The Vinyl Word

Sixth 2Is show doesn't disappoint

2012-01-30T09:07:00.009Z

The Tales From The Woods tribute to the famous 2Is coffee bar in Soho has become a regular event in the rock and roll calendar and last night's sixth annual show at the Borderline in London maintained the high standard of the last couple of years. I've never been a fan of British bands of the early years of rock, but the acts were varied and different from previous years (although still featuring mostly covers) and the backing band, with John Spencely on lead guitar, Claire Hamlin on keyboards, Robb Davis on bass and Brian 'Bunter' Clark on drums provided excellent support once again.
Topping the bill this time was Ted 'Kingsize' Taylor, a towering six foot five rocker with a powerful voice and real stage presence. After early success as Kingsize Taylor and the Dominos in his native Liverpool, with Cilla Black often singing with them, he played at the Star Club in Hamburg and it was there that he had his greatest success - indeed he still lives there today. His early, highly collectable, singles were nearly all covers of US hits and one of them - Stupidity (a Solomon Burke cover) - made it to number one in Germany. Kingsize kicked off with a vibrant version of Bobby Parker's Watch Your Step and his set included no fewer than four Larry Williams numbers (Dizzy Miss Lizzie, Bad Boy, Bony Moronie and, as an encore, Slow Down) plus a couple of Solomon Burke covers (Down In The Valley and his Stupidity hit), Chuck Berry's Sweet Little Sixteen and Mama Come Home, a track recorded by Ronnie Hawkins. So, nothing original, but with the Tales From The Woods band providing great support his was a set that really rocked and was a fitting climax to the evening. Saxman Alex Bland provided good support to Kingsize Taylor, plus several of the other acts.

Dave Sampson was something of a Cliff Richard clone in the early sixties when he released a number of singles on Columbia. Today he retains a smooth Elvis-like voice which was shown off to good effect on a couple of these early singles (It's Lonesome and If You Need Me) and Elvis covers including Mystery Train and Love Me. He also fitted in a jazzy version of Route 66, some rockabilly in the form of Boppin' The Blues, Phil Phillips' Sea Of Love and One After 909, a Lennon and McCartney song covered by Ricky Nelson.

Here's Claire Hamlin, keyboardist with the Tales From The Woods House Band, who provided great support throughout.

One of the highlights of last night's show, I thought, was early sixties pop star Garry Mills, who made it big in the US with Look For A Star, the theme from the Hammer film Circus of Horrors. I felt a certain affinity for Garry as he grew up in the same London suburb as me, West Wickham in Kent, and even dated my sister a couple of times apparently. Garry did no fewer than 13 numbers including many of the discs he recorded for Top Rank and, later, Decca, including his first record Hey Baby (not the Bruce Channel number), a cover of Johnny Preston's Running Bear, its B-side, a cover of Teen Angel (Mark Dinning), the rocking Comin' Down With Love, I'll Step Down, Top Teen Baby and, of course, Look For A Star. This was a pop set which didn't really fit the rock and roll criteria of the rest of the show, but Garry came across well and I enjoyed it. Other songs included Down The Line, Diana, Seven Little Girls (with singalong accompaniment), a couple of Billy Fury numbers written by Garry (I Think You're Swell and Once Upon A Dream) and Elvis's The Wonder Of You. Like so many acts of the time, Garry feels that he never got the royalties he deserved - particularly for his big hit Look For A Star, which was ripped off in the US with a cover version by the similarly named Garry Miles. But he showed he's still got what it takes.

The Allisons (John Alford and Bob Day) had a massive smash with the Eurovision song Are You Sure in 1961, but they have played together very little over the last 30 years or so. Unfortunately this lack of practice showed, as they struggled with no backing tape, as they had originally planned, and just John's guitar to fall back on (which promptly broke a string). Despite these handicaps, they harmonised well on their hit, plus the Crickets' Think It Over, Tommy Roe's Sheila, Ricky Nelson's Hello Mary Lou, the Everly Brothers' Dream and, as an encore, La Bamba. A valiant attempt under difficult circumstances.

Jackie Lynton (pictured below with John Spencely) has a strong link with the 2Is, having played there back in the day and having been managed by the club's owner. Jackie still plays regularly and John and I went to see him playing with his band at a pub near Guildford a few months ago. His appearance at last night's show was a direct result of that. He didn't disappoint, with lots of rather blue humour and some lively rock and roll covers, including Reelin' and Rockin', Keep a Knockin, Lawdy Miss Clawdy, Rip It Up and My Babe.

First act at last night's show was rocker Cliff Edmonds (pictured below). I only caught his last two numbers - Matchbox and High School Confidential - but he came across strongly and by all accounts he got the evening's show off to a good rockin' start.

Overall, I thought the sixth 2Is reunion was one of the best to date, with lots of variation, some intriguing acts and excellent backing. Well done Keith Woods for another job well done, and to DJ 'Mr Angry' John Howard and MC 'Rockin' Ricky, who also performed a couple of numbers, including That'll Be The Day and Summertime Blues.

Larry Butler

2012-01-23T21:58:00.004Z

He's not a familiar name (to me anyway) but Larry Butler, who has died aged 69, has an interesting career. A member of Memphis group the Gentrys, who had a hit with Keep On Dancin' and Every Day I Have To Cry (written by Arthur Alexander), he went into record production and had considerable success in the country field. He's probably best known for producing Kenny Rogers' biggest hits Lucille (see photo), The Gambler and Coward Of The County, but he also produced many of Johnny Cash's records. His production company looked after Billie Jo Spears, John Denver, Don McLean and Charlie Rich, among others.

Two more music deaths

2012-01-22T09:51:00.004Z

Sadly there are a couple more music deaths to report.

Reggae producer Winston Riley has died aged 65, two months after being shot at his home in Kingston. Jamaica. Riley was a member of early ska band the Techniques and later set up his own Techniques label, whose biggest hit was Double Barrel by Dave and Ansel Collins. Other reggae artists he produced included Boris Gariner and Alton Ellis.

Thanks also to Rod Jolliffe for letting me know about the death of Walter Gaines, a member of Motown band The Originals, whose best known releases included Baby I'm For Real (produced by Marvin Gaye), Green Grow The Lilacs, The Bell and We Can Make It Baby.

Etta James - At Last

2012-01-20T18:50:00.007Z

Just a day after we heard of the death of the man who discovered her - Johnny Otis - the Vinyl Word raises a glass to Etta James, who has died aged 73. It was not unexpected. In fact, rumours of her passing have been around for months. But now it's been confirmed, and the world is a sadder place.

Etta 's career straddles rhythm and blues, soul and rock, but she is remembered most fondly for R and B classics for Modern and, later, Chess like Roll With Me Henry (with Harvey Fuqua, and produced by Johnny Otis) and Good Rockin' Daddy, and soul songs recorded in Muscle Shoals in the 1960s, including Tell Mama, I'd Rather Go Blind and Security. She had a UK hit in the 90s with I Just Want To Make Love To You which was used in a Coke ad. Her early track, At Last, was sung by Beyonce in the movie Cadillac Records and Etta was critical of Beyonce's attempt at the song at President Obama's inauguration. But by then Etta was reaching the end of her career.

I had the pleasure of seeing her perform several times over the years - the last time being at the House of Blues in New Orleans in 2008. I thought then that her material was a little disappointing and that she was below her best, but perhaps this was the start of the dementia and leukaemia that eventually led to her death. Etta had a tough life. She never knew her father and her mother was only 14 when she was born, she suffered from drug addiction and weight issues and often struggled during her career. But she was without doubt one of the greatest artists of the late 20th century. Etta - we will miss you.

Here are a couple of clips http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADDigK8LwyE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YApNirMC9gM

And a tribute in The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/jan/20/etta-james http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2012/jan/20/etta-james-10-classic-performances

Johnny Otis RIP

2012-01-19T10:13:00.006Z

Johnny Otis - one of the true giants of rock and roll and often called the Godfather of Rhythm and Blues - has died aged 90. The son of Greek immigrants, he grew up in a black neighbourhood in Berkeley, California. He formed his own band in 1945 and had a hit with Harlem Nocturne and played with Wynonie Harris and Charles Brown, among others. He opened his own R and B club - The Barrelhouse in LA. One of his many discoveries was Little Esther Phillips, then a teenager, who sang with the band and produced a string of hits for the Otis band. He also worked with the Robins, who went on to become the Coasters, and discovered sax man Big Jay McNeely. Next came Etta James, for whom he produced Roll With Me Henry, and Big Mama Thornton, for whom he produced Hound Dog, The list of his discoveries goes on and on - Jackie Wilson, Hank Ballard, Little Willie John, Sugar Pie DeSanto, among others.

In the UK he is best known for the smash hit Ma (He's Making Eyes At Me) featuring Marie Adams and the Three Tons of Joy, and a string of great rock and roll singles including Bye Bye Baby, Willie and the Hand Jive, Crazy Country Hop, Castin' My Spell, Telephone Baby and Mumbling Mosie. Other compositions include Every Beat of My Heart, a hit for Gladys Knight and the Pips. In 1969 he recorded an album of sexually explicit material under the name Snatch and the Poontangs and performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival with Little Esther and Eddie 'Cleanhead' Vinson. He continued to perform on and off until 2000. He once said: 'As a kid I decided that if our society dictated that one had to be black or white, I would be black.' Here are a couple of his classics: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zow-lD1dnHc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEeeGMpM_Nk
Here are Johnny's obituaries in the Guardian and Independent. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/jan/19/johnny-otis
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/johnny-otis-singer-songwriter-and-bandleader-who-popularised-the-hand-jive-6292146.html

Jimmy Castor

2012-01-17T09:41:00.005Z

Jimmy Castor - best known as an early doowop singer, sax player and leader of the funk band the Jimmy Castor Bunch - has died aged 64. He began his career as long ago as 1956 when he wrote I Promise To Remember for Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers and became a member of Lewis Lymon and the Teenchords. After recording for various labels in the early sixties he had success on Smash in 1966 with Hey Leroy Your Mama's Calling, which was released on Philips in the UK, followed by Magic Saxophone. He also played sax on Dave 'Baby' Cortez's Rinky Dink.

As the Jimmy Castor Bunch he enjoyed singles success with Troglodyte in 1972 (see this weird clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlRXQEA0yj0) and the Bertha Butt Boogie in 1975 and a string of album hits on RCA and Atlantic during the 1970s and early 1980s including E-Man Groovin' (Jimmy was known as the Everything Man) and Maximum Stimulation.

Impressions of Memphis, 1989

2012-01-13T19:30:00.008Z

On my first trip to Memphis, back in 1989, I jotted down my initial impressions of the city. I came across them the other day in an old diary. Here's what I wrote:

'I wonder if Chuck Berry's little Marie still lives in Memphis. If she does, she'll be in her thirties now. Marie was only five years old when Chuck tried to get hold of her in Memphis, Tennessee. She'll have seen her home town robbed of its soul.

Memphis today resembles a ghost city. Most of the poor black neighbourhoods close to the city centre were reduced to rubble 20 years ago and today what remains of the old shopping area is run-down and surrounded by wasteland.Vietnam vets patrol the streets looking for hand-outs but the tourists, paying homage to the King, ignore them. Most stay in motels but for some, the splendour of the famous Peabody Hotel, in downtown Memphis, still retains an echo of an earlier, more gracious age.
Not that Memphis is dull. There's Graceland, a surprisingly modest mansion on an expressway in the suburbs, where Elvis worshippers from all over the world join conducted tours of the 'music room' with grand piano, 'TV room' with three screens in a row, 'den' with hideous huge carved chairs, 'hall of fame' with golden discs, gold lame suits and photographs, squash court with pin table and, finally, the grave itself (see photo). There's a reverential tone to the stilted, oft-repeated commentary, and Elvis's auntie still lives, unseen, in an upstairs room.

Returning by coach across the expressway to the shopping mall, visitors are faced by more tacky souvenirs than in the whole of Blackpool - Presley T-shirts, mugs, badges. You can record your own Presley disc, singing along to Hound Dog or All Shook Up, see a film about the King's life, visit his personal plane parked next door. But you won't hear about his drug-induced death or his unsavoury sexual habits. This is fantasy-land, where no unpalatable facts are allowed to interfere.

Memphis's music is much more than just Elvis of course. There's Sun Studios, where not just Presley but Jerry Lee, Johnny Cash and Roy Orbison all made their mark, and before them great blues singers like Howlin' Wolf, B B King and Junior Parker. Today the music is no more, but there are tours of the studio, and hamburgers and badges for sale in a newly-opened cafe.

Later Memphis was to continue its great musical tradition with Stax soulmen like Otis Redding and Sam and Dave, and Willie Mitchell's creations for Hi records by Al Green and Otis Clay. There's nothing left of Stax now apart from a sign but for today's visitors there's a relic from an earlier musical age which continues to attract - Beale Street.

Once a centre of now vanished black neighbourhoods, Beale Street today stands like a film set in the middle of nowhere. Whatever the atmosphere may have been in the early years of the century when jazz and blues flourished there, it's gone now. Yet despite the artificiality of this row of bars and burger joints today, there remain some links with the past and odd links with its heritage.

There's Schwab's hardware store - a living museum which appears still to cater largely for its original clientele, the poor blacks of Memphis. The store is unchanged from the 1920s or earlier, selling a weird mixture of useless and inconsequential items - plastic sunglasses, hats, shirts, ironmongery, umbrellas, kitchen utensils, vases, wigs...

In the evening there are numerous bars with live music playing along the street. The night I was there I saw a mediocre white blues band playing in a place called Big Mama's. It was, well, embarrassing. The band spent most of their time tracking down a drummer for the evening. but when he turned up the band's sound was not noticeably better.

A few doors away, at the Club Royale, things were different. This was a black club, with black acts and a sharp-looking black clientele. I was made welcome by the club manager, who shook my hand with an enthusiasm which suggested that white faces were all but unknown. The band - SRO - was energetic and soulful with a singer out of the James Brown mould.

Beale Street somehow represented all that's both bad and good about Memphis. Seemingly a sham, it is nevertheless the real heart of the city. When I first walked along on a cold and windy afternoon I came across the statue of W C Handy, the father of the blues. There was a small group of people standing nearby, including a photographer from the Memphis Commercial Appeal, and a black man and lady in Sunday best (see photo). Another man went to the statue and announced that they were there for the crowning of this year's Cotton Maker's Jubilee King and Queen. There to perform the ceremony was the King of 1951 - Rufus Thomas. No longer walkin' the dog or doing the funky penguin, old Rufus is still a Memphis boy at heart.

While music runs through the history of Memphis like a coal seam, there's another side to today's tourist industry - one which focusses on the city's other great attraction, the Mississippi river. Mud Island is a celebration of the river in the form of a scale model, complete with water creeks and tributaries, running its complete length from upstream of Memphis, through Natchez and down to the Gulf at New Orleans. To reach it, visitors take a slow monorail across an outlying stretch of water. On one side there's the scale model and on the other the real thing, with tankers and barges passing by at walking, or swimming, pace.

Mud Island is just a half a mile from the Mississippi Bridge. That's surely where's Chuck's Marie lived. Marie is thirty five years old, information please. Help me get in touch with her in Memphis, Tennessee.'

Vinyl Obscurities - 7

2012-01-09T10:27:00.009Z

A successful morning at the car boot sale yesterday with quite a few rare or unusual singles turning up - all in excellent condition. Here are some of them.
1. Dion - Be Careful Of Stones That You Throw/ I Can't Believe (That You Don't Love Me Any More). Released 1963 on CBS AAG161. Mint value - £10.
Dion is one of my all time favourite singers. I loved pretty well everything he did both with the Belmonts and solo when he recorded for Laurie. After he moved labels to US Columbia he continued to make some great records, including Ruby Baby, This Little Girl, Donna The Prima Donna and Drip Drop. But this was probably the worst record that Dion ever made. It's a mawkish country number with spoken sections about a girl with a bad reputation who saves the child of a gossiping neighbour from a car crash. Ugh! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lOMmdwVhU8

2. Mary Wells - You Beat Me To The Punch/ Old Love (Let's Try It Again). Released 1962 on Oriole American CBA 1762. Mint value: £70.

The early Tamla Motown 45s were issued on a variety of UK labels - first London, then Fontana and thirdly the independent Oriole label. In all, 19 Motown singles came out on Oriole - all of them highly collectable - and this Mary Wells classic was the first - one of four of Mary's 45s on the label. It was her first UK release, her first US R and B number 1 and a Grammy Award nomination to boot. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hXSaGM0Jp0 3. Keith West - On A Saturday/ The Kid Was a Killer. Released 1968 on Parlophone R 5713. Mint value - £65.

Keith West was best known as the singer on Excerpt From 'A Teenage Opera' (Grocer Jack), which was a number two hit, but this later psychedelic follow up failed to make it, despite being produced by Mark Wirtz and including backing from guitarist Steve Howe, bassist Ronnie Wood and drummer Aynsley Dunbar. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9xoL3j3K60

4. Circus - Do You Dream/ House Of Wood. Released 1968 on Parlophone R5672. Mint value - £45.

The short-lived psychedelic band Circus evolved out of Phillip Goodhand-Tait's Guildford-based Stormsville Shakers, who made their name in the mid sixties in the clubs of London, including the Flamingo and Marquee, and as backing band for Larry Williams (on two LPs) and Memphis Slim. Phillip went on to have great success as a songwriter for Love Affair and a solo artist with the DJM and Chrysalis labels. This Mike-D'Abo produced single was the second and last to come out under the Circus name. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck_bSj1nroI

5. Svensk - Dream Magazine/ Getting Old. Released 1967 on Page One POF036. Mint value - £25.

Not a Swedish band as the name suggests, Svensk actually comprised two good looking lads from Bournemouth - Roger Hopkins (a fashion photographer) and Jason Paul (a model). The story goes that they played this organ heavy record to Roger's friend Roy Orbison, who put them in touch with Page One founder Larry Page, who's been described as the Simon Cowell of his day. Despite a big marketing campaign the record failed to become a hit and after one further single the duo split up. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0saBEH0Jbk

L J Hamilton RIP

2012-01-07T09:31:00.005Z

Thanks to Dave Carroll for letting me know that one of New Orleans' lesser known singers, L J (Larry) Hamilton has died. We saw him perform at Irma Thomas's Lions Den Club a couple of times during Jazzfest 1992 (see photo) and I remember him as having a very good soul voice. The first time we went, the place was virtually empty as Irma wasn't playing that night, but the second occasion, with the Soul Queen of New Orleans in attendance, was a real night to remember. Earlier that evening we had seen Charles Brown perform and I wrote at the time: 'A superb, unforgettable evening - two of the greats, Charles and Irma.'
Dave recalls: 'I had bought a 12" record (back in the UK in the late '80s) with the title Trust Equals Love under the name of LJ Hamilton and we chatted with him. Steve Davis had been one of the people behind the record (not sure of the details), and in his next set Larry dedicated a song to Steve Davis 'World Billiards Champion and his friends from England' (if memory serves me correct).'
According to the SoulExpress website http://www.soulexpress.net/larryhamilton.htm, Larry was born in Galveston, Texas, in 1951 and joined the New Orleans band Harold Batiste and the Gladiators in 1965. (Coincidentally Harold put on a funky performance at the Ponderosa Stomp last year.) Later he joined another local band The Invaders and wrote songs for Johnny Adams and King Floyd, as well as recording with Wardell Quezerque and, in the 90s, Allen Toussaint. The Trust Equals Love 12 inch, including I Trust Your Love, referred to above, was recorded in the late 80s with the help of snooker star and soul fan Steve Davis. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UB5MyoNvOgg

Lonnie, early 45s and some more deaths

2012-01-04T10:27:00.006Z

One of the most successful British artists of the late 50s and early 60s was skiffle king Lonnie Donegan, who was the subject of Radio 4's 'Great Lives' programme yesterday presented by Matthew Parris. Lonnie had a huge number of hits from 1956 onwards when his first single Rock Island Line made the charts, but they dried up after 1962 when the UK beat scene exploded. By that time skiffle sounded dated but Lonnie played a big part in establishing the UK rock and roll scene - a fact acknowledged by the Beatles and The Who, among others. Skiffle was derivative and on the whole pretty second rate, but Lonnie was its most accomplished exponent and even had success in the US, with Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavour reaching number 5 in 1959.
Lonnie's early singles were issued only on 78, as his record label Pye was among the last to introduce 45 rpm singles in the UK. The earliest UK 45s were issued by EMI and I picked up a number of very early examples at a charity shop yesterday, including Bonnie Lou's Tennessee Wig Walk on Parlophone from 1953 (with Just Out Of Reach on the B side - a song that later became Solomon Burke's first UK single); Guy Mitchell's She Wears Red Feathers on Columbia, also from 1953 - a strange tale of a London banker who marries an exotic lady who eats only 'cokeynuts and fish from the sea'; and Tennessee Ernie Ford's Ballad of Davy Crockett on Capitol from 1956, one of several versions of the theme from the Disney movie. All of these are much more common on 78 - a format which swiftly died out and was extinct in the UK by the end of 1960.
Sadly there are a couple of deaths to report. Robert Dickey, who was the original Bobby of James and Bobby Purify (right of picture) and who recorded on their greatest sides in the late 60s, has died aged 72. His replacement as 'Bobby' - Ben Moore - who took over in 1971, appeared at Porretta in 2006. Also dead is Fred Milano, who was a member of the Belmonts,also aged 72.

