Roburt

Ace have done a good job to help bring the work of Bert Berns back into the spotlight in recent times and it seems as though 2014 could just be the year when Bert finally receives the plaudits he has long deserved. ....... THE PLAY .......... A musical play based on events in his life is due to commence 'off broadway' in New York in July (with previews from late June). The play has it's own Facebook page that features lots of interesting stuff ....... https://www.facebook.com/pieceofmyheartmusical INFO on the play .......... https://www.oandmco.com/blog/entry/piece-of-my-heart-to-open-in-new-yprk-this-summer .... THE BOOK ........... A book 'Here Comes The Night' by Joel Selvin will be available in the very near future (though this seems to concentrate on the seamier side of the music biz back then). ... SEE ........ https://www.amazon.co.uk/Here-Comes-Night-Business-Rhythm/dp/1619023024/ref=reg_hu-rd_add_1_dp .... LAUNCH SHOW FOR THE BOOK ......... A launch show has been arranged for 22nd April at legendary New York club the Bitter End. This will be a musical night with both original artists and cast members performing songs that will feature in the show. Among those asked to sing at the launch show are Kenny Hamber ("Show Me Your Monkey"), Betty Harris plus others. A documentary about the life & music of Bert Berns is also in the works (this featuring contributions from the likes of Solomon Burke, Ben E King, Cissy Houston, etc).

It's been discussed here before but there are a few collectable soul / Motown 78's from places like India, Pakistan, Philippines, African countries, etc. SEE .... https://www.recordcollectorsguild.org/modules.php?op=modload&name=sections&file=index&req=viewarticle&artid=54&page=1

Another factor to take into consideration from those times was that many 'US soul' 45's sold over an extended time period. So even though they never made it onto the 45's Top 50, many sold more copies than some 45's that did make the charts. A classic example of this has to be a release such as Bob & Earl's "Harlem Shuffle". 1st issued in the UK in July 65, it sold solidly as a Sue 45 for over 3 years. It was then re-issued on Island in February 69 and entered the UK 45's chart a few weeks later. It would be interesting to know just how many copies of the Sue single had sold up to the beginning of 1969. "Open The Door To Your Heart" and other EMI 45 releases also enjoyed months & months (turning into years) of sales before they were deleted (with some then being re-issued again at an even later date).

Don't forget that the Beatles broke in America in January 64 and the 'British Invasion' followed just weeks later. Every US record label was trying to get access to UK recordings and offering licensing deals (you can have all our stuff if we can release yours back here). The Beatles, Stones, Hollies, Searchers, Hermans Hermits & dozens more UK acts were having hits with covers of US blues / R&B tracks. The Beatles & Stones were naming all their fave artists; just about everyone being US blues, R&B, soul acts. The Drifters, Mary Wells & Marvin Gaye were enjoying UK hits, by 65 the likes of Otis Redding & Wilson Pickett were also on the UK 45 charts. They were soon followed by Lee Dorsey, Roy C, Percy Sledge and more. UK labels got their US stuff without incurring any recording costs (& UK studios were very busy back then cutting new & recent hit acts). Little or no expense was involved in promoting the US product. They just pressed up some demos, sent them out & claimed the costs as a tax loss. Many UK label A&R men were so out of touch in 64 they had no idea anymore what was likely to be a hit (hence Decca turning down the Beatles). If 1 in every 20 releases sold a decent number of copies then they could break even. Why wouldn't they put out US soul stuff over here under those conditions ?

Club exposure (import copies initially) and pirate radio plays (again initially import copies) influenced what was released here from (say) 1964 onwards. I'd say that some UK record companies passed early import copies of certain US 45's they had the rights to onto London club DJ's and pirate radio DJ's and they would play many of them. The ones that took off with club or radio audiences would then get more consideration regarding UK release I'd say. Of course, being a minor / major hit in the US would also be a big influence on the A&R guys at the labels. Pete Stringfellow (of Sheffield's Mojo Club) used to travel down to London every week (to work on RSG) and he always returned home with loads of new sounds that would be played in the club the very next weekend. Sometimes a new US track would be a UK club hit before it had really had the time to establish itself on the US charts --- some UK club hits would go on to climb the US charts but others wouldn't. Big UK outfits (EMI, Pye & the like) already had deals with loads of US labels, so they would be receiving copies of their newly released 45's every week. Lots of UK labels sourced US 45's with a view to getting Brit acts they had signed to do cover versions of songs, no doubt if they found it easy to 'license' the original version in cheaply, they would follow that course instead.

