The Staples Ebony Magazine September 1965

Another great article in Ebony is the above which contains some fantastic behind the scenes photos. Read more

Little Gary Ferguson Ebony Magazine May 1966

One of the most interesting articles that I have come across so far on my trawl of Ebony magazines has been one on Little Gary Ferguson. The above photo shows Gary on The Beat show.

Last I read Gary and his family were living in Dallas in Oak Cliff.

Debra Youngblood: Queen Of The Go Go

We have had features on IDR before about Go Go dancing. I came across an article about the craze in a copy of Ebony magazine dated April 1966 on Google Books. The article featured the "Queen of The Go Go" Debra Youngblood - the wife of Lonnie Youngblood. The above photograph shows her being crowned at the Tremount Lounge in New Jersey.

I thought the best record to go with the photo would be Rex Garvin's classic:



But then Lonnie also cut Go Go Shoes:

Lou Rawls Ebony Magazine November 1966

Continuing with articles from Ebony magazine - the above photo shows Lou Rawls in Chicago's South Side in 1966. The article can be found in Ebony November 1966 in Google Books.

Ray Pollard In Ebony Magazine

I've recently been trawling through copies of Ebony magazine which are now available on line through Google Books.

The above photograph is from an a July 1970 article entitled 'The Prize Winners' featuring a photograph of soul hero Ray Pollard who was then performing in a play called No Place To Be Somebody. Ray is wearing the dark suite.

The Congo Room & Mission Impossible Update

Barbara Bain in Mission Impossible

Twistin' Kings Congo Pts 1 & 2 Motown

Recently, a Facebook friend posted the theme music to Mission Impossible on my wall. This prompted me to visit an old IDR post on the programme. The episode of the programme which I posted on has since been made available on Youtube. I have posted the clip below the original post:

Channel 5 US in the UK has been showing re-runs of the US TV series Mission Impossible from the first season.

One show was The Carriers. The synopsis is as follows:

Enemy agent Janos Passik is preparing to train 200 foreign agents to infiltrate the U.S. and engage in some form of bacteriological warfare. The team figures out that Passik has created a replica of a "typical American town" so as to train his agents to learn how to blend into American society. Rollin, Cinnamon, Barney, and bacteriologist Roger Lee replace the new group of recruits and must then find their way to the research lab. They soon realize that the American-trained agents will be infected with a highly contagious plague and then sent into American to kill millions. The group must not only destroy the plague samples but make sure that Passik and his superiors do not find out that the destruction was deliberate.

One of the things that interested me most in the show was the infiltration role given to Cinnamon played by Barbara Bain. She is seen practising to be a go-go dancer for her role in the Tiger A-Go-Go in Philadelphia. We see her learning to go-go dance in a club called the Congo Room in the phoney US town. She is seen wearing regulation go-go gear and could have stepped out of Hullabaloo! What intrigued me was the use of the name Congo Room. I suppose the choice would seem appropriate to makers of the series in that the Communist agent would be looking for obvious examples of degenerate of Western culture. What better than using the name of the famous Las Vegas club in the Sahara Hotel.

The name Congo is a fanciful allusion to a mythical Congo and has given its name to everything from chocolate bars to songs and clubs. Perhaps someone thought that it sounded exotic and harks back to "Congo Square"in New Orleans. In the 19th Century, the square was a gathering in New Orleans for both free and enslaved African-Americans to meet for marketing, music-making, and dancing.

The name Congo originally derives from the name for the ancient Kingdom of Kongo. The Kingdom of Kongo was an African kingdom located in west central Africa in what are now northern Angola, Cabinda, Republic Of The Congo and the western portion of the Democratic Republic Of The Congo. The name was also given to one of Africa's largest rivers.The Congo is also the name for a cylindrical Caribbean drum with double skins introduced to Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago as well as being the name of a cylindrical drum found in the Dominican Republic.

Congo River

The producers of Mission Impossible must have had the famous Las Vegas club based in the Sahara Hotel in mind when they made the series.The Sahara Hotel and Casino is located on the Las Vegas strip. The Moroccan-themed hotel has 1,720 rooms and a casino covering more than 85,000 square feet and sits on 55 acres including the empty adjoining land. The Sahara is the last remaining "Rat Pack" hotel, and is the northernmost resort on the east side of the Strip. The hotel was opened in 1952 by Milton Prell just outside of the City of Las Vegas, and was the sixth resort to open on the Strip. The resort was built by Del Webb. In late 1954, the hotel hired jazz musician Louis Prima to be their late night lounge act, one of the earliest ones on the strip. Along with his then wife Keely Smith and sax player and sax player Sam Butera, they created one of the hottest latenight attractions on the Strip.

In 1961, the hotel was purchased by Del Webb. In 1962, The hotel became known for featuring top performers over the years, including Tina Turner, the Beatles, Johnny Carson, and Ann-Margret. Fast forward to today, there is certainly no shortage of exceptional entertainment available at the Sahara Las Vegas Theatre, the Casbar Lounge and the Congo Room at the Sahara Vegas.

I decided to use the Twistin' Kings "Congo Pts 1 & 2" to go with the post. This is a real tittyshaker and features in Mr Fine Wine's top 10 of tittyshakers! I thought the sleazy little number went well with the club featured in Mission Impossible and you can just imagine girls geting on stage to do their thing to the music of the Twistin' Kings. I am no expert but I assume the drums which can be heard in the instrumental are "congo" drums.

Rocky Roberts Just Because Of You

Great live version of Northern classic:

Boogaloo to Salsa Clips

A collection of clips from interviews for a documentary I am working on about Latin music in New York from 1965-70, featuring Joe Bataan, Larry Harlow, Johnny Colon, Joey Pastrana, Richie Ray, Harvey Averne, Jimmy Sabater, Pucho Brown, Bobby Marin, Nicky Marrero, Kent Gomez and Jose Mangual Jr. Mathew Warren

Boogaloo to Salsa Clips from Mathew Warren on Vimeo.

Skyliners

It is obvious that lead singer, Jimmy Beaumont, long ago achieved the hope that he once expressed for The Skyliners to be remembered as one of the best harmony groups of all time. The Skyliners created a new style of music by combining the streetwise harmonies of rhythm and blues groups like the The Moonglows and The Flamingos with the most sophisticated modern harmony style of The Four Freshman and The Hi Los. Just as important a factor in their longevity was the business partnership between lead vocalist Jimmy Beaumont and aptly named manager, Joe Rock, that kept the act commercially viable for over four decades. Except for Elvis manager, Colonel Tom Parker, and The Beatles Manager, Brian Epstein, there is perhaps no other manager whose name is more associated with a group.
Read full article

Harvey Averne Interview

I spoke with Harvey Averne several times over the past summer, mostly by phone, where our conversations eventually turned from latin jazz and his own personal experiences as a performer to his experiences with superstar Eddie Palmieri, with particular focus on the “Unfinished Masterpiece” controversy, which we discussed at length. Naturally, it is Mr. Averne’s side of the story, raw and uncensored. He is now living in Daytona Beach, Florida, where he maintains a somewhat low profile, albeit not oblivious to the current trends in the latin scene. “Unfinished Masterpiece” notwithstanding, I decided that our readers needed to get more of an insight into Harvey the man, the musician, his label and his experiences within “latin” music circles. So here it is, with the hopes that you will not only enjoy his anecdotes, but that you will also become more informed. Read full interview by
href="http://www.latinjazznet.com/2009/06/26/features/harvey-averne-interview-1/">CHICO ALVAREZ PERAZA

Colin @ Leaf Liverpool 8/12/10 Playlist

I was asked to DJ at Another Media's Christmas Party at the Leaf, Bold Street Liverpool.

