Joe Tex [1973/1975] - All The Heaven A Man Really Needs / Under Your Powerful Love [Dial #D-1021 / D-1154]

A couple of things triggered the idea for this post, first Little Royal's version of "Jealous Kind Of Fella" where he raps much of the song and also the hip-hop track by NONDO which samples James Brown. 

It got me thinking when did rapping start. It seems that it is attributed to the late 70s / early 80s with the likes of The Sugar Hill Gang and Grandmaster Flash & co when it was first commercially available but was going on in the Bronx long before in the 70s. Little Royal's single was released in 1972 and a couple of tracks here by Joe Tex, the first 1972/73 and the next 1975 all contain what would be termed as 'rapping'. Millie Jackson was also rapping in the early 70s.

Gil Scott-Heron is regarded as the Godfather of Hip-Hop and his debut solo single released in 1971 (but taken from his 1970 album "Small Talk at 125th and Lenox") "The Television Will Not Be Televised" is considered a major influence on hip-hop music. Before him were The Last Poets who rose out the the civil rights movement in the late 60s with their spoken word albums.

I've chosen a couple of Joe Tex recordings that have been popular on the Northern/Modern Soul scene which contain what could loosely be described as rap: "All The Heaven A Man Really Needs" / "Under Your Powerful Love". 

As Bill Buckley (SoulAndJazzAndFunk) has just reminded me, the title of his 1972 album was "From The Roots Came The Rapper" if we needed further evidence!

Sadly the only UK chart hit Joe Tex had in UK was "Ain't Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman)", can you imagine that ever getting playlisted in these politically correct days? In fact on the official UK chart site they have 'conveniently' removed the last part and named it "Ain't Gonna Bump No More"! Cancel culture in action, as in the song he recorded in 1989 on "Different Strokes", "It's Ridiculous". 

Joe Tex died of a heart attack aged just 47 in 1982.

Details

Rating:	8.6
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Northern Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	7"
Label:	Dial
Cat No:	D-1021 / D-1154
Date:	03/1973 / 06/1975
Key/BPM:	8B/115 / 1B/128
Price:	£15-£25 / £20-£30 approx.

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Joe Tex [1975] - Under Your Powerful Love [Dial D-1154]

Joe Tex (Joseph Arrington Jr.) was another artist who left us very young aged only 47. He died of a heart attack in 1982.

Joe Tex [1975] - Under Your Powerful Love [Dial D-1154]

Staying in a 70s Northern Soul groove, this post is (for me) Joe Tex's finest recording. This is another that was played from release, probably (?) broken at Blackpool Mecca, but was certainly played at St. Ives and Cleethorpes circa 1976 at the same time Jeff Perry as big.

A great spoken prologue 'I was in Detroit, Michigan not too long ago visiting with some friends of mine. I checked into the 20 Grand motel where I always stayed to hang out with  the brothers. As I checked in and put my bags down I could hear this strange conversation coming from next door and it seems like this young lady had gotten into this gentleman's room and really didn't know how she got there ... or at least that's what she was trying to run down on him. And it seems like ah she had too many martinis and she was trying to beg the man off and of course you know I was gonna listen to see how it was gonna come out. I missed some of the conversation but where I came in was when she was saying something to him some words something like this .. let me tell a story ...'     and kicks in with a funky beat whilst he then continues to 'rap'.

This was released about a year before the 'novelty' disco hit he had with Ain't Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman) which was his only UK hit reaching #2 in April 1977 and spent 11 weeks in top 40, 6 of those in top 10 in a country that 'lapped up' innuendo, that put Chuck Berry's My Ding A Ling at #1 in 1972 and Denise LaSalles' Don't Mess With My Toot Toot #6 in 1985 her only UK hit.  It makes you want to cry when artists that contributed so much to R&B and soul music are 'rewarded' with such trite hits and their quality tunes were totally ignored.

I won't post the flip as not applicable for this site but I will post an earlier track in a similar vein i.e. 'All The Heaven A Man Really Needs' instead.  

Joe Tex [1972] - All The Heaven A Man Really Needs [Dial D-1021]

Very similar is structure to the previous track.  I don't recall this getting plays back in the day ... but of course may be wrong and either missed it or have forgotten about it.

Joe Tex [1964] - Old Time Lover [Dial 45-3020]

Northern Soul R&B style from 1964.  This one crept up on me whilst searching for a clip for above. Looks like I'll need to dig deeper into Joe Tex as the only other track I considered posting by him was Show Me which was huge late 70s but was probably a reactivated odie by then as I would have thought that a tune like that would have been played at The Twisted Wheel in 60s which closed in 1971 and I was too young to ever attend.