Dave Thorley

William was a member of the Huntington, West Virginia, group The Parliaments, that had a number of releases on the local Cabel label, named after the county their city resides in. Along with himself and his song writing brother Issac and Archie Hyman aka Little Archie they first formed the group in the early 60's. They gigged around their local area un-aware of the existence of a group with the same name from New Jersey, that was recording up in Detroit. The conflict with the name eventually came to a head and a judge found in their favour and the other group changed it's name to Funkadelic. Even though they kept the name, they never saw the same success as their namesakes fronted by George Clinton. The group recorded two 45's on the Cabel label including the uptempo classic 'This is my rainy day', one on the Symbol label, produced by Juggy Murry and one on their own Unpredictable label. After trying hard to get a hit with little success the group broke up. Archie went on to record in his own right as Little Archie on Dial records. Most of the band stayed around the Huntington area. In their short time together they created some classic soul sides and where much admired as a on stage group. William passed last week aged 74. Thanks to Steve Foehner for letting me know. http://youtu.be/T6g14AAK7ag

Hi All Last year Al asked me if I would write a forward to a book he was writing about his life in the music business and beyond. I said I would be honored to do that, but asked if he could send me a draft. As is often the case with these books there is some trepidation as to the quality of the writing, but when it arrived I was more than happy to add my support. Al has produced a great read covering his time with The T.S.U. Toronadoes through South Funk Boulevard and his solo career as Alison of 'Who's No1, Who's No2' fame and on to his final few groups. The book starts with his early years, his fathers involvement with Civil Rights and his musical evolution into the TSU's. It gives you a very real feel of what it was to grow up in segregated Texas in the 60's. The book finally comes right up to date and his work as a Pastor and founding member of the Restoration United Methodist Church Mission in Birmingham, Al. Through out the book there are previous untold stories of his career, the bands and artists he worked with, including Archie Bell, Skipper Lee (Owner of Ovide), Etta James to name a few. I can thoroughly recommend this book as a great and informative read. It comes in two formats through the Amazon self publish program. There is a black & white edition at $13.39 or a coloured one at $32.39. Follow the link here to order and for the coloured version, see comments below. http://www.amazon.com/The-Hidden-Man-Story-Unfulfilled/dp/1505582180 " To purchase our FEATURED , FULL-COLOR EDITION of this book, click on the tab above that reads: "See all 2 formats and editions," click the small arrow to the left of the word "Paperback," then click on "Paperback, December 21, 2014."

At The Foot Of The Stairs Theres Darkness The mighty 100 Club, saturday night, was fun........... I've regularly descended these stairs for over 30 years and still it's a great place to be. It's oh so easy to take places for granted and then they are suddenly gone. I've done that with many places over the years. But saturday night in Old London Town made me realise just how special this small 4,000 sqft odd of the capitol city really is. Many that go treat it as something special and arrive during the day meeting at many points round the city for pre-nighter shenanigans and in this age of technology the airways are full of texts and PM's of 'We are at ...', Where are you', 'Landed......' etc. So to our little jaunt, we arrive early evening in North London for a little supper with Butch & Naoko at their flat. She had cooked up a Japanese, Spanish fusion that hit the spot. Conversation between Butch & I soon got round to current 45's, old record finding stories and dealers in the U.S. we have both known, trying to identify possible record hunting targets for the future. Then heading out with the drive down through North London, to arrive at a respectable time. When did 20mph zones appear? think I got flashed somewhere around Islington, I mean 20mph, that means driving in second gear!!!. Anyway parking round the back, as we rounded the last corner and coming onto Oxford Street, we see the usual gaggle of people outside smoking furiously. The air is thick with that machine gun fast conversation fuelled by excitement and ....... The door staff are new faces to me, gone are the dependable guys, who used to let you pass with a knowing nod and entry as if a member of a secret society. All a little too brusk in their manner and full of their importance, but hey, they get the job done. Descending those well worn stairs, now masked by the new entrance lobby, 'let the games begin'. Immediately welcomed by familiar faces, Tony Smith, who counts them in and counts them out, like a sentinel on duty. The room is packed to the gunnels, dance floor pulsating in one with the booming sound system. The first pass through the room over to the end wall, where for years high valued pieces of plastic have been traded over, is a slow process. Greetings from familiar faces, shouted welcomes over the sound system, all with that genuine look of being pleased to see you, Eddie Hubbard, Leona & Adi, Soulful Crisï, Jon Buck, Mick Heffernan, and homeboy Leon Brown, the list is a long one, it gives you a feeling of comfort and that 'I'm glad I came'. OK now down to the serious business of talking bollocks, with occasional trips to the dance floor, I am getting older, so need to pace myself. Now this was an anniversary, so not completely typical of current 100 club nights. Early hours entertainment came in the shape of Ady Croasdell, mastermind behind the last 35 years of this club, playing a selection of his new finds from the Kent endeavours and old guard stalwarts Mick Smith and Roger, sadly no room for newer young gun Joel Maslin tonight on the rosta. Both of these played a selection of tried and tested bangers to a happy frenetic dance floor, with whirling dervishes in the shape of Yann Vatise, Ali Wollaston, Malayka and the rare ‘lesser spotted’ James Trouble mastering the floor. They in turn were followed by The Butchmister who unleashed his ‘weapons of mass destruction’ on the room. Energy levels hit maximum, the whole room is suddenly in the grip of ‘Marco Time’ as he bounces round the stage, urging on the whole room with woops, hollers and wolf whistles, at any moment now The Santochi is going to explode. Jax Transit Authority, Sag Warfare, the room is in hyper drive, oh what fun !!! Keith Money then takes to the stage and delivers his dependable set of high quality supa rarities and so these first few hours demonstrates why The 100 Club is special and held its place as the club that it is in the UK for so many years. 60’s, 70’s supa rare, classic bangers, the latest new discoveries, all played in one room, bringing people from all parts of the country together for a manic few hours. No promoters dictating the play list, no punters none tolerant of other peoples musical tastes. Other places have come and gone, had their moment in the limelight, but The 100 Club marches on, fun-bloody-tastic.

