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Soul Junction Finally Pop The Question

Soul Junction Finally Pop The Question magazine cover

Oliver Cheatham: “Soul Junction Finally Pop The Question”

Listen to ‘Don’t Pop The Question’:

http://soundcloud.com/chalkster/oliver-cheatham-dont-pop-the

Listen to ‘Good Guys Don’t Make Good Lovers’:

http://soundcloud.com/chalkster/oliver-cheatham-good-guys-dont

Some of you while listening to your favourite internet radio soul shows over the last couple of years may have heard a great little uptempo 70’s dancer track reputedly by a female artist by name of Pam Jackson (a name purely based on a assumption). At long last the true identity of both the artist and the track has eventually been found, the full story continues below:

The origins of the track came from a un-credited acetate that was won on E-bay by Italian collector Marco Cavenaghi. The acetate contained six tracks with the only information to be found being the name Pam Jackson which had been handwritten on the sleeve. Marco gave a cut of one the tracks to his friend Olindo Di Tizio to play on his radio show. It was Olindo who later passed a cut of the track which by now people were calling ‘Don’t Pop The Question’ to the following UK dj’s Bob Smith, Kevin Oxberry, Steve Plumb and Wayne Arbon, in the vain hope that through greater exposure someone would come forward and recognise the track thus revealing it’s true identity. Chat room discussions also failed to uncover any further evidence. Although a school of thought did arise that a possible candidate could be Detroiter Oliver Cheatham (who was renowned for his falsetto vocals) and that the track could be a previously unissued Magic City release.

In March of this year (2012) during a conversation between myself and Kevin Oxberry (Kevin had previously spoken to me about the track) the subject of the elusive Pam Jackson track was raised again. Kevin stated that he and the other guys had exhausted all their avenues of enquiry and two years on were still none the wiser and had all but given up. At this point I volunteered Soul Junction’s services to track the real artist down. First of all I contacted A.J. Sparks, A.J had been a session drummer at Magic City and had played on most of the sessions but he didn’t recognise the track, this was followed up by talking to Cynthia Girty Of Cynthia And The Imaginations/ Imaginary Three, thus eliminating any remote chance of Pam Jackson being an alias or real name of one of the girls.

My own gut feeling was indeed that the real singer was in fact Oliver Cheatham after comparing the track against his Polydor and Grand Junction releases etc. So next up I called Janet ‘Pixie’ Wright a former session singer at Magic City and a close friend of Oliver’s who still tours as a session singer with him and Jocelyn Brown to this day.

Janet gave me Oliver’s telephone number, now Oliver a regular commuter (between Detroit and France) was actually in Detroit at that very moment. So I gave Oliver a call and explained what was on my mind and then proceeded to play him “Don’t Pop The Question” down the phone. After about 20 seconds in Oliver was singing along and excitedly shouting ‘man that’s my song that’s” Don’t Pop The Question (If You Can’t Take The Answer)” the songs real and full title.

This was the first time Oliver had heard the song in nearly forty years. So after he eventually calmed down I played all the other tracks from the acetate to him. He instantly recognised a second track the beautiful sweet soul ballad “Good Guys Don’t Make Good Lovers”. “Great! We’ve got an A and B side how’s about leasing them to Soul Junction for a 45 release Oliver?” Say’s I, “yes!” Came the reply, “but I need to remember when and where I recorded them?” Say’s Oliver.

A day later Oliver called me to say after much thought he remembered recorded the tracks in circa 1974/75 and that he co -wrote both songs with his cousin Bill Miller and that Bill may well be the songs producer. As a precaution we systematically contacted all the people who Oliver recorded for in and around this time to see if they had any claim on the tracks, one by one they all came back with the answer no! At this point things began to look doubtful and Oliver still hadn’t located the elusive Bill. A month passed before one night out of the blue I eventually received a call from Bill Miller.

