Johnny Adams - The Early Singles of the Tan Canary

Okay...,it becomes a regional thing here. To me this is the baddest Johnny of the whole damn bunch right here! Johnny Adams could be drunk AND have pneumonia and STILL out sing damn near any MoFo on the planet.....just saying, imo and all that (of course if you disagree you need some Qtips).

I've completely reworked this early post to include the vast majority of the Tan Canary's early singles - there are three collections in the 2 links and only 2 tracks overlap giving you....drum roll....50 tracks!

 "He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the oldest of 10 children, and became a professional musician on leaving school. He began his career singing gospel with the Soul Revivers and Bessie Griffin's Consolators, but crossed over to secular music in 1959. His neighbor, songwriter Dorothy LaBostrie, supposedly persuaded him to start performing secular music after hearing him sing in the bathtub, and he recorded LaBostrie's ballad "I Won't Cry" for Joe Ruffino's local Ric label. Produced by teenager Mac Rebennack (later known as Dr. John), the record became a local hit, and he recorded several more singles for the label over the next three years, mostly produced either by Rebennack or Eddie Bo. His first national hit came in 1962, when "A Losing Battle", written by Rebennack, reached #27 on the Billboard R&B chart.

   After Ruffino's death in 1963, Adams left Ric and recorded for a succession of labels, including Eddie Bo's Gone Records, the Los Angeles-based Modern Records, and Wardell Quezergue's Watch label. However, his records had limited success until he signed with Shelby Singleton's Nashville-based SSS International Records in 1968. A reissue of his recording of "Release Me", originally released on Watch, reached #34 on the R&B chart and #82 on the pop chart. Its follow-up, "Reconsider Me", a country song produced by Singleton, became his biggest hit, reaching #8 on the R&B chart and #28 on the pop chart in 1969. Two more singles, "I Can't Be All Bad" and "I Won't Cry" (a reissue of the Ric recording) were lesser hits later the same year, and the label released an album, Heart and Soul. However, he left SSS International in 1971, and recorded unsuccessfully for several labels, including Atlantic and Ariola, over the next few years. At the same time, he began performing regularly at Dorothy's Medallion Lounge in New Orleans as well as touring nightclubs in the south.

  In 1983, he signed with Rounder Records, and began recording a series of nine critically acclaimed albums with producer Scott Billington. Beginning with From the Heart in 1984, the records encompassed a wide range of jazz, blues and R&B styles while highlighting Adams' voice. The albums included tributes to songwriters Percy Mayfield and Doc Pomus, as well as the jazz-influenced Good Morning Heartache which included the work of composers like George Gershwin and Harold Arlen. The albums, which also included Room With A View Of The Blues (1988), Walking On A Tightrope (1989), and The Real Me (1991), brought him a number of awards, including a W.C. Handy Award. He also toured internationally, including frequent trips to Europe, and worked and recorded with such musicians as Aaron Neville, Harry Connick Jr., Lonnie Smith, and Dr. John."

He died in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1998 after a long battle with prostate cancer."

The Soul Clan: the Patterson Twins and the Wallace Brothers

Not to be confused with the star-studded "Soul Clan" of Solomon Burke, Don Covay, Ben E. King, Joe Tex and Arthur Conley that recorded together for Atlantic, this is a compilation of soul duos who recorded for some other labels (King, Ronn, Jewel). It is an expanded version of a Jewel LP that featured 6 tracks each from the Patterson Twins and Wallace Brothers.  This collection includes 2 more tracks from the Pattersons, and two numbers each from Ted Taylor / Little Johnny Taylor, Johnny & Jon, and Lonnie & Floyd.   Most of this material is not available elsewhere, and some of it is of high quality.

The first eight tracks gather together the first and best recordings of the Patterson Twins, some of which were released on King and Ronn records.  The motivation for posting this compilation came from a request of Rivercityslim for a post on the Pattersons.   The highly talented Estus and Lester Patterson were born in Magee, Mississippi and began their professional career as gospel singers, serving for a time as members of the highly regarded Southern Sons quartet.   As the Soul Twins, they developed a following on the Circuit in the 60s before finally getting an opportunity to record in the early 70s.   The quality of some of their early 70s songs, as presented here, is very high.  I would venture to say that the 1973 45 Back in Love Again/Come to Me, released on King, is one of the truly great Southern Soul records.  Both performances are true masterpieces.  Come to Me, in particular, has continually buzzed in my ear ever since the first time that I heard it.  There is something very deep and special about that record.   

After these earlier records, the Patterson Twins made a few records for some other labels and released their only secular LP, "Let Me Be Your Lover."   This LP currently sells for 100s of dollars among collectors.  Presently, you can download it for free, along with some other later Pattersons tracks, at this site:  http://www.funkmysoul.gr/patterson-twins-1978-let-me-be-your-lover/.  That music is very much a mixed bag, and (IMO) does not come close to standing up to the earlier records.  More interesting are the Twins recent gospel records.  "Take Us Higher," pictured here, can be downloaded at Amazon for $8.  As far as I know, the Twins are still alive and active.  So download and support them.


