed at both the San Francisco Blues Festival and Long Beach Blues Festival.  Webster suffered a stroke in 1993 while touring Greece and returned to performing the following year.  She died from heart failure in League City, Texas, in September 1999. - Wikipedia

______________________________________________

Lovable Katie Webster had some high-profile help for this impressive comeback album -- Bonnie Raitt shares the vocal on "Somebody's on Your Case" and plays guitar on "On the Run"; Kim Wilson duets with Webster for a cover of Johnnie Taylor's "Who's Making Love" (a track that Robert Cray contributes crisp guitar to). Throughout, Webster's vocals are throatier than they used to be (she soulfully covers one-time mentor Otis Redding's "Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa [Sad Song]" and "Try a Little Tenderness"), while her driving left hand still lays down some powerhouse boogie rhythms. - 4.0 / 5.0 ~ Bill Dahl / AMG

This was ripped from minty vinyl at 24/44.1 wav, and dithered to 16/44.1 FLAC...  enjoy!!!

Cripple Clarence Lofton

  Cripple Clarence Lofton (March 28, 1887 - January 9, 1957), born Albert Clemens in Kingsport, Tennessee, was a noted boogie-woogie pianist and singer.

Though Lofton was born with a limp (from which he derived his stage name), he actually started his career as a tap-dancer. Lofton moved on from tap-dancing into the blues idiom known as boogie-woogie and moved on to perform in Chicago, Illinois.

The trademark of Lofton's performances was his energetic stage-presence, where he danced and whistled in addition to singing. A conversant description of Lofton is provided in an excerpt from Boogie Woogie by William Russell:

    "No one can complain of Clarence's lack of variety or versatility. When he really gets going he's a three-ring circus. During one number, he plays, sings, whistles a chorus, and snaps his fingers with the technique of a Spanish dancer to give further percussive accompaniment to his blues. At times he turns sideways, almost with his back to the piano as he keeps pounding away at the keyboard and stomping his feet, meanwhile continuing to sing and shout at his audience or his drummer. Suddenly in the middle of a number he jumps up, his hands clasped in front of him, and walks around the piano stool, and then, unexpectedly, out booms a vocal break in a bass voice from somewhere. One second later, he has turned and is back at the keyboard, both hands flying at lightning- like pace. His actions and facial expressions are as intensely dramatic and exciting as his music."

With his distinctive performance style, Lofton found himself a mainstay in his genre: His first recording was in April 1935 for Vocalion Records with guitar accompaniment from Big Bill Broonzy. He later went on to own the Big Apple nightclub in Chicago and continued to record well into the late 1940s, when he retired.

Lofton lived in Chicago until he died from a blood clot in his brain in Cook County Hospital in 1957.