Soul B sides - Part Two

2012-01-02T12:54:00.002Z

Vinyl Word reader and fellow Woodie John 'Soulboy' Jolliffe has followed up on the recent item on Soul B sides (November 17, 2011) with a new much expanded list. There are some real crackers here. Here's what he said:
'Just when you thought this game had disappeared, it's back. As I have thousands of singles, this has taken me a while to compile. These b sides over the years have regularly graced my many turntables. I think you will find it hard not to agree that these are one hundred amazing chunks of SOUL, plus a couple of intruders.'
Arthur Alexander - A shot of rhythm and blues (B side of You better move on) London
Kip Anderson - Take it like a man (B side of A knife and fork) Checker
Bessie Banks - Try to leave me if you can (B side of Baby you sure know how to get to me) Contempo
Reuben Bell - Asking for the truth ( B side of I still have to say goodbye) Contempo
Blue Magic - When ya coming home (B side of Love has found its way to me) Atlantic
Homer Banks - Lady of stone (B side of Hooked by love) U Artists
Bobby Bland - St Jame's infirmary (B side of Don't cry no more) Vocalion
Bill Brandon - Tag Tag (B side of The streets got my lady) Piedont
Solomon Burke - Stupidity (B side of Can't nobody love you) Atlantic
Jerry Butler - Giving up on love (B side of I've been trying) Stateside
James Brown - Maybe the last time (B side of Out of sight) Philips
Don Covey - Watching the late late show (B side of Sookie sookie) Atlantic
Tony Clarke - The entertainer (B side of Landslide) Chess
Otis Clay - Trying to live my life without you (B side of Let me be the one) Hi
Sam Cooke - A change is gonna come (B side of Shake) RCA
Gene Chandler - Everybody lets dance (B side of You cant hurt me no more) Stateside
Rose Davis - Kiss tomorrow goodbye (B side of That's enough) Excello
Geater Davis - You made your bed hard (B side of Your heart is so cold) Seventy Seven
Tyrone Davis - A woman needs to be loved (B side of Can I change my mind) Dakar
Lamont Dozier - We don't want nobody to come between us (B Side of Trying to hold onto my woman) Probe
Sam Dees - My World (B side of Say yeah) Polydor
Dells - Long lonely nights (B side of A little understanding) Cadet
John Edwards - Claim jumpin (B side of Messing up a good thing) Aware
Yvonne Fair - Walk out the door if you want to (B side of Its bad for me to see you) Tamla Motown
Five Stairsteps - Little young lover (B side of We must be in love) Curtom
Facts Of Life - Love is the final truth (B side of Sometimes) Kayvette
Carol Fran - One look at your daddy (B side of Emmitt Lee) Excello
Owen Grey - Incense (B side of Help Me) Island
Barbara Hall - You brought it on yourself (B side of Drop my heart off at your door) Innovation
Eddie Holland - Take a chance on me (B side of Jamie) Motown
Honey Cone - Stick up (B side of One monkey don't stop no show) Hot wax
Floyd Henley - Unchained melody (B side of Believe in me) Kas-mo
Jimmy Hughes - Its a good thing (B side of Neighbor Neighbour) Atlantic
Willie 'Little Beaver' Hale - Party time (B side of Groove on) TK
Holland and Dozier - Don't leave me (B side of Why cant we be lovers) Invictus
Big John Hamilton - The train (B side of Big bad john) Minaret
Z Z Hill - Have mercy someone (B side of Someone to love me) R&B
Z Z Hill - Don't make me pay for his mistakes (B side of Think People) Hill
Willie Hobbs - Judge of hearts (B side of Tomorrow (Ill begin to make my plans) Sound Plus
Impressions - Ive been trying (B side to People get ready) HMV
Impressions - Ive found that i lost (B side to Meeting over yonder) HMV
J J Jackson - But its alright (B side of Do the boogaloo) Polydor
Chuck Jackson - I keep forgettin' (B side of Chains of love) Pye
Etta James - Id rather go blind (B side of Tell Mama) Chess
Walter Jackson - They don't give medals (to yesterdays heroes) (B side of Speak her name) Columbia
Knight Brothers - Temptation bout to get me (B side of Sinking low) Chess
Little Luther - Twirl (B side of Eenie meenie minie mo) Pye
Jackie Lee - Let Your conscience be your guide (B side of The duck) Fontana
Shorty Long - When you are available (B side of A whiter shade of pale) Soul
Curtis Lee - Under the moon of love (B side of Beverly Jean) London
Jackie Moore - The bridge that lies between us (B side of Its harder to leave) Kayvette
Milt Matthews - Stop that train (B side of This is my song) H&L
Garnett Mimms - It wont hurt (half as much) (B side of My baby) U Artists
Johnny Moore - Lonely heart in the city (B side of That's what you said) Blue Rock
Clyde McPhatter - I'm not going to work today (B side of A shot of rhythm and blues) Stateside
Freddie North - Did I come back to soon (B side of You and me together forever) Mankind
Notations - I'm losing (B side of Think before you stop) Gemigo
Notations - Since you've been gone (B side of Its alright (this feeling)) Gemigo
Olympics - Secret agents (B side of We go together) Fontana
One way - Together forever (B side of Shine on me) MCA
Wilson Pickett - Thee times loser (B side of Mustang Sally) Atlantic
Bobby Patterson - I got a suspicion (B side of Right place, wrong time) All Platinum
Jean Plum - You ask me (B side of Pour on the loving) Hi
Quiet Elegance - You've got my mind messed up (B side of I need love) Hi
Martha/Vandellas - Quicksand (B side of Dancing in the street) Tamla Motown
Alvin Robinson - Down home girl (B side of Fever) Red Bird ??
Otis Redding - That's how strong my love is (B side of Mr pitiful) Atlantic
Little Royal - Soul train (B side of I surrender) Tritus
Soul Clan - That's how I feel (B side of Soul meeting) Atlantic
Bettye Swann - Strong enough to hold on (B side of Heading in the right direction) Atlantic
Bunny Sigler - Picture us (B side of Tossin & Turnin) Epic
Nolan Struck - Welfare problems (B side of Shes the one that hits the spot) Inner City
Hodges James and Smith - Off (B side of Situation) London
Shirelles - I didn't mean to hurt you (B side of Don't say goodnight and mean goodbye) Stateside
Showmen - Country fool (B side of It will stand) Imperial
Jimmy Soul - My girl - she sure can cook (B side of A woman is smarter in every kinda way) Spqr
Joe Simon - San Francisco is a lonely town (B side of Its hard to get along) Sound Stag 7
Willie Tee - Walking up a one way street (B side of Thank you John) Atlantic
Jamo Thomas - Snake hip mama (B side of I spy ( for the fbi) Polydor
Little Johnny Truitt - Don't let me be a crying man (B side of There goes the girl) Abet
Kim Tolliver - Let them talk (B side of Ill try to do better) Rojac
Ted Taylor - Singing man (B side of Cant take no more) Ronn
Irma Thomas - Time is on my side (B side of Anyone who knows what love is) Liberty
Oscar Toney Jnr - Make it easy on yourself (B side of Is it because I'm black) Contempo
Oscar Toney Jrn - A love that never grows cold (B side of Without love (there is nothing) Bell
Tams - You lied to your daddy (B side of It's all right (your just in love)) HMV
Little Johnny Taylor - Somewhere down the line (B side of Part time love) Vocalion
Sammy Turner - Raincoat in the river (B side of Falling) Big Top
Ujima - Still hooked on you (B side of Keep on rolling (disco train)) Chelsea
Billy Vera Judy Clay - Reaching for the moon (B side of Tell it like it is) Atlantic
Curtis Womack - Last date (B side of Boogie woogie Jones) Playboy
Amazing Charlie Whitehead - I was dancing when I fell in love (B side of I finally found myself something to sing about) Atomic
Ron Walton - Always be the one (B side of Soul disco) Gull
Spencer Wiggins - Soul city USA (B side of I never loved a woman (the way I love you) Stateside
Betty Wright - Tonight is the night (B side of Shorah shorah) Alston
Bobby Womack - I'm through trying to prove my love to you (B side of Nobody wants you when your down and out) United Artist
Anita Ward - Spoiled by your love (B side of Don't drop my love)
O V Wright - I'm gonna forget about you (B side of Drowning on dry land) Back Beat
O V Wright - I was born all over (B side of When you took your love from me) Back Beat

Vinyl finds of the year

2011-12-22T18:00:00.011Z

As regular readers will know, I spend a lot of time hunting for rare vinyl at car boot sales and charity shops. 2011 was a fairly good year, with quite a few potentially valuable records turning up. Here are my top six LPs by value (according to the Rare Record Guide). Not many of them would be in my top 20 in terms of their music, but my taste clearly isn't shared by others.
1. Locomotive - We Are Everything You See. LP released in 1970 on Parlophone PCS 7093. Mint value - £375.
Birmingham band Locomotive started life in the mid 60s as a pop outfit and released ska flavoured 45s including versions of Rudy A Message To You and Rudy's in Love. In 1969 they changed direction with a psychedelic single called Mr Armageddon written by vocalist and keyboardist Norman Haines. The following year they released this hard to find psychedelic/jazz flavoured LP which basically sank without trace at the time.
2. The Gods - To Samuel A Son. LP released in 1969 on Columbia SCX 6372. Mint value - £250.
This was the second progressive rock album by a band who succeeded the Rolling Stones at The Marquee and whose early members included future Stone Mick Taylor, and Ken Hensley and Lee Kerslake, later with Uriah Heep. After this LP they signed with a new record company, recruited Rebel Rousers singer Cliff Bennett and changed their name to Toe Fat.

3. Rolling Stones - Out Of Our Heads (export copy). LP released in 1965 on Decca LK 4725. Mint value - £170.

This is the third Stones LP in the UK and appears quite often at boot sales. But this is the export version with a different track listing which includes their big hits The Last Time and Satisfaction. I found a couple of other original collectable 60s Stones LPs in excellent condition during the year.

4. Conway Twitty - Lonely Blue Boy. LP released in 1960 on MGM C 829. Mint value - £100.

This was Twitty's third LP with tracks including Just Because and Heartbreak Hotel as well as the title track. I found another Twitty LP - R and B (worth £70) - at the same time.

5. Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames - Rhythm and Blues At The Flamingo. LP released in 1964 on Columbia 33SX 1599. Mint value - £100.

Excellent first LP bringing back memories of those great days at Soho's Flamingo club, this album includes 10 covers of R and B songs, including Night Train, You Can't Sit Down and Shop Around. None of them quite match the originals, but there is plenty of excitement on show.
6. Wailin' Howie Casey and the Seniors - Twist At The Top. LP released in 1962 on Fontana TFL 5180. Mint value - £90.

This LP has some damage to the front sleeve but it's quite a rarity. Saxman Howie played at the 2Is coffee bar and in Hamburg and his band was the first Liverpool group to have an LP released. This features some vocals by Freddy Fowell (better known as Freddie Starr) and includes a selection of rock and roll twist numbers. Howie is still going strong, playing alongside Roy Young, as Woodies will know well.

Death List 2011

2011-12-17T18:03:00.015Z

Around this time of the year I like to look back at those music and entertainment people who have passed away during the year. As ever, it's a lengthy list with December producing more than its fair share of music deaths - the latest being that of Blanket On The Ground singer Billie Jo Spears, who has died aged 74. Here's this year's Death List - so far! Other suggestions welcome.

Nick Ashford - Motown singer/songwriter, John Barry - James Bond composer, J Blackfoot - Soul Children and solo soul singer, Sir Lattimore Brown - southern soul man, Bob Brunning - member of Fleetwood Mac, Mojo Buford - bluesman, Grady Chapman - former Robins/Coasters member, Clarence Clemons - Springsteen saxman, Smiley Culture - British reggae singer, Eric Delaney - UK band leader, Billy Diamond - New Orleans music promoter, Betty Driver - Betty Turpin in Corrie, Cornell Dupree - jazz & R and B guitarist, David 'Honeyboy' Edwards - 96 year old bluesman, Esther Gordy Edwards - Berry Gordy's sister, Peter Falk - Columbo star, Fred Ferrara - member of Del-Satins, Wild Man Fischer - cult singer/songwriter, Keith Fordyce - DJ and Ready Steady Go presenter, Joe Frazier - boxer and singer, Dolores Fuller - Rock a Hula Baby songsmith, Carl Gardner - former Coaster, Andrew Gold - US singer/songwriter, Billy Grammer - 50s singer, Dobie Gray - 60s/70s soul singer, Jet Harris - former Shadows guitarist and solo star, Keef Hartley - 60s British blues man, Loleatta Holloway - seventies soul singer, Gladys Horton - Marvelettes singer (pictured), Ferlin Husky - country singer, Bert Jansch - folk guitarist, Big Jack Johnson - blues musician, Clarence Johnson - former Chi-Lite, Kathy Kirby - British 60s singer, Eddie Kirkland - bluesman, Don Kirshner - record label owner and producer, Jerry Leiber - half of Leiber/Stoller songwriting team, Steve Mancha - soul singer, Country Johnny Mathis - country singer, Gene McDaniels - US soul singer, T P McKenna - Irish actor, Ross McManus - 60s singer & Elvis Costello's dad, Huey Meaux - legendary Louisiana record man, Joe Morello - drummer with Dave Brubeck, Jumpin' Jack Neal - Blue Caps bass player, Barbara Orbison - Roy's widow, Ottilie Patterson - Irish jazz singer, Pinetop Perkins - 97 year old bluesman, Johnny Preston - Running Bear singer, Wardell Quezerque - New Orleans record producer, Gerry Rafferty - Baker Street singer, Jerry Ragovoy - soul record producer, Cliff Robertson - US actor, Coco Robicheaux - New Orleans 'voodoo' bluesman, Bobby Robinson - Fire/Fury record label owner, Sylvia Robinson - singer and record label owner, Edmundo Ros - Trinidad born band leader, Jane Russell -Hollywood actress, Ken Russell - controversial British film director, Jimmy Savile - British DJ & TV presenter, Calvin Scott - half of Clarence and Calvin, Gil Scott Heron - jazz vocalist, Marvin Sease - southern soul star, Mack Self - rockabilly singer, George Shearing - jazz pianist, Willie 'Big Eyes' Smith - bluesman, Phoebe Snow - jazz singer/songwriter, Billie Jo Spears - country singer, Benny Spellman - New Orleans R and B singer, Poly Styrene - seventies punk singer, Hubert Sumlin - blues guitarist, Marv Tarplin - member of Miracles, Howard Tate - 60s soul singer, Elizabeth Taylor - Hollywood icon, John Walker - former Walker Brother, Mike Waterson - UK folk singer, Lee 'Shot' Williams - southern soul/bluesman, Roger Williams - American pianist, Amy Winehouse - British soul singer (pictured), Randy Wood - Dot Records founder

Jazzfest line up announced

2011-12-14T20:08:00.002Z

The line up for next year's New Orleans Jazzfest was announced today, so as usual I have to decide whether to make the trip or not. Given the fact that many New Orleans R and B artists have passed away, there is inevitably a shortage in that department, although regulars such as the Neville Brothers, Allen Toussaint, Irma Thomas, Dr John, Walter Wolfman Washington and Aaron Neville (solo) are on the list. There's also a New Orleans Revue with Frankie Ford (hopefully), Robert Parker and Al 'Carnival Time' Johnson, and a tribute to Wardell Querzerque with Jean Knight and the Dixie Cups.
It's a huge line up though, as ever, and also of interest are Al Green, Bonnie Raitt, Levon Helm with Mavis Staples, Sharon Jones and the Dapkings and Little Anthony and the Imperials. There is also Steve Earle, James Cotton, Bobby Rush, Marcia Ball. the Texas Tornados (featuring Flaco Jimenez, Augie Meyers and Shawn Sahm) and Ruby Wilson, plus quite a few Cajun and zydeco acts such as Beausoleil, Rockin' Dopsie Jr, Buckwheat Zydeco and Steve Riley. Other big names include the Eagles, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Herbie Hancock and Bunny Wailer.
I am not sure whether the first or second weekend looks the more attractive - probably the second - but I will have to think about it over the next few weeks, work out my finances and see who else might be interested in going. Something to consider anyway. Here are the line ups for the first and second weekends:
http://lineup.nojazzfest.com/?sort=weekend1
http://lineup.nojazzfest.com/?sort=weekend2

Dobie Gray drifts away

2011-12-07T09:36:00.004Z

The Grim Reaper has cut a swathe through the ranks of soul men this week. The latest to pass away is Dobie Gray, at the age of 71. Born in Texas, Dobie made some records for small labels in the early 60s but made it big in 1965 with the discotheque hit The In Crowd and followed up with See You At the Go-Go. Another song from that era, Out On The Floor, became a Northern Soul hit in the UK in the mid 70s.
After some unsuccessful records and a spell as an actor in the stage production of Hair he joined a soul/psychedelic band called Pollution which had some success, before joining US Decca and having a massive country/soul smash with Drift Away in 1973. He released three LPs on MCA, as the label then became, and later recorded some country flavoured material for Capricorn and Capitol. In the late 70s he performed in South Africa after persuading the apartheid authorities to allow him to play to integrated audiences, becoming the first artist to do so there.
Here are a couple of Dobie's classic tracks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leQY6hANO_c
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaPnOASOWIU

Now it's Howard Tate RIP + Hubert Sumlin

2011-12-04T12:22:00.009Z

This has been a terrible week for sixties soul men. Now, Howard Tate, possessor of one of the most beautiful soul voices of the era, has died aged 72. A friend of Garnet Mimms through his early gospel roots, he was introduced to producer/songwriter Jerry Ragovoy (who also died this year) and recorded some scintillating and sophisticated soul records for Verve in the late sixties, including Ain't Nobody Home, Look at Granny Run Run, Baby I Love You, Get It While You Can and Stop. Howard recorded further albums for Turntable (produced by Lloyd Price and Johnny Nash) and Atlantic, but his career faltered and he left the music business in the late 1970s. A disc jockey discovered his whereabouts in 2001, and that year Howard played his first date in many years, in New Orleans. He then began working with Ragovoy on an album that was released, as Rediscovered, in 2003. It was regarded as a return to form and included a new version of Get It While You Can.

I missed Howard in New Orleans, but saw him perform at Porretta in 2006 (see photo). It was a patchy performance and I wrote at the time: "The weakest day was Saturday where the headliner was Howard Tate. Fine on his early hits like Get it while you can and Ain't nobody home, he struggled with material from his latest CD as he read from a song sheet and, unlike Irma, failed to sing into the mic or, at times, keep in tune. He would have been fine as a support, but as the main act on the busiest night he didn't quite cut it."

A dreadful loss - yet another - all the same. Here's one of his greatest tracks http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9PawalWXUk

And now blues guitarist Hubert Sumlin has died, aged 80. This has been some week for lovers of blues and soul! Hubert played in Howlin' Wolf's band for many years and subsequently found continued success with other members of Wolf's band and as a solo artist. He was listed as one of Rolling Stone's 100 greatest guitarists. His last album About Them Shoes was released in 2004. I saw him perform several times, including a Howlin' Wolf tribute in New Orleans in 2005.

J Blackfoot RIP - and others

2011-12-01T08:47:00.008Z

Another great soul man has died. J Blackfoot, a dynamic solo soul singer and former member of the Soul Children, was just 65. Born John Colbert in Greenville, Mississippi (where he played as recently as September at the Delta Blues Festival), he got his stage name from his habit of walking barefoot on the sidewalks of Memphis where he grew up. After a spell in prison he was heard singing in the streets by David Porter of Stax Records and for a while was lead singer of The Bar-Kays after the plane crash which killed many of the band. He became a founder member of the Soul Children who had major hits with The Sweeter He Is, Hearsay and I'll Be The Other Woman. After the band broke up in the late 70s he had a massive solo hit with Taxi in 1984 and recorded a string of excellent soul albums.
I first saw J at Porretta in 1997, where his stage act was one of the highlights. I saw him subsequently at Jazzfest the following year and again at Porretta in 2009. We had heard that he had suffered a stroke but he seemed in good health and showed that his exciting stage act was still very much intact as he performed Taxi, Hearsay and a selection of Wilson Pickett, Sam and Dave and Johnnie Taylor numbers. The top photo shows J with other performers at the finale of Porretta 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=turF6wSwdH4
* Sadly J isn't the only soul/blues performer to have died recently. Lee 'Shot' Williams has passed away aged 73. He sang with Magic Sam's band in the sixties before having success with I Like Your Style in 1969. In 1995 he recorded an album called Big Shot which was voted Best Blues album of the year by readers of Living Blues magazine and followed it up a couple of years later with Hot Shot. He continued recording until 2010 and had success with It's Friday (Time To Get Paid) and Wrong Bed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wj8N7cbHnU&feature=related
* Another recent death is that of hoodoo New Orleans bluesman Coco Robicheaux, who died while performing at the Apple Barrel on Frenchman Street in the city.
* On this side of the pond Keef Hartley has died aged 67. Keef played with the Artwoods in the sixties before forming his own band and recording five albums, including Halfbreed and The Battle of NW6.

Vinyl Obscurities 6: Cassius Clay - Stand By Me

2011-11-26T13:24:00.006Z

Cassius Clay: Stand By Me/ I Am The Greatest. CBS AAG 190. Released 1964.
Radio 4's Saturday Live today featured quite a lengthy item with Gaz Mayall (of Gaz's Rockin' Blues fame) in praise of this 1964 single released by Cassius Clay (as he then was). He has a US copy and wasn't sure if it was released in the UK. Well it was (see photo), and it's a fairly average cover of what must be one of the most covered songs in history (400 versions to date apparently). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK5JEkGixS4 The B side is a typical Cassius Clay rant of the era, a style of rap which was picked up by Prince Buster in some of his recordings.
I'm not a great boxing fan, but the Clay/Ali phenomenon was something that you could not overlook at the time. After his knockdown by Henry Cooper and subsequent controversial victory, Clay's career, his poems and his predictions were big news in the UK, as elsewhere. But few people thought he would beat the reigning world champion, the man mountain Sonny Liston. The much anticipated first fight took place after months of insults from Clay and was shown live on British TV - just about the first major US event to be televised live. Clay won after Liston gave up at the start of the 7th round. I remember getting up in the middle of the night to watch the second fight and was rather disappointed when Liston was knocked out in the first round in what looked like a very strange, not to say dishonest, manner. But Clay, who became Mohammed Ali shortly afterwards, proved himself a great champion, as his later fights with Smokin' Joe Frazier and others showed.
Ali wasn't the only boxer to try his hand at the music game of course. Smokin' Joe, who sadly died earlier this month, had quite a good soul voice and performed with his band The Knockouts. Mike Tyson and Larry Holmes are among other heavyweights to have tried their hand at singing. In the UK, the 'Blond Bomber' Billy Walker, who famously lost to Henry Cooper, made a number of singles, including a cover of A Certain Girl. His brother George was mixed up in the London underworld of the time, including involvement with the Kray twins, as was another British boxer Freddie Mills, who hosted Six Five Special and ran a night club before being found dead in his car in 1965.
As an aside, here's a bizarre clip on YouTube of a duet by Ali and Sam Cooke for Harry Carpenter on BBC TV http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkVSQXNJ-q4&feature=related

Woodies at play

2011-11-22T10:24:00.016Z

The Woodies were out in force at the Rhythm Riot at the weekend. For those who don't know, the Woodies are a group of roots music enthusiasts who gather at music gigs and have a monthly meet up where much ale and food are consumed. They take their name from Tales From The Woods, a (fairly) regular eclectic newsletter covering a wide range of music and nostalgia which was the brainchild of Keith Woods. Here's the website http://www.tftw.org.uk/
The following photos were taken at the Rhythm Riot. The first one shows the godfather of the Woodies, Keith Woods (centre), with Chelsea supporting greengrocer Bill Haynes (left) and Darren Vidler, one of the younger members. Keith has organised a number of live music gigs in and around London, including the annual tribute to the legendary 2Is coffee bar in Soho. The next show takes place at the Borderline in London on January 29 and stars Kingsize Taylor, Garry Mills, Jackie Lynton, Dave Sampson, Cliff Edmunds and The Allisons. Here we have four more Woodies, including (second from left) Ken Major. Ken has organised several Stomping USA trips over the years and was instrumental in getting Jivin' Gene to play at this year's Rhythm Riot. Others are (left to right) Ralph Edwards from Shrewsbury, who has entertained fellow Woodies on his guitar on occasions, Brian 'Bunter' Clarke, drummer with the Tales From The Woods House Band, and John Spencely, ace guitarist with the same group, which often backs up artists at Woodies gigs.

Next we have three long time Woodies: Martyn Harvey, from Hastings; Gordon Fleming, from Kent; and Aussie Alan Lloyd, the Woodies resident IT expert.

On this table (at the Green Owl pub in Camber Sands) we have Ian Sadler (front right) and his American friend Chris, with photographer Paul Harris behind them (left) and Juke Blues's Dickie Tapp (right).

Woodies is now international and there were two New Orleans-based American friends at Rhythm Riot: Jay McCaddin (looking very smart in his naval uniform) and his partner Paula.

The Woodies wouldn't be complete without a couple of genuine Teds, who like to dress up accordingly at rock and roll gigs. Here they are: Lee Wilkinson (left) and Tony Papard.

A regular contributor to Tales From The Woods is John Jolliffe, who writes articles on soul music under the pen name of Soulboy. Here he is in typical pose!

