Has Anyone seen these Jan Bradley-related records?

[Robbk]

I found a website with Jan's history, containing these label scans:

 

I just found a website on Jan Bradley's history, which has theses scans, and the rest of her discography of her recordings and songs written.  I have the Prism Paulette record, but only on white DJ issue, and although I've seen several WDJ's, I've never seen a store stocker before.  I don't believe the other 3 were ever released commercially, as I lived in Chicago in 1963 and 1964, when they were released, and looked regularly through thousands of records each week from their release through 1966, and part of each year from 1967-70, and I never saw them, and I never saw them in friends and other local collectors' collections.  I didn't know that Don Talty released anything else by Jan on Jim Kirchstein's Night Owl Records.  I would have guessed that after seeing that Kirchstein had no distribution for Soul and R&B records, and that all their local sales of "Behind The Curtains" were made through Talty's and Curtis Mayfield's connections in Chicago and Milwaukee, they would have decided to have them pressed and distributed by a label with decent distribution, like they did with Jan's "Christmas Time, making a deal with Stacey Records, or placing Paulette with Prism (not much better distribution than Cuca).  But, maybe Talty just went to Krichstein because the latter let them record in his studio for free, just so he could get the pressing job (as was his usual deal)? - and they let the label remain "Night Owl" because Jan's "Behind The Curtains" was released on that label?

Chuck was Chuck Tillman, the leader of a Jazz Combo and, earlier, a Jazz Band.  So, it may not be a duet, but just Tillman's Combo (Trio or quartet) backing up Jan's singing.  The Royal Chessmen were a Chicago Mexican Soul Band (Lowrider style ballads and regular Soul uptempo sides).  The Chapter sang Garage in a slightly (marginal) soulful style - so that record was on the right label, as almost every Night Owl release was Garage bands, other than Jan's 2 releases, and one or two weak Pop groups and single artists.  I can't imagine why Kirchstein chose to release Jan on Night Owl, when he released his R&B and White Doo Wop mainly on his Sara Records subsidiary, and Cuca was mainly Polka music and C&W, with some MOR Pop, and a couple R&B/Soul (Birdlegs & Pauline, Harvey Scales & 7 Sounds, and Betty Moore (AKA Moorer).  Maybe Jan and Talty liked the owl face label icon so much they demanded that label?

 

[Mick Holdsworth]

45cat has release dates for Jan & Chuck as 1966 and both The Royal Chessmen and The Chapter as 1968.

Discogs has similar info for the label, with Royal Chessmen down as 1967, however the 45cat site has . . .

"Release date is 1968.

Verified by newspaper article touting the group's release of their new record "Can't You See"
The Tribune (Coshocton, Ohio) · Fri, Mar 1, 1968 · Page 14"

. . . so that would probably be more reliable.

Here's a listing for the Night Owl label.

https://www.45cat.com/label/night-owl-us

 

[The Yank]

7 hours ago, Robbk said:

I found a website with Jan's history, containing these label scans:

 

I just found a website on Jan Bradley's history, which has theses scans, and the rest of her discography of her recordings and songs written.  I have the Prism Paulette record, but only on white DJ issue, and although I've seen several WDJ's, I've never seen a store stocker before.  

 

  I've had the Paulette and the Cupids on the regular label but have never seen a DJ copy. The 45 doesn't show up often- I've seen 4-5 copies over the last 10-15 years. The Paulette and the Cupids is probably from 1965. Here's a copy of the Pepi 45 (Prism #1920) which Jan Bradley also had some involvement with. The single did very well in Battle Creek, Michigan going up to #5. 

[Robbk]

6 hours ago, Mick Holdsworth said:

45cat has release dates for Jan & Chuck as 1966 and both The Royal Chessmen and The Chapter as 1968.

Discogs has similar info for the label, with Royal Chessmen down as 1967, however the 45cat site has . . .

"Release date is 1968.

Verified by newspaper article touting the group's release of their new record "Can't You See"
The Tribune (Coshocton, Ohio) · Fri, Mar 1, 1968 · Page 14"

. . . so that would probably be more reliable.

Here's a listing for the Night Owl label.

https://www.45cat.com/label/night-owl-us

 

The article also states that Talty's involvement in "Night Owl Records" after "Behind The Curtains" was actually his stealing the label's name  for his own, new label.  So, all those night Owl releases from 1966-'68 with the different print are Talty's, and those with the older, original font are Krichstein's.  Has anyone heard the Jan and Chuck?  If so, was it a duet with Chuck Tillman singing? - or just his combo backing up Jan?

[Mick Holdsworth]

According to J Manship on Discogs, it is Chuck Kenwood and Jan Bradley

https://www.discogs.com/Jan-Chuck-What-A-Weekend-West-Coast-Living/release/5296478

Although I see that has been questioned this very day, and is probably a mistake.

I've never heard it so I don't know if it is a duet

Edited December 27, 2020 by Mick Holdsworth

[Blackpoolsoul]

On 27/12/2020 at 18:17, Mick Holdsworth said:

According to J Manship on Discogs, it is Chuck Kenwood and Jan Bradley

https://www.discogs.com/Jan-Chuck-What-A-Weekend-West-Coast-Living/release/5296478

Although I see that has been questioned this very day, and is probably a mistake.

