Roburt

The package on at the Civic Centre on August 14th ........

Bet that topic heading caught your attention didn't it !!! It has to count as just about the most unusual Soul Source thread heading, but there is a grain of truth in it. The top venues on the 1960's Chitlin Circuit were 6 theatres in major American cities. These were .......... The Royal Theatre in Baltimore The Regal in Chicago The Fox Theatre in Detroit The Uptown Theatre in Philly The Howard Theater in Washington DC ... & finally ... The 'flagship' Apollo Theater in Harlem All these theatres hosted 7 night long soul reviews throughout the 1960's (after having done the same with R&B, blues, doowop & jazz packages in the 1950's). All were going strong (although all were also a bit 'long in the tooth' by the 1960's) and were hosting live shows on a regular basis into 1966. When live shows weren't on offer, all these venues fell back into showing movies until the next package traveled through. The first to suffer was Baltimore's Royal Theatre. The venue had seen better days but it was really the rise of alternate venues in the city (& surrounding area) that proved its biggest downfall. The last 'review' to play the Royal pitched up in mid July 1966 (Wilson Pickett topped the bill with Dee Dee Warwick, the Vontastics & Cash McCall also featuring). The next big package to hit Baltimore arrived a few weeks later (Sunday August 14th). This time, the review (Miracles, Tommy Hunt, Shorty Long, Kim Weston, Manhattans, Walter Jackson, the Intruders & Howard Tate) didn't play the Royal but were hosted at the Civic Centre. At Carrs Beach (just down the road) on that same Sunday, the James Brown ensemble (JB + Bobby Byrd, Vicki Anderson, James Crawford, etc) were playing. The follwing Sundays at Carrs Beach the likes of the Impressions, Manhattans, Jamo Thomas, the Mad Lads, Eddie Day, Barbara Mason & Robert Parker were the live attractions. Who was entertaining the folk back at the Royal Theatre; well Dr. Who & the Daleks were on for the week (in the UK made movie). So, yes in a way it was Dr. Who & the Daleks that helped trigger the rot setting in for the top six chitlin circuit theatres. The Royal was the first to go as a live music venue but the others soon followed (the Royal still showed movies for a few more years but finally closed & was pulled down in 1971). The Regal in Chicago closed in 1970 & was pulled down in 1973. The Fox Theatre in Detroit was only hosting the odd live show by 1970. It was only able to remain open in the 1970's by programming Blaxplotation, martial arts & horror films The Uptown Theatre in Philly suffered in a similar way. Gang fights & drugs became common place in the area surrounding the theatre in the late 60's / early 70's. In 1972, Georgie Woods stopped promoting soul shows at the venue & that was the end of live soul reviews playing the place. It closed down in 1978 and was converted into a church in the 80's. The Howard Theater in Washington never really recovered from the 1968 riots and closed down initially in 1970. It had a few false dawns in the mid to late 70's. However it closed again in 1980 & has just reopened after years of neglect. The 'flagship' Apollo Theater in Harlem hung on into the early 70's but the shows were a shadow of those held there in the 50's / 60's. Even this place was converted into a movie theatre in 1975. The last review to play the Royal ..........

I think its the Sensations 'Sensational Lost Cuts' LP, released in 1971 -- but only one copy was pressed up & I have that.

By 1970 Chris Calloway had moved on from her recording career. She was appearing across the US in a touring version of the musical stage show, 'Hello Dolly' (not many soulful numbers in that production). It did present her with a soul-filled night out though as Berry Gordy hosted the cast at the Gordy Manor on Boston Boulevard in Detroit. Present that night ; Chris & her dad Cab, Berry G, various other Gordys, Smokey, Edwin Starr, Martha Reeves, Levi, Duke & Obie of the 4 Tops, Stevie W, all of the Originals, Bobby Robinson (Miracles), Marvin Gaye, David Ruffin, Dennis Edwards & Melvin Franklin. Guess Berry was thinking he could win friends & influence 'show' people and get some of Motown's singers into such shows. Would loved to have been in attendance that April evening.

RE: Did this LP get a release in US before Move YEP, but only very limited press so its as hard to find on US as rocking horse sh**. Had a totally different cover (front picture / sleeve notes, etc) to the Move version.

LP's ........... https://www.bsnpubs.com/atlantic/index.html

www.globaldogproductions.info https://www.soulfulki...scographies.htm Different site for LP's

RE: the inclinations were pretty much the same group as the optimistics, and one of them was in Beverly and the Del Capris ........ speaking of Beverly and the Del Capris .......... Look who was at No.17 back in September 1964 .........

All the info on her 45 releases is here .............. https://www.soulfulkindamusic.net/pwoods.htm

This one (from 65) was still quite R&B'y ...........