Finally, here are three other Woodie reprobates in the historic town of Rye - left to right, Dave Carroll (Arsenal fan and jazz contributor to Tales From the Woods), Brian Jessup (Sutton United fan) and me, Nick Cobban.

Bobbettes & Jivin' Gene shine at Rhythm Riot

2011-11-21T15:45:00.012Z

The annual Rhythm Riot at the Camber Sands Holiday Camp marks an essential date in the diaries of many UK and European rock and roll fans. They dress in fifties fashions or military uniforms, they jive energetically and they show off their wonderful 1950s American cars. Most of my Woodie friends go every year, but I've never been - until this year. My reasoning has been that the weather is usually cold and the US acts that I want to see are few and far between.
Well this year the weather was great - thank you global warming - and the American acts, few though they were, were pretty good. So I think I made the right decision.
Following my preference for American acts, the first performance that I saw was Jerry Lee's niece, MaryJean Lewis and the Starlight Boys. She lives in Scotland these days so she's almost an honorary Brit, but she retains some Memphis credentials and, like the rest of the family, she's pretty handy on the piano. Her set was quite a varied mix of music, from rockabilly to honky tonk to country and included tracks from her new CD Missin' Memphis such as the title track, Valley of Tears and Lovin' Fever. Other songs included Ruth Brown's Mama You Treat Your Daughter Mean and Daddy Daddy. Whilst not quite up to Uncle Jerry's exalted standards, she's quite a class act and this was a promising start to the festival. After MaryJean, things really hotted up with one of the stars of this year's show - Texan swamp pop king Jivin' Gene. I saw Gene at the Ponderosa Stomp recently and, good though he was, the fact that he was restricted on time meant that he couldn't really show what he's made of. This time he had a full 45 minutes (plus encore) and was able to show that there's a lot more to him than just his 1959 swamp pop hit Breaking Up Is Hard To Do. Surprisingly he didn't perform his other best known record Going Out With The Tide, but his voice was strong on some of his other early recordings including Up Up and Away, My Need For Love and, a real highlight, Lovelight Man. He's got a strong New Orleans feel and performed some Smiley Lewis numbers including One Night and, as an extended encore, Shame Shame Shame and I Hear You Knocking, plus Fats Domino's Poor me and Roy Brown's Let The Four Winds Blow. Definitely one of the real high spots of this year's Rhythm Riot I think.

Next on stage was Big Joe Louis and his Blues Kings. One of the UK's best blues bands, this was a solid set, but there was some rather annoying reverb and Joe's gold lame trousers were rather disconcerting.

Saturday night's opening act for me (after an excellent meal at the Green Owl pub) was a Belgian band featuring Lawen Stark and the Slide Boppers. Something of an Elvis imperonator, Lawen showed that he can whistle, lie on his back while playing his guitar and generally raise a bit of a storm. I liked his 21 Days In Jail and a speeded up version of I Really Don't Want To Know, but I found his voice just a bit dodgy.

The real highlight of the weekend came next - The Bobbettes, whose 1957 hit Mr Lee was one of the earliest smash hits by an R & B girl group. The current line up featuring one (or is it two?) original members is supremely versatile and professional, and featured some great doo-wop and not a little humour (in a James Brown show style way). Starting off with Sam Cooke's Good News, they harmonised beautifully on several of their own numbers including Don't Say Goodnight, Clyde McPhatter's Have Mercy Baby, Look At The Stars (the B Side of Mr Lee), the weirdly entitled Rock and Ree-Ah-Zole, You Are My Sweetheart, Johnny Q, The Dream, Um Bow Bow, Dance With Me Georgie (a reworking of Etta James' Roll With Me Henry) and I Don't Like It Like That (an answer to Chris Kenner's number). They also slipped in James Brown's Try Me, Ray Charles' The Night Time Is The Right Time and the Teen Queens' Eddie My Love, before launching into their big hit Mr Lee and the rather odd follow up I Shot Mr Lee (they got tired of him apparently). These four ladies put on a great show and for me, as someone who hasn't seen them before, it was a real treat. The whole thing was beautifully choreographed, right down to their excellent encore - Old Time Rock and Roll. Here are a couple of photos.

Sunday night's US star was Ray Sharpe, whose 1958 hit Linda Lu is popular with rock and roll and blues fans alike. Wearing what I took to be a Native American smock, Ray seemed unhappy with his guitar strings and perhaps a little out of practice but he was well supported by Big Boy Bloater and the Rhythm Riot Kings of Rhythm. His mostly blues set included the original A side of Linda Lu, Red Sails in the Sunset, the later B side, the Chuck Berry influenced Monkey's Uncle and a later recording Justine, but it didn't really catch fire until his extended version of Linda Lu itself at the end. Ray shows that he has a fair voice (despite a very small mouth) but his guitar playing ranged from the ragged to the excellent. I saw him years ago at the 100 Club, but this time he was not quite up to the standard of that show I thought.

The final act (for me) was Lil' Mo and the Dynaflos, a dynamic, fifties style doo-wop band from Los Angeles with a college boy look. The band features four excellent vocalists, including Lil' Mo himself, and most of their material is their own. Backed up by four instrumentalists, including a lively saxman and an equally proficient guitarist, they really rocked and came across as a cross between Dion and the Belmonts and Danny and the Juniors.

This was a great finish to an enjoyable weekend but will I go again? Maybe, if the line up is good. Not to mention the weather!

Soul B sides

2011-11-17T21:00:00.003Z

Vinyl Word reader Dave Carroll has been asking some of his soul-loving friends (JJ (alias Soulboy), his brother Rod and myself) to suggest the best soul B sides they can think of. Here are the suggestions so far (and there are some great ones here, with UK labels where known, otherwise US):
Johnny Adams - If I Could See You One More Time (A side: Reconsider Me) Polydor
Oscar Toney Jr. - A Love That Never Grows Cold (A side: Without Love There Is Nothing) Bell
Bunny Sigler - Somebody Free (A side: Keep Smilin') Philadelphia International
Gene McDaniels - Another Tear Falls (A side: Chip Chip) Liberty
Esther Phillips - I Saw Me (A side: Let me Know When It's Over) Atlantic
Freddie North - Are You Thinking Of Him (When You're Loving Me) (A side: Roll Over (Play Like Our Love Ain't Dead)) Mankind
Vernon Garrett - Stranger In My Bed (Tonight) (A side: Johnny Walker Red) Glow Hill
Big John Hamilton - The Train (A side: Big Bad John) Minaret
Bettye Swann - Today I Started Loving You Again (A side: I'd Rather Go Blind) Atlantic
Lady Margo - Stop By (A side: Simply Got To Make It) Cynthia
Arthur Alexander - A shot of rhythm and blues (A side You Better Move On) London
Solomon Burke - Stupidity (A side: Cant Nobody Love You) London
Barbara Hall - Drop My Heart off at the Door (A side: You brought it on yourself) EMI
Barbara Lynn - Unfair (A side: Oh! Baby (We got a good thing Goin') London
Irma Thomas -True True Love (A side: He's My Guy) Liberty
Sam Cooke - A change is gonna come (A side: Shake) RCA
Otis Redding - I've been loving you too long (A side: Respect) Atlantic
Sam and Dave - Wrap it up (A side: I thank you) Stax
Irma Thomas - Wish Someone Would Care (A side: Breakaway) Liberty
Irma Thomas - Time Is On My Side (A side: Anyone Who Knows What Love Is) Liberty

Other suggestions welcome. Incidentally, one of the best music blogs around is Red Kelly's The B Side http://www.redkelly.blogspot.com/ Well worth a look.

EMI RIP

2011-11-12T08:52:00.006Z

Sad to see that the last major UK-owned record company, EMI, has been split up and sold to Universal Music Group and Sony. Electric and Musical Industries was formed in 1931 with the merger of the Gramophone Company - famous for the iconic His Masters Voice label - and Columbia. Its Abbey Road recording studio became world famous when the Beatles named an LP after it. But it was much more than that.
In my early record collecting years in the sixties EMI and Decca were the predominant record companies, with Pye and Philips/ Fontana less so, and smaller labels such as Oriole of relatively minor importance (except during its Motown distribution period) until the emergence of Polydor and its distribution of Atlantic and Stax records later in the decade. As well as HMV and Columbia, EMI also had its own Parlophone label and between them they brought early American acts such as Elvis, Hank Ballard and Huey Smith to British audiences, as well as launching UK acts. EMI also distributed Capitol, MGM, Mercury and, a little later, launched UK labels for other Amercian record companies such as Liberty, United Artists, Verve and Tamla Motown. After taking over and later closing the independent Top Rank label, it launched Stateside, which rivalled Decca's London label as an outlet for many smaller US labels in the UK. Decca also had RCA, Coral, Brunswick, Vocalion and Warner Brothers among its labels and the two companies went head to head. As the sixties wore on Pye became more important with the distribution of Chess records in the UK and Philips launched CBS as a UK label, bringing with it Dylan and Johnny Cash.
Unlike the US, with its many independent labels, record distribution in the UK was very centralised in those days, and it was only later that indies such as Island and Immediate began to change the scene and this evolved into a rash of independent labels in the 70s and 80s. Now, it seems that the record label itself is on the way out and that downloads are taking over. But as a vinyl collector EMI will always remain important to me. Sad to see it go.

Aaron Neville & Keb Mo at the Barbican

2011-11-08T18:01:00.002Z

Aaron Neville has the body of a heavyweight boxer but the voice of an angel - a velvet smooth voice that can make even the dullest song sound great. Appropriately wearing a T shirt with angel wings on the back, Aaron performed a rare solo set at the Barbican last night supported by brother Charles on saxophone and an excellent band, which showcased his vocal talent in full. He started with Stand By Me (doesn't everyone?) but moved through a soul medley comprising Cupid, There Goes My Baby and Chain Gang, before launching into an excellent version of Little Willie John's Fever. After the Neville Brothers' Congo Square, Aaron sang a couple of his own hits, namely Everybody Plays The Fool and a lovely rendition of I Don't Know Much, his duet with Linda Ronstadt. He then strayed from his New Orleans roots with the Drifters' Please Stay and Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, before leaving the stage for a mellow instrumental version of Besame Mucho featuring Charles on sax.

Moving on through a couple of Bob Marley numbers (Three Little Birds and Stir It Up), he powered through Bill Withers' Use Me and a couple of other numbers before returning to familiar territory with his 1966 hit Tell It Like It Is, a superb version of Yellow Moon from the Neville Brothers' 1989 album of the same name, and finished with a sweet and perfect version of Amazing Grace.

Aaron is 70 these days but doesn't look or sound it. His voice is as wonderful as ever. I love the Neville Brothers, but Aaron's voice has always been the band's focus and this was an occasion to remember.

Kicking off the bill last night was bluesman Keb Mo - this time with his own band rather than his usual acoustic set. One of the newer bluesmen (despite being 60 years old) he featured the title track from his new album The Reflection and his set was melodic and laid back, but it was perhaps just a little too mainstream and lacking in gutsy rawness. He's a fine guitarist, and his band was first rate, but somehow his set never got going.

Goodbye from the guys and gals

2011-10-29T17:30:00.008+01:00

Now then, now then. As it happens, the Vinyl Word lifts a glass to Sir Jimmy Savile, who has died at his home in Leeds at the age of 84. It's hard to exaggerate the importance of Jimmy in the world of pop music in the sixties. I was one of the earliest members of Radio Luxembourg's Teen and Twenty Disc Club (the TTDC) back in around 1961, when Jimmy was a DJ on 208. I had a membership card with a low membership number, but I've no idea what happened to it. Around that time he attempted a pop career with an unsuccessful cover of Ray Stevens' Ahab the Arab.
But it was as a radio presenter and, even more so, as a TV presenter that Jimmy really shone, with his catchphrases, northern affability, dyed hair and track suits. He was, notably, the first presenter of Top of the Pops in 1964 (and also the last when it ended in 2006), a big name on Radio One from 1968 onwards and presenter of the rather naff, but very popular Jim'll Fix It.
A former miner and professional wrestler, he was awarded his knighthood for services to charity, especially money raised through his long distance walks and marathons. I remember in 1972 when I was a local newspaper reporter in Lancashire I met Jimmy, who was one of a number of nutty people who took part in a non-stop walking competition around the motor racing circuit at Aintree. This mad event took places for days - perhaps even weeks - and Jimmy was one of the last to give up. I also recall that on the night Elvis died I tuned into Radio Luxembourg - and there was Jimmy on the line reminiscing about his meetings with The King.
Jimmy was always a strange fish. He doted on his mother - The Duchess - and never married. With his huge cigars, white Rolls Royce and constant cheeriness he came across as somehow rather a lonely person. But he was a big personality in his day and a leading figure in the pop music of the day. So, Jimmy, how's about that then?

Some final words

2011-10-23T16:05:00.006+01:00

Time to say a final Vinyl Word on a number of recent deaths.
Edmundo Ros, who has died aged 100, made frequent appearances on British TV with his orchestra when I was a kid. Although never in the pop market, he is credited with popularising Latin American music in the UK.
Barry Feinstein, who was 80, was one of rock's most successful photographers, having created over 500 album covers, including iconic photos of Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin and George Harrison. Photos featured are Dylan's Times They Are A Changin' and Joplin's Pearl.
A couple of bluesman have died: Mojo Buford and Earl Gilliam. Harmonica player George Mojo Buford was 81 and played with Muddy Waters as well as recording a number of solo albums, while Louisiana born pianist Earl Gilliam, who was also 81, was well know as a Texas bluesman, backing many artists and recording one solo album, Texas Doghouse Blues in 2005.
Doowop artist Fred Ferrara sang baritone with Brooklyn Bridge and with the Del Satins, who backed Dion on Runaround Sue, The Wanderer and Lovers Who Wonder, as well as Ernie Maresca on Shout Shout Knock Yourself Out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciwLaXpm4rE
Other recent deaths include Marv Tarplin, who was a member of The Miracles, UK folk rock guitarist Bert Jansch, jazzman Pete Rugolo and Country Johnny Mathis. And I mustn't forget Betty Driver (Betty Turpin in Corrie for countless years whose hotpots were world famous) and Colonel Gaddafi, Libyan dictator for a similar length of time. Two more contrasting characters it's hard to imagine.

Roy Young rocks at the Half Moon

2011-10-17T08:50:00.004+01:00

There's nothing sophisticated or subtle about the music of Roy Young, who played a birthday gig at the Half Moon, Putney, last night. It was straight-ahead rocking boogie woogie from beginning to end as he belted through the Little Richard songbook, with occasional diversions through Larry Williams, Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis and Ray Charles territory. Roy got his start on Oh Boy in the late 50s when he impressed Jack Good, who was a Little Richard fan. He's played with a who's who of rock and roll, including Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, Bill Haley and Little Richard himself, and later played with Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers.

He's no originator (apart from his own composition Big Fat Mama - dedicated to his mum) but as an interpreter of early rock and roll he's 'incredible' - as his billing puts it. His band gave him great support, especially saxman Howie Casey (pictured below), whose early Liverpool band the Seniors once featured a young Freddie Starr (then known as Freddie Fowell) on vocals, and drummer Paul Gill.

Roy started with Slow Down, the Larry Williams number, but that was one thing he didn't do throughout his set. He showed off his strong boogie woogie playing on a string of Little Richard numbers (Can't Believe You Want To Leave, Bama Lama Bama Lu, Keep a Knockin', Ready Teddy, Hey Hey Hey Hey, She's Got It, Ooh My Soul and, as an encore, Lucille). He interspersed these with a few numbers from Fats Domino (Jambalaya, I'm Ready, Blue Monday and Ain't That A Shame), plus Ray Charles' Mess Around, Chuck Willis' Hang Up My Rock and Roll Shoes and Jerry Lee's Great Balls of Fire - with audience participation. His voice was getting stretched by the end as he blasted his way through this high octane set, but his piano bashing didn't let up for a moment.

Having seen Roy, Howie and the band at a couple of 2Is shows, I knew what to expect. He didn't disappoint and it was good to see him doing a full length set.

Blind musicians

2011-10-08T19:25:00.009+01:00

I was listening to a radio programme for the blind the other day and it struck me that there have been some wonderful blind musicians - especially in the blues field - over the years. Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder spring to mind of course, along with the great Clarence Carter (pictured at Jazzfest 2010), but many of the influential early blues singers were blind. They include Blind Lemon Jefferson, Blind Willie McTell, Blind Willie Johnson, Blind Boy Fuller, Blind Mississippi Morris and Blind Blake (not exactly hiding their disabilities of course). And then there was Sonny Terry, Little Buster and the partially sighted Sam Myers and, more recently, the late Jeff Healey.
In the jazz field there were Art Tatum, George Shearing, Diane Schuur and Roland Kirk, and in pop Al Hibbler (who had the original hit with Unchained Melody), Jose Feliciano and Ronnie Milsap. In the gospel field the Blind Boys of Alabama and their Mississippi counterparts stood out, as did the Rev Gary Davis. From reggae there's Frankie Paul and from New Orleans there's pianist and singer Henry Butler (pictured at Porretta in 2008).
No doubt there are others and I would be interested in any suggestions.

Catching up

2011-10-01T09:21:00.009+01:00

Time to catch up with a few music related things that have been happening. Firsly, there are some deaths to report.

Sylvia Robinson, one half of fifties duo Mickey and Sylvia who made it big with Love Is Strange and who was the godmother of hip hop, has died aged 75. After splitting with Mickey (Baker) she formed All Platinum Records, which had hits with the Moments and Shirley and Company, and had a solo hit with Pillow Talk in 1973. But probably her biggest claim to fame was as co-founder with her husband Joe of Sugar Hill Records, which brought Grand Master Flash and Furious Five - and rap music in general - into the public consciousness. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpEA5QGYJFQ

Another recent death is that of bluesman Willie 'Big Eyes' Smith, aged 75. He made his name backing Muddy Waters in the early sixties but had his greatest success as a member of the Legendary Blues Band, along with Pinetop Perkins, which recorded a number of albums in the eighties and nineties, and later as a solo performer.. His last album was Joined At The Hip, with Pinetop, which won a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album in 2011.

The Vinyl Word also lifts a glass to Jumpin' Jack Neal, original bass player with Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps, who can be heard on Be Bop A Lulu.

* A word too about the BBC biopic on the early battles of Shirley Bassey which was broadcast the other night. I have always found Shirley too middle of the road for my tastes, but the rags to riches story of a mixed race girl from Splott who made it big was inspiring, and her portrayal by Ruth Negga (pictured) was excellent.

* Finally, I accidentally omitted a photograph of soul man C P Love in my recent blogs on my US music trip. C P Love's second number was Secondline Home, not Train as I thought.

Final photos from the US trip

2011-09-27T17:31:00.016+01:00

Here are a final batch of photos from our US music trip.
After leaving New Orleans we went to Crowley, Louisiana, for a swamp blues show at the historic Rice Theatre. Carol Fran was one of a number of blues artists taking part in the show.

Another was guitarist Rudy Richard, seen here with C C Adcock.

Guitar Gable appeared on stage but didn't play due to ill health.

Here's Warren Storm - like C C Adcock, a member of the Lil Band of Gold.

Back in Memphis we caught the North Mississippi All Stars at the Levitt Shell in Overton Park, where a young Elvis once sang.

The last few photos were taken at various stages of our trip. Here's the Gateway Arch in St Louis. Lee and I rode to the top in a tiny tram type compartment, from where there are views of the Mississippi river on one side and the city on the other.

Here are Dave, Lee and Dave in a bar in Springfield.

Dave C poses under the original Stax sign which now sits in the Rum Boogie Cafe on Beale Street, Memphis.

Lee found himself suddenly propositioned by a lady (?) at Wild Bill's in Memphis.

We met up with other Woodies at the Michael Hurtt gig in New Orleans. Here's Alan Lloyd with Dave T and Lee.

Ken, Jay, Paul and Ian were among other Woodies at the show.

Here's me with Paul and his friend Paige at the Ponderosa Stomp.

Martin, Lee and Dave C take a break at the Stomp.

Dave T, Mark (another UK visitor) and me at the theatre in Crowley.

Finally, Lee takes a snap of yet another Memphis recording studio - the Sam Phillips studio on Madison.

Ponderosa Stomp photos - Day two

2011-09-25T11:12:00.015+01:00

Day two of the Stomp kicked off with bluesman Little Freddie King. On the small stage Rudy Richard (pictured), former guitarist with Slim Harpo, was playing alongside Lazy Lester.

Miss Lavelle White, blues and soul singer with Duke Records in the 50s and 60s.

This is Clifford Curry, best known for She Shot A Hole In My Soul.

Here's sax honker Big Jay McNeely making his way through the crowd at the start of his set.

Arch Hall Jr played an undistinguished set with his band the Archers.

Billy Boy Arnold - most famous for I Wish You Would.

Here is Louisiana rockabilly singer Joe Clay.

This is Lady Bo.

Ben Cauley and Skip Pitts of the Bo-Keys.

Sir Mack Rice, who wrote Mustang Sally.

Stax recording artist Eddie Floyd, whose Knock On Wood remains a soul favourite.

An anguished looking Otis Clay, who made some great records for One-Derful and Hi, among other record labels.

William Bell, still looking great 50 years on from his first hit You Don't Miss Your Water.

Ponderosa Stomp photos - Day one

2011-09-24T11:47:00.017+01:00

Here is a selection of photos from day one of the Ponderosa Stomp. It was an action packed day, with a huge number of acts, so plenty of pictures. First one is of the Soul Chicken man, Bobby Allen. This is zydeco artist Clayton Sampy.

Louisiana bluesman Classie Ballou.

Swamp pop and blues together in the form of Warren Storm and Lazy Lester.

Songwriter, composer, producer, pianist - he is, of course, the great Allen Toussaint.

The Barefootin' man - Robert Parker.

Famous for Mr Big Stuff and My Toot Toot, here's Jean Knight.

This is Lloyd Price's brother - Little Leo.

Al 'Carnival Time' Johnson with dancing girls (well, ladies).

This is Earl Stanley, formerly with Roger and the Gypsies.

Swamp crooner G G Shinn - the Louisiana Liberace.

New Orleans carriage driver and soul singer Tony Owens.

David Battiste, formerly with the Gladiators (New Orleans vocal group).

Mr Sea Cruise himself - Frankie Ford.

Country flavoured Louisiana singer Jay Chevalier.

Swamp pop artist Jivin' Gene - appearing at the Rhythm Riot in the UK this autumn.

More photos from the US trip

2011-09-23T15:34:00.016+01:00

Here's the second batch of photos from our US trip. There was a big British contingent at the Ponderosa Stomp and here are a few of them lined up outside the Howlin' Wolf club: (left to right) Dave C, Dave T, Lee, Seamus, Seamus's son, Dickie Tapp, John Broven, an American friend. Photos of the Stomp itself next time. In the meantime here are some more pix of the days leading up to it.

This is Michael Hurtt and the Haunted Hearts at their record launch show at Mimi's in the Marigny in New Orleans. There were quite a few Woodies at the show, including Paul Waring, who for some reason started dancing with a chair. Don't ask me why.

I went to some of the Ponderosa Stomp conference events at the Renaissance Arts Hotel on one of the days. Here is Carol Fran being interviewed there.

And here is Bobby Rush at the same event.

On our first evening in New Orleans we went to see the Joe Krown band at the Rock 'n' Bowl.

