-->
email Facebook Instagram Instagram Spotify Mixcloud eBay Instagram Linktree

Tuesday 25 July 2023

Tommy Rodgers [2023] - Give Me My Freedom / Tell It To The Wind // United Hearts Of America / Pass The Word [MD Records #MD122/MD123]


MD Records has obtained two unreleased songs plus two alternate mixes of the only released record by Detroit's Tommy Rodgers.

His single on jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal's, NYC based, AJP in 1969 found it's way into our collection via one of the, now legendary, Soul Bowl soul packs in the mid 70s and we always felt that  both sides had potential but weren't picked up on by the Northern Soul fraternity until much later. It was a big in-demander circa 2015.

The official A side "I'll Tell It To The Wind" is mid-tempo, crossover tune whilst the flip, "Pass The Word", is a driving Motownesque dancer.

The single doesn't seem to be particularly easy to find and consistently sells for between £200-£300 with only two currently listed on Discogs at the higher end. 

MD Records has split the released single over two releases pairing "Tell It To The Wind" with the unreleased "Give Me My Freedom" and "Pass The World" with "United Hearts Of America" but with a twist as they are alternate takes of both released songs.

The label's Jordan Wilson researched Mr Rodgers who was born Thomas Gilbert Rodgers in Dec 1942, his family migrating from Georgia to Detroit near the renowned Brewster-Douglass housing project. The same development where Diana Ross & The Supremes emerged from. In fact Diana Ross was Rodgers teenage sweetheart who he sang with! 

Jordan discovered that Tommy had been invited by Otis Williams to audition with his group (who would of course become The Temptations) for Motown's Gordy imprint in 1961. Unfortunately Rodgers had to decline as he was drafted for the Vietnam war. A sad twist of fate as who knows what the outcome for Tommy would have been?

In Oct 1969 Rodgers cut five songs at Detroit's Pioneer Studio: "Summer Love", "Tell It to The Wind", "United Hearts of America", "Give Me Freedom (Or Give Me Love)" and "Pass the Word". These came to the attention of James Shaw who was A&R man at AJP who had connections to Detroit having previously worked at Golden World Studios and remaining in contact with Funk Brother's trombonist Don White. "Tell It to The Wind" and  "Pass the Word" were released as the inaugural single on the AJP label on 11 Oct 1969.

The single failed to register and Tommy returned to normal life until 1974 when he made a comeback forming a group called The Brewster Crew. He wrote two songs with Doris Williams and James Nyx Jr, "Outta My Life" and "I'm One Who Know" released on Lifeline Records in 1974.

Rather than repeat the story over two post we have chosen to post both singles here. We've also posted the original AJP recordings as well.

Both singles are available now from MD Records.

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


Details
Rating: 8.4
Explicit: N
Genre/Style: Northern Soul
Format: Single / Previously Unreleased
Media: 7" Vinyl
Label: MD Records
Cat No: MD122 // MD123
Date: 15/07/2023
Key/BPM: N/A
Price: £15 each
Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved


No comments: