Oddities On Respected Soul Labels

[Guest Paul]

A strange 45 on a UK soul label is 'Knees Up Mother Brown' by Napoleon Hatfield on Contempo in 1973.

[Robbk]

Motown had a lot of weird non-Soul releases, including "Pushing Up daisies" by The Stylers, "Randy The Newspaper Boy"/"Happy Ghoul Tide" by Ray Oddis, a Motown single by Irene "Granny" Ryan (of The Beverly Hillbillies).

[George G]

No, there is a solid garage 45 by the Bees (who also had a different 45 on Mira) and at least one folky thing. I suspect when Jackie Lee's "the Duck" became a hit (and it was a pretty big hit) the paths were laid to distribution to soul operators so they used that network to promote other soul releases.

 

 

 

 

I always thought The Gas Co on Mirwood 5501 was an oddity - a folk/garage 45. Is everything else on the label soul?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejRGtRXzBe0

[George G]

One of the earliest Tamla releases is by Nick and the Jaguars, a killer rock instro. I wonder how that came to happen.

 

Motown had a lot of weird non-Soul releases, including "Pushing Up daisies" by The Stylers, "Randy The Newspaper Boy"/"Happy Ghoul Tide" by Ray Oddis, a Motown single by Irene "Granny" Ryan (of The Beverly Hillbillies).

[Ian Dewhirst]

I always thought this was a weird one....helluva voice but I guess he just didn't look the part.....
 

"Holy Cow" - Stefan

 

 

 

Ian D 

[Robbk]

One of the earliest Tamla releases is by Nick and the Jaguars, a killer rock instro. I wonder how that came to happen.

That happened because Berry and Raynoma Gordy started a Recording Production business (RayBer Music) in August, 1958, before Berry started Tamla as a record company in January, 1959.  They had an advert in the newspapers that they would take singers' songs, polish them up, record demo tapes, record final recordings, and shop the recordings to record companies and get them placed with a company that would press them, release them and see that they were distributed.  Nick (Ferro) and The Jaguars' father answered the advert and RayBer got his son's group's (then called The Biscaynes) songs recorded, and placed with Detroit's local Ridge Records.  Ridge may have been a label run by Gordy, as its only other known release was by Don McKenzie, and was also produced by Gordy, himself.  Berry probably found a local financier for those 2 records, and, so, Ridge was a joint venture between RayBer and the financier.  Don McKenzie later recorded for Gordy's Miracle Records, while The Biscaynes (later called Nick & The Jaguars, recorded for Tamla.

 

RayBer had several other clients, including Canadian, Mike Power, whose schmalzy pop song "I left My Heart In Paris" was so awful, that Gordy couldn't place it with another label, so he probably issued it himself on Zelman Records (using a Jewish-sounding name-to give the impression that the label was owned by a Jewish financier).  Power and RayBer probably split the pressing costs, with Power, himself having paid all the production costs. 

 

Wade Jones was another RayBer customer.  He came to RayBer with a song he had written ("I Can't Concentrate").  Berry and Smokey Robinson wrote a song for the flip side.  We don't know if Berry tried to shop Jones' two sides for release with an existing label and failed to place the record; or if they thought that the 2 songs they recorded on him were so strong, that they might make some decent money off them by releasing the song themselves on their own label.  They released it on their own RayBer Records (which was NOT part of Tamla (Motown), but preceded it by being pressed before the start of 1959.  It ended up actually being released AFTER Tamla's first release (Marv Johnson), because it took them until early 1959 to find a distributor to handle it, B&H Distributors (Robert West).  Tamla 101 didn't have a distributor (but was distributed by Berry and Smokey out of their cars) until they got the pressing distribution deal with United Artists.

 

Another production that was probably run through RayBer Music, was produced by Berry on Herman Griffin, and placed with Carmen Murphy's House of Beauty (HOB) Records, which was financed by her money-making beauty shop.  It was the first record whose songs were published by Berry's Jobete Music.  Before that, his own publishing company was called Bengal Music, his partnership with his sister Gwen and Billy (Roquel) Davis (AKA Ty Carlo) was called Fidelity Music.

[Staceys Dad]

Just for a bit of fun.

How many crap or unexpected releases were issued on respected soul labels.

Here one from me...

Lena Zavaroni - Ma (He's Making Eyes At Me)

Lena_Zavaroni.jpg

Go on don't be shy, show what dark secrets lurk in your collections....

John

 

remember GLENN HUNTER buying this in a L.A. record store years back......

[Steve G]

There's one on Loma I need to dig out….another shocker….

