Robbk

Your Dad was right. Cincinnati was the "Gateway" to Kentucky, and really, it was, for all intents and purposes, a Southern City. They talk like southerners, and it was an extremely racist city, just like the whole of Indiana, other than its immediate most northerly fringe. But it was more that businessman, Syd Nathan, was located in Cincinnati, and he saw an opportunity to make a lot of money, by catering to the non-mainstream US music tastes (C&W and R&B), which were not being adequately served by The Major record companies (Columbia, Decca, RCA, WB, Capitol). Had Nathan been located in another city, his company would have been located in that other city. perhaps "King Records" in Cincinnati, would have been started by another enterprising entrepeneur wanting to fill that void. It started as "Queen records", as Cincinnati was known as "The Queen City".

The one on the left looks real to me. Mine looks like that, and I bought it when it was out.

Yes. Maurice Jackson recorded in Chicago, and Lakeside was a Chicago label. The NY address MUST be only for AVCO as the distributor. As New York City has no lake of any decent size, it doesn't make sense that it would have a label called "Lakeside". Chicago is on a lake shore, and that lake is the reason why Chicago exists. Clearly, Maurice Jackson and Sound of Black on Lakeside are both on Chicago labels. I have no idea whether or not those labels had any connection. I'm sure that The Sound of Black's release was issued well after my time.

Here's her Baye Record:

Audrey Slo also had a record out on Baye Records (Baltimore?) or DC (Chesapeake Bay?). Baye 1117 _ "Mama *What Dos A Girl Do)". It ALSO sounds like 1965. I have also never seen that one. Surely it was only a local release (and it probably had little if any chart action.

Her certain "impact" couldn't have been very large. I never heard of her and never saw that record. I was looking for records in 1964-66, and looked through hundreds of thousands of 45s. I made trips to The East coast in 1967-71. I never saw that record. i listened to radio in Chicago, also from Detroit, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Cleveland, Toronto, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Vancouver, Portland, during that time. I never heard it played on the radio. IF it charted, it was likely only in Philadelphia and Baltimore (maybe also Wash. DC.?). It must have been a dead rare record, with very small press run, and little chart action. I don't remember seeing her on "American Bandstand", and yet, Dick Clark was a part owner of Swan Records. THAT is a clue that she had little or no chart action. And, being a Caucasian artist would give her MORE chance on Clarks's show than if she were of another heritage. Does anyone here know how to find out if her record had chart action in Baltimore or Philadelphia?

It should be "Theater", as that is common usage in USA. BUT, "Theatre" is used often when a "classy" or dignified image is desired. British spellings are the cliché for old fashioned and "high class" or long-standing (a la "Ye Olde Tavern" -Ancient spelling-(adding letter "e" to the end of the word, using obsolete letters (like the thorn), etc.). I would guess that the spelling "theatre" may comprise between 10 and 15% of theatre names in USA. But it is only used in proper nouns. The common noun should always be spelt: "theater" in US English.

New 45s in the 1960s sold, generally from $0.69 through $1.00. After a few months of little or no sales, they were placed in 50¢, 3 for a Dollar or 4 for a Dollar bins, along with DJ copies. After a while there, not selling, they went to 10 for a Dollar bins. Other sources were Woolworth's Walgreen's 10¢ sales, and thrift and junk stores, where they might go for anywhere from 5 to 25¢ each. There were the warehouse sellers, who might sell large stocks that couldn't be "cherry picked", but might have hundreds of valuable gems among a lot of worthless records, and the overall lots could average from 2-5¢ per 45. Often, in thrift stores, I'd throw a large bunch of 45s (R&B and Soul) into a box and offer, say $5.00, and get them for an average of 5 to 7 cents. The Thrift store people were happy to get anything for them. They were surprised anyone would want them. I used to pay from 25¢ to 50¢ for LPs. I couldn't afford to pay even $1 for a big volume of LPs . I reserved paying that price only for records I wanted really badly, and knew might not be found for lower prices.

What Chalky wrote. Chicago's King Records' office was mainly used to interface with distributors, sign local talent, interface with songwriters, and get singer demos recorded. The final recordings were done in Cincinnati, as was arrangement for pressing and mastering. King also had a business/A&R office in Detroit, which had signed The Dominoes, Five Jets and many solo acts and a few other group acts. They also had offices in New York and L.A. But the headquarters of the company was always in Cincinnati, with Syd Nathan presiding.