I've never heard it so I don't know if it is a duet

I am more likely to agree with John (on this occasion)

[Pomonkey]

I sent the Chuck Kenwood to a friend as a gift recently, it's not a duet, you can probably hear it on an old Finewine show as have heard him spin it live a few times too

[Robbk]

Thanks.  Where can I find a "Finewine Show"?

[Pomonkey]

 Search WFMU.org Downtown Soulville 

[George G]

For what it's worth:

Paulette and the Cupids were from Chicago. There are white label promo copies and black label (with the prism design, which was the idea of the original label owner, Lenny Davis). 

Pepi was from Dayton, Ohio.

www.buckeyebeat.com/pepi.html

The Chapter (also known as the Fifth Chapter) were from Eaton and West Alexandria, Ohio. They recorded in Chicago (as did the Royal Chessmen). Both records turn up in Ohio, they were distributed there.

My first post on this forum was about Prism records, Bradley, and Talty, something like 12 years ago. Here it is, again, rephrased.

In 1964 Prism was owned by Floyd Whited (from Dayton, OH) and Andy Apperson (from Ashland, OH, relocated to Dayton). Andy knew Don Talty. Andy also ran a huge booking/management operation, American Talent, based out of Ashland. Andy and Talty worked together producing records on Prism, and they worked out some deals for the publishing. 

In 1965 Apperson sold his part of Prism records. Paulette and the Cupids was one of the last records he was connected with. Prism went on to release another 15 or so 45s. 

Apperson was busy with American Talent (and getting the Music Explosion and Ohio Express to national success). In 1967 he decided to get back in the record label business and partnered with Talty again. You can see on the Night Owl records Janjo (Talty) and Spangle (Apperson) publishing. Before this, Talty worked with James Kirchstein of Cuca/Night Owl on an earler record. Talty decided to use the Night Owl name (and logo) with no involvement from Kirchstein, on the records pictured. There are 4 45s from this partnership: Royal Chessmen (from Dover, OH), Chapter, Jordan Parker Revue (from Beavercreek, OH), and Mark III (from Mansfield, OH). All these bands were booked/managed by American Talent. The Royal Chessmen, Chapter, and Jordan Parker 45s were recorded in Chicago.

The Kenwood/Jan and Chuck records are all Talty, no Apperson. I guess Talty wanted a piece of the teen rock action, and despite living in America's second or third largest metro area, figured Apperson's massive Ohio network was the easiest way to get there.

 

 

 

[Robbk]

5 hours ago, George G said:

For what it's worth:

Paulette and the Cupids were from Chicago. There are white label promo copies and black label (with the prism design, which was the idea of the original label owner, Lenny Davis). 

Pepi was from Dayton, Ohio.

www.buckeyebeat.com/pepi.html

The Chapter (also known as the Fifth Chapter) were from Eaton and West Alexandria, Ohio. They recorded in Chicago (as did the Royal Chessmen). Both records turn up in Ohio, they were distributed there.

My first post on this forum was about Prism records, Bradley, and Talty, something like 12 years ago. Here it is, again, rephrased.

In 1964 Prism was owned by Floyd Whited (from Dayton, OH) and Andy Apperson (from Ashland, OH, relocated to Dayton). Andy knew Don Talty. Andy also ran a huge booking/management operation, American Talent, based out of Ashland. Andy and Talty worked together producing records on Prism, and they worked out some deals for the publishing. 

In 1965 Apperson sold his part of Prism records. Paulette and the Cupids was one of the last records he was connected with. Prism went on to release another 15 or so 45s. 

Apperson was busy with American Talent (and getting the Music Explosion and Ohio Express to national success). In 1967 he decided to get back in the record label business and partnered with Talty again. You can see on the Night Owl records Janjo (Talty) and Spangle (Apperson) publishing. Before this, Talty worked with James Kirchstein of Cuca/Night Owl on an earler record. Talty decided to use the Night Owl name (and logo) with no involvement from Kirchstein, on the records pictured. There are 4 45s from this partnership: Royal Chessmen (from Dover, OH), Chapter, Jordan Parker Revue (from Beavercreek, OH), and Mark III (from Mansfield, OH). All these bands were booked/managed by American Talent. The Royal Chessmen, Chapter, and Jordan Parker 45s were recorded in Chicago.

The Kenwood/Jan and Chuck records are all Talty, no Apperson. I guess Talty wanted a piece of the teen rock action, and despite living in America's second or third largest metro area, figured Apperson's massive Ohio network was the easiest way to get there.

 

 

 

Thanks for providing us this interesting back story.  I read in several places, and heard from a few Chicago people who were in the music business back then, that Kirchstein was very angry at Talty for using his record label's name without his permission, and had considered a lawsuit.

[Robbk]

On 05/02/2021 at 20:19, Pomonkey said:

 Search WFMU.org Downtown Soulville 

Thanks.  I've finally heard it.  It was very, very ordinary, seemingly weakly inspired, if at all, and very disappointing to me.