Robbk

Although, clearly a 2nd or 3rd choice studio for most of the known labels, they seem to have been used quite a bit by United/States Records in the '53-57 period. Bob Stallworth has a history of the major R&B record companies on The Internet, and he is an expert on what was going on in the industry then. I'm sure he could tell you a lot about which firms used which studios (of course, Universal Sound Studios was used most by the most of the major R&B record companies in Chicago through the '50s and into the '60s (when it competed with RCA, Ter-Mar (Chess) and others. I had heard of Boulevard Studios before. But it was just another one of the studio names to me. In any case, I'd bet Bob S. could identify the artist for you and tell you the label and catalogue number. If NOT, then you might have an educated guess that it wasn't released.

No. We still can't assume that those cuts weren't pressed up. There were likely to be many one-off or two-off indie labels I have never seen, plus, we now have 1957-58 to look through (which I will NOT do). I still think that Bob Stallworth should be able to help you.

I also remember that during the mid to late '60s, the big HMV store (wasn't it on Oxford Street?) carried a surprising amount of obscure US Soul productions on UK labels in the bins, and at that time, the store had record players in booths where you could play any record you wanted to hear. I left a LOT of pretty rare British Soul records there, because I already had the US issue.

My ears didn't fail me. It WAS Mike Terry on sax, and there were some Funk brothers and other Motown session players working on it. It's definitely a high-quality production, and a well-written song. But it's "poppish", and, thus starts at $75.00 US. If it had a "soulful" vocal, it would start at $500.00. It is DEFINITELY on Sound Score Records. What I meant when I stated that you might be confusing the label with another label, is the memory of a Melvin Davis release on that same Sound Score Records. I've never heard of that existing, either when Sound Score was discussed, or when Melvin Davis' career was discussed. I also remember Dennis Coffey or Bob Babbitt or Ray Monette in thread with Ron Murphy and some other Detroiters discussing Mike Theodore and Sound Score Records. And someone mentioned that there was another release. But, if I remember correctly, they mentioned that it, too, was "pop" rather than "Soul". Don't get me wrong, I would LOVE to have an unknown Melvin Davis record turn up with two 1964 great cuts arranged by Mike Theodore, and instrumentation by The Funk Brothers.

See what happens when one gets old? I've got a great memory for things that happened 50 years ago and back. But, if it happened within the last 10 or so....... zilch!

As I started collecting LONG before Northern Soul started (and before what you all would term "Soul Music), my answering this question is probably "off topic". But I'll do it anyway. I first started listening to music in 1951 (mostly the 78s played by my parents, who were big fans of all types of Jazz, City Blues and the new genre of R&B. The first songs I remember liking were rockers by Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five, Bulmoose Jackson and his Buffalo Bearcats, Amos Milburn and His Chickenshackers, and T-Bone Walker. But the most memorable single song from my early listening, I would say is: "Sixty Minute Man" by The Dominoes. I bought all the R&B and Soul records I could get my hands on, and listened to all the "Race Music" radio stations or programme hours we could hear in Chicago during the transition from R&B to Soul. So, I was in on Soul's beginning (WHENEVER you define its start). So, I couldn't choose a first Northern song that "got me into The Northern Scene", as such. But, I like many of the classics that were played early in Northern Soul's development. "My World Is On Fire" is one of my favourites.

That doesn't sound ANYTHING like Frank Wilson's voice (EITHER Frank Wilson, for that matter). That sounds much more like The Versatiles (but not their regular male lead).

Those cuts were NOT released on Mercury or Okeh Records. I checked Okeh, despite their own production mainly operating out of New York, because they did lease productions from Chicago, and did a little bit of recording in Chicago. Columbia would not be worth checking.

These cuts weren't released on Chess, Checker, or Club 51. I'll now check Mercury and the rest of the early '50s Chicago labels I know exist. I'm not about to look through all the national major labels like RCA, Columbia/Okeh, However, I really think that your best chance is to get through to Bob Stallworth.

I now have finished checking Chance, Sabre, Parrot, Blue Lake, Theron, JOB, Cobra, and Drexel. It wasn't released on any of those labels.

I've been collecting R&B since 1953, and I lived in Chicago, back in the day. Like you, that voice seems familiar to me. From your list, it seems clear that Boulevard Studios was just a second-option studio for indie labels in Chicago, VJ and United/States used Universal and other studios for the majority of their recordings. First, I can't positively identify the singer by voice, or the sax player by style. Secondly, I don't remember hearing the songs or seeing a record with those 2 titles back-to-back. I have virtually complete discographies for those 3 labels, and Mr. Jolly Man/Do It were NOT released on United, States or VJ Records. I will proceed to peruse the discographies of Chance/Sabre, Parrott/Blue Lake, Theron, Cobra, JOB, Chess/Checker, Drexel, Club 51, etc.