The Sparks Brothers

"Aaron and Marion Sparks made a small number of records during the years 1932-1935 and deserve wider recognition for having introduced "61 Highway Blues," usually associated with Mississippi Fred McDowell, and "Every Day I Have the Blues," a staple of the genre credited to Memphis Slim and forever linked with Count Basie and his star vocalist Joe Williams. Their "I Believe I'll Make a Change" also established a trope that would soon become an essential component in the blues standard "Dust My Broom." Born to Sullie and Ruth Gant on May 22, 1908 in Tupelo, MS, the boys later took on the surname of Ruth's second husband, Carl Sparks. Aaron was a child prodigy who learned the blues from an elderly backroom whiskey peddler named Arthur Johnson. After the family relocated to St. Louis in 1920, Aaron received formal musical training at school and later developed his abilities as a blues and barrelhouse pianist by performing in speakeasies. The Sparks Brothers were dark-skinned identical twins who grew to nearly six feet tall. Aaron is remembered as fairly docile, while Marion's hot temper often embroiled him in fistfights. Both men dealt in bootleg liquor and had police records to prove it. Marion in particular was busted more than 50 times; mostly for gambling, drinking, and disturbing the peace. Their first records were cut in Atlanta, GA on February 25, 1932, using the nicknames Pinetop (Aaron's way of hopefully identifying himself with Clarence Pinetop Smith) and Lindberg, which spoke to Marion's oft-noted ability to dance the Lindy Hop. On August 2, 1933 The Sparks Brothers and several singers from St. Louis followed Roosevelt Sykes to Chicago for a Victor/Bluebird session during which the opening line from "Every Day I Have the Blues" (sung by Elizabeth Washington on "Whiskey Blues") and "61 Highway" made their first appearance on records. On August 24, 1934 Marion Sparks recorded as Flyin' Lindburg with fiddler Bill Lowry and pianist Peetie Wheatstraw. The Sparks Brothers' last known recording date took place on July 28, 1935. Paired with guitarist Henry Townsend, Aaron recorded as Pine Top and Marion as Milton Sparks. Aaron sang on his own sides (one of which is the earliest recording of "Every Day I Have the Blues" under that title) and two of Marion's performances have piano accompaniment by Walter Davis. Aaron continued to gig throughout the region, working the 88s at innumerable house parties; in St. Louis saloons with names like the Hole in the Wall and the Dirty Inn, and gigging all over Bloomington, IL with fellow pianist Arthur Henderson. Theories abound as to how much longer Aaron lived after July 1935; the most generous estimate suggests he lasted another ten years before succumbing to alcoholism and other occupational hazards. After serving time for manslaughter following a fracas at a dance in 1936, Marion settled down, got a steady job with a construction crew, and became a mild-mannered, churchgoing husband. He passed away in 1963. Aside from two sides on which Aaron backed Charlie Specks McFadden, the complete recordings of The Sparks Brothers were reissued on one CD by the Document label in 1994." by arwulf arwulf

Magic Slim & The Teardrops - Grand Slam

Morris Holt (August 7, 1937 - February 21, 2013) known as Magic Slim, was an American blues singer and guitarist. Born at Torrance, near Grenada, Mississippi, the son of sharecroppers, he followed blues greats such as Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf to Chicago, developing his own place in the Chicago blues scene.
Magic Slim was forced to give up playing the piano when he lost his little finger in a cotton gin mishap. He moved first to nearby Grenada. He first came to Chicago in 1955 with his friend and mentor Magic Sam. The elder Magic (Sam) let the younger Magic (Slim) play bass and gave him his nickname.
At first Slim was not rated very highly by his peers. He returned to Mississippi to work and got his younger brother Nick interested in playing bass. By 1965 he was back in Chicago and in 1970 Nick joined him in his group, the Teardrops. They played in the dim, smoke-filled juke joints popular in Chicago in the 1970s on bandstands barely large enough to hold the band.

Slim's recording career began in 1966 with the song 'Scufflin'', followed by a number of singles into the mid 1970s. He recorded his first album in 1977, Born Under A Bad Sign, for the French MCM label. During the 1980s, Slim released titles on Alligator, Rooster Blues and Wolf Records and won his first W.C.Handy Award. In 1980 he recorded his cover version of 'Mustang Sally'.
In 1982, the guitarist John Primer joined the Teardrops and stayed and played for him for 13 years. Releases include Spider In My Stew on Wolf Records, and a 1996 Blind Pig release called Scufflin', which presented the post-Primer line-up with the new addition of the guitarist and singer Jake Dawson.
In 1994, Slim moved to Lincoln, Nebraska where the Zoo Bar had been booking him for years. Slim was frequently accompanied by his son Shawn (Lil' Slim) Holt, an accomplished guitarist and singer.
In 2003, Magic Slim and the Teardrops won the W.C.Handy Award as 'Blues Band Of The Year' for the sixth time. They released a live performance on CD and DVD in August 2005 entitled Anything Can Happen.

Slim died at a hospital in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 21, 2013 at age 75. He had health problems that had worsened while he was on tour several weeks earlier. His manager had stated bleeding ulcers had sent Slim to the hospital, but that he also suffered from heart, lung and kidney problems.
In May 2013, Magic Slim was posthumously awarded a Blues Music Award in the 'Traditional Blues Male Artist' category. (Wikipedia)

Well here is Magic Slim's 'Grand Slam' album, which many consider to be his finest and won a 1983 Handy Award.
It's a no-frills straight ahead live in the studio recording with no overdubs, in an attempt to replicate the Teardrops blues club sound.
Recorded  June 4, 1982 in Chicago ( tracks 1 to 11) and supplemented, on this 2000 Rooster Blues CD, by 3 extra tracks recorded in 1975 for the EP 'Mean Mistreater',  Full musician credits provided in the scans.
Enjoy The Blues y'all !

    

Speckled Red

"Speckled Red (October 23, 1892 - January 2, 1973) was born Rufus Perryman in Monroe, Louisiana. He was an American blues and boogie-woogie piano player and singer, most noted for his recordings of "The Dirty Dozens", with exchanges of insults and vulgar remarks that have long been a part of African American folklore. Although the lyrics were sung rather than spoken, with its elaborate word play and earthy subject matter, "The Dirty Dozens" is considered in some respects an ancestor to rap music.

Speckled Red was the older brother of Piano Red, their nicknames derived from both men being albinos. The brothers were separated by almost a generation and never recorded together. Speckled Red and Piano Red both played in a raucous good time barrelhouse boogie-woogie style, although the elder Speckled Red played slow blues more often. Both recorded versions of "The Right String (But the Wrong Yo-Yo)", Speckled Red first in 1930, and the younger scored a big hit with the song 20-years later.

The family moved for brief periods during his early-to-mid teenage years to Detroit, Michigan, then Atlanta, Georgia after his father violated Jim Crow laws, before settling in Hampton, Georgia, where his birth was eventually registered some time later. The family itself, consisting of Perryman and 7 brothers and sisters, had little musical background, though Speckled Red was a self-taught piano player (influenced primarily by his idol Fishtail, along with Charlie Spand, James Hemingway and William Ezell, and inspired at his earliest point by Paul Seminole in a movie theatre) and also learned the organ at his local church.

By his mid-teens he was already playing house parties and juke joints, and moved back to Detroit in his mid-20s to play anywhere he could, including nightclubs and brothels, and was noticed by a Brunswick Records talent scout just before he left for Memphis, Tennessee, where he was located by Jim Jackson. It was here where he cut his first recording sessions, resulting in two classics for Brunswick in "Wilkins Street Stomp" and the hit “The Dirty Dozens”. The following year, 1930, he recorded again, this time in Chicago, Illinois, resulting in most notably “The Dirty Dozens No. 2,” which was not nearly as successful and the pianist was without a contract or label and again playing making the rounds at Memphis venues and St. Louis bars.

His 1938 session work in Aurora, Illinois with slide guitar player Robert Nighthawk and mandolinist Willie Hatcher for Bluebird Records was steady and long but also unsuccessful, and sometime after during the 1940s moved back to St. Louis and continued his career of playing taverns, as well working the public produce market doing manual labor until the servicemen returned home to heavy lifting jobs.

Charlie O'Brien, a St. Louis policeman and something of a blues aficionado who applied many of his professional investigative methods to track down old bluesmen during the 1950s, "rediscovered" Speckled Red on December 14, 1954, who subsequently was signed to Delmark Records as their first blues artist. He experienced a small revival of interest in his music during the late 1950s and 1960s, his abilities still considerable, and worked around the St. Louis-area jazz scene, regularly as the intermission pianist for the Dixie Stompers, performing concerts with Dixie Mantinee and the St. Louis Jazz Club, played the University of Chicago Folk Festival in 1961, went to Dayton, Ohio, with Gene Mayl's Dixieland Rhythm Kings, and toured Europe in 1959 with Chris Barber. Several recordings were made in 1956 and 1957 for Tone, Delmark, Folkways, and Storyville record labels.

His age, however, had become a factor, and the remainder of the 1960s saw scattered performances. He died on January 2, 1973, of cancer in St. Louis, at the age of 80."

Walter Roland

"Walter Roland was an American blues, boogie-woogie and jazz pianist, guitarist and singer, noted for his association with Lucille Bogan, Josh White and Sonny Scott. Music journalist, Gérard Herzhaft, stated that Roland was "a great piano player... as comfortable in boogie-woogies as in slow blues." "Roland - with his manner of playing and his singing - was direct and rural," Herzhaft added.

