Footpath

In some ways, it`s good that people get to hear an obscure 45 like this one that Bobby Parker produced for Lillian Claiborne`s Loop label . However . this bootleg has been put out without any acknowledgement or payment to the late Bobby`s estate. My efforts to find those behind this enterprise have so far been unsuccessful. I do wish that those who put out reproductions would leave a clear indication on the new label that this IS a reissue. This "Loop" 45 has exactly the original label with the potential of misleading postal buyers on ebay etc.

The guitar stabbing jolt that occurs on the Elbie 45 crops up on several Bobby Parker 45s including the recently stolen Nat Hall bootleg. There is also the general lack of knowledge relating to Elbie. The issue was also at the time of Bobby Parker being known as L B ParKer ..........ALL CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE OF COURSE BUT I`D REALLY LIKE IT CHECKED WITH SURVIVING PERSONNEL FROM THE VEEP SESSION IF ANYONE HAS CONNECTIONS.

Hi Andy...............Thanks for the interest....If you`re still in touch with Herb (telephone ?) you might put to rest the idea that was taised by a couple ofd people on this thread - that Elbie was a white man and so could not be BP. Best wishes, Martin

Duke: Chalky says he thinks Elbie sounds white ....so couldn`t be Bobby . Herb Bernstein could at least determine that much (?) Thanks , MARTIN

Fair enough , Chalky. There is no source to affirm Elbie is LBP.............it was just an idea that came to me and I wondered if anyone had information . I find it difficult to make that colour judgement......Len Barry ? Roy Head? etc,etc. but Veep was set up for R&B by United Artistes with artistes like Little Anthony,Garnet Mimms, even Ivory Joe Hunter. Listen to the guitar,,,,that`s the strongest evidence that it could be Bobby , Compare it to the Nat Hall 45.

Thanks Duke ..............great that you liked the compilation ...............but this "elbie" idea didn`t occur to me until very recently when Manship was selling a copy for hundreds of pounds . Saying "elbie" to myself as L B ...then falling in to Little Bobby . BP was known as LBP with the Shrine session ....and is on the Salvador LP of V-Tone reissues as LBP.............BEST WISHES ...MARTIN (Footpath) PS There is more BP to come !

Yes Dis Cogs fail to correct the issue of the Bobby Parker album - a perfectly legitimate issue -...banning its sale on their site and not responding to the question why ....

Hi Chalky ....Thanks for the comment. Are you listening just to "Watch your Step" ? Or perhaps to the cut for the Shrine label ? Agreed re Discogs ....and I am not relying on that. However, having compiled and issued all the Bobby Parker tracks known to exist, I have heard a lot of his material and bear in mind , Bobby with the Apollo house orchestra used to sing other people`s hits of the day and could sound like a few different artistes . On his Amanda 45 , he channeled Little Anthony , For his Southern Sound 45 , it was Larry Williams. For this Veep record there are some similarities to other records he made around this time.....the trademark use of falsetto for example....but the main one I think is the stumbling over-amplified bass guitar figures you hear punctuating the lines of "Please keep away..." - very similar to Nat Hall`s "Why..." that Bobby Parker produced.

I believe that when Little Richard did the vocals for the (world famous) Upsetters on Little Star 123 , his name could not be put on the label - probably due to contractual reasons. The two songs were Fats Domino tunes: Every night about this time/ I`m in love again. I`m interested to see that the Little Star issue ,as if to remind people of the obvious presence of Richard, titled the latter track as "Yes it`s me (I`m in love again)`. This variation is unlisted by Discogs and may not be so common and so more valuable , Any thoughts anyone ? If you have it, which titles are on your copy ?

If it`s not too late ,a conversation with one of the parties -like Herb Bernstein - involved in the production could settle it. Robert`s Discogs reference seems to be based on John Manship`s comment......Elbie as Little Bobby , a feasible possibility then but perhaps not 100% sure. MORE HELP NEEDED

Thanks Robert, The "Elbie" 45 was not particularly out of character for Bobby, He tried to stay commercial and popular and you have to remember that in 1962 , "blues" by Jimmy Reed , John Lee Hooker ,etc were plentiful in the Billboard Hot 100. Bobby played what was popular in the day and , by 1964. was covering James Brown ,etc , Although most of his 45s were from Washington DC sessions ,even though they appeared on labels based in other places, a trip to New York would not have been out of the question. The Shrine 45 lists him as Little Bobby Parker . It was really only after the 90s comeback with the two Black Top cds ,that he settled for the blues categorisation - when he no longer attempted the soulful wailing of items like "It`s too late". So the motivation for the pseudonym is more likely to have had other origins IF IT IS INDEED A BOBBY PARKER RECORD.

Elbie Parker on Veep ....a 45 long held in Northern Soul esteem. Does anyone have any information or any knowledge of the participants of this session that could determine just who is Elbie Parker ? My flash of inspiration is that it could well be : L B Parker ....Little Bobby Parker. Wouldn`t that be amazing !!!

This Little Star 45 featured Little Richard doing two Fats Domino songs ,although for religious or contractual reasons Richard was not given credit on Little Star 123. However, on one version of the issue ,there is another clue ."I m in love again" is called "Yes it`s me" (I`m in love again). This rarer version -not a reissue - is not listed on Discogs and Cat 45 puts £102 value on it - as opposed to the £30-40 for the usual label.Matrices seem the same. Can anyone shed any light on this ?