Roburt

Here's a better effort from Pat Kelly .... a Curtis Mayfield (Impressions) song .....

Can't say that this is my fave version of "Dark End of the Street" ......... the backing is just TOO amateurish .... There has to be a better reggae version ...... no doubt Pete S will point me in the right direction.

Here's one thats always been a fave of mine ........... bought as a new release a FEW years back ...... We're just like Williams & Watson .... two (bros) for the price of one

There was a white garage band from New York who went by the name of the Changing Scene. Avco signed them in May 70 and they had "Sweet & Sour" out plus a self titled LP by November 70. Then there's the (Memphis based ?) black outfit who cut in Nashville for Co-Town in 73. Guess neither outfit is the group who cut for Jo-Vee-Jo though.

Lou is back in Cleveland this week (7pm Wednesday) being interviewed at the R&R Hall of Fame by 'Cleve Soul' expert Carlo Wolff (Invisible Soul). The session is open to the public & no doubt lots of little known 60's / 70's local soul facts will be discussed. Lou's Numero package is 'doing well' and he's back working as a consultant with Numeo (on another very interesting Cleve Soul project they are developing). Lou has been back in Cleveland a few times over the last couple of years and his played gigs there ......... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHb1gcXLSyI

Lee Charles Nealy featured on Gospel Chimes tracks on Savoy, HOB & Atlantic. However the group had a number of lead singers over that period (Jessy Dixon, Carl Beans -- not the Motown gay guy, etc). The LP's Lee features on didn't usually detail who was singing lead on the group's tracks unfortunately (lots of gospel albums did back then).

The announcement that Musicor had licensed the Justin tracks ........

LaMont Johnson and his brother Keith established Down East Records (with funding from MBA, a Manhattan based production company) in New York City in 1966. It was located at 53 Pitt Street in a former seltzer factory. The site housed the offices for Down East along with a small recording studio in the back of the building. Jazz musicians booked to play Slugs, a local jazz club, would hang out at the studio and many times made up the studio band on sessions cut there. As already stated, the 45 that featured "What Can I Do" was a 'local release' only. Some months later (March 68), Musicor picked it up for national distribution with "Right Now" now being coupled with the 3rd Justin cut. "Right Now" got plays on NY R&B radio stn WWRL (where Frankie Crocker, King Coleman, Jocko Henderson & Gary Byrd were / had been DJ's). The studio went out of business in 1969. LaMont relocated to LA and got back into playing / cutting jazz but not before he had cut an album with Mokie, JJ & R.O.B. for the Sun, Moon & Stars label (1972). This LP included the track “You're So Real” which also escaped on 45. Lamont did the musical soundtracks for a couple of B-movies in the early to mid 70's; 'Thunderfist' (film released in 73) & 'Capers' (titled 'How Come Nobody's On Our Side' originally. Film released in 75).

An ad for the studio placed around the time Justin went down there to record his tracks ..... ... if you were fully rehearsed (& quick) you could cut a track for $20 !!!! The studio was located in the Lower East side (of Manhattan) just inland from the Williamburg Bridge that links across to Brooklyn ...... Unfortunately the building that housed the studio was demolished a while back and a 7 storey apartment block replaced it.

Well Charly put out a 'Best Of' CD on Joe Tex in 2005 that included his Dial recordings. So, they maybe had the rights to his Dial suff back then. I have no knowledge of a Charly 12" featuring the track but I wouldn't put it past them to have tried to cash in on the the popularity of UYPL back then.

.... US news piece here ..... https://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/local_news/investigations/king-of-funk-george-clinton-and-others-accuse-local-businessman-of-music-royalty-rip-offs#ixzz2K9Co0Ih0 As Ace / Kent own the UK rights to the Westbound catalogue, I wonder who they have to pay their royalties to (Armen Boladian no doubt).

A CD box set due out in around a months time ............... no doubt many of the tracks featured would have been regular plays at the Wheel's 1st incarnation (Braznose St) ..... .......... 'Boogie Chillen: Early Mod's 1st Choice Vinyl .............. https://www.amazon.co..._sim_sbs_m_h__1

Cadet 5546 -- that would make it a mid October 1966 release (on Cadet), whereas "It May Be Winter Outside" (Mustang) came out in time for Xmas 66 (the 45 was listed among the new releases in Billboard mag dated 24th Dec 66). So I'd say she was signed to / recording for Mustang in November. Guess "Think About Me" must have been cut in the summer, with its 'local release' in LA (pre-Cadet) dating from that time also.

