Boxy

THE RICHARD CAITON STORY Compiled by David and Val Box 2016 With a lot of help from Richard Caiton, Garry J. Cape and Paul Mooney Ask an American soul fan to name their favourite New Orleans’ artists, and they will probably choose Allen Toussaint, Lee Dorsey, The Meters, Irma Thomas and Robert Parker. Ask a European or Japanese soul fan the same question and they are more likely to select Willie Tee, or an even lesser known artist such as Richard Caiton, a forgotten figure of the New Orleans soul and R&B scene. Even few New Orleans musicians from his era recall his name. However, in Europe and Japan, Richard’s emotive, soulful recordings have become revered, and are highly sought after. Richard Caiton’s name has been kept alive over the last forty years by fans outside the United States. In overseas R&B/soul record collecting circles, some copies of his original singles have changed hands for well in excess of £1000, and in the last few years the prices have escalated. Richard James Caiton was born on December 26th, 1944. One of an extended family of seven children, Richard grew up near the St Bernard housing project in New Orleans. Whilst he attended Clark High School, he taught himself to play piano and he sang in the church choir; the church in question here being the St John’s Divine Baptist. Back then, Richard could barely afford to buy records, but listened to the radio a lot; he especially liked the Motown Sound and Curtis Mayfield. Smokey Johnson lived across the street and he was a great influence. “I remember the time when Smokey was putting together ‘It Ain’t My Fault’.” Richard won his first talent show at Clark High School, singing ‘I Love You’, a song he wrote himself. “Even then, I consciously wanted to do my own individual thing and not copy anybody else.” That might have limited his success, but he was convinced that was the way he wanted to go. Richard’s debut recording was cut in 1964 with bandleader Dave Bartholomew at Cosimo Matassa’s studio in New Orleans. ‘You Look Like A Flower’, with the B-side ‘Listen To The Drums’, was released on the Los Angeles-based GNP Crescendo label, GNP #327, a label owned by Los Angeles producer Gene Norman. “A cousin of mine knew Dave. He brought me to his office and he was interested in recording me.” The record got a few plays locally, but it really didn’t do much. From 1966, Richard recorded for the Up Tight label, an independent label operated and owned by Ulyen Coleman, based in his home town - New Orleans. He released four singles on Up Tight. First up was #101 ‘Our Love Is True’, backed with ‘Without Your Love’, which received radio plays on WYLD and WBOK. Richard made an appearance on Eddie Williams’ Three Way TV Show (New Orleans’ first dance music show for African Americans) on WGNO Channel 26, but few additional gigs came Richard’s way. Richard’s second release on the Up Tight label turned out to be his biggest seller: ‘Take A Hold Brother And Sister’. “That was a big song. That was in the time when you could have a big record right here in New Orleans. It did pretty well around here, maybe 30,000 or so. At that particular time, it was the ‘black consciousness’ period; that’s where I got the idea from. Curtis Mayfield had ‘Move On Up’ around that same time. Yeah, these things still sound pretty good.” Richard recalls a Chicago label being interested in distributing ‘Take A Hold….’ nationally, but nothing happened. In an interview conducted by Garry Cape and New Orleans’ producer the late Isaac Bolden, in 2003; Isaac commented “You know, the Temptations could have done that song ‘Take A Hold…’.. Can’t you hear it? Oh Lord, they could have done that good! That would have been a number one record for them. If Berry Gordy would have signed you….”, Bolden speculated, “if only you’d been at Motown instead of in New Orleans.” Richard’s third release on Up Tight, ‘I’d Like To Get Near You’, is now highly regarded in modern soul circles and commands a very high price tag if ever a copy turns up for sale. The last time this appeared on Popsike was 2005, with a price tag of £1172. Garry asked Richard “What inspired you to write your third release ‘I’d Like To Get Near You’?” “At that time” Richard recalled, “there was a song called ‘Colour Him Father’ and it gave me the idea. I wrote it with Eddie Williams. We came up with the melody and stuff together. That was a nice song. Those are real strings! My stuff was just a little too pretty to be a hit,” he laughed. “I could still sing that song today. My idols were Curtis Mayfield and Nat King Cole, and I liked the Gamble and Huff style of production. During the interview, listening to ‘Reflections’, a Motown-sounding stomper, which was the final release on Up Tight, brought back more memories for Richard. “This is another song I wrote with Eddie Williams. It was recorded in Houston. We tried to get a different kind of sound, more of a Motown type sound,” he revealed. “I always tried to write like Motown, they were my idols.” This turned out to be the rarest release to obtain, it just never comes up for sale. The Up Tight label had only these four releases, which all featured Richard Caiton. After the last release, ‘Reflections’, the label folded. There are some interesting label details: the first release, #101, had