Thursday, 31 December 2020

Derek Martin - Complete Discography


This post was initially just going to feature a previously unreleased Northern Soul track by Derek Martin but has turned into a full blow discography which includes all his earlier recordings with a number of, mainly, doo-wop groups.  The pre 1963 singles will be of interest to doo-wop fans, for soul fans I suggest you skip to Derek Martin's solo discography.

There's an interview with Derek Martin which goes through his whole career over at Soul Express.  It would appear that Martin didn't perform on Howie & The Sappires 45.


Flashback

A superb 'stomper' found on an acetate in the late 90s.  Apparently only 3 exist and two of these have poor sound quality (i.e. low sound on first 30 seconds).  They were found at Rich Rosen's 'Wax Trax' in Las Vegas.  It is thought that Mark 'Butch' Dobson owns one and Richard Searling another.  It was released on a 2007 compilation CD: Derek Martin ‎- Take Me Like I Am - The Roulette Recordings [Stateside].  The first 8 tracks are both sides of his 4 Roulette 45s released between 1965-68, tracks 9-21 were previously unreleased Roulette recordings and the last 4 tracks are all 4 sides of his Buttercup 45s released in 1970/71.


Here's a few more of the better unreleased tracks from the CD:

The Noon Express [1967] - Flashback [Embassy #C-1970]

A psyche/garage original(?) version of Flashback by The Noon Express from 1967 ... only for comparison!


Complete Discography

Recommended tracks flagged with *

Sources: Discogs, 45Cat, Soulfulkindamusic, Doo-Wop Blog

The Five Pearls

Howard Guyton, Derek Martin, David Cortez Clowney (aka Dave "Baby" Cortez  cousin of Howard Guyton), Coley Washington and George Torrance

1954 - Please Let Me Know / Real Humdinger [Aladdin #3265]

The Sheiks

Derek Martin, Howard Guyton, Coley Washington, Dave ‘Baby’ Cortez

1954 - Walk That Walk / The Kissing Song [Cat #116]

The Pearls

Derek Martin, Howard Guyton, Coley Washington, George Torrance, Dave ‘Baby’ Cortez 

1956 - Shadows Of Love / Yum Yummy [Atco #6057]
1956 - Bells Of Love / Come On Home [Atco #6066]
1956 - Tree In The Meadow / My Oh My [Onyx #506]
1957 - Ice Cream Baby / Yuz-A-Ma-Tuz [Onyx #511]
1959 - Ugly Face / Band of Angels [On The Square #320]

Howie & The Sapphires 

Howard Guyton & Derek Martin? + ???

The Dreamers

There's 'speculation'(on 45Cat) that The Dreamers may actually be The Top Notes i.e. Howard Guyten & Derek Martin, but I guess that this is only on the basis that they wrote the A side.  The B side is credited to Leroy Kirkland and P. (presumably Pearl) Woods who also wrote Etta James classic Somthing's Gotta Hold On Me with Etta James in 1962, however there are several songs with the same title all credited to different composers. I can't find a sound file so don't know if it's a different song or not..

1960 - (That's Why) I Sing This Song / Mary's Little Lamb [Apt#45-25053]

The Top Notes

Howard Guyten & Derek Martin

1960 - Wonderful Time / Walkin' With Love [Atlantic #45-2066]
1960 - Say Yes / Warm Your Heart [Atlantic #45-2080]
1961 - Hearts Of Stone / The Basic Things [Atlantic #45-2097]
1961 - Always Late (Why Lead Me On) / Twist And Shout [Atlantic #45-2115]
1962 - Wait For Me Baby / Come Back Cleopatra [Festival (#45-1021]
1963 - It's All Right / I Love You So Much [ABC -Paramount #45-10399]

Jimmy Ricks & The Raves

Jimmy Ricks and Leonard Puzey (former members of The Ravens) plus Howard Guyton and Derek Martin

1961 - Deep River / Um Gowa [Festival unreleased]
1962 - Daddy Rolling Stone / Homesick [Atco #6220]
1962 - Daddy Rolling Stone / Um Gowa [Festival #25004]

Derek (Martin) & Howard (Guyton)

1963 - Wait For Me Baby / I Love You So Much [Festival #25005]
Can't find sound file but guess it will be the same as The Top Notes on Festival #45-1021 above.