I bought it new, in the mid '60s. There were a fair amount around. I saw several copies at John Anderson's in King's Lynn in 1979, and in the early '80s. It wasn't a "rare" record. It may be fairly scarce now, but turns up now and then.

I'm sure that Van McCoy produced that session in New York, and that the master was purchased by Atlantic. Otherwise there would have been at least two Tommy Hunt singles released by Atlantic.

So what is that song called? Was it recorded at Motown? It doesn't sound like a Motown vocal. Was it a "ptrate" stealing a Motown track and using it? What was the story of this recording?

Can anyone post a link to the Kent version of Tommy Hunt's "Hold On"? I'm very curious to hear it.

Yes, Soulful Detroit Forum still exists, but Ron Murphy, Joe Hunter, The Count and other members from the industry have died, other artists and producers and arrangers and songwriters have left, too ill or busy to post (Bob Babbitt, Clay McMurray), and others, like Bobby Eli have left to go elsewhere. Dennis Coffey, Spyder Turner, and a few others still post once in a while.

I had a batch of about 100 NS records stolen from me between sending them off in L.A.'s Terminal Annex post office, and their getting on the plane to be sent to Manchester. I think someone in the US customs office in L.A. took them. Then, shortly after that, a friend of mine in Lancashire sent off 3 fairly valuable 45s to me to my L.A. digs, and they never arrived in the L.A. terminal Annex Post Office. They must have been stolen by that same customs worker. Now I never have records sent to my L.A. address. I have them sent to me only in Holland, or to my sister's address, if I absolutely must have them in L.A.(almost never). One of the records I am especially pissed about, as a serious Detroit collector. It was a dead rare (almost unknown) HOB group record I'd never seen in all my years of digging, by Mr. X and The X-Tones. My friend in Lancashire did play it for me over the telephone before sending it. The other two Detroit records in that package I have since obtained. But, I am still angry over the loss of both packages.

Here's the Tommy Hunt. Another brilliant Van McCoy composition.

Very nice tunes and singinjg. Nice to hear this stuff. Typical 1961 R&B/Soul transition music. I like 1959-64 VERY much.

Tommy Hunt sang it on Atlantic (2278), and that version came out first. Both versions are great recordings.

I'm sure Hondo was a small, local L.A. label. I only saw the record in shops in L.A. I doubt that the record had any distribution outside Southern California. I never saw it in San Francisco Bay Area shops, nor in any other part of USA that I looked for records (rest of USA other than The Deep South). I'm sure that the label was located in Eastern Culver City, near where Modern, and SAR had been. That has The Rio Hondo (a tributary of The Los Angeles River) running through it, which, I believe gave the label its name. I would be very surprised if Hondo's Anne Heywood was a Caucasian. Not all Soul singers sang in "Ebonics". Some had professionals for parents, and were raised in integrated neighbourhoods, and used "good" diction.

I see now, upon reading it. I assume that the "unknown" designation there shows that his file was not found by the uploading application he used.

I tried taking out the comma before the period, but it STILL goes nowhere. I tried by taking out the comma AND "unknown", but it doesn't go anywhere. Please correct the link.

All Contours' songs led by Billy Gordon, Billy Hoggs, and Sylvester Potts!

Same to you Peter! And many more!

It might be easier to identify if we could hear it. Otherwise, it will be mere speculation. How many millions of recordings have been made in history? I wouldn't want to start guessing. I'm 67 years old, and not likely to guess right if I would spend 20 hours a day, every day till age 117.

Writing a book takes a LOT more hours than lay people think. There are hundreds of hours of thinking about how it will fit together cherently (in the best order). More on self-editing, even if your publisher will do the final editing. But, most books with limited audiences like those that would interest our forum members, will have to be self published,, and printed based on pre-ordering. As stated above, it might take 12 years. Not many people are willing to use up all their free time for 3-7 years only to "break even", or make a few thousand Quid. The only people willing to do that are people who are bursting to get their story out to the public. There are very few such people. It is reserved mainly for retired people, who have a lot of free time, and people who write for a living. I've got a few books in me, but they've got to wait until I'm retired with a comfortable income (which, I can see already, will NEVER happen). Until then, I'll have to spend the time it takes to finish writing books on books I think have a pretty good chance of selling to a mass audience, and will be picked up by a successful publishing house, rather than self-published niche-market books.