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Friday 2 April 2021

UPDATE 2nd April 2021 - New Releases


I thought last week was bad for new releases until there was a deluge of them last Fri/Sat. I've been waiting in vain so far this week for some good new material to post. So, rather than bringing you inferior new product, I'll continue to post some vintage gems until there are some good new releases to post.

A big thanks to Brian Pinches who posts some of the best quality rare soul on YouTube who has given his blessing to link to his posts. Check out his YouTube channel if you haven't already.


Shirley J. Scott (Goose Pimples) v The Inspirations (Touch Me, Hold Me, Kiss Me)


The same song with different titles written by Gene Redd, Rose Marie McCoy and Jimmy Crosby gets a credit on The Inspirations version. 

It came out first in 1996 by Shirley J. Scott as 'Goose Pimples' on Gene Redd's short-lived Detroit label Stephanye label named after his daughter.  It is believed to be the Funk Brothers moonlighting on the backing track.  

The label only had three official releases although one record (Roy Handy) got bootlegged on a counterfeit label and three other bootlegs, totally unreleated to the label, appeared with the Stephanye imprint (i.e. Golden World Strings bootleg of Checkerboard Squares 'Double Cookin' (twice) and Richard Temple bootleg of Willie Hutch 'The Duck'.  

It was then released in 1967 by The Inspirations as 'Touch Me, Kiss Me, Hold Me' on Shelby Singleton's Black Pearl label based in New York which he set up after leaving Mercury.  It was released twice on cat. no. 100 with different B sides and then as 102 and then again on 711 which I suspect is a 70s repress.

Shirley J. Scott [1966] - Goose Pimples [Stephanye #STP 333]


The Inspirations [1967] - Touch Me, Hold Me, Kiss Me [Black Pearl #711]



Creations v Roy 'Cortez' Butler v The Brothers Of Soul v Pearl Jones - A Dream


Boo was a label created by Ric Williams (who also owned Aquarius and Zodiac) which ran between 1967-69. It was intended to be an outlet for The Brothers Of Soul who were Fred Bridges, Richard Knight and Bobby Eaton who wrote a lot of the Zodiac material. They released seven of the nine releases, the other two were from Roy 'Cortez' Butler both Bridges, Knight & Eaton compositions. 

Aquarius was essentially a channel for Candace (aka Amanda) Love as five of its six releases where from her. 

Zodiac's main artists were Ruby Andrews (15) and Chuck Bernard (6) who accounted for 21 of the 27 known/listed releases, three of the others were by Creations (i.e. Bridges, Knight & Eaton), Bobby Eaton, Freddy & Bobby (i.e. Bridges & Eaton) .  

The featured track was first released in 1967 on Zodiac as Creations who were in fact Bridges, Knight & Eaton who would later be known as The Brothers Of Soul who recorded a different take in 1971 on Shock which only released three singles, two by BoS and the other by Woman a psedonym form Candace Love.

Roy 'Cortez' Butler also released a version in 1967 on Boo.

Another, unreleased, version was discovered (by Adey Pierce) on a 10" studio acetate from 1966 with no credits on it. It was originally 'thought' to be by Barbara Mercer, but Fred Bridges stated that it definitley wasn't her, but recalled that it was The Debonaires on backing. It has subsequently been established that it is in fact Pearl Jones who was a secretary at Sidra and a member of The Embraceables who released a single on Sidra with both sides written by Jones. George McGregor (who I've featured on the blog before) was involved with Sidra, Drew and Zodiac at the time and confirmed that it was not Barbara Mercer and he should know as she is his wife. 

Pearl Jones also released a solo single on W.I.G. (which I believe is a part of Sidra) in 1965 both sides were written by her. It is also claimed the she and another member on The Embraceables, Wyline Ivey, were backing singers for Aretha Franklin.

Jones' version was eventually issued in 2008 on a relaunched Joe Boy/Inferno label by Neil Rushton.

There's a great article on Bridges, Knight & Eaton on SoulfulDetroit.

Creations [1967] - A Dream [Zodiac #Z1005]


Roy 'Cortez' Butler [1967] - A Dream [Boo #1002]


The Brothers Of Soul [1971] - Dream [Shock #S-1313]


Pearl Jones [2008] - A Dream [Joe Boy Inferno #S-9014]



Willie Mallory [1968] - You Went Back On What You Said [Lanor #539]


The last of three singles he released on Lee Lavergne's Lanor label based in Church Point, LA, in 1968-69. Prior to that he released a single on a local Tifton, GA, label Jim Bar in 1966 aged 15, the A side of  which 'I'll Be Your Jim' was re-recorded for the flip of this release (a bit of a popcorn tune). That song, as with this one, was also written and produced by James Theus who owned Jim Bar. 

This tune sounds like a mid 60s Chicago skip-a-long. On his other recordings he sounds quite like Sam Cooke.

He also recorded two singles as a duo with Barbara Davis (his wife) in the 70s, on T.K. in 1973 and Clarence Reid's Reid's World label in 1977.



