Robbk

Mercedes Music was owned by L.A.'s Soul station, KGFJ, DJ, Hunter Hancock. It was the house music publisher for Hancock's earlier label, Swingin' Records, as it was for Magnum (which was at least co-owned by him). Jimmy Johnson was the main producer and A&R man, and his band provided the instrumentation on most of their in-house productions, Elliot Chavers was not an owner. Mutt & Jeff was co-owned and run by Joe(y) Jefferson. Magnum leased a couple productions from Jefferson. Yes, most of Magnum's cuts (all their in-house sessions) were probably recorded at Johnson's studio. Jefferson probably produced Charles Perry elsewhere, and Royce Esters produced the Ollie Jackson, Jobete cuts, which were likely recorded in Hollywood by Hal Davis, where he took most, if not all of his Motown-related productions.

Mowtown - Is that the place where Jon Deere hay harvesting tractors are manufactured???

As I gave you the answer to your question, and you never returned, I want to find out if you are satisfied with it. Please let me know, when you read it. Thanks.

Wasn't that a Canadian production, recorded in Toronto? If so, it might be worth a lot to Canadian collectors.

His real name was Issac "Snookum" Russell, who was a Jazz and Boogie Woogie pianist, first in George Lewis' Band, out of New Orleans, then in Paul Bascomb's band(out of Chicago), and, later head of his own bands, headquartered in Chicago. They used to tour The Midwest and The South throughout most of the 1930s, '40s, and '50s. He recorded well into the early mid 1970s. In addition to Russell, their members included: J. J. Johnson, Fats Navarro, Ray Brown, Tommy Turrentine and Herbie Phillips. He was the chief of A&R of Brainstorm Records (maybe he was even co-owner). He may also have been the piano player in "The Master Keys" instrumental group. I think he also may possibly have been one of "The Key Masters", who were a group of producers, who produced sessions for The Master Key Distributors' group of labels (Master Key, Lovelite, Lock, Locket, Erica, Red Balloon, Broach, Quality Sound, McVoutie, Jay-Tee, etc.-late 1960s-early 1970s), of which Clarence Johnson, Johnny Cameron, William Bagsby, Johnny and Terry Thompson, and Byron Gregory may have been members (surely at least the first three). However, I didn't find his name on any Twin Stacks Records (Brainstorm's sister label). If you know of a Chicago Soul Music or general Chicago music forum, please lead me to it! The only other Soul Music forums I participate on are "Soulful Detroit Forum", and "Soulful Detroit Motown Forum", as well as a Doo-Wop/Vocal Group Harmony forum, on which I am the only member from Chicago (or even The Midwest).

Yes, one can do a LOT of sweating under those hot lights. Imagine, singing and putting a lot of emotion into it, moving around, and having all those hot lamps shining down upon you. That's why talk shows give the guests several bottles of bottled water nearby, to swig during commercials, or when others are talking, because, even sitting relatively still, you sweat out LOTS of water. You need to constantly replenish it, or you can get heat stroke. It's dangerous for people over 70 years old, as it can lead to an accidental heart attack, EVEN if you don't have heart disease. That has happened even to young, otherwise healthy athletes, who lose too much water, and continue their exercising. I had a friend who was a marathon runner get dehydrated while practise-running, on a relatively cool fall day, in The Netherlands, near the beach in Scheveningen. He had lost too much water, and hadn't brought his ruksak and bottled water along. He collapsed, and was found later. He was rushed to hospital, but his heart stopped before the paramedics got him there. He died at the young age of 27, of heat-stroke dehydration, being otherwise in good health.

Or the southern tip of Portugal?

And you've live in USA and Canada, too. You've gotten around quite a bit. Have you also been to Africa and South America, China, India, and The Middle East?

I see. Above ground, the meat smells dissipate into the open air, and spread quickly enough to not stay highly concentrated. In The Netherlands, the strong sea winds blow those fish smells quickly to the east of wherever one is.

Lots of fast food meat kiosks??? Vegetables and fruit don't keep under ground? I know I'm slowing going senile but, am I missing a connection here? Beware of the underground malls, my son, they're full of bad people that will try to get you to eat meat!

Ha! Ha! Our mosquitoes in Manitoba make Minnesota's look like midgets!

Shows 1-300 can be watched on YouTube. Very funny if you're familiar with rural Canada.

I'm not surprised. But 1990-current winters in southern Minnesota and Toronto were nothing compared to Winnipeg winters in the late 1940s and 1950s (before Global Warming!). I'm used to 55 degrees F below zero real shade temperature, and wind chill factors of 140 below. (that was back before we changed to Celsius). They don't build malls underground for no reason! I know that Minneapolis' "Mall of America" is also underground. But, I did like the fact that we had freezes for 5 to 5.5 months straight, so we could keep playing hockey on the backyard rink.

Here are a few photos of Steve Smith ("Red Green"):

Here are a few more photos of me looking like "Red": I'm wearing my usual baseball cap by my friend's wall where I painted Donald Duck's nephews, because he's a big fan. Honestly, I DO mostly wear long sleeve plaid shirts when the temperature goes below 60 degrees F, or so. But I haven't been wearing them when taking my few photos since my beard became gray. Anyway, whenever I'm in Canada, I always wear them.

