Roburt

Didn't realise that Giant Records was one of theirs, though the info is printed on the 45's labels (always loved "Cool Down Your Temper"). I did THINK that the UK Carnival label (2 x Manhattans 45's) was connected though. Is that not the case ?

An ad for a gig Choker did in 1981 in Calgary ......... It gets down to 14 below zero at that time of the year in Calgary, so I bet the band members weren't going outside for a smoke.

Anybody got a scan of the Betty Everett King 45's label ??

I know they ended up putting out loads of Irish things but in their early days it was mainly ska & soul tracks that they released. London based (Stamford Hill, North London) and run by a guy named Ben Isen. They seemed to do their US licensing via three strange outfits in Las Vegas, Florida and LA plus they had links with Swedish & Dutch organisations. BUT, how did they land the ska stuff, who did they license those tracks through ?

Is the background / history of this UK record company documented anywhere ??

Paul, it (the song) must have been featured in a (some?) feature film / TV ad / TV show down the years. Can you list any of them ?

Their UK release (on Jay Boy in 75) ............ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BNLTeKxHRU

The original version of tuva side of the W&A 45 (1970) .......... ......'A George Jackson penned slab of southern soul' ..... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjXZSrKFEIk ... AND ...... W&A's version ........... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU03matldM4

Molly Jo local release; Blue Candle (TK) national release. They had a 45 out here on Jay Boy (via TK) but it wasn't this one.

TEXT OFF a YOUTUBE post ............... ITS 1970,I'M IN THE SHADES CLUB IN NORTHAMPTON ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON, BOB CUBAN "THE CHEATER" IS JUST ENDING, SOMEONE SHOUTS OVER ''HEY BRICK ITS ON NEXT'',THE DJ GLEN BELLAMY PUTS ON HARLEM SHUFFLE, I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ,I PUT DOWN MY COKE WITH A SLICE OF LEMON ON TOP,AND GET UP TO DANCE ,THERE ARE ONLY SIX OR SEVEN OTHER KIDS IN THE PLACE, BUT WE ARE ALL KEEN, I GET LOST IN THIS SOUND, WHERE I GO THERE ARE NO WORRIES, THAT'S FOR THE STRAIGHT WORLD ,AND 'IM NOT PART OF THAT, I'M PART OF THIS, BLACK AMERICA IS ALL I KNOW, AND ALL I WANT TO KNOW, IN ENGLAND'S GREEN AND CLEAR LAND, WHAT I COULD NOT HAVE KNOWN THEN,WAS THAT I WOULD BE IN HARLEM TWENTY YEARS LATER IN THIS HOSPITAL BED, LOOKING OUT OF THE WINDOW AT THE FOLKS PASSING BY,YES I KNOW ALL SIDES OF THE HARLEM SHUFFLE. .........another later UK version ......... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1lMnAXgHiU

"Harlem Shuffle" was supposedly inspired by Round Robins "Slauson Shuffle Time" ...... the instro version of this ................... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfsiWvMpd8c See here ....

"Harlem Shuffle" was a top UK mod / soul club play from 'Day One' of it's UK release in July 65. From then on for about 3+ years it continued to sell well on Sue. It was reissued in Feb 69 on Island and made the UK Top 10 pop charts in April 69. Then of course, it was re-released yet again in 1971 on Jay Boy and in 1973 & 76 on Contempo. Later in the 70's it escaped on Old Gold. Not bad for a 45 that never once made the US pop charts (though it made the R&B charts at the end of 63 / early 64). The Rolling Stones of course took the song back into the UK charts later on still (1986). ........ loads of other cover versions out there too , including this one ........ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTd6Pz8yIbs

This ................. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEAJj7O3B8M Never attended the club though I was attending the Wheel in 67 (after the Mojo shut). Strange thing about the West Yorkshire crowd back then .... just as many went to the Wheel on a regular basis as attended the Mojo (even before the Mojo closed). The area was well served with soul clubs back then. The Bin Lid in Dewsbury, the Tin Chicken in Castleford, the Bee Gee in Leeds, Normanton Baths, String o' Beads, Lord Jims, Spinning Disc and more.

