Robbk

I wonder if Leo Austell co-owned Vick and Sta-Set along with Lee, as his own Lamaja Music was involved in virtually every record I have on those labels, including The Emeralds on Vick. Austell was also co-producer with Lee on The Emeralds' record.

The pink one was pretty common. I've seen a lot more of those (both East Coast and West Coast, and Midwest pressings) than the white DJ issue.

What I can't figure out is why both sides were never played on US radio stations. We did hear some of Harry Balk's productions that were placed on Big Top, and Impact Records. Both sides of this record were better (IMO) than most of his productions that DID receive lots of airplay.

I'm a no-nonsense bloke, so my user name is my first name and last initial. My avatar is an actual photo of myself from 2009 (neither flattering, nor unflattering). As The Dramatics once said: "What you see is what you get."

I like The Millionaires' version on Big Bunny much better (although I like Gerri Grainger's version very much, as well). It's a very well written song. The Millionaires' version is more soulful. It sounds much like a New York Jobete Music arrangement, rather than the highly orchestrated (more big-bandish) Big Top version.

It was never on US Red Bird. It was only on US Red Bird subsidiary, Blue Cat. But maybe that listing of Red Bird refers to UK Red Bird? There was no UK Blue Cat. So, I assume that UK issues from Red Bird/Blue Cat stable all came out on UK Red Bird, or not at all in The UK. Isn't that right? Maybe it was slated for issue on UK Red Bird in 1967, but it was pulled back? Maybe only a few were pressed up (for DJ copies)? I've never seen one.

I'd bet that date (year-1966) for Stone Blue 101 is too early. I'd guess it was at LEAST 1968 or 1969. I've seen it listed only as 1969.

I'd call it rather a "Solid Hitbound" recording, as BOTH Lebaron Taylor and Don Davis produced it and furnished the recording effort, rather than just Davis (Groovesville).

Margaret Mandolph was arranged by David Gates. Thus the "Wall of Sound" tracks. I'd be surprised if Monique was from Detroit (despite the Detroit tracks used on her cuts). ALL the other Maurci artists were from Chicago, as were Simtec Simmons and Gene Chandler. Only McKinley Jackson(among their staff) was from Detroit, and I would guess that he brought the Detroit tracks with him (despite their having belonged to Dave Hamilton).

Yvonne and The Sensations had the release. And it seems to me that there was another artist with a release on it, as well.

It sounds very "girls groupy" to me-NOT Everly Bros. (overall). But NOT Scepter-Wand, and DEFINITELY not Bachrach-David. It does sounds like NY arranger and session players.

I've got a key for Monarch. I got it in early 1970, so min is only good from Monarch's beginning, in 1954, through 1969. It has the code for the last record pressed for each month through all those16 years. # 78959 was the last record pressed in December of 1969. So, any 5-numeral code starting with an 8 or 9 was pressed up in the 1970s, and any 6 numeral code was pressed after 1973. Monarch pressed up about 4,500 to 5,000 different 45s each year during the 1960s. I remember them pressing about 5-10% more in the early 1970s.

Sometimes multiple boxes of a particular US 45 got to Britain, when NO COPIES of that record ever reached a record shop in USA. Sometimes the rarist US pressing becomes the common one on The Northern Scene. It's a LOTR more "unbelievable" (and exasperating) to us North Americans than to you Brits (especially to those of you who thought (and still think) that we, across the pond, didn't want this obscure Soul music, and it was just sitting in warehouses waiting for you to "rescue" it, and bring it to a good home". I wanted it as badly as any of you.

They did use both materials in the '60s and '70s. But, to my knowledge, they used a LOT more styrene than vinyl (at least in the many thousands of Monarch-pressed 45s I've seen.

I don't know how many of each pressing got to The UK. But, in USA, back when the record was out, and into the early 1970s (up till 1972 ), I saw many, many more of the Grand Junction issue. Both the Black Rock, and the Epic issues were rare. The Grand Junction was fairly commoln. My "coverage" was mostly in Chicago, Detroit, L.A., San Diego, San Francisco/Oakland, Portland (Oregon), Seattle, Vancouver B.C. Indianapolis, Milwaukee, St. Louis, Kansas City. it was lesser so in the Northeastern cities, Canadian cities and NO coverage in Southern USA.

