Robbk

Yes! Absolutely! There's very little action there. I agree. The more the merrier. Larry, why don't you go ahead and post the link. I think there are members here who also like vocal group harmony going back into the '50s, and probably a lot more who, at least, like VGH from 1959-64 (which is discussed on our forum).

Kick Off 188 was released twice (first, I believe, as "Garland Davis" (error?), and with B-side title "Leave Me alone", and 2nd as "Garlon Davis", with "I'm Begging You(leave Me Alone). I'm pretty sure he was the same Garland Davis from Texas, who started singing in the 1950s. Yes, Merging (Peace and Soul) Records was a sister label to Kick Off Records, as well as to Progress Records. All 3 were located in L.A., and seemingly run by Zeke Strong A&R man, producer and arranger, and a local band leader. I don't know if Strong owned the labels outright, had a financial partner fund the labels, or was not an owner, but just ran the labels. Larry Johnson also produced and was involved at Progress Records (He may have been a part-owner). All scans below containing NO black backgrounds courtesy of Sir Shambling's Deep Soul Heaven. Uploaded with ImageShack.us By rob_k at 2012-01-16 By rob_k at 2012-01-16 By rob_k at 2012-01-16 By rob_k at 2012-01-16

Ximena , Xiomara, Xavier and Xaviera (Spanish) and Xochitl (Aztec/Mexican) are women's names. I know many people with both (surrounded by Latino Americans in Los Angeles part of each year). But, unfortunately, I don't listen to Mexican pop music radio to know of a song.

Hi Larry! Nice to see you here, too! Glad to hear one of your '60s cuts getting some airplay and respect (albeit 40 years later). Better late than not at all!

I don't think that anyone else from there is here (at least not regularly). Why did YOU come here? As you know, I've been listening to Black American music (R&B, Blues, Gospel and Jazz) music since 1951, and collecting records since 1953. I liked so-called "Soul" music, when it came in in the 1960s (mainly 1960-65). In 1965, Funk music started creeping into the Soul play lists. By mid '66 or early '67. I couldn't listen to the radio anymore, but was still buying records. I still liked almost all Motown and "Chicago Sound" cuts, and sweet Soul from Phildelphia and New York, in a similar style to the 1962-64 early Soul and R&B/Soul transition period. Over the past 15 years or so, Northern Soulies have learned to appreciate cuts from the early '60s. So, I am here at this forum to discuss and learn about records I somehow missed in the '60s. P.S. I just saw your "New Guy" thread. So, now I know why you came here. I had forgotten about your group's '60s cut that was getting play in Northern clubs. Glad to hear that you're becoming a "cult icon". Your knowledge of the business back in the day will be very welcomed here.

The Parakeets sang a great 1956 greasy ballad on Atlas Records called "Yvonne".

Shep has a different voice tone from that of Don Gardner. On the other hand, he also does not have the voice tone of James Shepherd, nor of Wyatt "Big Boy" Shepherd. I would bet that Shep is a completely different person from all those mentioned.

Anyone know who the group (Jay & Shufflers) members were? No doubt a NY group with some connection to Gene Redd, Jr. and Ron Mosely.

Naturally, the East Coast had more population in the '60s, so companies with national distribution probably had more East Coast pressed records ordered in press runs and shipped by distributors than they did on The West coast. But, West Coast companies probably had better West Coast distribution, and, so, probably had a closer ratio of pressing totals on The West Coast, than did East Coast companies.

"Willow Weep For Me", a song from the 1930s (by Ann Ronnell), had a few versions in the '30s and '40s, and a hit by Chad & eremy in the mid '60s. My favourite version is by Detroit's Barons in 1959, led by Roger Craton (AKA Lee Rogers): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g833nIRUrwk Here's an early version by Billie Holiday:

If you haven't heard the R&B version by The Ban-Lons, you ain't heard NOTHIN'! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbWyEwhlY2U&feature=related

I like best the "Male version"-"Can't Help Loving That Girl of Mine" by The Hide-A-Ways from 1956 (R&B greasy ballad). As for "Zing! Went The Strings of My Heart", I like best The Satintones' Motown version from 1961,also The Coasters', and various R&B group harmony versions from 1955-64. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iwaYTSFW_Q&feature=related

BOTH songs are great! Both are slow mid-tempo. "Let's Get Married" is closer to a "ballad".