Also got a rock record on Malaco somewhere in the garage.

[George G]

Great reply, thanks! Someone who was involved with the Tammy label from Youngstown, OH (Edsels, Iron Knowledge, etc) claimed that Gordy asked them to use the Tammy name but they told him (them) no. Any corroboration (or dispute) about that? The Tammy label was incorporated in 1958.

 

That happened because Berry and Raynoma Gordy started a Recording Production business (RayBer Music) in August, 1958, before Berry started Tamla as a record company in January, 1959.  They had an advert in the newspapers that they would take singers' songs, polish them up, record demo tapes, record final recordings, and shop the recordings to record companies and get them placed with a company that would press them, release them and see that they were distributed.  Nick (Ferro) and The Jaguars' father answered the advert and RayBer got his son's group's (then called The Biscaynes) songs recorded, and placed with Detroit's local Ridge Records.  Ridge may have been a label run by Gordy, as its only other known release was by Don McKenzie, and was also produced by Gordy, himself.  Berry probably found a local financier for those 2 records, and, so, Ridge was a joint venture between RayBer and the financier.  Don McKenzie later recorded for Gordy's Miracle Records, while The Biscaynes (later called Nick & The Jaguars, recorded for Tamla.

 

RayBer had several other clients, including Canadian, Mike Power, whose schmalzy pop song "I left My Heart In Paris" was so awful, that Gordy couldn't place it with another label, so he probably issued it himself on Zelman Records (using a Jewish-sounding name-to give the impression that the label was owned by a Jewish financier).  Power and RayBer probably split the pressing costs, with Power, himself having paid all the production costs. 

 

Wade Jones was another RayBer customer.  He came to RayBer with a song he had written ("I Can't Concentrate").  Berry and Smokey Robinson wrote a song for the flip side.  We don't know if Berry tried to shop Jones' two sides for release with an existing label and failed to place the record; or if they thought that the 2 songs they recorded on him were so strong, that they might make some decent money off them by releasing the song themselves on their own label.  They released it on their own RayBer Records (which was NOT part of Tamla (Motown), but preceded it by being pressed before the start of 1959.  It ended up actually being released AFTER Tamla's first release (Marv Johnson), because it took them until early 1959 to find a distributor to handle it, B&H Distributors (Robert West).  Tamla 101 didn't have a distributor (but was distributed by Berry and Smokey out of their cars) until they got the pressing distribution deal with United Artists.

 

Another production that was probably run through RayBer Music, was produced by Berry on Herman Griffin, and placed with Carmen Murphy's House of Beauty (HOB) Records, which was financed by her money-making beauty shop.  It was the first record whose songs were published by Berry's Jobete Music.  Before that, his own publishing company was called Bengal Music, his partnership with his sister Gwen and Billy (Roquel) Davis (AKA Ty Carlo) was called Fidelity Music.

[George G]

There are a few rock records on Loma. I think they are all CA/west coast groups. I don't remember any country or pop records on Loma.

 

There's one on Loma I need to dig out….another shocker….

Also got a rock record on Malaco somewhere in the garage.

[Guest john s]

No, there is a solid garage 45 by the Bees (who also had a different 45 on Mira) and at least one folky thing. I suspect when Jackie Lee's "the Duck" became a hit (and it was a pretty big hit) the paths were laid to distribution to soul operators so they used that network to promote other soul releases.

Ah, I knew there was a 'fake' Mirwood 45 by the Bees, didn't realise there was a real one as well - must look out for that one!

[Benji]

I always thought this was a weird one....helluva voice but I guess he just didn't look the part.....

 

"Holy Cow" - Stefan

 

 

 

Ian D 

 

I guess Stefan is Stefan Anderson?

 

[boba]

i have a weird actual custom press stax 45 which I've never seen before (it has no stax # but has the full label design), it's some weird catholic religious thing, have to find it.

[Premium Stuff]

A couple of examples from the motorcity with predominantly soul labels with other styles that stick out like a sore thumb are the Decisions on Topper and Dickie & Ebb-tides on Golden World.

Cheers

Richard

Edited November 21, 2013 by Premium Stuff

[George G]

yeah, thats right there is some weird Mirwood boot 45....the record I mention is legit though, it's 'jangle garage' and a pretty good one at that.

Ah, I knew there was a 'fake' Mirwood 45 by the Bees, didn't realise there was a real one as well - must look out for that one!

[Ian Dewhirst]

I guess Stefan is Stefan Anderson?

 

 

Yep. What the hell he was doing in Memphis in the early 70's is anybody's guess. The wrong place at the wrong time for this guy even though the record is actually great...

