Spectrum Records - New York

[Sunnysoul]

Great and somewhat underappreciated label which lasted from the late 60s into the early 80s.

Man behind it appeared to be John Bennings as reported in Billboard Magazine on 10 August 1968. Anyone have any information on Bennings and the label?

Ostensibly  a label built around Lily Fields as she featured on releases right through the life of the label .. although she briefly appeared on Paramount, Chumley and Sunburst in the mid 70s and then returned.  Information on Lily Fields  seems to be fairly sparse though .... 

Any information on the other artists ? The northern scene is well acquainted with Hoagy Lands , Ronnie Mitchell and Billy Sha Rae but what of the others? Is Top Shelf the same outfit as on Lo Lo Records ?

The discography of Dave Rimmer and John Reed on Soulfulkindamusic (trust Dave doesn't object to it being reproduced here) has some gaps though .  Anyone have information on these gaps ?

Spectrum

101 - Lilly Fields - How You Give Me Love / On The Weekend - ?
102 - Ronnie Mitchell - Soul Touch / Back In Business - 1968
103 - Lillie Fields - I've Been Discovered / The Price Is Right - 1968
104 - Ronnie Mitchell - Hang Loose / A Man Ain't no Stronger Than His Heart - 1968
105 - Louis Younger - Night Chick / A Friend In Need - 1968
106 - Reggie Lavong b/w The Shiloh Pentecostal Choir - Skin Deep / Peace Happiness & Joy - ?
107 - Lillie Fields - Crying Candle / A Boy In A Mans World - ?
108 - Louis Younger - Loneliness Won't Leave Me / Night Chick - ?
109 - ? 
110 - ? 
111 - Bernard Smith - Never Let Me Go / Man Without Peace - ?
112 - Lillie Fields - I've Been Discovered / On The Weekend - ?
113 - Ronnie Mitchell - Back In Business / Loving Is A Pleasure - 1969
114 - Billy Sha-Rae - Do It / Crying Clown - 1969
115 - Soul  Serveres - I Got It / I Got It (Part 2) - 1969
116 - Lily Fields & Hoagy Lands - Beautiful Music / Crying Candle - 1969
117 - Lily Fields - I've Forgotten To Cry / I'll Get Along Somehow - ?
118 - Lily Fields & Hoagy Lands - Sweet Soul (Brother) / A Boy In A Mans World - 1970
119 - Top Shelf - Stop And Listen (Open Your Heart) / Let Them Keep On Talking - ?
120 - Billy Sha-Rae - I'm Gone / Lets Do it Again - ?
121 - Lily Fields - The Price Is Right / No Sad Songs - ?
122 - Hoagy Lands - Why Didn't You Let Me Know / Do You Know What Life Is All About - 1971
123 - Lily Fields - How You Give Me Love / I Can't Stand This Hurt - ?
124 - Top Shelf - You're Hurting Me / Doggone Baby I Love You - ?
125 - Angela Simpson - Little Children Part I / Little Children Part II - 1972
126 - Hoagy Lands & Lily Fields - Beautiful Music / When Love Comes - 1971
127 - Lily Fields - I Have A Dream / Abraham, Martin And John - 1971
128 - Lily Fields & The Family - Once You Understand / Help Me Make It Through The Night - 1971
129 - Hoagy Lands - Reminisce / Why Didn't You Let Me Know - 1971
130 - Hoagy Lands - Do It Tight / A Man Ain't No Stronger Than His Heart - 1972
131 - ? 
132 - ?
133 - ? 
134 - ? 
135 - Monarch - Dirty Music / Music Man - ?
136 - ? 
137 - Bad Bascomb - Funk City / Crocodile - ?
138 - Lily Fields Bad Bascomb Band - The Weekend / Disco Santa - ?
139 - Lily Fields - Pleasure Me / I'll Get Along Somehow - ?
140 - Hoagy Lands - The Bell Ringer / The Bell Ringer (Instrumental) - 1976
141 - Lily Fields - Lover / Honestly I Love You - 1976
142 - ? 
143 - Bad Bascomb Band - Do It Twice / Funk City - (12" has the same number) - ?
144 - ? 
145 - Lily Fields - He's A Wonder - Pt 1 / He's A Wonder - Pt 2 - ?
160 - Tommy Clark b/w Lily Fields - What Cha Gonna Do (A Mind) / He's A Wonder - (12") 1982
161 - Tommy Clark b/w Lily Fields - What Cha Gonna Do (A Mind) / He's A Wonder - 1982 

Discography by John Reed

A personal fave on the label:

 

[Roburt]

John Benning started out as a singer, first in gospel & then in the R&B field. He recorded a gospel 45 for Savoy in 1958 & a secular 45 for Clock in 59. In the late 60's, he was operating Fun City Records of 1674 Broadway, NY, they released an Eddie Long 45. He obviously also had some sort of tie up with Paramount Records in the early to mid 70's.

He wrote lots of songs and worked with the likes of Teacho Wilshire & Robert Banks. He seemed to have a long standing relationship with the Shilot Pentecostal Church which was based in many US locations but John seemed to be linked with their Brooklyn & New Jersey churches.

