Soul Strutter

Friday, 24 March 2023

Frederick Knight [2023] - You've Never Really Lived / How, When Or Where [Soul4Real #S4R28]

The second 7" vinyl release from Soul4Real is from Birmingham, AL, singer/songwriter Frederick Knight. As a recording artist, Knight had a modest career and will be best known, or perhaps only known, for "Ive Been Lonely For So Long" on Stax which peaked at #8 R&B and crossed over to #27 Hot 100 and also made it to #22 UK pop chart in 1972. The song, written by Knight's wife, Posie, and Jerry Weaver, was actually recorded a year before his hit version by Rita & The Soulettes which was a reggae version which isn't surprising when you learn that Rita is Rita Marley, the wife of Bob.

Only two more of Knight's solo efforts made it into the R&B chart, the excellent "I Betcha Didn't Know That" (also recorded by Ben E. King) in 1975 and his version of "The Old Songs" which was a pop hit for Barry Manilow in 1981. He did of course release much more material, around 20 plus singles and four albums.

He is more celebrated as a songwriter and wrote Anita Ward's #1 worldwide disco hit "Ring My Bell" in 1979. When Stax folded in 1975, Knight set up his own label, Juana, whose main artists were The Controllers, Anita Ward, Tommy Tate, CL Blast and Knight himself.

Curiously, we mentioned Mary Gresham in the previous post for the other Soul4Real release by Annette Snell as she co-wrote "Promises Should Never Be Broken" recorded by Snell with her brother Jimmy Gresham. She also recorded a song with the same title i.e. "You've Never Really Lived" but it's a different song. The song was previously issued on a CD compilation "Birmingham Sound: The Soul Of Neal Hemphill, Vol. 1" in 2006

The flip side is "How, When Or Where" a previously unreleased song until released on the second volume of "Birmingham Sound: The Soul Of Neal Hemphill, Vol. 2" also in 2006.

Thanks for the corrections left in comment by s13.

The single is available to pre-order via Paypal for release on 14 Apr '23

€15 + postage (1-5 copies) €3 Spain, €6.90 UK & Europe €10.45 USA & rest of the world

soul4realrecordlabel@gmail.com

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

Details

Rating:	8.4
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Southern Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	7" Vinyl
Label:	Soul4Real
Cat No:	S4R28
Date:	14/04/2023
Key/BPM:	N/A
Price:	€15

Monday, 15 August 2022

Frederick Knight [1975] - I Betcha Didn't Know That [Truth #TRA-3216]

Frederick Knight is celebrating his 77th birthday today. His only UK hit and only Billboard Hot 100 hit was "I've Been Lonely For So Long" in 1972. The song was actually recorded first by Rita & The Soulettes as a reggae version in 1971. Rita was Rita Marley wife of Bob Marley.

A song of his that has always stuck in my mind is one he wrote with Sam Dees (which has got his signature all through it) and recorded in 1975 on Stax subsidiary Truth (which was posted a month or so back recorded by Ben E. King), is "I Betcha Didn't Know That". KC & The Sunshine Band also covered it in 1979 as the flip side to "Please Don't Go" which was a #3 UK pop chart hit. There are a also few other versions.

When Stax folded in 1975 Knight set up his own label Juana writing for and producing The Controllers. The label hit pay dirt with a disco song "Ring My Bell" he wrote for Anita Ward which was a world-wide #1 hit in 1979. Not his finest song, which was originally written for a 12 year old Stacy Lattisaw but she chose to sign for Cotillion so the song was given to Anita Ward.

Another killer song written by Knight & Dees was "Drop My Heart Off At The Door" recorded by Barbara Hall on the flip to her Northern/Modern soul biggie "You Brought It On Yourself" in Jun 1975. It was produced by Chicago soul legends Major Lance and Otis Leavill. Ben E. King recorded it as an album track only ("Supernatural Thing") in US but it gained a UK single release as the flip to "Happiness Is Where You Find It" in 1975. I'm not sure which was first but would guess Ben E. King.