Roland was born in Ralph, Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, on either December 20, 1902 (according to his Social Security documentation) or December 4, 1903 (according to his death certificate). He started playing on the Birmingham blues circuit in the 1920s. A competent and versatile pianist, his range covered slow blues to upbeat and jaunty boogie-woogie numbers. He was also skilled as a guitar player, and possessed a forceful singing voice. Between 1933 and 1935, Roland traveled to New York on three separate occasions, recording around fifty songs under his own name for Banner Records (ARC). In 1933, Roland recorded "Red Cross Store Blues" (variously "Red Cross Blues"), his cynical viewpoint on welfare benefits. Amongst his other better known efforts are "No Good Biddie," "Jookit Jookit," "Piano Stomp," "Whatcha Gonna Do," and "Early This Morning."

In addition to his solo output, Roland also recorded as an accompanist for other musicians. For example, the guitarist and singer Sonny Scott recorded fourteen tracks for Vocalion in 1933, all of them backed by Roland. The tracks included two instrumentals ("Guitar Stomp" and "Railroad Stomp"), billed on record as the Jolly Two, where Roland matched Scott's guitar work.

Lucille Bogan was usually accompanied by Roland on piano, although he sometimes played an acoustic guitar backing. She was also in New York in 1933, and, apparently to conceal her identity, began recording as Bessie Jackson for Banner Records. She recorded over 100 songs between 1933 and 1935, including some of her biggest commercial successes such as "Seaboard Blues", "Troubled Mind", and "Superstitious Blues".

During this same period Roland also accompanied Josh White on several tracks.

Bogan's final recordings with Roland and White included two takes of "Shave 'Em Dry", recorded in New York on Tuesday March 5, 1935. The unexpurgated alternate take is notorious for its explicit sexual references, a unique record of the lyrics sung in after-hours adult clubs.

Roland did not record beyond this point and, by 1950, had become a farmer, then known by the nicknames of 'Old Soul' and 'Shave 'Em Dry'. In the 1960s, Roland also operated as a street musician for several years, but accidentally lost his sight after intervening in a neighbor's argument, which saw him inadvertently hit by buckshot. In the late 1960s Roland retired to Fairfield, Alabama, and was cared for by his daughters, having earlier being widowed.

He died of lung cancer on October 12, 1972 in Fairfield."

Emotionally Yours - Black America's Love Affair With Bob Dylan

I would guess that at least some of you have seen the differently titled Ace compilation which served as the base for this. Guitar Gus had sent me a copy when the J.P. Robinson post had gotten me thinking about a compilation like this. I found the Ace compilation to be a flawed and uneven listen and was sure that I could improve upon it. I did use about 2/3 of the tracks, but between the new tracks, dropped tracks and different sequence, it is a much different listening experience. I think it is pretty damn good.

Barbara Carr & Uvee Hayes - Southern Soul Blues Sisters

There seems to be a lot of these kind of two person feature albums in Southern Soul and I seem to have enough of them to make it a recurring theme for a little while.

Here are two women working on the current Chitlin Circuit and in Southern Soul reviews, often on the same bill with Johnny Rawls and Roy Roberts. The songs are staggered back and forth and it makes for an entertaining listen. A good one to throw into a party mix.

There have been previous Barbara Carr posts but Uvee Hayes is a new entry here. Ms. Hayes is from St. Louis and has spent her professional life in the school district while singing on the side since the 1980's.

Soul Shots 3 - "Soul Twist" Instrumentals

Well, I thought I remembered that this one focused on women, but clearly I was wrong. This one provides a nice selection of instrumentals for your Jukebox.

No big surprises here, but if you don't already have them,you should.

Stompin' 4

I'm staring at that back cover and the names and I'm shaking my head in wonder....now I DO know Jessie Allen because he's a New Orleans guy, but after that .... ..... yeah, I got Nothing! Who are these guys? I mean, if I was someone who didn't know squat....but really?

I've got one more of these but it appears we may be getting a bunch more from a new friend!!

Frankie Lee - Here I Go Again

Some time ago, King Cake and I were recalling the great blues/R&B scene at Eli's Mile High Club in Oakland at the time that it was run by Troyce Key.   One of the most dynamic regular performers at Eli's in the 1970s-1980s was vocalist Frankie Lee.   I can still recall vividly his soul-stirring intros when he would scream out a cappella the first words of the Ted Taylor song "Can't take no more, so it's baby, bye, bye."   As far as I am concerned, Frankie Lee owned that song.  He always kept the level of excitement on high during his whole set at Eli's, usually helped in no small measure by the very tasteful blues guitar of Bobby Murray, a Japanese immigrant who deliberately chose a very American-sounding name.