I will be asking our lass (who'll surely outlive me) to get these 4 played at my wake ........ Lorraine Ellison -- Stay With Me Baby Artistics -- I'm Gonna Miss You Astors -- Candy (named my daughter after this track & Candi Staton) COD's -- Michael (named my son after this track) SORRY ABOUT IT BEING 4 .... but can't play just 1 of the 2 for the kids). I'd also have to ask for at least one gospel track to be spun, can't decide what yet (but probably the Gospel Classics or a vocal version of "Wade In The Water").

Ian, you're right in part I got a bit mixed up with regard to her UK hit. But as you will remember, President never deleted 45's. I don't even think they ever took returns (overstock from record shops returned as unsold to swop with newer releases from the label). So, you could buy President 45's for some years after they were initially put out. I remember buying singles on the label by the likes of Viola Wills, Alvin Cash, Johnny Wyatt, Willie Parker & Betty Everett well after their initial release dates. Mind you I toally missed their releases on Barry White (67) & Roger Hatcher (68) at the time. When she had her UK hit, her older records were pushed again & of course, they were played by DJ's in Top Rank / Locarno type venues after "I Feel Love Coming On" was a popular track.

The guys in the group .......... don't know which one was James though ........... They had black musicians backing them up (on the recording & on live dates) ......

The group's best seller ............

Bobby Eli's wife has reported that James C. Farrow of Sons of Robin Stone (Atco / Epic; 1970's) has passed away. ...... July 9, 1947 - February 4, 2013 ........... R.I.P. (Bobby was the group's producer)

................. AMENDED ............ Felice must have gone solo straight after that Soultown 45 was released. She was signed to Groovy Records as Florian Taylor & cut some sides that supposedly escaped on just about the last Groovy 45 (though I have never seen a copy of said single -- "Think About Me"). Her stay with the label was very short lived and later in 1966 she got a deal with Mustang Records. They put out "It May Be Winter Outside" around late December 66 and it hit home immediately in northern US cities (where the cold weather made it quite topical). By the first week in January 67, the track went big on Philly radio stations and from there it didn't look back. The 45 had entered the US national soul charts by the end of January and it also escaped in the UK that January (on President). Here it quickly became a big pirate radio & soul club play. With a hit on her hands, Mustang didn't waste any time & her follow up ("I'm Under The Influence of Love") hit US shops in March (67). Her 45 was also released in the UK and Europe, unfortunately pirate radio in the UK was shutting down due to Government legislation and so her new single got less radio play here. But club goers picked up on it and it became a dance floor hit. Radio 1 got going in the UK at the end of September and just about all the DJ's who got shows on the station came from the pirates. But Felice's outing was seen as an old release, so it got little radio airplay. The clubs were still behind it though but its popularity soon tailed off. She now had a high profile over this side of the pond and so "I Feel Love Coming On" was rushed out here in September and work on promoting the 45 got under way immediately. But her early US chart success had gone to her head and she was getting very difficult to work with. No one at Mustang was happy working with her anymore and, to further complicate matters, the company (Del-Fi) was also struggling to stay in business. In November, while she was over in Europe doing promotional work to push the release of "I Feel Love Coming On" (she was in the UK and also appeared on a TV show shot in Amsterdam, Holland), she was signed to Kent Records (US). Her new UK release was getting a big push from Brit label President and it soon became a club hit. It entered the charts here in November and after Radio 1 had to start playing it (coz it was on the pop charts) it climbed to almost make the pop top 10. In the end, it stayed on the UK pop charts for 3 months and made Felice a big star here. So they had a hit artist on their hands but President now had a problem. They had no more cuts by Felice that they could put out. After some months, a deal was done with Kent Records and the top side of her 2 Kent 45's were coupled to form a new UK release ("Captured By Your Love / I Can Feel Your Love" -- President # PT193) in April 68. By then (I believe) she had lost her US record deal and so European based labels were struggling to find cuts to release on this popular singer here. She was fetched across from the States and a new track was recorded in conjunction with President's Eddie Grant & the Equals; "Suree-Surrender". This initially escaped in Spain (c/w "All I Want To Do Is Love You") in early April (though I'm sure the tracks involved were licensed in from President in the UK). This coupling was also put out in Germany on the President label and it eventually escaped in the UK in November that year. But Felice now had no recording contract at home and with her later releases in Europe doing less well, she soon stopped making trips over here. She never did manage to get another US deal and by 1970 had seemed to slip out of the business altogether.

