This is all kinds of nice.
This soul pioneer toured with the likes of Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, James Brown, Al Green, Marvin Gaye,Ike and Tina Turner, B.B. King and The Temptations.
Pretty good eh! Even Moby sampled her!
Barbara Lynn - Love Ain't Never Hurt Nobody
I've written about Joe Tex before, and probably will do again, I have a massive soft spot for him. He has so many great great R&B records, like this one.
It has a fast blues riff to die for, that makes you all jiggy inside. A CC rider, or see see rider was meant to be a prostitute, male or female - it seams to be in some debate.
The original of this song was first recorded in 1924 when it was already a traditional song, so who knows how old it really is.
Joe Tex - C C Rider
Calla is one of those record labels that's pure gold. Sadly I know little about the label or Jean Wells for that matter. She was Florida born and knocked out a series of great great 7's and one LP (I think) for Calla.
It's all amazing.
When I discovered her I was pretty happy, it was like when you thought you'd never find anyone as good as Bettye Swann or Bettye Lavette again.
Thankfully southern soul keeps on delivering.
Jean Wells - I Feel Good
I just learned that Nina Simone suffered from Bipolar Disorder. Didn't know that. Anyway, in 1978 she released an album entitled Baltimore, and this was the title track from that album.
The original is actually by (the great song writer) Randy Newman and is pretty good but this version is like a axe straight to the heart. Simone really makes you feel what Newman was trying to get across with message of struggle on Baltimore's streets.
Thanks to Grumblemouse for the tip.
Enjoy.
Nina Simone - Baltimore
Jimmy is one of those great southern soul singers who didn't get enough props, yes, another one. He's not even in Wikipedia!
Anyway, this is one of his later singles on Volt. Most of the stuff he's famous for came out earlier and features on Rick Hall's Fame label.
But this one from 1971 still kicks it out there as you'd hope. I have a few albums and several singles but don't know that much about him. Anyone feel free to educate me!
Jimmy Hughes - Just ain't as strong as I used to be
Clifford Curry is a stupidly good southern soul singer from Knoxville, Tennessee. He, like so many other astonishingly good southern soul singers never really got the credit he perhaps deserved. Bother sides of this single are stunning and I may post the other side in a month or so.
This track was his biggest hit and topped out at number 40 in the R&B charts in 1967. I wish America had got it's act together in the 1960s and then artists outside of Motown and Stax could have got some more recognition.
Clifford Curry - She Shot A Hole In My Soul
Bobby Bland is one of those guys who spans several genres effortlessly. Somehow performing as a blues singer, southern soul singer and an r&b singer. He's also good at all of them. His California album is one of my favourites.
Shoes is from around '67. It's a great northern style tune and I nearly buckled when I first heard it. It was going up here after I heard the first three bars.
Bobby Bland - Shoes
The first time you hear this, you bug out. It's that good. You wonder how you've never heard of Shuggie Otis before. Johnny Otis, his father, was a band leader in the sixties so learned Shuggie up early on in life.
As Shuggie was very musical from a young age he was always playing (or trying to play) in his dad's bands. He often had to paint black ink on his upper lip to allow him into the clubs in LA. I cant believe it worked but apparently it did! Enjoy.
Shuggie Otis - Inspiration Information
Dinah Washington was a major influence on Aretha Franklin, so you can be pretty grateful for that, not to mention the huge bastion of great records she wrote and sang like this one.
She was one of the early great Jazz and Blues singers, laying track for many of the soul greats to follow in her footsteps. Legend has it that she wore mink in all weathers and carried two .45-caliber pistols with her!
Sadly she died died in 1963 of an accidental overdose. I'd love to know when this was recorded...
Dinah Washington - Soulville
I only stumbled across this recently but as soon as I did I went hunting. It has a little of that northern sound. A blinding bassline with an almost-too-slow melody line for the vocal style. It drills right through you until you're completely in love with it as I am.
Barbara Acklin is a stunning singer and oft talented songwriter too but never really had the breaks she needed to become as big as she could have been, like so many others.
Barbara Acklin - Fool Fool Fool