Betty Lloyd [1965] - I'm Catching On / You Say Things You Don't Mean [BSC #401]


A firm favourite on NS dancefloors for decades. Both sides were written by Betty Lloyd.  It was a very in-demand and hard record to find until some were discoverd in the 90s. These have now dried up and a copy sold for £1010 at auction a few years ago (2017).

It is one of only three known/listed releases on the Detroit BSC label and two of them are from Betty Lloyd. The other release by her has been featured previously and was a Christmas tune '6 Days Til Xmas' that also came out on Thomas as 'Snowflakes'. The other single is by Beverly Wheeler With The Cameros - 'Don't Shake My Tree' / inst version which has in recent years been getting spins on NS scene.  

There is another BSC label which released two singles by Brothers Scott & Co (BSC?) 'Looking Into The Future' / 'Our Love Is Growing' and  'In The Beginning'  / 'Midnight Party People' Brothers Scott & Comp Band, but this was a Chicago label.




Godoy Colbert v Sonny Craver - I Wanna Thank You


Researching records posted on this blog generally throws up previously 'unrealised' links. Here's another, as I posted a record by The Light Drivers the other day who had a link to James (Jimmy) Conwell and Godoy Colbert who were also in The Exits. Several of their songs were written by Len Jewel who owned Teri-De which also released records by another group that Conwell was a member of Smoked Sugar Co. 

Here we have Sonny Craver on Teri-De with a song written by Len Jewell and Godoy Colbert and also recorded by Colbert himself in 1969 on Revue.

The song was also released on Stanson, a label owned by Craver, in 1971 (according to Discogs).  It credits a Charles Hutchinson in addition to Jewell and Colbert, who is also credited on Colbert's version, and Discogs links Hutchinson to Willie Hutch which I don't think is accurate. 

Godoy Colbert [1969] - I Wanna Thank- You [Revue #R-11037]


Sonny Craver [1970/1971] - I Wanna Thank You [Stanson #510/Teri-De #007]



"Sensational" Little Doc & His Rhythm Express [1974] - Looking For My Baby [Music-GO-Round #MGR-001]


A superb tune from 1974 which defies categorisation as some would call it Northern, others crossover and others modern. It sounds earlier than 1974. It is his second of only two listed singles, both on Music-GO-Round which released only four singles between 1973-75. 

All songs released on the label were written by Willie J. Randolph so I would guess that he possibly owned the label which had a strap line 'The Sound Of The South' and this tune was recorded in Charlotte, NC. The flip side is an instrumental version.

Another big in-demander on the label is Paul Burton (The Stinger) 'So Very Hard To Make It (Without You)' which I'll post separately.  



Paul Burton (The Stinger) [1974] - So Very Hard To Make It (Without You) [Music-GO-Round #MGR 003]


The second of four releases on Merry-GO-Round and the rarest on the label with only ten copies appearing on Popsike in the last 15 years. One sold in 2005 for £60 and the latest to sell went for almost £1,000 (£934). It seems to be his only release. The flip side is part 2 which is a shorther instrumental version (i.e. 2:43 v 3.54.) by The Rhythm Express.

As with all four releases on the label, it was written by Willie J. Randolph who possibly owned the label which I believe was based in Charlotte N.C.

It got a reissue on Jazzman in 2007 on 12" vinyl.



Johnny Moore [1969] - Your Love Is Fadin' [Mercury#72939]


Chicago's Johnny Moore was a much overlooked artist, not to be confused with the singer of the same name who was lead singer of The Drifters.  He wrote this song with Jack Daniels who set up the 4 Brothers label in Chicago.  The high point of his career was writing 'Turn Back The Hands Of Time' which was made a hit by Tyrone Davis.

Many of his recordings are held in esteem on the UK rare soul scene. This is probably one of his lesser known ones which was on the flip side to 'There Will Never Be Another You' and released on Mercury in 1969. From what I can tell none of his records had any success even on the US R&B chart.



Tyrone Davis [1971] - Just My Way Of Loving You [Dakar #45-623]


A few weeks ago I posted two versions of this track by Johnny Moore (the co-writer with Jack Daniels) and Garland Green. I forgot about this terrific, more uptempo, crossover version, by Tyrone Davis released in 1971 on Dakar as the flip to 'Could I Forget You'. It's dirt cheap - you should be able to find one for less than a fiver for two good crossover tunes!



Willie Hutch [1970] - Let's Try It Over Again [RCA #LSP-4296]


An album only track from Willie Hutch's 1970 sophomore album 'Season For Love' on RCA. He seems to be well respected as a composer/arranger/producer, especially on 70s Blaxploitation soundtracks, but probably underrated as a vocalist.  I think a discography on his work is well overdue, so keep an watch for it!

Have a listen to the Full Album here and see how he interprets some, basically, MOR material into wonderfully soulful tunes. The album was reissued on vinyl by Be With records in 2016 (unfortunately now sold out).