Robbk

Johnny Otis owned several of his own labels. Dig's subsidiary was Ultra Records. Otis also owned Eldo Records.

All those Detroit (Correc-Tone) artists that Robert Bateman brought to Double-L made good recordings. Batemen did well with New york artists, too.

So, Mel Harrison and Howard Collins were producers/arrangers with Chanson Records in Toledo, Ohio (part of The Greater Detroit Metropolitan Area, and inside Detroit's music production and music venue area). My theory above seems to be correct. THIS Paul Griffin was NOT the NY session musician (piano/keyboards player), but was a Detroit Area singer, who was probably appearing a lot (and living temporarily) in The Toronto Metro Area, and, so, had a master produced by Harrison and Collins, leased to a Canadian company for release there, as he was known there from gigs, and had a following. Maybe it was not released on Chanson or any US label, or maybe it was, and it has just not been found or identified yet for this context.

Here's the "Wonder" side:

That's a legitimate USA release pressed in a NY plant. It just had an odd label design for whatever reason (incompetency?). All Canadian pressings from that time should have had "Made in Canada" written on them. I think the REO was the only Canadian pressing during its original run. I think it was re-issued as an oldie on another Canadian label.

Until the bulk of Greenland's ice cap melts, causing The Gulf Stream to be cut off, and Britain is again covered in ice. I'd give it about 40 years for The Gulf Stream to be completely shut down, and another 20-30 years before conditions are so drastic that civilised society has broken down, and people are just worried about survival, and there's no electricity to light the venues and power the turntables. It won't all be bad. At least we'll be able to have our 11-town skating race again, every year, and The Netherlands might move up a bit as an ice-hockey power. The rest of western and Northern Europe and Northeastern North America will be covered in ice, as well. Maybe "Beach" music (for shagging) will survive. But, I doubt it. I think USA will suffer a complete breakdown, set off by a horribly bloody race and class war within about 30-40 years, marking a massive depopulation, and return to hunter-gatherer way-of life for small bands of humans. Haven't I seen a couple of NS fans posting from Australia and Indonesia. Maybe the scene will just move to less harsh climes?

Sam Cooke's SAR Records did have a release on him. Ray Charles Tangerine Records did not (to my Knowledge) have a release by Ray, although his ABC releases at that time were listed as Tangerine Records productions. There were hundreds of self-owned tiny record labels set up as a vehicle for the owner's solo or group recordings' release.

Somehow. My instincts tell me that this REO artist is NOT the famous NYC musician, Paul Griffin, singing an unprecidented solo; but, rather, a Canadian, - OR an American singer from Detroit, Cleveland or Buffalo, who recorded in Toronto, while gigging in southern Ontario, - similar to Jackie Shane's, Tobi Larks's, Marva Josies' and many others' situations. I left Canada in 1963, so I wouldn't know which American singers were singing in Toronto Area clubs in 1968. Maybe some others here can provide some insight into this question.

From all those photos, Darryl Banks looks more like Clifford Binns than does Hamilton. So, do we have a theory that all 3 were the same man?

All the signs point to it being a Canadian production. I seem to remember REO having some Canadian productions. Manitou is the Algonkian word for "highest God". I don't recognise Mel Harrison and Howard Collins as US Soul producers. I've looked through millions of US and Canadian 45s. I don't remember seeing those 2 cuts on a US 45. I DO remember seeing some US Paul Griffin records, but forget the label. There is no reference to a US music publisher or an original US company production on the label. My guess is that it was a Canadian production. I'm a little jealous. I'd really love to hear "The Wonders of Nature and You".

You should be able to tell if a cut was really The Monitors. Richard Street's voice is unique, and easily recognisable. I don't believe any other male member of that group led on any recording until their Buddah release, after Richard left the group to join The Temptations.

This is correct for the Conlo and Chess US releases.

