Yann V

Out now! Epsilon 016 BLACK SMOKE BAND: I'LL KEEP SEARCHING / GET'N OFF - EPSILON RECORD CO. The Black Smoke Band were comprised of five members Norwell McNeill on lead vocals (and songwriting duties) Bobby Moore on bass guitarJames Jacobs on lead guitar Joe McLaughlin on keyboards Ronnie Brewington on drums. Joe was also the man behind the band’s resources, financing both the musical kit and studio time.All of the members hail from the town of Dunn, North Carolina - a state which has gifted us some amazing soul music from the 1960’s, 1970’s and beyond. All of the members of the group began recording music prior to the band’s two releases, before they met and formed as teenagers playing local bars, dance halls and night clubs. They gigged with other local acts. Both of the band’s releases were recorded in 1977 at Arthur Smith’s Studios in Charlotte - and both released on the group’s own label, Black Smoke Productions. ‘Starting my Life All Over Again’ was the first of two releases, a beautiful sweet soul effort, that really showcases Norwell’s earnest, soulful vocals. The flip is a solid funk cut called ’Skateboard’. ‘I’ll Keep Searching’ b/w ‘Get n Off’ was the second and sadly final release from the group - but what a record it is! A moody, funky, and compelling arrangement that eschewed the ubiquitous disco sound of the period and created a gritty masterpiece for lovers of hard edged soul music. Norwell’s gruff, captivating vocal and some stellar guitar work were all laid over a tight, rolling beat accompanied by strong horn stabs. The pleading, emotional dynamics of the record work brilliantly with its strutting, insistent pace. Delivering both emotionally and musically it was to be the group’s swan song, but left ample evidence of the talent that lay within them as a band. Eventually the group decided to go their separate ways in 1978, although that was not the end of their musical careers, with all of the members continuing to perform in and around North Carolina for many years. Ronnie sadly passed away, but the other four original members of the group are still actively making music, with Norwell and Bobby remaining in regular contact today. Bobby played with Kool & The Gang for a brief spell, alongside other well known acts. Joe continues to run his own studio, and has a large back catalogue of previously unheard material recorded both before and after the Black Smoke years. That is the story of the Black Smoke Band in 1977. Although short lived, the group have provided soul fans across the UK and beyond with two fabulous singles, considered by many to be shining examples of the musical talent that coursed through America’s suburbs and communities during the golden age of soul and funk music. A rich vein of talent which remains largely undiscovered even now... Buy it here: https://www.epsilonrecord.com

Talkin’ and Steppin’ all day long here. It’s time for another Stream of goodness. Once again two impossible-to-find modern soul bangers licensed and reissued for your pleasure! STR005 The Vee-Gees "Talkin" Mono / Stereo Listen: https://bit.ly/Vee_Gees Preorder: https://cannonballsoul.com/streamrecords/ Previously known as the Versatile Gents, The Vee Gees were from Greensboro, N.C. They started the band in 1967 originally as "the African Americans" performed at a talent show at Gillespie Park School, Geensboro, North Carolina. Soon After Virginia Massey a Senior Music Major at A&T joined the group and the name was changed to Gin And The Gents. After one year Massey left the Band and their name was changed to The Versatile Gents. They reformed and called themselves the Vee Gees in the early 70’s. The Members are Robert Evans (Vince Evans of the NFL's brother), Nathaniel Herring, Anthony Quick, CC Stewart, Cecil Young.In their band. Carlton Morales that wrote "Vallotte" and played with Julian Lennon on guitar. Kevan Tynes on drums. Walter Carlton on Bass. They recored a beautiful sweet soul side call It’s hard to say so long on Jump in 1973. They came back to the studio in 1974 and cut the incredible Talkin on Jump off records. Vee Gees Talkin is the ultimate crossover tune, Spun by some of the best deejays in the world. We’re sure you will be singing all day “Hey brother, brother, just had a talk with the man yesterday... what did he saaaaaay?" Enjoy and support the venture, and if you like the Curtis Lee too, please bundle up and spare something. One in every home! ----------- TSL006 Curtis Lee "Steppin" b/w "Funkadize Me Please" Listen: https://bit.ly/Curtis_Lee Preorder: https://cannonballsoul.com/streamrecords/ This what we call a Killer Modern Soul Dancer! Curtis Lee, real name Curtis Lee Lindsey out of Canton OH, sadly passed away much too young at the age of 58 in June 2012. He was a really special man & a really talented singer and musician. Curt worked for Canton City Schools as a crossing guard. He was also a social member of VFW Military Veteran organisation. He loved to sing and was runner-up for Canton Idol in 2007, and he also sang at the Fair Grounds and for some Hall of Fame events. We’ve managed to track down his family and licensed these two amazing songs that he recorded in 1979 on his own label Spade Record recorded at Kopperhead studio North Canton OH. Enjoy and support the venture, and if you like the Vee Gees too, please bundle up and spare something. One in every hom