There are also some great Wallace Brothers tracks on this compilation.  There is no overlap here with the 22 earlier Sims tracks available on the Kent Lover's Prayer CD.  When the Wallace Brothers signed to Jewel, they continued to record classic soul in Muscle Shoals.  Highlights include I Need Someone, I Stayed Away Too Long, and My Baby's Gone.  Good listening!

Little Johnny Taylor and Ted Taylor (no relation) need no introduction here, and their two tracks together on the compilation are a blast.  There are fine other duet recordings for Jewel by these titans.    Johnny & Jon and Lonnie & Floyd are quite obscure.   Lonnie and Floyd deliver a couple solid soul senders.  Johnny & Jon's Christmas in Vietnam is an interesting song, although some pitch problems slightly get in the way of an otherwise very soulful performance. 

Little Johnny Taylor - Galaxy Hits & 2 Ronn's

This guy didn't make much of a ripple the first time I offered "Open House", but maybe pairing it with the earlier Galaxy disc this time will help. I would love it if someone could scare up some of his earlier gospel material.

 "Born in Gregory, Arkansas, United States, he is frequently confused with his contemporary and near namesake Johnnie Taylor, especially since the latter made a cover version of the song that Little Johnny Taylor was most famous for, "Part Time Love" (1963), and the fact that both men began their careers as gospel singers.

Little Johnny Taylor moved to Los Angeles in 1950, and sang with the Mighty Clouds of Joy before moving into secular music. Influenced primarily by Little Willie John, (and Ted Taylor), he first recorded as an R&B artist for the Swingin' record label.

However, he did not achieve major success until signing for San Francisco-based Fantasy Records' subsidiary label, Galaxy. His first hit was the mid-tempo blues "You'll Need Another Favor," sung in the style of Bobby Bland, with arrangement by Ray Shanklin and produced by Cliff Goldsmith. The follow-up, "Part Time Love", became his biggest hit, reaching #1 in the U.S. Billboard R&B chart, and # 19 on the pop chart, in October 1963. However, follow-ups on the Galaxy label were much less successful. (I can't figure out why, they seem of uniformly high quality to me.)

By 1971, Taylor had moved to the Ronn label subsidiary of Jewel Records in Shreveport, Louisiana, where he had his second R&B Top 10 hit with "Everybody Knows About My Good Thing". The following year, he had another hit with "Open House at My House". While at Ronn, Taylor also recorded some duets with Ted Taylor (also unrelated). (I have that if anyone is interested)

Though he recorded only sparingly during the 1980s and 1990s, he remained an active performer until his death in May 2002 in Conway, Arkansas."

I once saw LJT and Percy Sledge at the same mini-fest in Golden Gate Park...I felt like I was the only one there who even knew who they were.

Ted Taylor - Ever Wonderful; Okeh Uptown Soul 1962-1966 & Complete Ronn/Jewel Singles

"Austin Taylor, better known as Ted Taylor (February 16, 1934 – October 2, 1987) was an American soul musician.

Born in Okmulgee, Oklahoma, United States, Taylor sang with The Cadets/The Jacks in the 1950s. He sang lead vocals on The Cadets' "Do You Wanna Dance (Hey Little Girl)" and "I Cry" and also on The Jacks' "Away" and "My Darling." He did not appear on The Cadets' biggest hit "Stranded In The Jungle" in 1955. For that session, he was replaced by singer Prentice Moreland. Taylor left The Cadets/The Jacks to begin a solo career which began with two singles on Melatone Records in 1957. He would later release singles on Ebb Records and Duke Records from 1957 to 1959; in the 1960s he recorded for Ronn Records and Okeh Records in blues and soul styles. In the 1970s he recorded disco for TK Records."

"Once heard, the exciting tenor voice of Ted Taylor can never be forgotten or mistaken for any other. With his elaborate pompadour hairstyle and pencil-line moustache, he looked a lot like Little Richard, his label-mate at Okeh Records for a spell (although Ted was far from little). Onstage he wore flamboyant pink suits, his manicured fingers heavy with ornate rings. This and his androgynous singing voice led many to conclude that Ted was gay, but appearances can be misleading: when out of the spotlight, he was a quietly-spoken family man.

He started out as a member of the Glory Bound Travelers gospel group. By 1955 he was singing with the Santa Monica Soul Seekers, soon to morph into dual identity secular combo the Cadets/Jacks. Turning solo in 1957, he notched up releases on the Ebb, Dena, Duke, Top Rank, Laurie, Top Rank, Warwick, Apt, Gold Eagle, United Artists and Soncraft labels. He then landed contract with Okeh, where he remained from 1962 to 1965, before joining Atlantic Record’s Atco subsidiary for a few singles. That brings us to the fantastic music on this CD, which stems from Ted’s lengthy tenure at Stan Lewis’ Ronn imprint out of Shreveport, Louisiana."