a yellow label; the second, #151, came out with two different colours – red and orange, with different imprint designs; the third, #151, (again) came out on a green label with a slight imprint change from the first release; the fourth release #101, (again) came out on a blue/green label, the design being almost identical to the third release. All the Up Tight releases were recorded at Jones’ Studio, in Houston, Texas. “We did a few tracks down there; they were having some big records out of the Houston area at that time. I used to ride on a bus, and I’d get ideas for songs just by looking at people. You know, if I looked at a pretty girl – sometimes that’s how I would write.” As many of Richard’s records had sold well regionally, Garry asked him if he’d performed much on the local club scene? “I did a little bit of work in the clubs, but I wasn’t the kind of person who spent a lot of time in the night life. I had a profession (teaching) and I had a degree, so I preferred to leave music as a passion. If it hit, it hit. And if it didn’t, it didn’t. But I really enjoyed writing, my thing was writing.” In 1969, Richard signed a management contract with Elijah Walker,a music promoter who owned Skyline Attractions. Walker was instrumental in launching the careers of King Floyd and Jean Knight when he sent them to the Malaco studio in Jackson, and assigned Wardell Quezergue to arrange their sessions. So Walker thought he might duplicate their success with Richard. By the early 1970s, Richard was concentrating more on writing, often with Joe Broussard, Carrol Washington and Ralph Williams (the team who wrote ‘Mr Big Stuff’ for Jean Knight), and Maria Tynes. Working from Elijah Walker’s Musical Associates in New Orleans, Richard had several songs ‘picked up’ by local producers such as the late Wardell Quezergue, who recorded the original four-member Pointer Sisters at Malaco. That very first session yielded ‘Send Him Back’, which was issued on Atlantic 45-2893 in 1972. Written by Richard, with Tynes and Broussard, it became an anthem on the Northern Soul scene here in the UK. Senator Jones operated several small labels and recorded Richard’s songs ‘I’m So Lonely’ on The Barrons, and ‘I’ve Taken Over’ on Norma Jean in 1972. These 45s were commercial failures, but ‘I’ve Taken Over’ went on to be popular on the UK Modern Soul scene, and was released in the UK on a Grapevine single, #G2K 45-135, in 2003. Trips to Jackson in 1972 and 1973 resulted in a Malaco single coupling ‘Superman’ and ‘I’m Gonna Love You More’ in 1974 – Malaco M-1020; despite recording another six tracks for Malaco, nothing else was released at that time. This was possibly due to Walker’s unexpected death which left Richard without a label, but he didn’t give up and continued with his writing. Producer Allen Toussaint was impressed with Richard and offered him a job as house songwriter. Richard declined because it would interfere with his teaching career. Almost 30 years later, Garry Cape found the tracks at the Malaco studios. These were included with Richard’s other recordings, and the CD compilation was issued in 2003: ‘Reflections - Richard Caiton’, Grapevine GVCD3008. As if following a pattern, Richard’s next two singles were also commercial failures, but both would become cherished overseas in later years. ‘I See Love Girl In Your Eyes’ and ‘I Wonder Will You Always Love Me’ were recorded at Malaco studios and issued in 1975 on Caiburt VPL-3041, a label Richard owned in partnership with Morris Burton. “I wrote the song ‘I See Love Girl In Your Eyes’ with Joe Broussard. We had planned to release it on another New Orleans singer called Charles Otis, so we went up to Malaco in Jackson. That’s me on piano, Joe Broussard on organ and Malaco’s great studio musicians. We did that one and the song on the other side of the 45, a pretty ballad called ‘I Wonder Will You Always Love Me’. We put it out on Charles, then I decided to put the record out on myself in partnership with Morris Burton, so I took the track down to Cosimo’s studio here in New Orleans and put my vocal on it.” The track by Charles Otis was put out as #002 on Caraljo Records, Corp, 2019 Deslonde St, New Orleans. Garry asked: “What about the song ‘I Will Love You Always’? Was it about anyone special?” “Yes. That song was about my wife – Theola. Every time I hear it I think of her, and about when we got married, because I heard this song playing on the radio the day we got married. It’s not the kind of song that would be a hit,” he added “but it’s a good song to listen to.” Once again, Richard took the ride up Interstate 55 to Jackson in 1978 to record two more tracks, the uptempo ‘Where Is The Love’ and the gentle ballad ‘Thank You’. “Wardell arranged the session and he did the strings for me. We used Malaco’s players and Dorothy Moore was one of the backing singers, though I overdubbed the male vocal parts. It was a good session but when we got through I didn’t have the money to release it, so I gave it to Senator Jones to release on his label, JB’s #131. Senator was pretty hot around here at that time.” The disco-flavoured ‘Where Is The Love / Thank You’, issued on Senator Jones’ JB’s label, is another Modern Soul favourite, and this was to be Caiton’s last single, as he decided to devote more time to his family and to his teaching administration career, which he continues to practice to this day. Over the years, Richard has been made aware of the demand for his records with soul fans in Europe, and these particular singles have kept his name to the fore. A quote from Richard… “I never did music for money; it’s always been for love. I’m humbled by what’s happening, and I really appreciate that, at last, folks finally appreciate what I’ve done.’ Since then Richard has recently been active again with his music; he made an appearance at Soul Essence in 2013 and performed at last year’s Ponderosa Stomp festival in New Orleans. After hearing him at Soul Essence where they used his records as backing tracks I thought how great would it be to have Richard performing a full concert with a full backing band and background singers in the UK for the very first time!! Well here we go! On the 19th November 2016 Richard Caiton will be performing at the Wilton. WILTON’S SOULFUL SESSIONS - SATURDAY 19TH NOVEMBER 2016 RICHARD CAITON LIVE AT THE WILTON A soul night featuring a very special performance from a southern soul legend, supported by our fantastic full eight piece band, including background vocalists, *PUSH*. The night will have the same format as our previous artist nights. Richard will perform two 30 min sets featuring most of his released recordings, and a number of his Malaco recordings that never made vinyl. This will be the first time Richard has performed live with a full support band in the UK. We are so proud to have Richard performing at the Wilton, so come on guys, let’s give him a great welcome with a capacity crowd. Just to add to this fantastic night the next issue of Soul Up North, featuring Richard Caiton, will be available and Richard will be pleased to sign copies. A cd featuring all the songs Richard will perform on the night will also be available for Richard to sign. We will also have a few copies of Richard’s long deleted Grapevine 2003 cd release - “Refections”, for sale on the night. Tickets are available now at £23.00 or £26.00 OTD if not sold out. The night will run from 9.00pm to 3.00am as before, with our guest DJ’s Soul Sam, Arthur Fenn, Mike Charlton and residents Boxy & Mouse playing the very best 60’s – 70’s and crossover soul throughout the night. Watch out for further information on the Soul Source website and Facebook. Our usual PayPal payment arrangement is available at www.greywoodhall.co.uk/soulfulsessions or by contacting Boxy on 01924 894555 Acknowledgements: To Richard Caiton for making this possible and for being so patient with my many telephone questions. Thank you to Garry J. Cape and Paul Mooney – for help and kind permission to copy information from your research for the Grapevine CD release in 2003. Val Box for her typing skill and putting up with my tantrums…. RICHARD CAITON DISCOGRAPHY GNP Crescendo GNP 327 - “You Look Like A Flower / Listen To The Drums” - 1964 Up Tight 101 - “Our Love Is True / Without Your Love” - 1966 Up Tight 151 - “Take A Hold Brother And Sister / I Will Love You” - 1968 Up Tight 151 - “I’d Like To Get Near You / It’s Been A Long Time“ - 1969 Up Tight 101 - “Reflections / Forgive Me Baby” - 1969 Malaco (unissued recordings 1972 - 1973) These tracks were released on the Grapevine compilation CD “Reflections” GVCD 3008 in 2003 “Got To Get Across To You” “I’ll Do Anything For My Baby” “I Gotcha My Baby” “What’s Wrong Baby” “I’m Not The Other Man” “I’m Not Gonna Be A Victim” Malaco M -1020 - “I’m Gonna Love You More / Superman” - 1974 Caiburt VPL - 3041 - “I Wonder Will You Always Love Me / I See Love Girl In Your Eyes” - 1975 JB’s 131 - “Thank You / Where Is The Love” - 1978 Grapevine CVCD 3008 - “Reflections - Richard Caition” - 2003

Tickets for the Richard Caiton concert are now available We have decided to bring the ticket sales commencement date forward for PayPal orders because we had such a great early demand for tickets at the Spirit of Soul weekender at Scarborough last weekend. So get your tickets early to avoid disappointment later in the year. The interest in this concert is increasing by the minute; it's going to be a fantastic concert and Richard can't wait to get over to the UK to perform for his fans with our full backing band PUSH November may seem a long way off, but our concert with Ann Sexton last year was on us before we knew it. All the best David and Val Tickets for the Richard Caiton concert are now available by PayPal at http://www.greywoodhall.co.uk/soulfulsessions WILTON’S SOULFUL SESSIONS - SATURDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2016 RICHARD CAITON LIVE AT THE WILTON A soul night featuring a very special, one night only, performance from a southern soul legend direct from New Orleans, supported by our fantastic full eight piece band, including background vocalists, *PUSH*. The night will have the same format as our previous Artist Nights. Richard will perform two 30 min sets featuring most of his released recordings, and a number of his Malaco recordings that never made vinyl. This will be the first time Richard has performed live with a full support band in the UK. We are so proud to have Richard performing at the Wilton, so come on guys, let’s give him a great welcome with a capacity crowd.

