Izipho Soul released their 80th single in early Jul (Split Decision Band) and #84 has just been posted
Vasti Jackson, so what happened to 81 to 83? With pressing plant delays they are
slightly out of sequence but 81 is also now available to pre-order from
Izipho Soul
with a release date of 10 Aug 2022.
It consists of two previously unreleased songs from Roy Hamilton and ex
Drifter Charlie Thomas until they were issued on Kent's 1998 "Bill Haney’s Atlanta Soul Brotherhood" 24 track CD compilation.
Bill Hanley owned the Atlanta, GA, Chant label and is an acknowledged
genius of Southern Soul. In an interview with UK soul aficionado Rod
Dearlove, the editor of the much respected Voices From The Shadows magazine,
Hanley recalled that Roy Hamilton came to town to work the clubs and Bill
had the dramatic song "My Peaceful Forest" that he somehow persuaded Hamilton
to record. Hamilton died in 1969 of a brain haemorrhage aged only 40, so this must be a mid to late 60s recording. He had two #1 R&B chart hits with songs that are now standards, "You'll Never Walk Alone" and "Unchained Melody", in the mid 50s. By the early 60s his career was on the decline and hit records dried up but he will always be remembered by the Northern Soul scene for his self-written song "Crackin' Up Over You" on RCA Victor 1966.
Similarly, whilst in town to perform, he got Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Charlie Thomas to record
"Don’t Let Me Know". The original recording comes in at just over two
minutes (2:13) but Izipho Soul have had an extended version cleared for
this release. So, as the Spotify version is not the same version on the
7", I've included the 3:52 Izipho Soul Soundcloud sound file.
The label artwork reflects the design of the original Chant label.
