Cajun Hart IS The Pink Panther

[Pete S]

Cajun Hart IS the Pink Panther

Songwriter, composer, pianist, author and carpenter – Doug Goodwin is a man of many talents, a man who has written a number of songs you definitely will have heard of and also the man behind a record that is up there with the very best Northern Soul classics.

Charles Douglas Goodwin was born on 21st April 1929 and enjoyed a musical upbringing with private piano lessons alongside his day-to-day schooling. He saw service in the early 1950s as part of the US Army Special Services in Korea where he was pianist in the band. After his service was completed he trained as a carpenter whilst simultaneously honing his songwriting skills.

His songwriting career was by no means an overnight success though by the early 1960s he caught the eye, or rather the ear, of Joe Barbera from the legendary Hanna-Barbera production studios and started working on the musical accompaniment for assorted HB cartoons including The Flintstones, Yogi Bear and the Pink Panther. Whilst the Pink Panther theme we all know and love was written by Henri Mancini, the cartoon theme song (which you are sure to be familiar with) came from the pen of Doug Goodwin – you know the one: have you ever seen a panther that is pink, think, a panther that is positively pink?

We’re probably doing Mr. Goodwin a disservice focusing mainly on the Pink Panther theme here as he’s also written literally hundreds of other songs including the fantastically titled ‘Is Chinese Food in the Stars Tonight?’ However for us, and this is purely personal, Doug’s finest hour came with the composition of the legendary ‘Got to Find a Way (To Find You)’ by Cajun Hart (or Cajun Heart depending on which issue you have) a record that has remained prohibitively expensive for a number of years now and also, uncannily, seems to sound better with age. The origins of the band Cajun Hart are little known which in a way kind of adds to the mystique but we know who wrote it and what a great job he did. Have a listen to a truly great record and also raise a glass to a truly great songwriter. Doug Goodwin to our knowledge is still around and as we understand still in rude health and hopefully still writing great music – perhaps he’s not quite as prolific as he was in his younger days but we’ll forgive him that and wish him a continued long and healthy retirement.

Voices Of East Anglia

 

[Godzilla]

Excellent info Pete!

[Soulsides]

''Once I stopped to watch a tree grow''.

 

Fantastic info, thanks Pete S.

[Mike]

Nice pass on Pete 

The original Voices of East Anglia article has a few pics etc

https://www.voicesofeastanglia.com/2013/12/doug-goodwin-pink-panther-northern-soul.html

Have to add that the Voices Of  East Anglia is a site  that is well worth the regular visit for stuff like this and beyond

https://www.voicesofeastanglia.com/

the below also slipped me by at the time but @Russell Gilbert posted the below back a bit and has a bit of related info

 

Edited December 10, 2017 by mike
east

[Peter99]

I suspect that this has been asked and answered previously. But is the vocalist black or white? 

 

[Soulsides]

44 minutes ago, Peter99 said:

I suspect that this has been asked and answered previously. But is the vocalist black or white? 

 

Doug Goodwin .

 

[Peter99]

5 minutes ago, Soulsides said:

Doug Goodwin .

 

I didn't see in Pete's post that Doug was also a singer?

 

[Pete S]

I don't know if Doug was the singer but I saw his name on two different Cajun Hart records so I sort of put two and two together, it seems Cajun Hart was actually a band

[Winsford Soul]

2 hours ago, Peter99 said:

I suspect that this has been asked and answered previously. But is the vocalist black or white? 

 

Pink. Peter pink. Have you not been taking any notice. . Trust you are well my friend. 

Steve

[Peter99]

28 minutes ago, Winsford Soul said:

Pink. Peter pink. Have you not been taking any notice. . Trust you are well my friend. 

Steve

Hah! I'm ok thanks Steve. Best to you and Lou.

[Jim Elliott]

Great read.

[Soulsides]

3 hours ago, Peter99 said:

I didn't see in Pete's post that Doug was also a singer?

 

Yeah of course, you are right .

it doesn't mean that Doug Goodwin was  the said vocalist on the record,it could have been a session musician.

Apologies .

