What We Like To Play (Soul January 29th 1972)

It was Al Green’s second week at the top of the Cash Box R&B Top 60 on January 29th 1972. “Let’s Stay Together” was the star’s first chart-topper & there were to be five more ( four of his 45s “only” reached #2). Al was to be a major force in Soul music in the early 1970s, it’s certain that he will be a feature selection here in the near future just not right now. Let’s look a little further down the chart to see what catches the ear.

Eric Burdon was a big figure in the 1960s British Invasion, first as vocalist with the Animals then maintaining his popularity with his name at the front of a new pack of Animals. Five LPs in less than two years provided hit singles but was a hectic workload leading to burnout & leaving Eric without a band. Bringing along Danish harmonica player Lee Oskar, Eric hooked up with Night Shift, a backing group from Long Beach, California. A name change & the “Eric Burdon Declares War” record (1970) confirmed a surprising & serendipitous union, War’s Afro-Funk-Jazz-Latin grooves proving to be a great foil to Eric’s stoned Geordie Beat poetry. “Spill the Wine” became a Top 3 US Pop hit, the highest for the singer since 1964’s “House of the Rising Sun”. There was another album, a double, before personal troubles led to him leaving in the middle of a European tour. War, a seven piece band, were travelling the world, playing to bigger audiences, getting their name around. They also had a better record deal than their former front man ever had, with the tunes & the chops to rule out a return to the L.A. clubs.

There’s a subtle texture to War’s music, resonances of the ensemble groove revealed by repeated listening & not enough people wanted to play their first LP again. They needed a track that would be played on daytime radio & “Slippin’ Into Darkness”, at #11 on this week’s R&B chart was that very thing. Playing live on “Soul Train” they unite around that bassline, sing great harmonies & you just wish they were playing the full six minutes rather than the shorter single version. The closer on the “All Day Music” album, “Baby Brother”, a live & loud Blues jam, later re-tooled into a hit 45, indicates a strong stage presence. Having got their crossover hit War seized the opportunity & there were to be two more Top 10 singles by the end of 1972, starting a decade of great rhythms & gold records. Lee Oskar was recognisable, he was the white guy with the afro, the other six did their thing, made their contribution & it is to the band’s credit that the line up was unchanged through all this success. War were an important, influential, individual group whose records sound as cool & fresh today as they did 50 years ago.

Donnie Elbert, a singer from Buffalo, New York had been recording since the mid-1950s, having his first R&B hit in 1957. With a career interrupted by a stint in the Army his releases met with little commercial success. In 1965 he recorded “A Little Piece of Leather”, highlighting the falsetto end of his three octave range. Picked up in the UK by Sue Records, a label jam-packed with great American R&B overseen by DJ Guy Stevens (later producer of Mott the Hoople & the Clash) for Island Records. A Mod club favourite Donnie moved across the Atlantic, recording a tribute to Otis Redding & a Rock Steady 45, “Without You”, a #1 in Jamaica. He returned to the US & the R&B chart in 1970 then, something he brought with him from England, a cover of the Supremes’ “Where Did I Love Go” crossed over to the Pop Top 20. Things were going well for Donnie 50 years ago today, only he & Sly & the Family Stone had two records on the R&B listing.

Another Motown cover, “I Can’t Help Myself” (the 4 Tops, “sugar pie honey bunch”, you know it) rose a healthy 11 places to #30 & “Sweet Baby” moved from #34 to 32. Both are perfect for all-night dancing in the Soul clubs of Northern England, if Donnie was well-liked in the US he was loved over here & in 1972 the re-released “A Little Piece of Leather” made the UK Top 30. The records were on different labels & Avco, the bigger one, had the idea that more covers were the way to go. Donnie had been burned by bigger companies before, he had worked hard to find his own place & his independence. At All Platinum he had sung, written, produced, played everything but the strings & that’s where he chose to stay until he was on the wrong end of a dispute with boss Sylvia Robinson over the composing credit for Shirley & Company’s hit “Shame, Shame, Shame” (now that’s a good tune) had him looking for a way out of a business where his talents were perhaps never fully appreciated & promoted.

