Connie Austin / Charles Spurling [2023] - Ball Of Fire / You've Got Love On Top Of Love [Kent Select #CITY 084]

Another vinyl release today from Kent consists of two sides written by Chare Spurling.

The A side is the original version of "Ball Of Fire" by Connie Austin co-written by Charles Spurling with a white country singer named Louis Todd Innis. The song was released in 1968 on King and is her only release as she moved to L.A. not long afterwards and was murdered. It was covered by Marva Whitney the following year on the same label. Austin's original is taken at a slower, more crossover, pace but both are great versions. 

Spurling grew up in Lincoln Heights, OH, and would spar with The Isley Brothers on street corners in singing contests. He met and wrote for Junior McCants who was signed to King. He thought writing for McCants would get his foot in the door at King and wrote his 1967 ultra-rarity (promo only) "Try Me For Your New Love". Spurling recorded five singles for King between 1967-69 including a NS favourite "She Cried Just A Minute". He went on to write songs for several artists on the label including James Brown and Hank Ballard & The Midnighters.

The song on this new Kent Select release, "You’ve Got Love On Top Of Love", is a unissued recording at the time, first seeing the light of day on a Kent CD compilation "King Northern Soul Volume 2" in 2001. On the same compilation is the original flip side of Austin's "Ball Of Fire",  "She Made A Mistake" which is a NS stormer, also written by Spurling, on which she sounds similar to Marva Whitney.

NOTE The track listing from the compilation that "Ball Of Fire" is taken from on Spotify ("Royal Grooves") has been mistitled so it is showing as Gloria Edwards "(Need Nobody Help Me) Keep Up With My Man"

Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.

Details

Rating:	8.5
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Northern Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	7" Vinyl
Label:	Kent Select
Cat No:	CITY 084
Date:	27/01/2023
Key/BPM:	N/A
Price:	£10.88

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