Roburt
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Everything posted by Roburt
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The death of the Spinners Bobby (Bobbie) Smith has been flagged up on his page on Wiki. It states there that he passed last Wednesday (March 13th) Surely such a major happening on the soul music scene should have registered in the music press ? added by site Seems that this sad news has now been confirmed via various soul sites out there Title photo (l to r) Philippe Wynne, Billy Henderson, Pervis Jackson, Bobbie Smith and Henry Fambrough Wikipeda Link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Smith_(rhythm_and_blues_singer) Robert "Bobby" Smith (sometimes spelled Bobbie; April 10, 1936 - March 16, 2013[citation needed]) was born in Detroit, Michigan and was an American R&B singer, the principal lead singer of the soul vocal group, The Spinners, also known as the Detroit Spinners or the Motown Spinners, throughout its history. Smith had been the group's main lead singer since its inception, having sung lead vocals on The Spinners first hit record in 1961, "That's What Girls Are Made For" (which has been inaccurately credited to the group's mentor and former Moonglows lead singer, Harvey Fuqua). Smith also sang lead on most of their Motown material during the 1960s, such as the charting singles like "Truly Yours" (1966) and "I'll Always Love You" (1965); almost all of the group's pre-Motown material on Fuqua's Tri-Phi Records label, and also on The Spinners' biggest Atlantic Records hits, such as "I'll Be Around", "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love", "They Just Can't Stop It the (Games People Play)", and the Billboard #1, "Then Came You" (with Dionne Warwick). With the death of Smith on March 16, 2013 as well as fellow Spinners members Billy Henderson in 2007, and bass singer Pervis Jackson in August 2008, Henry Fambrough is the last remaining original member still performing with the Spinners Blues and Soul Interview with Bobbie by Pete Lewis http://www.bluesandsoul.com/feature/384/spinners_reaching_dizzy_heights/
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Bruce Hawes has posted this on Facebook ............ I pause this weekend to honor my great friend and the lead singer of the world famous singing group, 'The Spinners,' "Bobby Smith," who has passed away recently... The loss of Bobby has deeply touched me! I have worked with so many artist in my career but, there has never been an recording-act quite like "The Spinners" for me! So it does seem to be correct .......... RIP Bobby Got to spend time with Bobby at Prestatyn and he was a truly nice guy (I interviewed the group & he just kept saying ... don't ask me all the questions, ask the other guys some as well).
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The group were due to play a show at Muckleshoot Casino, Auburn (Wa) last Thursday ...... The casino has a Facebook page ....... "https://www.facebook.com/muckleshootcasino" and there are comments posted up there about the show being disorganised, so it seems that it must have gone ahead & the group went on (though they aren't actually mentioned in the posts). SEEMS LIKE THE WIKI page ANNOUNCEMENT COULD BE INCORRECT !!!! But a few 'insider types' are reporting his passing on their Facebook pages. ........... CONFIRMATION ANYONE ??
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The Spinners @ Prestatyn (2008) ...........
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A later track that Bobby was lead singer on .......... "I'll Be Around" ........
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Bobby Smith on lead on an early Spinners cut ........... The Spinners have their own web site & there is no news of Bobby / Bobbie passing noted on that .... The group have a show in Memphis in 6 days time, so you would think that this 'news' would have been posted up on their site. Will they be able to fulfill the engagement if the info is indeed correct.
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The death of the Spinners Bobby (Bobbie) Smith has been flagged up on his page on Wiki. Tap to view this Soul Source News/Article in full
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Recorded at a TV stn (WSTV-TV) in Ohio back in the day ..... Most US TV shows were 'integrated' by 67/68 (much work to free up the TV execs done in Baltimore around 64 ....the movies HAIRSPRAY were based on those events) ... Seems this show up in a industrial Ohio town (Steubenville -- a steel making town) hadn't caught up yet.
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So which version is on the CD album ?? (& why weren't both takes included as that seems to have every other track she cut for Calla on it).
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The show has now opened on Broadway ( but it's still in the PREVIEW stage) ...... By all accounts it is over running its time slot and so some of the 60 or so song snippets are gonna have to be edited out. Hope they don't edit out two of the new songs in the show -- “It’s In the Groove That Counts” or “Hail to the Beat”.
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I've got it on Spanish Sono Play. Produced by Bob Schwartz who also did Vernon Harrell (Calla), Rubin ("You've Been Away") & Chuck Woods ("7 Days ... ") & more. So he knew what he was doing.
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The post above was made by one of the top 'Wigan Rejects' .......... am I going off topic again
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Doesn't sound very soulful at all (vocal wise). The organ is good but the vocals don't do it for me at all. .... and as this is the other lady on the label, guess Beverly was also a white gal ............. Choo Choo Collins (her tracks also written by Hal Gordon & Athena Hosey) .......
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Nearly all sold (44 of 50 sets gone) ....... so unless they just renew the ebay page & add more sets into the pot, they'll all be gone quite soon.
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When And Where Did Us Imports 1St Appear In The Uk For Sale?
Roburt replied to Sceneman's topic in All About the SOUL
F L Moores were advertising in US music trade papers (asking for cheap old / new US 45's) from November 68, so I guess they were on the go with decent quantities of US soul 45's from late 68 (think I made my 1st trip down there in early to mid 69). -
When And Where Did Us Imports 1St Appear In The Uk For Sale?
