A Numero Group digital reissue of two sides by Harvey Scales & The Seven Sounds released on Magic Touch in 1967.
The group was formed in Milwaukee in 1961 by Harvey Scales and Albert Vance. In addition to Vance who was bassist and bandleader, The Seven Sounds were Rudolph Jacobs (guitar), Bill Stonewall (drums), with a horn section of Monnie Smith (trumpet), Bill Purtie (bari sax), Ray Armstead (tenor sax) and Mel Taylor (tenor sax). They released around a dozen singles under this name between 1962-72, and some as The Seven Seas, with Scales himself releasing several more billed as a solo artist, so whether or not the group was still backing him I don't know.
Scales & Vance's biggest claim to fame is for writing Johnnie Taylor's 1976 #1 hit "Disco Lady" which was the very first platinum selling record in RIAA history. Scales was also a member of The Esquires ("Get On Up" fame) for a short period who also originated in Milwaukee, initially based around the Moorer family Betty, Gilbert, Alvis and Perry, before relocating to Chicago where they went to audition for Curtis Mayfield but ended up with signing to Bill 'Bunky' Sheppard's Bunky Records (which succeeded Constellation after it closed down in 1966) and hit with their first single "Get On Up" in 1967 (#3 R&B / #11 Hot 100).
The single "Get Down" / "Love-Itis" was their only hit reaching #32 R&B. "Love-Itis" was covered by The J Geils Band in 1975.
Scales is possibly best known in modern soul circles for his album only track "Universal Love" (co-written with Melvin Griffin) from his 1978 "Confidential Affair" album on Casablanca also recorded as a single the same year by Z.Z. Hill on Columbia.
1 comment:
Numero Group has also published 19 MP3 files from this excellent group from the Cuca period.
Yves
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