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Sunday, 26 June 2022

Jock Mitchell & The Fabulous Agents [2022] - No Mad Woman / Free At Last [MD #MDJW 004]


Mark Anderson and Des Parker's MD Records have three new vinyl releases available. The first to post is a reissue of a 1968 Jock Mitchell single.

Arnold Jake Mitchell (aka Jock Mitchell) was born in 1944 in Tampa, FL, and started his career aged 13 singing with Skyliners and later as Little Jake & The Blenders. He toured with the likes of James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke and Bobby 'Blue' Bland and was mentored by B.B.King. His first recording "Darling Darling Baby" was on Chess in 1957 allegedly on the same master tape as Chuck Berry.
After he completed college in Florida in 1964 he moved north and performed at the Apollo Theatre in NYC a year later. He recorded a single on Philly's Newtown label ("Turn On Your Lovelight" / "You Can Make It If You Try") in 1964 followed by a couple of singles on Harry Balk's Impact label in Detroit including his Northern Soul classic "Not A Chance In A Million". in 1967-68. 

Later he setup his own label Golden Hit Productions on which he recorded these two sides. "Free At Last" was the first released credited to James Barnes (J.J. Barnes) & The Agents but it is believed that it was actually Jock and not J.J. Barnes singing (listen closely to both versions and I think you'll agree that the voice is identical!). Note that "No Mad Woman" is a typo and should have been "Nomad Woman".

The Agents were Jock Mitchell, Frank Washington (who quit the group just before the release), Bernard 'Bernie' Simmons and Charles 'Chuck' Kemp. 

He recorded another single on Cha-Joc which was registered to Gainesville, FL. date unknown but was affiliated to Golden Hit so probably late 60s.

Jock is still performing today in Florida as Little Jake and the Soul Searchers and is now approaching his 78th birthday.


Details
Rating: 8
Explicit: N
Genre/Style: 60s Soul
Format: Single
Media: 7" Vinyl
Label: MD Records
Cat No: MDJW 004
Date: 21/06/2022 (1968)
Key/BPM: N/A
Price: £15
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1 comment:

USMAN47 said...

This is an underrated singer. And yet he made some good singles on Detroit. I think you're right: we don't recognize J.J. Barnes' voice.

Yves