Derek Martin

1963 - Daddy Rollin' Stone / Don't Put Me Down Like This [Crackerjack #4013]
1965 - *You Better Go / You Know [R-4631
1966 - Bumper To Bumper / Don't Resist [R-4670]
1965 - Cha Cha Skate / Too Soon To Know [Sue #118]
1966 - *Count To Ten / *If You Go [Sue #143]
1967 - *Breakaway / Take Me Like I Am [Roulette #R-4743]
1968 - Soul Power / *Sly Girl [Tuba #2010]
1971 - You Blew It Baby / Moving Hands Of Time [Buttercup #45-009]
1973 - How Can I Get Away / *That's What I'll Do [Vibration # VI-526]
1973 - *Falling Out Of Love / That's What I'll Do [Vibration # VI-522]
1975 - *Beautiful Woman / Inst [All Platinum #AP-2358]

A great mid 70s shuffler, his version of 'Beautiful Woman' from 1975 which The Moments released the same year on their 'Look At Me' LP, I don't believe that they ever issued it on a 45?
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Three Of A Kind - 'Tell Me You're Mine'

A song written by Jack Ashford and Andrew 'Mike' Terry, released at least 3 times (to my nowledge) in slightly different variants by Lorraine Chandler, The Hesitations and Four Sonics - Plus One.  The second by The Hesitations is credited to Ashford & Lewis - Ermastine Lewis which was Lorraine Chandler's real name she used for writing credits.

Lorraine Chandler [1966] - Tell Me You're Mine [Giant #G-703]

Lorraine Chandler passed way in Jan 2020 aged 73, so I've turned this into a tribute to her work. 

'Tell Me You're Mine'. was her first single released on the flip to 'What Can I Do' on Jack Ashford's short-lived Detroit based Giant label which released only 5 singles in 1966 (not Jo Armstead's Chicago based label of the same name which started the following year).

Chandler/Lewis was predominantly a writer with her partner Jack Ashford but did release a few more singles on RCA Victor, the Giant 45 was picked up by RCA Victor for national distribution, followed by two further 45s 'She Don't Want You' / 'I Can't Hold On' in 1966 and 'Oh How I Need Your Love' / 'I Can't Change' in 1969.  

In recent years several unreleased tracks have been issued in the UK on 45, one being a demo for the 1967 James Bond movie title track 'You Only Live Twice', 'I Hear Music', 'Mend The Torn Pieces Of A My Heart', (recorded by Yvonne Baker & The Sensations in 1965 on Junior with 'I Can't Change') and 'Ease My Mind'.

There are also two other tracks on CD only 'Don't Leave Me Baby' (which has the same backing track as Willie Kendricks - 'What's That On Your Finger' a Pied Piper Production) released in 2018 on 'Jack Ashford - Just Productions Volume 2 [Kent #CDKEND 478]'. The other is 'Lost Without You', also recorded by Four Sonics on flip to featured track, which came out in 2015 on 'Pied Piper - Follow Your Soul 2015 [Kent #CDKEND 429]' CD.

It is suggested on Discogs that she also recorded with The Ebonies who released two 45s on Midwest in the early 60s, but I have not been able to confirm that.

As a footnote there was a single released on the Black Magic label in UK in 1975 with a version of Eddie Parker's classic 'Love You Baby' (which was a huge tune at the time and the only release on Ashford) with 'What Can I Do' on the flip.  Lorraine Chandler has categorically stated that this was NOT her singing 'Love You Baby'.

In addition the the songs she has recorded she was also involved in writing and producing many other great records, far too many to mention them all, but a few of the greats are Eddie Parker's superb deep soul cuts 'But If You Must Go', 'I Need A True Love' and 'Crying Clown' (NB this is the slower previously unreleased version), the NS dancer as Eddie Parker & The Sunlovers - 'You'll Never Make The Grade', c/w 'This Love Of Ours', Ray Gant & The Arabians - 'Don't Leave Me Baby' / 'I Need A True Love', 'I'll Never Forget You' recorded by The O'Jays and also The Metros, and NS favourite The Smith Brothers ‎- 'There Can Be A Better Way'. to name just a few.


The Hesitations [1967] - She Won't Come Back [Kapp #K-822]

A 1967 reworking of Chandler's 1996 outing with same tune but different lyrics. This is the lead track from their 1967 album 'Soul Superman'.  A fine album which has another different take on an absolute Northern Soul classic, and one of my all-time favourites, 'That's The Way Love Is' uses the same backing as Eddie Parker's ultra rare NS gem 'I'm Gone' which was one of only 3 releases on another Jack Ashford label Awake. 

It was repressed in 70s to meet NS demand but the original must now be valued near 5 figures (only 3 listed on Popsike and 2 of these were pretty 'beaten up'). It was also recorded by Billy Sha-Rae on Spectrum in 1971. A vocal and instrumental remake was done in 2011 by The Emerald City Soul Club in LA with Eldridge Gravy & The Court Supreme.

Four Sonics - Plus One [1968] - Tell Me You're Mine [Sepia #1]

The Four Sonics were Jay Johnson, Bill Frazier, Steve Gaston and Eddie Daniels with 'Plus One' being Joe Buckman who released a 45 on Sepia #3 in 1969 'Right Now' / 'Till The End Of Time'.