After a few years away from the recording scene, the group have returned with a great new LP. Produced by hometown boy Crayge Lindesay, this is a nice return to the harmony laiden style of yester year, but with a contemporary twist, thanks to Crayge. Formed in 1962, in Kansas City, Missouri, the group was a high school doo-wop group called The Sinceres. In 1967-68 they were backed by and toured with a large Kansas City horn band known as the Smokin' Emeralds and performed their version of a Motown-style review which drew large crowds at a venue called the Place in the Westport district of KC. By 1971, the band consisted of Melvin Webb on drums, Roger Durham on percussion, Charles Love on guitar and vocals, Charles McCormick on bass, Harry Williams on percussion, and Willis Draffen on guitar. After learning to play their respective musical instruments, moved to Los Angeles, California. After arriving in Los Angeles, the group met their prospective managers George Braunstein and Ron Hamady. They also replaced their drummer Melvin Webb with Eddie Summers, a resident of Los Angeles, California. The managers decided to change their name from The Sinceres to Bloodstone. Later the group traveled to London, England where they achieved a recording contract with Decca Records. The original members were Charles McCormick, Willis Draffen, Jr., Charles Love, Harry Williams, Roger Durham and Eddie Summers. The first album was entitled Bloodstone, whereas there were two singles released simultaneously called, "That's The Way We Make Our Music", and "Girl (You Look So Fine)", written and arranged by Eddie Summers the newest member. Their second album, Natural High reached the US R&B Top 10. The album was written by various members of the group Bloodstone, with their single "Natural High" reaching number 10 on the Pop chart. It received blanket airplay in Europe, particularly on Radio Luxembourg.It reached number 40 on the UK chart in August 1973 and was featured in the Decca "World Of Hits" series of compilation albums. Bloodstone's other hits include, "Never Let You Go", "Outside Woman" and "My Little Lady". Bloodstone was instrumental in the "black rock" and funk movement of the 1970s, and even had a hand in the brown-eyed soul movement with some Latin music-tinged hits. Bloodstone performed with Marvin Gaye, Curtis Mayfield, Elton John, and The Impressions. Their 1973 album Natural High, produced by Mike Vernon, sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in July that year.[1] They achieved a moderate comeback in the early 1980s with McCormick replacement Ron Wilson. Their album We Go a Long Way Back (1982), whose title track reached the R&B chart Top 5, also produced a follow-up single "Go On and Cry" that reached number 18. The group continued to record into the mid 1980s. They continue to tour and perform to this day with original members Charles McCormick, Charles Love, Harry Williams and newer member Donald Brown. Bloodstone also starred in and wrote all the music for a film entitled Train Ride To Hollywood (1975).[2] Founding members Willis Draffen died on February 8, 2002 at the age of 56, and Charles Love died on 6 March 2014 Here are a few tracks to give you a feel for the LP ......................... http://youtu.be/zaBaTCpMIUw http://youtu.be/HhzQZFpJ0ps The LP can be found @ CD Baby & itunes http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bloodstone6