At #39 this week, up 10 places pop pickers, was a record that was on its way to the top of the R&B chart & #2 Pop, 3 million copies sold. I’ve written about Joe Tex here & some of his regular hits have featured in earlier Soul Selections. “I Gotcha” was Joe’s first R&B #1 since 1965, his biggest crossover hit since “Skinny Legs & All” five years previously. Joe & his dancers give an energetic, er thrusting, performance of an insistent, confident gold record rap. After a sojourn at Atlantic Records where he was rather awkwardly given other people’s songs to record Joe was back with the Dial label, with producer Buddy Killen, the songs all his own work. On the LP that came with “I Gotcha” he sticks with what he’s good at, the sharp Memphis Funk sweetened by homespun homilies backed by Nashville session cats, both delivered with Joe’s good humour. Not as consistent as the compilations of his great singles the record still has its moments like “Takin’ A Chance”, always a favourite.

Joe, now Yusuf Hazziez, stepped away for a while to preach & fund raise for the Nation of Islam. bBy the middle of the decade Disco was the current thing & Joe, receptive to new styles & dances since Sam Cooke was twisting the night away had something to add. “Ain’t Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman)” put him back in the R&B Top 10, the US Pop 20 & even some long-overdue attention here in the UK.

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Sunshine, Szabo & Joe Tex (Soul September 25th 1971)

“Stick-Up” by Honey Cone had been on the Cash Box Top 60 in R&B Locations for 10 weeks before reaching the top spot. Longevity, a slow & steady rise, was more of a thing 50 years ago & three of the Top 10 had entered the chart over three months ago. I am now, of course, like everyone else in the 21st century, only attracted the shiny, new things & much of the current Top 10 has been featured in previous posts. There is one record, at #4 on September 25th 1971 after one week at #1, that has not been included so let’s start with one we all know, a classic hit, before excavating the listing’s lower reaches for some less well-known good stuff.

In 1971 things were all new for Bill Withers & he was new to record buyers. The cover of his debut album showed him, lunchbox in hand, at his job as an assembler at Weber Aircraft in Burbank, California. Bill was 32 years old, reluctant to quit in case this music thing didn’t work out. “Just As I Am” was produced by Booker T Jones who called in his fellow M.G.s Donald “Duck” Dunn on bass & drummer Al Jackson Jr. Steve Cropper was unavailable so Stephen Stills brought his guitar along. Heavy friends for a freshman recording artist. Judicious, expert use of strings added a sheen tosongs such as “Harlem”, Grandma’s Hands”, “Hope She’ll Be Happier” & the breakthrough “Ain’t No Sunshine” (I know, I know, I know that you know that one) that showed Bill Withers to be a songwriter with the ability to capture emotion with a dextrous lucidity. The overall impression was one of likeability & sincerity. It was no surprise that this was just how Bill was.

While he was trying to obtain a contract Bill made demo tapes using local Los Angeles musicians from Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band. When the time came to take his show on the road they joined him &, as displayed on TV appearances & the 1973 “Live At The Carnegie Hall” album, their sympathetic, insouciant groove turned the Soul-Folk into an effortless Funk. In 1972 “Ain’t No Sunshine” was deservedly awarded the Grammy for Best R&B Song. It was followed by “Still Bill”, a very successful record produced by Bill & his band which not only included “Lean On Me” (US Pop #1) & “Use Me” (Pop #2) but also enough songs to make a damn fine list. After a move to a bigger label in 1975 he became increasingly dissatisfied with the insensitivity of the star making machinery & its effect on his creativity. “Menagerie” (1978) featured “Lovely Day” another song we all know, there was a hit collaboration with Grover Washington Jr, an album in 1985 & that was it. I hope that Bill Withers was fairly remunerated for those much-loved, much-covered songs he wrote. I do know from interview & documentary evidence that he was a content & admirable man who liked to live his life on his own terms.

