New Orleans/ Louisiana LPs part 2

Here we go. We are launching into Fats Domino with the first two and a half photo montages. He was the greatest artist to come out of the Big Easy so naturally I have many (possibly too many) LPs by the great man. The first batch features 12 LPs from his early days on the Imperial and London labels. This includes his first Imperial LP 'Rock and Rollin' which was also the title of his first London LP, although with a different track listing. The photo shows the UK and New Zealand London LPs, as well as the Imperial version. There are four other London LPs featured - 'A Lot Of Dominos', 'I Miss You So', 'What A Party' and 'Let the Four Winds Blow' (for which I need a sleeve).

The second photo shows some later Fats Domino LPs on Liberty and United Artists, plus one on Mercury and some assorted live albums.

The third photo montage completes the Fats Domino selection with five of the Fats Domino Story LPs. There are also a batch of LPs by Lee Dorsey, including one of his early material released on Sue and albums on Stateside and Polydor.

The next photo features one more by Lee Dorsey, four by blind blues artist Snooks Eaglin and one by R and B singer Willie Egan who played at the Electric Ballroom in Camden Town in the early eightes and subsequently made this LP in London with Juice on the Loose. Also featured are one by Esquerita, who influenced Little Richard, three by Tex Mex country/tejano singer Freddy Fender, and two by John Fred and the Playboys - John Fred was a blue eyed soul singer who had a big hit with 'Judy in Disguise (with glasses)'.

Finally, in this selection , we have a varied bunch, including LPs by Frankie Ford (on the original Ace label), early R and B duo Paul Gayten and Annie Laurie, Barbara George, whose 'I Know' is a New Orleans classic, Mardi Gras favourites the Golden Eagles, Cajun fiddler Doc Guidry, blues man Guitar Slim (whose 'The Things I used To Do' is also a classic), zydeco artist Major Handy and great R and B artist Betty Harris. There are also four LPs by the R and B wild man Roy Head, including one on Stateside.

New Orleans/ Louisiana LPs part 1

I'm moving on to a different section of records that I own covering New Orleans and Louisiana, with a little bit of Texas here and there. I've been to New Orleans countless times since my first visit in 1989 and love New Orleans R and B and its cousin Louisiana swamp pop. I like zydeco and Cajun music as well, although it always sounds better live to me than on disc. The first batch of LPs features one by Cajun artist Nathan Abshire on the Lafayette based La Louisianne label and several by the Tan Canary Johnny Adams including one on Ariola and a few on Rounder. There are also LPs by swamp pop artist Johnnie Allan including a number on Jin - the two 'South to Louisiana' LPs with similar sleeves are on Jin and Ace and contain different track listings.

The second photo shows one more by Johnnie Allan on Jin, one by Jesse Allen on French Imperial (of whom no photo appears to exist), one by piano great Archibald on Krazy Kat, a couple by Marcia Ball (she's from Austin but I always associate her with New orleans), there's one by UK jazz man Chris Barber doing a New Orleans tribute with Dr John, a country LP by swamp pop artist Joe Barry on Dot, a couple by Dave Bartholomew, one by pianist/singer Jimmy Beasley and two by swamp pop singer Rod Bernard on Jin.

Next up we have another LP by Rod Bernard, a couple by New Orleans R and B singer Eddie Bo and two by popular 60s Louisiana band the Boogie Kings, who had G G Shinn on vocals, for the Montel Michelle label. There's also one by piano genius James Booker, a couple of R and B artist Roy Brown, one by zydeco star Buckwheat Zydeco, one by Louisiana singer/songwriter Bobby Charles and one by zydeco man C J Chenier.

The next photo shows a batch of albums by the King of Zydeco Clifton Chenier, including five on Arhoolie, two by Louisiana swamp pop band Cookie and the Cupcakes, who I was lucky enough to see a couple of times when they briefly reformed in the nineties, and a double LP by James 'Sugar Boy' Crawford.

Finally in this selection we have one LP by Cajun singer Bruce Daigrepont, one by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, a New Orleans institution, two by the Dixie Cups, including one on the UK Red Bird label, and one by early R and B man Larry Darnell, plus a group by Mac Rebennack. AKA Dr John..

