R.I.P. Winfield Parker (20 Jun 1942 - 18 Jan 2021)

A name probably not known to many but the most ardent of soul listeners passed away on 18 Jan 2020 aged 78. 

I first became aware of him via a 1971 45 on Spring which was a cover of Edwin Starr's 'S.O.S. (Stop Her On Sight)' but had a better track on the flip 'I'm On My Way'.  This record was his only chart entry reaching #48 on US R&B chart.

Prior to that 45 he'd released several singles on various labels Ru-Jac, Atco, Arctic and Wand between 1963-1970.  One picked up by the NS scene was his second Ru-Jac 45  from 1966 'I Love You Just The Same' / 'My Love', the former being played at The Torch and the latter at Cleethorpes Pier/Winter Gardens.  His Atco 45 was a national release of his second Ru-Jac 45 'Sweet Little Girl' (co-written by Arthur Conley and Ru-Jac owner Rufus Mitchell) / 'What Do You Say?'. His third Ru-Jac 45 had a stomper 'She's So Pretty' flipped with a deep doo-wop/soul ballad 'Oh My Love'.

He formed a group called Best Of Both Worlds who recorded an album 'I Want The World To Know' on Calla in 1975 from which one single was released.  A track from that album that has been a long time favourite is 'Lost In The Shuffle Of Love'.

His last secular recording on P&L (his own label P(arker) & L(yles) his manager at the time) 'I Wanna Be With You' is a modern soul anthem in the UK. The top side was a re-recording of his first single on Ru-Jac in 1963 which I suspect was far too dated to make any impact in 1979.  In the 80s he turned to gospel music.

He was interviewed by David Cole (author of 'In The Basement' magazine) in 2004. You can read the interview which was posted on his website WinfieldParker.

A really interesting story is that he was originally scheduled to record the classic 'Sweet Soul Music' but he was sent to Cincinatti instead of Muscles Shoals, Alabama. Arthur Conley (who used to open for Parker at his shows in Baltimore) was already at Muscles Shoals so he got the gig!  Just imagine what might have happened to his career had he recorded that song!

Lee Hurst [1973] - Whole Lotta Your Love [A&M (CA) #AMX 342]

A superb slice of deep soul / crossover. Who cares how it's categorised, it's just a fine piece of soul music.  It appears to be his only 45 which was released on Canadian A&M only in 1973.  The flip side is a deep / heavy funk tune 'Saturday's Wild'.

It has also been issued on a 2018 compilation Deep Cuts 1970s Soul from the vaults of Fervor Records which seems to be a digital release only: 

VA [2018] - Deep Cuts 1970s Soul [Fervor Records #FVR06300]

Ike Noble - Your Love - 4 different versions

A bit of a diversion from new releases. A wonderful modern soul tune from Ike Noble which has several 'slightly' different versions.

Ike Noble [1978] - Your Love [Chanson #CH-1177]

The first was released on a 45 on Chanson.  It's a bit more of a sparse version without the female backing or the full strings and is only 3:48 long.

Ike Noble [1980] - Fresh Start [Connowil #005039X]

It then came out in 1980 on his very rare 'Fresh Start' album 4:49 and got a shorther 45 release on Connowil 3:55. This version is a bit 'deeper'.

Ike Noble [1980] - Your Love [Connowil # CON.-10742]

A shorter version (3:55) than the album version released as a single.

Ike Noble [1987] - Lonely People [Timeless #TRLP 100]

A re-recorded version for his 1984 album 'Angie' later in 1987 some of the tracks were reissued on 'Lonely People' released in UK and Germany.

Dwayne Coleman [2021] - Easy To Love [Creatorsworld]

Released 15 Jan 2021

Dwayne Coleman has released a few albums since 2004: 'Journey' 2004 and 'Breath' 2006, 'Ready 2 Love U' 2009 and '1st Loved Me' 2012.  They seem to be gospel or at least gospel influenced.

Danny Thomas [2021] - Wake Up, Free To Dream [DT Music]

New release on 15 Jan 2021 from Danny 'Sweet Man' Thomas, a founding member and keyboardist of Con Funk Shun. 

This is the first single from an organisation called GlobalWakeUpMovement.org.  They are producing an 'All-Star' album which will feature a cover of Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes 'Wake Up Everybody', so watch out for that.

This track is just 'oh so soulful' with meaningful lyrics. I like this one a lot.

Adeline [2021] - Whisper My Name [Unity Rec]

New release on 4 Jan 2021 from singer, songwriter and bass players from New York city.

Jaye Hammer [2021] - It's Jaye Hammer Time [Ecko] (Full Album)

I have to confess I'm not a great lover of southern soul in general, there are obviously exceptions, but the neo southern soul with synthesised backing tracks just leave me cold.  I'm fairly 'neutral' on the track  'Let Me Come Home' that seems to be getting most of the airplay from Jaye Hammer's latest album 'It's Jaye Hammer Time' released 15 Jan 2020.

I prefer the deeper sides on his new album such as 'You're A Keeper' and 'I'm In A Hole In The Wall Mood Tonight' along with the stepper 'You Deserve Better' and 'Come See About Me' (not the Supremes song).

You can make your own mind up as Full Album here

Jae Franklin [2021] - Cold [VOROSO]

Released 8 Jan 2021

Another smooth and mellow release from Jae Franklin who's released several singles, and featured on many others, in recent years, one of the better ones from Sep 2019 is posted below. 

Between Us (2019)

Sound of SuperBad Feat. Monique Missvocalz [2020] - Smile [Self Released]

Released 18 Oct 2020 was Sound Of SuperBad featuring Monique Missvocalz (Monique Dawn Connor) who also wrote the lyrics.  The video was only released 27 Dec 2020 so perhaps they decided it needed pushing more, and why not?

Monique Missvocalz facebook

Thee Illusions [2020] - Thunderstorms & Earthquakes / I Know We're In Love [SOLA #000-1]

Released in the middle of 2020 on limited edition vinyl 45 which has sold out and as far as I can see was not available for download.  So, the only way to acquire this (legally) is from the resale market ... and guess what ... my pet hate ... they are selling for between £60-£100 already.

It appears to be the first (and only so far) release on Sola (Sound Of Los Angeles).

Was available on BandCamp

Thunderstorms & Earthquakes

I Know We're In Love

Thee Illusions [2021] - Once In A Lifetime / Where Did He Come From [Black Bird]

Neo sweet soul harmony for the Lowriders.  Only released on 12 Jan 2021 and already almost 2,000 views.Band out of East L.A.

Once In A Lifetime 

Where Did He Come From