Roburt

In the Rudy Love thread, I made mention of 2 BBC Radioplay LP's from 1985. Here I'm dealing with a 3rd of these 'internal-use' BBC releases. This one dates back to 1986 and features 6 tracks by General Johnson (+ 5 by Johnny Guitar Watson). The 'Gangsters Of Love' album (TAIR86014) has the following General Johnson tracks on it ....... All In The Family, Carolina Girls, Down At The Beach Club, Fool Am I, Only Love Can Mend A Broken Heart & We The People. Three of these cuts date back to the mid 70's and originally came out on Arista whilst three date from the 80's and were put out by Surfside Records in the US. The Johnny Guitar Watson tracks (all 70's releases originally) were cut for DJM. It seems strange to me that tracks from 3 different source labels should be packaged together on this BBC release. Anyone have any idea of the process the BBC staffers would have gone through to set up the licensing of these tracks ?

An old (2009) newspaper article about the music scene in the Overtown area (where Tropical Records was based ) ............. https://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/ent-columns-blogs/jordan-levin/article1931267.html

This track by Rudy (off his other Calla LP) was sampled by Jay Z .............

Rudy's brother Bob Love gave me this info on Rudy's work with Woodford / Ivey .............. "Those tracks originated when Rudy was doing pilot vocals for the Muscle Shoals Studio in Muscle Shoals Alabama. Rudy was given the task of recording one song after another written by various songwriters on the staff of the studio. Rudy recorded almost 48 hours straight, one song after another with just the lyrics in his hand and never having seen or heard the songs before. This was an amazing time for him. I was asked to help produce it because I knew Rudy`s voice so well. These were songs that they were specifically targeting certain artists. Everyone there was amazed at how they were coming out so they thrust one after another in front of Rudy. These sides plus a few more that aren`t on the UK album are incredible. Muscle Shoals Studio was owned by Terry Woodford and Clayton Ivey. That is where we recorded the 'This Song Is For You' album also. This studio was sometime called Motown South because they supplied some of the songs for other artists and they would record them there in a small town way away from the bright lights. Frank DiLeo who was Michael Jacksons manager at the time they bought the publishing writes to many a song and one of my songs titled Body Caress was among them. So these sides eventually turned up on that BBC album.' The album by Rudy ('This Song Is For You') was released on Calla in 1978. A track off the album ..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I47OxIeHGk Terry Woodford & Clayton Ivey's Muscle Shoals studio was known as Wishbone Recording Studios and was opened in 1976. The likes of Garland Green, Ann Sexton, Bill Brandon, Hot, Rudy Love, Millie Jackson and the Temptations cut tracks there. Bottom & Company (1976) and Reuben Howell's Motown albums (1973/74) plus cuts by Thelma Houston were cut for Woodford & Ivey's Wishbone Inc. in Muscle Shoals but I guess most were recorded in another Shoals Studio (Muscle Shoals Sound ?). "Scatchin" credited to Motown Disco Machine was probably also cut in the same studio.

Gwen Owens (when a member of Hot) cut a version of one of the Motown tracks cut by Rudy & included on his BBC LP ......... "The Right Feeling At The Wrong Time" Hot.

Rudy Love has enjoyed regular US releases that go all the way back to 1970 (Canyon, Earthquake, Calla, etc.). After his stint with major labels (which included a spell as a member of Sly Stone's group and a period with Motown in the 70's) he mainly had stuff out on his own labels but the releases did keep coming. Here in the UK he wasn't as lucky. Until his recent releases via Kent (a track on 45 + on a compilation CD), his only previous releases this side of the pond had been 2 LP's. The strange thing about both these albums was that the tracks they featured never actually escaped at all back in the US. The first of these two was the strange Manhattan Records (President) album credited to Brother Tyrone Davis (MAN 5034: 1980) which featured 10 tracks that Rudy & Company Soul cut for Canyon Records back in 1970. The second LP escaped here on the BBC Radioplay label which was a private release that the BBC pressed up to send out to their local radio stations around the UK. As such only a couple of hundred (?) of each of these LP's must have been pressed up. The 10 tracks featured on 'The Right Feeling' LP (TAIR85019: 1985) had been cut by Rudy for Terry Woodford / Clayton Ivey when they were running the Motown South operation out of Muscle Shoals ....... https://www.discogs.com/Rudy-Love-The-Right-Feeling/release/5517898. A lot of Motown artists had tracks featured by the BBC on these 'BBC Radioplay' albums at that time (4 Tops, Temptations, Miracles, Jnr Walker, R Dean Taylor, Shorty Long, Isley Brothers, Brenda Holloway, Elgins, Marvelettes, Mary Wells, Velvelettes, etc.), so some special arrangement must have existed between the BBC and Motown at the time (85/86). Other tracks that must have originated from Motown were included on the various artists 'Ruler Of The Hunt' LP (TAIR 85006). These include 1 cut by Siedah Garrett, 2 by Phyllis St James and 4 from Gwen Owens (maybe also the ones by Alex Brown & Ada Dyer) .......... https://www.discogs.com/Various-Ruler-Of-The-Hunt/release/5610427 The Gwen Owens tracks on this LP must also have originated from Motown's deal with Woodford & Ivey. Anyone here got either LP ('The Right Feeling' ; 'Ruler Of The Hunt') or has heard any of the 'otherwise unissued' tracks off these two BBC albums and can tell us if there are any gud uns amongst them.

