Roburt

So which version of the Lost Soul's is considered to be the best (I have a redun mesen) ?

Thanks for that Firecrest ... but if you look at the montage I put up with the 1st post, I included a scan of one of his Don Day Curtis ABC-Paramount 45's there. Another question -- is it correct that the mix of "I Can't Get Enough" is different on the US Shout 45 to that on the UK Jay Boy 45 ??

Ady, I'd guess Cliff Steele would be the right guy to ask as HOUSEWIFE BLUES is a fave of his. I think I only have the F&F 45 and not the Calla released versions. I do know that the 2 versions are completely different in length (time wise). The LoveF&F version is around 75 secs longer (is there a Calla 12" mix of this side too ?). Don't know if the 7" time differences were just achieved by editing the Love F&F version down or if yet more changes were made to the original version. The A side of the 45 ("Does Your Mama Know") comes in 3 versions; Love F&F 45 (3m 30sec), Calla 45 (2m 59sec) & Calla 12" mix (5m 18sec). Strangely, the later Calla LP version (put out in 76), is the same length as the Love F&F version. BTW, I have digital copies of all the Muscle Shoals (Wishbone) cuts that were included on Rudy's BBC Radioplay album. Although these were cut in the 'disco era', a few of them are really good soul tracks.

A Philly Eagles player (NFL) in the 60's, this guy cut records with the best of the city's soul folk (& some from NY too) … Timmy Brown ...

By all accounts, this is Donald Height too …. Prince Jefferies …. a February 1964 release .....

This seems like an ideal candidate to me, no idea if it's ever had 2 step plays … from way back in 64 (listen to this and then Lou Ragland's MAKIN LOVE) …

Seems that Donald also acted as a manager with the likes of Doris Willingham (Doris Duke) being one of his acts in the mid 60's. She had moved to New York around 1963 and had started out as a backing singer who got to work on many studio sessions. She must have met up with Donald in that capacity (or she had backed him up on a live show @ the Apollo) but he realised she had much more potential and would make a good lead singer. He cut some tracks on her & two of these were released as a 45 on Hi-Monty Records …. . . . . . side info on Doris >> when her Jay Boy 45 was released here & in Germany (late 68), she was offered gigs over this side of the pond. She decided it was too early to take the chance but came over here anyway, touring as a backing singer for Nina Simone.

Many of his songs are still registered with BMI but I don't know if that means someone out there still represents him or his interests.

Donald Height was based out of New York (not exactly a backwater) and recorded over a 16 year period in all. He was mainly a solo artist (going by 2 different names) but was also lead singer in a legendary doo wop group (Hollywood Flames) for a while. He was signed to a number of major labels; King, ABC-Paramount, Jubilee, Old Town, RCA, Roulette, Shout, Avco, Bell and Dakar. Some of his 45's did so well in the US, that they got picked up for foreign release (in countries such as the UK, Canada & South Africa). Two of his UK releases became 60's mod / soul club anthems and then repeated this success on the NS scene when re-released in the 70's. He also cut a version of another top 60's UK mod club song ("She Blew A Good Thing"). Donald worked in collaboration with some top industry people, Teddy Vann, Ralph Bailey (who had songs cut by Chuck Jackson, Lee Roye, Vernon Garrett & Ted Taylor), Horace Ott, Johnny Northern, Bert Berns, Garry Sherman, Thomas Glascoe, Eddie Jones (Linda Jones brother), Robert Bateman, Alonzo Tucker, J J Jackson & Joe Webb. As well as being a singer & songwriter, he was also a producer & ran a couple of production companies and small record labels (Mayhew, Soulful Music Records, etc). He worked with numerous other acts; the Bobbettes (aka Soul Angels), Casualiars, La Vern, the Lost Souls, etc. It seems he became a minister in the 70's and gradually withdrew from the recording industry, but even with the length of time he was a major player & the many successes he enjoyed …. there seems to be little info available today on him & his career (no interviews or the like that I can find). Anyone out there know much more about him ??

Rocky singing his top track to a hip NS audience ... you also get Lola Falana singing her big track (a cover of a Lee Dorsey hit) about 4 min 20 secs into the clip (which is an extract from an Italian movie).

Rocky Roberts (not mentioned yet in the 60's European soul thread) was a Navy champion boxer. He never took up the sport professionally but settled in France when he left the navy (1962). He soon relocated to Italy and had a hit 45 there in the mid 60's. I believe the original Airedales were also navy guys that Rocky had started singing with while still in the services.