 

Ian D   

[Robbk]

Great reply, thanks! Someone who was involved with the Tammy label from Youngstown, OH (Edsels, Iron Knowledge, etc) claimed that Gordy asked them to use the Tammy name but they told him (them) no. Any corroboration (or dispute) about that? The Tammy label was incorporated in 1958.

There's got to be something to that.  The story goes that Gordy planned to use "Tammy" as his label name, but then soon found out their was another company with that name that was successfully selling records.  He may well have offered to pay a one time fee to avoid a lawsuit from the Ohio label.  We know they had to change to Tamla, so either they offered and failed to get clearance, or they just decided to use a different name when a lawsuit was threatened (the latter is the story I heard, in the early '60s).

[Soul-slider]

There's some crap on 'Dearborn'...

 

I remember buying a Dearborn 45 'cos it had a company sleeve but the music was C/W  

 

So I guess it's not solely a Soul label. 

Edited November 23, 2013 by Soul-Slider

[Godzilla]

There are a few rock records on Loma. I think they are all CA/west coast groups. I don't remember any country or pop records on Loma.

 

Sandy Layne's "How Many Times" got some plays on the Northern scene but the official a side "Push My Love Button" is pure country-pop.

[Kegsy]

Not too sure whether Bang Bang is a respected soul label as the only soul release I've heard is William Cummings.

 

However a guy called Lance Hill does a version on Bang Bang and its a truly awful Country & Western rendition.

 

Kegsy

[Citizen P]

I always thought this was a weird one....helluva voice but I guess he just didn't look the part.....

 

"Holy Cow" - Stefan

 

 

 

Ian D 

 

 

He also did a reasonable version of " Just Keep On Loving Me"  

[Premium Stuff]

There's some crap on 'Dearborn'...

I remember buying a Dearborn 45 'cos it had a company sleeve but the music was C/W

So I guess it's not solely a Soul label.

Would say Dearborn was not predominantly a soul label. There are some great soul records on it, but many of the releases are other genres including garage and a shedload of Polka.

Richard

Edited November 23, 2013 by Premium Stuff

[George G]

Right, Dearborn seems like they were in business to make records for the jukebox market, they released a lot of polka and pop records that were obviously not intended for radio play, but occasionally would release a record that was targeted at the 'teen' market.

 

Would say Dearborn was not predominantly a soul label. There are some great soul records on it, but many of the releases are other genres including garage and a shedload of Polka.

Richard

[Mal C]

couple of odd ones from the musette label, the only 'White' Beatles or beat type group track on the label,

 

The Other Four- Searching for my Love ((65176A - 6517B)

 

and the only 45 from the label that actually got picked up by a national (Chess) was Bobby Bryant Sextet - A Change is Gonna Come MR 110 flipped with Bobby Bryant Sextet - Fifty Eighth Street MR 109.

 

My listing below on all the known tracks, in fact nobody had ever seen the 3rd Blue Musette before, outside June Jackson and Miki Champion, the rest are Orange, and reputibly there is a green release, but Ive never seen it.

 

here's the full listing and bit of blurb I wrote some years back on the label...

 

 

MR-100— Unknown "¨MR-101— Unknown "¨

MR-102 — Sonny Craver - I’m No Fool / Come Back "¨"¨

MR-103 — Unknown "¨

MR-104 — Unknown "¨

MR-105 — Unknown "¨

MR-106— Unknown "¨

MR-107— Unknown "¨

MR-108— Unknown "¨

MR-109 / MR-110 - Bobby Bryant Sextet -Fifty-Eighth Street / A Change is Gonna Come "¨

MR-112 — June Jackson - You're Welcome  /Bottoms Up "¨"¨"¨

76- 9151 — Mickie Champion -What Good Am I(Without You) / The Hurt Still Lingers On "¨

"¨65-10 — Lenni Groves - Sweet Sixteen (With A Broken Heart) / Fool For A Day "¨"¨

65-11 — Lennie Groves - Bye Bye Baby / A Million Tears Ago "¨"¨

65-12 — Lenni Groves - Sweet Sixteen (With A Broken Heart) / Good Show "¨"¨

65-13 — Garnett Sykes -Longer Than Forever /Go Go Girl "¨"¨

65-14 — Ervin Rucker -She's Alright / Kids Together "¨"¨

65-15 — Unknown but that Musette Acetate exists and states - You know How Love Is / Show Business "¨(MR xx 615) * not credited but June Jackson sang that, I'd eat my hat if he did not!)