Gabor Szabo, just like my Uncle Erno, was a young man when they both escaped a Red Army invasion of Hungary in 1956. Erno found his way to the UK where he absolutely lucked out by marrying Ruth, my favourite Auntie while Gabor arrived in California via Austria , a guitarist already Jazz-influenced by exposure to the Voice of America radio station in Budapest. After a couple of years studying in Boston he returned west & joined a quintet led by established bandleader Chico Hamilton with whom he made his first recordings. His solo records, 8 across 1966-67, often included versions of contemporary songs by the Beatles & others. I have never been sure about Jazz’s interaction with the Pop canon, however cool, stylish & well-played or however “Jazz Raga” you make “Paint It Black”. A creative & business partnership with vibraphonist Gary McFarland led to the formation of Skye Records & “Dreams” (1968) is fine collection of his many influences including Hungarian Folk music. His most commercially successful work with vocalist Lena Horne was released just as Skye had to declare bankruptcy.

So to 1971 & the “High Contrast” album with “Breezin”, this week rising a healthy 12 places to #30. Now with the famed Blue Thumb label this was a collaboration with Bobby Womack who played rhythm guitar on the sessions & wrote 4 of the 7 songs. This is much more to my taste, a leisurely Jazz-Funk groove that anticipated later music by the Crusaders, Grover Washington Jr, Bob James, Eric Gale & the rest of the CTI crew. Gabor continued to record & often returned to Hungary. He had though picked up something else from American Jazz musicians & died when just 45 years old after a long-standing heroin addiction. Gabor Szabo is fondly remembered by those who were listening at the time. The great Carlos Santana cites him as an influence & merged Szabo’s “Gypsy Queen” with Peter Green’s “Black Magic Woman” to create a killer track.

A new record from Joe Tex was always a good thing. Since “Hold What You Got”, his first hit in 1965, there had been over 20 placings on the R&B Top 30. The 5 successive Top 10 singles across 1965-66, released on the Dial label, distributed by Atlantic, placed him in the front line of the Southern Soul artists who were coming to national attention. While Joe could write Soul stompers like “Show Me” & “S.Y.S.L.J.F.M. (The Letter Song”) it was his three minute homilies, homespun observations told with a moral told with humour, warmth & exuberance, that became his stock-in-trade. “Skinny Legs & All” crossed over to the Pop chart in 1967, “Men Are Getting Scarce” (“Men are gettin’ scarce, scarcer than hen’s teeth, & that’s mighty scarce!”) were just two of a long line of memorable, individual hits which, along with an outstanding stage show (including impersonations), made him a major star.

Joe Tex was involved with the Soul Clan, a superstar collective with higher ideals than just making records which never received the promised backing of Atlantic. There was a move to Mercury Records but, through a partnership with manager-producer-Dial label owner Buddy Killen, he maintained his independence, recording what & where he wanted, using the best musicians from Muscle Shoals & American Sound Studios in Memphis. The Memphis Boys, Reggie Young (guitar), Tommy Cogbill (bass), keyboard players Bobby Emmons & Bobby Wood , would come on over to Nashville if Joe had sessions there. “Give The Baby What The Baby Wants”, #41 this week, is a fine, funky workout for the crew that sits just right on the collection of Dial A-sides that is an essential for any Soul enthusiast. The following year “I Gotcha” became Joe”s biggest hit (#1 R&B, #2 Pop) but recording became more sporadic when Joe, a convert to Islam in 1966, announced his retirement in 1972, returning three years later after the death of Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam. “Ain’t Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman)” was one last hit in 1977. Joe never really suited Disco & his music lacked the progression of some of his contemporaries. There were both health & financial problems before a fatal heart attack in 1982 which is a shame but there’s always the great, uplifting music of Joe Tex – a Soul Man.

They Wanna Move Their Feet, Hit It! (Soul March 1970)

The guys behind Atlantic Records, the Ertegun brothers Ahmet & Nesuhi with Jerry Wexler, were often ahead of the other players in the Pop music game. Their subsidiary label Cotillion was initially an outlet for Blues & deep Southern Soul but the trio were record men who took the trouble to make discs that they could sell. They signed a veteran artist whose commercial success had faded, matched him to more contemporary material &, in March 1970, found themselves at the top of the Cash Box Top 50 R&B chart. Brook Benton was a consummate pro who had been making records for over 20 years & enjoyed a string of hits in the late 1950’s & early 1960’s. Brook’s sophisticated delivery & a lush orchestral backing by the best New York session players made Tony Joe White’s “Rainy Night in Georgia” his biggest hit for 7 years. It’s now a tried & tested way for established names to revive their fortunes. Those Atlantic people knew what they were doing.