Bill a former Vietnam veteran and’ purple heart’ medal holder apologised for not contacting me sooner but his current business commitments involved a lot of travelling throughout the United States. He first off wanted to know how we got hold of the songs (see above) and then he confirmed to me that he was the producer on both tracks. He went on to Explain, that at the time (circa 74/75) nothing was really happening for him and Oliver having just left the Gaslight was considering a solo career, so they both clubbed together and bought some studio time at United Sound Studio’s In Detroit. This being where Bill produced some of their songs on Oliver (as well as some other artists). Bill then later received an invitation to a Producer’s party which the Motown Corporation were hosting to discover new local talent.

Billy got a couple of studio acetates cut to take to the party which featured Oliver singing ‘Don’t Pop The Question’ and ‘Good Guys Don’t Make Good Lovers’ plus two other funk tracks by him. The acetate also feature two tracks by a female artist presumably the mysterious Pam Jackson (Bill has still yet to definitely confirm this). Subsequently Billy was signed by Motown as an arranger, producer and songwriter going on to work with the Commodores as well as the blue-eyed Ohio funk band Wild Cherry of ‘Play That Funky Music White Boy’ fame. Bill lost track of the acetates and now assumes that may have been left behind at United Sound studios when he removed his tapes and were probably sold off when the studio closed down? What ever happened, both copies eventually found their way on to the open market via E-bay.

David Welding

Oliver Cheatham’s “Don’t Pop The Question (If You Can’t Take The Answer)/Good Guys Don’t Make Good Lovers” Soul Junction (SJ518) is due for general release on Monday October 15th 2012. The A-side is the joyous dance track “Don’t Pop The Question (If You Can’t Take The Answer)” which once heard leaves the songs unforgettable hook firmly inside your head. While the B-side is the beautiful sweet soul ballad “Good Guys Don’t Make Good Lovers” which showcases Oliver’s falsetto vocals to perfection and is so reminiscent of his earlier 1970’s Grand Junction and Polydor releases.

For those of you who are not familiar with the songs please take a listen to the sound clips on the Soul Junction website: www.souljunctionrecords.co.uk

Acknowledgements to:

Oliver Cheatham, Bill Miller, Janet Wright, Irene Perkins, Vee Allen, George McGregor, Cynthia Girty, Anthony Jones (aka A.J.Sparks), Marco Cavenaghi, Olindo Di Tizio, Bob Smith (Uptight Records) Kevin Oxberry and Nick Robbins (Sound Mastering Ltd)

Press Release: Oliver Cheatham “Don’t Pop The Question (If You Can’t Take The Answer)/ Good Guys Don’t Make Good Lovers” Soul Junction 518

Release Date: Monday October 15th 2012

Oliver Cheatham will forever be remembered for his timeless 1983 R & B hit “Get Down Saturday Night” on MCA records, which he co-wrote with fellow Detroit musician Kevin McCord. But Oliver’s career began way back in the mid 1960’s when his future brother in law Allen Cocker invited Oliver to join his group The Young Sirs.

The Young Sirs eventually joined Ernest and Barbara Burt’s Magic City label where they recorded the mellifluous “There’s Something The Matter (With Your Heart)” with Oliver now being regarded as the groups lead singer.

Into the 70’s the Young Sirs became The Gaslight who recorded several excellent 45’s for Marvin Higgins’ Grand Junction label. With their “Just Because Of You/It’s Just Like Magic” later being picked up for national distribution by Polydor Records.

Under the guidance of influential Detroit radio DJ and record producer Al Perkins, Oliver firstly became the lead singer of the group Sins Of Satin later re-named Roundtrip and then following a further re-naming just becoming known as Oliver.

Following on from “Get Down Saturday Night” Oliver continued to score chart success with “SOS”, “Celebrate Our Love” followed by two duets with Jocelyn Brown “Turn Out The Lights” and “Mind Buster”. Further chart success came in 2003 when Oliver featured as a guest vocalist on Room 5’s UK No1 hit “Make Luv” which incidentally sampled Oliver’s “Get Down Saturday Night”. Oliver at this juncture was residing in England and had previously recorded a garage version of the old standard “Our Day Will Come” with the London based band, Native Soul.