Here is my playlist:

Kip Anderson You'll Lose A Good Thing UK President
Jimmy Holiday Yesterday Died Minit
Fugi I'd Rather Be A Blind Man Cadet
James Carr Life Turned Me That Way UK Kent/Goldwax EP
Barbara Perry You Ain't Woman Enough UK Kent/Goldwax EP
The Ovations Rockin' Chair UK Kent/Goldwax EP
George & Greer To Me It's Storming UK Kent/Goldwax EP
Roscoe Shelton What Is It Baby? Tee Jay
Sam Dees Fool Of The Year UK Shotgun
Sam Dees Train To Tampa UK Shotgun
Dee Edwards Why Can't There Be Love German Vogue
Eddie Floyd You Must Be Dreaming UK Shotgun
Eddie Floyd Missing You UK Shotgun
Della Reese It Was A Very Good Year UK HMV
Lou Johnson (There's) Always Something There To Remind Me UK London
Frank Polk Years Of Tears French Capitol EP
Frank Polk Trying To Keep Up With The Joneses French Capitol EP
Rodger Collins Foxy Girls In Oakland French America
Eddie Parker Love You Baby French Googa Mooga
Derek Martin Sly Girl French Atco
Don Covay You've Got Me On The Critical List Atlantic
Jimmy Robins Lonely Street Tangerine
Laura Lee To Win Your Heart Ric Tic
Bobby Bland Call On Me Duke
Terry Callier Look At Me Now Cadet
Dells Make Sure Cadet
Donald Lee Richardson You Got Me In The Palm Of Your Hand Soulsville
Johnny Sayles Anything For You Minit
Hoagy Lands Why Didn't You Let Me Know Spectrum
The Montclairs Hung Up On Your Love Paula
Arthur Alexander I Need You Baby Monument
Esther Phillips Just Say Goodbye Atlantic

I was intrigued at the venue and here is what I found:

65-67 Bold Street.
Built 1828 as a chapel. Rebuilt in about 1850, the upper floor became a place of entertainment, called the Queen’s Hall, Panorama Hall, Queen’s Operetta House and Bijou Opera House. This phase finished about the early 1890s when the upper floor became the Yamen Café. The art deco frontage was built in 1935 for W. Watson, motor car dealers. Note the repeated “W” motif. The upstairs room still looks rather like it did in the Yamen Café days.

Sir Ted Ford I Wanna Be Near You Shotgun 45

Sir Ted Ford

Here's the latest release from Paul Mooney's Shotgun label. Only seems like yesterday when I bough this on Ardent back in the 70's when Paul first released it. In fact, it sounds better than ever - great to see it available again!

'I Wanna Be Near You' and 'Disco Music' by SIR TED FORD are released back-to-back on Shotgun SHOT 105 on Monday, December 6th.

Both tracks are in heavy demand after being overlooked by most people when originally released as individual singles in 1977 and 1979.

The tracks have been remastered at Suite Sixteen and sound better than ever.

All Shotgun singles are available from all good dealers and copies can also be ordered direct from Selrec.

Thanks for the huge support for our recent singles by Eddie Floyd (SHOT 104) and Sam Dees (SHOT 103). Watch out for news of SHOT 106 which is scheduled for January 2011.

Email info@selectarecords.com for more info.

Wheedle's Groove: Seattle Soul Scene 1970's

Watch the full episode. See more Reel NW.

In 1972, a thriving Seattle soul music scene was on the verge of national recognition. In 1975, almost suddenly, the scene died and was quickly forgotten by the changing city. In 2001, after the chance discovery of a 45-record, a local DJ uncovers a rich past hidden in plain view.

Check out Wheedle's Groove site

Mr Fine Wine @ The Boiler Room 13/11/10

Duane Yates - Passin On By - N-Joy

Duane Yates sadly died earlier this year. You can read more about him at the Duane Yates Website

Nathan Lewis Beale Street U

I first met Nathan Lewis who sang with the Ovations in Memphis several years ago.You can read about that meeting on my Dark End Of The Street blog. Nathan is pictured above on the right with Dan Greer on the left.

He has recently been in touch to tell me about a book he is writing:

I have a forthcoming book (about me) and would greatly appreciate your help in its promotion. I want to share some excerpts from it with you and others and request you to please repost and help me and my team spread the word. You can find me below at www.bealestreetu.blogspot.com - Colin when you visit will you leave a comment and name so we know you did come by. You might want to become a follower on there as well. Looking to see you there

Please drop by Nathan's blog to read his fascinating story.

