Dirty Laundry - The Soul of Black Country

A repost for Lou the C, I've included both volumes: 

I figure this is a good time to bring this forward for those who missed it. Another unusual compilation from Unky Cliff! More black county and we are not talking Charlie Pride here either! Look at the names and you can see that this one belongs right here!

"Today's country and soul worlds seem increasingly divided not by style so much as by race. Although modern white country singers have obviously been influenced by the vocal approaches of black soul singers, we have been led to believe that country music is the almost exclusive purview of white artists, Charley Pride notwithstanding. Luckily, Dirty Laundry: the Soul of Black Country, a new release from the German label Trikont, explores the long connection and crossover between soul music and country music, addressing the misconception that black music has evolved along a branch completely divorced from the country music that has come to be associated with white America.


 Beyond musicological considerations, though, is the music itself. And Dirty Laundry is an absolutely terrific collection of country songs performed by black artists. Many of the performers give soul and black gospel settings to songs by Hank Williams or Harlan Howard or songs best known as hits for artists like Tammy Wynette or Johnny Paycheck. Others, like Stoney Edwards (whose "She's My Rock" comes complete with vocal scoops a la George Jones), give the full-on country treatment to classic country tunes both famous and less well-known.

There are too many fantastic tracks to mention here, but check out Earl Gaines' version of Jimmy Davis' "You Are My Sunshine"--it's a total funky sixties makeover. Candi Staton does a great soul version of "Stand By Your Man" and Etta James delivers chills with her gospel-tinged take on "Almost Persuaded," a Billy Sherrill/Glen Sutton hit written for David Houston in 1968. Johnny Adams recorded "In A Moment of Weakness" in Nashville and, although that town's influence is more subtle here, this is a cheatin' song whose lyrics stand with the greatest of country hooks: "What she don't know won't hurt her / But the hurt is killing me." Otis Williams' "Shutters and Boards" is classic radio honky-tonk with the requisite modulation and steel guitar and fiddle whining behind the honest vocals.

The accompanying booklet, by producer Jonathan Fischer, is a treasure trove of information about the age-old exchange between soul, gospel, and country, as well as about the individual artists. When asked why he put out a country album, legendary R&B producer Andre Williams (Bobby Blue Bland, Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner) reminds us (at the beginning of Fischer's liner notes) that there's scarcely a great soul singer who hasn't recorded Country songs. While the connection may be less in evidence today, to artists of the generation represented on Dirty Laundry the link was natural and obvious.

And the Pointer Sisters and James Brown at the Opry?

Well, the Pointer Sisters wrote a crossover country song called "Fairy Tale" that garnered them both their first Grammy and an invitation to play on country music's hallowed stage, the first black female act to ever grace it. Anita Pointer remembers, "When we first performed at the Grand Ole Opry, the audiences loved us. But at the hotel where there was a party for us, the staff assumed we were the hired help and directed us toward the back door." James Brown was invited onto the Opry by Porter Waggoner, and after playing a medley of country songs, including "Your Cheatin' Heart," launched into his funk set. Some felt the Opry had been "desecrated" and James Brown recalled his reception this way, "I felt I got as much praise as a white man who goes into a black church and puts $100 dollars in the collection plate."

While issues of race may have always attempted to draw hard musical lines in the sand, Dirty Laundry is a potent and uplifting reminder that such divisions are arbitrary at best and do not represent the true and ongoing organic flow between genres of music." • Judith Edelman

Nice review Judy. Hats off to the Trikont folks, this is a real winner of a compilation. One of these days we will come up with volume 2.

The Supreme Angels - Drinking Of The Wine 1966

From Dr. Hepcat for our Sunday listening pleasure.

These guys are better known as Rev. Howard 'Slim' Hunt and the Supreme Angels. This is a lovely slice of their early work on the Nashboro label.

Percy Sledge Sings Country

A re-post by request:

If the connection between deep southern soul and country music hasn't been evident to up to now then YOU have not been paying attention my friend.

Percy rocked the world with "When A Man Loves A Woman" in 1966, but he quickly screwed himself ala Little Willle John by becoming known as an irresponsible fuck-up while on tour. There was no quicker way to loose the respect of your peers than to repeatedly allow your vices to screw with the show.

 By the time of this 1979 album Percy had largely vanished from the public eye. When I got to chat with him in the late 90's this was one of the unknown albums that he mentioned with pride.