The magic of Frankie Lee's live shows with Bobby Murray was not always captured well in recordings.  But I think that Blues Express did the best job of this a bit after the fact in 1999.  They reunited Frankie Lee with Bobby Murray, who at that time was working with Etta James.  This album may be a bit uneven in quality, but the high points give an indication of what Frankie Lee can do.   In particular, this version of "Cry Me a River" is my absolute favorite, and a perfect illustration of the kind of emotional depth that Frankie Lee could bring to the table.

Frankie Lee was born and raised in Texas, and made his first recordings there for Don Robey in the 1960s as Little Frankie Lee.  He moved to California in the latter 60s, working for a while in Albert Collins' band.  In the 1970s, he moved to the SF Bay Area.  Sometime in the late 80s or early 90s, he moved back east, to Philadelphia if I am not mistaken.  Other than this album, I really don't have any information about his career or activities since that time.  Any help would be appreciated.

O.V. Wright - The Complete Recorded Works By The Boss Of Southern Soul for Backbeat/ABC, disc 3 - 5

____________________________________________________

The weekend is here, and you know how we do at Chitlins!!  Enjoy the final three albums that complete this glorious boxset - all ripped with EAC to FLAC.

Soul Shots Volume 2

Allright, I'm going to try this again, Volume One did not exactly incite a torrent of love. If you are, like Chubbs and more than a few others I'd guess, keeping a digital jukebox, well this series is for you. Classic Soul, not always the version of the song you know, and many artists you are not likely to collect individually. Frankly, a perfect recipe for a collection actually useful to an already rabid Soul fan.

Cow Cow Davenport - The Essential...

Now I surely don't want anyone to think that my historic Blues piano stuff was anywhere near over so I'm going to slip this one into our little August Soul festival.

Charles Edward "Cow Cow" Davenport (April 23, 1894 – December 3, 1955) Anniston, Alabama.

Arnold Caplin, on the liner notes to the album Hot Pianos 1926-1940 reports that Davenport started playing the piano at age 12. His family objected strongly to his musical aspirations and sent him to a theological seminary, where he was expelled for playing ragtime.

Davenport's career began in the 1920s when he joined Banhoof's Traveling Carnival, a medicine show. His first fame came as accompanist to blues musicians Dora Carr and Ivy Smith. Davenport and Carr performed as a Vaudeville act as Davenport & Co. He also performed with Tampa Red. Davenport recorded for many record labels, and was a talent scout and artist for Vocalion Records. Davenport suffered a stroke in the early 1930s and lost movement in his hands. He was washing dishes when he was found by the jazz pianist Art Hodes in 1938. Hodes assisted in his rehabilitation and helped him find new recording contracts.

His best-known tune was "Cow Cow Blues". In 1953, "Cow Cow Blues" was an influence on the Ahmet Ertegün-written "Mess Around" by Ray Charles' which was Charles' first step away from his Nat "King" Cole-esque style, and into the style he would employ throughout the 1950s for Atlantic Records.

"Cow-Cow Boogie (Cuma-Ti-Yi-Yi-Ay)" [1943] was probably named for him, but he did not write it. It was penned by Benny Carter, Gene de Paul and Don Raye. It combined the then popular "Western song" craze (exemplified by Johnny Mercer's "I'm an Old Cowhand") with the big band / boogie-woogie fad. The track was written for the Abbott and Costello film, Ride 'Em Cowboy.

Davenport claimed to have been the composer of "Mama Don't Allow It". He also said he had written the Louis Armstrong hit "I'll be Glad When You're Dead (You Rascal You)", but sold the rights and credit to others.

Cow Cow was known to have made recordings under the pseudonyms of Bat The Humming Bird, George Hamilton and The Georgia Grinder.

Cow Cow Davenport, who died in 1955 in Cleveland, Ohio, of hardening of the arteries is a member of the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Cripple Clarence Lofton called him a major influence.