It's also detailed (on-line) that Stevie played the Flamingo Club (London) nighter on 21st January 66 (supported or backed up by Peter B's Looners who had Peter Green and Mick Fleetwood as members at the time). Peter B's Looners (with additional members) soon afterwards changed their name to Shotgun Express.

A bit of info (& a photo) here about what Stevie was up to in the UK in 1966 (+ other years) ......... https://classic.motown.com/2014/08/14/story-behind-image-stevie-wonder/ Stevie played the Scotch of St James club in London on 3rd February ....... https://www.beatlesbible.com/1966/02/03/paul-mccartney-meets-stevie-wonder/ He also played The Marquee (London) on Monday 7th February plus a gig at the Cavern in Liverpool on that 66 visit ........ https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/nostalgia/stevie-wonders-cavern-contract-goes-9472367 As EMI had fetched him over here to promote the "Uptight" 45, no doubt many of his shows here were last minute bookings.

Bill Sampson, who owned / ran Scamm Records + VIP Enterprises, had been a DJ as far back as the early 50's (for KWKW out of Pasadena, Cal). The Sir Guy Armond 45 was the first release on his label. The label name was changed to Scamm Sound. Hayward Lee & the Marauders (who had the 2nd 45 out on the label) had started out as HL & the Bluenotes around 1965 before becoming HL & the Maurauders. They were from Freso, Cal and info on them can be found here .............. https://thebrymers.sharepoint.com/Pages/1960sSanJoaquinValleyBands.aspx Can't find much about a singer called Wardell Howard apart from a review of a show that a guy of this name undertook in 1978 in Sarasota, Florida. At that time he was one of the solo singers with the Roger Wagner Chorale (they had 2 LP's out on Chorale Records in July 67). The Roger Wagner Chorale were based out of LA so I guess this is the same Wardell Howard.

Don Griffin, the guitar player, was killed in Denver last week ......... https://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_28789242/don-griffin-killed-by-vehicle-i-25-was As well as playing for the Miracles (when his brother Billy was the group's lead singer) and Anita Baker, he was also a member of 80's funk band, Madagascar. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxjFFB31nQI Seems that he was putting together a new band at the time of his death. R I P

Ada is still performing. With her 'A Band' she is on at B B Kings in New York in a few days time. More info on her Facebook page .......... https://www.facebook.com/ada.dyer.1 A clip of her performing 3 years ago ...............

It seems that William Brown passed away yesterday ................ R I P https://www.commercialappeal.com/go-memphis/music/news/william-brown-was-mad-lads-singer-shaft-engineer_17838557

The Charles Drain version was, of course, produced by Kent Washburn. Most of their recording work together was undertaken in St Louis. Here's some info I put together (a while back) on Charles Drain and his recording career ................... Charles Drain was born in Mississippi back in 1939. He began singing at the age of eight and formed his first group a couple of years later. After moving to Chicago, he secured work singing back-up vocals before landing a record deal with Vee Jay as lead singer for the Tabs. The group back then consisted of Charles Drain, Sonny Robertson (1st tenor), John Hopkins (2nd tenor) & Lionell Stokes (baritone). All the guys were childhood buddies though a couple of additional members (Tuman Hughes & Leroy Terry) had dropped out down the years. Sonny Robertson had started out in gospel groups as a teenager and had sung in male gospel quartets back in St Louis with the likes of Mel & Tim. Although not actually a member of the group, Charles’ brother William was influential in their development. William schooled the group, helping them develop their singing skills plus he wrote songs especially for them. The group were to gain two single releases on Vee Jay in 1962, with a further two 45’s later escaping on Wand (they cut additional tracks but these failed to gain release back then). They got to tour, playing shows with the Miracles, Flip Wilson, Redd Foxx, Moms Mabley and the Isley Brothers at venues such as the Apollo, the Uptown in Philly, the Howard in D.C. & the Regal in Chicago. For their show at the Apollo, they were backed up by a group of musicians that included Phillip Upchurch (guitar) and King Curtis (sax). By the mid sixties though, the Tabs had run their course and so Charles went out as a solo singer. He secured a record deal with Checker in 1967 (“Here I Am” being released on 45) and also in the 60's, "Stop And Think About It Baby / So Glad" was issued on Top Track. Back based in St Louis in the 1970’s, he was looking a way to get his career back on track. It was therefore no surprise that when Kent and Michael L Smith let it be known that they were holding auditions for singers, he was one of the first to learn of this and turn up at the studio to try out. Kent & Michael were suitably impressed and he was quickly signed up. The auditions also resulted in the Love Set being signed to a recording contract. Kent in conjunction with Michael L Smith started work on tracks by Charles Drain and the Love Set and it was agreed that these, when completed would be released by RCA. Marcus Kelly had originally laid down demos on three songs (“This Ain't Livin”, “I've Been A Good Man” and “You Don't Even Know My Name"), so Kent cut finished versions of these and thus completed five tracks in all on him. Kent tried to market these at the same time as he was setting up the deals secured for the Hypnotics and Charles Drain / Love Set. However the majors were keener on the other artist’s cuts and so his masters were left sitting on the shelf at that time. Charles Drain was already an experienced singer with quite a bit of studio experience and so his sessions progressed quite smoothly. A Michael L Smith song, “Is This Really Love” was selected to form the top side of his initial RCA release and the single (RCA #10186) hit US record shop shelves in February 1975. It didn’t manage to chart nationally but it certainly made waves and as a result, the 45 was also released in countries such as the UK (RCA 2750). The next RCA single release that originated with the CMC team came from the Love Set. The group’s only release under the deal featured “Touch & Go Lover” (RCA #10241) and this was issued around April that year. Again little or no promotional effort was forthcoming from RCA but again the track made some impact as it also gained a foreign release. Charles Drain’s next outing came towards the end of the year and by this time, Michael L Smith had moved on and Kent was in total charge on the tracks. No drop in quality was evident though, as Charles performed sterling work on the Ray Dahrouge penned song “Lifetime Guarantee Of Love” (RCA #10521). His last 45 outing on the label emerged in March 1976, when “What Good Is A Love Song” was coupled with “I'm Gonna Stay” (RCA #10594). With the passage of time, it is “I’m Gonna Stay” that has attracted major acclaim. Also in 1976, Charles’ ‘Dependable’ album was released and copies of this 10 track strong album are also much sought after these days.