For some reason every mention of this album has only 9 tracks, even the CD version on CD Universe. Well I haven't the faintest idea where my copy comes from but I have 14 tracks so HELL YEAH! Don't care where they came from!

"Sings Country album by Percy Sledge was released Mar 18, 2008 on the Gusto label. Percy Sledge's fate and fame will forever rest on the shoulders of his massive 1966 hit, the forlorn ballad "When a Man Loves a Woman." With its funeral pace and churchy organ, coupled with Sledge's pleading, compassionate vocal, "When a Man Loves a Woman" is one of the most fascinatingly desperate songs in pop history. Sings Country music CDs Although he was one of Southern soul's greatest singers, Sledge never got that near the sun again, at least not commercially. Sings Country songs This collection, recorded with some of Nashville's best session players in 1979, finds Sledge going straight honky tonk, covering Johnny Cash's "I Still Miss Someone," Lefty Frizzell's "If You've Got the Money I've Got the Time," and a pair of Merle Haggard songs, "Today I Started Loving You Again" and "Mama Tried," with an easy and comfortable assurance. Sings Country album It may be country, but that doesn't mean it isn't soulful. Sings Country CD music A nice, if understated, set. ~ Steve Leggett"

If you get a kick out of this one, be sure to check out Dirty Laundry

Where Southern Soul Began

A re-post by request:

All in all, I'd have to say that this is a really strong compilation of material that very much tracks with the posts done here over the last couple years. The 2 discs of material make for a really nice listening experience too, which is, after all, the most important thing. There is a nice mix of tunes you will know and many others that will be new.

 "The Golden Age of southern soul lasted from about 1964 to 1975, when disco ripped the heart out of it. And although it may seem as though the blend of country, gospel and R & B that emerged from the great studios in Memphis and Muscle Shoals in that decade was entirely fresh and new, like any other genre classic, southern soul picked up musical cues and absorbed influences from a whole variety of sources: horn lines from Louisiana’s swamp pop, lyrical themes from the blues, songs from country music, and of course so, so much from the black churches. Part of the 'History of Soul' series, these CDs reveal many of the black musical antecedents that gave southern soul its greatest inspirations. A good few of the artists here, represented in their early attempts at creating an individual style, went on to become some of the biggest stars of the '60s. Other musicians on these collections, perhaps less famously, provided ideas and techniques that became stylistic standards in the coming years. If you ever wondered what musical forms lay behind the southern soul explosion, the answer is in these tracks. If you thought that secularised gospel singing started with Sam Cooke and Ray Charles, think again as you listen to vocalists who pioneered this many years before they did. And if you were of the view that the players and producers at Royal Studios, or Fame or Cosimo’s in New Orleans invented something completely unheard of, you were wrong."

Southern Funkin'-- Louisiana Funk and Soul 1967-1970

By now it should be clear that I'm clearing the re-post cue so if you've requested something. be patient, it's coming.

It's funny how much difference that fewer than 100 miles North can make, but this shares very little with the New Orleans Funk of the same time period. That surely doesn't make it bad by any means, just different.

Johnny Adams - Live in New Orleans unpublished broadcasts

Another re-post: 

I gotta say that it always bothered me that this got no response when I first posted it here - I mean how often do you have a shot at unreleased Johnny Adams?

Johnny was a singer's singer blessed with a huge, personal sound that made anything he chose to sing thoroughly authentic. He had a good ear for songs and does some of the greatest ever covers of writers like Doc Pomus and Percy Mayfield. In my mind, Adams perfectly represents the gumbo of New Orleans music; he's at home with jazz, blues, funk... hell with those pipes he could sing any damn thing he wanted.

Johnny Adams - Live in New Orleans
unpublished broadcasts

1) Intro
2) Georgia
3) You'll Never Have a Man Like Me
4) A Room With a View of the Blues
5) Please Send Me someone to Love
6) One Foot in the Blues
7) Married Women
8) CC Rider
1-8 @ Tipitina's 1/28/98 w/ the Dave Bartholomew Orchestra

9) Until You
10) I Cover the Waterfront
11) I Lost My Mind
12) Roadblock My Baby
13) The Verdict
14) Walking on a Tightrope
9-14 @ Howling Wolf, Rounder Jazz Fest Party 4/29/95 w/ Torkanowsky,Vidacovich, Singleton & Plas Johnson.