Can one of you folk with the Grand Junction and Black Rock releases scan those for us? I'd like to know who the producers and arrangers were, and how long the songs are (if they are different, there's a reasonable chance these songs were re-recorded).

I have it on Epic, just as "Rena Scott". So, it may be a later version. Here's a scan: Uploaded with ImageShack.us I remember George McGregor talking about producing this. It's unusual that it was a small. independent production, and yet, the producers and arrangers on each side are different. MacGregor used Miller Brisker (Bonnie's father) as his arranger. The flip, "Set Me Free", was produced by Tyrone Hite, and arranged by Sonny Sanders. That leads me to wonder if both recordings were funded by The Grand Junction owner and he released it locally, and after decent Detroit sales, he leased it to Epic. Or, if the Grand Junction was a different recording, and Hite & McGregor took the newer version to Epic. Is the flip

Frances Burr sang Blues, and had a strong, hard-edged delivery. Frances Burnett sang with a smooth, laid back style. Also, the tones of their voices sound VERY different. Everyone in The World has his/her own unique recognisable tone. Only identical (shared egg) twins have extremely similar tone. It's fairly easy to discern different pepleor same people by their voices.It's pretty clear to me these are two different people.

What leads you to even suggest this?  Do their voices sound the same to you?  As far as I know, Frances Burr was a local Chicagoan.  Frances Burnett was born and raised in Philadelphia, and resided there during her music career.  But, I believe that she recorded for Coral (Decca) in New York.  I'm not sure if she came to Detroit to record for Berry Gordy ((as did Ken Masters (Decca).  I can't imagine Frances Burnett, who was fairly well known (enough to have appeared on American Bandstand), shortening her name to Burr, and recording for Sebon Foster's little Salem Records in Chicago.  It doesn't make sense.  Furthermore, their voices sound VERY different to me.

That should read: "Baby What I Mean".

Any chance of my hearing the recording on the "Exotics' cut"? Maybe I can help identify the group? It had to be a group with some relationship to George Kerr, Sidney Barnes, George Clinton, Gene Redd, or Eddie Singleton. Maybe it was The Serenaders, Parliaments, Prophets or one we know is related to those producers. We can make an educated guess at the identity of the producer, based upon the songwriter/s. George Kerr, Sid Barnes and Luke Gross wrote "Let's Get Together". So, I'm guessing that The Serenaders may have sung that demo. As you didn't mention The Serenaders as a guess, I assume that perhaps Timothy Wilson (whose voice is easily recognisable didn't sing lead on that one. Maybe George, himself, sang lead on it?

James Carr was a deep Soul singer from The South, and recorded in The South (Memphis, etc.). I don't remember him arranging. James Carmichael was an arranger, who worked out of L.A. before Motown, and worked for Motown once they moved to L.A. He had worked some with the same producers who worked for L.A. Jobete Music in 1963-66, before Motown's move to L.A.

Yes, Ervin Groves was "Big Boy Groves" in the '50s, and Ervin Rucker. He was a band leader and songwriter/producer. He was Lani Groves' father. He lived in San Diego, and recorded there, as well as in L.A. and Hawaii (his bithplace and first home). He recorded for Duplex, Musette and GME in the '60s, GME in the '70s, and I have some records by him in the '50s (John Dolphin's Money Records(1955), and a few other smaller independents). Here's a link to short blurb on him: https://www.sirshambl...ary_staten.html

Yes, I've seen that font on Tamla in the early '70s. I wonder if those "Q-U-" letters stand for "Quality Control", and it was a special test pressing made up for The Quality Control Department to listen to, rather than having to play a tape?

I've never seen a Motown pressing that looked like that. But, Marvin also recorded for another company (Columbia). I can't tell the age of that (looks maybe like '70s). But maybe it could be from 1981 or '82, which could make it Columbia.