"¨65-16 — Arlene Williams - Duck 'All Over Town'/ Duck 'All Over Town'

(Part 2)"¨"¨65-17 — The Other Four - Searching For My Love/ Why

 

"¨So The two New tracks to me are

"¨65-12 — Lenni Groves - Sweet Sixteen (With A Broken Heart) / Good Show and

MR-109 / MR-110 — Bobby Bryant Sextet -Fifty-Eighth Street / A Change is Gonna Come.

"¨They are not mint but who cares, they exist and I’ll be tracking down Mint copies from here on in.. The Bobby Bryant release states produced by R.O Bryant, and these two tracks gained a release on the Chess label nationally.

"¨For me the addition of MR-109 /MR-110 really point to there very likely being releases for the missing MR series numbers, 101, 103, 104,105,106,107,108, who knows but these are really obscure….

 

Miki Champion is a very strange release with a release number 76-9151 that does not fit in any order, 3 are on the blue label, the rest on Orange But I did read somewhere that a green label release came out??? So if you have anything else to add, now is your time!!

 

 

Malcolm

 

[Mal C]

below is an excerpt from an article entitled "Remarkable Healers on the Pacific Coast", which was sent to me by a friend of a daughter of one of the Doctors... Good stuff..

 

Self-Assertion and Change: The 1960s and 1970s In the 1960s, black health care professionals in San Diego engaged in a number of nontraditional pursuits. In 1962, Harold E. Burt, two black attorneys, and an architect–in step with the zeitgeist of an era that challenged authority and tradition–sued for $31,000 and won an out-of-court settlement and Obtained a permanent injunction against the Bonita Golf Club for practicing discrimination “solely on The basis of race and

 

In 1965, physicians Malvin J. Williams and Vell R. Wyatt and dentist

Charles H. Hammond, among others, intent on devising a tax write-off, pooled their money to start up an indie soul music record label featuring

Local talent called Musette Records. The business produced twenty singles during its three-year run, including the tunes, “I’m No Fool,” “You Know How Love Is,” and “A Million Tears Ago.”

[boba]

there's a bunch of pop on all platinum related labels but the Humble Gathering on Stang is straight rock which is weird.

[Tiberius]

There are a few rock records on Loma. I think they are all CA/west coast groups. I don't remember any country or pop records on Loma.

Don Crawford had a C&W single on Loma.  Then of course there's the Redd Foxx 7" EP which you could safely call an oddity.

[Drew3]

I'm not a collector and certainly no expert on records and their labels but I do flick through record boxes/piles in charity shops and car boots. I did this at a car boot this summer and found and left (now I think this is the right way round) a Frank Sinatra record on Dot and a Lonny Donaghan on Kapp (I think it was LD). Defo FS on one of those labels.

Kind regards.

Drew.

[Guest john s]

there's a bunch of pop on all platinum related labels but the Humble Gathering on Stang is straight rock which is weird.

That's a great lp, forgot about that, will dig it out!

 

How about Nick Charles on Stax? Not what I expected! 

[boba]

I'm not a collector and certainly no expert on records and their labels but I do flick through record boxes/piles in charity shops and car boots. I did this at a car boot this summer and found and left (now I think this is the right way round) a Frank Sinatra record on Dot and a Lonny Donaghan on Kapp (I think it was LD). Defo FS on one of those labels.

Kind regards.

Drew.

 

dot and kapp are pop labels, very little soul on either relative to the rest of the catalog

[boba]

That's a great lp, forgot about that, will dig it out!

 

How about Nick Charles on Stax? Not what I expected! 

 

if you see an odd artist on stax or loma you're likely to get not soul, neither is one of the 99% soul labels.

[Robbk]

There's some crap on 'Dearborn'...

 

I remember buying a Dearborn 45 'cos it had a company sleeve but the music was C/W  

 

So I guess it's not solely a Soul label. 

Dearborn was the self-owned label of a Michigan record distributorship.  Soul formed only a very small percentage of that label's production.

[Robbk]

That's a great lp, forgot about that, will dig it out!

 

How about Nick Charles on Stax? Not what I expected! 

Satellite/Stax had a fair amount of pop and country/pop releases before #130.

[Soul-slider]

As mentioned in an earlier post, here it is in all it's glory...

[Benji]

Yep. What the hell he was doing in Memphis in the early 70's is anybody's guess. The wrong place at the wrong time for this guy even though the record is actually great...

 

Ian D   

 

Did a short Google research. Shreveport, Lousiana native. Teamed up with his brother to form the Anderson Bros. Same group as on GSF?