Roburt

This label was associated with Curt's Records stores of Greensboro .... see these articles which have info on Curt's .... .. https://www.carolinasoul.org/site/index.php/site/category/greensboro/ https://www.carolinasoul.org/site/index.php/site/comments/quality_music_for_greensboro/

Any chance of a review copy for on here ?? ...

Thanks Ivor.

Lenny, I got my 1st real job in 66 having just left the 5th Form at school. So, I was living BIG from Sept 66 onwards. Before that, even though I had a Lambretta 175 and so could get about (Yorks coast, Boulevard Club in Tadcaster, nites out in Wakefield & Sheffield), I didn't really have enough money to live the soul / mod life. But that changed in Sept 66 and so we started to spread our wings a bit more. I was working as a Civil Eng for WRCC in Wakefield (helping set out the M1 in the area, which was just being built). ANYWAY, that December, everyone in our office was gifted pocket diarys ... it was 1st time I'd had such a thing ... so I filled in details of my daily / weekly life in it. By chance (coz we've moved house at least 6 times since then), I have always kept that diary. Without it, the info above would be a whole lot more vague !!

I'm told that William will be singing tracks from his new album when he performs @ the Nth Sea Jazz Festival (Rotterdam) in July.

An earlier attempt I made at writing about the Mojo (this dates from the mid 80's) ..... Although it is not more than 30 years since the club closed down, the memories of the King Mojo Club in Sheffield are still fresh for the people who used to go there every week or every time that news about the Peter and Geoff Stringfellow brothers appear in the press. The club was opened in 1964 by brothers Peter and Geoff. They were making a name for themselves thanks to the club and they were successful enough to attract the The Beatles for some shows. This success took them to sign similar bands and to promote gigs for the Rolling Stones and other British R &B bands. The brothers were offered an old dancing hall, Day's Dance Hall, and they rented it for 30m pounds a week after refurnishing it. They choose the name Mojo after hearing the song "Got My Mojo Working" and the club soon attracted a new set of people who followed blues and soul music. It soon earned a great reputation because of the enthusiasm of the two brothers. At the beginning, it only was open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, but soon an allnighter was added on Saturdays, always with an American soul artist. On Sunday it was time for British R & B or soul bands, opening from 8pm until 11pm. Sometimes, Pete and Geoff could not afford the money a great artist demanded, like Wilson Pickett, so they asked him to sing at 2am, after he had sung at a bigger club earlier the same evening. The artist always charged them less for doing so. All-nighters began in 1965 with a one pound entrance fee and the sessions started at midnight. Soon, a regular crowd began to go, with people from Sheffield and nearby cities like York, Hull and Nottingham turning up. The meeting point was the Favorita Coffee Bar, in the centre of town. At 11pmeverybody went to the Mojo and began to queue in order to ensure they were let in. Of the two brothers, Peter was always the showman and he also liked to DJ. In 1963, ITV had started "Ready, Steady Go", where you could see lots of black artists like Major Lance, Otis Redding or Inez & Charlie Foxx. Peter Stringfellow enjoyed the programme so much that he went to the ITV offices to talk with one of the producers, Vicki Wickham. They gave Peter the task of entertaining the audience in the studio before filming began. He also controlled the dancers. He worked on “Ready, Steady, Go” for a year. During that time, every Thursday he travelled to London to the filming. Peter was supposed remain in the shadows, but he took every opportunity to be in front of the cameras while he was entertaining the crowd. If you were a Mojo regular, Peter would give you tickets to the show, but I never took that offer because you had to spend a lot of time there on a Thursday and also to pay for the trip to London. The Mojo soon changed its name to King Mojo. It was in Burngreave Road, with parking for cars and scooters. It was only one floor and it was quite small, with capacity only for 250 people, although it had a membership of 3,000. The record players were on the lefthand side of a stage that was only 25 feet long and 6 feet high. No alcohol was sold. The decor on the walls often changed too. At first, it was African warriors. Next, it changed to Pop-Art and then gangsters soon after and then, finally, it was flower power paintings. The club’s policy was to play 95 per cent of soul music and some Blue Beat and ska. At the end, there was a record ("My girl, the month of May"- Dion) that was a well known flower power track. It was covered by The Alan Bown Set, one of the main English soul bands of the time, just because of the popularity