Johnny Adams - Sings Pomus and Mayfield

A re-post by request: After reading my own earlier introduction I've determined that one of these days soon I'll expand this bad boy with All the other covers that Adams did of these two giant songwriters just to make "The Ultimate" version:

1/19/14  Well I brought this up now didn't I? These two albums do not represent the sum total of J.A. covers of either of these two, they were clearly favorites of his, but it is wonderful to have two entire albums dedicated to these marvelous songwriters.

"Whenever Johnny Adams does a repertory album, it's as much his own showcase as a forum for the spotlighted composer. Even Percy Mayfield's lyrically brilliant works don't hamper Adams from displaying his special magic; his treatments on the session's ten tunes range from excellent to magnificent. Adams is gripping on "My Heart Is Hangin' Heavy," nicely bemused on "The Lover and the Married Woman," and convincing on the title track and "Danger Zone." Although he's done numerous Rounder vehicles, Adams hasn't yet turned in a dud."

"The late Doc Pomus was one of the top songwriters in the R&B/blues tradition while Johnny Adams was one of his favorite singers; their eventual matchup was quite logical. Pomus wrote a few new songs and worked with Adams on planning this Rounder CD up until his own death. Fortunately the project was not halted and resulted in an enjoyable set. Pomus' intelligent and universal lyrics perfectly fit Adams' style which features flawless enunciation and an ability to sincerely convey a wide range of emotions. With hornlines arranged by Red Tyler, occasional brief solos contributed by pianist Dr. John and guitarist Duke Robillard, and top notch singing by Johnny Adams, Doc Pomus' music is well served on a strong set of blues and ballads."

Buddy Ace - The Duke Recordings

Another repost by request:

I've finally found a collection of Buddy Ace's Duke singles! They have not yet received any modern remastering so they are still mixed for jukeboxes, but it is better than nothing.

Born Jimmy Lee Land in Jasper, TX, on November 11, 1936, bluesman "Buddy Ace" was known as "The Silver Fox of the Blues". His name was changed to "Buddy Ace" by Duke's Don Robey after Johnnie Ace's younger brother (St. Clair Alexander) had no success with the handle. Lee Land started out singing in gospel groups (at least one of which also contained Joe Tex) before going into R & B in the early 50s. He toured in Bobby Bland and Junior Parker's bands before he finally got a record contract of his own with Duke/Peacock in 1955. In the mid-'60s, Ace had several R&B hits including "Nothing in the World Can Hurt Me (Except You)" and "Hold On (To This Fool)," but he never scored a major breakthrough. Buddy relocated to Los Angeles in 1970 (after the sale of Duke and death of Don Robey) and later moved to Oakland; he spent much of this period touring in and around the Bay Area. (including Eli's Mile High Club, Jack's and Larry Blake's) Ace continued to perform and record into the '90s with 3 albums released on Leon Haywood's Evejim imprint. Ace passed away on December 26, 1994, at 58 while performing in Waco, TX.

Chuck Carbo - Life's Ups and Downs (vinyl to flac)

A repost request -- 

This was the beginning of Carbo's 90's comeback. A pair of Rounder releases would follow. (If anyone has copies of those two, by all means let me know.) This was also the last session that Alvin 'Shine' Robinson played on, he died a couple months later. 
 
Review: "Several people with well-regarded opinions will, without prodding, tell you that the most distinct voice of the classic period of New Orleans rhythm and blues belonged to Chuck Carbo. That’s quite a compliment considering Carbo graduated from the same class as Johnny Adams, Danny White, Aaron Neville and Roland Stone. Carbo was the lead vocalist with the Spiders, who had a couple of national hits—and several great records—in the mid-1950s, and had a locally successful solo career in the early-1960s. The demise of the New Orleans sound hamstrung his career in the mid-1960s and Carbo was forced to deal with such mundane activities as finding a nine-to-five, raising a family, making car payments and such.

Chuck Carbo & Sugarboy Crawford at Jazz Fest

Thankfully, Carbo’s career was resurrected by Mike Dine at 504 Records in the late 1980s when New Orleans R&B was enjoying a brief resurgence. What helps this album is the inclusion of several members of the old guard in the trenches, including Edward Frank, Charles Burbank and “Shine” Robinson. Those old enough to remember might recall that the centerpieces of this album, “Second Line on Monday” and “Meet Me With Your Black Drawers,” deservedly got lots of airplay (not just WWOZ) around every Mardi Gras in the early- 1990s. Carbo did a good job recycling several previous successes, including a couple of Spiders titles, the best being the tried-and-true “Witchcraft,” but his own “Bells in My Heart” still rings true. Carbo does a few passable Imperial-era covers (the Spiders recorded for Imperial), and he does a superlative version of Earl King’s “Life’s Ups and Downs,” a rather appropriate song for our man. The sound is vintage here without being dated. Perhaps this was attained by putting the then up-and-comer Shannon Powell behind the drums." 
Jeff Hannusch