Had a great time at Prestatyn. The event that brings together all shades of the scene and celebrates what's happening around it. Not all of it for me, but so much good stuff, that there were always many options of places to be, chat, laugh and dance. The Impressions, were off the good scale, still have great voices, treated us to an hour of ballads and dancers, but everyone a classic. Richard Searling and his team did a fantastic job and with 3500 peeps in and all that I saw and spoke to smiling and enjoying themselves, a great weekend. The records available for sale were amazing, for those that want that, the rest of the 'Soul Bazar' not for me, but clearly some like that and each to his own. In fact that is what this event does so well, it entertains all shades of the soul scene and long may it continue to do so. The Uptight room went well for its first, bringing another dimension to the mix of music played across the weekend. A massive thanks to David Ripolles, David Abbott, Ian Wright, Leona Murphy, Mick H and SoulShakers Bamberg for their sets and enthusiasm for the idea of the room. Not going to say "room awesome, DJ's played out of their socks, and busy room etc". No, over all a good starting point, floor was busy all night, but room numbers fluctuated all night. But Richard S and I are both happy enough to do it again next year. Soul Sam says hi to everyone and says he'll be back for next year. Thanks to all that came and joined in, especially the dancers, those that never left the floor all night. Lastly love the 2 hour Stafford set with my old navigator Ady Pountain by my side. Shocking time 5-7 Saturday afternoon, so was so pleased to see so many come to join us. It was fun to be back there if only sound wise for a few hours and clearly the people in the room did. So all in all fab weekend, for any dissenters, get over yourselves, it's a once a year bit of fun with many old mates, not critical Nato peace talks upon which civilization it's self depends. Dave Link for the Soul Source Event Guide entry for the 2014 Prestatyn Weekender 15 Comments Comments Premium Stuff Mar 10 2014 11:58 PM First off I should say that I was not there. Sounds like a really good event this year - loads going on and great live acts. Hope everyone had a fab time. On a rather controversial point I saw this comment from someone who is very well respected on the scene about the DJ/music policies - on the usual topic I'm afraid. I can't say whether it is true or not but I just thought it was worth a post (in this internet 'free' world): Have to say that some of the main room "DJs" at Prestatyn obviously weren't prepared for the turntable cameras....plenty of bootlegs, pressings, carvers and other dodgy vinyl on video...l hope you were suitably embarrassed guys I'm not trying to stir things up, but for an event such as Prestatyn I was a bit surprised. I think something as big as Prestatyn reflects on the wider scene. I would think twice about travelling a long way to a venue and spending hard earned dosh if I though DJ's were playing boots. Sh*t - sorry guys and gals if this upsets anyone. As I said it's just a second hand comment. Cheers Richard mellorful Mar 11 2014 12:54 AM I didn't notice any bootlegs, a few second issues and UK issues were played but I have no complaints as they are legitimate issues. Personally I'd rather spend time dancing than checking up on the DJ's and there were some outstanding sets - especially on Sunday evening and the DJ's guys deserve a lot of credit for their outstanding contribution. Struggled on Friday and Saturday to get on the dance floor because it was so busy, wondered whether the Northern room sets could be repeated in a another room a couple of hours later to lighten the pressure on the main room. Thanks to all the organisers for the event. Thanks to John, Sean and Nige on Sunday for the blisters on my feet, great music and I was compelled to dance more than is good for the old dogs. KTF Premium Stuff Mar 11 2014 01:38 AM mellorful, on 10 Mar 2014 - 11:54 PM, said: I didn't notice any bootlegs, a few second issues and UK issues were played but I have no complaints as they are legitimate issues. Personally I'd rather spend time dancing than checking up on the DJ's and there were some outstanding sets - especially on Sunday evening and the DJ's guys deserve a lot of credit for their outstanding contribution. Struggled on Friday and Saturday to get on the dance floor because it was so busy, wondered whether the Northern room sets could be repeated in a another room a couple of hours later to lighten the pressure on the main room. Thanks to all the organisers for the event. Thanks to John, Sean and Nige on Sunday for the blisters on my feet, great music and I was compelled to dance more than is good for the old dogs. KTF Good post mate Twoshoes Mar 11 2014 08:39 AM My first Prestatyn and only my second weekender and would have to say it exceeced my expectations, I went intending to hear new stuff to my ears and found the Redemption room where I spent most of my time to be excellent,well done to all who Dj'ed in there..On a couple of points raised above I quite enjoyed browsing the "bazzar" but think it a shame room could not be found for it elsewhere,our time spent in the main room found us standing on every occasion ,obviously more seats would not have guaranteed a seat due to the numbers .As for repeating main room sets not a bad idea in some cases but for me not at the expense of the other smaller rooms losing out on avaliable time, have not the faintest if there is another room somewhere that does not get used.Just the thoughts of a newbie to the weekend scene. Oh and the Impressions were as everyone seems to agree outstanding bonhsoulie Mar 11 2014 09:14 AM Sound quality. If you pull curtains across during the day, and do sound checks, lo and behold when you pull back the curtains at night you will get a different sound. That is kids stuff!! Also there was very little new in music in the great hall, and repetition- the Stafford set was brilliant Having said that there were one or two excellent sets, not many. How many times was Elijah rockin with soul? All the upstairs rooms were par excellence. I took a look at one record seller, and found twenty odd boots in one column-at full price. Also why are people getting booked for the weekend into their chalets to find that 500 wristbands were apparently available to all comers? Which would explain why the floor was heaving. And was there really a ska session? That sounds like last days of Wigan--Spyder was awesome. The quality of drinks was awful. Why couldnt I get a vodka martini? So good and bad in equal measure.. Keep the commercial faith Mick McGarry Mar 11 2014 10:51 AM Premium Stuff, on 10 Mar 2014 - 10:58 PM, said: First off I should say that I was not there. Sounds like a really good event this year - loads going on and great live acts. Hope everyone had a fab time. On a rather controversial point I saw this comment from someone who is very well respected on the scene about the DJ/music policies - on the usual topic I'm afraid. I can't say whether it is true or not but I just thought it was worth a post (in this internet 'free' world): Have to say that some of the main room "DJs" at Prestatyn obviously weren't prepared for the turntable cameras....plenty of bootlegs, pressings, carvers and other dodgy vinyl on video...l hope you were suitably embarrassed guys I'm not trying to stir things up, but for an event such as Prestatyn I was a bit surprised. I think something as big as Prestatyn reflects on the wider scene. I would think twice about travelling a long way to a venue and spending hard earned dosh if I though DJ's were playing boots. Sh*t - sorry guys and gals if this upsets anyone. As I said it's just a second hand comment. Cheers Richard Cliff Steele on Facebook. Why hide it? He hasn't. Topo1964 Mar 11 2014 07:33 PM Who cares what the 45,s are as long they sound good! It's all about the music not how much their worth,we were there a great night had by all :-) Premium Stuff, on 10 Mar 2014 - 10:58 PM, said: First off I should say that I was not there. Sounds like a really good event this year - loads going on and great live acts. Hope everyone had a fab time. On a rather controversial point I saw this comment from someone who is very well respected on the scene about the DJ/music policies - on the usual topic I'm afraid. I can't say whether it is true or not but I just thought it was worth a post (in this internet 'free' world): Have to say that some of the main room "DJs" at Prestatyn obviously weren't prepared for the turntable cameras....plenty of bootlegs, pressings, carvers and other dodgy vinyl on video...l hope you were suitably embarrassed guys I'm not trying to stir things up, but for an event such as Prestatyn I was a bit surprised. I think something as big as Prestatyn reflects on the wider scene. I would think twice about travelling a long way to a venue and spending hard earned dosh if I though DJ's were playing boots. Sh*t - sorry guys and gals if this upsets anyone. As I said it's just a second hand comment. Cheers Richard Phillipf1234 Mar 12 2014 08:04 AM It is not about what the label is or whether that particular piece of vinyl is worth mega bucks. its about the floor .. Its about filling floor with people who have paid to listen and dance to good music .. Do they care if it is a pressing or not .. No they don't its only some pretentious Dj On his high horse about what he has or has not got or what he sees someone else playing. Prestatyn was excellent music and excellent live acts - however the accommodation is total crap and filthy and the food is no better so if they want my money again they will need to sort that in this day and age it isn't acceptable.... tfk Mar 12 2014 09:48 AM Was down for he Saturday night session - and we had a ball - a very well planned weekender and something there for every one ...well done to all concerned... Tfk tfk Mar 12 2014 10:14 AM " The Impressions" are and were fantastic !!! Tfk Ian Dewhirst Mar 12 2014 12:53 PM A great weekend all round even though I only saw it in staggered glimpses as I was busy filming interviews in a room upstairs most of the time! I think one of the most significant things for me was seeing a sizable amount of young respectful and energetic people there this year which energized the atmosphere for me. And I didn't see any bootlegs on the screen on the odd occasions when I looked up there. Just stone solid rare originals. I think there's some mischief-makers out there who just want to be critical of an incredibly successful event! Ian D Winsford Soul Mar 12 2014 05:46 PM Few comments from me. Firstly the impressions where as good as it gets. Was great to catch up with people that you tend to lose touch with for one reason or another. Few questions. Why isn't there a seperate area for the market type stalls like there used to be ie in the bandit / fruit machine area. And why was the bar in the main room made to queue from one side when the other bars where as per normal and what happened to the seating area in front of the bar. Promoters over to you. Steve Brett F Mar 16 2014 12:01 AM So who played bootlegs....i see a lack of playlists ... soulperson Mar 18 2014 07:48 PM lots of bootlegs were played.a certain dj springs to mind but wouldnt be nice to say his name.i do not agree with bootlegs.the djs that have paid a lot of money for the real record cannot play it if its been played earlier,even though it was on a boot leg.not fair & not right imo Rob Alias Mar 19 2014 11:05 PM All the unimportant stuff.

