Roburt

I asked a musicologist and Motown fan who he thought was playing the Hammond on Chris's 1962 Battle cut "You Can't Sit Down". He stated it sounded just like EVD to him -- coz the keys player on the track is playing foot pedal bass as well as the keyboard itself. The giveaway to him is the the sustained note with gradually added harmonies toward the end of the track. .......... I believe he knows what he's talking about !! If you have a copy of this Battle 45 ........ I guess it just went up in value a bit !!!

RobbK could almost certainly add loads of fascinating facts about Marc Gordon & his LA based activities in the 1960's ... ... but he would have to check out this thread first to see we've touched on the topic of Marc, Willie Hutch, Mary Love, Rose Brooks, the Versatiles AND Grenda Holloway. BTW, anyone fill me in on which tracks J B Bingham & Ron Benton cut for Marc / Soul City / Modern ???

I'm in dispute now with the Ohio Soul crew ..... they insist that the "Tighten Up 70" 45 was recorded and pressed at Musicol (Mus-I-Col) in Columbus. All the band members (I'm told) were from that area. One of the Ohio crew insists that he's seen the paperwork from the studio. He also says that the Hammond organ used on the 45 was the house organ in the studio, & that there's no mistaking the sound of it. Just about all Hammond B-3 organs have the same sound to me (providing they're not ailing coz the valves in em had been bounced around too much). Hammond B-3's were the keyboard of choice for just about every jazz guy from the late 50's thru the early70's coz of their distinctive sound (often played through a Leslie speaker). By the mid 60's they were also extensively used on blues, soul & rock tracks.

Chris Columbo (Columbus) backing up Louis Jordan on 'the Beat' TV show ........

Chris Columbo / Columbus on drums on 'The Beat' TV show in the mid 60's. ....... check the close up shot 2 minutes in ........ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9RWl7zRT9Y&feature=relmfu

Anuda youtube entry for Chris .......... this time its his 1962 Battle cut "You Can't Sit Down". Earl Van Dyke was his keyboard guy till around 1962 (when EVD split to go join Motown in Detroit) ... is this EVD on hammond ?? ... ....

Youtube tribute to Chris Columbo / Columbus ....

............ Back to info lifted from Billboard ...... ... this time about Marc Gordon, Willie Hutch & friends ..... Good to know that Marc discovered Grenda Holloway !!!

Back to Chris Columbus ........... ...... In 1952 he was in a jazz trio that were playing the Apollo (& cutting for Okeh) .... ... by 1953, that jazz trio, the Bill Davis Trio, had a residency at the Club Harlem !!

All of the Wandee & the Wannabeez cuts on the above album feature a female lead singer (who has to be 'Wandee') However, Lawanda Braggs had a hand in writing every song on the album so she has to be connected to the group (a member's mother I guess if this is the same Lawanda as back with Chris Columbus in 1970). One cut off the album, "Dancing & Romancing" ain't too bad (if you like jazzy MS that is). ........ https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002IXURD2/ref=dm_sp_alb

There is a 2007 CD album release out of California (I think) by Wandee & The Wannabeez. A lot of the songs on that album ('Aphrodisiac') were written by a Lawanda Braggs. The music is described as easy listening R&B .... .... perhaps this outfit are a SanFran bar band playing MOR-ish music & Lawanda is a member.

BTW, 'Ohio Soul Recordings' has the 45 down as a release on Mus-I-Col out of Columbus Ohio.......... ... though the Chris Columbus 45 makes no mention of Mus-I-Col & the 45's number does not seem to fit in perfectly with that label's system.

..... MORE ON THE CLUB ........... Club Harlem, located at 32 N. Kentucky Avenue, between Artic and Atlantic Avenues, was the premier nightclub for black tourists visiting Atlantic City back in the 1940's / 50's / 60's. Many of the most famous black entertainers of those times showed up and played there including Dick Gregory, Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday, Cab Calloway, Billy Eckstein, Johnny Ray, Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, Diana Ross, James Brown, Gladys Knight and Teddy Pendegrass. Crazy Chris Columbo led the orchestra there, and Larry Steele's high-kicking chorus line was also a constant for many years. Numerous black musicians developed their skills at the club including trumpeter Hot Lips Page and organist Wild Bill Davis. Jazz musician Lonnie Smith recorded his album "Move Your Hand" there. Club Harlem had matinees, night-time shows, late night shows and breakfast shows featuring some of the best singers / musicians in the country (many top stars just 'sitting in' on a jam session in the small hours). During the hectic summer months, the club was open all hours. On Saturday nights, the club had four shows -- 10p.m., 12 midnight, 2:30a.m. and the "breakfast" show at 6:00a.m. (but very little if any food was served at this show). In those days there were numerous hotels, bars and clubs in various sections of Atlantic City. Although blacks would be hired as 'entertainers' they wouldn't be allowed to eat / drink in public parts of these hotels before / after they performed (they were treated in much the same way back in the 50's in Miami Beach hotels). When those clubs closed for the night, some of their employees and performers would show up for the Harlem Club's breakfast show. The 'entertainers' from the city's top hotels would also head across to the place after performing. Sammy Davis Jr. would sometimes bring his rat pack friends back to the club.