 

Last month my Soul selections were all from the Top 10 of the February chart. Let’s look a little lower down & see if there was anything of interest & quality to be found. Of course there was.

 

 

 

 

Sly Stone had finally been dislodged after 6 weeks at #1 & “Thank You” was slipping down the chart but at #13, rapidly rising from #21, was the first release from his new Stone Flower label & it was still a family affair. Vaetta (Vet) Stewart, Mary McCreary & Elva Mouton had recorded a Gospel LP as the Heavenly Tones before, straight out of high school, providing backing vocals for Vet’s big brother as Little Sister. “You’re the One (Parts I & II)”, it was Part II that got the radio play, sounds like a Sly & the Family Stone record. It’s Cynthia & Jerry providing the horns & I like to think that it’s Larry Graham playing that sensational bass line but it’s just as likely that Sly himself is responsible for all the other instrumentation.

 

To my ears the insidious rhythms & simple lyrical chant of “You’re the One” predates Disco by about four years. Music from the future, that’s what Sly Stone was about in 1970. Lil Sis’s next record “Somebody’s Watching You”, an alternate take on the Family Stone track from “Stand”, was the first to use programmed drums. As Sly followed his own path & got a little lost Stone Flower only released a few singles, enough for a very interesting compilation LP & that’s a pity. Solo albums by brother Freddie & Sister Rose would have been interesting to hear because the Stone family were a very talented bunch & their music was setting the scene in 1970.

 

 

 

 

Back in 1964 when Martha & the Vandellas were calling out around the world they were contending for the title as the biggest girl group in not only Detroit but the world. There’s no doubt that the Supremes, benefitting from Tamla Motown’s promotional push, soon had a firm grip on that belt but Holland-Dozier-Holland, the label’s ace writing/production team continued to provide the Vandellas with hit singles. “Nowhere to Run” & “I’m Ready For Love” were tailor made for Martha’s strong, urgent vocals. An older track, the charming “Jimmy Mack”, was a major US success while here in the UK the romantic b-side “Third Finger Left Hand” was equally popular on the dancefloor.

 

All of Motown was affected by the departure of H-D-H though 1967’s “Honey Chile”, written by Sylvia Moy & new producer Richard Morris & the first single credited to Martha Reeves & the…, was no drop in quality. Things were changing, Vandella Betty Kelley was replaced by Martha’s sister Sandra while the lead singer took some time out to deal with problems related to an addiction to pain-killers. The 1970 LP “Natural Resources” marked her return to the studio. The dramatic “I Should Be Proud” questioned whether the death of a young soldier in Vietnam was for a noble cause. Cash Box placed it at #35 on their chart but the single had limited radio play, the stations were not yet ready for Motown with a message. Later in 1970 “Ball of Confusion” by the Temptations & Edwin Starr’s “War” brought a social conscience to commercial Black music & the Hit Parade. Martha Reeves & the Vandellas’ “I Should Be Proud” can be considered alongside them as a harbinger of this new trend for saying it loud.

 

 

 

 

Ah the great Joe Tex had a new record out & here at loosehandlebars we always have time for Joe. Joseph Arrington Jr from Rogers, Texas was part of the great roster of Atlantic artists, “the Soul Clan”. A close relationship with Dial Records owner/ producer Buddy Killen allowed him to record in Nashville, move south to Memphis or Muscle Shoals if he needed a little more Funk in the mix & maintain his independence while enjoying the distribution & promotion of a big label. Plenty of hit records, a dynamic stage show & an in-house publishing deal meant that Joe was doing well for himself. In 1968 the actual Colonel Sanders commissioned a KFC jingle from Joe, paid him $10,000 & two Cadillacs. Unfortunately in 67/68 he was a pallbearer at the funerals of first Otis Redding & then of Little Willie John. Joe Tex was a big deal & deservedly so.