And so to the present, 2012 will see Oliver return to the fore with the eventual discovery of two great previously unissued 70’s soul tracks found on a once lost and forgotten acetate. The A-side is the joyous dance track “Don’t Pop The Question (If You Can’t Take The Answer)” which once heard leaves the song’s unforgettable hook line firmly in your head. While the B-side is the beautiful sweet soul ballad “Good Guys Don’t Make Good Lovers” which

showcases Oliver’s falsetto vocals and is so reminiscent of his earlier 1970’s Grand Junction and Polydor releases. 2012 will also see Oliver return on a vanity project of his own with the forthcoming “Enjoy” cd album.

For further information please contact John Anderson or Dave Welding

Tel: +44 (0)121 602 8115 E-mail sales@souljunctionrecords.co.uk



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This could be the quickest release then instant deletion ever Dave :ohmy::ohmy::ohmy:

Good luck on a magnificent 45.................................my advice to everyone is to get a copy at all costs (well ten quid for the moment anyway :thumbsup: )

Cheers

Steve

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This could be the quickest release then instant deletion ever Dave :ohmy::ohmy::ohmy:

Good luck on a magnificent 45.................................my advice to everyone is to get a copy at all costs (well ten quid for the moment anyway :thumbsup: )

Cheers

Steve

Yep! Steve

Just following on from Natural Impulse x 2, The Invitations, Bill Spoon, Jesse James, Duane Williams etc etc

Anyone who ain't bagged themselves a Fairplay, Audio or Ivy Jo Hunter better pull their fingers out too :thumbsup:

Dave

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I'm so glad to see the release of this 45 and finally getting confirmation that it is indeed Oliver Cheatham. I remember first hearing this played from Olindo's recording and went on a mission to find out more myself. As shown above, details were very sketchy and it appeared that the acetate at that time was the only one in circulation. Imagine my surprise, when I saw another acetate show up a couple of years later! Despite bidding quite high, the cat was already out of the bag and the winner's bid was too rich for my blood.

I've been playing this on the radio and weekenders for some time to great response, but was unable to reveal the artist. So well done to Soul Junction for finally sorting out the contractual stuff and getting this 45 released. I suspect this will be the quickest selling and most played out Soul Junction 45 yet!

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Christ - just having read the opening two paragraphs, it was hardly a national Scotland Yard case was it. So sorry to read even the regional and local sound detectives "assumed"!! :ohmy:

Reading it was "only" exposed to the elitist rare seventies crowd. When collectors of major label products, who with a much vaster musical ear, would have nailed the true identity in a instance. :wicked:

Makes the title of this song so much more in keeping !!!

Never mind :).

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This could be the quickest release then instant deletion ever Dave :ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy:Good luck on a magnificent 45.................................my advice to everyone is to get a copy at all costs (well ten quid for the moment anyway :thumbsup: )CheersSteve
Bang on Steve

Its a goodie for sure.....i dont believe have slipped back into my old record buying ways and ended up buying 2 copies -just in case ?????

Ya know i may wear the first one out etc-talk about me panic buying etc...mmm who me never....maybe a 3rd copy ya know..... just in just in case you never know ya know???

What a great write up and bio on Oliver Cheatham !! and all this helping to make soul music and the collecting of still very exciting and pretty promising for 2012 into 2013

https://soundcloud.com/chalkster/oliver-cheatham-dont-pop-the

https://soundcloud.com/chalkster/oliver-cheatham-good-guys-dont

ktf tfk :rofl:

MP3s not currently allowed site, hence files replaced.

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Bang on Steve

Its a goodie for sure.....i dont believe have slipped back into my old record buying ways and ended up buying 2 copies -just in case ????? ya know i may wear the first one out etc- talk about me panic buying etc...who me never....maybe a 3rd copy ya know..... just in just in case you never know ya know???

What a great write up and bio on Oliver Cheatham !! and all this helping to make soul music and the collecting of still very exciting and pretty promising for 2012 into 2013

ktf tfk

You little hoarder you......and you're not alone :ohmy:

I can't speak for Dave at the label but this has certainly been the fastest and best selling 45 I've ever had from me web site. It's been like a packing factory at ours over the last week!