 

 

[Guest Gogs]

Pete, my pal, I think that you will find that Geoffrey Meteliko "Got to find a way" was the original version (i.e. before cajun hart) But it was by Doug Goodwin.

https://www.raresoulman.co.uk/59248-got-to-find-a-way-si-iofa.html

[Peter99]

4 hours ago, Soulsides said:

Yeah of course, you are right .

it doesn't mean that Doug Goodwin was  the said vocalist on the record,it could have been a session musician.

Apologies .

 

 

No need for any apologies my friend.

Pete 

[Soulsides]

8 hours ago, gogs said:

Pete, my pal, I think that you will find that Geoffrey Meteliko "Got to find a way" was the original version (i.e. before cajun hart) But it was by Doug Goodwin.

https://www.raresoulman.co.uk/59248-got-to-find-a-way-si-iofa.html

Wow...It says in the description section of the link that this version was arranged by none other than Gene Page.

I really need to hear this one !

[Martyn Pitt]

2 hours ago, Soulsides said:

Wow...It says in the description section of the link that this version was arranged by none other than Gene Page.

I really need to hear this one !

Here you go ... 

 

[Guest Spain pete]

Are you sure ?

3 hours ago, Soulsides said:

Wow...It says in the description section of the link that this version was arranged by none other than Gene Page.

I really need to hear this one !

 

23 minutes ago, martyn pitt said:

Here you go ... 

 

 

[Pete S]

4 hours ago, Soulsides said:

Wow...It says in the description section of the link that this version was arranged by none other than Gene Page.

I really need to hear this one !

You don't, it's shocking

[Soulsides]

1 hour ago, Pete S said:

You don't, it's shocking

Yes,yes it is unfortunately..

[Sebastian]

On 2017-12-11 at 02:24, gogs said:

Pete, my pal, I think that you will find that Geoffrey Meteliko "Got to find a way" was the original version (i.e. before cajun hart)

 

Cajun Hart is January 1969.

Meteliko is June 1969.

[Blackpoolsoul]

On 10/12/2017 at 19:58, Pete S said:

I don't know if Doug was the singer but I saw his name on two different Cajun Hart records so I sort of put two and two together, it seems Cajun Hart was actually a band

Pete this has been annoying my little brain for years and your info was fantastic and look where it lead me, could this be it after all the people playing it and wanting to know 

Randy "Cajun" Hart,  manager was Lee Majid who produced it (Brunswick connection)

Manship quoted his voice of being likened to Jerry Butler, he has a familiar voice don't you think ?

All theses IMHO connected

 

Edited August 10, 2019 by Blackpoolsoul

[Amsterdam Russ]

The Discogs page for Randy Hart states:

Quote

Randy was managed in Chicago by Lee Magid and was known as Randy "Cajun" Hart 
He was best know for his iconic Warner Brothers release as Cajun Hart which was a huge success on the "Northern Soul" scene

No idea who provided that information or whether they they know it as fact rather than speculation.

Source: https://www.discogs.com/artist/3466168-Randy-Hart-2

Of the three tracks from YouTube, it's only in "When the party's over" that I think there's any possible indication that the singer just might have supplied the vocals to "Got to find a way..."

[Mike]

32 minutes ago, Amsterdam Russ said:

The Discogs page for Randy Hart states:

No idea who provided that information or whether they they know it as fact rather than speculation.

Source: https://www.discogs.com/artist/3466168-Randy-Hart-2

Of the three tracks from YouTube, it's only in "When the party's over" that I think there's any possible indication that the singer just might have supplied the vocals to "Got to find a way..."

HART, “CAJUN” RANDY (Brunswick); PM. Lee Magid.

the above shows via google books search , collage attractions - no actual preview of the text but seems info is in the text 

[Ian Parker]

that version up there is no worse than Cajun Hart 

[Blackpoolsoul]

59 minutes ago, Amsterdam Russ said:

The Discogs page for Randy Hart states:

No idea who provided that information or whether they they know it as fact rather than speculation.

Source: https://www.discogs.com/artist/3466168-Randy-Hart-2

Of the three tracks from YouTube, it's only in "When the party's over" that I think there's any possible indication that the singer just might have supplied the vocals to "Got to find a way..."