that song had at the Mojo. Some of the records that caused an impact at the all-nighters were things like "Love a go go" by Stevie Wonder, "You've been cheating" (Impressions), "Determination" by The Contours", "365 days" by Donald Height, "Oh baby you turn me on" by Willie Mitchell, plus the singles of the time from artists like Jackie Wilson, Homer Banks or Motown. The Artistics sounds “I’m gonna miss you” was the most important song: it meant the end of every all-nighter. The best American artists played there: Ike & Tina Turner, Billy Stewart, Alvin Cash & the Crawlers, Ben E. King, The Spellbinders, Garnett Mimms and Stevie Wonder. The best English bands also were there: Geno Washington, Jimmy James & The Vagabonds, Chris Farlowe, Alan Bown Set, Georgie Fame, Zoot Money and Jimmy Cliff (who was then still in this soul phase). Even the Small Faces had one of their first gigs there. The stage was opposite the dressing rooms, so when the club was crowded it was a problem for the artists to go up and down to the stage. The night Ike & Tina Turner were at the Mojo, they had to push their way to the stage with the three Ikettes and the 13 piece band. That helped creating an atmosphere for every show. Peter was a real Yorkshireman. He wanted as much as he could from every band he signed. That’s why he sometimes encouraged the audience to block the way for the artists to the dressing room until they had performed a couple of more songs. That night with Ike & Tina Turner, they had to sing three more songs. Then, he asked the crowd to let them go to the dressing room. As the club had no air conditioning, sweat and condensation fell from the walls. Around 1966 and 1967, having a great record collection was not important for your status. To be with the in crowd you had to wear the correct clothes: Mohair suits, Levi’s, brogues shoes, leather gloves… You also had to be good at the latest dances. Then, dances changed every seven or eight weeks. The best dancers performed on the stage. If you were brave enough, you could dance on a barrel that was close to the stage. The only problem was that it was placed on the outskirts of the town and it was complicated to get there at night. Being out there also spelt the end for it. As it was surrounded by a residential zone, the neighbours complained. In a bid to stop the complaints, no more allnighters were organised. The last one was on April 15st in 1967 with Geno Washington. Alldayers were held on Sundays, along with live shows and more young people could go to the club. When it was clear that the police would not support a new license for the club, a show with Jimmy Cliff & The Shakedown Sound was prepared on September the 30th in 1967. We had an incredible atmosphere. The next week it was time for the last show at the Mojo: an alldayer with Stevie Wonder. This time, lots of young people were able to go and that spoiled the atmosphere a bit. Thanks to his status in the North and the Midlands, Peter Stringfellow was always required to spin in mod clubs. He used to DJ at the Dungeon inNottingham. By doing that he could earn some money when the Mojo closed. Also, he ran new all-nighters for his loyal supporters at the Crystal Bowl Club. The Mojo crowd would go out to other clubs like the Nite Owl in Leicester, the Bin Lid in Dewsbury or the Twisted Wheel in Manchester. The Stringfellow brothers did not leave the scene and opened new clubs. The old Mojo was turned into a Bingo hall and with the money from that deal, the brothers invested in a Sheffield basement. In another of their clubs, the Penthouse, they had problems with the license and they could not run all-nighters. Years later, in the 80’s, all-nighters could be held at the Penthouse. But by then, the Stringfellow brothers had nothing to do with that club. Peter became a multimillionaire. In London he opened "Stringfellows", a place for the rich and famous. He also managed the great Hippodrome disco. From London, he went to the United States and the two brothers are still there in the club business. The old Mojo building was a Bingo hall until 1982, when it was demolished. Now, a modern apartment block of stands over what it was a legendary club. The Mojo might be only a name from the past for the soul music fans of today, but I can say that the legend that was built around the Twisted Wheel in Manchester would have been smaller if it was not for the demise of the King of Clubs, the King Mojo of Sheffield. The ads for the last all-nighter at the Mojo had nostalgic and funny lines: And so it came to pass, the great and famous King Mojo All-Nighters had to stop! A wailing and crying as never heard before over took Britain's Mod Populous And at the last one, Saturday XV April MCMLXVII multitudes of all creeds gathered (except the dreaded greasers) and paid homage. And from in their midst came the great Prophet: Geno Washington & His Ram Jam Followers

Well I remember this 'black label' version BUT it ain't what you're on about ....

