Cool Rare Girly Stuff

[Soulfulsolutions]

A trio of stunners for the Lowrider crowd, and it’s not often you would find 3 slabs of vinyl as equally pleasing for Girl Group, Northern and Crossover fans. Be quick……….

Sound files available on request, and happy to provide additional images if required, please PM any questions or to reserve.

 

Lovations – (I keep singing) La la la ooh / Heaven told me so – Cap City 109 Ex £350 SOLD

Hailing from Pittsburgh, these 3 little darlings provided us with a clutch of recordings that have graced turntables all over the world, growing in stature and demand over the years. Sisters Crystal and Penny Wilson, and Sherry Henderson were very likely to have learnt their trade at venues around the Hill District, better known as “Little Harlem”, due to its strong African American culture and Jazz music style.

Cap City was of course a DC label, owned by Foster Johnson and distributed by the awesome Scepter group. Cardell Eaton was involved in all their recordings, and what a job he did, Cap City 113 “Later baby” a sumptuous lilting crossover number and my personal favourite. 114 “I can’t forget about you” starts slow but bounds into action on a belting sassy femme groove, not forgetting the instrumental flip which is a brassy sensation that would fill a floor. 115 “I don’t want you” another seductive Lowrider track, WOW, right up Smokey Joes La la! Then the feature piece, 109 a blinding double sider, “(I keep singing) La la la ooh”, Lowrider excellence, pure clarity on the stunning vocals, “Heaven told me so”, ripe for either Northern or x-over rooms, what a dancer. What life must have been like on “The Hill” with this sort of talent and entertainment, only those lucky enough to be there would have known……lucky beggars.  

Published by Three Part Music and latterly released on their Part III label, it was once assumed to be an earlier release but now appears the later, all outings appeared between 68 to 70. Even with some light scuffs, which DNAP, it plays beautifully. Deep gloss on the surface and clean labels bar a tiny drill hole.

 

Nu-Luvs – You belong to me / Hello lover (goodbye friend) – Clock 1003 M- £650 SOLD

Viewing their promotional photograph, the Nu-Luvs are reminiscent of the whole girl group image engineered by George Goldners Stuyvesant Productions Inc. which was responsible for the vast Red Bird and Blue Cat catalogue. The link of course between this group and the Red Bird cartel is George ‘Shadow’ Morton, who almost singularly produced the Shangri-Las. He was involved in the Nu-Luvs first and unsuccessful release on the Mercury label which was never followed up with any other output bar this sensational Clock label outing. 

This apparently unremarkable trio of girls hit the Northern scene way back in the 70s when “Hello lover” was aired for the first time. Maybe its short turntable life was hampered by rarity, and whilst still so very hard to find, it has grown immeasurably on the Lowrider scene, with the insatiable “Baby you belong to me” becoming one of the most highly sought after and treasured female sweet soul tracks around and probably still under the radar for many.

Playing surface is mint minus both sides, top label has a thin discreet natural colour sticker mark, which may be possible to ease off if someone knows how. The flip label has the feintest ring wear. An all-round dreamy 45.

 

 Otisettes – In your arms I’m gonna stay / Your kiss is fading away – Jonco 52 M- £600

As Johnny Otis attempted to resume his TV career recording 13 episodes of the ‘Johnny Otis Show’ in 74 and 75, he was surrounded by a trusted inner circle, which included his in-house girl group the ‘Foxy Otisettes’ as they were once described. Every show was set in front of a live studio audience sitting at tables resembling a 50s nightclub. Artists included the likes of Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans, the Coasters, Ted Taylor, Bobby Day, Joe Turner and Gene and Eunice all of whom featured on the Northern scene at some point.

The ‘Otisettes’ were Stonye Figueroa and Vera Hamilton, probably better known as Ikettes in Ike and Tina Turner’s Review, and the twin sisters Alesia and Tiresia Butler. They don’t appear to have performed any of their own releases on the show but were certainly good enough to be entrusted with covers of ‘Get ready’, ‘Shake’, ‘You’re all I need’, Sweet soul music’ and ‘Heat Wave’ to name a few. They even sang with Twiggy on one particular outing and latterly toured the UK and Europe for 4 weeks, appearing as part of Johnny’s headline act at the new to me “Hastings Aquarius Club”, where 3 days earlier Mary Wells was on the bill. Who would have thought the Aquarius, described as “The Club that serves the South, swinging 7 nights a week” would have been so alive with US soul acts!

Johnny was clearly held in high esteem, on his passing in 2012 condolences included “Good-bye Hawk, always be remembered by all of us who ever performed with you. You weren't just a friend you were like a dad to all the OTISETTES, I was only 18, right out of High School, the first ‘Otisette’ to start the whole group off – Stonye”; and “This is ‘Sugar’ (Alesia Butler) from the Otisettes, thanking you for giving me and my twin ‘Honey’ Tiresia Butler the opportunity of a lifetime to become members of your band, we’ll never forget all the memories that we shared as a group and all the places that we visited.

The rarest of the 3 up tonight, only comes up once in blue moon. Stunning lowrider on the top side and a sultry slowie on the flip. Jonco out of LA was Johnny’s very own label, short-lived, but an ever-lasting imprint on the indie label Northern scene, and definitely from the City of Angels with these girls involved. Gorgeous copy.

 

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ATB, Lee

Edited January 11, 2023 by Soulfulsolutions