Willie Johnson And Pat Cooley On The Future Stars Label

[John Reed]

Can anyone help me with a value for Wille Johnson - Left-Over Love/I Can't See Myself on Future Stars?

I'm also interested if anyone knows what the two Pat Cooley tunes are like (soul or funk - like King Tutt) as I have never heard them?

Cheers

[Harrogatesoul]

Not entirely sure myself on these - Had a look around the net - Don't see anything so assume pretty hard!

Pat Cooleys - Only seen the Ichiban 45s about recently -

But also interested if anyone has a Future Stars / Cat / Alston discographies ?

ATB

Rich

[Guest Codfromderby]

Not entirely sure myself on these - Had a look around the net - Don't see anything so assume pretty hard!

Pat Cooleys - Only seen the Ichiban 45s about recently -

But also interested if anyone has a Future Stars / Cat / Alston discographies ?

ATB

Rich

no discographies but can reccommend matilda jones "wrong too long" on future stars "its a cracker"

[John Reed]

Apart from the ones I mentioned IMO they are all cracking tunes (not too keen on the King Tutt, though - Too funk), suppose doing a bit of gap filling in my collection.

If you are looking for discographies checkout the following link.

https://www.georgiasoul.com/gasoul/0-f.html#Future%20Stars

and if you want to hear one side of the Willie Johnson try

https://www.sirshambling.com/artists/W/willie_johnson.htm

BTW Matilda Jones stuff on Justice in the late 80's are worth looking out for (I think there are three), with a couple of reworkings and covers. I still think they are cheap and worth a purchase.

There was an article on Pat Cooley in voices about 90/91 on her, but didn't mention the Future Stars stuff implicitly.

[Baz Atkinson]

ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE LOGO ,SOME SMOULDERING SOUL ON THIS AWESOME LOGO,THE DISCOGRAPHY CAME IN VERY USEFUL,ALSTON LOGO ONE FOR DEEP SOUL FANS AND SOME GREAT FUNK ALSO.

BAZ A.

FORGOT TO MENTION THE AWESOME HERSEY TAYLOR TRACK,GOT ONE OF ANDY DYSON YEARS AGO ONE OF THE BEST DEEP SOUL TRACKS EVER BRILLIANT [ LET ME MAKE HAPPY].

Edited July 18, 2006 by baz atkinson

[Guest rachel]

Apart from the ones I mentioned IMO they are all cracking tunes (not too keen on the King Tutt, though - Too funk), suppose doing a bit of gap filling in my collection.

If you are looking for discographies checkout the following link.

https://www.georgiasoul.com/gasoul/0-f.html#Future%20Stars

Thanks for that, was looking for this last night, knew I'd seen a discography somewhere

Margie Alexander - Keep On Searching / Love Slave - is excellent IMO

[Baz Atkinson]

Thanks for that, was looking for this last night, knew I'd seen a discography somewhere

Margie Alexander - Keep On Searching / Love Slave - is excellent IMO

YES PROPER SOUL LOGO ,KEEP ON SEARCHING BRILLIANT.

[Garethx]

Agree with everyone; a great label. The other Hersey Taylor 45 "I Ain't Gonna Share Your Love" is blinding too. I suppose it might be fair to say that the Willie Johnson on FS is quite rare: you see it listed on the ebay wants of some of the big Japanese buyers: if they don't have it it must be pretty hard to get hold of. I think the record is a masterpiece and even better than Clarence Carter's great original. There have often been topics on here in the past as to the identity of the greatest male soul singer. Willie Johnson must have a small claim to that particular title: he never made anything less than great records which all feature truly spectacular, goosepimple-inducing singing.

[John Reed]

Willie Johnson, what a man indeed. His Cat outing "It's Got To Be Tonight" (ever grateful for the boys, you know who you are, for bringing back some from the states) which in my opinion is his best, near to that has go to be "It's Me" on Savannah International, these used to go for a song until "What I'm Going To Do" kicked off (still not really convinced on it though - I think it's a bit twee, please don't take a hit out on me, as I'm, not trying to be controversial).

[s7oul]

Willie Johnson - It's Got To Be Tonight -

The first dance at my wedding - I loved it, took a while to persuade the missus though, played her about 10 deepies to choose from and to my surprise she chose Willie !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Best Pat

[Baz Atkinson]

Agree with everyone; a great label. The other Hersey Taylor 45 "I Ain't Gonna Share Your Love" is blinding too. I suppose it might be fair to say that the Willie Johnson on FS is quite rare: you see it listed on the ebay wants of some of the big Japanese buyers: if they don't have it it must be pretty hard to get hold of. I think the record is a masterpiece and even better than Clarence Carter's great original. There have often been topics on here in the past as to the identity of the greatest male soul singer. Willie Johnson must have a small claim to that particular title: he never made anything less than great records which all feature truly spectacular, goosepimple-inducing singing.

HI MATE,

ENJOYED YOUR SPOT AT SOUL OR NOTHING BY THE WAY,YEP HE IS RIGHT UP THERE ,LOVE THE CAT OUTING ALSO,IN TERMS OF GREATEST SOUL SINGER HES CERTAINLEY PUSHING BUT IT WOULD TAKE A LOT IN MY EYES TO DISMANTLE A CERTAIN BOBBY WOMACK OR DAVID RUFFIN OR A LATIMORE AND THEN YOU HAVE A CERTAIN MR JUNIOR WHO PUTS WINDOWS OUT ON A REGULAR BASIS WHEN HE HITS THAT HIGH NOTE!

TAKE CARE MATE

BAZ A

[John Reed]

YEP HE IS RIGHT UP THERE ,LOVE THE CAT OUTING ALSO,IN TERMS OF GREATEST SOUL SINGER HES CERTAINLEY PUSHING BUT IT WOULD TAKE A LOT IN MY EYES TO DISMANTLE A CERTAIN BOBBY WOMACK OR DAVID RUFFIN OR A LATIMORE AND THEN YOU HAVE A CERTAIN MR JUNIOR WHO PUTS WINDOWS OUT ON A REGULAR BASIS WHEN HE HITS THAT HIGH NOTE!

It's one of the toughest questions to answer, who is the greatest? It is very hard to compare someone with so little output compared to a Womack or Ruffin. Even when you take all of his records collectively it comes to about 7, which were really only on local labels and compare them to womack's output/volume, you can probably roll off at least 10 monster records without even thinking.

We can only hypothersise what may have happened if he had been picked up by a bigger label such as Atlantic, would it have watered him down, we will never know.

Something that has just poped into my mind, is he still alive, does anyone know?

John