O.V. Wright & The Luckett Brothers - 4 & 20 Elders

Here is a little icing on the cake for the current O.V. Wright love fest at this blog.  These are about the last remaining recordings of O.V. Wright that have not been posted here yet.  These are also his last recordings, made just one month before O.V.'s untimely death.

Like his first recordings, O.V. Wright's last efforts were in gospel.  He joins the Luckett Brothers on four tracks for this album: Four and Twenty and Elders, Give an Account, He'll Understand and Say Well Done, and Stand Up and Testify.

It would be hard to argue that these are among the best O.V. Wright recordings, and opinions differ as to their merits.  Bill Pollak on his website calls it a "half-hearted attempt late in life by Wright to return to the fold with one of his former gospel groups. Wright sounds lost and uncommitted."   I don't hear it that way.  Of course, Bill Pollak also perceives a sharp decline in O.V.'s work for Hi Records relative to Backbeat, which I also don't hear.   While there may be nothing genuinely earth-shattering here, O.V.'s singing sounds quite good to me on this album, as it does virtually everywhere else.  The words "lost" or "uncommitted" would certainly not come to my mind to characterize these performances.  The Luckett Brothers tacks without O.V. are also quite nice.  

In any case, take a listen yourselves and come to your own opinions.   

O.V. Wright - The Complete Recorded Works By The Boss Of Southern Soul for Backbeat/ABC, disc 2

____________________________________________________

I think this may be my favorite disc from this box set.  It was created specifically for inclusion with this set, as a way to capture all of his wonderful Backbeat 45's which never found a home on an LP.  As a result, we get a grouping of really strong songs which have been tracked with alot of thought.

It's probably an unfair comparison, but aside from "Nickel And A Nail..." I don't think any of his LPs really approach this CD in terms of material.  Damn near every song on this disc is a winner, and with O.V.s treatment added to the fray we get a really memorable album.

There's no doubt in my mind that "That's How Strong My Love Is" is probably the greatest soul ballad of all time when sung by O.V. Wright.  Other stand outs for me would be "What Did You Tell This Girl Of Mine", "Henpecked Man" and "Drowning On Dry Land".  Willie Mitchell was the musical force behind the production, so of course it's impeccable.  Probably the most aptly named album of all, "Treasured Moments" is exactly that.  Once again we have a perfect EAC rip to 16/44.1 FLAC.  Don't miss this or the upcoming posts, truly amazing music and sound quality... only at the Crypt.  Taken from the second pressing of the P-Vine boxset released in 2009.  Enjoy!!!

O.V. Wright - The Complete Recorded Works By The Boss Of Southern Soul for Backbeat/ABC, disc 1

by Bill Pollak (Originally published in MusicHound R&B: The Essential Album Guide, Gary Graff, Josh Freedom du Lac, and Jim McFarlin (eds.); Visible Ink Press (Detroit, MI): 1998.)

Born Overton Vertis Wright, October 9, 1939, in Leno, TN. Died November 16, 1980, in Mobile, AL.

"Let's not mince words: O.V. Wright was the greatest deep-soul singer ever. By the time he cut his first secular recording, "That's How Strong My Love Is" for Goldwax Records of Memphis, Tennessee (1964), Wright was already a well-known and successful gospel singer, having sung and recorded with gospel groups such as the Spirit of Memphis Quartet and the Sunset Travelers. Wright is by no means the only artist to abandon the sanctuary of the church in search of the rewards and temptations of the secular world. The pop recordings of Sam Cooke, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, and Johnnie Taylor all make overt or oblique reference to the trauma of this self-imposed exile. But in the work of no other artist, with the possible exception of Green, does this exile play so central a role. Wright's recordings are unmistakably the work of a spiritually troubled man. As if to underscore the gravity of his choice, Wright's secular recordings, more than those of any of his peers, cleave faithfully to the style, structure, and most importantly the feeling and fervor of the deepest and most heartfelt gospel music. The presence of this theme in all of his strongest performances--"You're Gonna Make Me Cry," "Eight Men,

Four Women," "Everybody Knows (The River Song)," "Born All Over," "Heartaches, Heartaches," "Memory Blues"--give them a timeless universality that places them on a par with the hymns of Mahalia Jackson, the blues of Robert Johnson, or the country music of Hank Williams.