Meet up with two of the guys from this very talented group Fred Forsh & Gordon T Danniels, a few weeks ago in the U.S. Sadly the 45 below was all that ever made it to the streets, but they did cut 9 other tracks. Fred Forsh Gordon T Danniels, The first cut 'Suddenly' at Perfection Sound in Smyrna, North Atlanta. They thought they were signing a deal to record, press and promote the two tracks. But Perfection were a contract studio and publishing house only, sadly this wasn't explained to clearly. So at the end of the affair they group were handed 500 copies of the 45 and wished well in their future endeavour, but now less the publishing on the two songs. Slightly disillusioned they decided a year later, having scraped together enough money for more studio time, to cut 9 more songs they had written, under the project name of 'A Distant Star'. This set of songs were all recorded at ESP studios in Atlanta and again all written, produced and arranged by the group. At the same time they were in conversation with Bang & ABC-Dunhill, sadly neither conversation went anywhere. So with families and mouths to feed the group broke up. Now in conversation with a few people to see if the LP can at last get publised Will be playing some of these on my show 2nite on GFM 7pm-9pm GMT http://www.gloucesterfm.com/ Highlight of the day was singing the Oh, Oh, Oh's on 'Suddenly' acapella with the guys, badly on my part................. http://youtu.be/7YGJ2SsuFts FlannyDec 23 2013 12:31 PM Sadly moved my copy of suddenly on a few years ago nice to hear it again after all this time would be great to hear some more stuff by these guys , keep up the good detective work Dave Ps anyone with a spare cheap copy get in touch polyveltsDec 29 2013 11:48 PM We got a very sweet message from Fred and Berry on our 99p soul nites blogspot site when we posted up their track on a playlist a couple of years ago. Nice guys. see link http://dusty7s.blogspot.co.uk/2011/04/suddenly.html