Don't know anything about the 45 but here's some info on the studio it was cut at (that I found on the net) .......... when one thinks of noted recording studios, it's usually in places like Manhattan, LA, San Francisco, New Orleans, Memphis and Muscle Shoals (for R&B) or Nashville. But when I reached my mid-twenties, I learned that some famous recordings (in the 60's and 70's) had been made just five minutes from my family's house on suburban Long Island, New York. And not only had the studio closed by the end of the 70's, but as one self-described 'music-gear-slut' observed: almost nothing about Ultrasonic Studios has been documented. Hence, this profile will be incomplete .... but the joint at least deserves some mention. Sometime in the 1960's, a fellow named Bill Stahl opened this studio in Hempstead, New York (some twenty miles east of Manhattan and just five minutes away from our home in West Hempstead). In 1965, a young man from Queens made a wrong turn while driving in the area, and saw the sign. Deciding to stop in, he hit it off with Bill Stahl, and thus the career of noted recording engineer (and later producer) Don Casale began .... all due to a wrong turn. The studio has two main claims to fame: some of the albums recorded there, and also live radio show recordings from many star bands. One example of the former were recordings (in the late 60's) by a band called The Hassles - one of whose members lived only seven miles away. Although he wound up recording most of his solo albums at much larger studios: disagreements with his producer led Billy Joel to finish recording his debut album as well as his 1976 album Turnstiles at Ultrasonic. The first three albums by Vanilla Fudge - who managed to combine blue-eyed soul, psychedelia and hard rock seamlessly - were produced at Ultrasonic by George 'Shadow' Morton

I seem to recall Dave giving 'spare' copies of this 7" to lads who visited the Soul City shop and bought a lot of (Motown) records. This would have been around the mid to late 60's.

Two gospel songs cut by Percy are already available (as downloads) .......... these were cut in the same Memphis studio ........ https://www.amazon.com/Two-Songs-Praise-Spencer-Wiggins/dp/B01018BYD2/ref=sr_1_1?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1435576183&sr=1-1&keywords=spencer+wiggins

Info off the net ................. cut in Memphis studio ............ Memphis soul group The BO-KEYS team up with vocalist PERCY WIGGINS to bring you a double shot of Memphis Soul and R&B. PERCY WIGGINS is featured on two original songs penned by the BO-KEYS and WIGGINS. The Bobby “Blue” Bland inspired, R&B of “WRITING ON THE WALL” and the Southern Soul ballad, “I’M STILL IN NEED”. Info here ................ https://electraphonicrecording.com/news.html

Although it is his 60's deep soul tracks that he is best known for, YouTube posters seem to prefer his up-tempo sides .......... ... another really sad loss for all soul fans .......

It has been reported on Mighty Sam's Facebook page that he has sadly passed ................ https://www.facebook.com/MightySamMcClain

There's a compilation CD just out on Richard Marks .............. see here ............ https://www.nowagainrecords.com/announcing-richard-marks-never-satisfied/ More info on him here ......... https://www.sirshambling.com/artists_2012/M/richard_marks/index.php

Berry only lived in this place for a couple of years in the late 60's but owned it for many years after that. More info here ............. https://www.mlive.com/business/detroit/index.ssf/2015/05/berry_gordys_motown_mansion_in.html

More reports on the web now of Mel's passing .................. for instance this one .... https://usnewsdaily.net/mel-waiters-dead-at-58/?COLLCC=2827379831

The Boogie Report web site is reporting that Mel Waiters passed earlier today. Tap to view this Soul Source News/Article in full

I believe this is a New York area recording but have no idea who L'il Michael was / is.