Wilton’s Soulful Sessions 19th November 2016 A soul night featuring a very special performance from a southern soul legend, supported by our fantastic full eight piece band, including background vocalists, *PUSH*. The night will have the same format as our previous artist nights. Richard will perform two 30 min sets featuring most of his released recordings, and a number of his Malaco recordings that never made vinyl. This will be the first time Richard has performed live with a full support band in the UK. We are so proud to have Richard performing at the Wilton, so come on guys, let’s give him a great welcome with a capacity crowd. Tickets will be available early June at £23.00 or £25.00 OTD if not sold out. The night will run from 9.00pm to 3.00am as before, with our guest DJ’s playing the very best 60’s – 70’s and crossover soul throughout the night. Watch out for further information on the Soul Source website and Facebook. Our usual PayPal payment arrangement will be available when tickets sales commence.

Just got this news from my Chicago buddy Edward Keyes. Eddie Sullivan has passed away. No other details at the moment. Here is Bob Abrahamian's interview with Eddie, posted on this site in 2008: R.I.P Eddie

THE ANN SEXTON STORY Compiled by David and Val Box 2015 With a lot of help from Ann Sexton, Brendan Greaves and Jason Perlmutter Ann Sexton was born Mary Ann Sexton, on 6th February, 1950, in Greenville, South Carolina. She was raised by a family influenced by gospel music. As a child, Ann sang in her church choir and spent her adolescent and teenage years singing in school and winning talent shows. On Ann’s first recorded cut, in her home town in 1966, she is the youthful yet accomplished vocalist billed as “Mary Sexton” on the 45-rpm rarity by Elijah (Hawthorne) & The Ebonies, titled “I Confess” (Gitana CR-3144). This early effort is an interesting snapshot of a soon-to-be regional sensation, just a few years before recording a number of hits that would form the bedrock of her future career. Whilst singing with Elijah’s band, Ann met and married saxophonist Melvin Burton, who was also part of the band. Melvin was a tenor and alto sax player, who gained notoriety as a youth playing for Moses Dillard. Soon after, Ann and Melvin went on to form their own band called “Ann Sexton and the Masters of Soul”. Whilst Ann was performing in Shelby, North Carolina, at the Washington Center, David Lee particularly recalls a striking twenty one year old woman named Mary Ann Burton singing “Who’s Lovin’ You?” He approached her to ask if she would record his song “You’re Letting Me Down”. “She was really gracious; she said - You want me to sing your song?” Encouraged, he promptly booked her a second engagement in Shelby the following week and promised to send her his demo of the song. At this point in Ann’s story, many of you will be wondering - who is this guy, David Lee? Well, apart from seeing his name on the writers’ credits on Ann’s Impel SS-AS-103 release, I didn’t know much about him either. As this story unfolds it will become apparent that David Lee and the DJ and record producer John Richbourg, at radio WLAC in Nashville Tennessee, were key players in the development of Ann’s career. At this stage, we must thank Brendan Greaves and Jason Perlmutter (Paradise of Bachelors) for initially independently, and later collectively, finding David Lee and uncovering and documenting the untold story of his fascinating career. Details of their websites are shown at the end of this article. David M Lee was born in Shelby on the 3rd May 1936 to John Leo and Mary Leslie Lee. David married Nellena and they had four children. At fourteen, David began writing poetry, but soon switched to song writing. He also had a series of strenuous day jobs: starting at the age of eighteen, David worked eight years hauling coal and ice at the Morgan Street ice plant, and another two years at Burlington Mills. David worked at North Lake Country Club for thirty years, and held this job down right through the critical period while writing and recording with Ann Sexton; if that wasn’t enough, he spent evenings and weekends presiding over his record shop and audio supply store “Washington Sound” with help from his wife Nellena and the children. Here is a quote from Brendan & Jason’s website: “David Lee was, over a course of three decades beginning in the late 1950’s, songwriter, musician, producer and entrepreneur. He released fourteen 45’s and two LP’s on his Impel, Washington Sound, and SCOP labels, run out of his Washington Sound record and audio supply shop in Shelby, North Carolina, outside Charlotte. He wrote most of the songs himself, including the devastating lament “You’re Letting Me Down”, which he recorded in 1971 with the then-unknown young Greenville, South Carolina, soul singer named Ann Sexton. As reissued by Nashville DJ “John R” Richbourg on his Seventy-Seven imprint, that record became the biggest hit of Mr. Lee’s long and impressive career, though hardly his sole accomplishment.” Although Ann’s promised demo took a while to arrive, David’s original sounded a lot more country, but when she recorded it, it sounded a different thing altogether. “It sounded tremendous”, said