--------------------------100 Club Last Nite-------------------------------- Well I never, been over 10 years since I last visited the hollowed place that is The 100 Club. Wasn't that sure what it would be like Got into town early had a nice Sheppard's Pie made by the fair hands of Butch and then in the car for a quick nip down from north London to the club. Had Malayka and Raphi Gruenig in the car with me, was Raphi's first visit. Arrived, no queue, but Butch tells me that does happen any more, bit phased by the marble lined entrance, but as soon as I descended the stairs it's full glorious shabbiness revealed itself. A fair few in for early doors, still no idea what to expect. But as we hit the bottom of the stairs, there stood Tony Smith on duty where I had left him some 10 years ago, accompanied by Roddie, both with beaming smiles and a slight look of shock at my arrival. Within in 30mins shed loads of old friends revealed themselves out of the reassuring gloom, no disco lights yet for this great club, Adi & Leonaï Karenï James, Eddie Hubbard James Pogsonï Backdoor Kenny, Russ Vickers Ady Pearce and many more. So into full talking bollocks mode, an art form in it's own right here, so much fun. DJ's for the night were Butch, Steve Cato, Billy Wizz, Trickster & Ady Croasdell, which offered an interesting night. The double act of Trickster and Billy didn't disappoint, pure comedy genius along with some nice selections (You had to be there). Steve Cato who was so eager, had his box open 1/2 hour before his set, pulling his usual mix of soulful 60's with a pinch of latin. Ady hit the wheels of steel pulling out his NY & Detroit exclusives and ending his first set with a Bettye Swann classic to rapturous applause. Then Butch and he was on it, gem after gem, including the stunning Vessie Simmons & Major Heartbreaks cover ups. So, don't know what I was so worried about, the old place still looked the same, major talking bollocks still the order of the day, toilets still stink and the dancefloor is still the focal point. Long may it live, won't be so long before I visit again, good on ya Ady Croasdell