There were two distinct periods in Wright's 15-year secular career, delineated by the demise of his first record label, Back Beat, which had been owned and operated by the don of Houston rhythm and blues, Don Robey. Midway in his career, Wright migrated to Hi Records, where his longtime producer Willie Mitchell was the principal talent director. (Somehow he fails to mention that Wright went to prison for narcotics, his label was sold to ABC and Don Robey died so his hold on OV was gone. ABC was not interested in him when he was released from prison so he was a free agent picked up by old friend Willie Mitchell who was now producer and AR guy for Hi Records! Surprising in what is otherwise a nice piece.) Few artists in any medium exhibit so huge a gap between artistic quality and commercial success as O.V. Wright. Wright's two most successful records, "You're Gonna Make Me Cry" and "Eight Men, Four

Women," came early in his career at Back Beat, and neither recording received any airplay outside the circumscribed world of 1960s R&B radio. In fact, R&B radio in the late 1960s, the heyday of southern gospel-inflected soul music, is the only radio format during the years spanned by Wright's career in which it is possible to imagine Wright's chilling statements from the spiritual void finding a home. Wright is an artist whose reputation is destined to grow with the historical perspective afforded by time.

Willie Mitchell's production values and house musicians (the Hi Rhythm Section, among others) were essential elements in the brilliance of Wright's recordings. Mitchell had achieved great commercial and artistic success helping Al Green craft a new kind of Memphis soul music in the 1970s. Undoubtedly motivated by the desire to help Wright achieve more of the success and recognition that he so deserved, Mitchell attempted to adapt this softer, more melodic sound to Wright's recordings during Wright's later period at Hi Records. That this sound was not entirely suited to Wright's unique gifts provides one explanation for the relative superiority of the Back Beat recordings. Another factor is that, by all accounts, the O.V. Wright who recorded for Hi was deteriorating from a drug habit that ultimately claimed his life. A comparison of the photographs from the BackBeat albums and the later Hi albums provides stark evidence of his physical deterioration. He died in an ambulance, en route to the hospital, at the age of 41, consumed by the music that haunted him and the life that went with it."

____________________________________________________

I have used KCs original post, but we will be looking at this wondrous boxset again.  This time, we have found a copy of the second edition released from P-Vine.  This included 5 mini LP style albums, of which we will be sharing here with all of you lucky souls!!!  The set itself has gone out of print quickly each time it's been released to market - no surprise there.  At this point, the real beauty of having access to these great tracks is the fact that the box costs 2 - 300 on the grey market!!

P-Vine really did soul fans a solid on this collection, the remastering is incredible, particularily on the older Goldwax 45s.  I have decided to start things off with 8 Men And 4 Women, simply because it's my favorite tune by the man.  It also contains a couple other real zingers like "You're Gonna Make Me Cry", but I think you'll notice something else about this side.  Aside from the few exceptional tracks, alot of the material, at least in my mind, comes across as pretty straightforward.  The tunes are pretty run of the mill, and in anybody else's hands would probably have been dropped to the cutting room floor.  I'm thinking of songs like "Why Don't You Believe Me" and "Can't Find True Love".  O.V. really shows his interpretive skills on this album, and that's what makes it really special in his discography.

The first time this post went up I didn't even know who this legend was - now much like KC, he is my favorite.  I think the best evidence lies in his (the FIRST) cut of "That's How Strong My Love Is".  When compared to Otis, in my mind it's 10 times more the ballad.  O.V. really found the heart of that track.  When I listen to Otis rendition, I find his phrasing really diminishes the feeling as does the rather hokey shuffle beat that sets the tone.  I am not trying to pit Otis against O.V.!!!  But hell this man could out do the so called best of them, so let's shed some light on it.  At this point, I think O.V. Wright is more than just my favorite soul artist, he is possibly the most significant for the genre.  That's a tall order but he was really responsible for tying together the old school with what was to come.  It's a shame he never seemed to get the attention he deserved.