Big Sam's Funky Nation were playing for free at Lafayette Square in New Orleans the day we arrived. This was the first of a series of free gigs taking place there during the autumn (fall I should say).

Doe's Eat Place in Greenville, Mississippi, attracts people from all around because of its excellent steaks. Even Bill Clinton has eaten there.

What they don't tell you when you look at the menu is the price. Two of us opted for the fillet steak and were a bit shocked when we saw the price - 36 dollars. The steak was delicious though.

The Highway 61 Blues Museum in Leland, Mississippi, is worth checking out. While we were there blues singer Pat Thomas drew some folk art cartoon cats. Here's a photo of him with the group.

Another museum worth visiting is the new B B King Museum in his home town, Indianola. A lot of money has been spent on making this a really excellent place to go.

Club Ebony in Indianola - one of the most famous juke joints in the south - is now owned by B B King.

Here's me in Tutwiler, Mississippi, where W C Handy 'discovered' the blues. Sonny Boy Williamson's grave is nearby.

Finally, for Dave C, here's a photo of the Ground Floor blues band at Beale on Broadway in St Louis.

Photos from US music trip St Louis/Springfield/Memphis

2011-09-22T19:52:00.018+01:00

Here's the first batch of photos from the 2011 Stomping USA music trip. First, here are the four intrepid travellers (left to right): me, Dave Thomas, Dave Carroll and Lee Wilkinson.This is the view from St Louis' most famous landmark, the Gateway Arch, showing the Busch Baseball Stadium. The newly unveiled statue of Chuck Berry opposite the Blueberry Hill restaurant and music venue where Chuck plays once a month.

And here's me at the bar in Blueberry Hill. We seemed to spend quite a lot of time in bars!

Blues singer Kim Massie at the Beale on Broadway bar in downtown St Louis.

Larry Garner performing at the Greater Ozarks Blues Festival in Springfield, Missouri. We followed the legendary Route 66 from St Louis to Springfield.

This is Lil' Ed, performing with his band the Blues Imperials, at Springfield.

James Govan plays every week in the Rum Boogie Cafe in Beale Street, Memphis. The bar contains the original neon sign from Stax Records.

The Soul Survivors play every weekend at Wild Bill's juke joint in Memphis.
Here's me outside Memphis' oldest cafe, the Arcade, founded in 1919.
Royal Studios in the now-renamed Willie Mitchell Boulevard in Memphis, where Al Green, Ann Peebles, Otis Clay and Syl Johnson recorded.
The legendary Sun Studios at 706 Union St, Memphis, where the likes of Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash recorded.
This is the J P Soars Band playing in Huey's, Memphis.

Yet another legendary Memphis recording studio - this is Ardent on Madison St.

Stomping 2011 - Crowley and Memphis

2011-09-22T10:37:00.004+01:00

Following the Ponderosa Stomp and all the great music experienced there, we moved on to Crowley in the heart of Cajun country for a swamp blues show at the historic Rice Theatre featuring some of the acts we saw at the Stomp. It was a slightly disorganised affair, with various artists coming and going throughout, but enjoyable. It started with an interesting documentary film about Louisiana record man J D Miller, who was responsible for recording dozens of blues, swamp pop and country artists.
The concert proper kicked off with Lil' Buck and his band backing Carol Fran, who did five numbers, including Emmett Lee and Crying in the Chapel. Her voice is still strong despite a stroke last year. Next on was Classie Ballou, who also performed five numbers including Crazy mambo and The thrill has gone. C C Adcock came on to join the band as various local blues and swamp pop performers ran through the Slim Harpo song book, including Rainin' in my heart, I'm a king bee, Baby scratch my back, Shake your hips and Got love if you want it. They included Warren Storm, Rudy Richard, Lazy Lester, James Johnson and Jockey Etienne. Guitar Gable also appeared on stage, although he wasn't able to play guitar due to ill health. After a couple of solo numbers from Warren Storm and Lazy Lester the show finished with the swamp pop anthem This could go on forever. It certainly could.
From Crowley we drove back next day to Memphis. In the evening we went to the famous Levitt Shell, where Elvis played in the fifties, for the Jim Dickinson Folk Festival, which featured the Sons of Mudboy, a Southern rock band called Lucero and the North Mississippi All Stars. This was a great and well attended event for a damp Monday night and afterwards we went off to the Blue Monkey for a few pints.
Next day it was back to St Louis and back home today. After two weeks of non stop driving and music I'm knackered, but it was a great trip. I will start putting selected photos on in the next day or two.

Ponderosa Stomp day two

2011-09-20T00:53:00.004+01:00

Day two of the Stomp was one of amazing highs and a couple of fairly grim lows, but overall a day to remember. The evening kicked off with bluesman Little Freddie King, whose set was spoiled somewhat by over-distorted guitar. On the small stage next door Lazy Lester was playing some effective swamp blues with guitarist Rudy Richard, once a player with Slim Harpo. But things really got going on the main stage with Lavelle White, who was quite excellent on a series of blues and swamp pop numbers recorded for Duke over 50 years ago, including I've got to run to you, Why young men go wild and Teenage love. Backed by the superb Deke Dickerson band, she was followed by Clifford Curry, best known for his R and B number She shot a hole in my soul. Wearing a not too convincing wig, his voice was a bit ragged, but he showed plenty of enthusiasm on Let the good times roll, Rock a while, Soul ranger and his big hit.

Next on was the last of the 40s and 50s sax honkers Big Jay McNeely. He emerged from the audience and took the stage to perform brilliant versions of There is something on my mind and Rocking at the insect ball, among others. He may be 84 years of age, but he looks and sounds great and he is a true showman - finishing his set with a walk around the audience blowing his sax. A real highlight.

From the sublime to the ridiculous, with a real low point courtesy of Arch Hall Jr and the Archers. He apparently enjoys cult status due to his connection with some 50s B movies, but it is a cult I won't be joining. His band were naff. Nuff said.

Next on was bluesman Billy Boy Arnold, who was excellent on I wish you would and I ain't got you, but went on a tad too long and became just a little samey. Good stuff though, and better than the run of the mill rockabilly of Joe Clay, who kicked off with Don't mess with my ducktail. He, in turn, was better than Lady Bo, who messed around on mostly Bo Diddley numbers, including Road runner and Mona.

By this time the show was running an hour late, but there was no way I was going to miss the next section, a tribute to Memphis soul, featuring the Bo-Keys, with the excellent wah-wah guitar work of Skip Pitts, the trumpet of Ben Cauley, drumming of the 'Memphis bulldog' Howard Grimes and keyboard work of Archie Turner, plus an excellent horn section. First guest was Sir Mack Rice, looking thinner than the last time I saw him, who was adequate on I'm Coming Home, Baby please don't go, and his most famous composition, Mustang Sally. Next was Eddie Floyd, who showed plenty of energy on his hits including Raise your hand, 634-5789, Big bird and Knock on wood, with a finale of the Falcons' You're so fine with another former Falcon Mack Rice. After a groovy version of Shaft from Skip Pitts, this section really took off with the arrival of the great Otis Clay. He was in superb form, running through Trying to live my life without you, a surprising She's about a mover, I can't help myself and Got to get back to my baby. Has he got a fantastic soul voice or what? Brilliant. But things were to get, if anything, even better, with the arrival on stage of William Bell, looking extremely dapper in a smart brown outfit. It's only a couple of months since I saw William at Porretta, but he was even better this time - helped of course by the Bo-Keys. He was great on Easy going out, hard coming in, and even better on I forgot to be your lover, Born under a bad sign, You don't miss your water and Trying to love two, before slipping into medley territory at the end. By this time it was 3.15am and there were still two more acts to go. I have to admit that we baled out at this point. A great evening though.

Ponderosa Stomp day one

2011-09-17T22:33:00.005+01:00

The 10th annual New Orleans Ponderosa Stomp moved this year to a new venue, the Howlin' Wolf, and this proved to be an improvement on the House of Blues. As ever, Dr Ike put on a show featuring numerous obscure or near-forgotten musicians and if anything, there were even more than usual, although fewer semi-household names than in the past.

First on was Bobby Allen, a Louisiana native who made a record called Soul Chicken back in the sixties. He was dressed in a smart brown suit for the occasion and went smartly through a couple of funky songs - Check Mr Popeye and Funky Broadway/Land of 1000 Dances. He was followed by a zydeco singer called Clayton Sampy - a new name to me - who was described as a latter day Clifton Chenier. I thought he was no more than adequate. The running order changed, meaning that Carol Fran came next and that as a result I missed most of her set as I was grabbing a sandwich, just catching the end of Money. I'm told she was pretty good. Classie Ballou was next on - a competent bluesman who performed Hey Pardner and Lee Dorsey's Confusion.

One of the advertised highlights of the evening was an Excello tribute featuring Lazy Lester, Warren Storm and James Johnson, a guitarist who played with Slim Harpo. There were good performances of a couple of Harpo numbers - Baby scratch my back and Rainin' in my heart - and Warren Storm was great on Lonely lonely nights and Wings of an Angel, but three songs by James Johnson and no solos by Lazy Lester proved a bit disappointing.

The real highlight of the night was a tribute to legendary New Orleans producer Cosimo Matassa, who was in the audience, featuring the great Allen Toussaint (or the Wild Tousan as he was originally billed back in the fifties). He was brilliant on a series of self penned numbers, several of them recorded by Lee Dorsey, and then brought on stage Robert Parker, who drove forcefully through Where the action is and Barefootin'. Also on the tribute was Clarence Frogman Henry, who despite needing a wheelchair some of the time still has a great voice and got the crowd going with But I do and Ain't got no home. At this point Dave Bartholomew was scheduled to appear, but he was unwell, so Toussaint continued for a further 45 minutes, clearly enjoying himself thoroughly and ranging through Southern nights, A Certain girl, Fortune teller, Workin' in a coalmine and Tipitina. Fantastic stuff.

The second half of the show became rather bitty, with various performers coming on to do anything from one to three numbers. Ernie Vincent did one funky guitar number and then left the stage. Jean Knight was fine on her hits Do me, My toot toot and Mr Big Stuff, and Little Leo (Lloyd Price's younger brother) looked immaculate as he sang three bluesy numbers including Handwriting on the wall, but not, surprisingly, Send me some loving (his was the first version). C P Love was particularly good on the soulful I found all these things and Second line train, and Al Johnson brought some carnival fun along with Shake rattle and roll and his big hit Carnival Time, supported by two lady dancers in carnival type costumes. Earl Stanley, of whom I know nothing but who was apparently lead guitarist with New Orleans band Roger and the Gypsies, was joined by Michael Hurtt on maraccas for Pass the Hatchet and by Eddie Powers (I think) for A Gypsy woman told me. Then it was the turn of a white singer called G G Shinn - a man with a big voice but who was described by a friend as being like a Louisiana Liberace. You can draw your own conclusions.He was followed by a couple of additions to the bill in the form of soul man Tony Owens, who did a number called I got Souland David Battiste,formerly of local band the Gladiators, who got the crowd going with his energetic Funky Soul. Most of the above were backed by Lil' Buck and Topcats who were superb throughout.

The final session (for me at least) featured backing by Michael Hurtt and his band, and kicked off with Frankie Ford, who looked extremely frail and old and who did his best on Roberta, Cheatin' woman and Sea cruise. Jay Chevalier came next and was effective on Come back to Louisiana and the Ballad of Earl K Long, and the final act of what was a long night was the excellent swamp pop of Jivin' Gene, who included his two best known songs - Going out with the tide and Breaking up is hard to do - in his set.

Altogether this was an enjoyable evening with loads of variety, if a lack of better known acts. And to think we will go through it all again - with different acts I might add - tonight. The Stomp lives on!

Stomping 2011 - 4: to New Orleans

2011-09-16T21:36:00.004+01:00

We headed south out of Mississippi, having breakfast at a roadside place in Rolling Fork, birthplace of Muddy Waters, and arriving in New Orleans in mid afternoon. After checking into a cheapish hotel we went into town and had a quick look at Big Sam's Funky Nation, who were playing for free in Lafayette Square. Rather loud so we went to the Crescent City Brewhouse for a pint and had some jambalaya in a restaurant in the French Quarter. Then it was on to the new Rock and Bowl for Joe Krown, an innocuous swing band where a few people were jiving.

Next morning we had breakfast at the St Charles Tavern and then went to the Renaissance Arts Hotel for day one of the Ponderosa Stomp conference. I listened to two sessions - one with Bobby Rush, who was amusing as ever, even if he did repeat some of the stories I heard when I saw him last year. The second one was with two of the older ladies of the blues - Carol Fran and Miss Lavelle White - who took good natured digs at each other as they recalled their long careers, times at the Dewdrop Inn and stars they had known and, in some cases, had 'nights of fun' with. Carol told a story about how Elvis gave her $10,000 because his record company brought out Crying in the Chapel to cash in on Carol's version.

In the evening, after a fairly poor meal in a place off Esplanade, we went to Mimi's in the Marigny for a record launch show by Michael Hurtt and the Haunted Hearts and met up with the other Woodies in town for the Stomp. An excellent evening and I bought their 45, My Hamtranck Baby.

Today is the first day of the Stomp and I've spent some more dough on records at a great new record store called Euclid on Chartres. Looking forward to tonight's show.

Stomping 2011 - 3: Memphis & Mississippi

2011-09-14T13:40:00.005+01:00

Our road trip continues, with temperatures reaching the high 90s. We've been checking out various music related museums, all of them of a high quality. On Sunday, after breakfast at the historic Arcade cafe in Memphis, we toured the excellent Stax Museum (my third trip there), then Sun Studios for a quick look (my fourth visit). In the evening it was the Flying Saucer pub again and a look at the J P Soars band, who were playing at Huey's on Second St. Competent instrumentalists but not particularly exciting I thought.

Next day it was the Arcade cafe again for breakfast and then a tour of the Rock and Soul Museum (my second time). It's a very good one but I've seen it all before. We moved on to the Peabody Hotel for the famous duck walk, where a group of ducks come down in the lift to frolic in the indoor water feature for the day before an appreciate crowd. While there I had a look in Lanski's shop and splashed out on a shirt (half price in the sale).Lots of photos there of their most famous customer - Elvis. From there we went to Shangri-La records, where I bought some 45s, and then we had a couple of beers in the Blue Monkey bar on Madison. The evening was a quiet one - apart from the noise blasting out of the bars on Beale Street.

On Tuesday we drove south out of Memphis calling in at Helena (now almost completely derelict) and then having a so-so lunch at Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale. We called in at Tutwiler, where W C Handy discovered the blues in 1903, and then looked at Sonny Boy Williamson's grave. Further south, in Indianola, we toured the new and very impressive B B King Museum and had a look at the outside of Club Ebony, which he now owns. A little later we visited yet another museum - the Highway 61 Blues Museum in Leland. This a down home operation, but very interesting, and we were treated to some blues by Pat Thomas, son of James 'Son Ford' Thomas who also drew some kitty cartoons which he was obviously proud of. In the evening we checked into a crap motel in Greenville and had an excellent, if expensive fillet steak in the famous Doe Eat Place. After a couple of drinks and games of pool in the Spectators bar and a look at the riverboat casino we retired relatively early.

Stomping 2011 - 2: Springfield & Memphis

2011-09-11T17:38:00.004+01:00

We're into day 5 of our trip and we've caught some great blues so far. The Greater Ozarks Blues Festival in Springfield was a laid back affair with a smallish crowd, but the music was anything but laid back. Larry Garner was back in fine form with his own band, laying down a soulful groove on a dozen or so numbers including The road of life, Goin' down slow, No more free rides and She's the boss, before finishing off with the rap based on I gotta keep singing the blues that he did at the Half Moon, Putney earlier this year. I thought he was a whole lot better this time, ably supported by guitarist Elvin Killerbee. Headlining act was Lil Ed and the Blues Imperials, a strong blues band led by the charismatic Ed, which got the crowd going with some straight ahead blues.

After Springfield we drove through Arkansas to Memphis, stopping off at a picturesque town called Hardy, arriving around 4 and checking into a cheap motel in West Memphis. In the evening after a walk around Beale Street we sank a few pints at the Flying Saucer pub (well, Dave T did anyway) and then caught James Govan at the Rum Boogie Cafe. His band must be the best regular soul band anywhere and he was on great form as ever. A stunning performance of The Jealous Kind was a particular stand-out. Leaving the bar at around midnight we walked up Beale Street and I was struck by the fact that it was packed with people, 99 per cent of them black, including many girls in extremely short dresses. There is a barrier at each end of the street where anyone wanting to go in is checked by the police for weapons and drugs and there was a queue for hundreds of yards of people trying to get in. We went on Wild Bill's blues club which, conversely, has now been discovered by young whites. The club is as run down as ever though and the band, the Soul Survivors, just as good. After getting some beer from the off licence next door we settled down in the noisy, crowded bar for some great blues and southern soul, including some fine singing from, I think, Miss Kitten. I could have stayed till the end but some of the others were flagging so we left around 2. A great night though.

Stomping 2011 - 1: St Louis

2011-09-09T21:58:00.006+01:00

I'm into day 3 of my US road trip and just arrived in Springfield, Missouri, for the Greater Ozarks Blues Festival. The first two days were spent in St Louis, and I think it's fair to say that the four of us (Dave Carroll, Dave Thomas, Lee Wilkinson and myself) were impressed with the music scene. There are several blues clubs on South Broadway, such as the Broadway Oyster Bar, which we checked out at lunchtime, after taking a trip to the top of St Louis' most famous landmark - the Gateway Arch. Then we moved on to The Loop, which is a trendy district near the university, to visit Chuck Berry's club, Blueberry Hill. Chuck plays there once a month (sadly not while we were in town) but is open for food and drink (a good range of beers) and is well worth a visit. The place is full of memorabilia about the great man, and other musicans, and there are literally hundreds of photos Joe Edwards, the man behind the club and The Loop, with just about every celebrity around. Outside there is a Walk of Fame with plaques and stars dedicated to famous St Louis residents, including Chuck, Miles Davis and David Sanborn, plus some who are not so closely associated with the town such as Tina Turner.
In the evening we went down to the blues area again and settled on Beale on Broadway, where two blues bands were playing. First on was a local trio called the Ground Floor Band who provided quite a soulful sound and were selling their CD entitled Nothin's Black or White. Then came Kim Massie, a large lady who is obviously a big favourite there. She has a great voice and, backed by a five piece band, showed she can handle just every type of blues and soul style - even a touch of Led Zeppelin. She was taking requests, written on dollar bills, and must have made quite a few bob during the course of the evening.
More reports later, and some photos when I get back.

Wardell Quezerque RIP

2011-09-06T21:08:00.003+01:00

On the eve on my US trip, it's sad to hear of the death of New Orleans record producer and arranger Wardell Quezerque at the age of 81. Wardell played a key role in the New Orleans music scene over five decades. After playing with Dave Bartholomew's band in the late 1940s, he became a bandleader in his own right in the mid-1950s with his Royal Dukes of Rhythm and worked as an arranger with Professor Longhair and Fats Domino. In 1964 he formed Nola Records and had a smash hit with Robert Parker's Barefootin’, plus records by Eddie Bo and Willie Tee. Later he recorded the Dixie Cups' Iko Iko and Chapel of Love, Mr Big Stuff with Jean Knight, and other classics including Misty Blue by Dorothy Moore and King Floyd's Groove Me. He helped to put Malaco Records on the map, resulting in big names such as Paul Simon, Willie Nelson and B B King recording there. He also produced the Grammy award-winning album Goin' To New Orleans for Dr John in 1992.
I saw Wardell at the Ponderosa Stomp in 2007 where he led a band backing some of the acts, including former carriage driver Tony Owens. My photo shows Wardell (left) with Tony. Here's the report of his death on Nola.com http://www.nola.com/music/index.ssf/2011/09/wardell_quezergue_legendary_ne.html

Stomping again

2011-09-05T13:58:00.004+01:00

I'm off to the States on Wednesday for another musical road trip with Dave (Carroll), Dave (Thomas) and Lee (Wilkinson) taking in St Louis, Springfield, Memphis, Mississippi and New Orleans. It should be fun.
By coincidence I came across the diary I wrote for my Stomping trip in 1998, which brought back memories. Here's an edited version:
April 24: Arrived in Houston with John (Howard) and drove as far as Lafayette. Discovered that Jimmy Vaughan was playing at the Grant St Dance Hall. Not only that, but, as we found out when we got there, a band with Warren Storm, C C Adcock and Steve Riley as support. Altogether excellent. Next day drove to New Orleans, checked in at the Rose Inn, coffee and beighnets at the Cafe Du Monde and then Jazzfest. A beautiful day and a good one too. Highlights were Ruth Brown, a bit of Dr John and John Fogerty, Jean Knight, Mavis Staples singing gospel accompanied by Allen Toussaint, the Frogman and Burning Spear. In eve went to the Brewhouse and then to Irma's club.
April 25: Breakfast at the Anita Grill and then bought some records at Record Ron's, who's getting rid of the rest of his vinyl. Then to Jazzfest - caught Johnny Adams (now apparently recovered), Marcia Ball, Etta James, Bonnie Raitt. In the evening went to the Lakefront Arena and saw John Fogerty (excellent) and Dr John. Finished up at Ernie K-Doe's club - he's flipped - spent ages trying to sing like Jerry Butler.
April 26: Average day at the Fest, highlights being Ronnie Dawson, Buffy Sainte-Marie and Margaret Lewis plus a bit of R L Burnside, Shirley Caesar and Frankie Ford. Afterwards went to a party organised by Blues-L internet group and a meal at Snug Harbor.
April 27: Day at leisure then to the Rock 'n' Bowl to see Ronnie Dawson, Joe Clay and Johnny J downstairs and Snooks Eaglin upstairs. Finished up having a hurricane at Pat O'Brien's.
April 28: Wet. Left New Orleans with John driving north, looking in at McComb and Canton, eventually arriving in Tupelo. Not much to do there - had a Mexican meal and drinks in four bars.
April 29: Had a look at Elvis's birthplace (tiny), then drove to Memphis. Lunch in B B King's in Beale St, saw the 5pm duck walk at Peabody's Hotel. Wet again. Went to the Rum Boogie Cafe for James Govan. Keith (Woods), Lee (Wilkinson) and Tony (Papard) turned up (see photo). Finished up at Tiffany's amateur night - all very unreal.
April 30: Sunny after yesterday's rain. Got some 45s at Shangri-La Records and got talking to Jimmy Denson who knew Elvis (and the Burnettes) as kids. Said Elvis was a dope fiend and a 'baby' with a low IQ. Had a drink in the Map Room in Downtown and then stopped on the off-chance at Royal Studios. Willie Mitchell was sitting there with his feet up - very welcoming and we went through to the recording studio with Donnie Mitchell where William Brown (ex Mad Lads) played us some great gospel. While we were there Otis Clay turned up. Late afternoon went to a reception before the Handy Awards where Otis Clay appeared again. The awards themselves took a while to get going, although Ruth Brown and Robert Cray as hosts were fine, but eventually a duet with Keb Mo and Honeyboy Edwards, a great set by Johnny Adams and a wonderful duet with Bonnie Raitt and Rufus Thomas set it alight. Went on to a blues club - Junkyardmen and band with Kevin Kimbrugh.
May 1: Had a burger at Sun Studios - Jon Cleary was there - and a look at Mud Island and then to the Beale Street festival. Saw the Holmes Brothers, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Ruby Wilson, Shirley Caesar, Anson Funderburg/Sam Myers, Doobie Brothers and Bonnie Raitt. Later went to the New Daisy on Beale for a fantastic show by Bobby Rush with four sexy girls. May 2: After breakfast went to Poplar Tunes where Otis Clay was signing CDs.A fairly dull day at the festival - or maybe I'm bluesed out - with the Jelly Roll Kings, Neville Brothers, Steve Earle and Robert Clay, enlivened by J Blackfoot. Afterwards drank in the Flying Saucer pub and the bar of the Peabody.
May 3: Went to Al Green's church - sat through the gospel singing, but Al wasn't there. Then on to Tunica, a huge gambling resort, with a blues festival going on. Highlights were the Kentucky Headhunters and Bobby Rush (again). Otis Clay did one number. Kenny Wayne Shepherd was raucous and also on were Sonny Burgess and Dave Whitlock plus James Cotton.
May 6: Back in England, tired. On Monday drove through Arkansas and stayed in Nacogdoches, and then on to Houston and home.