New CD Liquid Blue Hadley Murrell has been at work again, re-packaging more of his old catalog. This time to bring you a collection of tracks from Liquid Blue, the group that brought you the pretty 70's sweet group dancer 'Take it any way you want to' and 'Ain't that what you want' on HDM. Hadley Murrell is well known to many for his 60's productions on The Servicemen, Eddie & Ernie, Freddi-Henchi & The Soulsetters. His prolific output continued on into the 70's with this group, Eddie Holran, Black Ice to name a few. Available from good internet providers, including http://www.amazon.co.uk/Liquid-Gold-Blue/dp/B00BPG9IHE/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1366361871&sr=1-1&keywords=Liquid+Blue http://youtu.be/guWoZoUCpAk http://youtu.be/GIgbMQpb1xM

Sad News outta Philly, Major Harris R.I.P. This guy sang one of my all time favorite tunes. Plus so many other great real soul sides. Born in Richmond, Virginia. He sang in his early days in several east coast groups, The Charmers, The Teenagers, The Jarmels and the Philly group Nat Turner's Rebellion, before replacing Randy Cain in the Delphonics. But he will be best remembered for his heart rendering, sweet 'Love won't let me wait' But for me, he will always be the man that sang one of my all time Favorite tunes, 'Call me tomorrow'

Hadley has been hard at work with more of his back catalog. This time bringing us his work with the great 70's harmony group Black Ice and the talented Eddie Horan. Many of you will remember the great sets he put out a couple of years ago on The Servicemen & Freddie-Henchi & The Soulsetters Black Ice were Antone Curtis, Gerald Bell, Cleveland Jones, Frank Willis & Ralph Lars. Between the mid 70's and early 80's Hadley recorded a number of LP's with the group, that sold very well. Now you have a chance to purchase them re-packaged in CD form Eddie Horan worked closely with Hadley throughout the 70's as a song writer and eventually as a artists in his own right. Now his great 1979 LP 'Love the way, You love me' is available in CD form. This set includes the great dance side, 'Can't do without you' These CD are available from the usual suspects on the web and a great addition to your record collection http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fYPzb4o6t0

New Release !!!!!!!!! from the great Walkingtall Records outta Toledo. Taken from the un-issued material from the vaults comes this stunning slice of 80's group harmony soul. Walking Tall Records was established in 1979, By Jimmy Lloyd and Terry Snodgrass. They wrote and released their first record in 1980 on the Walking Tall Record Label. Jimmy and Terry had written and recorded several years earlier in 1975, a titled song named " Take your Time" with their first singing group - "The Fourth Experience", which they hope to release soon. They have been recording records ever since they established the record labels "Walking Tall Records" , "Subsidiary Labels". " Fast Flight Records", "Future Shock Records", and " Pearly Gate Records". Their publishing companies are "Lloyd and Lloyd Music BMI", and "Los Angelas International Music ASCAP", with soon to be others. The records are still being distributed worldwide online and distrubution houses such as "CD Baby","Amazon.com" Availble from the usual suspects Amazon UK/Itunes/CD BABY/Napster/Rhapsody/MySpace Music/iHeartRadio/Last.fm/ ... >>>>>> So, go buy it and lets all help these guys get some exposure !!!!!!!