I remember some of those names, others are lost in the mist of time .. ...... AND ... yes, I did go to the Attic, even DJ'ed there once (when J J Jackson was the live act) !!

Some names of repute get a mention in this article .......... https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/04/04/aretha-franklins-american-soul

Robb, I'm a Brit -- we don't do foreign languages or foreign street names .......... everyone has to speak English to communicate with us !! AND anyway, it's only us Brits (here in the UK) that can watch BBC 'catch-up' .......... so don't b'trublin yersen owa sumit yer canna watch anywise. BTW, if anyone wants to know what Eddie's 60's blues track sounds like -- the one on the Hawee 45 (speld it datway jusfa Robb) ............. you can listen to it here ... .... https://www.amazon.co.uk/Time-People-Dave-Cash-Collection/dp/B00EEMLGVC/ref (Track 17) . . . . CHEERS Robb, we actually have a lot of Poles over here in the UK .... a lot came here after WW2 to escape communism and even more (lots of builders , etc) have come in the last 10 years to find decent paying jobs. We have loads of Polish shops ...... but no Polish street names yet.

During that 'Chicago Blues' BBC documentary (I discussed it above) ... there's a street scene where a poster for a soul club gig comes into view (strapped to a lamp post or similar) ... anyway, the club which seems to have been called the Cougar Club (1812 Sth Pulaski, Chicago) has long since been demolished but one of the acts who featured at the club was blues guitarist (& in the 60's, soul man) Eddie C Campbell. Eddie had a long & distinguished career on the Chicago music scene until he relocated to Europe in 1984 (Holland then Germany). Eventually, he went back home but would return to Europe to play blues gigs. Unfortunately, whilst over here doing a gig (Germany; 2013), he suffered a stroke & had to be flown home on an ambulance plane to recuperate. I believe he has recovered a bit from the immediate severe effects of the stroke.

I know just about all of them were released in demo form ... can't confirm if every single one was though !!

This doesn't help with the facts surrounding the demise of Chicago Soul .... BUT ... if you have catch-up on your TV system, go into the BBC catch-up section & seek out an old (mid 80's) Arena documentary 'CHICAGO BLUES' (you can do a search using that name) .... it's part of a 6 part BBC 80's series on the Blues. The episode on Chicago Blues opens up with a short chat with BB King (from the 80's) & then goes into a film (50 mins in length) about black Chicago that seems to have been shot around 1970. You get street scenes, church scenes, market scenes (with record stalls on view), you get interviews shot in record shops, club scenes with people dancing & blues singers / musicians doing their thing. You get shots in the projects & footage taken from trains on the L (elevated railway). All in all, it's explaining how urban blues developed, how gospel influenced most music the blacks played, how being in the city forced the music to evolve ... in short just about every factor that led to the development of Chicago Soul. The footage is priceless, it's like you've jumped into a time machine; the clothes, the cars, the attitudes, the daily life captured. At one point in a blues club, a live performance is captured ... the singer hands over to the guitar player (Buddy Guy I think) for him to go his guitar break ... BUT .... everyone knows the cameras are there & shooting footage .... so Buddy extends his guitar solo TILL the singer has had enough & he just grabs hold of the neck of Buddy's guitar and stops him playing ... normality restored, the singer goes back into his vocal delivery ... PRICELESS STUFF ....

Ivor, Lou's "Makin Love" was booted due to it's popularity with 2-Steppers, but it's just a great track all around !!

Does Lou Ragland's "Makin Love" qualify (maybe it's already been mentioned anyway) ??