David 'Honeyboy' Edwards

2011-08-30T10:37:00.007+01:00

And then there were none. David 'Honeyboy' Edwards, the last of the pre-war Mississippi bluesmen who played with the legendary Robert Johnson, has died aged 96. His death follows that of Pinetop Perkins earlier this year and that of Robert Lockwood Jr five years ago.

It's amazing to think that Honeyboy was first recorded by Alan Lomax as long ago as 1942, yet received a Grammy for traditional blues as recently as 2008 and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement award in 2010. He played with other pre-war blues greats, including Charlie Patton and Johnny Shines, and just about every bluesman since, including Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and Little Walter. His last performance was at the Juke Joint Festival in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in April of this year.

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-honeyboy-edwards-20110830,0,6427236.story

The first soul record

2011-08-28T19:51:00.004+01:00

What was the first soul record? There must be many contenders from the late 50s and early 60s, by artists such as James Brown, Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, Little Willie John, Chuck Willis, Clyde McPhatter, Jerry Butler, Solomon Burke and early Motown and Stax artists. The word 'soul' was commonly used in many gospel and jazz songs of the era, but it wasn't applied to soul music as we now know it at the time. Soul was a fusion of rhythm and blues, gospel and doo-wop, and there were certainly records that had what we now call 'soul' in the fifties. But it wasn't called soul.

Craig Charles on his Moments of Soul programme on Radio 2 last night - the start of a soul all-nighter - started his show with Ray Charles's I Gotta Woman, which is considered by some to be the first soul record. But Paul Gambaccini, who is a bit of an expert on such things, nominated Soul Twist by King Curtis (pictured) as the first record that used the word in the way we know it today. This record was followed shortly afterwards by Curtis's Soul Serenade and Sam Cooke's LP Mr Soul, and blossomed into the sixties soul that we know and love. I can't really argue with this, as I can't think of an earlier use of the word in a non-gospel/jazz context. Any offers?

To be fair, Craig had a pretty fair stab at choosing the greatest early soul moments, with Barrett Strong's Money, Shop Around by the Miracles, James Brown's Try Me from Live At The Apollo, and both the Aretha and Otis versions of Respect. He followed up with Sam's Wonderful World, two from Percy Sledge (When A Man Loves A Woman and Out Of Left Field) and then some later funkier stuff such as Ball Of Confusion, Mercy Mercy Me and Superfly. He moved on to the Wigan Casino story with Russ Winstanley. Wonderful soul and great to hear it on mainstream radio. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjsC4X9J7C8

Jerry Leiber and Nick Ashford RIP

2011-08-23T08:38:00.010+01:00

The world of music is a poorer place today with the deaths of two of the greatest songwriters of the rock era - Jerry Leiber at the age of 78, and Nick Ashford (70).
Jerry Leiber, along with partner Mike Stoller, can claim to be one half of the greatest songwriting team of the rock era, with a string of classic R and B songs going back to the early fifties, including K C Lovin' for Little Willie Littlefield, later renamed Kansas City and a hit for Wilbert Harrison, and Hound Dog, recorded by Big Mama Thornton and turned into a huge smash by Elvis. Other Leiber and Stoller songs recorded by Elvis included King Creole, Loving You, Baby I Don't Care, Don't, Jailhouse Rock, Love Me and She's Not You. Their work for Atlantic records produced literally dozens of songs for the Coasters (Charlie Brown, Poison Ivy, Searchin', Three Cool Cats, Yakety Yak, Young Blood and many others), the Drifters (Ruby Baby, There Goes My Baby, On Broadway), the Robins (Smokey Joe's Cafe, Riot in Cell Block #9), Ruth Brown (Lucky Lips), the Clovers (Love Potion Number 9) and Ben E King (Stand By Me, Spanish Harlem and I Who Have Nothing). Later work for United Artists included She Cried (Jay and the Americans) and Tell Him (The Exciters). In 1965 they formed Red Bird records which issued records by the Shangri-Las, Alvin Robinson and the Dixie Cups. Other songs included Pearl's a Singer for Elkie Brooks, Is That All There Is? for Peggy Lee and Stuck In the Middle With You for Stealers Wheel.http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/aug/23/jerry-leiber-dies-78
Nick Ashford was also part of a great songwriting duo with his wife Valerie Simpson. Early hits included One Step At A Time for Maxine Brown and Let's Go Get Stoned for Ray Charles, but their real success as songwriters was at Motown, where they wrote Ain't No Mountain High Enough, You're All I Need To Get By and Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing for Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. They also wrote songs for Diana Ross, Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles and the Marvelettes and, later, for Teddy Pendergrass and Chaka Khan. Both Ashford and Simpson also had success as recording artists, together (Solid as a Rock) and separately.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/8717641/Nick-Ashford-Motown-legend-dies-aged-70.html

Are You Sure? It's The Allisons

2011-08-22T09:56:00.003+01:00

Fifty years ago an Everly Brothers styled duo called The Allisons came second in the Eurovision Song Contest with Are You Sure? - one of the most tuneful UK entries ever in this annual competition. The record was a smash hit, reaching number one and selling a million copies. But the Allisons proved to be one hit wonders and despite several follow up singles and an LP they could not repeat their success and split up in 1963.

Last night at the Water Rats pub in Kings Cross the Allisons (Brian Alford and Colin Day) performed together again - the first time in well over 20 years by all accounts. Although now in their early seventies their close harmony singing was still effective as they reprised their big hit, along with a couple of Everlies numbers plus Tutti Frutti and Hello Mary Lou. An appreciative crowd gave them a rousing reception, and I must admit it brought back sweet memories of my youth.

The occasion was Tony Annis's 73rd birthday party and The Allisons were just one of a number of UK singers, both old and young, to take the stage. Backed by the excellent Tales From The Woods house band, there was a solid set of largely Elvis numbers by the ever youthful Danny Rivers, an out of tune blast by 'Rockin' Gerry Champion and songs by a couple of friends and family of Tony, including 'Lady Stardust', who performed creditably on the Shirelles' Mama Said and Will You Love Me Tomorrow. John Howard DJ'd the proceedings for what proved to be an enjoyable night, with the undoubted highlight being the return of The Allisons. Here's a YouTube clip of them from the 1961 Eurovision http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACOHWmkGGJU

Vinyl Obscurities - 5: Ponderosa Stomp

2011-08-18T13:14:00.013+01:00

I'm off to the US in a few weeks with three Woodie friends for a road trip which will be taking in the Ponderosa Stomp in New Orleans, as well as a festival in Springfield, Missouri, and some time in Memphis and Mississippi. As ever, there are loads of well-known and not so well-known soul, R and B and rock and roll artists appearing at the Stomp and it looks like it will be well up to the standard of previous years. As a taster, here are some 45s that I have of a few of the acts, with YouTube links where possible.

1. Warren Storm - Seven Letters/ I Need Somebody Bad. Released 1983 on South Star records, Hendersonville, TN.
This Ben E King song is 'the best song in the world, according to C C Adcock, or so I read on the Ponderosa Stomp blog (http://www.ponderosastomp.com/blog/2011/08/song-of-the-day-seven-letters-by-warren-storm-live-version-with-lil-band-o-gold-original-solo-cut/) Warren's performance of it was certainly one of the highlights of the recent Li'l Band Of Gold gig in London. Worth checking out Ben E King's original and a great ska version by Derrick Morgan if you can. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiblHM9LUPk
2. Bobby Allen & the Exceptions - Soul Chicken/ I Apologise. Released c1965 on Soul Sound records of Crowley, LA.
Crowley-born Bobby Allen recorded a few records on this Excello subsidiary in the early 60s, including this excellent double sider. Apparently he now performs with Lil Buck Sinegal. I' ve never seen him live, so could be interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZxfl3OQERk

3. Carol Fran - Crying In The Chapel/ I'm Gonna Try. Released c1964 on Port records.

I've seen Carol Fran several times in partnership with husband Clarence Holliman, now deceased. Carol's recording career goes back to 1957 when she made her first record for Excello.
This soulful remake of the Orioles song was recorded for Port, a subsidiary of Jubilee. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox_zLLVGD_g

4. Al Johnson - Carnival Time/ Good Lookin'. Released in 1959 on Ron records of New Orleans.

Al 'Carnival Time' Johnson is one of a handful of original New Orleans R and B artists still performing and this Mardi Gras classic is ubiquitous in the Big Easy at any time of year. It's good to see that Al is still going strong. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox_zLLVGD_g

5. Big Jay McNeely - There Is Something On Your Mind/ Back..Shack..Track. Released in 1959 on Swingin' records of Hollywood. Vocals by Little Sonny Warner.

Saxman Big Jay McNeely's career goes back to the 1940s when he recorded with Johnny Otis. I've seen and enjoyed Jay's honking sax several times, both in New Orleans (at Jazzfest) and in London. This 1959 hit was recorded shortly afterwards by New Orleans' own Bobby Marchan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox_zLLVGD_g
6. Miss Lavell - Everybody's Got Somebody/ The Best Part of Me. Released in 1965 on Vocalion V-P 9236. Mint value: £30.

Miss Lavell (aka Lavelle White) recorded a dozen or so singles for Duke records of Houston, but this was the only one to be issued in the UK. She first recorded in the 1950s and she's been singing ever since - I remember seeing her at the Blues Estafette in Utrecht a few years back.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1LKxLwP-eQ

7. Mack Rice - Love's A Mother Brother/ Coal Man. Released in 1969 on Atlantic 584250. Mint value: £10.

'Sir' Mack Rice was once a member of The Falcons, but is equally well known as a songwriter - of Respect Yourself, Cheaper to Keep Her and, of course, Mustang Sally. He performed at Porretta a few years ago and is one of many genuine musical legends appearing at the Stomp this year. I couldn't find this particular track on YouTube, so here's his all time classic, Mustang Sally. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPBOXOtBUE0

Vinyl Obscurities - 4

2011-08-12T15:31:00.011+01:00

Continuing my occasional series featuring obscure 45s from the 1960s, here are seven that I've picked up at car boot sales over the years - all of them from British or Swedish artists.
1. The Frays - Keep Me Covered/ Walk On. Released on Decca F12153 in 1965. Mint value: £150.
Keep Me Covered was officially the B side of this single (the A side being the Brownie McGhee blues song) but became a much sought after track and is considered a classic 60s mod/freakbeat R and B number. The band is reputed to have included Mike Patto and he is credited as co-writer of Keep Me Covered, but I haven't been able to substantiate this. Patto was a member of the Bo Street Runners and was later involved with Timebox, the eponymous Patto and Spooky Tooth. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbElLOlb7X0

2. The Snobs - Buckle Shoe Stomp/ Stand And Deliver. Released on Decca F11867 in 1964. Mint value: £20.
This one-off single by the Snobs is a lively 60s beat number recorded live at Medmenham Abbey, home of the infamous 18th century Hellfire Club. The Croydon-based group dressed up in period costume and were a popular live act, but despite massive popularity in Scandinavia and a trip to the US shortly after the Beatles landed this remained their only UK 45 release.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukyeXCV6mi8

3. The Shanes - I Don't Want Your Love/ New Orleans. Released on Columbia DB7601 in 1965. Mint value: £70.
The Shanes were one of Sweden's top groups of the 60s, with around a dozen 45s released in their own country, but only one in the UK. Named after the Alan Ladd movie of the 50s, their early records were Western styled instrumentals, but this Steffen Berggren composed song is typical 60s style R and B. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukyeXCV6mi8

4. The Tages - Crazy 'Bout My Baby/ In My Dreams. Released on Columbia DB8019 in 1966. Mint value: £15.

This was the first of five 45s released in the UK by this popular Beatles-styled Swedish band, which had a big following in their own country. They released no fewer than five LPs, including an early psychedelic LP called Extra Extra and another, Studio, which was recorded at Abbey Road. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsVJ_rBFB74
5. The Escorts - From Head To Toe/ Night Time. Released on Columbia DB8061 in 1966. Mint value: £35.

Nowadays a band called the Escorts would either consist of sexy girls or ageing petrolheads, but in the 60s the Escorts were, apparently, voted the ninth most popular band in Liverpool. This was their sixth UK release and the band did a reasonable job on this Smokey Robinson song. Paul McCartney played tambourine by all accounts. After various personnel changes the band split up in 1967. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDNDAxF9cvw

6. Faron's Flamingos - Do You Love Me/ See If She Cares. Released on Oriole CB 1834 in 1963. Mint value: £25.

This version of the Contours song was the first Motown cover to be released in the UK. But poor promotion meant that success for this popular Liverpool band passed them by, with chart success eventually going to Brian Poole and the Tremeloes' note for note cover of the cover. Faron -dubbed the 'Panda footed prince of prance' by Cavern DJ Bob Wooler - eventually joined the Big Three when the band split up in late 1963. Check out the B side, which is classic Mersey pop. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4yz7rsv-Gs
7. Jackie Lynton - I Believe/ The Girl In The Wood. Released on Piccadilly 7N 35107 in 1963. Mint value: £7.

A few weeks ago I saw the Jackie Lynton band playing at a Surrey pub, and a few days later I came across this 45 - one of a dozen or so singles released by Jackie during the 60s. It's an upbeat version of the song made famous by Frankie Laine in the early 50s.

Way Down South - the Muscle Shoals Story

2011-08-11T17:06:00.010+01:00

Interesting programme on Radio 2 last night about the fantastic music that has come out of the small town of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, over the years. Narrated by Craig Charles (who plays the soul music loving taxi driver Lloyd in Coronation Street), the show told the story of how Rick Hall set up FAME (Florence Alabama Music Enterprises) in nearby Florence before establishing the FAME studio in Muscle Shoals in 1962. To a background of great soul sides by the likes of Arthur Alexander (Hall's first big success - pictured), Jimmy Hughes, Percy Sledge and Wilson Pickett, Charles outlined the studio's early successes (all of the above), the deal with Atlantic's Jerry Wexler which really put them on the map, and the problems with Aretha Franklin's husband, Ted White, which led to only one song being recorded in Muscle Shoals, with musicians being called up to New York to complete the session.

Despite losing his first backing band, who decamped to Nashville,and a later split, which saw musicians Barry Beckett, Roger Hawkins, Jimmy Johnson and David Hood set up the rival Muscle Shoals Sound Studios in 1969, Hall continued to have big success throughout the seventies. Sadly, though, by this time the soul movement of the sixties had evaporated and it was to pop acts such as the Osmonds and Tom Jones that Hall turned his attention.

Craig Charles's programme covered the arrival of Duane Allman in Muscle Shoals, Wilson Pickett's Hey Jude session and work for Chess with acts such as Laura Lee, Etta James and Solomon Burke. Other artists to record at Muscle Shoals included Cher, Lulu, the Rolling Stones, Traffic, Jimmy Cliff, Rod Stewart, the Staple Singers and some wonderful tracks by Candi Staton. In the words of Rick Hall it wasn't the money that was important - "The music is what it's all about it."

*** A final word on Marshall Grant, original bass player in Johnny Cash's Tennessee Two, who has died aged 83. Grant played with Cash from 1954 to 1980 until they fell out and also managed the Statler Brothers who had a mid sixties hit with Flowers on the Wall. He died in Jonesboro, Arkansas, attending a Johnny Cash festival aiming to raise money to restore Cash's childhood home. Hopefully I will be passing through Jonesboro on my Stompin' USA 2011 road trip next month, which kicks off in St Louis and takes us through Springfield and Memphis enroute to New Orleans for the Ponderosa Stomp.
A word, too, about country singer Billy Grammer, best known for his 1958 hit Gotta Travel On, who has died aged 85.

Etta James death hoax

2011-08-04T19:38:00.004+01:00

Reports today of the death of Etta James are, thankfully, incorrect - despite Wikipedia stating earlier that she had died. The hoax story appeared on a fake version of the celebrity website TMZ and they are now investigating how it happened according to the LA Times http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/08/tmz-etta-james.html The story spread rapidly across the web and Twitter and when I checked Wikipedia earlier today it stated that the 73 year old singer had died yesterday. Sadly, Etta is seriously ill with dementia and leukemia and it seems unlikely that we will see her perform again. But at least she is still hanging on.

Gene McDaniels and a last word on Amy

2011-07-30T09:11:00.006+01:00

Gene McDaniels, a man with one of the classiest and smoothest soul voices of the sixties and seventies and a successful songwriter, has died aged 76. Gene made a long string of successful singles for Liberty in the early sixties, starting with A Hundred Pounds of Clay in 1961, and following up with A Tear, Tower of Strength, Chip Chip, Point Of No Return, Spanish Lace, It's A Lonely Town and the Northern soul favourite Walk With A Winner. Many of these suffered from inferior covers in the UK by the likes of Craig Douglas, Frankie Vaughan and Georgie Fame. Later he turned to the black consciousness movement and had some success with Compared To What. He recorded later albums for Atlantic under the name Eugene McDaniels and was a successful songwriter, including Feel Like Makin' Love for Roberta Flack. In recent years he apparently lived as a virtual hermit in Maine. In 1962 he appeared in the British pop film It's Trad Dad, in which he sang Another Tear Falls. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUYj_miv5hs

I was away when the news of Amy Winehouse's death came through, but I cannot let it pass without a mention. I was hardly alone in fearing for her life (see The Vinyl Word August 15, 2007, and June 27, 2008) but although sadly inevitable, it was still very sad when it came. She was a truly great talent. May she rest in peace. Here's Amy in happier times http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlRF43-xaYc

Photos from Porretta - 2

2011-07-27T09:59:00.010+01:00

Here are some more photos from Porretta. This is me with Harvey Scales. And here is Harvey with Dave Thomas and Dave Carroll.

Here is Toni Green with me.

This one shows Harvey on walkabout in the audience with Julie Thomas.

Percy Wiggins, Toni Green and Spencer Wiggins.

Here's me with Sugar Pie DeSanto.

After the church service, here are the Wiggins brothers with (I think) Paul Martin Taylor of the Memphis All Star R and B Band.

Sunday's show ended with most of the artists on stage to sing Gotta Get A message To You.

Photos from Porretta - 1

2011-07-26T09:05:00.011+01:00

Photos from the first two days of the Porretta Soul Festival. Here's Swamp Dogg. Sugar Pie DeSanto in typical pose.

Spencer and Percy Wiggins together.

Spencer Wiggins.

Harvey Scales.

Toni Green.

William Bell and Toni Green duetting on Private Number.

William Bell.

Percy Wiggins.

Chick Rodgers.

Porretta - Days 2 and 3

2011-07-25T19:51:00.006+01:00

Day 2 of Porretta, and a vintage one at that, with four top soul and blues artists and no filling.
The evening began with Harvey Scales, who I hadn't seen before and who had a soul hit in the late 60s with Get Down backed with Love-It-Is. Dressed in a lime green suit Harvey proved he is a real showman and any limitations vocally were more than made up for by his dynamic stage act. Kicking off with Sweet Soul Music, which got the crowd going, he moved into more imaginative territory with Wilson Pickett's I'm In Love and his own material - Spend The Nite Forever, What's Good For You, Broadway Freeze and snatches of Get Down and Love-It-Is. He finished with Disco Lady, a song he wrote for Johnnie Taylor and which was the first ever platinum single by an African-American artist.
Next on was the great Spencer Wiggins, Goldwax recording great and the star of Porretta 2009, who oozed soul as he performed Lonely Man, That's How Much I Love You, Love Attack and a sensational version of Uptight Good Woman who umpteen dramatic false endings. His vocal range is amazing, with deep growling soul suddenly soaring into brilliant falsetto. He was joined on stage by brother Percy and together they did excellent versions of Sam and Dave's When Something Is Wrong With My Baby and Hold On I'm Coming. Great stuff.
The next act, Sugar Pie DeSanto is a regular fixture at Porretta these days and a favourite with the crowd with her gurning, buttock clenching and contortions. Now 75, she is great fun, with a mischievous sense of humour, and doesn't take herself at all seriously. She started with Soul Power (or was it Go Go Power?) and moved through Life Goes On, Having A Good Time, I Don't Care, Let's Keep It Nice and Easy, her first hit I Want To Know and Hello San Francisco. She finished off with her big Chess hit Soulful Dress and In The Basement, which she dedicated to Amy Winehouse, who died that day, and co-singer Etta James, now suffering from dementia.
To complete a superb evening we had the unique Swamp Dogg. He describes himself on his website as the great misfit of African American music and you can't really argue with that. His lyrics are often challenging and sometimes surreal and probably lost on the mostly Italian audience. Kicking off with I'm The Lover Man, he then moved on to Crawdad Hole , which brought back memories, he said of his early heroes Joe Turner (whose song it was originally), Amos Milburn and Guitar Slim, who he remembered as driving a red Cadillac and being dressed all in red. He followed up with some of his own material - Did I Come Back Too Soon (Or Did I Stay Away Too Long), Sam Stone, Mama's Baby - Daddy's Maybe, Synthetic World, the amazing Total Destruction To Your Mind, The More (which he wrote for Solomon Burke - with whom he had a love/hate relationship, he said), finishing with an extended version of Gotta Get a Message To You, which saw him tour the audience shaking hands with many of them. Called back for 'Uan mor taim' by MC Rick Hutton, he chose Since I Fell For You, with In My Resume as a second encore. This was a vintage day at Porretta - one of the best that I can remember.
Day 3: The third evening of Porretta traditionally features all the artists of the previous two nights doing two or three numbers each, and this was no exception. But the day began with a service at the local church with some stirring gospel from the Wiggins brothers and backing singer Shontelle Norman.The evening was again highly enjoyable but there was little new material from the eight artists (Harvey Scales, Chick Rodgers, Percy and Spencer Wiggins, Toni Green, William Bell, Sugar Pie DeSanto and Swamp Dogg). An exception was William Bell's Everybody Loves A Winner and Rehab, a tribute to Amy by Austin Delone's daughter Caroline. As ever, the evening ended with all the artists (except Sugar Pie) joining in Swamp Dogg's Gotta Get A Message To You.
Yet again, the festival was a huge success - fantastic music, a wonderful laid back atmosphere and good company. Photos will follow soon.