David, after he recorded her version at Mark V Studios in Greenville, backed by her husband Melvin Burton’s band, the Masters of Soul. David gave her the stage name Mary Ann Sexton, which was then shortened to Ann Sexton. In collaboration with Ann & Melvin, David wrote “You’ve Been Gone Too Long”, the B side that has been his most lucrative composition, and has kept Ann Sexton’s debut release on turntables around the globe in the years since. Impel SS-AS-103, David’s fifth record, was originally released in 1971; only 500 copies were produced and it sold respectably in North and South Carolina, and was played on jukeboxes and managed a degree of regional radio play. While selling some Impel 45’s, including Ann’s single, to Mangold-Berto’s record one-stop in Charlotte, David learned that WLAC DJ John R was visiting, and asked for an introduction. David mustered the courage to play the famous DJ his new Ann Sexton record. After that first encounter, the two got along famously, and John R. agreed to give the record a spin on WLAC. John R. broadcast it for two to three weeks on his radio show, and then pulled the 45. David was so distraught that he drove to Nashville to confront the DJ, but John R was just waiting for David to sign a licensing and distribution contract. John R. (born John Richbourg, August 20, 1910, Manning, South Carolina; died February 15, 1986, Nashville, Tennessee) was a radio disc jockey who attained fame through the 50’s to 70’s for playing R&B music on Nashville radio station WLAC. He was also a notable record producer and artist manager. WLAC first assigned Richbourg to the news desk, but it wasn’t long before he had a regular programme playing artists such as Otis Rush, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, artists heard on specialty juke boxes and in mostly Southern markets after hours if at all on radio. Although some white listeners protested, black audiences responded with enthusiasm and began to write letters to him, but many misspelled his surname, so John shortened his on-the-air name to “John R.” One of the official sponsors for WLAC was Ernie’s Record Mart, owned by a record label specialising in recording local Nashville R&B acts. In mid 1965, Fred Foster of Sound Stage Seven records struck a deal with John, who became the head of A&R for the label. From this point on, the label was strictly a soul/R&B label and almost all the label’s output was produced by John under his banner JR Enterprises. John brought Joe Simons to the label in 1966, many other soul artists followed. John produced over 100 singles for Sound Stage Seven between 1965 and 1970. Other notable artists produced by John during the 1970’s, included Jackey Beavers and Ann Sexton. In 1976 and 1977, Ann charted on the lower rungs of the R&B charts with two of John’s productions, including ”I’m His Wife”. These would be John’s last hit records as a producer, though he continued recording and producing R&B and soul acts to the end of his life. The Impel release was reissued in two editions of John R’s Seventy-Seven label, and sold more than 90,000 copies in the 70’s, and so began a productive working relationship between David Lee and John R, which gave Ann the recognition she deserved, and she was now signed to Seventy-Seven records. The first reissue was on the pale yellow original Seventy-Seven label, and then on the slightly later multi-coloured repress; also white demos were issued for promotion purposes. The B side “You’ve Been Gone Too Long”, was played as a new import release at Blackpool Mecca, and was in short supply in the UK. This was soon rectified when record dealer, Garry Cape, contacted John R. and arranged to have additional copies pressed up using the multi-coloured label design, to satisfy the demand. Being a record label anorak, I did notice that the Impel release has Ann & Melvin’s surname spelt incorrectly in the writers’ credits section, it states Benton not Burton, also the publishing is credited to Active Music – 548 NE 52 St. Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (ASCAP) on the A side, but 42 St. on the flip - the company must have owned the whole neighbourhood!! The publishing credits changed to Three Cheers Music when issued on Seventy-Seven but they didn’t correct the writers surname spelling until the multi coloured release. Well, I thought that was interesting! Back to the story. David Lee travelled to Memphis with Ann and Melvin and John R, to produce three additional records, including the David Lee composition “Love, Love, Love (I Want To Be Loved)” and four of Melvin and Ann’s compositions. With her records “flying off the shelves”, Ann was now moving up, her recording of “You’re Gonna Miss Me” making the top 50 on the R&B charts in 1973. “Love, Love, Love” was gaining popularity and Ann and David Lee were ready for a national breakthrough. Sadly their relationship soured after Ann and Melvin didn’t show for a Johnson City, Tennessee show David had booked; it was clear the band wouldn’t make the show – they were in Texas. “Young people wanted to see her real bad; they were screaming and hollering for ‘You’re Letting Me Down” – Ann was poorly managed by Melvin, John R lost interest as a