Roburt

"That's If You Love Me" ... the B side to "Where Did Our Love Go" on UK London is a nice little track.

There's a current thread about Donnie Elbert's version of "Come See About Me" which may have come out on a rare Avco 45 or may just be one of quite a few 'previously unreleased' tracks Donnie cut for All Platinum that have escaped on CD over recent years (the last 10 I guess). Born in New Orleans, his family moved to Buffalo and he grew up there. After starting out in a group (the Vibraharps) & then going solo in 1957, he was cutting original material back in the late 50's & early 60's (having a couple of US hits -- "What Can I Do" & "Little Piece of Leather"). He was involved, back up in Buffalo in the early stages of Darrell Bank's career but fell out of favor himself (recording wise) until around 1970 when he teamed up with Sylvia Robinson at All Platinum. After that he recorded a lot of covers of Motown & soul songs that had earlier been hits for other artists. Over in the UK, his 'new' versions of 60's Motown dance tunes was just right to tie in with the NS scene and he had a lot of success here. Three of his 1972 45 releases made the pop Top 30 here and he got to appear on Top of the Pops. He lived in the UK for a while but back in the US, his career also re- blossomed in the 70's (probably coz his UK hits were getting radio plays back in the States). He enjoyed 8 further US R&B chart entries between 1970 & 1977. Eventually, he gave up recording and moved to Canada to help run a record company. He finally passed away in 1989. His 45 releases were all over the place in the 1970's, with numerous 45's escaping in both the UK & US on a number of different labels (lots of his tracks appearing more than once on releases for different labels. Since lots of his old tracks have more recently escaped on CD, even more (previously unreleased) cuts have seen the 'light of day'. In addition to all the 45 releases he enjoyed, he had stuff included on compilation albums in the UK, US and as far afield as Brazil even (an example of one such UK LP being 'Black Inc' -- Ember SE8022). .......... But sides worth checking out on 45 include .. "If I Can't Have You" -- the B side to "Liitle Piece of Leather" on UK London -- the A side was a UK Pop hit. "If I Can't Have You / Can't Get Over Losing You" escaped in the US on a All Platinum 45 whilst "Can't Get Over Losing You" was coupled with "Sweet Baby" on another All Platinum 45 "Can't Get Over Losing You" also came out on Elbert, Rare Bullet & Law-ton. On Law-ton it was a 12" release (with the instro version on the B side). The other two releases were on 7" and were coupled with " I Got To Get Myself Together". His take on "Don't Leave Me This Way" was included on 2 All Platinum LP's (... did it ever escape anywhere on 7"?) His "Are You Ready (Willing And Able)" only escaped in the UK on a UK Echo label 45. "Without You / Baby Please Come Home" came out on UK Deram as a 45. "Along Came Pride" has its fans & this escaped as the B side to "Get Ready" on UK CBS and also as the B side of the UK RCA 45 that has "Time Hangs On My Mind" as its A side. People either love or hate Donnie's versions of songs (many sung falsetto which doesn't appeal to lots of soul fans). ...... Any other tracks by him that are worth a mention ?

Stephen, I'm sure you'll get loads of replies from people much more knowledgeable about what tracks are known or unknown (many along the lines of ... BUT this track was played at Leicester Oddfellows -- or Nite Owl, etc -- back in the day) ...... HOWEVER, a good hunting ground for great unplayed NS tracks are albums. NS DJ's hate playing off of LP's and so numerous great NS style dancers that have received little or no club play can be found on them.

... .... and down at the Knight Beat just one week later ..... ... the entire Sir John Revue package (including 'Peacocks' Little Eddie Taylor) were still on .. ... this Revue would leave the Sir John Hotel at times to tour the islands of the Caribbean.

A group that was always popular down in Miami .... the Laddins ... ... but in the rest of the US they were viewed as old hat ..... ... so they reinvented themselves with a new name .... the Steinways ...

Not just one from me ... but three ... & the two artists involved doing them live -- well miming I guess ........

Guessing a bit here but in the last 10 years quite a few 'previously unreleased' tracks Donnie cut for All Platinum have escaped on CD. A lot of these were covers of Motown & soul songs that had earlier been hits for other artists. I think this may have been one of those tracks .... but I stand to be corrected if it did actually escape back in the 70's or early 80's.

Wake up our kid, a youtube clip of that has already been posted above !!!

I will leave the clubs for a second ..... .. wonder what little beuts were to be found in these places back in the 60's ..... anyone here visit any of these shops back in the day ?

Guess this isn't for the book Dave !! Let me know when you need those ads from me.

An edited down (& much smaller) version of the tall ad shown in the exhibition photo above ..... .... (it's the wrong shape -- tall & thin -- to display properly on here really) ....

A photo taken as the Miami Overtown exhibition was opened ..... .. the 'blow-ups' of the ads I sent along can be seen on the right hand side & across the middle at the top ...

Just got word from Emily at the Black Archives Org in Miami that their exhibition opened earlier this week. They used copies of some of the old Miami club ads that I had sent in the exhibition. She forwarded photos of the 'opening' of the event; some of the ads I sent have been blown up to in excess of 10 ft tall (I have them at higher definition than I post them on here .... need to make them the right size to display well here). She will send me further updates on reaction to the exhibition as it progresses.