The details surrounding who the members of Mr Floods Party were when "Compared To What" was cut seem to have been lost in the mist of time. The group started out in the greater New York area as a psychedlic rock outfit in 1968 but many of it's early members soon moved on and left the group. ........ Here's a bit of related info ......... Gary Van Scyoc's music career kicked off at Salem College (Clarksburgh, West Virginia) when he joined the group the Dynatones and they recorded “And I Always Will” plus "The Fife Piper" at Gateway Studios in Pittsburgh. Their 45 was put out on the Pittsburgh based St. Clair label before Hanna Barbera Records picked up the bands contract and released the single nationally in 1966. The 45 made the Top 50 R&B charts in October 1966 and it also almost made the national pop Top 50. HBR wanted an LP from the Dynatones to cash in on the 45's success and so the group's manager took them into Glen Campbell's studio (Pittsburgh) and cut 10 or 12 additional tracks. But their manager wasn't a producer and the studio was just too basic. HBR Records rejected these new tracks and cut all the tracks that would appear on the album in LA using local studio musicians. That experience finished off the original group and Gary Van Scyoc moved on to join Mr. Flood's Party who had landed a deal with Cotillion in 1968. The group cut an album in New York that escaped on Cotillion in 1969 but Van Scyoc's name doesn't appear as a member who played on those tracks. Some of the guys who did cut the tracks that had escaped on the LP already had successful careers outside the music world. I guess they didn't want to quit those to tour and so they seem to have left the group quite early on. Van Scyoc soon moved on himself (1970), this time joining a band called Pig Iron who played lots of festivals & toured the US college circuit. He then hooked up with with Elephants Memory who played / recorded with John Lennon (1972). He was also in the house band at Jerry Ragavoy's Hit Factory studio on West 48th Street (NY). In that role he played on lots of R&B records for Atlantic Records acts including the likes of Howard Tate and Carl Hall (1972). "Compared To What" must have been cut in the first half of 1971 at GM studios in Detroit (it had been licensed by Ember and released in the UK by September 1971 under a deal the label had with Larry Douglas which had already seen Tony & Tyrone, Jones Girls, Mary Fraser Jones and Eddie Robinson 45s escape here). The GM label was an offshoot of GM recording studio which was on Nine Mile Road. The label / studios owner, Guido Maresco, also owned a car repair business located next door to the studio. The labels name would later be changed to Bumpshop (for obvious reasons no doubt). Who the members of Mr. Floods Party were when "Compared To What" was cut and how the group ended up recording in a Detroit studio will no doubt remain a mystery. It ("Compared To What") never really made any impact back in the US and no doubt the group's member who played on the cut have little idea of the 'fame' it attained here in the UK.

A "Big Lad" sound for me would have to be Jimmie 'Bo' Horne's "I Can't Speak". But this now seems to have had its '15 minutes of fame' and has faded from view a bit (as a soul nite event big play). There are copies out there however only one sale of the 45 is documented on popsike ($2610), so I'd say this definitely falls into the category of 'in collections but a keeper'.

"Point of No Return" was a massive US 45 pop & soul chart hit for Gene back in 1962 (made the Top 30 of both charts). The track was also released on 45 in numerous countries; UK, NZ, Aussie, Canada, etc. Gene's version was a UK beat / mod club hit and was so popular that Georgie Fame did it in his live act (for years) and also recorded a version that became a massive mod tune .....

Joe was also a member of DC based outfit the El Corols for a few years between his stint with the Maidens and Free Soul. The band played loads of gigs in the Baltimore area in the 1960's ...........

Sir Joe back in 1963 ..............

I guess Sir Joe was involved with the running (& maybe the ownership) of DC based Tonjo Records. Anybody know the details ?

I don't believe the early stages of his career have been fully documented yet. Somebody really needs to interview him while he's over here ............

Veteran soul / funk guy Sir Joe Quarterman makes a return to the UK in early July .............. https://mamacolive.com/thejazzcafe/listings/upcoming-events/10149/sir-joe-quarterman-the-jezebel-sextet/?utm_source=MAMA+%26+Company&utm_campaign=7cf05dccc8-The_Jazz_Cafe_12_March_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_4e084da6ac-7cf05dccc8-62538969

I have it in PDF format already, I just don't want to sell it in that format yet.