result, and Ann’s career took a knock. Ann would be featured on a number of 45’s for John R’s labels, as well as the mid-70’s album “Loving You, Loving Me” (Seventy-Seven 77-107), that pulled together all of her cuts up to that point for John R. and David Lee. Another memorable David Lee penned ballad is “Love, Love, Love (I Want to be Loved)”, b/w “You’re Losing Me”, a healthy dose of mid-tempo funk penned by Ann and Melvin, released together on Seventy-Seven 900 in 1974. By 1977, John R. was recording Ann’s version of songs written by southern soul singer/songwriter Frank O (Johnson), at Clayton Ivey’s Wishbone Studio in Muscle Shoals. In 1978 she released her second studio album in Nashville, Tennessee, titled “The Beginning” on Sound Stage Seven SS1500. This was a classic album, my personal favourite, because it shows the growth and maturity in Ann’s voice, as heard on ballads like “Be Serious” and other tracks like “Who’s Gonna Love You” and “I Had A Fight With Love”. Ann only released one single from the album – “I’m His Wife (You’re Just A Friend)”, was the flip to “You Got To Use What You Got”, on Sound Stage Seven 45-2504. This latter track was not included on the album, but was written by T. Woodford & C. Ivey, so most probably recorded at the same session. This became another favourite on the dance floor in the UK and Europe. It seems at this stage, David Lee was no longer involved with Ann’s productions, but still to this day he credits her with his success and speaks glowingly of her talent, her modesty, and her grace: “Lord, she was a real artist, I’m proud that I met her.” Ann’s husband Melvin, along with Clifford Curry, received special thanks on “The Beginning” album sleeve notes for their constructive ideas and suggestions, and Terry Woodford, Gwen Owens, Cathy Carson, and Ava Aldridge for their expert background vocals. After her second album, Ann decided to leave the soul music industry and move to New York. Looking to escape the stressful politics of the music industry, she embraced a career change. Her desire to help the community inspired her to become a school teacher. After 20 years of outstanding service, Ann retired from the Board of Education in January 2010. She had committed a big part of her life to teaching special needs students. Her co-worker, Frank J. Degonnaro, described her as the most charming, wonderfully kind person you’ll ever meet. While working at school, Ann did not inform anyone of her previous career as a recording artist. She did, however, perform at the school, entertaining the crowd with her soul singing style. The students and staff showed their appreciation of Ann, and threw her a surprise retirement party. In 2007, after educating kids for twenty years, she performed again in Germany at the Baltic Soul weekender. Since that time, Ann has performed with Roy Ayers, Marva Whitney, Gloria Scott, Garland Green, Keni Burke, and many other artists. In 2010, Ann went back into the recording studio to cut Ferry Ultra’s “Rising Up”. Later that year, she reunited with David Lee in Shelby, North Carolina, and performed at the Cleveland County Arts Festival, with a number of David’s original recording artists. I believe Ann is currently in the studio with Rob Hardt and Sharon Phillips working on her comeback CD. Above is the original sign for the Washington Sound record store, the home of Impel records. Below shows David Lee displaying his North Carolina Folklore Society’s Brown-Hudson Award with Jason Perlmutter and Brendan Greaves. (Paradise of Bachelors) During a recording span of some six years, if we leave out the Gitana release which was around 1966/67, from 1971 through 1977 Ann Sexton’s output was prolific. A singer whose range and talents could match most soulstresses south of the Mason-Dixon line, she was not always blessed with the most stunning material. But on a strong ballad she could really let it rip. Whether singing her own material or interpreting someone else’s songs, she was more than just another R&B singer. It is an indictment of American music tastes (black or white) that she never achieved the degree of commercial success she rightly deserved. Well, she’s now back in the music business, and back on the stage performing. Well, that’s the end of the article, but not the end of the story. Ann will be on stage at the Wilton Ballroom on Saturday 14th November 2015 singing in front of some of the most knowledgeable and appreciative soul fans in the UK. Ann will be supported by our incredible full eight piece band PUSH, including background vocalists Let’s give Ann a welcome she will never forget, with a Wilton capacity crowd that, no doubt, will know more about Ann’s recording career than she can probably remember herself. Ann’s sets will include her well known songs from the 70’s, deep and uptempo classics, something to suit everyone’s taste. We have asked Ann to perform something extra special, her very first recording that she cut way back in 1967. She was the featured vocalist (Mary Sexton) with Elijah and the Ebonies on the song “I Confess”, a great balled cut in her home town of Greenville SC. We are so privileged that Ann has agreed to perform this song onstage at the Wilton for the very first time