Here's a few more ...... For those that trained hard for years ... You Got To Pay The Price (vocal) For those destined to come 2nd .... Follow The Leader (Major Lance) For the decathlon hopefuls ......... Fresh (Kool & Gang) For the winners .............. You Got The Stuff (Bill Withers) For marathon Runners .... 25 Miles (Edwin) For the weight Lifters ... You Got The Power (War) For the 5000 m runners .... First Time Around (Skyy) For the walkers ......... Backfield In Motion (Mel & Tim) For The walkers 2 .... You Got Me Walkin (Jackie Wilson) For David Beckham ... Gone For Good ( O V Wright) For the 100 m runners .... You Got Me Running (Lonnie Hill) For those with little hope of making a final ... You Gotta Believe (Pointer Sisters)

Columbus Smith (this time backed by the Chevrons) must have been locally based .... .... as here he is on at the Wreck Bar once again, but 4 years after the show I posted an ad for above. ...

Greg, still can't get CD1 out of the CD playa .... think I'm gonna drive the wife mad !! (nowt new there then).

As the Drifters might have said ,,, we're going 'down on the beach' agin ....... This time it's to the Marco Polo Hotel at Oceanfront & 192 St .....

My copy of this CD finally arrived ............ Put it straight into CD playa & got down to listening .... not all the tracks hit me on 1st hearing (not that I would have expected them to) BUT quite a few had me pressing 'repeat' on initial play ..... CD1 Track 3: Soul Stirrers "I'm Trying To B Ur Friend" is just fine. Could see mesen dancing to this is an upfront club (if there is such a thing). Track 5: Hopson Family "Prayer Will Take You There" ..... has a great funky Stax feel to it (was Wash Hopson involved with this outfit?) I keep wanting to sing the words to "People Get Ready" when I hear Track 6: Chimes " Woke Up This Morning". Track 8: Brooklyn AllStars gospel take on "If Lovin U Is Wrong, Don't Wanna Be Right" is a known tune & so hit home straight away. Track 9: Keith Barrow "Everything's Gonna B Alright" .... again a real goody Track 10: Dorothy Norwood "He's A Friend" - another familiar song so took to this instantly Track 12: Leomia Boyd "Need More Love" a real deep soul bluesy item, could see B B King having cut a secular version of this song back in the 70's. Track 13: Southerners "Jesus Is Real To Me" ... could quite easily be a 60's soul group cut with the odd word change. Track 15: Violinaires "The Upper Way" ... bet these guys had spent the week ahead of cutting this listening to 60's Impressions recordings. Track 20: Meditation Singers "Change Is Gonna Come" Laura's mum attacks Sam Cooke, simply grand. I might even get around to listening to CD2 soon ... but can't get this off the player yet ... its stuck in there & just keeps playing over & over. .......... THANK YOU Messrs DEWHIRST, HILL & BELSON.

Well I'm a bolshy Yorkshire man ... SO ... Steve G ... go F**k off .... .... pretty please .... if you wouldn't mind that is. BTW ... all Dony engines are better than West Country's & Merchant Navy's .... & EMU's really suck !!

Another 'white venue' ...... Alex's VIP Lounge ........ different entertainment was on offer here, I'd have ended up in their 'Backroom' in 1967 ....

RE: .... and his later wife Marina (she worked as the hat/coat check girl I went out with one of the lasses that ran the cloakroom at the Mojo for a couple of weeks back in late summer 1967 (think her name was Val). Was going with her when Garnett Mimms played the club (Sunday alldayer 24th September 67) and it enabled me to go from the cloakroom area into the dressing room to have a chat with Garnett .... also got his autograph that day. The lass (like me) started back at Granville Rd Tech College a few weeks later, by then Mojo was about to be closed down for good. ......... i also went to a Mojo re-union in about 1984 at the Leadmill Sheffield Yes, I was also there that night (if it was the time Pete Stringfellow turned up & Geno Washington was on live). Pete still knew me & so I ended up posing with him for a photo that appeared in a Sheffield newspaper a couple of days later. ........ i heard all the tales about the fun and games in peoples gardens in the early hours LOL..What a time that must have been. The Mojo was really quite civilised. No aggro, no drunks. Big problem it had was that it was surrounded by large houses & their residents didn't like all these strange teenagers hanging about late on Saturday nights to get into the nighter sessions. Then, next morning (when they got up), we were still hanging around outside waiting for the day's early buses back into town. Worst thing we ever did was nick bottles of milk off doorsteps as we were really dry after 8 hours dancing. No doubt some of the older club goers got up to more things in neighbor's gardens. ......... Stevie Wonder and Billy Stewart played live i believe ? Well I saw Stevie Wonder ... he was on at the last ever Mojo session -- an alldayer on Sunday 8th October 67. The council refused the club a license the next day & so it never opened again. Loads of other great live acts were on at the club but I missed a lot of em as I was still at school till July 66.

My 'jewel in the crown' recordS are the ones I most enjoyed dancing to back in 1967 at Sheffirld's Mojo Club allniters -- that time was just 'special' in my life & so the tracks mean lots to me. Stuff like (just about all 'as cheap as chips') ... Willie Mitchell -- "Oh, Baby You Turn Me On", Stevie Wonder -- "Love A Go Go", Artistics -- "I'm Gonna Miss You", Fascinations -- "Girls Are Out To Get You" and Billy Stewart --"Exodus". I suppose my fave piece of plastic from the above is Stevie's "Love A Go Go" coz it's an LP track only ... everywhere except France ... ... AND on a trip to Paris many moons ago, I picked up a copy of the French EP with it on from Daniel at 50, rue de l'Arble-Sec.

Both the Drifters & Herb Reed were still getting bookings down in Miami towards the end of the 60's ... just up the road in Ft Lauderdale, the Coasters were also playing live back then ........

RE: Has anyone mentioned the Ray Munnings 45s, by the way? Well I made mention of his 1st Tammi one back in post 3 of this thread. .... Ray talking bout his uda Tammi track (which I have the original version of). ......