That record has a very "poppy" Caucasian girls group sound, although the arrangement by Mike Theodore is very nice, and the sax reminds me of Mike Terry's playing style (it might well be him). The other musicians sound like the good Detroit crews that I'm used to hearing from 1963-64. It's not Soulish at all, hoowever. I don't think most "Soulies" would like it. As far as other records on the label, I remember having seen another one. But I believe that was "White Pop" as well. I don't remember hearing about any Soul releases on this label. Maybe you are confusing it with Detroit's Sound Records, or Sound, Inc., which was the umbrella company for Velgo and Sound City Records.

It's a pretty well-written song. It would have been a good one for The Dolls to sing. I was always surprised that Kerr didn't have The Dolls sing it during their Maltese run.

Yes, Tamboo was a Chicago label, run by Mel London, who also owned Chief, Profile, Age and Starville Records.

I didn't know that LaBrenda Ben recorded that song in The Snakepit. Have they really identified a master tape or acetate of that song by her? I do remember seeing the acetate (demo) in The Motown Vaults. As is usual, it didn't have the artist listed. I later found Norma Jenkins sang it. She, (and The Dolls) were fixtures of Jobete Music's New York office, working for George Kerr and Sidney Barnes. Norma Jenkins, Carol Moore, George Kerr, Sidney Barnes, The Serenaders and Sammy Turner sang demos for them.

It sounds like a Five royales-style cut. But I don't recognise the lead singer's voice. I'd bet I have that record. But it's probably unlikely that I won't remember the title and group. Could easily be: "I Won't Stop Loving You", but also could have lots of other possible titles.

That second DJ copy is from a different pressing plant. So, apparently one of the white DJs had the hearts on it, and the other didn't. Several of my white DJs of other records (including Challengers III and Spinners also DIDN'T have the hearts). Miss Hong Kong Fuey, which pressing plant was used for yours? Please tell us what plant code is scratched in the trail.

The Vows were brought to Motown by Marc Gordon and The Pipkin Brothers (Chester and Gary) to work in Jobete Music's L.A. office, writing songs for Motown and creating demos for their artists. Ostensibly, The Vows were used as background singers on some of the L.A. demos, and, as a group working with The Pipkin Brothers and Marc Gordon and Frank Wilson, were hoping for a group/artist contract with Motown. They also wrote some songs. The Vows had four unreleased Motown recordings that I know of. The two cuts on Tamara Records were songs they had originally written to submit to Motown, but, for some reason were not bought by them, and their demos failed to gain The Vows a Motown artists' contract. So, Marc Gordon and/or Hal Davis published the songs on their own, Finesse Music, and released the 2 cuts as a single on Tamara records. Interestingly, William Powell apparently also a writer/producer at L.A. Jobete Music, produced a single by The Cinderellas on Tamara with 2 songs he'd already sold to Jobete Music, but Motown didn't want to use first for their own artists. I assume that this was not the same William Powell who was a member of The O'Jays.

Shouldn't that read: ":The Attractions were signed by Anthony Renfro to his Renfro Records. Their Renfro releases "Destination You" (Renfro 659), and "That Girl Is Mine" (Renfro 674) were leased to Bell Records for national distribution."?

No! This was the OTHER Frank Wilson-brother of Vance Wilson (Frankie Vance). This guy also worked for Motown, which is confusing, but not until 1970 or so. Both Wilson brothers were in The Remarkables.

That design of DJ issue is original. So, if it has the Sheldon stamp, ARP, Nashville Matrix, Bell Sound scratched on, it should be original.

My favourite would be "You Turned My Bitter Into Sweet" (co-penned by Marc Gordon). Still hoping that Universal's Motown Vault crew will find a Motown in-house version of that song, recorded in The Snakepit, using The Funk Brothers. Can you imagine a version that is 25% better than Mary Loves?

I guess you could tell he meant Uptown too.

As far as I know, the only thing that Brenda Duff (recorded in The South and Midwest at Muscle Shoals and other studios) and The Deletts (recorded by Arthur Wright in L.A), were that they both had releases on Mercury's Blue Rock subsidiary.

I remember all those unreleased Thelmas and Groovesville recordings being advertised for sale on cassette tapes, but not on CDs, for the first several years they were available.