Out Now! EPSILON RECORD CO PROUDLY PRESENTS! EPS015 Buy it now: https://www.epsilonrecord.com Listen to both side: A side (vocal): B Side (instrumental) Contact: epsilonrecord45@gmail.com

Out Now! Epsilon Record Co. Proudly presents its latest release: EPS014 MANTIS Back after 40 years with a brand new unissued single! Vocal: Rocky Whitaker / Producer: Alvin Harrison EPS014: A: WHEN I FEEL HOW YOU LOVE ME (2:56) (previously unissued) B: WHEN I FEEL HOW YOU LOVE ME (2:56) (instrumental version) Modesto CA 2021 Buy it now: https://www.epsilonrecord.com

OUT NOW! Epsilon Records Co. Proudly Presents its latest release: EPS013 (another double sider, listen to both side) FUNK JUNCTION A side: WHAT WILL I BE (3:23) Previously unissued funky disco dancer Listen: B side: LET'S TRY IT AGAIN (4:12) Killer sweet soul harmony to die for / previously issued in 1980 and nearly impossible to find on Fos-Glo Record Listen: Buy it here: https://www.epsilonrecord.com Shipping this Monday! Funk Junction Band Members James Greene, Fred Ross, Tony Rodrigues and Alan Ross played and sang on “Let’s Try It Again”. James Greene, Fred Ross, Alan Ross, Preston Delaney sang and played on “What Will I Be”. Back in October 2020 during the lockdown Steve Green & I were doing extensive research on an amazing and ultra obscured sweet soul 45 that was released on Fos-Glo record by a band called "JUNCTION". After a few days of investigation, I managed to find James Green, one of the original members, who turned out to be the actual songwriter of "Let's Try It Again" in 1980. We were finally making progress! James Green kindly redirected us to his friend Warren Foster, the manager of "Funk Junction" the band's real name and owner of Fos-Glo Records. I soon realised that I was talking to a big guy in the music business in the San Francisco Bay area. Warren Foster managed & produced phenomenal bands and artists like The Windjammers aka Masterplan, Little Stanley, Bill Griffith, Butch Tavares & Tavares Brothers, Con Funk Shun, Lenny Williams to name few. Warren's knowledge is just astonishing, he knows everyone in the music world and he is still very much involved in the music business. I am hoping one day he will write a book. After nearly a year of negotiations, I was finally able to license two songs from the "Funk Junction" straight from the original mastertapes from his vault. The A side, "What Will I Be" is totally unissued, it's a great modern funky disco dancer perfect for today's dance floor. The B side, "Let's Try It Again" is a the killer sweet soul was previously issued in 1980 on Fos-Glo Records. It's seriously awesome and I have no doubt that many of you will prefer this side. (nothing wrong with a good double sider!) I plan to visit Warren next month at his studio in Arkansas to plan more releases for Epsilon including "The Love Experience" and some other unissued and issued gems, so watch out! Thanks for supporting Epsilon Record Co.

BOOM!!! Out Now! (shipping this Monday) KENI LEWIS / BA'E BROTHER Two sublime ultra obscure Northern Soul gems First time re-released on Epsilon Record Co. Recorded at Edgewood Studio Inc Washington DC, 1969 KENI LEWIS EPS012: A: BA'E BROTHER (3:10) B: BA'E BROTHER (Instrumental) (3:10) Hear it Now: Buy it now: https://www.epsilonrecord.com Keni St Lewis (Keni Lewis) Keni St. Lewis is predominanly a prolific songwriter who recorded only a handful of sides himself. He was a member of several groups The Dreams, The Cairos, The Enjoyables and The Chancellors. Ba'e Brothers was his first record as a solo artist. He wrote songs recorded by Billy Butler, Gene Chandler and The O'Jays. His repertoire includes many songs for many Northern Soul artists and includes several Shrine artists: D.C. Blossoms: Hey Boy Epsilons: Mad a the World / I'm So Devoted The Cairos: Stop Overlooking Me / Don't Fight It Shirley Edwards: Dream My Heart The Counts: Peaches Baby Cavaliers: Do What I Want Flower Shoppe, Vibrating Vibrations, The Dreams, The Coasters among others. In the 70s he wrote hits for The Sylvers and Tavares. Full infos & Photos: https://www.epsilonrecord.com