See below; the blurb on Swedish EMI releases back in the 60's ....... I guess with 'niche product' it was worth them shipping copies of 'foreign pressed' 45's into the US rather than making some ricids locally .............. ... BUT ... my main reason for posting this message is to say ..... if you're interested in seeing how EMI's cutting room, pressing plant & boxing up operations worked back in the 50's / 60's .... then watch (on catch-up) the BBC4 Arena prog about George Martin ... the prog itself is really interesting if you want to learn how EMI labels operated (in the UK) in the 50's / 60's but the 'background video' used is truly fascinating. The real section of interest to us types is around 7 mins 30 secs in ....

November 65 & Diana managed to convince BG to let EVD leave the studio and go on tour as leader of the Supremes backing band .... I wonder how she did that ?? ..

Any news back from the US yet Dave ??

I have now asked lou about this on 3 occasions BUT each time he denies being on the tour .... AND YET ... people back in Cleveland even tell me he went with Kim. Either he's forgotten all about it (& he has a great memory) OR he's decided to forget all about it. He was down there with the Ink Spots in the 80's. The only original guy in the group was very old & couldn't be bothered to do any promo work for their shows, so Lou did it all. He would visit radio stns, meet the press, etc. He would always take along & hand out copies of his records (GLO 45 + Love Moods 12" -- the EP that contains his much bootlegged anthem "Makin Love") ...... the press & DJs loved Lou & his attitude, so they would 'big up' his records & play them. The duet cut on his GLO 45 (forget the title & femme singer) became a popular radio play. So when the Ink Spots tour was over, Lou was approached by a promoter to stay on & do solo shows. They teamed him with a (jazzy) big band and he did numerous extra shows. So, this is the Aussie / NZ experience he relates when asked.

A new song from William Bell ... "The Three of Me" ........ but it sounds like classic Stax ..... https://www.npr.org/sections/therecord/2016/03/24/471570776/songs-we-love-william-bell-the-three-of-me ........... ENJOY !!

Me too ... when the Hull lot got a coach up to do a Mojo alldayer, lots of 'newbies' would come along to see what the crack was. It was daytime, so still light. They would fetch cameras & pose for pics outside the club as we waited for the doors to open (I always hung with the Hull lot as come midnight, it was very hard to get home from north Sheffield to Dony ... problem solved, I was mates with all their crowd so was squeezed onto their coach & thrown off in Dony). So anyway, I would be asked many times, come on, be in this picture BUT I always refused. I'd give anything now to have a picture of myself & their crowd posing outside the Mojo.

I think the problem is that all these cuts are special to us ... BUT for the guys in the studio, it was just everyday. OK, if a track hit really big then people would be asking them about it & the facts would stick, otherwise they wouldn't. I interviewed Johnny Pate about his time with ABC in Chicago studios & was very disappointed with his answers. Basically during that very busy period for him, it was just a 9 to 5 job. He turned up, worked with whoever ABC had sent along, cut tracks & left. He couldn't even remember working with most of the acts I mentioned (Earl Jackson, etc.) & I had written their details down as Johnny had been name checked on their record labels. He had no recollection even of some songs he got co-composers rights for. With regard to the Impressions sessions for ABC; he could tell me what it was like in general to work with Curtis & the group but could recall no tales about specific tracks being cut. ABC cut loads of stuff that never escaped their tape vaults BUT by the 70's, those tape vaults were full. So, the admin guys solved the problem by throwing away the tapes that contained unissued tracks -- spare space thus created. Johnny hadn't got the slightest idea who he'd worked with whose session tapes had been thrown. SAD BUT TRUE.

As I posted earlier, the O'Jays worked with Tom Li Puma & he was originally from Cleveland (on "You're The Only One", "Cried My Last Tear", etc on Imperial).

Stringfellow must have got an acetate of the Alan Bown version of "My Girl The Month of May" as that version didn't escape until 1968 on their 1st MGM / Music Factory LP. Alan Bown's 1st UK MGM 45 was released in October 67, their take on "Gonna Fix You Good" having escaped in March 67 (their last Pye 45).

Forgot a couple of sounds that were also popular @ the Mojo ........... the Ska Kings "Jamaican Ska" (really Byron Lee & his lads) PLUS one that took off in the summer of love (67) .... Dion's original version was played 1st "My Girl The Month of May" .... but coz of it's Mojo popularity, Alan Bown did a cover version just as they were leaving the R&B room forever ......... this is by no means soul .........