The sirshambling web site has a page on Little David (smith) who cut for 521 Records. David's children have recently contacted the site & have passed along this info ........ "David Smith was born in Goldsboro NC. He moved to Brooklyn when he was about 19. He performed at the 521 club in Brooklyn NY on Fulton Street on a regular basis. His stage name was Little David. He had also recorded Moonlight, Love Me,and Everybody's Laughing In My Face on the 521 label. My dad was a talented guitarist and vocalist. He wrote all his songs including It Hurts Baby. His records sold out but he did not see any money as many artist during those days. Instead of staying on the road he decided to raise his family. David was a great dad and person. He passed away in 1994 but he passed the torch to me. We come from a long family line of musicians. The photo is my dad on guitar and George Williams trumpet player for the Fatback Band. I know if he had continued with the music he would have been a legend as all of his musical friends are today but he put family first." David had 2 x 45's out on 521 around 1962 -- ... "Everybody’s laughing in my face / Love Me" (521 #1001 - 1962?) + "It hurts baby / Moonlight" (521 #1002 -1962?) The 1962 dates has been guessed at as ZIP codes were introduced in 1963 & its thought that this would also have been put on the label if that date had been reached.

I'd love to see a scan of the label, is it 'floating about' on the net anywhere ??

LitEdTaylor was ever-present on the Miami club scene throughout just about all the 60's. As can be seen from the photo above, his 'Little' nickname came from his lack of height but that didn't stop him from being a notorious ladies man. At times, he claimed to be a close relative (brother) of Johnny Taylor's, but JT always denied that. I have posted up club ads for shows LitEdTaylor did in Miami in the 'Old Miami Shows' thread in the past. Not to be confused with the 'Little Eddie Taylor' that was a blues guitarist (who was about at the same time & into the 70's).

Further to the above ..... I guess labels such as United Artists came to Latin jazz quite early as they had been involved quite strongly in the early 60's when the 'Bossa Nova' craze was sweeping across the US. They had signed up artists such as LeRoy Holmes and he had gone on to make movie soundtracks for them and in his role of musical director at UA had produced stuff on many of the companies LJ artists. Mind you, comparing 'Bossa Nova' style tracks with the sort of stuff Fania was putting out is definitely a case of 'chalk & cheese'.

Thanks for that info Dean,I didn't realise that Fania were involved in Heavy Duty or that Atlantic had 'licensed in' the LP they released. He (Harvey) seemed to fall out with Fania (or he was poached by UA's Mike Lipton) in spring 1970 but I guess a few months at the bigger outfit was enough to convince him that they would never really fully embrace the 'Latin jazz' genre. I know he made foreign trips on behalf of UA (for instance to Puerto Rico in November 1970) but I can't think of too many LJ releases that UA / Liberty actually put any effort into promoting at that time. The company did have its UA International label that put out lots of stuff between the mid 60's & the end of the decade but I get the impression that they licensed stuff from say Brazil & Paraguay to mainly market in other South American territories. Apart from the likes of Fania (& similar concerns) for whom LJ was their main genre, straight jazz labels who saw potential in this 'side branch' and the likes of Atlantic, it seems very few record companies saw it as a musical genre to get involved with. Certainly none of the majors (till Atlantic was absorbed by WEA) seemed interested in LJ artists (unless you lump Chicano artists into that genre). Mind you, CBS did go on to sign up Latin artists based in the Miami area but I guess that was a different type of sound anyway.

As I posted up scans of 2 of Harvey's Hot Ice 45's ... thought I'd ask this question ...... A couple of decent soul groups also had 45's out on Heavy Duty Records -- the Topics & Hot Ice (Formations). So I'd guess that the label was definitely New York based .... but was it owned (at least in part) by Harvey ?? Fania Music published the music for some of the tracks, so I guess Harvey fetched some old partners across with him from Uptite / Fania. A couple of Heavy Duty soul outings ...............