That's WHY it was listed as a Detroit record. Toledo is essentially part of the greater Detroit metro Area, just as Camden, New Jersey is part of metro Philadelphia, Newark, Hoboken, and the rest of Northeastern new Jersey are part of the greater New york Area, East Chicago, Hammond and Gary, Indiana are part of Chicagoland, The Kansas suburbs are part of greater Kansas City and so on. Lots of Detroit singing artists, session players, songwriters producers came from Toledo. Most artists from Detroit and southeastern Michigan played venues in Toledo, as well.

I have never seen any evidence of a Monitors' recording of that song. As far as I know. there were only the two different versions by The Originals.

That doesn't sound like King Curtis, nor Eddie Harris/ It sounds pretty pedestrian. No flair.

Probably so. Most of the Virtue sides were previously unreleased from master tapes. This one is clearly an unfinished recording.

Yes Virtue Records are all recent 1980s + releases.

So do I-very much. It's one of the best and most soulful versions of that song.

Here's a link to a German website with lots of information on the label and scans of all 8 of the found 45s that are known to have been released. They state that Ruby-Doo #8 and 9 are not known to have been released: https://www.musikalischerzirkel.de/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=459

12 and 15 are the pressing code numbers for one side of the records on Ruby-Doo 6 and 10. Lars, can you please post The Peppermints' producer's name-or is that the engineer? It appears to read "Wilbur something". It's too blurry for me to read. The Peppermints' record catalogue number is 3 -CJ-9 is the pressing code #.

Was the Garage song by The Trippers? They had 2 releases on Ruby-Doo. Both were garage/Soul/funk mixes, and both were picked up by larger labels for national, or, at least, West Coast regional distribution ("Dance With Me" by Dot, and "Taking Care of Business" by GNP Creschendo). I've heard those 2. I haven't heard the 1967 and 1968 Cuts by Soul Benefit and Joint Effort. Those may be Soul/Funk records. I put up what I know on a discography of Ruby-Doo Records on a thread in the "Look In Your Box" SubForum. Check it out.

After you return home, can you PM me an MP3 of "Don't Hurt Me Baby", so I can better tell if the singer is Barbara Wilson?

So, The CJ matrices are the only pressing code numbers? There are no Monarch or ALCO Delta numbers in addition?

Here is what I have so far on Ruby Doo Records: It ran from early 1966 through 1968. It ran, at least from catalogue numbers 1-10 (but, I only know of 6 issues). It was run (an at least co-owned, if not owned outright) by john Marascalco. It had a pressing code (with Monarch?) of CJ-same as Marascalco's Cee Jam Records. Of the 6 releases I have seen, only Barbara and The Castles includes a Jobete Music song. That is, apparently, also the only outside producer (thus, leading me to believe it was recorded in 1965, just after it was written, as the demo to send to Motown (to use for priming the eventual Motown artist, and for the Jobete Music song ownership proof). That also leads me to be more confident that the singer may be Barbara Wilson. Discography: 1 Trippers - "Dance With Me"/"Keep-A-Knockin' " Prod. John Marascalco 1966 (picked up by Dot Records) 2 Electras - "Little Girl of Mine"/"Mary, Mary" Prod. John Marascalco 1966 3 Peppermints - "My First Love"/"My First Love" Prod. Can't read - scan too blurry 1966 4 Luis Alvarez - "Samba de Orpheus"/"El Corrido" Prod. Can't read - scan too blurry 1966 5 Trippers - "Taking Care of Business"/"Charlena" Prod. John Marascalco 1966 (picked up by GNP/Creschendo) 6 Barbara & Castles - "Don't Hurt Me Baby"/"Stoney Face" Prod. Chester Pipkin 1966 7 Soul Benefit - "Yes, Sir, That's My Baby"/Charlena (inst.) Prod. John Marascalco 1967 10 Joint Effort - "Loving You Could Be Magic"/"Coming Home To You Baby" Prod. John Marascalco 1968

Yes, I know about the Vicki Nelson version. I don't like that one as much as Mary Love's or Barbara's.