ALLISON & THE SOUTH FUNK BOULEVARD BAND AKA The T.S.U. Toronadoes (Houston, Texas) EPS010: A: PAY BEFORE YOU LAY (2:33) B: IT'S LOVE (3:01) Buy it now: https://www.epsilonrecord.com Contact: epsilonrecord45@gmail.com Listen About Allison & The South Funk Boulevard Band: Allison Lewis (Robert Alician Lewis) Allison was best known as one of the members of the great Funk band "TSU Toronadoes", who was the creator of the million seller, "Tighten Up" while backing Archie Bell & The Drells on Ovide & Atlantic and many more. Allison has also written some amazing songs such as, I Still Love You, The Goose, Only Inside, Work on it, to name a few. However, when the band "TSU Tornados" split in 1971, "Allison Lewis" went on to form "South Funk Blvd" with two other members Jerry Jenkins, Nelson Mills. They recorded a well known rare single with his band "South Funk Blvd" called "Skying High Getting Off On Your Loving" & "Be Together" on Captain Funk Records. The rest of the band attempted to continue playing under the name "TSU Tornadoes". Allison and "South Funk Bvld" moved to Alabama and released their first single "What Happen to Association / Turn On With Music" on the label "Ovide" (#255) using the name of "Allison & South Funk Blvd". South Funk Boulevard Band members were: Allison Lewis Ray Jackson Nelson Mills Carlos Tillman Michael Spencer Louis Howard In 2013, Allison wrote a fantastic book,The Hidden Man: The Story of An Unfulfilled Dream. I would recommend anyone to buy a copy from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hidden-Man-Story-Unfulfilled-Dream/dp/1514115689 The book was reviewed by his good friend, Mr Connoisseur Dave Thorley. THE HIDDEN MAN: The story of an unfulfilled dream. "The track Tighten Up that Al and his group of fellow musicians, The TSU Tornadoes, heleped create became one of the cornerstones of a style of music called Funk. Throughout the years, their style has been copied, mimicked, and sampled around the globe. I could end there by telling, the reader that they provided a complete new colour pallet that is still used to this very day by fellow musicians around the world. But having, read the pages of this book, I have to say that this is so much more. It is a story of a man that has strived and never given up. A man that has traveled down a road that has had many folks to navigate and has arrived at this point with an uplifting, story to tell." Dave Thorley, DI (Gloucester FM Radio 96.6 UK)

CBLL037 Charles Buddy Smith “When You Lose the One You Love” (Previously Unissued Alt. Take) “You Get What you Deserve” Penned and produced by Charles Buddy Smith Exec. Producers Yann Vatiste & Alberto Zanini 7”/45rpm Black Vinyl - Limited Edition as usual Out late March 2022 Listen: Preorder a Tp or a Std copy here: https://cannonballsoul.com/cannonballrecords/ (Digital Download Included) While sailing safe towards the glorious shores of release number 60 across the whole catalogue, we are proud to present you a previously unissued alternate take of the immense recording that saw the light on Brute in 1967, and earned a well deserved induction in the hall of fame of the great rare soul records of all times by becoming a steady classic at all major worldwide soul events starting from Stafford. IMPORTANT: besides the obvious appeal this different take offers in terms of arrangement, what makes this release relevant are the real credits of the song. Although the first versions was credited to Tony Clarke of Landslide fame as the writer of lyrics and harmony in fact, true story is that it was penned by Buddy Smith himself who got ripped off seeing his composition stolen and credited to someone else in the fashion of the good old music industry of a time when scum had no skin colour, if not the colour of money. This is the reason why we set the records straight on the printed labels, so that the many connoisseurs among us might get an answer when rising their eyebrows. For those who don’t know the man yet (which would sound very odd at this point in time) Charles Buddy Smith is a lifelong Detroiter, an Army Ranger veteran and a prolific songwriter and performer deeply immersed in the Detroit music scene. He was recently featured as an artist on drummer/songwriter/producer Drew Schultz's Back To Class series, which continues to raise money and advocate for music education in Detroit Public Schools (just google up for Drew Schultz to know more about the project). Buddy has never stopped performing live and doing studio recording sessions working alongside many other great Detroit artists like McKinley Jackson of Invictus/Hot Wax fame, Joey King Fish from Thelma/Checkmate, and Detroit’s finest guitarist Erich Goebel just to name a few.