Roburt replied to Sceneman's topic in All About the SOUL
I bought from Soul City from 1967 & if they were out of a certain 45 on UK issue, they would offer me the more expensive US 45 version of the track. Used to actually visit the shop on trips to London plus buy on a regular basis from them via mail order (still got a few letters from Rob Blackmore who dealt with mail order stuff at the shop). Always went for the UK version (if they had it) as they were 8/4d whereas most of the import 45's were 15/-. ALSO used to send off to quite a few dealers who sent out mail order lists of US import soul 45's (haven't kept any of those old lists but seem to recall most originated from guys based in the greater London / Kent areas). My faves back then were the auction listings as I would bid silly money (2/8d) on singles that were unknown to me by artists I knew of. I got the Sapphires "Slow Fizz" that way around 68 but never liked it. But I did get loads of good 45's for little money that way. Sometimes I'd also put in a low bid for a 45 by an unknown (to me) artist on a label I knew had put out some other good stuff (Congress, Ric Tic, Calla, Thomas, etc). Known tracks (allniter club plays) always went for a lot more than the minimum bid (which was 2/6d if I remember correctly). You had to bid around 12/- to 15/- to even stand a chance a winning one of them. -
How anyone that listens to BowsieWowsy can hold such a view is totally beyond me. .... TODAY'S RESULTS .......... Modern Soul 10 BowsieWowsy 0 ..... and thats for sound & vibe !!! 60's Soul 9 60's pop (Northern) 0 .... one has guts the other just makes me want to throw up my guts 70's Soul 9 Wigan Stompers 1 ..... had to give the weaker side one goal as a fraction of it is listenable
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The Jimmy Bee cuts were produced by Jackie Mills who had hits on the likes of Bobby Sherman and was head of A & R @ 20th Century Fox Records in 1966 (working out of their LA office). Mills seemed to work mostly with white pop artists (but he did also produce the Vel-Vets 20th C F tracks that were released around the same time as the JimB's). Jimmy Bee's "If It Wasn't For Love" was tipped by Billboard as a likely R&B chart entry in early July 67. Mills went on to own / operate Larrabee Studios (LA) from 1969 -- this grew into one of the biggest record studios in LA. ..... BUT ... JUST WHO WAS JIMMY BEE ....... (A guy called James B???? in real life I'd say). ANYONE KNOW ?
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Another TCF label 45 ....... this one has input from NY's Otis Pollard but I guess it has to be another southern cut ....
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MORE on this George Jackson. I don't know who initiated the Baltimore / New York connection around 66/67/68, but it was most probably a Balto soul radio stn DJ ...... .... WHATEVER ...... it's clear that someone introduced the likes of George Jackson & Jimmy Dotson (also from Baltimore) to Otis Pollard and Richie Adams up in New York. Both singers travelled up to NY to work with those guys (Pollard / Adams) on cuts that were picked up for release by Mercury. GJ had a couple of Mercury releases (in 67 & 68; after the Double R 45), whilst Jimmy Dotson's Mercury 45 also escaped in 68 and did quite well (making local charts in some areas of the US back then).
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Just about all the (UK slanted) Radio Luxembourg shows were sponsored by UK record companies. EMI had a show and Jimmy Saville presented a Decca Records Show (I remember well coz I mate of mine back then was a massive Stones fan & always made a big deal out of the fact that JS had never played a Beatles track on his R Lux show .... when in fact he couldn't play a Beatles cut as they were not on a Decca label). I lived in Sth Yorks back then & usually got a decent R Lux signal on an old valve radio (though in the summer, atmospherics played up with the stns signal, as it did the AFN signal which I think was beamed out of Germany). As stated above, R Lux had 1000's of UK listeners until the pirate stns hit the airways around 1964.
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This 'George Jackson" was from Baltimore .... though like other Balto Soul singers, he recorded elsewhere. This guy usually cut his solo tracks in New York. He had started out in Baltimore based group, the Plants. Much info on them & George here ........... https://www.uncamarvy.com/Plants/plants.html
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Reave Watkins seemed to have a big hand in The "Q" record. I'd guess that he was this guy (though there are a few Reave Watkin's across the US even though it can't be that common a name) .......... Reave M Watkins, 952 Bethany Tpke, Honesdale, PA 18431 The above guy probably originated in Pittsburgh (where quite a few Watkins still live) and seemed to spend his college years in the New Orleans area. Might be worth contacting him to check out if he is the right guy to get The "Q" info from. Phone number removed and slight edit made to text to reflect this. Although it is possible that this Reave Watkins was involved in the 45, it is by no means certain. Imagine how miffed you would be if you started receiving unsolicited phone calls about something someone else did 40+ years ago.
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Stang # 5000 was issued in 1968. Stang # 5010 dates from 1970. Stang # 5033 -- Moments "Key To My Happiness" -- dates from 1971 Stang # 5039 -- Linda Jones & Whatnauts -- dates from 1972 Stang # 5042 will also date from 1972 Stang # 5058 dates from late 1974 Stang # 5059 dates from 1975 Stang # 5066 dates from 1976
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Sit at the back of the class with the dunces hat on, Moore. .... and have you done your homework yet (the History of 919 Studios Project) ???
