Bill Spoon 1974/75

[Roburt]

I know we have guys on here who met up with Bill Spoon before he passed. I only ever got to chat with him on the phone (when he was still in LA) & that didn't give me much time to get the fine details of his career. Via Lou Ragland, I know about stuff from his period with the Soul Notes on Way out (Lou was their producer) in 68/69. Ahead of that, he had moved up to Cleveland with his family and started singing on street corners there with Richard Fisher (later to be lead singer with the Jive Five) & other friends. At Way Out, Bill was connected with the likes of the Sensations & Richard Fisher's brother Jesse. After the Soul Notes broke up he headed back down south & got involved with a Memphis label before returning to Cleveland for a while. He next relocated to LA by 1972 and continued his involvement with the recording biz (as a solo artist).

In LA he hooked up with ex Motown guy Tom Wilson and cut tracks at Tom's Angel City Studios. One of those tracks was cut under producer Gene Dozier ("Be Concerned" being one of the tracks they laid down). Tom Wilson set up a deal for 3 of his acts to sign with Polydor -- Bill Spoon, Vernon Burch and Charlene & Darlene. But nothing from the 3 acts actually escaped on Polydor. Bill had to wait 6 more years for his next release. Vernon Burch was luckier, via Angel City he got a deal with United artists in 75 and I have no idea what happened to Charlene & Darlene (unless the twins split & Charlene was the woman who got a deal back with Motown). With his LA deal not working out, Bill went back to Cleveland & ended up working there in 1980 with Gene Dozier again (Gene then enjoying a long spell of success with Solar).

Tom Wilson had lots of other acts cut at the studios  -- non-soul folk such as John Mayall and Fleetwood Mac + more in our line acts such as the Younghearts, Monk Higgins, Gene Harris, Ronnie Laws, Pressure, etc. 

Anyone know what other tracks Bill cut in the mid 70's @ Angel City in LA (I think 2/3 of the tracks escaped on the Soul Junction LP 'A Spoonful of Soul' a while back). Vernon Burch was cutting numerous tracks @ Angel City in the mid 70's, at least 10. So it would seem strange if Bill only cut 2 or 3.     

[Guest]

He also came over to the UK  to one of the early Upnorth Weekenders (better known as the Southport Weekenders) in the very early 90's he did a P.A.. There was an album out at that time a mixture of old and tracks at that time.

[Roburt]

I went to lots of the early Southport weekenders (& the Morecambe one) but don't think I saw Bill at any.

 

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Roburt said:

I went to lots of the early Southport weekenders (& the Morecambe one) but don't think I saw Bill at any.

 

It was about the time of his album "Talk to me" which came out on the Hense Forth label in 1990 so would have been then or maybe the weekender in March/April 1991.  Got a copy of the album signed by him.

[Guest]

17 minutes ago, DJack said:

It was about the time of his album "Talk to me" which came out on the Hense Forth label in 1990 so would have been then or maybe the weekender in March/April 1991.  Got a copy of the album signed by him.

Was an interview in Voices From  the Shadows with him around that time.

[Wilxy]

I used to attend the Southport Soul weekenders, and also subscribed to the absolutely Superb Voices from the shadows magazine, whilst also recalling the Henseforth release, and for the life of me can't remember whether he was one of the many superb artist(e)s  I saw there.....Obviously Rod Dearlove, would be a great contact .....