James Bowens Baby I Want You Roosevelt Lee

I have known this 45 for many years but knew little about the artist or the label until I read on the Dante Carfagna's Ohio Soul site that it was a Cincinnati label and there were 2 other releases on the label as follows:-

16115 The Cincinnatians "Do What You Wanna Do/ Magic Genie" (also on Emerald 16115)

90556 Rev. A Jones & Choir of Pinehurst, N.C. "After While/ I Don’t Know" (gospel)

Earlier this year, I picked up a copy of a book on the Cincinnati black music scene by Steven Tracy called "Going Back To Cincinnati" published back in 1993. Roosevelt Lee, the producer of the above 45 was interviewed by Tracy for the book and even though he doesn't say anything about the James Bowen 45 there are details about his involvement in the Cincinatti scene.

Roosevelt Lee was born in 1930 in Cincinnati and grew up listening to the burgeoning blues scene in the city. He formed his own band Roosevelt Lee and Roulettes in the early 50's playing across the board music and first recorded at Rite Records in 1951. He later went on to have releases on Excello and Decca. He eventually stopped performing and concentrated his efforts on promoting before becoming Albert Washington's manager in the early 70's.

The Rite Studios where the above 45 was recorded was located on Spring Grove Street in Cincinnati and was used by Albert Washington to record several sides. Accordong to Gravedigger Video, Eddie Ray's crossover classic "Glad I Found You" for Prix and Ronnie Taylor's "Without Love" issued on Nassau where recorded at the studios.