 

Back when Joe started to make records the two biggest R&B stars were Sam Cooke, a big influence on Joe & many others, & Ray Charles. “You’re Right, Ray Charles”, at #40 on the chart, passed on some advice given to the singer by Brother Ray. Joe Tex was a prolific songwriter, adept at faster Soul belters (“Show Me”, “S.Y.S.L.J.F.M.”) & ballads (“The Love You Save”, “Buying A Book”) delivered with the flow, wisdom & humour of a Southern preacher. Mr Charles’ tip was to make music for the kids not the grown-ups but I think that Joe knew that already. “You’re Right…” was part of a relatively unsuccessful run of 45’s but Joe, who had converted to Islam in 1966, was always grounded & still able to find hit. In 1977, still in Nashville with Buddy Killen, “Ain’t Gonna Bump No More (With a Big Fat Woman” gave him his only UK success. Joe’s many albums are always interesting but the collection of his singles made for Dial is an essential treat for any devotees of 1960’s Soul music.

 

Brothers Gonna Work It Out (Soul April 69)

So the Billboard R&B charts from 1969 Episode IV …a new hope indeed. I’ve not looked ahead but this series is sure to run & run, the only problem with finding 3 (the magic number) tunes to feature is which ones to leave out. April 1969 looks like being the best month yet & I’m pretty sure that it’s going to have to be 4 selections this time around. I’m teasing…it’s 4. So, let’s start at the very beginning with the #1 R&B record of the day.

 

 

“It’s Your Thing”, still a wow after 50 years, still a fresh & funky anthem. When , in 1966, the trio,  Rudolph, O’Kelly & Ronald, signed with Tamla Motown they had already been making records for 10 years. Things started well & their first LP, largely overseen by Motown’s A Team, Holland-Dozier-Holland, included the immaculate “This Old Heart of Mine”. The group knew how the music business worked & felt that subsequent songs & promotion provided by the label were not from the top shelf. Here in the UK we knew the original recordings of “Shout”, a hit for Lulu & of course “Twist & Shout”. We loved their Motown stuff & judicious re-releases brought the Isleys 4 Top 20 hits in 1968-9. How in the heck the label & the USA had missed out on the thunderous “Behind A Painted Smile” remains a mystery.

 

After a successful UK tour they decided that they should do what they wanna do, left Motown & resurrected, unused since 1964, T-Neck, their own label. With their own songs, their own production/arrangements & their kid brother, 16 year old Ernie on bass the Brothers showed that they had not only been listening to Sly & the Family Stone & James Brown but they absolutely got the new Funk. The family that played together took their New Thing, a surefire smash, a Grammy Award winner, ran with it & refined a style based around Ronald’s distinctive vocals & Ernie’s prominent lead guitar. The group’s time came in 1973 when the “3+3” album began an unbroken run of gold & platinum selling records which lasted into the next decade. There are landmark songs across their long career & “It’s Your Thing” is a pivot between Isley Soul & Isley Funk.

 

 

Between numbers 30-40 there is a cluster of newcomers to the chart. The Impressions, Percy Sledge, Ann Peebles & the Meters are favourites of mine, all of them over there on those shelves, but it’s the highest new entry of the week, in at #30, that makes the cut. Since “Hold What You’ve Got”, his breakthrough hit in 1964, Joe Tex made a lot of records that scored on the R&B charts without crossing over to the mainstream. “I Want To (Do Everything For You)” & “A Sweet Woman Like You” both made #1. None of his 14 Top 20 discs between 1964-68 troubled the UK chart compilers, we even missed “Skinny Legs & All” but we knew who he was. Every local British Soul band included “Show Me” in their set & many of them attempted “S.Y.S.L.J.F.M.”.