Fabulous 3 + 1 - Bad Girl T&L

I have just been tipped to the above track which you can hear below after Mathias dropped by my post on different versions of the song Bad Girl. The version of the song is new to me hence the snagged scan above. I don't think this is another version of the Fabulous Denos but a new version - any thoughts?

David Hudson The Royal Sessions

I recall on my first visit to the Royal Studios in Memphis being mesmerised by tape boxes lying around the studio containing a host of unissued material. Amongst the boxes that I saw on that visit were ones containing the tracks released by Soul Junction. It is good to see companies such as Soul Junction, Soulscape, Ace/Kent and Numero Group continuing to dig into the vaults to unearth the music we love.

David Hudson
The Royal Sessions
Catalogue # SJLP5002

David Hudson has always been held in very high regard for the excellent southern soul releases which he recorded for the Alston and Waylo labels respectively.

It was during his time with Waylo that David was placed under the auspicious of producer Willie “Pops” Mitchell at his Royal Sound Studios In Memphis. Under Willie’s guidance, David recorded his excellent 1987 album “Nite And Day” of which 3 tracks would later gain a 45 release.

A further album project was planned but before it could be completed the Waylo label had decided to pull out of the Royal Sound Studios, thus leaving the project uncompleted.

A total of eight tracks (with a long and short version of one of the songs) had been laid down but were left to gather dust in the vaults. That is until now, so after over 20 years of anonymity you finally have before you David Hudson’s forgotten “Royal Sound Sessions”.

We have decided to release the album on the format that it was originally intended to have been released on at the time, good old fashioned vinyl. Enjoy!! Soul Junction

GEORGE JACKSON All Because Of Your Love Soulscape

GEORGE JACKSON
All Because Of Your Love
SSCD 7024

George Jackson is best known as a songwriter with many hits and classics to his credit but he is also considered by fans and connoisseurs to be a legendary artist in his own right. This is the third collection of masters and demos he recorded at Muscle Shoals Sound during the 1970s and all but two of these vintage tracks are previously unreleased. Liner notes by John Ridley.

01 Sweet Surrender
02 My Heart Won't Let Me Forget
03 There's So Much More Where This Came From
04 Can't Break The Habit
05 Play Something Pretty
06 Back Track
07 I Get A Rockin' Good Feeling
08 Instant Replay
09 All Because Of Your Love
10 Can't Make It Without You
11 Can I Take You Home
12 Hey Miss Lady
13 You Gave The Best Performance Of Your Life
14 I Was Trying Not To Break Down
15 Old Time Rock And Roll
16 Your Love Is Working On Me
17 Let The Funk Flow
18 Disco Granny
19 Fast Young Lady
20 Funky Disco Music

BOBBY SHEEN Too Many To Fight Soulscape

BOBBY SHEEN
Too Many To Fight
SSCD 7025

Bobby Sheen cut these vintage tracks at Fame, Widget and Broadway Sound in Muscle Shoals in the early 1970s when he was signed to Wishbone Productions, owned by Clayton Ivey and Terry Woodford. Lease deals resulted in the release of four singles but the intended album was 'shelved', leaving the other nine tracks unheard for almost forty years.

01 Too Many To Fight
02 I'm Not Strong Enough (To Love You Again)
03 You're Messing Up A Good Thing
04 If You're Ever Gonna Love Me
05 Trying To Get To You
06 Something New To Do
07 I'm Sorry
08 I May Not Be What You Want
09 Can't Keep My Mind On What I'm Doing
10 If I Ever Dreamed I Hurt You
11 It Ain't Easy Being Your Fool
12 She Hit Me From The Blind Side
13 Give It Up
14 Don't Make Me Do Wrong
15 Payback
16 Love Stealing
17 Come On And Love Me

Don't Let Me Lose This Dream

The best and original version of the above song is by Aretha Franklin but here are 3 other cracking femme versions:

You can listen to Esther Phillps's live version here

Eddie Parker I Need A True Love

Ride Your Mule Pt 2-Marvin Holmes & The Uptights

Ray Barretto Soul Drummer

Lonnie Youngblood Sweet Sweet Tootie

P.P. Arnold Interview

P.P. Arnold - or Pat she's known to friends, fans and peers alike - has had one of the most longstanding careers in music. She started out as an Ikette, moved to London, was produced by rock and pop royalty (Mick Jagger, Barry Gibb, Eric Clapton), was a key member of the U.S. expatriate community in the UK alongside Jimi Hendrix, Doris Troy and Madeline Bell, has experienced the ups, downs, ins and outs of life in music biz, has faced her share of personal and professional challenges, is the voice behind more than a few massive UK pop hits...oh and was the original recording artist of the now-classic "First Cut Is The Deepest"! Although she and Soul Music.com's David Nathan have known each other and been friends since the '60s, this is their first-ever full length interview, a fascinating read... Read interview

Take a listen to some of her music:





Absolutely love this next video:

Syl Johnson Unboxes Complete Mythology

On October 19, 2010, The Numero Group will release Syl Johnson: Complete Mythology in a four CD + six LP box set (both formats, one package). Four years in the making, this is by far the most exhaustively researched and meticulously presented work from The Numero Group to date. Encompassing the first fifteen years of a career that spans half a century, Syl Johnson: Complete Mythology not only covers his obvious hits but shines a light into the dark corners of a true musical visionary.

Born Sylvester Thompson in Holly Springs, Mississippi, Johnson sang and played with blues artists Magic Sam, Billy Boy Arnold, Junior Wells and Howlin' Wolf in the 1950s, before recording with Jimmy Reed for Vee-Jay in 1959. His break was to come recording for Twinight Records of Chicago in 1967. Johnson dominated the label as both a hit maker and producer, providing such hits as "Come On Sock It to Me", "Different Strokes" (one of the most heavily sampled songs in the history of recorded music--paid homage by Public Enemy, N.W.A., Kid Rock, Michael Jackson, J. Dilla and dozens more), "Is It Because I'm Black" (which reached Number 11 on the Billboard R&B charts in 1969), among many more.

Included on Complete Mythology are re-mastered versions of no less than twenty eight singles from the Twinight, Federal, Cha-Cha, Tmp-Ting, Special Agent, and Zachron labels, facsimiles of the Dresses Too Short and Is It Because I'm Black albums, ten previously unreleased tracks and detailed track by track notes from acclaimed music historian Bill Dahl. The fifty-two page booklet contains a thirty-five thousand word essay, scores of previously unpublished photos, a sampling index, and complete discography--all presented in a lavish hardbound box. For the uninitiated this is history, for those familiar this is respect for one the greatest musical artists of our time.

Visit Numero Group for more details

Pat Powdrill & Nick Risi

I have posted some photos of Pat and Nick before on IDR. Paul Rice who kindly sent me the photos has now written the piece below on Pat and Nick:

Pat Powdrill’s mother and Nick Risi’s father worked for the same company in Los Angeles. They started talking about Pat and Nick’s interest in music and came to the conclusion that it would be beneficial for them to meet each other. At that time, Pat was under contract to Frank Sinatra’s Label, Reprise.

Pat Powdrill was born in Birmingham Alabama and moved to Los Angeles with her family. Pat was eight years old.



Nick Risi was born in Great Britain during the Second World War, who came from a family of musicians and enjoyed all kinds of music, his paternal grandmother and her two brothers migrated to Great Britain from Casino, Italy. They were Street entertainers in the winter and Ice Cream vendors in the summer.

Nick’s family migrated to the USA in 1957, at first living in Detroit and later moving to Los Angeles, where Nick became an independent record producer. He worked with various artists in Los Angeles during the 1960's.



Pat invited Nick to her recording session of “Breaking Point” b/w “Luckiest Girl in Town” which was Pat’s third and final single released by Reprise?

Pat was a young and talented singer, vibrant and full of enthusiasm. Pat was always interested in listening to other people’s music. Pat and Nick became friends and she occasionally attended rehearsals of other artists.



In December 1964 Pat attended Jane Canada’s rehearsal and later a practice session of ‘The Togas’ at Record City, owned by Nick’s friend Jim Thomas.