I'd bet that Lily Fields came out of the gospel world where John had met her & that Lily Fields was not her real name (just a stage / recording name).

John also worked with Bad Bascomb for a number of years. BB was really jazz funk bass player Wilbur Bascomb. He played (on records) with the likes of Bobbi Humphrey, Melvin Sparks, Marlena Shaw, the Joneses, Roy Ayers, Luther (LVD), Pretty Purdie, the Tymes, Idris Muhammad, Herbie Mann, Major Harris, Don Downing, George Benson & many, many more.

Spectrum #142 was Sharon Harley & Shilot Ensemble singing Robert Bank's song "Baby Boy". 

 

Edited July 4, 2016 by Roburt

[Roburt]

It's a pity I didn't ask Hoagy Lands about his work with John Bennings when he was over here for the Cleggy Weekender.

Ady / Dougie were a bit concerned for Hoagy that weekend as he wasn't in the best frame of mind or health. So I was taken along to chat with him & travel with him to the venue. We chatted about lots of things related to his music career but I never knew to ask him about John B.

[Roburt]

Spectrum #142 ...... BTW, He's still registered with BMI & the address above seems to be current .... 

[Roburt]

Whilst working in conjunction with Chumley Records (of NY), John had stuff licensed by Paramount Records (Fred Gripper --1974).

Chumley had stuff out by the likes of Lily Fields & Fred Gripper (+ Gene Toone, Troy Keyes). BTW, Gene Toone also cut "Baby Boy".

John B obviously took tracks to Paramount like the Fred Gripper 45 and cuts by Bad Bascombe, Lloyd Price, Shilot Pentecostal Chorale, Ken Munson & Billy Gordon. A few are jazz guys so maybe they hooked up with John B via Wilbur Bascombe.

It seems like there was a bunch of NY based music biz guys that worked together (sharing contacts, etc.) to get indie recordings onto local major & indie labels.

Edited July 4, 2016 by Roburt

[Sunnysoul]

With Benning's connections to the church no surprise that Robert Banks's name appears on  a  number of records that Bennings was involved with .

Edited July 4, 2016 by sunnysoul

[Soul Shrews]

Hoagy Lands "Bellringer" sounds earlier than "76 from memory ?

Cheers Paul

[Baz Atkinson]

One of my fav logos got OVER 20 so far,the spec 106 has skin deep part 11 on on my copy would like too see the other copy if possible ? This is on blue Spectrum also !

[Roburt]

15 hours ago, sunnysoul said:

 The Shiloh Pentecostal Choir -  Peace Happiness & Joy

Here tis (off the net) ........ 

[Baz Atkinson]

looks like their have doubled up on this? Wonder if this has happened on any other cuts? 

[Chris Turnbull]

18 hours ago, sunnysoul said:

A personal fave on the label:

Brilliant track, features on the excellent mid 80's Kent LP 'New York City Soul' along with Billy Sha-Rae

[Baz Atkinson]

It is the same Top Shelf as Lo Lo folks have a read below guys !! And sorry for negative feedback ive been offline on here for 5 years and pressed the wrong button lol -jeezzz will get their in the end I think ! PS Note the George Kerr connection !! 

Lolo Records was a Birmingham based record label. It was a subsidiary of the Nate McCalla's New York label "Calla Records", active from the 1965 to 1977. Calla records were distributed first by Cameo-Parkway, then independently, (sometimes in association with Morris Levy's Roulette Records), and in the mid 1970's by Shakat Records and CBS (Epic).

Artists who recorded for Lolo include Sam Dees and Top Shelf.

Producers who worked with Lolo include George Kerr and B. B. Cunningham

An unrelated "LoLo Records", active since 1991, is located in Roxobel, North Carolina.

[Sjclement]

This is from '83 with a different numbering system but the same lable design J Bennings & R Banks are on the credits?

B side is The Bellringer instrumental (which I assume is a re-issue of the Hoagy Lands)

[jimmyjrg]

On 04/07/2016 at 17:38, Roburt said:

In the late 60's, he was operating Fun City Records of 1674 Broadway, NY, they released an Eddie Long 45.

Sorry to revive such an old thread, but I was reading about Fun City earlier and I don't think John Bennings ran that Fun City. The Fun City that put out the Eddie Long 45 was a sublabel of Julmar and didn't seem to have a connection to Bennings.

But then there's another Fun City who put out a 45 by Bobby Belmont, and Bobby Belmont put out some 45s on Laurie Records, which is where Bennings ran the Spectrum sublabel. So there's a clear connection there.

This is just going off information I've pulled from Billboard, Cash Box, and Jet magazines, but I've updated the Discogs listings accordingly as I think I'm right.

[Robbk]

I'm sure I have at least one or two John Bennings secular releases on Savoy, as well as on Savoy Gospel series.  I have one from 1958, on the maroon 1500 series, titled "Who Cares".  I think it is Savoy 1542.  I also seem to remember having a couple in the blue-coloured Savoy Gospel Series.

Edited October 24, 2021 by Robbk