Found a bit more on her myself ............ She was recording for Dot in the mid 50's, so that must be why she was such an established figure on the NY R&B scene by 1959. She was still recording (a 45 on Mala) in 1965, but by 1966 she had been signed up by Duke / Peacock to head their Eastern Division Production & Promotion set-up (based in NY I assume). Her songs were soon being cut by the likes of Bobby Bland, so seems Duke were getting their full moneys worth out of her. Are her post 1962 outings as R&B'y as her early 60's stuff ?

Pearl Woods was around on the New York music scene in the late 50's & early 60's. She helped Horace Ott get started on the NY R&B scene by encouraging him to travel into Manhattan to work on demo recordings. From there, he went on to work with the Shirelles (he arranged their hit "Tonight's The Night" in 1960), Chuck Jackson, Gladys K & the Pips, Hank Ballard, Jackie Wilson, Doris Troy, Nina Simone, Jive Five, Helena Ferguson ("Where Is The Party"), Sam Cooke, Aretha, Don Covay, Johnnie Taylor, right through to the Softones (& including many more along the way). Anyway, back to Lillie Pearl Woods ....... She wrote songs herself, cut demos, set up sessions, etc, etc. In 1960 / 1961 / 1962 she was even getting 45 releases herself ....... BUT ... what became of her after the early 60's, anyone know ??

Steve, ......... RE: Yes already packed in the box. Didn't know it was from 1969 though..... Freddie's version of the song isn't from 69 (it was cut in the late 70's I believe) .. BUT the song was originally written in 69 (or so it says; I not know nowt bout it mesen).

... & their "Live" Japanese album (there are copies on Gemm) ....

The Softones Japanese booking agents back in time ........

The Baltimore guys name IS Billy Butler ..... My ??? was because I was unsure if the W. Butler who wrote for & co-produced / arranged for the Inclinations was even a Billy Butler, never mind the same Balto Billy Butler. I got my Billy Butler's mixed up in the past as Balto's Kenny Hamber told me that he knew Billy Butler well and I assumed he meant the Baltimore Billy Butler. He didn't, he knew the New Jersey Billy Butler (jazz guitarist) who co-wrote a big Bill Doggett tune ("Honky Tonk") back in the mid 50's. BTW, Kenny H also slightly knew Jerry Butler's brother Billy. ................ It all gets very confusing.

I guess that the W. (Billy?) Butler who worked with the Inclinations is the same Baltmore guy who also worked with Allan Harris & Perpetual Motion on Exact Change.

CHEERS Bob

OR ......... even better, this one ....... Both tracks were of course included on his UK released LP ........ https://www.discogs.com/Freddie-Waters-Just-Enough-To-Get-Me-Cool/release/2536261

Hope you're gonna include this track on your radio show, Steve ......... https://souldennis.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/freddie-waters-im-gonna-walk-right-out.html

I like records, books and magazines about soul music better than the electronic equivalents. ... Got to agree with you there.

Marvin Brown was in the Tones in the early to mid 80's, but had gone solo by the late 80's. It seems certain (to me at least) that the New Softones (on Exact Change) became 'THE NEW' because Marvin was no longer in the group (as it had been his lead vocals that had been the group's identifiable sound). I'd guess that the 'new' group was made up of Elton Lynch together with one of either Byron Summerville or Steve Jackson plus a new lead singer. Will have to go on the Softones Myspace page & see if I can get them to answer a question about who was in the Exact Change version of the group. ......... Here's the 3 main guys on a gig with the Dells back in better days for them (1980) .........

YEP & YEP.

The Tones (Criminal Records) were just the Softones under a revised name (maybe Avco / H&L retained rights to the group's name) -- the trio still comprised of Marvin, Steve & Elton. Towards the end of the group's period with H & L (1977) they toured Japan & the Far East as support act for the Miracles. Some of the shows were recorded & an LP 'Softones Live In Japan' was released out there (anyone here got a copy ?). As the Tones, they cut a full album in Baltimore at Sheffield Recording Studios (1983) -- 'Here's To You' and this also escaped on Criminal Records. They also appeared in the 1982 movie 'Dinner' which was shot in Baltimore.

Done some more checkin & Marvin Brown was pushing himself as a solo singer back in the mid to late 80's. He had a12" single + an album out on B-More Records (the 12" & LP main track was his cover of "La La Means I Love You (Deifonics hit). ........... So I think he was a natural choice when they were looking for someone more recently to front a Delfonics tribute group. When the LP was being cut & after it was 1st released, he played quite a few live gigs around Baltimore with an 'interesting' female backing group . This group comprised Pamela Brockington, Carol Green & Karen Chambers.