Pat was just 15 years of age at the time and too young to attend events and functions by herself. So on occasions, Nick escorted Pat. In February 1965 Nick produced Jane Canada with “Just Before the Night” b/w “Just Imagination” released on the Crusader Label.



Also in 1965, Nick Risi and Jim Thomas produced ‘The Togas’ first single “Baby I’m in the Mood for you” (written by Bob Dylan) b/w “Hurry to me” (words by Chris Morgan and music by Nick Risi) released on the Challenge Label, part of the 4 Star Music Group.

The original ‘Togas’ consisted of five musicians, Chris Morgan vocals, John Bauman drums, Brian and Doug Decker guitar’s, and Pete Parker keyboards. Nick stated that the Decker brothers and Pete Parker were good young musicians. Pete Parker played the keyboard and contributed to the backing vocals on Pat’s Downey singles.When Pat’s contract ended with Reprise Records, Pat agreed to record some masters for Nick and Jim. Two singles were released on the Downey Label in 1966 within a three month period. At the time in the USA, most DJ’s were reluctant to Play ‘DO IT’ on air, as it was too suggestive?



Barry White suggested one of his songs ‘Together Forever’ to Nick and Jim for Pat’s second single. Barry believed that it was the right song for her voice. Barry also had some releases on the Downey Label under the name of Lee Barry. A few years later, Barry White became a household name.

The Powerdrills, Pat’s backing group were session singers which included Pete Parker and Jim Thomas.

Also in 1966 Pat became an Ikette, backing Tina Turner and went on a World Tour. Pat and Nick met again in late 1968. Pat finished touring as an Ikette. A few months earlier Nick had an accident resulting in a traumatic amputation of his ring finger.

Pat asked Nick to manage her, but Nick was reluctant to do so and did not want to get involved with the artist management side of the business. Nick only agreed to take on this role temporarily until he could secure a record deal.

Nick and Bob Summers agreed to produce Pat for Sidewalk Productions. Nick and Bob had worked together with various other artists from 1965 to 1969.

Nick said that Bob Summers was a fantastic musician and music arranger. Bob also composed and supervised music for Film and Television. Bob’s brother-in-law was the famous Les Paul, who married Bob’s elder sister Colleen Summers, known on stage as Mary Ford. They sold millions of records in the 1950’s.

Pat had changed from a young vibrant enthusiastic teenager, to a Glamorous Young Woman. Pat needed some professional photographs to reflect this change. So Nick commissioned his friend, Hollywood Photographer Don Perry to do some portraits of Pat. Don Perry was not only an excellent photographer, he also supervised music for Television.

Nick negotiated a deal with Forward Records, Pat and Nick mutually agreed to end the management agreement.



In late 1969, Nick returned to the UK and in the 1970’s produced a few artists including Eddie Buchanan a regular entertainer on the Benny Hill Show.

'DO IT' produced by Nick Risi and Jim Thomas is very popular in the Northern Soul Scene and the original Downey 45 Vinyl in good condition can fetch up to £200.00 on EBay.

Here are some samples of Pat's recordings:





Thanks to Paul Rice for the article and special thanks to Nick Risi for the photographs from his archives.

You can read more about Pat Powdrill over on Spectropop

Sam Dees Fool Of The Year/Train to Tampa

Wonderful stuff from Shotgun - out October 11th - more details here.

King Coleman RIP

R&B pioneer 'King' Coleman dies in hospital aged 78
Rhythm and blues pioneer Carlton "King" Coleman has died at the age of 78.

The US singer died on Saturday from heart failure at a Miami hospital, his son said.

Coleman was best known for singing lead vocals on 1959 hit (Do The) Mashed Potatoes, recorded with James Brown's band.

He also released numerous solo singles including Mashed Potato Man and The Boo Boo Song.

Coleman also performed with many artists including BB King and Jackie Wilson.

Radio DJ His son Tony went on to become BB King's drummer.

"I can say that I'm proud to be his son," Tony Coleman said.

"I'm proud to be working with one of his colleagues. He was one of the originals. He was one of the roots, and I'm one of his fruits."