in Europe since recording the song all those years ago. To make sure we have covered all the bases, Ann will be performing her lastest 2010 release “Rising Up”, a fantastic uptempo soulful house track. Ann will win your hearts in the way she soulfully sing the slower tunes, whilst at the same have you jumping all over when she ups the tempo. Once again another, not to be missed, soulful night with a wonderful soulful lady - Ann Sexton. Also on the night we will playing the very best 60’s-70’s and Crossover from our guest DJ’s Arthur Fenn and Mike Charlton along with residents Boxy & Mouse. Tickets are available at £20.00, at http://www.wheatsheaf.com/allnighter by paypal or by contacting Boxy on 01924 894555 or Mouse on 07717 338009. Admission OTD is £23.00 if not sold out. Acknowledgements: To Ann Sexton for making this possible. Thank you, to Brendan Greaves and Jason Perlmutter (Paradise of Bachelors) - for your help and kind permission to copy information and pictures from your research on David Lee for my article. http://www.paradiseofbachelors.com & http://www.carolinasoul.org Dave Rimmer (For additional discography info.) http://www.soulfulkindamusic.net Val Box for her typing skill and putting up with my tantrums.... ANN SEXTON DISCOGRAPHY Elijah (Hawthorne) & The Ebonies featuring Mary Sexton: Gitana CR 3144 - “I Confess / Get Out Of My Life Girl” - 1967 Ann Sexton and the Masters of Soul: Impel SS-AS-103 - “You’re Letting Me Down / You’ve Been Gone Too Long” - 1971 Ann Sexton and the Soul Masters: Seventy 7 77-104 (Plain Yellow) - “You’re Letting Me Down / You’ve Been Gone Too Long” - 1972 Ann Sexton: Seventy - Seven 77-104 (Multicolour) - “You’re Letting Me Down / You’ve Been Gone Too Long” - 1972 Seventy - Seven 77-114 – “Come Back Home (I Know I Did You Wrong) / I Still Love You” – 1972 Seventy - Seven 77-125 - “It’s All Over But The Shouting / Have A Little Mercy” - 1973 Seventy - Seven 77-133 - “You’re Gonna Miss Me / You’re Losing Me” - 1973 Seventy - Seven 77-138 - “If I Work My Thing On You / Lovin’ You, Lovin’ Me - 1973 Seventy - Seven SV-900 - “Love, Love, Love / You’re Losing Me” - 1974 Seventy - Seven SV-907 - “You Can’t Win / Lets Huddle Up, Lets Cuddle Up” - 1975 Dash 5019 - “Lovin’ You, Lovin Me / If I Work My Thing On You” - 1975 Sound Plus SP-2123 - “If I Work My Thing On You / Loving You, Loving You - 1976 Monument 225 - “Sugar Daddy / I Want To Be Loved” - 1976 Sound Stage Seven 45-2504 - “You Got To Use What You Got / I’m His Wife (You’re Just A Friend)” - 1977 Ann Sexton & The Baltic Soul Orchestra / Gloria Lynne & The Baltic Soul Orchestra Unique 156 - “You’re Losing Me / Help Me Off This Merry-Go-Round” - 2009 (German release) Ferry Ultra - Featuring, Ann Sexton (12inch) Peppermint Jam PJM-50143 - “Rising Up” + two other versions - 2010 LP’s Seventy - Seven 77-107 - “Loving You, Loving Me” - 1973 Also on Vivid Sound -VS-7003 - 1978 (Japan) Tracks: You’re Letting Me Down (3:00) / You’ve Been Gone Too Long (2:15) / Come Back Home (2:20) / I Still Love You (2:48) / Have A Little Mercy (2:52) / It’s All Over But The Shouting (3:32) / You’re Gonna Miss Me (3:03) / You’re Losing Me (2:16) / Love, Love, Love (3:45) / Keep On Holding On (3:42) / Let’s Huddle Up And Cuddle Up (2:25) / Loving You, Loving Me (3:32) Sound Stage Seven SS1500 - “The Beginning” - 1977 - Also on Soul Brother 1000001 - 2003 (UK) Tracks: I Had A Fight With Love (3:47) / I’m Is Wife (You’re Just A Friend) (2:56) / Who’s Gonna Love You (3:01) You Can’t Lose With The Stuff I Use (4:40) / Color My World Blue (2:46) / Be Serious (3:58) / I Want To Be Loved (3:12) / Sugar Daddy (4:01) / You’ve Been Doing Me Wrong For So Long (2:56) Charly R&B CRB 1143 - “Love Trials” - 1986 (UK) Tracks: I Want To Be Loved / I’m His Wife (You’re Just A Friend) / Who’s Gonna Love You / I Had A Fight With Love / Be Serious / Color My World Blue / You’ve Been Doing Me Wrong For So Long / Have A little Mercy / Lovin You, Loving Me / Love, Love, Love / Come Back Home / Keep On Holding On / You’re Letting Me Down / You’re Gonna Miss Me Soul Brother SBCB 20 - “Anthology” - 2004 (UK) Tracks: You’ve Been Gone Too Long (2:21) / You Got To Use What You Got (2:29) / Color My World Blue (2:44) / You Can’t Lose With The Stuff I Use (4:37) / I Had A Fight With Love (3:42 / I Still Love You (2:46) / You’re Losing Me 92:17) / It’s All Over But The Shouting (3:31) / Come Back Home (2:19) / Keep On Holding On (3:41) / I’m His Wife (You’re Just A Friend) (2:55) / You’ve Been Doing Me Wrong For So Long (2:54) CDs Soul Brother SBPJ 20 - “Anthology” - 2004 (UK) Tracks: As above plus the following: Who’s Gonna Love You (3:00) / Let’s Huddle Up And Cuddle Up (2:25) / Love, Love, Love (I Want To Be Loved) (3:45) / I Want To Be Loved (3:10) / Be Serious (3:56) / Loving You Loving Me (3:39) / You’re Letting Me Down (2:59) / You’re Gonna Miss Me (3:02) / Have A Little Mercy (2:47) / Sugar Daddy (4:01)