Porretta Soul Festival - day one

2011-07-23T10:17:00.007+01:00

The Porretta Soul Festival - Italy's annual tribute to Memphis soul - got off to a slightly faltering, and distinctly chilly, start last night, despite some impressive performances from William Bell, Toni Green, Percy Wiggins and Chick Rodgers.
First on was Chick Rodgers, a diminutive lady with a big voice, who ran through the Aretha Franklin songbook, including Respect, Ain't No Way, Natural Woman and Spirit In The Dark, plus a couple of Stevie Wonder numbers - All I Do (Is Think About You) and Superstition. Backed by Italian band Soul Village she came across strongly, but compere Rick Hutton foolishly demanded an encore when the band had already dismantled their equipment. She came back later for another Aretha number, Dr Feelgood.
Next on stage was the Austin Delone band. They are a great set of musicians and Austin is a very good keyboard player, but a selection of Booker T covers (Hip Hug-her, Time Is Tight and Chinese Checkers), Philly Dog and a rousing version of Wham (excellent work by guitarist Gary Vogensen) didn't quite hit the heights of previous years. Things degenerated somewhat when he sang a ragged version of These Arms of Mine and brought his daughter Caroline on stage to warble Soul Serenade and an Adele song, and went rapidly downhill when an ageing Italian singer received some kind of award (packed in what appeared to be a pizza case) and then did lengthy versions of Try A Little Tenderness and Satisfaction among others.
Fortunately the show picked up when the real stars of the show started to appear. First on was Percy Wiggins, who showed that he still possesses a strong voice. Looking sombre in a brown jacket, his numbers included his own They Don't Know, O V Wright's You Gonna Make Me Cry, a Sam Cooke medley of I Love You For Sentimental Reasons and You Send Me, and Al Green's Sha La La. Then, just as he was getting going, his set was cut short - a real shame I thought.
The biggest star of the night was William Bell who looked remarkably young and very dapper as he ran through some of his many hits including Easy Comin' Out (Hard Goin' In), I Forgot To Be Your Lover, Any Other Way, Tribute To A King, Private Number (a great duet with Toni Green), You Don't Miss Yout Water and Trying to Love Two. This final number turned into a medley (Stand By Me, Sad Songs, Fa Fa Fa Fa Fa Fa, Havin' A Party and Any Day Now) and went on too long, but overall this was a highly professional and enjoyable set.
Final act in a, by now, very chilly arena was the glamorous Toni Green, who looked gorgeous as ever. She was maybe just a little too histrionic, and I felt the band (the Memphis All Star Band), were not entirely sympathetic to her, but I enjoyed her set, which included Breaking Up Somebody's Home, At Last, Say a Little Prayer and a final It's A Man's World. At one point she came into the audience and sat on someone's lap - an attempt to get warm, she said later!
I'll be putting some photos on later and there are two more days to go of what could well be a vintage Porretta. Here's hoping it doesn't rain and the weather warms up.

Jerry Ragovoy RIP

2011-07-16T09:03:00.003+01:00

Jerry Ragovoy, record producer and writer of some of the greatest soul songs of the sixties, has died aged 80. After working for Chancellor records in Philadelphia with the likes of Fabian and Frankie Avalon, and writing A Wonderful Dream - a hit for the Majors - he collaborated with Bert Berns on a string of East Coast soul classics. His hits included Cry Baby, I'll Take Good Care Of You, It's Been Such a Long Way Home and My Baby for Garnet Mimms, Ain't Nobody Home, Get It While You Can and Stop for Howard Tate, One Way Love for the Drifters, Piece of My Heart by Erma Franklin, Stay With Me by Lorraine Ellison, and Time Is On My Side for Irma Thomas. Many of these were covered by artists such as Janis Joplin and the Rolling Stones, creating even wider awareness of his work. He worked again with Howard Tate on the 2003 album Howard Tate Rediscovered. As a producer his work included albums by the Butterfield Blues Band, Bonnie Raitt and Dionne Warwick. Here are a couple of his best. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqdPhtie1-Y http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9PawalWXUk

Kinkdom Come

2011-07-15T22:04:00.002+01:00

Not being a great fan of 60s British pop, I was never a great lover of the Kinks. They started as a fairly average rock and roll and blues band. But I have to admit that they were one of the better groups to emerge at the time, with some early punk-style hits such as You Really Got Me, and later some distinctively British sounding records including Dedicated Follower of Fashion, Waterloo Sunset and Lola.

BBC 4's programme Kinkdom Come, featuring the recollections of Dave Davies, brought back quite a few memories for me. He was born a few months later than me in North London and his early upbringing sounded quite similar to my South London life, apart from the fact that his family was more musically attuned than mine. The Kinks managed to plough their own creative furrow at a time when the Beatles and the Stones dominated the charts, and for that they have to be congratulated. They never moved me, but then no British group of the time did. Give me genuine blues and soul any time.

Jackie Lynton at Scratchers

2011-07-11T08:56:00.006+01:00

Old British rockers never retire it seems: they keep on rocking until they drop. One such is Jackie Lynton, who I went to see playing with his band at a pub in deepest Surrey last night with John Spencely. Jackie made a string of unsuccessful, and mostly middle of the road, singles in the early sixties which were released on Piccadilly, Decca and Columbia, including Over The Rainbow, All Of Me (his best - see link below), Chuck Berry's I'm Talking Bout You and Teddy Bear's Picnic, and also sang with the Savoy Brown band for 18 months in the early seventies. As a candidate for Keith Woods' annual tribute to the legendary 2Is coffee bar his credentials are hard to beat. He had a residency there in his earliest days and his first manager was the 2Is proprietor Toni Littlewood. He was also one of the first British acts to play in Hamburg and one of the Larry Parnes stable of singers.

Jackie's band today is very much a pub rock outfit with two good guitarists and his voice is strong and remarkably bluesy. I thought he was best on the rock and roll numbers such as Reelin' and Rockin', Nadine and Keep a Knockin', but his material, mixed with some very blue jokes in between numbers, ranged from blues to rock and an attempt at rockabilly. Now 71, it seems that Jackie is enjoying life as a rock and roller as much as ever - and long may it last. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHSBl42M2vw

Farewell to the Screws

2011-07-08T18:38:00.003+01:00

As a former journalist I cannot but be saddened by the demise of the News of the World, affectionately known among hacks as The News of the Screws. Of course, no one can defend the phone hacking and bribery of the police, but the newspaper really has been part of the fabric of the UK throughout the decades. It was always there in my grandparents' house (my parents foolishly bought the crap Sunday Express instead) and as I grew up I would secretively check the paper to find out who had been screwing whom whenever I got the chance. Being intensely interested in Christine Keeler and Mandy Rice-Davies in the 60s (which teenage boy wasn't?) it was to the News of the World that I would inevitably turn. I often wondered if the journalists really did 'make an excuse and leave' just as they were getting to the exciting part of some prurient sex story.

Friends on the tabloids have told me in the past that phone hacking and other deceitful methods of obtaining juicy stories have been common for years. No one thought anything about it. All was fair in love, war and journalism. And any reporter raising concerns would quickly be out on his ear. The thought of an editor not knowing about this beggars belief.

Now though the lies, bribes and chickens have come home to roost. But instead of Rebekah Brooks and the like taking the flak it's the paper itself, and the journalists who work there. How convenient for Murdoch: he can close down the Screws and launch a Sun on Sunday in its place, thus getting rid of journos and saving costs in the process. A cunning plan, but maybe not quite as cunning as he thinks, as now everyone knows what many of us have always thought - that Murdoch and his cronies are crooked and not to be trusted in charge of a major broadcaster.

Sharon Jones + Charles Bradley

2011-07-07T08:51:00.010+01:00

If James Brown was the hardest working man in show business, then Sharon Jones must be the hardest working woman. She shook, shimmied and boogalooed her way across the stage at the Barbican last night in a high energy show that was reminiscent of the sixties heyday of her inspiration, JB himself. Backed by the excellent Dap-Kings and vocal duo the Dap-ettes, Sharon never stopped moving and her retro soul/funk style was infectious. Her energy demands a stand up crowd, which is exactly what most of the audience did, although the venue is not suited to dancing (apart from half a dozen young ladies who were invited on stage at one point), which is what Sharon Jones is all about. I was very impressed when I first saw this 55 year old ball of fire in Lafayette, Louisiana, last year and she did not disappoint this time.
Kicking off with the smooth If You Call, Sharon launched into a string of high energy songs, many of them from her latest Daptone album (in vinyl as well as CD) I Learned The Hard Way, including Give It Back, the Prince song Take Me With U, When I Come Home, Longer and Stronger and I'll Still Be True. Midway through her act she moved into a frenetic series of sixties dances including the boogaloo, the jerk and the funky chicken, which must have exhausted the audience, never mind Sharon herself. She slowed things down with Mama Don't Like My Man, before tackling I'm Gonna Cry, Let Them Knock, the Northern soul styled Tell Me, I Learned The Hard Way and the excellent 100 Days, 100 Nights. After a short break she was persuaded by the enthusiastic crowd to return for an encore of It's A Man's World, and took us through some of JB's dance steps. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ouI5KcyHfE
Opening the show for Sharon was fellow Daptone artist, the very soulful Charles Bradley, nicknamed the Screaming Eagle of Soul because of his swooping arm movements. Charles is no newcomer, having been through hard times for most of his 63 years, and his impassioned and heartfelt singing is a true throwback to the great sixties soul men. His set included deep soul songs that allowed him to show off his gritty voice to good effect, including Heartaches And Pain, No Time For Dreaming,Lovin' You Baby, This World Is Going Up In Flames, How Long, Golden Rule and the autobiographical Why Is It So Hard (To Make It In America.) I would love to see him in a sweaty club somewhere, rather than the staid surroundings of The Barbican, because his is an act that really gets into your soul. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=moiUyFQQE-0
Altogether excellent stuff all round and proof that true soul, like rock and roll, will never die.

Calvin Scott - and Beyonce

2011-06-28T20:33:00.006+01:00

The Vinyl Word says farewell to Calvin Scott, who has died in Montgomery, Alabama, at the age of 73. He got his start performing and writing music with Clarence Carter. Scott was Carter's schoolmate at the Alabama School for the Blind, and the two wrote, performed and recorded music together in the mid 1960s, including 'Step By Step' which was released on Atco. Scott sang and played the piano but his musical career suffered a series of setbacks through the years, including a serious traffic accident in 1966. He recorded for Stax Records in 1972 but his timing was bad, as the label was already in financial trouble.

A quick word also in praise of Beyonce, who headlined at the Glastonbury Festival last weekend. Not only is she very sexy, but she has a pretty good voice, as exemplified by her version of Etta James's At Last.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8FHwsATN0E

More photos from recent gigs

2011-06-28T13:26:00.004+01:00

Here's one of The Impressions at The Barbican. Thanks to Dave Thomas for this one. Here is Bobby Womack with Altrina Grayson at The Jazz Cafe.

From the Lil' Band of Gold show at the Shepherds Bush Empire, here is Warren Storm on vocals.

And this is keyboard player David Egan.

Bobby Womack at the Jazz Cafe

2011-06-21T09:06:00.007+01:00

Bobby Womack, who started a four night run at a packed Jazz Cafe last night, has been around since the very beginning of soul music in the early sixties. Discovered by Sam Cooke while part of the Womack Brothers gospel group, he and his brothers recorded successfully as the Valentinos for Sam's SAR label. He controversially married Sam's widow Barbara shortly after Sam's death and embarked on a solo career which was to lead to a string of best selling albums including Communication, Understanding, The Poet and The Poet II. Another later album was entitled The Last Soul Man which, with other contenders falling all the time, could prove to be prophetic.

Now 67, Bobby looked frail however and said that he had recently had an operation which affected his balance, but his voice was as strong as ever. Dressed all in white, in contrast to the black clothing of the band, he kicked off with Stylo, a recent collaboration with the Gorillaz, and then moved into more familiar, and to my ears, much better material with the rolling rhythms of Across 110th Street, Nobody Wants You When You're Down and Out and Harry Hippie. Backed by his full American band, cramped onto the tiny Jazz Cafe stage, along with singer Altrina Grayson, Bobby continued a solid set with later songs including Daylight, the 80s hit I Wish He Didn't Trust Me So Much, That's The Way I Feel About Cha, Woman's Gotta Have It and Stop On By, before going back to his roots with Sam's A Change Is Gonna Come and the Valentinos' Lookin' For a Love. Moving smoothly through If You Think You're Lonely Now, he slowed things down with the Soul Stirrers gospel song Jesus Be A Fence Around Me, before finishing off with the great I Can Understand It, I'm Through and, as an encore, his 1968 version of Fly Me To The Moon.

Altogether this was a satisfying show if lacking in the sort of deep soul feeling of previous Bobby Womack concerts. But it's always a thrill to see a great soul singer in the flesh, and Bobby is certainly one of the greats.

Two more gone

2011-06-19T09:50:00.004+01:00

The Vinyl Word says farewell to two more musicians - saxman Clarence Clemons and Sun rockabilly artist Mack Self.

Clarence Clemons, who was 69, was a prominent member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band from 1972 onwards and his distinctive work can be heard on Born To Run, The River and Born In The USA. Away from Springsteen he had a hit with You're a Friend of Mine with Jackson Browne in 1985 and worked with artists as diverse as Aretha Franklin and Lady Gaga. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aE9O05xBKnY

Mack Self, who died aged 81 in his native Arkansas, recorded rockabilly records in the late 50s with Jack Clement at Sun, including Easy To Love, Vibrate and Mad At You. Later he had success with Four Walls of Memories, recorded with Chips Moman in Memphis. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaHYh15ZCl0

Louisiana supergroup Lil' Band of Gold

2011-06-15T11:13:00.006+01:00

Louisiana swamp pop supergroup Lil' Band of Gold stormed into London yesterday with an all-action two hour show at the Shepherds Bush Empire. And apparently we have Lily Allen to thank for this rare treat, as they were in the UK to perform at her wedding.
Kicking off the show was a documentary film called The Promised Land - a Swamp Pop Journey, about the formation of the Lafayette-based band, showing how local guitar hero and singer CC Adcock persuaded veteran swamp pop drummer and vocalist Warren Storm, Cajun accordionist Steve Riley and songwriter and keyboard player David Egan, along with sax men Dickie Landry and Pat Breaux and steel guitarist Richard Comeaux, to join together to play gigs around Louisiana. The film showed the sheer enjoyment that these guys - all of them well known in their own musical fields - got out of the experience.
Without a break, the band began playing the moment the film ended and it was clear we were in for an exciting evening. At first, the ultra loud guitar playing of C C Adcock, the straight ahead rock approach and the slightly muffled vocals suggested that this might not live up to previous Lil' Band of Gold gigs that I've seen - in New Orleans and Lafayette. C C Adcock looks every inch the rock star, in a Russell Brand kind of way, and I wondered if he had had maybe too much influence over the band's approach. But he loves Louisiana music and this was a set that just got better and better. Warren Storm set the tone with some genuine swamp pop, including Those Lonely Lonely Nights, and his teenage enthusiasm belied his 74 years. And then Tommy McLain came on, complete with trademark Father Christmas beard, and ran through some of his own swamp pop standards, including Before I Grow Too Old (my personal motto), Baby Doll and Sweet Dreams.
By this time the whole band was on fire, with C C Adcock's blistering guitar work complementing Steve Riley's accordion, David Egan's inspired keyboard playing, Warren Storm's manic drumming and the excellent sax playing. There were storming performances of Seven Letters and Blue Monday by Warren Storm, hammering away on his drums, the Bobby Charles number I Don't Want To Know, and sensational rocking versions of Seven Nights of Rock and Lucille. After nearly two hours of blistering rock and roll and swamp pop the band came back for an encore of Promised Land, featuring Steve Riley's accordion, and a brilliant version of the swamp pop anthem Mathilda.
There was a decent sized crowd for this show, many of them young, no doubt reflecting Lily Allen's interest in the band, but Lil' Band of Gold didn't compromise in their approach. When I saw them in New Orleans last year at the House of Blues they had numerous guest stars performing with them, including Elvis Costello, Dr John and Jon Cleary, (the time before was at the down home Crawfish Festival in Breaux Bridge), but they didn't need any special guests this time. They brought the house down all by themselves.

Carl Gardner of the Coasters

2011-06-13T21:29:00.006+01:00

Carl Gardner, tenor and effectively leader of the Robins and then the Coasters for 50 years (on the left of the photo), has died aged 83. Here's his obituary in today's Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/jun/13/carl-gardner-obituary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXgzQQ5XsHc&feature=related

The Never Ending Impressions

2011-06-11T09:54:00.004+01:00

In the early sixties, the sweetest soul sounds around came from Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions. Later in the decade the Chicago-based group pioneered social consciousness songs that championed Afro American pride and the civil rights movement. Curtis left in 1970 to pursue a solo career and sadly died in 1999, nine years after he was paralysed when a stage lighting rig fell on him at a gig.

The Impressions continue to perform and played the Barbican last night - their first ever show in London - featuring two original members, Fred Cash and Sam Gooden, and a relative newcomer in the form of Reggie Torian, who first joined in 1973. Backed by the Curtom Orchestra, this was a tribute to Curtis Mayfield and all the numbers were associated with him. Their harmonies were as sweet as ever and all three were absolutely on top form. Dressed in sombre grey suits they harmonised beautifully and shared vocal leads equally.

Kicking off with Gypsy Woman, a song written by Mayfield and released in 1961, the great songs just went on coming, almost chronologically, with It's Alright, Talking About My Baby, I'm So Proud (with a line from You Must Believe Me), Keep On Pushing, I've Been Trying and Woman's Got Soul. Moving through the beautiful gospel sound of People Get Ready, the group ran through You've Been Cheating, Movin' On Up and I Loved and I Lost. The last section of this truly excellent concert was devoted to the group's social consciousness period, with This Is My Country and Choice of Colors, the blaxploitation movie song Superfly, Mighty Mighty (Spade and Whitey) and the civil rights anthem Move On Up as an encore. Altogether a superb concert by a superb, smooth and truly soulful group.

Intriguing line-up at the Stomp

2011-06-08T21:45:00.005+01:00

A more extensive line-up has been announced for this year's Ponderosa Stomp in New Orleans this September and I have to say it's an intriguing list. There are quite a few artists about whom I know nothing, as well as some familiar names.
The line-up includes a couple of the grandees of New Orleans R & B - Allen Toussaint and Dave Bartholomew. There's a tribute to Stax with William Bell, Eddie Floyd, Sir Mack Rice and The Bo-Keys featuring Skip Pitts & Howard Grimes. There's also blues from Jimmy “Duck” Holmes, Lazy Lester (as ever), James Johnson and Rudy Richard from Slim Harpo's King Bees, Little Freddy King and Billy Boy Arnold. There's also Big Jay McNeely, The Relatives, Lady Bo, Arch Hall Jr, Carol Fran and Lavelle White. There are some fairly familiar names such as Jivin' Gene, Warren Storm, Classie Ballou, Michael Hurtt and his Haunted Hearts, Lil Buck and his Top Cats featuring Stanley 'Buckwheat' Dural, C P Love, Joe Clay, Robert Parker and Deke Dickerson and the Eccofonics. But I know little about Little Leo, Roy "Boogie Boy" Perkins, Clayton Sampy, Bobby Allen, Johnny Legend, G .G. Shinn, Guitar Lightnin’ Lee, Earl Stanley, Gerri Hall and Creole Zydeco Farmers featuring Jockey Etienne.

As it happens I find that I have a single by Bobby Allen and the Exceptions, recorded on the Soul Sound label in Crowley, Louisiana, which apparently is highly collectable. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZxfl3OQERk But there are quite a few obscure names, as usual, included in the Stomp line-up. These sound interesting, to say the least, and and I am looking forward to my trip. http://www.ponderosastomp.com/ponderosa_stomp_10.php

Benny Spellman RIP

2011-06-05T16:45:00.008+01:00

Yet another New Orleans great has passed away - this time Benny Spellman, whose deep voice provided the baritone backing on Ernie K-Doe's Mother in Law and whose excellent 1962 Minit single Lipstick Traces is one of my all time New Orleans R and B favourites. Benny never had a big hit but he was a member of Huey Smith's Clowns for a while and you can catch his distinctive vocals on quite a few Allen Toussaint-related tracks of the time. Fortune Teller - the B-side of Lipstick Traces - was covered by the Rolling Stones and the O'Jays among others. Benny later recorded for the Watch and Alon labels and had minor successes with The Word Game for Alon, which was leased to Atlantic, and with Sinner Man for Sansu.

Benny was 79 and lived in Pensacola, Florida. He suffered a stroke in the early 90s which restricted his personal appearances but I did see him perform live once. This was at the Dew Drop Inn Revisited show at the Sheraton Hotel in New Orleans during Jazzfest, 1993, when he appeared alongside Lloyd Price, Roland Stone, George French, Bobby Marchan and Marva Wright. My photo shows him at the show. I have two LP compilations of his work - one on Charly and another on the New Orleans Bandy label - which show just how good he was. And here is his greatest side, Lipstick Traces. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QhQ_0OiFkQ

There's a great article on the excellent Red Kelly blog http://redkelly.blogspot.com/

Eddie Floyd and Vaneese Thomas

2011-06-03T12:21:00.005+01:00

The Half Moon in Putney played host to one of the best nights of Memphis soul seen in London for several years last night with a double bill by veteran Stax star Eddie Floyd and Rufus Thomas's younger daughter, Vaneese Thomas.
Now 73, Eddie's voice isn't what it once was, but he has such enthusiasm and such a great back catalogue that it didn't really matter. Backed by a seven piece band and three female backing singers, Eddie launched into Raise Your Hand and followed up with a song he wrote for Wilson Pickett, 634-5789. Next came the smooth I Never Found a Girl and the funky Big Bird, a song he wrote while waiting at Heathrow Airport to attend Otis Redding's funeral after his death in a plane crash. After the obligatory Dock of the Bay, Eddie finished with his smash hit Knock On Wood. Excellent sixties soul from start to finish.With no let up or interval, the real star of the show Vaneese Thomas quickly launched into Lovey Dovey, a song once recorded by her sister Carla with Otis Redding, followed by the bluesy It's Killing Me. Moving on to the great version of Sugar Pie DeSanto's Soulful Dress, Vaneese slowed things down with One Shining Moment, which she wrote for Diana Ross. Vaneese has a new album of covers of songs made famous by female soul and R & B singers and also an EP with some self penned numbers, including the excellent I Wanna Know, which sounded like a throwback to the sixties. A beautiful rendition of James Carr's Dark End of the Street came next, followed by a rousing version of Nutbush City Limits and the deep soul of A Woman's Love, first recorded by Carla. The set came to a rousing end with Bobby Blue Bland's Further Up The Road, and she was joined on stage by Eddie and Earl Green. Returning for an encore, Vaneese chose her dad's Breakdown, which was a fitting climax to a really good show. I saw Vaneese at Porretta a couple of years ago and wasn't particularly impressed, but her choice of material at the Half Moon put this performance into a different class.

Finally, here's a photo of me with Vaneese.