A couple of bits about the proposed stage show ... https://www.broadway.com/buzz/194354/robert-townsends-the-five-heartbeats-in-development-as-a-broadway-musical/ https://thesource.com/2018/12/13/five-heartbeats-broadway/

Other bits about the documentary ... https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/making-five-heartbeats-1165413 https://www.makingthefiveheartbeats.com/

Anybody here get to see the documentary about the making of the Five Heartbeats movie ?? The documentary got limited showings in US movie theatres last summer but I haven't seen anything about any UK screenings or about any TV company planning to show it. There are bits on the net about it and even the odd Youtube clip. It's topical at the moment as it was recently announced that there's a project in development to turn the film into a musical Broadway stage show (with a new original song being added to the piece). No doubt if the Broadway show takes off & does well, it could even make it to the West End in time.

While he wasn't the featured artist on any records, ex Cleveland Brown star player Jim Brown played a major part in the record / music biz. He helped fund Way Out Records (Cleveland) for a period and so was awarded his own label, BIG JIM. From there he went on into artist management. He 'discovered' (this story was most likely made up by RCA's Promotion Dept) the Friends of Distinction and got them signed to a record deal ... he's also played a part in the early life of Earth, Wind & Fire (BTW Jessica Cleaves featured in both groups). After the early version of the group had moved from Chicago to LA, Maurice White met with Brown & signed the group to his B B & C Management Company. The group auditioned for reps of Warners & RCA at Brown's house & Warners signed them to a deal. Brown himself had gotten into movies in 1966 and from there (having relocated to LA) did some TV work and more movies before becoming a major lead actor in Blaxplotation films in the early 70's. He doesn't seem to have got involved in the soul soundtrack side of his Blaxplotation films though (or not to my knowledge at least).

Martin S, while I agree that the Howeefeel UK 45 track is a great cut, I can't agree that everything Davis Import released is trash & not of interest to soul collectors ... I love these 3 of their outings .... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXrz_8Ik6zU&t=142s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xvlqcjqex44

This was booted to meet demand from the London 2-Step scene ...

The uda side of that Swedish 45 .... taken at 100mph pace (but then just about every act in the 60's took the studio cut version & then sped it up to do it live). This (speeding up the original) of course went down well with 60's UK mod club audiences who liked their speed soul ...

There are a few goodies that were cut in Sweden in the 60's (mostly by US folk visiting or who had relocated there) ... King George & Harlem Kiddies -- Boo-ga Loo 7" (Don Gardner song) Don Gardner & Dee Dee Ford -- 2 LP's + rare 45 on Sonet "Last Dance" + this Motown cover with Don Gardner's band on backing .... think they went on to name a record label after this lady ...

A single released by a group of 1965 LA Rams players -- Rosie Grier was in the team then & was supposed to be a member of the quartet though he didn't appear as one of the 4 guys in their record publicity pic ... Rosie's later Amy 45 with the group lists all 4 of their names too (Olsen, Brown, Jones, Lundy). However, it appears that Charlie Cowan was the original 4th man.

Seems I did them a disservice ... they did place some country artists with majors -- Decca & the like ...

Thanks for that (copy of ad attached) .... guess they were morphing from Miami based Twin Record Productions into Great World of Sound in 1972 and this was their national pitch for material. Didn't realise they'd had an office on the Florida gulf coast too back then, though the ad does confirm their connection to Miami, Ohio & Nashville. I guess the Atlanta side of their operation came later ... Talking of the Atlanta end of things; Calvin Arnold (out of Atlanta) also got involved with GWS via the Pendulum Swingers & Case Band 45 "Never Should Have Loved You Baby" which initially escaped on the Atlanta night club's Pendulum label (where I guess the Case Band were the resident musicians). That link would most likely just have been via a licensing deal though. Seems they were making claims that their actual skills didn't ever achieve; no gold discs, not even any hits and no cuts placed with major labels (that I am aware of) either. Their claim to provide the US's best indie promotion & distribution service also rings hollow as just about all the 45's on the label seem to be in short supply (even the rubbish stuff).

Is much known about this record company & it's modus operandi ........ it operated out of two bases and seemed to license in some of it's releases, while other stuff appeared to be in-house production efforts. Linked to Bill Staith and Opus VII out of Ohio ... so it spread it's influence across a fair bit of the US .... The soul & funk it put out (which is of most interest to us) seemed to be a small part of it's remit; loads of pop, rock & country too (so may have also had contacts in Nashville).

Top soul artist Lenny Gamble is live on TV (Channel 4's CHRISTMAS BRUNCH) right now talking about his big NS hit & his live appearance at Wigan Casino (if you tune in to Channel 4 +1 in about 45 minutes you'll catch it again) .... NOT TO BE MISSED .... the whole story with added northern dancing thrown in ...

Lee Maye .... he was kept quite busy in the recording studio between 1963 & 1969 ...