Roburt

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.

The Fonics have had quite a high profile (as a Delfonics tribute act) for the last 5 / 6 years, so I'd think they got together 6 to 9 years back. They play loads of live gigs around DC & Baltimore plus have played a big soul show in Jamaica with the Manhattans & Billy Ocean.

Seems that ex Softone members Marvin Brown & Steve Jackson are now 2/3 of another Baltimore based group, the Fonics (the 3rd member DC's Johnnie Johnson was in the Delfonics in 79 & thru the 80's) ....... so I guess their name is derived from the Del-FONICS. Not established yet when the Fonics were formed but would say it was in the last 10 to 15 years. A lady called Angie Walker works with the group on their shows. She is also in DC based group Framewerk. Angie plays keyboards with Framewerk plus for PowerGlide and the Fonics. She is also musical director for the Intruders, the MD's, Blue Magic and Force MD's (busy lady).

Thanks for that. I guess it was Marvin Brown's absence that prompted the group to become the 'New' Softones then back in the late 80's. The group always had strong ties back in Baltimore, even when they were signed to 'out of town' labels in the 70's. Local outfit, A & D acted as their agents back then .......

Jerry Butler -- Impressions Bobby Womack -- Valentinos Ollie Nightingale -- Ollie & Nightingales Marvin Smith -- Artistics Eddie Kendricks -- Temptations David Ruffin -- Tempts Billy Griffin -- Miracles (after Smokey R) Teddy Prendergrass -- Harold Melvin & BlueNotes PLUS numerous gospel group lead singers quit to sing secular music as solo artists.

Another of their sweet soul ballads .......... Guess the females had gone when this track was laid down.

This outfit started out in Baltimore back in the 1960's & was recording from about 1972 to 1975. In the beginning the members were Marvin Brown (who had briefly been in the Unifics on Fountain in 1971), Steve Jackson, Elton Lynch & Byron Summerville (who left & then came back). One of their tracks .... When they cut for H & L (1976 to 79), the 3 remaining guys added 2 females to the line-up. In 1979 they did some dates on the Virgin Islands and by then, the two females had disappeared. In 1980, Byron Summerville returned. After that (in early 80's) they were known as the Tones, with another name change to the New Softones by 1989 (when they cut for Exact Change Records out of Baltimore). My question is .... anyone know what the New Softones line-up was in 89 ?? I guess they had to change their name as some (all ?) of the groups 'mainstays' had quit the biz or gone solo. The group reformed a few years back but I'm unsure what their line-up was then or what it currently is (but guess more of the 'original' guys are back now). The picture shows them in 1979 ........ L to R ......... Marvin, Steve, Elton with manager Rod Armstrong.

Jerry Butler, Bobby Womack, Ollie Nightingale, Marvin Smith, Eddie Kendricks, David Ruffin, Billy Griffin, Teddy Prendegast & many, many more.

Weren't they on at DigDeeper in New York (as the Green Berets) a couple of years back ?

Suprised Blackbeat / New Blackbeat (Steve G's baby) hasn't gotten a mention. ALSO back in the day (60's / 70's), nothing touched Blues & Soul for in-depth mainstream (& some not-so mainstream) coverage. Still love pulling my boxes of B&S out of the loft and 'getting lost' in the content for 4/5 hours at a time. Manifesto is a quality up-market 'glossy'l

This was Ted Jarrett & Robert Holme's label wasn't it (well they were responsible for most of the music released on the label if they didn't actually own it). Didn't Kent put out a good CD of the best cuts from the label some years back ? Ted went on to run the TJaye label (along with Robert Holmes & Freddie Waters) & cut loads more good stuff.

FRUSTRATED OF YOURCSHYRE ........... What you regard as a PASSION (45 collecting), your wife & kids regard as MADNESS !!! PASSION OR MADNESS, which is it ????

Recently auctioned on Ebay ............ Chambers Brothers --- "People Get Ready" .......... "Vault 9003" .......... Released in 1966 The auction was for two Master Recordings on Reel to Reel tape made at one of the most famous recording studios at the time. ................ Wally Heider Recording, Hollywood, Calif. They were original reels of tape. The tape used by the technicians, used to make the released recording and then stored away. The tapes in the auction were acquired from an Estate sale in San Jose,California in 1989. The deceased had been an engineer for Chess Records and these were in his collection.

A couple of groups by the name of the Explosions got to record, don't think either was the above outfit though. Chris Calloway was of course Cab Calloway's daughter ..........

MGM reactivated their old CUB label in 1967. Attached is a press announcement about it (Cleveland's Way Out also gets a mention). The label's management / production team revolved around Beau Ray Fleming and Lockie Edwards Jr. Lockie had been around the NY music scene for a while. He had written songs cut by the likes of Nat King Cole, Dionne Warwick, Chuck Jackson, Baby Washington, Isley Bros, Walter Jackson, Marvin Gaye, Cleveland Robinson & Timi Yuro. (Incidentally Lockie passed away back in his home area of Galveston, Texas earlier this year). Anyway it seems that they put out records on CUB by most of the artists signed to their Calculated Productions (though not by Cab Calloway, the Explosions & Nat Gales). ....... The 45's on CUB ......... .....................CUB RECORDS 1967/68 9150 Act IV --- A Better Man Than I / Bless You 1967 9151 The Sparks --- Woe, Woe / Cool It 1967 9152 Sonny Dublin --- Pigmy Grind Part 1 / Pigmy Grind Part 2 1967 9153 The Petites --- If You Wanna Change The World / Don't Go Changing Your Mind 1967 9154 Chris Calloway --- I Don't Need Another Baby / You Are Something Else 1968 9155 Dee Erwin --- I Only Get This Feeling / Wrong Direction 1968 9156 The Gambrells --- Love Is In The Air / I'm In Love Again Fro The First Time 1968 9157 Jerome Mc Murray --- Hobo Man / Like The Four Winds 1968 9158 The Oz Band --- I Am Not The Same / Winter Rain 1968 9159 The Groovin' Strings and Things --- The Fool On The Hill / You 1968 9160 Johnny Williams --- I Got A Feeling / I'd Like To Be With You 1968 9161 (Dean Courtney) & Partnership --- Angels In The Dark / Gonna Spend My Life Lovin' You 68 9162 The Hi-Lads --- Ready Or Not Here I Come / When I Get To Delaware 1968 The Sparks 45 we have been talking about on another thread (the group included Patrick Adams in their line-up) and Dee Erwin is very well known to everyone (guess he was an old mate of Lockie's) BUT is much known about the other groups signed to them ???????? BTW, Lockie seems to have taken a lower profile after the label was terminated in 1968 (though he was involved with the big latin funk LP 'Harlem River Drive'). Whereas Beau Ray Fleming hooked up with Capitol and worked with (Smoking) Joe Frazier + others. He then masterminded the recording careers of Sun, Mandrill & GQ. ......... CHEERS.

I attended this session at the Nite Owl back in 1967 ........ I traveled down to Leicester on the train with my Dony chum Tom Sleight. This was the period when the Mojo in Sheffield had given up holding allnighters in the hope of obtaining a license to remain open (the Government had just passed a bill to require night clubs to get a Local Authority license to stay in business). So, after the 'Owl' niter ended, we headed round to the White Cat cafe and hung about till the trains started running. Then it was back up to Sheffield on the train (with Sully -- from Dony -- Dave & Eric from Notts) to catch a group calling themselves THE TEMPTATIONS at the Mojo alldayer ....... those were the days (my friend, I thought they'd never end). THE TEMPTATIONS were really the Velours / Fantastics & as everyone knows, they liked performing for UK audiences so much that they settled here.