A Big Thank You - and - Ann Sexton Live At The Wilton After the disappointment felt by everyone when Marvin Smith was taken ill and had to cancel his concert last November, we felt like calling it a day with regard to live artists at the Wilton’s Soulful Sessions. We continued with the event and, thanks to all who attended, you turned the disappointment into a great success, and helped us financially to recover some of our losses. We would like to thank all the people who attended, with a special thank you to those who refused their refunds, telling us to put the money towards next year’s event, and because of your support, we have decided to give it another go. 14th November 2015, is our next soul night, featuring a very special performance from a southern soul legend – ANN SEXTON – supported by our incredible full eight piece band, including background vocalists – PUSH. Let’s give Ann a welcome she will never forget, with a Wilton capacity crowd that, no doubt, will know more about Ann’s recording career than she can probably remember herself. Ann’s sets will include her well known songs from the 70’s, deep and uptempo classics that she recorded initially for David Lee’s Impel label and later for John Richbourg’s (R) Seventy Seven label, something for everyone’s taste. We have asked Ann to perform something extra special, her very first recording that she cut way back in 1967. She was the featured vocalist on a track cut by Elijah and the Ebonies titled “I Confess”, a great ballad issued on the Gitana label, cut in Ann’s hometown of Greenville, South Carolina. On this release she was featured as Mary Sexton and must have been in her late teens when this recording was released. We are so pleased and privileged that Ann has agreed to perform this song onstage at the Wilton for the very first time in Europe since she recorded the song all those years ago. To make sure we’ve covered all the bases, Ann will perform her latest 2010 release “Rising Up”, a fantastic uptempo soulful house track. Tickets are now on sale at £20.00 or online at £21.50 at www.wheatsheaf.com/allnighter – watch the Soul Source events guide and the Wilton’s pages on Facebook for updates. Looking forward to November. Dave and Val. Wilton's Soulful Sessions Saturday 14th November 2015 A Soulful Night Featuring A Very Special Performance From A Southern Soul Legend ***** ANN SEXTON ***** Supported by an incredible full eight piece band - PUSH - including background vocalists. We are so proud to have Ann Sexton performing at the Wilton. Ann depicts the roots of black women by illustrating, through song, joy - pain - love - frustration, and self-assurance. With a force of power she sings some soulful songs which include: " I Had A Fight With love" ;"Who's Gonna Love You" ;"Color My World Blue" ;"Be Serious" "You've Been Gone Too Long" ;"I Still Love You" ;"You Got To Use What You Got" and many more .... Ann will win your hearts in the way she soulfully sings the slower tunes, whilst at the same time have you jumping all over when she ups the tempo. Once again, another not to be missed soulful night at the Wilton. Plus the very best of 60's - 70's - Crossover from our DJ's: ARTHUR FENN - MIKE CHARLTON plus Residents BOXY & MOUSE. 9.00PM - 3.00AM ADMISSION: Advance Tickets £20.00 - £23.00 otd if not sold out. Tickets available at www.wheatsheaf.com/allnighter by PayPal at £21.50 which includes PayPal and postal charges. ***** Tickets are now available ***** from the website or by contacting: BOXY - 01924 894555, MOUSE - 07717 338009 Ann Sexton at the Wilton update.docx

Marvin Smith Concert Cancelled Early this morning we received an email from Marvin Smith, cancelling his performance on the 15th November at the Wilton’s Soulful Sessions, on medical grounds. Marvin has just been diagnosed with TMJ, a condition which affects the jaw and muscles of the face. Val and myself are very sorry that this has happened, but the situation is obviously out of our control. We have put so much work and money into this event over the past year, and we are totally devastated with this news. We are not big time promoters, so the financial cost will be painful. We will continue with the event on 15th November at the Wilton without Marvin, and will add to the DJ line up. People who have purchased tickets and don’t want to attend, will be offered a full £20 refund. However, we hope many of you will still attend the event, at a reduced admission charge, and allow us to give you your remaining refund on the night; this would help us logistically and financially to recover from this situation. People who bought their tickets by Paypal and will not be attending on the night will be refunded in due course. We have your email and postal addresses so we will be in touch. We know many of you have booked hotel accommodation and we are sorry for this inconvenience. This event was dedicated to memory of the late Rick from Anglo (Richard Foster) and will still continue with that theme. This is a major disappointment to everyone, including Marvin; he was so looking forward to performing at his concert, and now has a medical condition that could end his singing career. We will still be selling Marvin’s Unissued Masters CD but sadly he won’t be there to sign them for you. This is a major setback for us, but if you still attend the event the financial burden won’t be as great, and will allow us to continue next year with our plans to bring another artist over for her debut UK concert. We are sincerely sorry. David & Val Box (Boxy)