My Desert Island Discs

2011-05-30T09:00:00.025+01:00

BBC Radio 4's long running series Desert Island Discs is asking listeners which eight records they would choose if they were shipwrecked on a desert island. What a difficult choice! I would have trouble limiting my list to 100, never mind a mere eight. But in the spirit of the challenge I've been giving it some thought. All are from the fifties and sixties - the golden era of modern popular music - and I make no apologies for that. After all, that's the era in which I grew up and no music has such a personal impact as the music of your youth. So here we go.
1. In 1956 I became aware of rock and roll through the 78 records that my older sister brought home - in particular the young Elvis. So there has to be something from the Sun years with me on the island. My pick is Elvis's That's All Right Mama - a record which never fails to excite me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIWlWA1YTBw
2. Still in the rock and roll era I must choose something by one the true greats - Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Little Richard and so on. Very difficult, but I'm going for Chuck Berry's Johnny B Goode, because I can sing along to it to my heart's content and pretend that I'm playing Chuck's guitar just like ringing a bell! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ofD9t_sULM
3. I've been to New Orleans many, many times so there has to be something that reminds me of the good times I've had there. I thought about something by Ernie K-Doe, or perhaps Benny Spellman's Lipstick Traces, but in the end I chose Time Is On My Side by Irma Thomas, in memory of the many great sets that she performed at the now sadly defunct Lion's Den club. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFj0RfZb6iM
4. My favourite singer of all time is Sam Cooke, who I was lucky enough to meet back stage at the Tooting Granada when he toured the UK in 1962 and obtain his autograph. My choice was narrowed down between Wonderful World, Bring It On Home to Me and A Change is Gonna Come, but in the end I opted for Wonderful World, which was the highest scoring record in my personal top ten of the early sixties. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNO72aCnVr0
5. After Sam, the greatest voice of the sixties or any other era has to have belonged to the Big O, Roy Orbison. So my choice is one of his very best, and probably the most dramatic - Crying. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh7JgDPUa4M
6. The sixties was the decade of the great girl groups and Phil Spector's Wall of Sound so I would like there to be something on the island to remind me of those days. What better than the Ronettes' Be My Baby - preferably with a live video of the girls in action. Delicious memories! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-0upHlWfQ4
7. Soul music has always been very important to me and there were countless wonderful records in the sixties from the likes of Stax and Tamla Motown. Otis Redding perhaps? Or Sam and Dave? Or Wilson Pickett? James Carr? O V Wright? So many to choose from. But in the end my choice is from the Goldwax label of Memphis - Louis Williams and the Ovations with It's Wonderful To Be In Love. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmu9-nk1Xwg
8. My final choice - God this is difficult. I'm going for yet another Memphis record - this time from Hi, and one of my all time favourite singers, Al Green. I'm not sure that it matters which one of his sublime tracks I choose as they are nearly all equally soothing, but I will go for Let's Stay Together.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COiIC3A0ROM

I'm sure that my choices will not please everyone, but other Desert Island Disc suggestions will be most welcome in the comments section.

Hugh Laurie Down By The River

2011-05-18T20:23:00.005+01:00

Hugh Laurie has come a long way since he was Stephen Fry's sidekick In Fry and Laurie and Jeeves and Worster. He has somehow transformed himself into a US television superstar as the grumpy but sexy House. In ITV's Down By the River we saw yet another side of him - blues fan and a surprisingly good boogie woogie piano player. Hugh talked us through his lifelong love of blues, Professor Longhair and all things New Orleans on a road trip from Texas to the Big Easy with the help of some excellent camera work, background music from Longhair and a brief glimpse of Miss Lavell White.

Once in New Orleans he played a gig with Allen Toussaint, Irma Thomas and - for no apparent reason - Tom Jones, whilst recording an album of blues songs. As an introduction to a couple of New Orleans surviving greats, to the blues and to the city's musical tradition the programme worked well. And Hugh's love of the music could not be doubted. But I'm afraid that when it came to singing the blues Hugh would be well advised not to give up the day job. The programme will be available (in the UK only) for the next four weeks: http://www.itv.com/itvplayer/video/?Filter=239392 Filter=239392

* A few deaths to catch up on: Dolores Fuller, who wrote Rock-a-Hula Baby and Do the Clam for Elvis, as well as appearing in some atrocious Ed Wood B-movies such as 'Glen or Glenda': Lloyd Knibb, drummer with the Skatalites (pictured): and Cornell Dupree, guitarist with the Atlantic backing band who played with Aretha Franklin, King Curtis and a host of jazzmen.

Larry Garner live

2011-05-16T09:10:00.003+01:00

Back in the early 90s Louisiana bluesman Larry Garner was a real force on the blues scene. I saw him at the 100 Club in 1993 and again in 1996 and at the New Orleans Jazzfest. So it was good to see him again last night playing with the Norman Beaker Band at the Half Moon in Putney. He made his name at Tabby's Blues Box in Baton Rouge during the 80s. After two successful albums on JSP - Double Dues and Too Blues - he recorded several more albums before rather fading from the scene and apparently suffered a serious illness, before recording an album called Here Today Gone Tomorrow in 2008. Since then he has toured extensively with the Norman Beaker Band but this was his first appearance in London since the 90s.
Larry remains a great guitarist and vocalist with a good line in humour between numbers. Maybe he spent a little too much time in a fairly short set talking rather than singing and veered away from the blues on a couple of occasions with a touch of funk and even a bit of rap. But the band gave him excellent support and his power on numbers such as Cold Chill , Keep on Playing the Blues, Champagne and Reefer and a final Hoochie Coochie Man shows he is still a bluesman to be reckoned with.

Sun ain't gonna shine on John any more

2011-05-09T18:48:00.007+01:00

A few more deaths to report. Firstly, John Walker, leader of the Walker Brothers (with Scott Engel and Gary Leeds). I was never a great fan of their middle of the road 60s hits such as Make It Easy on Yourself and The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Any More, but they had undoubted success and their smooth harmonies had lasting appeal. John Walker, (born John Maus) grew up in California and early friends included Ritchie Valens and Carl and Dennis Wilson, whom he allegedly taught to play guitar. He first recorded with his sister as the duo John and Judy for a variety of labels including Aladdin and Arvee, before teaming up with Scott Engel to tour as members of a fake Surfaris. After meeting Gary Leeds they tried their luck in the UK as the Walker Brothers and had great success in the late 60s, before breaking up in 1969. John recorded as a solo artist, including the LP If You Go Away (pictured) and the Walkers reformed in the mid 70s to record the album No Regrets. The first of Walker's four wives was Kathy Young, of A Thousand Stars fame.

The world of sport has seen significant deaths in the last week - of Henry Cooper and Seve Ballesteros - while other recent music deaths include soul songstress Phoebe Snow, Nigel Pickering, founder and vocalist with Spanky and Our Gang, and Tom King, founder of 60s US band The Outsiders. There was also that Bin Laden bloke - apparently.

Here's Respectable by the Outsiders http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8Ai6qWSrBU

Pondering the Stomp line up

2011-05-01T16:35:00.003+01:00

First clues to the line up at this year's Ponderosa Stomp have been announced. And it looks rather less exciting and imaginative than previous ones. At the moment ‎the news is that the 10th annual Ponderosa Stomp will feature Allen Toussaint; Stax revue with William Bell, Eddie Floyd, Sir Mack Rice and Skip Pitts w/the Bo-Keys; Excello tribute: Lazy Lester, Classie Ballou, Warren Storm, Carol Fran, Rudy Richard & James Johnson; Lil Buck and Top Cats; Big Jay McNeely, Arch Hall JR. Not bad, but not quite the 'Unsung heroes of rock and roll' that the Stomp has become famous for. http://www.ponderosastomp.com/
No doubt more names will be announced later, And it would be good if they included the line up for an event called The Ponderosa Stomp: She's Got the Power! taking place in New York on July 30. Titled "A Girl Group Extravaganza including a Tribute to Ellie Greenwich," this will feature performances by Lala Brooks, Lesley Gore, Barbara Harris, Louise Murray, Margaret Ross, Arlene Smith, and Baby Washington, among others.
Regardless of the final line up I have booked my flight to the States in September, kicking off in St Louis and taking in Branson, Memphis and Clarksdale, as well as New Orleans. I can't wait.

'Baby It's You' - the musical

2011-04-28T15:05:00.003+01:00

I picked this up from Oldies.com:
The Shirelles/Scepter Records story, "Baby It's You," opened officially on Broadway Wednesday (April 27). But the day before, the producers were already hit with a lawsuit filed by surviving Shirelle Beverly Lee (who owns the name), the estates of two other Shirelles and Dionne Warwick (whose character appears in the musical). The suit charges the musical with "cashing in on plaintiffs' stories and successes, while using plaintiffs' names, likenesses and biographical information without their consent and in violation of the law."
The musical itself opened to poor reviews. The New York Daily News gave it 2 out of 5 stars saying, "the songs are so blandly performed they don't make an impression" and calling it the "Lawrence Welk of jukebox musicals." ABC News called it a "muddled story with great songs," though more than one reviewer noted that the Carole King composition, "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" is not in the show. The New York Times said, "Mama said there'll be shows like this. But she didn't tell me there would be quite so many, or that any one of them could be this dismal." And the Chicago Tribune carped that it "must surely be one of the worst jukebox shows every to grace the Great White Way." Amazingly, the book is by the same men responsible for the Broadway smash, "Million Dollar Quartet."
http://babyitsyouonbroadway.com/about.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8clnxViHdp8

The Crazy Cajun RIP

2011-04-23T20:35:00.009+01:00

Huey P Meaux - the Crazy Cajun - has died aged 82. The Louisiana record producer had the magic touch and produced a string of wonderful records from the late 1950s to the 1970s, before falling from grace in the 90s and going to jail for child pornography and drug possession.

A barber by trade, Huey got his Crazy Cajun nickname from a radio show in Port Arthur that he DJ'd. Others on the local scene at the time included George Jones, Moon Mullican and J P Richardson, the Big Bopper. He couldn't read music but knew what made a hit record and how to promote it. Just about everyone involved in swamp pop and Gulf Coast music was associated with him at some time. His early hits, recorded in Winnie, Texas, included Jivin' Gene's Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, Joe Barry's I’m a Fool to Care, Rod Bernard's This Should Go on Forever and Barbara Lynn's You'll Lose a Good Thing and her subsequent classic records released on Jamie. Following these successes he moved to Houston where he latched on to the British invasion success with She's About a Mover by Doug Sahm's Sir Douglas Quintet and had another huge hit with Roy Head's Treat Her Right. Other hits included Clarence Frogman Henry's Cajun Honey and Talk To Me by Sunny and the Sunliners.

By the late 60s he had set up a variety of labels including Som, Tribe, Eric, Parrot, Crazy Cajun, Tear Drop and Jet Stream. Swamp pop artists who Huey recorded included Johnnie Allan, Jimmy Donley and Warren Storm, and he also cut records by Clifton Chenier, T-Bone Walker and several Cajun acts. He often recorded at Cosimo's studio in New Orleans but later bought the Gold Star studio in Houston and renamed it Sugar Hill. In the 70s he resurrected Freddy Fender's career with Before The Next Teardrop Falls and Wasted Days and Wasted Nights.

Here's a report of Huey's death, plus some of his great hits from YouTube. http://www.29-95.com/music/story/producer-huey-p-meaux-dies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBISJ28GZCY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJ_sE4ZvWuE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jAnSyQA_fT4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XboE3_7KZ3Y

Photo shows Barbara Lynn at the Ponderosa Stomp in 2008.

The last soul company

2011-04-16T22:19:00.003+01:00

Sad to hear that a storm has destroyed the Malaco Records buildings in Jackson, Mississippi. Malaco brought us great records by the likes of Bobby Bland, Johnnie Taylor. Denise LaSalle, Little Milton, Z Z Hill and Latimore. In an age when genuine soul is in such short supply it is nothing short of a tragedy if Malaco has passed into history. Here are a few great Malaco records: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQfr5MtLXnQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Gv7GFFHqWo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuojEwPCqOI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym99jwcvvhM

Catching up

2011-04-15T17:51:00.006+01:00

Time to catch up on a few notable music deaths.

Randy Wood, whose Randy's Record Shop in Gallatin, near Nashville, pioneered the sale of R&B records by mail order and who later founded Dot Records, has died aged 94. In the early years Dot released records by R and B artists such as Ivory Joe Hunter and Brownie McGhee, but it had its greatest success with covers of R and B hits by white artists such as Pat Boone, Gale Storm and the Fontane Sisters, and albums by MOR acts such as Lawrence Welk and Billy Vaughan. Randy sold Dot to Paramount in 1957 but stayed on as president and was successful in picking up records from smaller labels, including Sanford Clark's 'The fool' and 'Come go with me' by the Del-Vikings. Later hits incuded surf classics such as 'Pipeline' by the Chantays and 'Wipeout' by the Surfaris and the great early soul sides of Arthur Alexander (pictured) recorded in Muscle Shoals.

The story of Sir Lattimore Brown, who died aged 80 in an accident on March 25, has been well documented in the excellent Red Kelly blog and it was Red who was responsible for reviving his career and taking him to New Orleans last year where he performed at the Ponderosa Stomp. The full fascinating story of his life and career can be explored in detail at http://sirlattimorebrown.com/index2.html

Other recent deaths include recording engineer Roger Nichols, who produced records by the likes of Steely Dan, The Beach Boys and Roy Orbison; Willie Davis, tenor with the Cadets/Jacks and the Flares; and Carl Bunch , drummer on Buddy Holly's ill fated Winter Dance Party tour in 1959.

Jools is back with 'Later'

2011-04-13T17:14:00.003+01:00

Jools Holland is back with 'Later', once again featuring some artists who appeal to me and others of my ilk. Last night there was music from Robbie Robertson, Cee Lo Green and Seun Kuti, Fela Kuti's youngest son, and a brief interview with Bootsy Collins, who will appear on Friday's show. There was also a song from a Texan called Josh T pearson, who seemed of interest.

Jools' show has been running since 1992 and is virtually the only regular UK music show that features roots music alongside more contemporary pop acts.Guests over the years have included Solomon Burke, William Bell, Johnny Cash, Jimmy Cliff, Dion, Bo Diddley, John Fogerty, Al Green, Buddy Guy, Gregory Isaacs, Dr John, Betty Lavette, Sam Moore, Otis Rush, Howard Tate and Toots and the Maytals, to name but a few. Sadly these performances are not available on the BBC website so we just have to keep an eye on guests in the current series and see who appears.

As well as being a good musician, Jools' heart is clearly in the right place, as series such as Walking to New Orleans in 1985, when he met and played with the likes of Fats Domino and Lee Dorsey, clearly show. His Rhythm and Blues Orchestra may not be authentic, but it's pretty good as mainstream bands go these days. Here's a Youtube clip of Jools with Fats http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi_K1K0SxRY

Vinyl Word reaches 500

2011-04-05T13:53:00.009+01:00

This is my 500th entry since first starting The Vinyl Word in January 2006. I hope it's been of interest to a few people over the years. I know that I am not alone in loving the music of the late 1950s and 1960s - particularly rock and roll, soul, blues, American pop and ska - and I know there are many vinyl collectors - like me - with rooms stuffed with old LPs, EPs and singles. As readers may know, I kept a personal top ten for nearly six years from spring 1960 to December 1965. This era marked the transition from the rock and roll boom of the late Fifties, through the rather tamer post rock and roll phase to the sounds of the Sixties and the emergence of soul, British beat bands and blues. To mark the 500th entry I've chosen my favourite records that made it into my top ten. It's an impossible choice, as there are so many great records that I have missed out, but I've whittled down the original 918 to just 80, so here goes (in chronological order): 1. Jimmy Jones - Handy man; 2. Marv Johnson - I love the way you love; 3. Sam Cooke - Wonderful world; 4. Ron Holden - Love you so; 5. Roy Orbison - Only the lonely; 6. Fats Domino - Walking to New Orleans; 7. Jackie Wilson - A woman, a lover, a friend; 8. Shirley and Lee - Let the good times roll; 9. Rosie and the Originals - Angel baby; 10. Miracles - Shop around; 11. Chimes - Once in a while; 12. Carla Thomas - Gee whiz; 13. Maxine Brown - All in my mind; 14. Ernie K-Doe - Mother in law; 15. Jerry Lee Lewis - What'd I say; 16. Eddie Cochran - Weekend; 17. Roy Orbison - Cryin'; 18. Chris Kenner - I like it like that; 19. Dion - Runaround Sue; 20. Elvis Presley - His latest flame; 21. Marvelettes - Please Mr Postman; 22. Showmen - It will stand; 23. Shirelles - Baby it's you; 24. Lee Dorsey - Do re mi; 25. Bruce Channel - Hey baby; 26. Barbara George - I know; 27. Don and Juan - What's your name; 28. Ben E King - Don't play that song; 29. Clyde McPhatter - Lover please; 30. Freddy Cannon - Palisades Park; 31. Benny Spellman - Lipstick traces; 32. Solomon Burke - Down in the valley; 33. Booker T and the MGs - Green onions; 34. Sam Cooke - Nothing can change this love; 35. Crystals - He's a rebel; 36. Exciters - Tell him; 37. Miracles - You really got a hold on me; 38. Chiffons - He's so fine; 39. Beach Boys - Surfin' USA; 40. Rivingtons - Bird's the word; 41. Jan and Dean - Surf City; 42. Doris Troy - Just one look; 43. Major Lance - Monkey time; 44. Bo Diddley - Pretty thing; 45. Chuck Berry - Let it rock; 46. Rufus Thomas - Walking the dog; 47. Impressions - It's all right; 48. Ronettes - Baby I love you; 49. Marvin Gaye - Can I get a witness; 50. Kingsmen - Louie Louie; 51. Tams - What kind of fool; 52. Rivieras - California sun; 53. Betty Everett - Shoop shoop song; 54. Mary Wells - My guy; 55. Irma Thomas - Wish someone would care; 56. Arthur Alexander - Black night; 57. Beach Boys - I get around; 58. Brenda Holloway - Every little bit hurts; 59. Bobby Bland - Ain't nothing you can do; 60. Gene Chandler - Just be true; 61. James Brown - Out of sight; 62. Shangri-Las - Remember (Walking in the sand); 63. Don Covay - Mercy mercy; 64. Martha and the Vandellas - Dancing in the street; 65. Chuck Jackson - Any day now; 66. Velvelettes - Needle in a haystack; 67. Little Antony & the Imperials - Going out of my head; 68. Righteous Brothers - You've lost that loving feeling; 69. Sam Cooke - Shake; 70. Joe Tex - Hold what you've got; 71. Temptations - My girl; 72. Radiants - Voice your choice; 73. Otis Redding - Mr Pitiful; 74. Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs - Woolly Bully; 75. Otis Redding - I've been loving you too long; 76. Gene Chandler - Nothing can stop me; 77. Ovations - It's wonderful to be in love: 78. Wilson Pickett - In the midnight hour; 79. Roy Head - Treat her right; 80. O V Wright - You're gonna make me cry. Several of the artists who had many entries in my top ten didn't make the list. They include the Everly Brothers, Del Shannon, Bobby Vee, Neil Sedaka, Johnny Burnette, Bobby Darin, Johnny and the Hurricanes, Buddy Holly and Ricky Nelson. I love them all, but I can't include everyone.

Rockers' Reunion

2011-03-27T18:23:00.006+01:00

This week's The Reunion on Radi0 4 featured five of the original British rock and rollers who played at the 2 I's coffee bar in Old Compton Street, Soho, in the late fifties and early sixties. Vince Eager, Marty Wilde, Terry Dene, Bruce Welch and Clem Cattini told presenter Sue MacGregor about a time when British rock and roll was in its infancy. There were fond memories of Billy Fury and Eddie Cochran and the early TV shows such as Oh Boy, and Vince Eager recalled how he had resisted the sexual approaches of Mr Parnes Shillings and Pence - Larry Parnes, who gave many of the early rockers their stage names. Bruce recalled how the Teds had turned on him and the other Shadows because their girlfriends had fancied Cliff, and Terry spoke openly about the difficulties he faced when he was called up for National Service which led to a nervous breakdown and an early exit. An audio clip was played of Marty's mother talking about the success of her son Reg (Marty's real name), and Clem reminisced about how the Tornados' Telstar topped the charts in the US - something Cliff and the Shads never achieved.

Altogether a fascinating programme, with plenty of music clips from the era. The five originals chose Billy Fury's Maybe Tomorrow as their theme song for the show - a good choice I thought.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/radio4/2011/03/rocking_and_rolling_on_the_reunion.html

Dennis the Menace at 60

2011-03-23T19:32:00.004Z

Amidst all the bad news and deaths of famous people of late - the most recent being that of screen legend Liz Taylor today - I missed news the other day of the 60th birthday of someone who is not only still going strong, but who never grows old. I refer of course to Dennis the Menace, who first graced the pages of the Beano 60 years ago.

When I was a kid Thursday was a big day: it was the day that the Beano (a mere 2d in those days) slipped through the letter box. I would avidly follow the latest adventures of Dennis, Roger the Dodger, Minnie the Minx, Lord Snooty and his pals, Biffo the Bear, Little Plum and the rest. My favourite strip was The Bash Street Kids (known as When the Bell Rings when it first appeared) as the anarchic antics appealed to my rebellious spirit. Like the other characters, they were stuck eternally in a long lost era of teachers with mortar boards, angry fathers with slippers and decidedly non-PC attitudes. But it was Roger the Dodger was I really wanted to emulate, and I think I have succeeded more or less over the years.

The Dandy had Desperate Dan, Keyhole Kate and Korky the Cat, the Beezer had the Banana Bunch and the Topper had Beryl the Peril, but, good though they were, none of them could hold a candle to the Beano. It was a true work of art. Original 50s copies fetch a small fortune these days, and I always regret the day my mum threw my collection away. In an era when there was little of interest to kids on TV, comics were a central part of growing up, and the Beano held pride of place. There were others of course: Wizard, Rover, Hotspur, Radio Fun for example, all of which had a certain appeal, but for sheer juvenile amusement nothing could touch the Beano of the 1950s.

Later on I graduated to the Eagle, with Dan Dare and the Mekon, and Express Weekly, and they filled a gap for slightly older kids who today would be working feverishly on their Nintendos or Play Stations. They are long gone but the Beano continues, as does the Dandy, and long may they last. I would be interested in any comments on memories of the comics of old - especially your favourite characters.

Pinetop Perkins gone

2011-03-22T09:59:00.007Z

Pinetop Perkins, one of the last links with the early Delta blues era, has died aged 97 in Austin, Texas. I was lucky enough to meet him when I visited Hopsons Plantation near Clarksdale, Mississippi in 2005 with Ken Major and Alan Lloyd. My photo shows him with me and Ken Major (left). Here is his biography from http://www.pinetopperkins.com/pabio.htm

'He began playing blues in the late 1920s, and is widely regarded as one of the best – and certainly most enduring – blues pianists. He has forged a style that has influenced three generations of piano players, and continues to be the yardstick by which great blues pianists are measured.

Born Willie Perkins in Belzoni, Mississippi in 1913, Pinetop started out playing guitar and piano at house parties and honky-tonks, but dropped the guitar in the 1940s after sustaining a serious injury in his left arm. He worked primarily in the Mississippi Delta throughout the 1930s and ‘40s, spending three years with Sonny Boy Williamson on the King Biscuit Time radio show on KFFA in Helena, Arkansas. Pinetop also toured extensively with slide guitar player Robert Nighthawk and backed him on an early Chess session. After briefly working with B.B. King in Memphis, Perkins barnstormed the South with Earl Hooker during the early ‘50s. The pair completed a session for Sam Phillips’ famous Sun Records in 1953. It was at this session that he recorded his version of “Pinetop’s Boogie Woogie,” a song originally written and recorded by pianist Clarence “Pinetop” Smith – the influential blues pianist who had died from a gunshot wound at age 24 in 1929. Although referred to as “Pinetop” when he played on King Biscuit in the 40s, it was his sensational version of this song that secured his lifelong nickname.