I have listened to the B-side of "Got to find a Way" have you (and compared to the vocal on Brunswick) ? well done Mike for spotting

https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=lSkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA36&lpg=PA36&dq=lee+majid+cajun+heart+warner&source=bl&ots=7Q79w9eRdV&sig=ACfU3U2TYkZADrQZccdQPJupwJR2PlbcFQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjWgsKrqvjjAhUpUxUIHWH8BaIQ6AEwD3oECAgQAQ#v=onepage&q=lee majid cajun heart warner&f=false

Edited August 10, 2019 by Blackpoolsoul

[Amsterdam Russ]

42 minutes ago, Mike said:

HART, “CAJUN” RANDY (Brunswick); PM. Lee Magid.

the above shows via google books search , collage attractions - no actual preview of the text but seems info is in the text 

Interesting, but I wonder if this is a different person. Biographical info on Randy Hart seems hard to come by, but it appears he came from Louisiana (hence the "Cajun" nickname) and played in a group called the Bayou Blues Boys. Article below from Record World 02/09/1966.

However, in a Billboard magazine article dated 13/09/1975, Lee Magid states that Cajun Hart comes from Atlanta.

Confused? I still am!

[Blackpoolsoul]

20 minutes ago, Amsterdam Russ said:

Interesting, but I wonder if this is a different person. Biographical info on Randy Hart seems hard to come by, but it appears he came from Louisiana (hence the "Cajun" nickname) and played in a group called the Bayou Blues Boys. Article below from Record World 02/09/1966.

However, in a Billboard magazine article dated 13/09/1975, Lee Magid states that Cajun Hart comes from Atlanta.

Confused? I still am!

 This is great stuff indeed but is clearly after the other records dated 1975 and maybe you have just found out where he was from (which is brilliant),  did the band from Louisiana feature our man from Atlanta

Edited August 10, 2019 by Blackpoolsoul

[Amsterdam Russ]

1 hour ago, Blackpoolsoul said:

...did the band from Louisiana feature our man from Atlanta

Having spent some time digging for information, I've come to the conclusion that the Bayou Blues Band never actually recorded together. Possibly it was just an idea that came to nothing.

Cathy Chemi (mentioned as featuring with Randy Hart in the group) is a jazz vocals with a long history and a very respected reputation. However, I can find no reference to her and the group at all.

In fact, there seems to be no mention of the group beyond the mention in the Record World article (groups have existed with the name Bayou Blues Band, but these don't appear to contemporary with Magid's announcement.

I did find an archived text listing of an ad that appeared in Cash Box magazine 03/07/1971. That clearly associated Hart with his Cajun nickname.

I tried to see if I could find out any more info by checking out people Hart had collaborated with. The only thing of interest that I found was a snippet in a publication produced by The American Federation of Musicians and called Report of Officers to the Annual Convention (Volume 70, parts 1967-1972).

Ray Rachaels was a member of the group The M-3's, which comprised Rachaels, Hart and Bob Bryant.

Just to confuse matters further, entries for Randy Hart in the Catalogue of Copyright (3rd edition) state that Randy Hart is a pseudonym for Gerald Randolph Hard (Hard is a typo as other entries show the name as Hart). 

But is this the same Randy Hart with the Cajun nickname or a different one?

Searching for Gerald Randolph Hart brings up records of a person, aged 80, living in Florida. Could it be the same songwriter? On the other hand, the court case snippet shows that Lee Magid's Randy Hart was a member of the musicians union in Columbia, South Carolina - a completely different part of the country.

Mind you, people do move...

Anyone got anything else?

 

[Garethx]

No doubt in my mind that Randy Hart on Brunswick is the same vocalist as on the Cajun Hart 45s.

[Blackpoolsoul]

8 hours ago, Garethx said:

No doubt in my mind that Randy Hart on Brunswick is the same vocalist as on the Cajun Hart 45s.

I know I was the person who suggested it, would you be kind enough though (like me) why you think it is, as we have others doubting it or questioning it 

Edited August 11, 2019 by Blackpoolsoul

[Garethx]

I think the evidence of the voice is there for everyone to hear. I'd listened with hopeful interest to a lot of the Cajun Hart material as I'm not averse to the odd quality pop or MOR record but it has to be said everything else he cut apart from Got To Find A Way is pretty awful. Even "No East Way Down" (one of Goffin and King's best late songs which should in theory be pretty hard to ruin) is terrible. The Brunswick 45 is horrible but is surely by Lee Magid's Randy 'Cajun' Hart. There are telltale phrasing similarities, particularly on the more uptempo side of the Brunswick release.