Lovers Rock pioneer Sonny Roberts passes on

I found some Orbitone 'lovers rock' LPs and 12 inch singles yesterday in a charity shop, including some by Joyce Bond and Tim Chandell. This got me thinking about Orbitone founder Sonny Roberts, who recorded them, as well as other Lovers Rock and Soca artists. When I checked I found that he passed on a couple of months ago at the age of 89 suffering from throat cancer. I may have missed it, but I didn't see anything in the UK media or online about this at the time. This is a shame, as Sonny was a true pioneer of Jamaican music and the first black man to open a recording studio in the UK. Sonny came to the UK from Jamaica in 1958 and opened his studio in the basement of 108 Cambridge Road, Kilburn - an address synonymous with ska and early reggae music. Sonny was the tenant of Lee Gopthal, who went on to launch the B and C and Trojan labels, and Sonny's early studio became the base for Island Records in its early days. Indeed Sonny is credited with putting Chris Blackwell, David Betteridge and Lee Gopthal together. thus changing the face of reggae and ska - and music generally. Sonny recorded Jamaican artists such as Rico Rodriguez, the Marvels, Dandy Livingstone and Sugar Simone and set up record labels including Planetone and Sway as well as producing acetates for London sound systems. He also issued Afrobeat records by Nigerian band the Nkengas. He opened the Orbitone record shop above the studio and this later became Island's HQ as Chris Blackwell built up the label. Sonny moved his retail operation to Harlesden and launched his Orbitone label, which focused on Lovers Rock with records by Tim Chandell and Joyce Bond, among others. His biggest success was a number 2 hit 'Can't Be With You Tonight' by Judy Boucher in 1986. Sonny returned to Jamaica in 1997 where his family ran a business making various products, including 'Sonny's All Natural Mosquito and Insect Bite Relief'. Sonny received a lifetime achievement award from the Jamaica Observer in 2019.

It's been a while since I last paid tribute to musicians who have died recently and I won't attempt to cover them all here (I will be back to my LP photos soon). But one I must mention is soul singer Dean Parrish, whose classic 'I'm On My Way' was a favourite at the Wigan Casino and other Northern Soul venues. Dean was quite a regular visitor to the UK but sadly I didn't get to see him live. I'm grateful to Noah Shaffer for this photo of Dean taken at the Skegness Northern Soul Survivors' Weekend in 2017.

Original soul LPs part 23 (the end)

This is the last post featuring photos of seventies soul records in my collection. But I will be moving on to other music genres soon so keep a look out if of interest. The first batch of records includes LPs by Joe Simon, the Spinners, Sister Sledge, the Staple Singers, Ronnie Spector, Edwin Starr and Candi Staton.

The second montage includes albums by Candi Staton, Sly Stone, Barrett Strong, Donna Summer, the Sweet Inspirations, Sweet Salvation, Sylvester, Tommy Tate, Tavares and Ted Taylor.

Next we have LPs by the Temptations, early recordings by the Three Degrees, Timmy Thomas, Vaneese Thomas, True Reflection, Ike and Tina Turner (plus two solo by Tina), the Tymes and Luther Vandross.

The fourth photo shows albums by War, Johnny Guitar Watson, the Whispers, Viola Wills, Al Wilson, Ruby Winters and Bill Withers.

Photo number five is esclusively made up of LPs by Bobby Womack.

Finally we have a selection of LPs by Betty Wright plus a few compilations: 'The Girls With Soul' on Wand, 'Soul Fever' on Polydor, 'Solid Soul Sensations' on Pye and 'Soul Explosion' on RCA.

Original soul LPs part 22

We are nearing the end of the 'Seventies Soul' section - up to the letter S anyway. But the first LP in this selection (sorry about the photo quality) is a sixties live Pye International compilation of Wand artists (including Tommy Hunt, Maxine Brown, Chuck Jackson and the Shirelles) that I picked up today in a charity shop. And very good it is too, considering it's mostly genuine live performances. The other albums are by Johnny Nash, Booker Newberry III, New York City, the Ohio Players (with their striking album covers) and one by the O'Jays.

Next up we have LPs by the O'Jays, Parliament, Bobby Patterson, Billy Paul and Freda Payne.

The next photo shows albums by Freda Payne, Peaches and Herb and Teddy Pendergrass.

The fourth montage includes LPs by The Persuaders, Esther Phillips, the Pips, the Presidents, Billy Preston, James and Bobby Purify and Lou Rawls.

Finally in this selection we have albums by Lou Rawls, Martha Reeves (solo), Smokey Robinson (solo) and Marlena Shaw.

Original soul LPs part 21

I've started so I'll finish. Here is another batch of photo montages of LPs from the 'Seventies Soul' section of my collection. First, here we have LPs by Gladys Knight (with the Pips and solo), Kool and the Gang, Robert Knight, LaBelle, Patti Labelle, Denise Lasalle and Latimore - the latter two stars at the Porretta Soul Festival in recent years.

The next group of albums includes some more by Latimore, plus LPs by Laura Lee, Love, Peace and Happiness and Love Unlimited.

The following group has LPs by the Main Ingredient, the Manhattans, Barbra Mason, the Masqueraders and Curtis Mayfield.

Next we have LPs by Curtis Mayfield, Van McCoy, George McCrae (another star at Porretta in recent years), Gwen McCrae, George and Gwen together and Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes.

The final montage includes LPs by Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes, MFSB, the Mighty Clouds of Joy, the Miracles, the Moments and Dorothy Moore.

Original soul LPs part 20

I'm continuing with photo montages of LPs that are filed under 'Seventies Soul' in my collection. Most of the LPs of this period are worth fairly little so the majority of them have been picked up cheap at car boot sales and charity shops over the years. Some good music here though. The first photo shows LPs by Ritchie Havens, Iaaac Hayes and Dionne Warwick, Leon Haywood, Hodges, James and Smith, Loleatta Holloway, the Honey Cone, Cissy Houston, Phyllis Hyman, the Imperials and the Impressions.