Although he has enjoyed success as a solo artist since the 1980s, Pinetop is known for holding down the piano chair in the great Muddy Waters Band for twelve years during the pinnacle of Muddy’s career. Replacing Otis Spann in 1969, Pinetop helped shape the Waters sound and anchored Muddy’s memorable combo throughout the seventies with his brilliant piano solos. In 1980, Pinetop and other members of Muddy’s crew struck out on their own and formed the Legendary Blues Band – a group that recorded two records for Rounder and toured extensively, culling several GRAMMY® nominations.

After being labeled a sideman for most of his career, Pinetop eventually left the Legendary Blues band to concentrate on solo work. Within two years, he had cut his first domestic record as a frontman and pursued an ambitious tour schedule. He was featured on several nationally syndicated news and music programs, and appeared in numerous movie productions and TV and radio ads. He has also headlined nearly every major showcase room in North America and most of the major festivals around the world.

The great irony of Pinetop’s career is that he didn’t blossom as a headliner until his eighth decade – a phenomenon that resulted in the release of 15 solo records in 15 years, beginning in 1992. Born In the Delta (1997) – a multimedia enhanced CD released on Telarc International, a division of Concord Music Group – documented the life and work of an amazing historical figure and offered an abundance of entertainment value for a contemporary audience. On his 1998 release, Legends, Pinetop collaborated with master blues guitarist Hubert Sumlin. Together, they blended the traditional Delta blues sound with modern electric blues rock, showcasing the spirit and energy of the music. Born in the Delta and Legends were both nominated for GRAMMY® Awards – in 1997 and 2000 respectively. This was followed by a 2005 GRAMMY® nomination for Ladies Man, released by MC Records. That same year, he was also presented with a lifetime achievement award at the GRAMMYs®. Aside from his well-deserved GRAMMY® recognition, Pinetop also received a National Heritage Fellowship in 2000 from the National Endowment of the Arts.

He has been featured in the documentary Piano Blues, directed by Clint Eastwood for the Martin Scorsese PBS series, The Blues. In addition, he continued to win the Blues Music Award for best blues piano every year until 2003, when he was retired from the running and the award was renamed the Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year. In 2007, still on the road in his 94th year, Pinetop Perkins’ unique life was chronicled in Peter Carlson’s biographical documentary DVD, Born In The Honey, which includes a live CD with a rare studio outtake track.Pinetop Perkins and Friends, released on Telarc in the summer of 2008, positioned Pinetop in the midst of several high-profile guests – all of whom have been influenced by his music in some way or another over the past several decades. Included on Pinetop’s list of Friends were such luminaries as Eric Clapton, B.B. King and Jimmy Vaughan. His latest recording is Joined at the Hip, a collaborative project with Willie “Big Eyes” Smith released in June 2010. The album features Smith on harp and the majority of vocals, leaving the drummer’s chair open for his son, Kenny Smith. Joined at the Hip includes a mix of material written by Smith along with a few chestnuts from the annals of Delta and Chicago blues.Most recently, Pinetop received a Grammy in 2010 for his work with Willie "Big Eyes" Smith for Best Traditional Blues CD for Joined at the Hip with Telarc Records. ' http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJnqcQmPAMo

** Music deaths are coming thick and fast and I have just read that the much-sampled soul/disco singer Loleatta Holloway has died. She was 64. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--5FIf8Z6TE

Two more music deaths

2011-03-19T22:29:00.003Z

Sorry to hear of the death of Jet Harris of cancer at the age of 71. His bass playing was an integral part of Cliff Richard's Drifters (and apparently he suggested the change of name to the Shadows) but alcohol and other personal problems led to a split and he left the group in 1962. He had a number of solo hits and a couple of huge hits with another former Shadow Tony Meehan, including a number one with Diamonds, and although he spent many years out of music due largely to his drink problem, he returned to the music scene appearing regularly with the Rapiers and on Shadows nostalgia shows. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAUOnTaa_TE

Another death to report is that of country star Ferlin Husky at the age of 85. His hits included Wings of a Dove, Gone, and My Reason for Living. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7oy78_ferlin-husky-wings-of-a-dove_music

Two more bluesmen gone

2011-03-15T09:08:00.008Z

Dave has alerted me to the deaths of two venerable bluesmen - Eddie Kirkland and Big Jack Johnson.

Eddie Kirkland, aged 87, died in a car accident whilst driving to a gig on February 27. He made his name as a session musician backing John Lee Hooker and numerous soul and blues stars including Otis Redding, Ruth Brown and Little Richard. Noted for his on stage acrobatics, he was known as the 'Gypsy of the Blues' because he toured extensively and he recorded a dozen or so albums. Here is his obituary in the Daily Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/music-obituaries/8369382/Eddie-Kirkland.html

Mississippi bluesman Big Jack Johnson was 70 and died on March 14 after a long illness. He made his name in the 1970s when he recorded with Sam Carr and Frank Frost and released an album under the name of the Jelly Roll Kings. Subsequently he recorded albums both with Frank Frost and under his own name and performed and wrote 'Jack's Blues' and performed 'Catfish Medley' with Samuel L Jackson on the Black Snake Moan film soundtrack. Here's an obituary: http://communityvoices.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/arts-entertainment-living/blue-notes/27866-mississippi-bluesman-big-jack-johnson-dies

Another death that has come to my attention is that of Joe Morello, drummer with the Dave Brubeck Quartet, whose precise drumming in 5/4 time helped make Take Five an enormous hit in the early 60s and contributed a great deal to Brubeck's other experiments in unusual time signatures. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/joe-morello-one-of-jazzs-most-celebrated-drummers-who-made-60-albums-with-dave-brubeck-2243469.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwNrmYRiX_o

Another record man passes

2011-03-13T20:37:00.002Z

Bob Marcucci, the record producer and label owner who invented the teen idol, has died aged 81. Bob owned Chancellor Records of Philadelphia and discovered and promoted Frankie Avalon and Fabian, who between them did much to end the first flush of rock and roll. Bob said that Frankie Avalon's first record, Dede Dinah was "the worst song I ever heard in my life", according to John Broven in Record Makers and Breakers. And Fabian famously could not sing a note - setting the trend for numerous pop acts right up to the present day.

Despite the lack of talent, Bob, together with Pete DeAngelis, had enormous success for a couple of years, thanks largely to the songwriting talents of Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, who wrote songs that even the talentless Fabian could turn into hits, including I'm a Man, Turn Me Loose and Hound Dog Man. Chancellor later had a hit with Claudine Clarks' Party Lights but the conjuring trick did not last.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2G66eAwA34

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC7vwx2FtDw

Sir Cliff gets soulful

2011-03-08T09:00:00.004Z

It may be rather late in the day - he is 70 after all - but it seems that Cliff Richard is to record an album with some of the greats of soul music, including Percy Sledge, Candi Station, Freda Payne, Billy Paul, the Stylistics' original lead singer Russell Thompkins Jnr, Dennis Edwards of The Temptations, Peabo Bryson and Chanté Moore. The album will include covers and new material, with about half the songs produced by Motown songwriter Lamont Dozier.
A mere 52 years after Move It, Sir Cliff is set to play Las Vegas in a belated attempt to take America by storm, or so the indefatigable David Gest - the man behind the venture - claims. Gest also hinted that there may be one or two rappers on the album. According to the Mirror, Cliff is moving into hip hop at an age when many people are considering a hip op.

Cliff has long complained about the lack of airplay he receives these days and that it has become hard for someone of his vintage to get through to the music buying public, so maybe this will change all that. Personally I doubt it. Cliff was pretty good as a rock and roller, very successful as a rather bland pop singer, and has displayed incredible staying power and youthfulness. But surely his chance of being a big name in the States has gone. Good luck to him nonetheless.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/mar/07/cliff-richard-soul-legends-las-vegas

Johnny Preston RIP

2011-03-05T09:02:00.009Z

Johnny Preston, one of the biggest hit makers of 1960 with smash hits such as Running Bear and Cradle of Love, has died aged 71. Born in Port Arthur, Texas, Johnny formed a local rock and roll band and was discovered by J P Richardson, the Big Bopper, who offered him a song he had written called Running Bear. Several months after the Big Bopper's death in the plane crash that also killed Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens, Johnny's record, released on Mercury, became a huge hit, reaching number one in the US and the UK. The follow up Cradle of Love was also smash hit, reaching number two in the UK. Further singles such as Feel So Fine, Leave My Kitten Alone, Big Chief Heartbreak and Free Me were all of a high quality but were less successful.

Johnny toured the UK on a package tour in 1960 with Conway Twitty and Freddy Cannon and I saw him again on the Legends of Rock and Roll show at Wembley Arena in 1997 when he appeared alongside Little Richard, Lloyd Price, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Eva, Duane Eddy, Chris Montez and Bobby Vee.

Johnny's life, along with those of many other Gulf Coast artists, is featured on a display at the Museum of the Gulf Coast in Port Arthur (see photo). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQ3XUM9gUG4

Here's Johnny's obituary in today's Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/mar/06/johnny-preston-obituary

Ponderosa Stomp dates

2011-03-03T20:00:00.004Z

Dates for this year's Ponderosa Stomp in New Orleans have been confirmed at last, but there is no news yet on the line up. The Stomp will take place from September 15 to 17 but the acts will not be performing at the House of Blues this year, but at the Howlin' Wolf club on South Peters Street, suggesting a smaller line up than in past years. It seems that there will be a conference on Friday the 15th with shows on Saturday September 16 and Sunday, September 17 at Howlin' Wolf, but full details are still awaited. http://www.ponderosastomp.com/

Still in New Orleans, I caught the first episode of Treme the other night on Sky Atlantic. It seems very authentic N'Awlins - so much so that sub titles are recommended for catching what the actors are saying. Episode one featured Kermit Ruffins and a guest role by Elvis Costello and a glimpse of WWOZ, the local community music station. I will try and catch other episodes over the next few weeks.

A final word for Hollywood sex symbol Jane Russell who has died aged 89. Famed almost as much for not wearing the special bra constructed for her by Howard Hughes as for her movies, Jane appeared memorably in The Outlaw and alongside Marilyn Monroe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, among many others.

Vinyl Obscurities - 3

2011-02-23T14:09:00.007Z

Continuing an occasional series on some of the more obscure records in my collection - this time three issued on Polydor in the mid 60s and two on Stateside.
1. Joey and the Continentals - Rudy Vadoo/She rides with me. Polydor BM 56520. Mint value: £85.
Joey (Porello) and the Continentals were a white doowop group from Cleveland who had a number of singles released in the US, but only one in the UK under that group name. Rudy Vadoo is a garage/freakbeat type rocker written by band member Gene Marotta, while the B side She Rides With Me was an excellent Brian Wilson composition. Released on the Claridge label in the US. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IywAsRsAhdQ 2. The G.T.O's - Rudy Vadoo/ She rides with me. Polydor 56721. Mint value: £75.
The Joey and the Continentals record had no impact in the UK, but the band changed their name to the G.T.O's (after their management company the General Management Organisation) and strangely it was released again under their new name shortly afterwards, also on Polydor. Once again it sank without trace.

3. The Holidays - I'll love you forever/ Makin' up time. Polydor 56720. Mint value: £125.

Recorded for Golden World records, this Don Davis production features Edwin Starr as lead vocalist. But he claimed in an interview that he was tricked into doing it and The Holidays did not really exist. Whether true or not, it's a great record. The B-side is a soulful instrumental.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOvnF8xA1Gw

4. Major Rowely - There's a riot going on/Do it the right way. Stateside SS 438. Mint value: £15.

This is a strange record - a version of the Robins' hit sung in a squeaky upper class English accent by someone claiming he was doing time for the Great Train Robbery. Released on Amy Mala in the US, it was produced by Shel Talmy, who also claimed to have written it. But who was Major Rowely? I've no idea, but it seems that UK band Tony Rivers and the Castaways sang and played on the record. B-side is a typical 60s British sounding beat number.

5. Prince Buster - Everybody ska/ 30 pieces of silver. Stateside SS 335. Mint value: £12.

This is the only Prince Buster 45 released on Stateside and just about the only one by him on a mainstream UK label. It was recorded by Amy in the US so perhaps there's a connection with Shel Talmy here as well, but I have no information. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ir0RopB0Bkk

Great American Soulbook

2011-02-19T09:09:00.006Z

To Basingstoke last night to see two 60s soul legends Gary US Bonds and Ben E King perform 'The Great American Soulbook'. Fears that this would be an evening of middle of the road nostalgia were quickly dispelled when the excellent six piece Memphis style band took the stage. Between acts they performed authentic versions of Peter Gunn, Green Onions, Time Is Tight and Soul Finger.

Ben E King, now 72, may have lost some power from his voice, but his laid back approach had the audience in the palm of his hand in two short sets (one in each half) as he went through several of his own numbers - Spanish Harlem, Don't Play That Song, Save the Last Dance For Me and, of course, Stand By Me. His other selections were pretty good too, with a couple of Ray Charles numbers (Let the Good Times Roll and Hallelujah I Love Her So), some Sam Cooke (Twistin' The Night Away and a medley of Wonderful World and Cupid), How Sweet It Is, Under the Boardwalk and, rather incongruously, Imagine.

The choices of Gary US Bonds, a mere 71, were more predicable, but his sense of humour (he took great pleasure in pronouncing Basingstoke) and strong voice and energy carried him through. Apart from his own hits Quarter to Three and New Orleans all of his choices from the 'soulbook' were crowd favourities - Midnight Hour, Soul Man, Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay, Higher and Higher, Knock on Wood, Mustang Sally, Sweet Soul Music, Let's Stay Togther and an excellent Try A Little Tenderness.

The two soul men came together for the climax of New Orleans and a reprise of Stand By Me. They joked with each other and Gary did a rather camp silly walk which he called 'soul strolling' - to Ben's consternation. Altogether, a very enjoyable show and well worth £20.

Good news about Porretta

2011-02-17T22:45:00.005Z

First news of the line up at this year's Porretta Soul Festival - and it looks pretty good. The names so far are Spencer Wiggins, Percy Wiggins, William Bell, Harvey Scales and a Tribute To King Curtis. The Wiggins brothers were the stars two years ago of probably the best ever Porretta. William Bell is a huge figure in sixties soul and always good to watch. I have never seen Harvey Scales, but he had a great Wilson Pickett style soul record on Atlantic in the UK with Get Down, backed with Love-Itis. So it's looking good, and I think I will probably go. There's been no announcement on the Porretta website yet, but there's a message on Facebook. The photo shows Spencer, Percy and me in 2009. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFiTYHdLUHo

Update: the line up looks even better now - as well as the above there's also Swamp Dogg, Sugar Pie DeSanto, Toni Green and Chick Rodgers.

No news at all officially on the Ponderosa Stomp yet - not even the dates, which makes life difficult for Brits planning a US trip. Get your finger out Dr Ike!

Rocksteady - Roots of Reggae

2011-02-13T21:16:00.004Z

Growing up in south London in the 60s I was exposed to Jamaican music - the great sounds of ska, rocksteady and early reggae. This weekend BBC4 has been celebrating these musical art forms with a series of programmes. Last night Reggae Britannia featured the likes of Ken Boothe and Rico Rodriguez in a recent concert at the Barbican, followed by a 1973 Old Grey Whistle Test which included Nicky Thomas and The Pioneers among others.

Tonight's programme - Rocksteady - Roots of Reggae - brought together many of the original rocksteady pioneers, including Hopeton Lewis, Stranger Cole, Derrick Morgan and Marcia Griffiths, who relived their roles in the evolution of ska into rocksteady in the late 60s. Sadly the King of Rocksteady, Alton Ellis, is no longer with us, but it brought back memories of the West Indian clubs that I frequented in Brixton back in the day. The music sounded fantastic then, and it sounds fantastic today.

The photo shows what may be the first rocksteady record to be issued in the UK. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J_KvCqSNp4

Clay Hammond RIP + Marvin Sease & Tura Satana

2011-02-08T15:32:00.010Z

Clay Hammond, one of the very best of soul/blues vocalists, has died aged 74. I was lucky enough to see him perform a couple of times - at the Porretta Soul Festival in 2001, the year it was held in Bologna, and at Utrecht. He had a superb voice, having been an original member of gospel group The Mighty Clouds of Joy, and was the writer of Part Time Love, a big hit for Little Johnny Taylor. He recorded for Galaxy and Kent, as well as DuoDisc - the 45 pictured is a different song from the one made famous by Roy C. Here's the B-side of that record Dance Little Girl on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hZArOO0vus

Thanks also to Dave for alerting me to the death at 64 of Marvin Sease, one of the biggest Southern soul stars, whose raunchy lyrics to songs such as Candy Licker meant that he got little airplay in the US, and none at all in the UK, where this genre is not appreciated these days. A great voice. Here's his classic on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BAITv1AFN0c

A word too about Tura Satana, glamorous star of Russ Meyer's 1965 cult movie Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! who has died aged 72. What a girl she was! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHLk5T9bh0U http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0YcN0MkBKI

Bill Haley oddity, plus John Barry

2011-02-01T09:11:00.003Z

Here's a photo of a Brunswick 78 I have by 'Billy', rather than Bill, Haley and his Comets. It's Birth of The Boogie backed with Mambo Rock. The record's number is correct but the label is the old style brown Brunswick 78 design, rather than the usual black label. The label reads Made in England at the top. I've shown the photo to a couple of experts who haven't seen anything like it before. Can anyone offer an explanation?

Farewell to John Barry who has died aged 77. He is rightly revered for his film scores, especially the James Bond ones, but I also remember his instrumentals hits as the John Barry Seven in the late fifties and early sixties, including Hit and Miss (the theme for Juke Box Jury) and his cover of Walk Don't Run, and the lush string backings that helped make Adam Faith a star.

Fifth 2 I's rock and roll show hits right note

2011-01-31T09:04:00.014Z

The fifth annual trawl through the byways of British Rock and Roll - the Tales From the Woods tribute to the 2 I's coffee bar - moved to a new venue this year, the Borderline in Soho, not far from the original Old Compton Street coffee emporium. And it wasn't just the venue that was new. There was a professionalism about the show that was lacking in some of the early shows. It ran to time and there were no diversions from ageing singers of questionable talent doing their own improvised numbers. These shows get better every year.
The evening was held together by the Tales from The Woods House Band (lead guitarist John Spencely, Brian 'Bunter' Clark on drums, Claire Hamlin on keyboards and Robb Davis on stand up bass). They backed three of the four main acts and were excellent throughout.
First act that I caught was Simon Scott (pictured below), who had flown in from Florida for the gig. He had a minor hit on Parlophone in 1964 with Move It Baby, a favourite on the rock and roll scene these days apparently, which was the highlight of his set, which was otherwise a selection of rather average covers of rock and roll favourites, from Blue Suede Shoes, to Bye Bye Love and a dirge-like Love Me Tender. He has enthusiasm and a reasonable voice, but seemed a little rusty, forgetting lyrics on occasions.

Next up was Terry Wayne, who was a star of an earlier 2 I's show, who continues to look and sound pretty good. Terry had a string of 45s issued on Columbia in the late 50s, including covers of Matchbox and Oh Lonesome Me and his own composition Slim Jim Tie, all of which he played. He said he had had no chance of rehearsing with the band, but you wouldn't have known it as he went through a string of crisp rock and roll and country covers including Baby I Don't Care and Sea of Heartbreak, plus Teenage Boogie, a disc now out on a CD single. Highlight of this year's show was Graham Fenton, formerly the frontman of the 70s and 80s rock and roll band Matchbox. His set was mostly rock and roll covers, but his energy and choice of material set him above most the early British rock and rollers still on the scene. Among the highlights were Freddy Cannon's Buzz Buzz A Diddle It, Conway Twitty's I'll Try, Elvis's Trying To Get To You (with great guitar from John Spencely) and Ricky Nelson's Believe What You Say. He finished with Rockabilly Rebel, a hit for Matchbox in the seventies.

The show owed a great deal to the brilliant House Band, with the guitar work of John Spencely (pictured) outstanding, but good support also from the rest of the band.

This year's show, like last year's, climaxed with the Incredible Roy Young Band featuring Howie Casey on sax and John Spencely standing in on lead guitar. Roy is a great boogie woogie player with a raw, exciting voice and he belted his way through a selection of numbers made famous by Little Richard, Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Willis. He certainly got the good sized crowd going and even though there was little original about the material he chose, it was very much what the audience wanted.

Final photo is of saxman Howie Casey, once of Liverpool band Howie Casey and The Seniors.

Overall this 2 I's show was a pretty good evening's entertainment, ably supported by MC Ricky Stevens and DJ 'Mr Angry' John Howard. As one friend remarked to me: "I always thought British rock and roll was rubbish but after tonight I have revised my opinion." I wouldn't go that far - it was and still is largely rubbish - but at least the choice of acts showed imagination, even if the choice of material in some cases did not. A success again for promoter Keith Woods and all at Tales From The Woods.

Gladys Horton of the Marvelettes

2011-01-29T19:45:00.004Z

Gladys Horton, lead singer of the Marvelettes, one of Motown's earliest and most successful groups, has died aged 65. Gladys (pictured centre) was just 16 when she sang lead on Motown's first number one Please Mr Postman and her strong voice was heard to good effect on a string of classics until she left the group in 1967. These included Beechwood 4-5789, You're My Remedy, Too Many Fish in the Sea and Don't Mess With Bill, plus Locking Up My heart, the Oriole release of which is one of the rarest 45s in my collection. After she left the group success continued for a couple of years before breaking up in the late 1960s. Gladys later performed under her own name but in recent years suffered a number of strokes. A sad loss. Here's her singing the first great Marvelettes hit with a later version of the group http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDmUVAp0aVQ

Jazzfest line up disappoints

2011-01-23T21:25:00.003Z

The line up for this year's New Orleans Jazzfest has been announced, and I reckon it's the most disappointing yet, with a few exceptions. There's Bobby Blue Bland and Willie Nelson, and old favourites such as Irma Thomas and the Neville Brothers, but very little else of great interest. These are the best known headliners: Arcade Fire, Bon Jovi, Jimmy Buffett, Kid Rock, John Mellencamp, Wilco, Neville Brothers, Willie Nelson, Strokes, Robert Plant, Lauryn Hill, Tom Jones, Jeff Beck, Sonny Rollins, John Legend, Wyclef Jean, Dr John, Cyndi Lauper, Allen Toussaint, Bobby Bland, Marcia Ball, Jesse Winchester, Walter 'Wolfman' Washington, Maze, Arlo Guthrie, Irma Thomas, Gregg Allman Blues Band, Robert Cray, Ken Mo, Mighty Clouds of Joy, Kermit Ruffins, Ahmad Jamal, Rance Allen, Ricky Skaggs, Sonny Landreth, Henry Butler, Maceo Parker, Michelle Shocked, Charlie Musselwhite.
The full line up is here http://www.nojazzfest.com/index.php?http%3A//www.nojazzfest.com/home/index-2011.php

Another music man passes

2011-01-18T21:12:00.002Z

Hot on the heels of the passing of Bobby Robinson, another music great has died - this time Don Kirshner. He managed many of the 'Brill Building' songwriters, including Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Neil Sedaka, Howard Greenfield, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil. He also directed the careers of Bobby Darin, Carole King and Neil Diamond. As a record producer he had a hit with 'Martian Hop' by the Ran-Dells and was instrumental in creating the Monkees (pictured) and the Archies before moving into TV presenting in the 70s.

A final word also for Joseph Jones, who was a member of South Carolina beach music band The Tams for many years, but joined them after their early hits such as Hey Girl Don't Bother Me and What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am).