Seems be another one-off 45 from an artist that nothing is known about. A Herb Bernstein production for Bob Crewe, written by Bernice Ross and Joe Falsia . Please Keep Away is the official B side. Played at Stafford in the 80s a popular blue-eyed (B side is the giveaway) Northern Soul.
Hexagonal shaped labels pressed at 'Monarch' Los Angeles and the other version is from ""Shelly Products"" New York
517 Elbie Parker [1966] - Please Keep Away From Me [Veep 1246]
Joannie Sommers' real name is Joan Drost. She signed to Warner Bros in 1959 at 18. She was a singer actress who had a small role in 77 Sunset Strip US TV series. Her recording career spanned the 60s with mainly MOR songs. Only 3 of her releases made the US Hot 100. 'Don't Pity Me' was picked up the the Northern Soul scene (probably a mid 70s Casino spin but not sure?) and seems to be ever popular. A typical mid 60s girlie sound that swirled around large dance halls which was so popular at the time.
Joanie Sommers [1965] - Don’t Pity Me [Live]
Joanie Sommers [1965] - My Block [Warner Bros. 5629]
Benny suffered a major stroke in the early 1990s and remained under care until he died of respiratory failure in 2011 aged 79.
This frenetic, cajun-spiced beat draws with the almost-erratic piano line and vocal (with Allen Toussaint in the background) wind their way into your head in spite of no easy or central hook in the song. Fortune Teller was covered by The Rolling Stones, The Throb and The Who did a live version.
Benny Spellman [1962] - Lipstick Traces (On A Cigarette) [Minit 644]
Lipstick Traces was the official A side which was covered many times but most notably by The O'Jays on their debut LP 'Comin' Through' on Imperial in 1965
The O'Jays [1965] - Lipstick Traces (On A Cigarette) [Imperial 66102]
Del-Rays [1966] - Fortune Teller [R-H 1005]
Rolling Stones [1963] - Fortune Teller [Decca 117742]
Scheduled for the Stones second release in 1963 with Poison Ivy on A side but was withdrawn making this a very rare record.
The Throb [1966] - Fortune Teller [Parlophone (AU) A8190]
Taken from the video: From obscure origins as a Sydney-based surf-instrumental band, The Throb emerged in 1965 and briefly shot to national prominence. Despite its short tenure, the group left no doubt about its punkish potential and they have been immortalised on record by two superb singles, their snarling ""garage-punk"" version of ""Fortune Teller"", which smashed its way to the top of the national charts in early 1966, and their group arrangement of the old English folk song, ""Black (Is The Colour Of My True Love's Hair)"", a slashing, snarling piece of proto-gothic wonderment. (Source: Milesago, great site on early Australian bands).
The Throb consisted of John Bell (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Denny Burgess (bass, vocals), Peter Figures (drums) and Marty Van Wynk (lead guitar).
The Who [1969] - Fortune Teller (Studio version) Recorded in The Grande Ballroom Dearborn MI in 1969 but wasn't released until 2007 on View From A Backstage Pass CD compilation which was only available to subscribers of www.thewho.com.
The Who - Fortune Teller (Live at Isle Of Wight 1969)
I can find no information about Ellusions. Lamon records was established in 1962 in North Carolina (Charlotte), later moving to Nashville and is still in existence today. The label specialises in bluegrass and country. It would appear that the Ellusions were a 60s white garage band.
The official A side is in fact 'You Wouldn't Understand' which starts off really slowly in a doo wop vein and then turns into a more mid-tempo groove in more of a group soul harmony/crossover flavour. 'You Didn't Have To Leave' is a more obvious Northern dancer.
It used to be quite rare but a box of them turned up in the 80s which brought the price down. It has also been bootlegged on styrene, the original being vinyl. Even the bootleg seems to sell between £40-£60
The 'evergreen' Sweet Sherry was the third of four recordings by J.J. Barnes at Groovesville (555). The Originals are on backing vocals. Apparently it was never officially released. It found release in the UK on Blues & Soul's Contempo label in 1970. J.J. Barnes is one of the 'heroes' on the UK Northern Soul scene with many of his Ric-Tic recordings being played from the beginning of the scene along with his outings on Groovesville and Revilot and some earlier recordings on Mickays. He released a solitary US LP on Perception 'Born Again' in 1973 followed by a UK only 'Sara Smile' LP on Contempo in 1977. Ian levine cut 'Try It One More Time' album with him in 1991 on his Motorcity label. A couple of noteworthy compilations included Rare Stamps on Volt which also has tracks by Steve Mancha and The Groovesville Maters on Contempo both of which used previously recorded Groovesville material. The story goes that although Barnes signed with Motown when the acquired Ric-Tic they thought he sounded too similar to Marvin Gaye at the time and he was kept for a while for his song-writing but eventually let go and joined Don Davis at Groovesville.
Some other J.J. Barnes tracks played on the scene include: Please Let Me In (Ric-Tic) Say It (Ric-Tic) Real Humdinger (Ric-Tic) Baby Please Come Back Home (Groovesville) Our Love Is In The Pocket (Revilot)
Got To Get Rid Of You (Volt) How Long (Contempo) ... and many others
J.J. Barnes [1970] - Chains Of Lovey [UK Contempo CS.2048]
J.J. Barnes' "Baby Please Come Back Home" (June 1967) jammed all over the Midwest, East Coast, South, and west of the Mississippi River. This was the 11th single and the sixth recording company (Groovesville) of Barnes' career.
Barnes co-wrote most of his recordings; "Baby Please Come Back Home" was co-written with Don Davis, a guitarist, songwriter, producer, music publisher, and record label owner. Barnes sang the lyrics with so much pain that the single went to number nine on Billboard's R&B chart. Unofficially, it was number one at inner city skating rinks -- skaters loved rolling to its cool, slinky, mercurial rhythm and pinging accents.