George Roundtree, Detroit producer and current music director for the Four Tops. Is currently in intensive care in Illinois. See a note that Ronnie McNeir sent round on Facebook. As you may know health care in the U.S. is a nightmare, so any help would be appreciated To All Friends, Family and working Associates of George "Tree" Rountree. Musical Conductor of The Four Tops Our long time friend George (aka Tree) Rountree, conductor of The Four Tops fo...r the last 33 years is in need of your prayers and financial support. Tree recently went to Illinois for a routine Four Tops and Temptations concert date. By the time he arrived, he went into extreme kidney failure; he was taken to a local hospital ICU in Moline, Illinois. It is reported that his condition is extremely critical. As most of you know, Tree has under gone two kidney transplants. Doctors are trying everything to keep him from going into a coma state. Recent economic times have brought a lot of financial short comings for George and his wife Beverly. As a result there is nothing left in the money jar for rent, food, utilities or even airfare for Beverly to go be with her husband. I am asking, if you are able, to extend a prayer and money offering to help them in this moment of greatest need. Tree with The Four Tops has touched many of our lives. Here is an opportunity to give back and touch his. A Paypal account is set up to accept your donations on behalf of the Rountrees. Please follow this link and enter the amount you would like to donate https://www.paypal.c...d=CPMNHEP8QHEQS

Just received two interesting new CD's from Producer Hadley Murrell, Meet... The Servicemen and Crown Princes of funk, Freddi/Henchi and The Soulsetters. Hadley worked in the 60's Phoenix as a radio dj and concert promoter, here he met The Servicemen & Freddie/Henchi and worked with both groups to produce some great soul music. Hadley first met The Servicemen in 1966 when they were based at Luke Airforce Base. The group played him a copy of their 45 on Chartmaker - Connie/Sweet magic. He was very impressed with these and their live vocal style. Along with James Mitchell, he took them to Audio Recorders and cut a bunch of songs including, 'Are you angry' and 'I need a helping hand'. Haldley believed that these songs were as good as anything coming out of Detroit or Memphis at the time, so set off up and down the west coast trying to do a deal, but non came. Believing in the tracks so much, he then returned to Phoenix and deciced to put the tracks out on his own Wind Hit label, pressing up about 200 copies. Although he managed to get some local radio action, very little else happen to the tracks. A year later he went back into the studio and cut some more tracks with the band, including 'My turn' and I'll stop loving you'. He was then able to cut a deal with L.A. label Pathway for I need a helping hand and My turn, but again little success came, so nothing was done with the other tracks in the can. Not long after this the group transferred off the airbase aand with in a year they all lost touch with each other. To this day Hadley has not been able to find any of the groups members and so another northern soul ledgend is born. 'Are you angry', I need a helping hand' along with their earlier Chartmaker sides go on to become classics on the european rare soul scene. This new CD includes all eight tracks Hadley recorded with the group, plus killer acappella versions of 'Are you angry', 'I need a helping hand', My turn' and 'Come back to me'. The whole thing comes with great gatefold hard cardboard sleeve, cool informative notes, along with several great photos of the band. Mastering on all the tracks is of the highest quality. Hadley first met The Soul Setters at The Abel Hall in Phoenix where he was the dj. This relationship was to become the longest lasting of all the music projects he worked on, with him becoming their producer, manager and worked on the developement. In 1966 he took the group to Audio Recorders to cut their debut release as The Soul Setters, 'Cecil, the unwanted french fry' along with a rowdy version of James Brown's 'Out of sight', this came out on the L.A. label Onacreast. That same year Fred Gowdy join the group as lead singer, after jumping up on stage at a local gig and singing a song with the group. He Join members of the original band The Fabulous Jokers, Bobby 'Soul' Fraijo, Tony Neibles, Jimmy Fraijo, Rudy Valenzuela and Paul Henricks and Chuy Castro, who had recently joined the band, Freddy's arrival gave the group a new dynamic. They then built a great reputation for their crazy stage show and dance routines and toured under the name Freddy Love and The Soul Setters. The group expanded once again to include local famed dancer Marvin Graves (Henchi) as another singer. Set with this line up the group developed their skills. As the 60's moved on the group relocated to L.A. Throughout the rest of the 60's and early 70's the group continued to record with Hadley and tour. The group started to slowly wind down by the mid 70's, doing their final recordings with Hadley in 75. This CD spans their recordings including many of their funk classic recorded with Hadley Murrell. Just like the other CD in come in a nice hardcover gatefold, lots of great sleeve notes and a whole bunch of group photo's. Again the sound quality and mastering is fantastic. Both CD's can be found at major internet stores, such as Amazon