Saginaw is some distance (NW) from Detroit. I know the Campbell family had moved there from the south before Choker headed off to follow his long music biz career. No doubt he returned there coz of those family ties ............ BUT ........ Did Saginaw have recording studios that he cut his label/s tracks in ..... OR ... was that the company's business address only with the tracks being cut in Detroit studios ? I know there are studios in Saginaw now, but were there any there in 1969/70 ? ......... ANYONE KNOW ??

The old GM Studio now houses the Recording Institute of Detroit. This is what it looked like inside a few years back (which it seems is not too dissimilar to how it looked back in the GM days) ........... Dennis Coffey cut "Scorpio" here ......... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMFlXKGCxuw

Choker worked with Albert Jones from around 1970 through to the mid 70's ........... BUT ...... was he working with Albert when he cut for the BUMPSHOP label ("Up To The Sun") ?? The label was an offshoot of GM Recording Studio on Nine Mile Rd, Detroit and was operating around 1969/70/71-ish. The studio (+ the GM & Bumpshop labels) were owned by Guido Marasco who ran a car repair business located next door to the studio. By all accounts, Guido wasn't the type of guy to owe money to (for car or recording work). Back in 1969, it cost around $90 to S100 / hour to record at GM. The picture below shows the building that housed the GM studios (as it looks these days).

This Baltimore based guy has now gone solo (he used to be frontman for Marcell & the Truth who played the Prestatyn Weekender Modern Room). He's a real old skool soul singer and his stuff deserves to be more widely heard ............ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oN3z5rRnew https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtPdntx2l-U https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNpMLN2dJjI Marcell & the Truth .......... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2wJW52ST80M https://www.marcellrussell.com/ Check out his new album !!

Seems that the documentary is now getting US screenings ......... here's a few that are currently planned ........... Aug 22 Atascadero, CA - Galaxy Atascadero TICKETS Aug 22 North Hollywood, CA - Laemmls Noho 7 TICKETS Aug 15 Chicago, IL - Landmark Century Centre Cinema TICKETS Aug 15 Pasadena, CA - Laemmle's Playhouse 7 TICKETS Aug 22 Bellingham, WA - Pickford Film Center TICKETS Aug 28 Portland, OR - Hollywood Theatre INFO Sep 25 San Francisco, CA - Roxie Sep 27 Brooklyn, NY - BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uegzZWp6Y4w

A great Choker Campbell production ............ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=An2TOcWlDgc

Can you name a few of the people involved Robb ? (BTW that's not coz I doubt you, I'm just wanting to know who they were). I know guys like Wally Roker (ex Heartbeats), Dee Ervin (Pastels) and the like started out in NY and ended up running labels in LA, but which guys stayed in their home city and moved up the label management chain there. Lots of guys involved in doo-wop groups were ripped off by the record execs when they started out and some of them returned the favour when they were 'in charge'. It always was a ruthless biz.

It struck me just how many 'obscure' 1950's doo-wop groups gave a start to guys who became big hitters in the music / recording biz in the 60's / 70's. As an example there was a NY based outfit who went by the name of the Fi-Tones (they had started life as the Cavaliers). Although the group never really enjoyed a big national hit, the likes of Gene Redd Jr and Cecil Holmes made their music biz start in the group. Van McCoy sang with the Embracers, the Starlighters & then the Marylanders before forming a duo with his love interest Kendra Spotswood (Sandi Sheldon). Also in the Embracers were George Kerr & Sidney Barnes. Both guys were also in the Serenaders and Timothy Wilson was also a member of that group. Teddy Randazzo was in the Three Chuckles (what a useless name for a serious group). Lots of other guys who would go on to enjoy long music biz careers were inspired in the 50's by the likes of Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers to form / join groups. Many seemed to be New York based though. Were similar outfits being formed in (say) Chicago, LA and the like, with guys involved back then going on to enjoy similar musical success ??

Choker was kept busy 'on the road' in 1956 ............

Think I have that Ardent 45 somewhere here (along with a couple of others on the label).

Not too far from Detroit; across the border in Windsor in 1966 ............

Two Choker Campbell recordings ........ a few years apart ....... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1B07jMhDfE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSM0kuFa6As