LIke Pete I'd always assumed that this act was a band rather than an individual so it's good to get some more definitive information. On the other side of the coin I'd always thought Marion Sodd was an individual until Bob A correctly informed us it was a nine-piece band.  

[Blackpoolsoul]

On 10/08/2019 at 16:33, Amsterdam Russ said:

Having spent some time digging for information, I've come to the conclusion that the Bayou Blues Band never actually recorded together. Possibly it was just an idea that came to nothing.

Cathy Chemi (mentioned as featuring with Randy Hart in the group) is a jazz vocals with a long history and a very respected reputation. However, I can find no reference to her and the group at all.

In fact, there seems to be no mention of the group beyond the mention in the Record World article (groups have existed with the name Bayou Blues Band, but these don't appear to contemporary with Magid's announcement.

I did find an archived text listing of an ad that appeared in Cash Box magazine 03/07/1971. That clearly associated Hart with his Cajun nickname.

I tried to see if I could find out any more info by checking out people Hart had collaborated with. The only thing of interest that I found was a snippet in a publication produced by The American Federation of Musicians and called Report of Officers to the Annual Convention (Volume 70, parts 1967-1972).

Ray Rachaels was a member of the group The M-3's, which comprised Rachaels, Hart and Bob Bryant.

Just to confuse matters further, entries for Randy Hart in the Catalogue of Copyright (3rd edition) state that Randy Hart is a pseudonym for Gerald Randolph Hard (Hard is a typo as other entries show the name as Hart). 

But is this the same Randy Hart with the Cajun nickname or a different one?

Searching for Gerald Randolph Hart brings up records of a person, aged 80, living in Florida. Could it be the same songwriter? On the other hand, the court case snippet shows that Lee Magid's Randy Hart was a member of the musicians union in Columbia, South Carolina - a completely different part of the country.

Mind you, people do move...

Anyone got anything else?

 

I thought would ask Marv Goldberg and got a nice reply, bless

"Hi, Alan,

I don't know why you think I'm an expert on Soul music. I know next to nothing about it. My field is 1940s and 1950s R&B. 

However, I'm good at digging. This is what I found (most of this, but not all, has been found before):"

And now, you have a picture of him.

and a 1959 biography.

Besides, anyone who dates Jo-Ann Campbell can't be all bad."

Edited May 22, 2020 by Blackpoolsoul

[Blackpoolsoul]

So finally we may have an answer ?

 

Edited May 22, 2020 by Blackpoolsoul

[Simon T]

On 22/05/2020 at 16:48, Blackpoolsoul said:

So finally we may have an answer ?

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 25, 2020 by Simon T

[The Yank]

I didn't think it was that bad. I've heard much worse ! 

 

[Soul-slider]

Is that a 'noose' he's holding? 

Edited May 23, 2020 by Soul-slider

[Blackpoolsoul]

11 hours ago, Soul-slider said:

Is that a 'noose' he's holding? 

It's just a guess but it could be cowboy related Cajun being popular in country music

It has been a noose round my neck trying to find out about him though 

[Simon T]

 

/

Edited May 25, 2020 by Simon T

[Blackpoolsoul]

33 minutes ago, Simon T said:

looks like a bullhip

Do you think you were being a bit harsh on 4th Funiest on this site ?, don't you think it was worth researching the singer after what 40 years of the tune being played, I first heard it at Cleethorpes and no one knew who he was, or even bothered until now

[Simon T]

15 hours ago, Blackpoolsoul said:

Do you think you were being a bit harsh on 4th Funiest on this site ?, don't you think it was worth researching the singer after what 40 years of the tune being played, I first heard it at Cleethorpes and no one knew who he was, or even bothered until now

 

Edited May 25, 2020 by Simon T

[Sunnysoul]

Having established who Cajun Heart is ... that he is from the south (USA) and appears to have worked primarily in the southern states, with no real soul or RnB pedigree, it's perhaps a little surprising that somewhere along the line he managed to get a record released in 1970 on Brunswick with credits to Carl Davis, Willie Henderson, Eugene Record on what is essentially a Chicago soul record. Perhaps his manager Lee Magid had the right connections and engineered that one off release with Brunswick. Although it is known that Carl Davis on occasion worked with white pop artists like Dana Valery.