They released two 45s on Sport prior to the Sepia release, mainly sweet soul harmony tracks, the first being a cover of 'You Don't Have To Say You Love Me' a UK #1 hit for Dusty Springfield in 1966. They released a single on yet another short-lived Ashford lable Triple 'B' in 1969, followed by a release on JMC which sounds like early/mid 70s 'If It Wasn't For My Baby' (no date on listing but JMC-141 is dated 1976 which sounds about right, although some of the earlier numbers are from 80s.  From the sound, I would guess around 1973/74?  No clues on label as to label's location, except JMC-141 states Detroit, which i would expect as all their other material was released in Detroit.

The only other release on Jack Ashford's Sepia label is another ultra rarity Al Gardner - 'Sweet Baby' / 'I Can't Stand It' on Sepia #2 in 1968 which was also released on French label Googa-Mooga the same year which is a bit easier to find.

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Jackey Beavers [1967] - Love That Never Grows Old [Revilot #RV 208]

 A much overlooked side, as the record is generally sought for the A side 'I Need My Baby' which is a fantastic example of mid 60s Detroit soul much loved by the UK Northern Soul scene, but flip it over and there's another great Detroit 'thumper', 'A Love That Never Grows Old'.

Robert Lewis Beavers released around 15-20 singles between 1965 and 1975 mainly on Checker, Jaber and Seventy 7, this was his only release on Revilot.  A couple of the Jaber releases were released as The Jackey Bevers Show and as Flame & The Lovelights. It would appear that in the 80s he turned to gospel releasing 4 gospel albums on New York's Glory label in the 80s/90s.

His last 45 release on Dade in 1975 also got a UK release on Jay Boy in 1976 and is one of my favourite tracks by him and well worth checking out 'Trying To Get Back To You Girl'. His only other UK release (apart from some a couple of reissues of 'I Need My Baby') was Mr Bump Man on Buddah in 1975.

He recorded as a duo Johnny (Bristol) & Jackey cutting around 5 singles between 1959-63 prior to his solo releases.  He recorded the song he co-wrote with Bristol and Harvey Fuqua 'Someday We''ll Be Together' as Johnny & Jackey in 1961 and ten years later in 1971 as a solo version on the other side of the track I featured a few weeks ago 'Lover Come Back'. It was, of course, a #1 hit (US) for Diana Ross & The Supremes in 1969.

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David Ruffin [2004] - I Can't Be Hurt Anymore [Hip-O Select #B0002509-02]

Pure class! From "David" Unreleased LP & More CD released in 2004 limited to 3,500 copies on Hip-O Select and reissued in 2012.

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Anita Baker [1987] - One Night Of Rapture Live


I've just been in a time machine which has taken me back 33 years to watch Anita Baker live in concert promoting her classic album 'Rapture'.  It is many years since I have listened to the album properly in full and what a joy it was watching her perform all the songs from the album pitch perfectly.  This is an official video released by Elektra Records in 1987 and is interspersed with clips of Anita being interviewed.

She had a difficult upbringing, being abandoned by her mother aged two and then brought up by foster parents who died when she was 12, thereafter being raised by her foster sister. At 16 she was singing in nightclubs in Detroit before joining Chapter 8 in 1975 who were later signed by Ariola, releasing their first album in 1979. Ariola was acquired by Arista, and as mentioned in a previous post, some 'genius' at Arista decided to drop Chapter 8 as they didn't think Baker had 'star quality'.  She then proceeded to release 6 solo albums and a Christmas album (a very jazz infused production), four of which went multi-platinum (selling over 1m copies) and her last in 2004 went gold (500k copies), and was awarded 8 Grammy's from 18 nominations. Christmas album aside, only her highly regarded 1983 debut  album 'The Songstress' on Beverly Glen failed to go at least gold.

Apart from a cover of Tyrese's 'Lately' in 2012, she hasn't produced any new material since 2005.  'Lately' was due to feature on a new album scheduled for release in 2013 titled 'Only Forever' but it was never released. 

She announced a 'Farwell Tour' in 2018 when she reached 60 and in 2020 quashed rumours that she was making a comeback by announcing her retirement on Twitter. So we will have to make do with the existing catalogue.  I wonder how many of today's neo soul artists we will still be listening to and appreciating in 35 years time?


1. Mystery 1:28
2. Caught Up In The Rapture 9:23
3. Same Ole Love 15:29
4. You Bring Me Joy 19:20
5. You've Changed 25:34
6. Watch Your Step 27:55
7. Sweet Love 34:55
8. Been So Long 41:38
9. No One In The World 48:35
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