Speak soon Andy

Cheers

Steve

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Oliver (during in Move days) snapped in his hotel room up in Scotland ...

Hi John

We used this photo in the article on Oliver Cheatham : Forever Saturday Night which is running in tandem with this article, check it out in Chalky's Articles section, thanks again for allowing us to use it. Did you receive your complementary 45 O.K ?

Dave

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Hi John

We used this photo in the article on Oliver Cheatham : Forever Saturday Night which is running in tandem with this article, check it out in Chalky's Articles section, thanks again for allowing us to use it. Did you receive your complementary 45 O.K ?

Dave

Dave, I only checked this article and didn't see the photo up there. Just looked at the 'Forever Saturday Night' article which I didn't know was up on the site as well & saw it there.

I see Oliver made mention of the 'Mad Dog & Pups' tracks in the 'other article' (Forever Saturday Night) on him.

Yes, got the 45 -- Many thanks.

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Hi Folks

Just a quick post to let you know that we (Soul Junction) have now sold out of "Don't Pop The Question (If You Can't Take The Answer). So if you haven't yet made this essential purchase then contact any of the following Stockists, Fish at Simply Soul, Plumby at Soulmusic.co.uk, Ian Clark Music, Funky Feet Records,Steve's Soul Sounds, Crazy Beat, Soul Brothers or Rare Northern Soul Ltd. :thumbsup:

Thanks to all who have purchased this title, and the hard working Solar and Starpoint DJ's who've well and truly got behind it. :hatsoff2:

Regards

Dave

Soul Junction

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Dave, was this 45 made under a 'limited press' agreement whereby you can't press up more copies ??

... or would it be uneconomic to press up more copies not knowing how many of them would 'fly out the door' ??

It has to be just about your fastest selling release whatever the case !!

Seems those folk that don't immediately chase up a copy from one of the existing stockists are gonna be out of luck.

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Hi John

Most small Independent labels press limited runs these days, of course if we wished to press more we most certainly could,but then you start getting flak from collectors ( i.e Gregory Porter).

So definitely no re-press.

Oliver's 45 has been one of our faster seller's along with Bill Spoon, Daune Williams, Jesse James, Natural Impulse etc

Fairplay and Ivy Jo Hunter are not far away from selling out. So too is Audio's "Won't Somebody" regardless of the vitriol we received for not making this available on a download.

There's plenty more stuff in can to come from the Junction in the near and far distant future.

Dave

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I was just playing this the other night, and read on Facebook people actually debating if it was any good, I shouted at my screen, expecting them to hear in my simple old man mind,

NO ITS NOT ANY GOOD, ITS FU**ING FANTASTIC, nay beyond fantastic, one of the best unreleased 70's since Bridge and that is saying something. They went quiet after that.

Really rate this, Andy Whitmore was just saying it must be Louise that is picking the tunes as there is no way a bloke from the Midlands could have this good taste. A bit harsh I thought but you know that Andy.

Just buy it now, and look for the Fairplay one too, that should tickle your fancy and get you in the mood like your partner refuses to do since your operation.

Top label.

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Hi John

Most small Independent labels press limited runs these days, of course if we wished to press more we most certainly could,but then you start getting flak from collectors ( i.e Gregory Porter).

So definitely no re-press.

Oliver's 45 has been one of our faster seller's along with Bill Spoon, Dune Williams, Jesse James, Natural Impulse etc

Fairplay and Ivy Jo Hunter are not far away from selling out. So too is Audio's "Won't Somebody" regardless of the vitriol we received for not making this available on a download.

There's plenty more stuff in can to come from the Junction in the near and far distant future.

Dave

I think it was only a very small handful of collectors that made a fuss over Gregory Porter. And it was totally unwarranted too as the label design was different and Gregory is a living, working artist. I've got this 45 and it wouldn't bother me one jot if you issued more due to demand but I'm probably in an easy going minority.

I don't recall any vitriol over not releasing an mp3 of Audio, but certainly comments were made. I still think it's a good idea for all your releases. It won't devalue the 45s, makes them more accessible, additional revenue for you and enables the likes of me to be able to listen to it more often.

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