James Jay Barnes, born November 30, 1943, in Detroit, MI, had more than 25 single releases after his big hit, but none duplicated its captivating aura, sales, or chart position. Barnes' gospel background (the Halo Gospel Singers) isn't apparent on his recordings; he came along at a time in Detroit when the city's blues and R&B bases were strong.
His style emulated Southern soul singers; the session players in Detroit in the early '60s were R&B players and gave Barnes' records a Southern feel. Other Detroit singers with a similar sound include Joe Stubbs, Steve Mancha, Darrell Banks, Sammy Ward, and Lee Rogers. In 1960, when he was 17, Barnes cut his first single, "My Love Came Tumbling Down" b/w "Won't You Let Me Know," for Kable Records, which did nothing but add "recording artist" to Barnes' resum‚. This was not a title to take lightly -- a few spins on the radio enabled an artist to jack their price up at the neighborhood club. No longer was he, J.J. Barnes, appearing Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights; now J.J. Barnes, the recording artist, was appearing live and in person. Mickay Records issued four singles by Barnes; the first, "Just One More Time" (1963), is sought after by Northern soul fanatics. Scepter Records realized its potential and plucked it for national distribution, but the sales never amounted to much. "These Chains of Love," "Teenage Queen," and "So Far Away" -- all released in 1963 and 1964 -- were good efforts that few heard. He cut one record for Ring Records in 1964, "Poor Unfortunate Me" b/w "She Ain't Ready." Ric-Tic Records issued Barnes' seventh record and followed it with three more, debuting with "Please Let Me In" in 1965; like many of Barnes' recordings it had a pronounced, four-on-the-floor beat -- the beat that defined the early Northern soul sound. Initially, if a tune didn't have that beat, it wasn't played in Northern England's popular dance clubs. Inner-city teens hated the beat (it wasn't cool to dance to) and R&B disc jockeys rarely played these tunes. Still, his Ric-Tic debut sold better than previous singles. "Real Humdinger," its successor, charted at number 20 on the R&B chart and number 60 on the pop chart, but, despite these numbers, wasn't played in some cities, mainly because of its hokey beat. An update of the Beatles' "Day Tripper" became his most successful record at the time. Barnes' smooth interpretation of the British rocker received substantial play in many urban cities. With Edwin Starr (lead) and Steve Mancha, Barnes hit with "I'll Love You Forever" as the Holidays. The record was a complete fluke -- the trio just happened to be around when producer Don Davis got an itch to cut the tune. They never toured as the Holidays, Davis recruited other singers for that. "Say It" b/w "Deeper in Love" didn't stand a chance because Ed Wingate was in the process of selling Ric Tic/Golden World Records lock, stock, and barrel to Motown. Barnes wasn't happy being Motown's property, neither was his ex-Ric-Tic bud, Edwin Starr.
Motown never released anything by Barnes, the company was more interested in his songwriting abilities and released at least two songs co-written by Barnes: "Show Me the Way" by Martha & the Vandellas (October 1967) and "Don't Make Hurting Me a Habit" by the Marvelettes (December 1968).
Motown released Barnes from his contract and he hooked up with Don Davis again, scoring the first time on Groovesville Records with "Baby Please Come Back Home." Its successor, "Now That I Got You Back" b/w "Forgive Me" (1967), a stomper and a pleader, threw a rod at number 44. The third, "Sweet Sherry," with the Originals harmonizing behind Barnes, didn't sell despite its immense charm. Then came "Easy Living" b/w "I've Lost You," with backing vocals by the Holidays, on the Groove City label, which sank upon release.
A stint on Revilot Records resulted in four singles, including "Our Love Is in the Pocket," a popular Northern soul song. Barnes co-wrote his final Revilot single, "So Called Friends" (1969), with George Clinton (Parliament) and two unknown brothers by the last name of Taylor. Buddah, Volt, Leo, Magic Touch, Perception, and Invasion Records issued Barnes' next five releases from 1969 to 1973. None hit, but "Snowflakes," the Volt release, was later acclaimed by some Britishers.
Perception issued the first J.J. Barnes album, Born Again, in 1973; the Perception sides didn't compare to earlier recordings, nor did what followed.
Old friend Edwin Starr moved to England and became very popular; remembering Barnes, Starr arranged for his old buddy to come over and do a series of shows with him. This proved to be a lucrative move, as Barnes signed a deal with Contempo Records, a U.K. label, in the mid-'70s. Contempo cranked out seven undistinguished singles and an album, Sara Smile, for Barnes.
He debuted on Contempo with "To an Early Grave," cut a remake of Hall & Oates' "Sara Smile," and tried to popularize an inner city dance tune, "The Errol Flynn." He released at least five more records -- including "Think I Got a Good Chance" on Organic, an update of Carl Carlton's "Competition Ain't Nothing" on Inferno in 1984, an attempt to recapture the magic of Frank Wilson's Motown release (which was ignored in the U.S.A.) "Do I Love You (Deed I Do)" on Inferno in 1985, and two on Motor City.
Albums include Rare Stamps on Volt Records, which features cuts by Barnes, Steve Mancha, and Darrell Banks; he also recorded an album on Motor City Records entitled Try It One More Time. A virtual nobody in the States, Barnes is one of Northern soul's most beloved artists. A janissary of soul fans worldwide love him, but at home his sister, Ortheia Barnes, is more known. Ortheia Barnes never had a hit, but once hosted a radio show in Detroit on WCHB every Wednesday called Ortheia's Special Touch; she's fondly remembered by witnesses of her electrifying live performances.