Kenny is on the radio live now ............. https://tunein.com/radio/WKND-1480-s30303/

Nope, not at the moment. Hard copy only. One may follow later, but I'm 'old skool' I'm afraid.

Kenny is being interviewed about his life & the book on radio stn WKND (Hartford) later today ........ ................. https://www.goisradio.com/power-1480 .......... https://tunein.com/radio/WKND-1480-s30303/

A brilliant documentary that really showcases the classic music made in Muscle Shoals.

I'd say the 45 has fans on the NS scene ............

'TEARS IN MY EYES' -- The Kenny Hamber Story has now been published and is available for sale. The book consists of 180+ pages of text and 8 pages of pictures and tells the full story of Kenny's life and long career. He started out singing on the street corners of Baltimore back in the 1950's and by 1961 was performing at the top summer venue of Carr's Beach on bills topped by the likes of Jackie Wilson. An ever-present on the vibrant Baltimore club scene throughout the 1960's, he still found the time to head off to New York and Philly to record and play live gigs. Hooking up with a group towards the end of the 60's, they headed off to fulfill a club date up in Providence (Roade Island). He never returned from that gig and made a new life for himself in New England that lasted into the 1980's. Moving on again, he relocated to Hartford and Manchester, Connecticut. Nearly 60 years after he started out on a singing career, Kenny still lands regular gigs at places such as Foxwood's Casino in Ledyard, Connecticut. He is currently back in the recording studio (with a full band) laying down tracks for another release. He performed right through soul music's golden years and experienced many ups & downs, his exploits taking him all over the world. Today, he still chases new dreams to add to his many past achievements in the entertainment business. CHECK OUT SOME INFO ON THE BOOK HERE ........... https://www.facebook.com/KennyHamberStory The book is available for £10 + £1.90 P&P. Drop me a PM if you are interested in obtaining a copy.

Cherry Stone's 45 version escaped around August 1966 whereas Rita started work on her TRC album around late 1967 and completed it in mid to late 68. I wonder how Ray Charles got to know about this obscure song which I believe was just the B side to "He Walks Softly" ........... Ray Charles toured Europe in 1966 and was always out on the road when back in the US. His Australian tour actually commenced in mid August 1967. He did a TV show in Sydney on 18th August (see here .... https://raycharlesvideomuseum.blogspot.co.uk/2010/06/genius-of-ray-charles-live-in-australia.html) and it must have been at that time that he met up with Rita. Rita was already a friend of Billy Preston (from club dates back in LA) and Billy was on that Ray Charles tour, so it was probably via Billy that she got access to Ray.

A 45 by the outfit that Rita Graham was fronting on the Australian tour during which she got to meet Ray Charles ............

An extract from my bio on Rita .............. ......... RITA GRAHAM (of Rita & the Tiaras) ............. ... Rita had landed vocal duties fronting the group Chuck Rowan and his Cliques (who at the time had James Gadson as their drummer) and they received an invitation to tour Australia for 6 months. After a few shows on the tour, Rita got to perform on the ‘Tonight with Don Lane’ TV Show. Her appearance was such a success that she was split from the group by the booking agency and sent on solo gigs. Backstage at a show in Sydney, she met up with Ray Charles. Ray spent time chatting with her and got her to duet with him in his dressing room. He was so impressed with her musical knowledge and singing ability, that after she returned to LA, he got back in touch. After signing her to his Tangerine Record label (TRC), Ray took her into his RPM International studio and they began recording tracks for a proposed album. With Ray always touring, it was some time before enough tracks were laid down to complete her ‘Vibrations’ LP. However they were finally completed and the package of (largely) old standards sung in various musical styles was released in 1968. Unfortunately, Rita didn’t get the chance to promote the album as Ray’s current set of Raelettes (Clydie King, Merry Clayton, Alex Brown & Gwendolyn Berry) suddenly quit on him. A big show was looming and so Ray instantly needed to put together a replacement line-up. He teamed Rita with Susaye Greene and Beverly LeShure to form the new group and they were on stage with Ray in LA that night. Rita remained as a Raelette for 6 months and even toured in that capacity but she was troubled that her album was being neglected and was receiving little or no promotion. The situation resulted in her having an argument with Ray and frustrated, she quit the group. The circumstances resulted in her never getting to perform any of her LP tracks live, even her great version of “My Cup Runneth Over”.

It's a 'fake' label Steve, maybe you might post up the real one (Soul Sensations & etc.)

Other Audiofonics 45's ............