 

There’s an attractive genial good humour in the records of Joe Tex. He could rip up the dance floor then switch to a fine line of semi-spoken homilies, all delivered with a chuckle in his warm voice. I’d compare him to a Southern preacher but his advice could often concern rather earthy matters. “Buying A Book” has been a particular favourite since its inclusion on a home-made mixtape (from the radio, remember that?) which, in the early 1980’s, reminded me just how much I loved classic Soul music. This story of the perils of May to September romances remains so because it’s such a well put together record, the brass, the backing vocals & Joe Tex telling it like he sees it. Great stuff.

 

 

 

On the chart that keeps on giving there are names on the labels on the songs between 41 & 50 that are legendary. At #50 Sly & the Family Stone had “Stand” backed with “I Want to Take You Higher”, a show-stopper at the Woodstock Festival later in 1969. #43 was none other than Howlin’ flipping Wolf! “Evil” was from an album that matched the great Bluesman with younger musicians, a formula that his label Chess had previously used for Muddy Waters. Mr Wolf thought the record was “dog shit” (“Why don’t you take them wah-wahs and all that other shit and go throw it off in the lake – on your way to the barber shop?”) but it’s so great to see Chester Burnett’s name on the list among Archie Bell & the Drells & Bobby Womack. At #46 was an extraordinary song by Nina Simone & if you think I’m able to knock out a couple of crisp paragraphs capturing her magnificence then you must be crazy!

 

Back in the mid-1960’s, when it came to female vocalists, I was all about Dusty & Aretha. I’d hear Ella or Billie & knew that there had been something special going on before then. Nina Simone’s Jazz & Broadway standards seemed to be for an audience more mature than myself but as she included more contemporary material on her records it became apparent that the “High Priestess of Soul” had a talent to inhabit & express emotion in song like few others. I bought her live “Black Gold” LP (1970) with her interpretation of “Ain’t Got No – I Got Life”, the best thing to come out of the shoddy, sensationalist musical “Hair”. There’s a 10 minute version of the celebratory “Young, Gifted & Black” & a chilling, perfect exegesis of Sandy Denny’s “Who Knows Where The Time Goes”. Nina Simone’s music, its forthright integrity on record & in live performance, continues to thrill. Many people make great music, not so many make great Art.

 

“Revolution” is Nina Simone’s take on the Beatles’ (John Lennon’s) song of the same name. It keeps the same structure, the “It’s gonna be alright” & that’s about it. It’s not an “answer” record more an indication that pacifist idealism, a white millionaire imagining no possessions & that all you need is love, is less of an option if you are young, gifted & black living in a racist society where “the only way that we can stand in fact is when you get your foot off our back”. Written by Nina & her bandleader Weldon Irvine the swinging studio version, with a Sunday morning choir & a discordant ending, is a powerful statement. This strong live version, an excerpt from her performance at 1969’s Harlem Cultural Festival, a series of concerts celebrating the best of African-American music, features her terrific backing unit. Conscious music, an irresistible groove & Nina Simone, these are a few of my favourite things.

 

 

I am not the biggest fan of the Bee Gees. At the height of their Disco dominance a British comedy group released the parody “Meaningless Songs In Very High Voices” & that still raises a smile. It is undeniable that the Gibb brothers have written some very good songs, Al Green’s “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart” is a perfect thing & shows just how soulful they could be. At #44 on the chart was James Carr with a song apparently written for Otis Redding. I’ve not heard all of the many cover versions of “To Love Somebody” but have long thought that it is difficult to mess up such a well-crafted song. Released in 1967 it was soon picked up by American artists. The Sweet Inspirations, the best backing vocalists of the time were first, it was the title track of a Nina Simone LP & the great James Carr was the one who did bring it to Memphis. I feel that I’ve gone on a little too long today but I couldn’t leave April 1969 behind without including a favourite Soul singer of mine & a fine record. If you are interested I wrote about the complicated life of James Carr here. OK I can’t wait to see what May brings.

I’m Gonna Cool You Cooks To Something (Joe Tex)

Joe Tex (Joseph Arrington Jr from down in Texas) was a sweet talking guy & he sure could sing. It took him 10 years of making records before his first big hit. “Hold  What You’ve Got” (1964) features 2 recitations, one to men, the other to women, with some down-to-earth advice about appreciating what’s at home. Joe was ready, there were 11 Top 20 R&B hits in the next 2 years. For the rest of the 1960s his music incorporated the changing styles & sounds of Soul music alongside his distinctive vocals & his good-humoured, congenial lyrics.