The Showmen - Some Folks Don't Understand It {vinyl rip]

A repost by request:

 The Showmen were a New Orleans based American doo-wop and R&B group. formed in 1961. They are best remembered for their track, "It Will Stand", issued on Minit Records. "It Will Stand" (Minit 632) reached #61 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1961, and when re-released in 1964 (Imperial 66033) re-charted and reached #80. They had another hit, the Carolina Beach Music standard "39-21-40 Shape;" the label on the single, however, was mistakenly printed "39-21-46," and this soon supplanted the official title.

Unlike the majority of musicians that recorded for New Orleans record labels controlled by Joe Banashak, The Showmen were not from that locality. They all came from Norfolk, Virginia, moving to New Orleans in May 1961 and April 1962, to record fifteen titles under the studio supervision of the then barely known Allen Toussaint.

General Norman Johnson, at the age of twelve, formed the group The Humdingers that would eventually become The Showmen. In the late 1950s, Noah Biggs began managing The Humdingers. He sent a demo to Banashak. The songs on the demo were "The Owl Sees You", "For You My Darling", "Skinny McGinny" and "I Go On Loving You". Banashak arranged for Toussaint to record The Humdinger. In 1968 Johnson amicably left the group, to begin his association with Holland-Dozier-Holland's Invictus Records. He became leader of the group Chairmen of the Board.

Birmingham Quartet Anthology

A re-post by request:

I was offline for a couple days and missed my Sunday gospel post, but rather than let the links go stale I'm going go ahead with it today.

A1     Golden Leaf Quartette –     I Wouldn't Mind Dying        
A2     Golden Leaf Quartette –     Sleep, Baby, Sleep        
A3     Birmingham Jubilee Singers –     He Took My Sins Away        
A4     Birmingham Jubilee Singers –     God Is Love        
A5     Birmingham Jubilee Singers –     Eliza        
A6     Birmingham Jubilee Singers –     He Died On Calvary        
A7     Birmingham Jubilee Singers –     Birmingham Boys        
A8     Four Great Wonders –     He'll Understand        
B1     Four Great Wonders –     Have You Any Time For Jesus        
B2     Famous Blue Jay Singers* –     I Am Leaning On The Lord        
B3     Famous Blue Jay Singers* –     Brother Jonah        
B4     Famous Blue Jay Singers* –     Clanka-A-Lanka        
B5     Famous Blue Jay Singers* –     I'm Bound For Canaan Land        
B6     Famous Blue Jay Singers* –     Standing Out On The Highway        
B7     Famous Blue Jay Singers* –     The Time Is Drawing Nigh        
B8     Famous Blue Jay Singers* –     Shall I Meet You Over Yonder        
C1     Dunham Jubilee Singers –     Holy Is My Name        
C2     Dunham Jubilee Singers –     I Dreamed Of Judgement Morning        
C3     Dunham Jubilee Singers –     My Mama's Baby Child        
C4     Dunham Jubilee Singers –     Who Stole The Lock        
C5     Ravizee Singers –     I Am Thinking Of A City        
C6     Ravizee Singers –     You'll Need My Saviour Too        
C7     Ravizee Singers –     He's All And All        
C8     Ravizee Singers –     Hide Me        
D1     Bessemer Sunset Four –     Climbing Jacob's Ladder        
D2     Bessemer Sunset Four –     Ham And Eggs        
D3     Heavenly Gospel Singers –     Rough And Rocky Road        
D4     Heavenly Gospel Singers –     Where Shall I Be        
D5     Heavenly Gospel Singers –     I'm A Poor Pilgrim Of Sorrow        
D6     Kings Of Harmony –     Lord Give Me Wings        
D7     C.I.O. Singers –     The Spirit Of Phil Murray        
D8     C.I.O. Singers –     Satisfied

Julius Cheeks - Hard Gospel Man

A collection of Julius Cheeks recordings to flush out those offered earlier and provided by our buddy Dr. Hep Cat once again. More than one person has commented here that they think of Julius as the greatest of the 'hard gospel' singers. Well here is your mother lode!