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IRMA & SWAMP DOGG: The Canyon Sessions
Back in March, out of the blue, David Marchese from SPIN sent me this link to his impressive feature on Jerry ‘Swamp Dogg’ Williams, Jr., a truly independent and amazingingly prolific R&B artist, writer, producer, publisher, label-owner, and walking definition of “gonzo”. Show More Summary
Who The Hell Is Uncle Tom?
My name is John Rhys. I retired from business in 2007 and was immediately bored stiff. I now had quite a bit of reasonably free time so I contacted my old friend, Eddie Ponder to see if he would like to get together and play some music. Show More Summary
Saving Detroit; One T-Shirt At A Time!
About a month ago, my wife and I were invited to Detroit. When we arrived at the Detroit airport, we were picked up by a young man who told us he was a musician and entrepreneur. This young man went out of his way to make sure we had everything we needed and then gave us his phone number and said to call should the occasion rise. Show More Summary
The Tams - Shelter (ABC 10385)
Shelter I'm not sure if you noticed this but, after the post I put up about Joe South, good ol' Larry Grogan left this in the comments; "I had no idea, until I clicked on your link, that South had written 'Shelter', one of my fave Tams...Show More Summary
Al Franken And Tom Davis....An American Adventure!
In 1974, two young men came into my studio in Hollywood and seriously made me laugh. Their take on politics, women's liberation, vegetarians and gun owners had us all on the floor. That day we became good friends and decided to pursue a record deal. Show More Summary
Ike Turner Tells It Like It Was!
This time IKE pulls no punches. He speaks about the record companies of the fifties and sixties and their ways of doing business. He talks about JERRY WEXLER and AHMET ERTEGUN at ATLANTIC. PHIL and LEONARD CHESS of CHESS RECORDS. The BIHARI BROTHERS at MODERN and SID NATHAN from KING RECORDS. Show More Summary
Levon Helm....Gone, But Not Forgotten!
Levon Helm In 1978, when I was 14, my best friend and I rode our bikes down to the Byrd Theater in Richmond VA to see a movie called The Last Waltz. We had never heard of The Band, let alone The Staples Singers or Muddy Waters. We went...Show More Summary
The Legend Continues
PART ONE - An introduction to the life and times of Sir Lattimore, who was in the midst of a comrback when he died in Pensacola one year ago. PART TWO - The legend continues,with rumors of the musician's premature death, and how a series of tragic events brought him to Pensacola. Show More Summary
The Best Music You Never Heard....Rastus!
In 1969 I met a band which would become a driving force in my life for the next two years. I have had the good fortune to work with some really fine musicians over the years but none that could compare with the tremendous power of Rastus. Show More Summary
A BluePower CD Profile....Kemp Harris', Edenton!
In a world where most people pander their wares to buyers, there occasionally comes someone who just doesn't care about convention and delivers a product so startlingly real, the markets shy away in fear. Kemp Harris has combined traditional blues and gospel and come up with a most chilling description of the world today. Show More Summary
Bobby "Boris" Pickett....Half Dead In Hollywood!
Ever since I've known Bob, I have marveled at his elegance of manner, his ultra-quick wit and his well focused insight to character. We have recorded dozens of commercials and a whole lot of bits together. (He as talent and I as engineer)...Show More Summary
TRACKING THE BIG Q FACTOR, PT 1
TRYING TO MAKE THE BARONS RULE Wardell Quezergue began working with the Barons, a New Orleans-based soul vocal group, when they recorded a 45 for Senator Jones in the late 1960s. That convergence of talent is as good a place as any to...Show More Summary
Banned In Boston!
During the late 1940s and the 1950s, there were a lot of records made that were a bit past the "blue" side....in fact, these records were downright "gray". So much so, that these records were banned in Boston.Now banned in Boston isShow More Summary
King Floyd - Please Don't Leave Me Lonely (Chimneyville 437)
Please Don't Leave Me Lonely
Tracing Benny Spellman's Fortunes, Pt. 2
Picking up more or less where my prior post left off, I’ll start with another of the late Benny Spellman’s unreleased, Allen Toussaint-produced tracks, probably recorded prior to 1963 from the sound of it. I forgot to include this one this last time, and want to get it in, since it’s a great little number, and one of my favorites. Show More Summary
Tracing Benny Spellman's Fortunes
I really expected bigger things from Benny. He was by far the most popular rhythm and blues artist in New Orleans. He always was working even when nobody else could find a job. And he had those teenagers mesmerized, they just loved him. Show More Summary
Suiting Summer To A Tee: Willie & the Gaturs
The always groovin' music of Willie Tee (Wilson Turbinton) goes particularly well with summer; and hearing it any time of the year summons up that seasonal vibe for me, especially the songs by his early 1970s funk band, the Gaturs, which just seem imbued with heat, humidity, and a feel-good, hang-loose spirit. Show More Summary
The Kingpins - In The Pocket (ATCO 6516)
In The Pocket GET EXCITED I'm heading out on a Road Trip the end of this week to attend the sold out Memphis Boys concert at the Franklin Theater in Franklin, Tennessee. I am just so like amped, bro! Woo-Hoo! They are, without question,...Show More Summary
The Sissy Variations or The Queen of Funky Dances
This session’s batch of New Orleans vinyl contains songs associated with a dance called the Sissy, which also became known as the Sophisticated Sissy, and even a few more variants. When I considered doing a post on Sissy songs, I realized...Show More Summary
Benny Spellman - I Feel Good (Atlantic 2291)
"Unbind him, and let him go..." I just got the news that Benny Spellman, who (as I mentioned just recently) was 'one of the last remaining cornerstones of New Orleans R&B' died this past Friday, June 3rd. For over twenty years, he had...Show More Summary