That Velgo record is in more than one US collection. There are a a lot of US collectors from back in the day that don't buy records anymore and don't frequent the Soul/R&B forums (fora). A lot of us bought a lot of Soul records when they were out and not only hit the record shops, but also distributors and the record companies, themselves. You might be surprised at what you would find (I guess many of you hear about them when they die, and their records are auctioned off). I wonder if some of them die with no heirs, and their old records are just thrown away into a landfil,l because the people that end up having to deal with them don't know what they are?

As far as I know, J2 was a division of Sue Records (The later Sue, which had a solid background -Wilbert Harrison, The Superiors, etc. (the 1-15 series). The J in J-2 stands for Juggy (Juggy Murry). J-2 had a solid blue background and a solid black background. I think that this was the 2nd incarnation of Sue Records (maybe after the first one went bust?).

From what I've seen, it appears that Jesse Herring had more of his productions leased to outside labels than released by his own labels, or those for which he was working. So, no, I'm not surprised that The Gems' cuts were leased out.

I don't trade most of my core collection, but I'm willing to trade records with songs that are not so well liked by me for expensive records I like a lot that I could never afford to buy (especially if the record I'm swapping is very valuable-and I can get several hard records I've wanted for long time, that I'd probably never get any other way). Know that generally, I value rare Motown more than off-Motown Detroit, and Detroit more than Chicago. But maybe we should continue through e-mail.

There should be NO DOUBT that that is a bootleg. Tru-Glo-Town never used that colour, nor that label design, nor that font. Also, we have no way of knowing whether or not it would have been released on Tru-Glo-Town, Toot-Town or TNT Records. All we know is that it was produced by Jesse Herring, Jr. and was a Tru-Glo_town production. It was likely just leased directly to Riverside Records (ostensibly because they thought the latter's ABC Records' national distribution would get the record a lot more exposure than they could do on their own). And it DID get sent to distributors and record shops all over USA. I saw it quite a bit in several different cities in different regions.

I have the Hy-tones on Bell, as well: Uploaded with ImageShack.us

As I'm not in The U.K., there may well still be only 2 known copies in The U.K. -However, that does not mean that a third might not end up in The U.K. I have been known to swap rare NS records for rare Detroit Soul and/or rare Chicago Soul records.

If you are referring to the red store stock, I have a third: Uploaded with ImageShack.us Uploaded with ImageShack.us

I think it was just a mistake. I don't think it was ever considered the "A" side. I only Heard "Trying Real Hard" on the radio (WVON).

I don't think that record got into shops. I didn't see it in Chicago, Milwaukee, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Kansas City, L.A. San Francisco, or Oakland(or even Detroit, for that matter). It probably didn't have much, if any marketing push from Mercury. It probably didn't have much of an initial press run. And most of what was pressed up probably ended up getting destroyed. I saw hundreds of copies of their other Blue Rock release, and saw it as regular stock in stores (but NOT "Why Weren't You There"). Mercury had a LOT of other releases on their main label, Smash, Philips, Fontana, Blue Rock and Limelight to keep track of and to push. It must have gotten lost in the shuffle. And wasn't Thelma Lindsey's out at the same time (or a little sooner)? Maybe mercury didn't want to spend time and money on unknown artists to split minute sales with a similar version of the same song?

I'd like to see scan of both sides of the Enith and Accent releases. Can't whoever is sending them to Ady also post them on this thread? I always do that when I have the record.

Al Johnson was African-American, and so was Lonzo Coleman. I always assumed that all of them were. But, I've never seen a photo of the group.