Andy Rix

There are security bleeps on the track but it was recovered from Ivy Jo's personal tapes that he'd taken home ... I think anything that left the building got the same treatment Andy

It's nothing less than he deserves .. a fitting tribute to a genius I wrote this when he passed ... and just reading it again brings back so many memories Rob Moss told me that he read some of that out at his funeral which made me feel very humble ... And I still get goosebumps whenever I hear him Andy

I only got one ... the Mynah Birds question ... the others were way too difficult Andy

And Mastermind tonight at 7pm on BBC2 has the specialist subjects of Tamla Motown and Dusty Springfield Andy

It just had to happen Congratulations Ady Best Andy

There are always interesting back stories to these 45s ….. Billy Smith changed his surname to Arnell for the 45 release as he thought it sounded more showbiz ! … he was actually only 14 at the time but as the band were gigging in bars he had to pretend he was much older Billy and Lou started the group together .. they lived less than a block apart in Fair Lawn NJ. Later they added friends: Eddie Hoffman (organ) and Jack Gullone (drums). Eddie became a teacher somewhere in Long Island. Jack ended up living in Northern NJ. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in Massachusetts. The group played all over locally and by chance, meet Joe Martin of Apex-Martin Distributors in Newark, NJ. That meeting led to the "Tough Girl" recording session. When they did the first version of Tough Girl, the producer (the original one) wasn't happy - nor was Joe Martin. So he fired that producer and brought in George Kerr. George didn't like the band, so they redid the entire thing without the Sparkels, only with Billy singing and Lou on guitar. George brought in Eric Gale on guitar, Bernard "Pretty" Purdie on drums, Bobbie Banks on Organ, and a forgotten bass player. In addition they used the studio horn section that Lou arranged for plus two trumpets, two saxes and two vibes players. Billy ended up starting a record company and a recording studio in NY with a partner named Steve Loeb Lou went on to have a very impressive career in the music industry which you can see here https://www.louhemsey.com/About_Lou_Hemsey.html Andy

I believe his full name was Larry Clinton Jones Not much is known about him other than anecdote from peers of the day. Jerry Williams used to share an apartment with him and echoed the comments made by Eddie Holman that he was rather a volatile character. Jerry reported that Larry died in the 60s after some sort of confrontation or street brawl ... I guess if you had the time and inclination you could start searching old newspapers or death records to see if anything is recorded The only other time we know of him singing was as a backing vocalist, with Jerry, on 'I'll Be Back' by Jimmy Wallace (Alpha Records) ... but he pobably did other stuff as well Andy

My understanding is that Mary Hill was Frank Virtue's wife and a number of tracks recorded at the Virtue studio ended up being placed with their publishing company Andy

Did somebody recently advise on a thread about getting UPS or FedEx, can't recall the detail, sent for about $26 that's tracked ... a bit like UK recorded delivery, where you can put a low value cos you know it's tracked so should arrive ... and you won't get stiffed Andy

Nor me ... anybody know why ? I've just subscribed to the CD releases ... it's very exciting

Hi Mick I can't locate them ... have you got a link ? Andy

Hi Well this all looks awesome any plans to get the 45s distributed through a UK outlet or are they only available direct from you in the USA ? I'm not familiar with the Ringleaders - This Is Goodbye ... the other track that got played from acetate was 'Win You Over' ... are they the same ? Thanks Andy

Dave Brilliant stuff thank you Andy

It came out on a Kool Kat 12" I think Credited to Denise & Devotions ... if memory serves me right .... can't confirm if that is a real name or just made up I guess Neil Rushton would know best ... or Gilly as I seem to recall he had this long before it was 'released' Andy

A Dave Raistrick discovery as I recall ... featured on his set of 'unknowns' tapes from circa 83 .. vague recollection he called it Benny Sigler Andy

Can we scans of those Dave ? Andy

I applaud your efforts Ian .... Documenting history is important and as you indicate requires supreme effort and devotion Personally I'm looking forward to it Regards Andy

... And me, I was expecting a far higher price Andy

I tried doing some research into this in the 90s with the help of Marilyn Bond ... I was trying to locate the masters as I thought they would be of interest to Ady C I didn't get too far ... what I did learn was that Palmer was owned by the Handleman Company who were major players in the record & tape marketing/distribution business. As far as I could establish Palmer Records was 'managed' by Johnny Kaplan, a long time big wheel at Handleman. I was unable to speak to him as he had died and I was never able to get hold of his widow. I did speak to some Exec at Handleman but they knew nothing about Palmer Records ... I guess too much time had passed and nobody from that era who might have known was still around. I did speak to Joey Welz, a Palmer recording artist, who confirmed my understanding Andy

Rose did spend time in Detroit at Golden World when she composed 'Spellbound' for Tamiko Jones and so on Is it worth giving her a call ? andy

I'll send it down .. pleased to see it getting a CD release .. it's a great record There was an article in B&S when FoD were just breaking through and they refer to the Lovells .. it always stuck in my mind I should have the article somewhere but not sure where to start looking Andy

Got one but seems you're sorted Is it safe to assume this is the same group that went on to become Faith, Hope & Charity who recorded for Maxwell, Sussex and RCA etc https://www.soulcellar.co.uk/faith/Disc.html 'Here Comes The Heartaches' was written by Zulema Rucker and there was a Zulema Cusseaux, who wrote a lot of songs, in FoD .... enough coincidences to make it possible I suppose andy

Just back from Greece so been off-line for a few weeks ..... This news is just so so sad and my heart goes out to his family and friends. I can only echo what many others have said ... it is a tragic loss for so many in differing ways .. the world has truly lost an inspirational man Boba was a goldmine of information and we traded lots over the years ... and what I think I admired and respected about him the most was that he never took anything at face value .. he didn't believe rumour or myth but always set out to discover the truth and present the facts .. that often takes supreme effort and tenacity. In my eyes he was on the way to becoming as important and influential as individuals such as Dave Godin when it came to researching, preserving and promoting the music of Black America .. in that respect he was selfless .. always happy to share information and help others .. that is something that many, and I include myself, are not always prepared to do. I'll miss him terribly Rest in peace Boba Andy

I agree it is fantastic .... I got one a couple of years ago for £10 The McCoys version is available on the Ace CD 'Da Doo Ron Ron' .. songs of Ellie Greenwich & Jeff Barry An alternate take by Otis ... which I actually think is much better that the released version is available on the Ace CD 'The Bert Berns story ... Mr Success Vol 2' (CDCHD1251) Andy

Mark had this first ... years before I got it ... but it's easy to get confused as his was the 'demo' version that he christened 'The Sherry's' and the one I got off Eddie Holman was the 'finished' version by Shirley Turner ... same song, different singers and different arrangements .... I sent Shirley a rough recording of the Sherrys version and she confirmed that this was what she was given to learn the song. So Winnie you might had heard me play it first but all credit goes to Mark as he inspired me to go and find it Does anybody recall a small piece in Black Echoes in the late 70s saying the vocal version of 'Bird Walkin' had been found in a bin ... always intrigued me .. who found it and what happened to it ... one would assume this was the copy Marc ended up with but I would not like to jump to that conclusion Andy