King Coleman was also a radio DJ, starting out in the 1950s on a US station in Tampa, Florida.

More recently, Coleman hosted a nightly radio show called Nothing But Love on WMBM, now a gospel station. BBC More information on Wikipedia

Full discography on Wang Dang Dula

Here's some more of his music:

Sugar Pie DeSanto in Holland 1995

I have just been sent the link to the video below of Sugar Pie which was new to me. I missed her performance that year in Holland so it was good to see!

Sam Dees New Release on Shotgun Records

SHOT 103 is scheduled for release on October 4th. These previously unissued tracks were recorded in the early 1970s in Birmingham, Alabama. 'Fool Of The Year' is already in heavy demand from advance exposure by club and radio DJs. 'Train To Tampa' was featured in the 2009 movie Clubbed courtesy of our publishing company Millbrand Music Ltd.

More details on Shotgun Records

Eddie Floyd New Release on Shotgun Records

SHOT 104 is scheduled for October 11th. Both tracks were recorded in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1979 and are previously unissued. Musicians include Carson Whitsett, Ray Griffin and James Robertson with Jewel Bass and Valerie Kashimura on backing vocals. 'Missing You' also features Wayne Jackson and Andrew Love of The Memphis Horns.

More details on Shotgun Records

Fenton Robinson Live In Holland 1984

Born in Greenwood, Mississippi, Robinson left his home at the age of 18 to move to Memphis, Tennessee, where he recorded his first single "Tennessee Woman" in 1957. He settled in Chicago in 1962. His signature song, "Somebody Loan Me a Dime" (1967) was covered by Boz Scaggs in 1969, but attributed to Scaggs himself, resulting in legal battles. The nationwide distribution of Robinson's own version of the song was aborted by a freak snow storm hitting Chicago. The song has since become a blues standard, according to 1997's Encyclopedia of Blues being "part of the repertoire of one out of every two blues artists.

Robinson re-recorded the song, which was originally recorded in 1967 for the Palos label, for the critically acclaimed album Somebody Loan Me a Dime in 1974, the first of three he would produce under the Alligator Records label. For the second, 1977's I Hear Some Blues Downstairs, Robinson was nominated for a Grammy Award Read more on Wikipedia

Here's a video of him performing in Holland in 1984:



Fenton Robinson Biography

Listen to more of Fenton Robinson's music over on Just The Blues blog

"Daddy Rockin' Strong: A Tribute to Nolan Strong & the Diablos"

The Wind Records, along with help from Norton Records, will soon be releasing a new vinyl LP called "Daddy Rockin' Strong: A Tribute to Nolan Strong & the Diablos" - a full album of Nolan Strong & the Diablos covers. This record is a small attempt at keeping the memory of Detroit's finest R&B singer, Nolan Strong, alive. Nolan Strong & The Diablos were a pre-Motown sensation. The group's hit songs include "The Wind" and "Mind Over Matter." His influence is shown in the trademark falsetto of Smokey Robinson. While Nolan never reached the height of fame as the singers he influenced, he will forever be Detroit's finest.

Read more:

Track list:
SIDE A:
Mark Sultan - "The Wind"
Dirtbombs - "Daddy Rockin' Strong"
Cub Koda - "You're the Only Girl, Delores"
Outrageous Cherry - "Yeah Baby, It's Because of You"
Andre Williams & the A-Bones - "The Way You Dog Me Around"
Danny Kroha & the Del Torros - "Do You Remember What You Did"

SIDE B:
Reigning Sound - "Mind Over Matter"
Wreckless Eric & Amy Rigby - "I Want to be Your Happiness"
A-Bones - "Real True Love"
Hentchmen - "Mambo of Love"
Demon's Claw's - "Try Me One More Time"
Gentleman Jesse & His Men - "Harriett, It's You"
Lenny Kaye - "I Wanna Know"


Listen to some tracks on My Space

Panama!: Latin, Calypso & Funk on the Isthmus 1965-1975

One might guess that Panama’s strategic geographic location between continents, cultures, oceans and seas would contribute to a local music flowing with varied streams of influence. Proof of such a supposition can be found on this engaging collection. Focusing on the fecund 1960s and ’70s, Panama! reveals an effusion of hot and cool grooves that draw from various blends of indigenous styles and rhythms, Afro-Latin jazz, and funky American soul.

