Roburt

A mag piece from way back ...

Can't help really ... BUT Normanton is a small town in Yorkshire. Can't think that too many soul sellers reside there. Was it a sale via Discogs ?

It's been announced on Facebook that ex singer in Starvue, Burton Fowler. passed away last week ... R.I.P. .. . another one gone ... & their best recordings only date back to 1980 ..

A few gigs @ the club ...

Went to a couple of the Northampton Weekenders (but only on the main night). Got Macce lad Glen Hunter (& his missus) down to stay with us and us lads went across to N'ton. Think one visit was 2008 -- remember seeing (& chatting with) the Impressions & guys out of the Fab Peps. www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWjEamhQioY Also saw Chris Clark, there; was that the year before ? Can't remember now which years they ran & which acts were on there.

Lou Taylor in the UK ...

Another project that David Foster produced & arranged was the DREAMGIRLS (original cast) album ... so he was in charge when this was cut by Jennifer Holliday ... www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5XIMWlfFjs

As mentioned above, David Foster (with another ex member of the group that became the Canadians) teamed up with Donny Gerrard and had a big hit for Capitol. Their 45 was so popular in Holland that it was released 4 times there ...

The Canadians played at all the top UK soul clubs in 67; Tiles, Cue Club, Whisky A GoGo, Blaises, Cromwellian (all London), the Torch, the Cavern (Liverpool), Dungeon (Notts), Clouds (Derby), California Ballroom (Dunstable), Imperial Ballroom (Nelson), Saville Theatre, London, Boston Gliderdrome, etc. ALSO, in their capacity as the backing band to many US soul acts, they also played venues such as the King Mojo (Sheffield), Wheel, etc. On some of the shows they undertook in their own right, they were advertised under the lead singers name, Bobby Hanna. Bobby got some TV spots to promote his Decca stuff ... www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfqd0hwUg_8

The Canadians were a Canadian group who came to the UK in 66/67. They'd had a history in Canada itself as Bobby Faulds & the Strangers and under that name they cut a 45 in Vancouver for RCA. The group's lead singer (Bobby Faulds / Hanna) had been born in the UK before his family had moved to Canada when he was a kid. But he still had family in Leicestershire and so when the group's career stalled in Nth America, they decided to relocate to the UK and try their luck here. On their arrival here they signed with the Roy Tempest Agency and went on the road in their own right, but mainly as the backing band for visiting US acts (the Spellbinders, Edwin Starr, Drifters, Soul Sisters, Ben E King, Inez & Charlie Foxx, Chuck Berry, etc.). Some of the guys in the group were married & missed their families back across the pond. The homesick guys decided to go home as Roy Tempest was working them too hard (3 shows a night here at different venues -- an early club appearance, shoot off to do a late club show and then onto an allnighter). But Bobby Hanna decided to stay here when the others returned home. One of those who went back to Canada was the group's young organ player David Foster. Back in Canada, he hooked up with another ex member of the group (+ Donny Gerrard) to form the group Skylark. Still here in the UK, Booby Faulds, performing as Bobby Hanna, had landed a record deal with Decca & for then he mainly cut pop songs but there was one exception (see 45 scan). He got more in to a cabaret style of show and ended up being the support act for the Temptations at the Talk of the Town. While in London he met an Aussie girl. After falling in love with her, he relocated yet again, to Australia this time. There he went on to enjoy a long music & TV career. Meanwhile over in Canada / USA, David moved on from being in groups when Donny Gerrard went solo & Skylark broke up. He had always written songs but now also got into arranging on studio sessions and (eventually) into producing tracks. In these capacities he went on to work with the likes of Harvey Mason, Cheryl Lynn, Hall & Oates, Cuba Gooding, the Brothers Johnson, Gwen Owens and many more. In the late 70's, he was working with Earth, Wind & Fire on their 'I Am' album. From there it was onwards & upwards till he was a well respected guy on the world music scene. But David never seems to have lost his love for soul which must have been nurtured during in his brief time in the UK.

I got chatting with Darlington newspaper photo guy Ian Wright a few years ago (he's famous for many early Beatles / Stones pics) .. he told me that he would go to the Club AGoGo with his camera on a regular basis too back in the mid 60's. He seemed to have no idea that his old pics taken in the club would be of interest to folk today. www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-58718909

Not a fake in sight ...

He just toured the US doing live shows that were filled with his newly released soul cover tracks ... these shows sold out quickly & the one in Ft Lauderdale had ticket prices of up to $1600 each.

Might be easier to read the start of the entry on this cropped version ...

Andy, the piece was in the Record World mag, edition of 8th May 1965 ... page 18 ... along with the Hot R&B 45 listings for many US cities ... attached also is a pic (from earlier times) of Mable with Miss Ray & BG ...

I'd say that Mable John was only at Shrine for a short time. While in DC she also got to know local WUST radio DJ Al Bell. Al was soon hired by Stax (October 65) and headed off to Memphis. A short while later, he got Mable signed to a record deal with Stax and she also headed south to record for them.

Seems to be SOLD OUT everywhere (even Simply Soul) already.

A May 65 music mag entry ... Mable John had become friends with Miss Ray around 1959 when she used to drive BG around the Detroit area (while he sold 45's out of the back of the car).

PASSING ALONG THIS INFO .... Tuff City is looking for a 60's liner notes writer for a Detroit reissue project. Send writing samples and get more info from us via email ... dave@tuffcity.com

Ady C kept in touch with Sean in the past. also ... SS member John Benson hung around with Sean a lot down the years (many years). Perhaps they know a bit more.

Sly Stone was the top DJ on K-SOL in San Fran in the mid 60's ...

As it states above ... The acts included talented and established Washington and Baltimore acts .... I guess a lesser established act from Baltimore too ...

AUGUST 68: Not the Philly guys themselves, just the UK band due to back them a few weeks later ...

Some from me ... Otis Redding -- Otis Blue Sam Dees -- The Show Must Go On Tavares -- Madam Butterfly Randy Brown -- Welcome To My Room Doris Duke -- I'm A Loser Curtis Mayfield -- Curtis Frankie Beverley & Maze -- Joy & Pain JJ Barnes/Steve Mancha -- Rare Stamps The Impressions -- Big Sixteen The Impressions -- Big Sixteen Vol. 2 The Dells -- There Is The Emotions -- So I Can Love You Billy Stewart -- Teaches Old Standards New Tricks Sam & Dave -- Double Dynamite Isley Brothers – This Old Heart Of Mine

Vel and his band in action in a TV studio ... www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBg5buqLBrc Vel on stage with LIFE in the 80's ...