The next group features more albums by the Impressions plus LPs by the Independents, Luther Ingram, the Intruders and the Isley Brothers.

The third photo montage includes LPs by the Isley Brothers, Freddie Jackson and Millie Jackson (apologies for the blurry photo).

Next we have a group of LPs by Millie Jackson (plus one with Isaac Hayes), Walter Jackson, Al Jarreau, the J Bs and the Brothers Johnson.

Finally we have albums by General Johnson, the Jones Girls, Margie Joseph, Paul Kelly, Eddie Kendricks, Andy Kim and frederick Knight.

Original soul LPs Part 19

I'm continuing with the 'Seventies Soul' section of my collection. The first photo montage shows LPs by the Delfonics, the Detroit Emeralds and the Detroit Spinners.

Next up we have albums by Double Exposure, Lamont Dozier, the Dramatics, a late one by the Drifters and Doris Duke. The last Doris Duke is another of those weird Manhattan LPs mentioned in the last post, which included an LP allegedly by Tyrone Davis which was actually by Rudy Love. This 'Doris Duke' one has tracks by several people, including three by Tyrone Davis!

The next photo group features LPs by George Duke, the Dynamics, Ronnie Dyson, Billy Eckstine (on Stax), John Edwards, Lorraine Ellison, Betty Everett, Faith Hope and Charity, and the Facts of Life.

Featuring in the fourth group today are albums by the Fantastic Four, the Fatback Band, the Fifth Dimension, the Flirtations, Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway, and some post Motown Four Tops.

Finally this time, here we have LPs by Aretha Franklin (a late one), Carolyn Franklin, Funkadelic, Dee Dee Sharp Gamble, post Motown Marvin Gaye, Graham Central Station, Dobie Gray, Major Harris and Donny Hathaway.

Original soul LPs Part 18 (Seventies)

I am moving on to the seventies for the next few photo montages of soul LPs. There was some great soul music produced in that decade but also a lot of disco records, which I wasn't so keen on. The LPs featured include some artists who have already featured in earlier postings, but these ones are their later efforts. First we have LPs by the Rance Allen Group, J J Barnes, Archie Bell and the Drells, Madeline Bell, Brook Benton, Blue Magic, Bill Brandon and Brass Construction.

The next photo shows albums by Dee Dee Bridgewater, Johnny Bristol, Jerry Butler (including one with Brenda Lee Eager), the Chambers Brothers, Gene Chandler and Roy C.

The third group includes LPs by Jean Carne, the Jimmy Castor Bunch, Chairmen of the Board, a couple more by the Chambers Brothers and Gene Chandler, and the Chi-Lites.

Next we have a bunch of albums by the Chi-Lites, Merry Clayton, Hank Crawford, Creative Source and the Crusaders, including one with B B King.

Finall, this time, here we have LPs by Tyrone Davis and the Delfonics. Actually the first LP doesn't feature Tyrone at all but Rudy Love (see the Vinyl Word on March 10, 2019).

Original soul LPs Part 17 (inc Motown compilations)

I'm concluding the Tamla Motown section with some more photo montages of LPs in my collection associaed with Detroit's finest. The first photo includes one by Mary Wells which was actually made after she left Motown and which was released on Stateside in the UK. The others include one of her Oriole LPs and a batch by Stevie Wonder.

I am moving on now to Motown compilations. There were a bewildering range of albums which often differed in track listings between the US and the UK. The best of them had some really obscure and brilliant tracks. For examble the three 'Motown Memories' LPs featured here include tracks by lesser known artists such as Hattie Littles, The Vows, Sammy Ward and Gino Parks. The 'Motown Chartbusters' series mostly featured the bigger stars but were good representations of Motown as it developed over the years.

The next group starts off with a live LP on Stateside featuring the Miracles, Marvin Gaye, the Marvelettes and Mary Wells, and includes a couple of other live LPs showcasing the Motortown Revue.There are also a couple of US 'Motown Circle' LPs, some later compilations and a Christmas album.

The final montage features various LPs that came out under the heading of 'A Collection of 16 Big Hits' and three LPs in the 'Disco Classics' series.

Original soul LPs Part 16 (Motown continued)

Here are some more Tamla Motown LPs from my collection, including rather a lot by the Supremes and the Temptations. In fact the first batch comprises LPs exclusively by Diana Ross and the Supremes.

The next photo continues with Diana Ross and the Supremes and also has an album by Syretta and one by Syreeta and G G Cameron.

Next up with have one LP by R Dean Taylor and 11 by the Temptations.

This photo shows more LPs by the Temptations plus others by Tammi Terrell, the Undisputed Truth and Junior Walker and the All SAtars.

Finally this time we have more albums by Junior Walker and the All Stars and a couple by Mary Wells.