Sorry, I can't tell you what happened back in the 60's to the 'used' records that commercial companies were buying in when people / organisations responded to their adverts. In the 70's just about all such records would have been recycled to make 'new' records. But what they did with such records back in the 60's I have no idea. I guess someone involved in the record biz back then could answer your question (do we have such people on here ?) or maybe the likes of RobbK can answer this. You are right to say that (for instance) over-played ex jukebox 45's didn't end up in record warehouses back then, there was more than enough 'unsold stock' copies sloshing around at a few cents per copy for them to bother with knackered copies.

1966 & good soul stuff is still pouring out .......... The 45 Chart has fine stuff all over ... but I like those singles @ Nos. 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 18, 20, 34, 35, 36, 42, 45, 47, 48 & 50 !!!

.......... BREAKIN NEWS ............ Former rhythm & blues singer / legend Joe Simon- known for such hits as "Drowning In The Sea Of Love", "Chokin' Kind", "No Sad Songs", "Safety Zone" and "Power Of Love" - narrowly escaped death as he recently underwent quadruple bypass surgery. He said "I was working in the studio...nobody knew what I was feeling. I didn't even tell my family". ALL THE BEST FOR A SWIFT RECOVERY !!!

Cheers Lorraine. Yes after plowing through the 11 pages (!!!) of your introduction thread, you do seem to have just about answered my questions. Mind you, the answers aren't what I was after but are all I can expect seeing as you were so young back then (when the RCA deal was done). Such a young lady (you can only have been 12 or 13 surely !!! as you're not that old yet) would have been more interested in hearing the cut on the radio, singing the song at gigs and wouldn't have been bothered about record company policies / back room management decisions, etc. It was only MUCH later when you yourself were a top record executive, that release dates, promotional tactics, distribution issues, etc. would become of everyday interest to you. AND, the 45 obviously was popular back in Detroit or RCA wouldn't have come knocking at Jack's door looking for a deal.

............... a copy resides in the Doncaster region of these fair isles ............ A copy would be in the Doncaster area, after all that's God's country & everything wonderful & marvelous can be found there (except decent jobs !!)

Dave, as the 45 seems to be a private press (no label name, address or distribution info), I guess it was just sold at gigs by Chris Columbus. His band opened the show every night at the club, before they backed up the main live act. Most of the evening (by 1970), I'm sure records provided the musical background tracks in the place. In earlier years (1940's / 50's / early 60's), Chris & his band would no doubt have played all night (with comfort / drink breaks). I would surmise that these were 2 tunes that the band played in the club at that time (1970) that proved popular with the punters, so he turned them into tracks & sold the 45 at the club (by 1970 I believe he had quit the road & just played gigs in Atlantic City; after all he was 68 by then!!!).

Last years Soul Intention 45 release "I Got To Have You / Take Me Back" by Otis Williams created quite a stir. This sublime double sided soul gem was the first output from a deal the label have set up to highlight the great 1970's tracks that escaped in very limited quantity on Kent Washburn's LA based Emkay Records. The cuts that were issued on EmKay were laid down in St Louis in the mid 70's and the second 45 to result from the deal features a local St Louis group. The Hypnotics were led by James Thompson who had started out in the Voice Masters who have highly collectable outings on the Copa, Frisco and Bamboo labels. Putting together a new trio in 1972, James was soon working in the studio with producer Kent Washburn. A number of tracks were laid down and a deal for the group signed with Reprise Records. Two singles were soon issued; "Beware of the Stranger / Memories" in May 1973 and "Girl You Know That I Love You / Dance To The Music" shortly after. Neither of these got much promotion from the record company and so achieved little commercial success at that time. Kent moved on to work for Motown in LA and it wasn't until the end of the decade that any other tracks from the group would emerge. After Kent had hooked up with Spirit Records the opportunity for him to release some of his old soul recordings presented itself and one of these was the Hypnotics "One Way Ticket / Don't Burn No Bridges". "Don't Burn No Bridges" had also been recorded by Jackie Wilson in conjunction with the Chi-Lites and their version had seen the light of day on Brunswick Records back in 1975. The Hypnotics take on "Don't Burn No Bridges" (a song written by a member of Kent's team) was tackled in psychedelic soul style whereas "One Way Ticket" (penned by James) is a classy Northern Soul / Modern Soul dance number of the highest order. With both of the old Reprise 45's by the group now being much sought after items, I'm sure this new Soul Intention single will ensure the Hypnotics once again find favour with UK record buyers.

Another derivation on Chris Columus / Columbo's stage name ....... He toured up & down the east coast as Krazy Kris Kolumbo in the early 60's .....

Kenny Redon (ex of 9th Street Exit) confirmed that the group backed up Jesse Fisher on his proposed So-Jamm album tracks. As is stated on Jesse's 45, the LP was to be titled "Baby, I Can't Stop Loving You". His cuts were produced by Dunn Pearson. Yet more 'lost' Cleveland (Way Out) tracks for us to dream about !!! BTW, Kenny also tells me that Jesse ended up driving a truck for CDL.

... AND the ad brought results ............ 3 French Chess EP's to chase, lurverlea !!

"I Can't Stand The Rain" takes some beating (& John Lennon thought so too) ........ ........ but "If This Is Heaven" runs it a close second.

How French labels should have done it ...........