I wondered how you knew him. I used to spend a lot of time visiting The UK during the '60s-early 2000s, and never remembered seeing "Red Green" on TV there. You have no idea how apropos your comment was. I've had my beard and mustache since 1963 (never shaved it off). Ever since it became gray, I've looked just like Smith. And, funny as it seems, I've always worn jeans or cacquis, with long-sleeved plaid shirts (that's my uniform). You can see the one I was wearing in the photo above. Ask Rod (Modern Soul Sucks). He's seen me a lot in L.A., so, there it's way too hot to wear long sleeves, so I wear mostly tee shirts. When I visit England and return to Canada, I always wear long-sleeved plaid shirts. Not only that, -but I was a back-country skier and mountain climber, and even taught wilderness winter survival courses. So, I've spent a lot of time in the woods, like "Red". But, unlike him, I know how to handle myself there. Also, another coincidental similarity, I've been a comedy writer since 1984, and making a living from it since 1989. Oh, yes, just one more similarity, my father, like Red's (Steve's), always gave me the same advice: "Keep your stick on the ice!" The only difference in our appearance, was that I always wore a long-billed "baseball cap", as opposed to Red's short-billed cap, and I never wore suspenders. By the way, yet ANOTHER coincidental similarity is that I had "red" hair until it started turning reddish-brown during my thirties through fifties. So, my nickname as a child was "Red", from that, and "Red Kelly" was my favourite hockey player, along with Gordie Howe. So, while visiting my sister in Winnipeg (which I do for 2 months each year), and I'm walking around in public, I often hear "Hey Red!" I turn around happily, expecting to see an old school friend or hockey teammate. But, no! Most of the time it's a stranger making a joke, thinking I'm trying to impersonate Red Green. Now that I'm going into semi-retirement, maybe I can get some work as his double? I'd be the only stunt double who is 20 years OLDER than the star!!! I wouldn't mind regular free client-paid trips to Toronto. Anyway, nice to know someone on this forum appreciates "Red Green", and has some Canadian experience, other than visiting Martin Koppel! Where and when did you live in Metro Toronto, and in Minnesota? We used to drive down to Minnesota to warm up!

I DO! Especially when I'm visiting my sister in Canada. I get people coming up to me and saying, "Wow! Red Green! In Person! Can I have your autograph on a piece of Duct Tape?" I actually resent that, because I am older than he, and also Canadian, spent a lot of time in the woods, was always unhandy at home, use a lot of duct tape to fix things that should be replaced, and I also always wore plaid shirts and a cap, and had a gray beard and mustache before him. Only, I don't have an idiot nephew (mine is very intelligent) and I never wore suspenders!

I have never owned a camera, and never kept photographs, despite working for The U.N. for 20+ years, and traveling all over The World. I'm like the stone-age tribesmen who feel that their souls are captured when a photo of them is taken. So, I have virtually no photos of myself. My friends and family keep any, if someone takes one of me. Here are what I've managed to scrape up - (2 photos of my whole body from almost 30 years ago, an avatar photo of me from 7 years ago, and a photo of a guy who looks like i do now):

This also makes me happy (although I'd have been happier to find a copy on Thelma 103, but I know that was reserved for a female single artist (Pat Thomas?).

This makes me feel happy, too.

I'd love to have had someone with a voice like Carolyn to sing me to sleep at night, and wake me up in the morning!

I never thought I'd post an Anthony Newly "Show Tune" on here, but, it fits the category:

Man am I living in the past (only 60 years behind the times. To me, "Bip Bam, (Thank You Ma'am)" is the 1953 Drifters' song. And Bill Brown is the original bass lead singer of The Dominoes ("Sixty Minute Man"), who was also the bass, sometimes lead of The Checkers. I thought this might be a 1950s previously unreleased version of Brown as a soloist, or The Checkers singing The Drifters' song.

Yes, thanks, Yank. I wrote down Royals/Midnighters first, then thought about it again, and thought I remembered him having been with The Dominoes. Both were Detroit groups. In the 1950s, King/Federal/DeLuxe had an office in Detroit. They grabbed up a lot of Detroit's local talent. The Ramblers were signed by Federal. The Five Jets (with Famous Detroiters Billy "Roquel" Davis, Joe Murphy and Derek Martin) were signed by DeLuxe.

To current ears, BOTH versions sound ancient. But, remember that I was around at the time, listening to the Chicago and Detroit R&B radio stations, and buying records. I had heard the Kudo record first, in 1958. It still had the mid '50s R&B sound. Both sides of the Chess/Anna 1959 version had the new, early 1960s more complicated instrumental sound. and, even the vocal sound of the ballad side ("This Heart of Mine"), had less of the old vocal group harmony sound of the mid-to-late 1950s, but more of the new, 1959-1963 R&B/Soul transitional sound, which was less dependent upon 5 or 4-part harmony, but put more emphasis on the lead singer and the more complex instrumental track/tracks. Lots of fans listen for, and thus, hear the singers more, and concentrate less on the instrumentation. To ME, the instrumentation and harmony of the background singers is very important, along with the singing of the lead singer.