Anyhow gang, this was ripped using EAC and is in 16/44.1 FLAC.  Tremendous!!!  We will be following it up with the rest of the set so keep your eyes peeld on Chitlins in the upcoming weeks.  Nothin but a party y'all!!!

O.V. Wright - On Stage (Live In Japan)

O V Wright is a big fave of all of us here at Chitlins...
KC has supplied a biography accompanying  his post of 'The Complete Backbeat and ABC Recordings', which are undeniably OV's  greatest achievements ( Check this out under the 'Featuring' tag ).
 Preslives provided us with his earlier gospel  recordings and Poppachubby has become a new and cherished fan of this great Southern deep-soul singer ( Chubbs will have more to say about OV in some great future posts here ... so stay tuned)
This is OV's only known and available live recording - Made up of performances recorded over 2 nights in Tokyo during September 1979 on his sole visit to Japan - He is accompanied by the Hi Records Rhythm section, consisting of the Hodges brothers, Charles, Leroy and Teenie on keyboards, bass and guitar,   Howard Grimes on drums, Melvin Rodgers trumpet, Dennis Bates trombone and James Webb backing vocals.

It's a tight soulful funky production with OV delighting the crowd with his heartfelt forthright vocals, performing most of his best loved numbers along with some very tasteful covers. You'd be a fool to miss this....So enjoy.
Tracks - 1. I'd Rather Be Blind Crippled And Crazy 2. Ace Of Spades 3. Eight Men And Four Women 4. Precious Precious 5. Love And Happiness 6. Medley - God Blessed Our Love - When A Man Loves A Woman - That's How Strong My Love Is - You're Gonna Make Me Cry 7. Into Something (Can't Shake Loose)

Roy Roberts - Strange Love

How about something from the world of current music? One of the old school Southern Soul warriors who is still cookin', Mr. Roy Roberts.

"Roy Roberts became hooked on music while growing up in a small town in Tennessee, listening to blues and R&B on radio stations WLAC out of Nashville. Jimmy Reed’s “Baby What You Want Me to Do” was the clincher and at the age of 14, Roy worked on a nearby farm to earn the money for his first guitar, a mail order Sears Silvertone.

When he turned 18, he moved to Greensboro, North Carolina to live with an uncle. There he had another inspiration to become a professional musician, when he and a carload of friends happened upon a nightclub where Jerry Butler was performing and making quite an impression on the ladies. Roy sharpened his skills while playing in makeshift bands until he landed a job with local hero Guitar Kimbers’ Untouchables. Before long, Roy was backing up major artists who came through town. One of those artists, Solomon Burke, took young Roy under his wing after letting him sit in as a bass player during a local gig. He was soon handling the guitar chores behind the future soul legend on tour. Roberts subsequently picked up touring gigs with such luminaries as Eddie Floyd, “Little” Stevie Wonder, Dee Clark, and Otis Redding, while fronting his own band, The Roy Roberts Experience, on the regional club scene and Southeastern beach town circuit.

Roy began to cut records in the mid-sixties, staying mostly behind the scenes as a session man. The tragic death of Otis Redding inspired him to step up to the microphone with a song dedicated to the late crooner. The record was released on Nina Simone’s NinaAndy label and backed by an ace studio band. Roy followed this successful effort with a string of 45’s that carried him well into the seventies. During the disco years, Roy turned his talents to country music, touring with the great O.B. McClinton and releasing a number of country records. After a brief hiatus from the music scene, Roy built a recording studio in Virginia in 1989, where he produced records by regional gospel artists and cut a gospel record of his own.

One day in the early nineties, he heard a young Robert Cray singing the blues on the radio. “That cat’s got my style,” he declared, and got the blues fever once again. Besides recording his own material on Rock House, Roberts has produced albums for the label by Priscilla Price, Lou Pride, Chick Willis, Skeeter Brandon, Floyd Miles, Eddie Floyd, and many more. Roy continues to record and produce records for his label, and tours the U.S. and Europe regularly. After receiving numerous awards, Roy has earned his place among the finest artists playing blues today." From the RR website, 

Being that Roy is a living working artist I encourage everyone to visit his site and buy something, I'm about to; the site is a pretty good model on personal marketing, it looks to me to be fairly certain that your money is actually going to the artist!