The collection begins in high style with strong descarga-style blowing by sax-man Jose “Chomba” Silva on Los Exagerados’s “Panama Esta Bueno Y Ma.” With a big-but-gentle Sonny Rollins tone, Silva lays down lines that dance with the rhythmic facility of Antillean Beguine. Rafael Labasta adds searing, stratospheric Cuban-style trumpet to the dialed-in montuno laid down by piano, upright bass and percussion. It’s Latin jazz with a few surprising – and very appealing – twists. (The Afro-Cuban/Puerto Rican/Salsa continuum was obviously beloved in Panama during those decades, and related approaches show up on many of the tracks collected here.)Read full article at Dusted Reviews

Buy CD at Sound Way Records

Cheers to Les Main Noires Blog for tip.

C.P. Love Interview

Vocalist C.P. Love might well be best known for a song he didn’t record, rather than one he did. Love had been offered “Groove Me” by King Floyd but passed on the song, feeling Floyd deserved to record it and would do a better job with it. While he could have recorded a major hit, Love still managed to notch a couple of regional successes and assembled a compact, but enjoyable resume of soul and R&B recordings.

Born Carleton Pierre Love in 1945, he was raised on the West Bank of New Orleans. At the age of 12, Love taught himself to play guitar and formed a four-piece band. He later switched to bass when he joined Little Benny and the Creoles, a group that sometimes featured Walter Washington. Originally, Love didn’t sing, but when the vocalist couldn’t learn new material, he began fronting the band on bass and vocals. Eventually, Love dropped the bass and concentrated on singing. Read full interview at Ponderosa Stomp site




You can find a full discography and further information on C.P. Love's early recordings on Sir Shambling's Deep Soul Heaven. You can also listen to his two best recordings - 'I Found All These Things' and 'So Glad You've Gone' on Deep Soul Heaven which don't appear to be on You Tube.

The Life and Times of H-Bomb Ferguson

Born Robert Percell Ferguson in Charleston, South Carolina, he was the eleventh of twelve children. His father was a baptist preacher who paid for piano lessons for his son, on condition he learned sacred melodies. But Ferguson had other ideas. "After church was over, while the people was all standing outside talking, me and my friends would run back inside and I'd play the blues on the piano."

At the age of 19, he was on the road with Joe Liggins and the Honeydrippers. They moved to New York, where Ferguson branched off on his own, getting a gig at the nightclub Baby Grand Club in Harlem, billed as "The Cobra Kid."

His 1951-1952 recording contract with Savoy Records produced some of his best recordings. Drummer, Jack "The Bear" Parker, who played on the Savoy dates, allegedly bestowed the singer with his explosive moniker. Other accounts credit Savoy record producer, Lee Magid, with coining H-Bomb's handle; either way, his dynamite vocals fulfilled the billing. However, it was not until 1955 that rock and roll became a sensation, when Bill Haley & His Comets' version of "Rock Around the Clock" became a hit.

Ferguson retired from touring in the early 1970s, but made a number of comebacks. Backed by the Medicine Men, he recorded his first album, Wiggin' Out, for Chicago's Earwig Records in 1993.



He died in 2006 at the Hospice of Cincinnati of complications from emphysema and cardiopulmonary disease.



His early work was featured in a compilation album H-Bomb Ferguson: Big City Blues, 1951-54. Wikipedia

Screamin´ Joe Neal

Two legendary 45s, one on the Emerge label, one on Shippings. A mainstay at the Peppermint Club at Skinker and Delmar in St Louis, the biggest club around at the time, as well as the BQ Lounge and Jazz Alley. One local guitarist recalls "He got his name from crawling around the audience on his knees. He would creep up on a woman and scream at them. Scare the shit outta them." Screamin' Joe was hit by a truck and is largely paralyzed. Read My Space


More information on the Peppermint Club at Missouri Digital Heritage