Robbk

Yes, Washpan was owned by Gino Washington, and he was their major artist. Yes, Frank Sinatra was one of the owners of Reprise. Ludix was owned or co-owned by Luther Dixon. I've never heard that Lloyd Price was involved in that company.

I'm sure there is something to what you heard, as i remember that it was issued first on The West Coast. They had it for a few months before it was out in The Midwest (and probably The East, as well). The Kingsmen were located in Seattle. I'm sure that Flo Greenberg just bought the masters, as I'm sure it was recorded in Seattle, with no Scepter/Wand people involved (e.g. Luther Dixon).

Both Global Dog AND Soulful Kinda Music discographies contain a few errors of that type (in which records were assigned but not released, or in which a distributed label used the distributor label's catalogue numbers, but there was no corresponding release by the mother label.

Chess distributed Richard Pegue's Penny Records at that time. I NEVER saw Chess 2016 (Matta Baby). I lived in Chicago at that time, frequented most of the record shops that had large stocks of soul records, and several of the major Soul distributors, and the thrift stores where many of the DJ copies landed. I never saw it nor heard of anyone finding it. There were several other small Chicago labels distributed by Chess at that time, that also used Chess catalogue numbers.

Wow! Who writes that drivel? Brent and Time were located in New York, and Brenton Wood lived and worked in L.A. I don't remember him owning any record company. He bounced from one tiny L.A. label to another. But all were owned by someone else.

Ike turner owned a whole slew of tiny St, Louis and L.A. labels a few of which had Ike & Tina Turner and Ikettes releases. Innis is one that comes to mind.

Where's the smiley or the blue font? A little bird told me that you're just pulling our collective legs, and you know that Bob Shad owned Brent and Time Records.

Maybe Harrison and Collins produced the session in Toronto, and, thus, had to publish in Canada, so they sold it to a Canadian publisher. And, it seems that they didn't also release the record in USA. If there were an original Canadian backer and executive producer, he'd probably have wanted to have his name or production company name on the record. So, I think this is just a case of Griffin living and working in Toronto, having some success in local clubs, and wanting to have a record out to help market himself. Maybe he had connections with Chanson's Harrison and Collins, and invited them to come across the border to produce his record. They accepted, and got REO to release it. I doubt that REO signed Griffin as an artist, and then sought out a US production team to produce a record on him. They'd probably have fone to a Canadian producer in Toronto if they had initiated the project themselves.

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.