That first million seller was recorded at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, where the Southern Soul sound was being forged. It was a smart move by label owner-producer Buddy Killen & so was hitching his Dial Records to a distribution deal with Atlantic Records. Joe’s records were in the shops & his name linked with the other members of the soul clan on that emerging major. He could write & perform those loquacious, folksy but never preaching,  ballads as well as anyone. Check “One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show”, that’s a great one. “The Love You Save” (see above) is the track chosen by Butterfly from a very cool jukebox in QT’s “Death Proof”. Joe could go with the flow, the swinging “S.Y.S.L.J.F.M.” recalls the Wicked Wilson’s “634-5789”, “Papa Was Too” takes it’s cue from King Otis & Queen Carla’s (Lowell Fulson’s ?) “Tramp”. His songwriting nous & brightness ensured that he kept it fresh.

Joe’s first release of 1967 missed the R&B Top 20. “Show Me” is a dancefloor ripper, the most basic of his songs. Along with “Knock On Wood” it was in the repertoire of every  bar & youth club band in the UK. Not a one of them was as tight as the opening number of the Joe Tex Show. Here’s the evidence…

1967 ended with Joe Tex’s 2nd million seller. “Skinny Legs & All” was from “Live & Lively”, a faux-live LP recorded at American Studio, Memphis. The added novelty element brought a crossover to the mainstream. Joe was a big deal with a reputation for a dynamic, hit-filled live show. It was 1969 before he crossed the Atlantic with his 9-piece band. Both Spanish & Swedish TV pointed cameras at the them &, while there may not be the electricity of the earlier Stax/Volt European tours, they preserved a pretty good record of a 1960s soul revue.

Joe was a big enough deal to continue a public feud with James Brown. Back in 1955 they were both on the King label & their paths often crossed. If it wasn’t a dispute about writing credits it was women or the stealing of stage moves by one or the other. When JB adopted the title “Soul Brother #1”, Joe called him out. In 1955 that title was held by Little Willie John & Joe saw no reason to recognise the new contender. In 1966 he became involved with The Soul Clan, initiated by Solomon Burke as an attempt to build an autonomous African-American business concern. The project lost impetus with the death of Otis Redding & Atlantic wanted hit records not to bankroll real estate deals. By the time any recordings were released Tex, Burke, Don Covay, Arthur Conley & Ben E King were not that close.

Joe recorded at all 3 points of the Southern music triangle. In 1968 he was in Nashville for his “Soul Country” LP. There’s just one of his own songs & some of the covers are a little uninspired. “Buying a Book” (1969) is more like it. A brilliant slice of Southern Country Soul, my personal choice of all his tracks & I wish I still had that Soul mixtape it was on.

In 1970 Joe was standing on the verge with getting it on with the Funk & George Clinton was listening to the groove of “You’re Right Ray Charles”, a song about the advice Brother Ray gave him back then. His final LP on the Dial/Atlantic deal was 1971’s “From the Roots Came the Rapper”, before roots & rappers were even invented. “I Gotcha” an Isley Brothers inflected slab of a song which made the “Reservoir Dogs” soundtrack, found him at #2 on the pop charts, dancing up a storm with a girl & a microphone stand on “Soul Train”.

Then Joe abruptly quit the music business. He had embraced Islam, following the teachings of Elijah Muhammad, adopting the name Yusuf Hazziez. He returned to the studio with Buddy Killen after the death of Elijah &, in 1976, enjoyed a disco hit with “Ain’t Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman)”. I don’t know the 1978 LP “He Who Is Without Funk Cast the First Stone” (1978) but that’s a good title. In 1980 there was an ill-planned reunion of the Soul Clan & unfortunately the next clan gathering was at Joe Tex’s funeral after a fatal heart attack in 1982, aged just 47.

Joe Tex was more than just the Clown Prince of Soul. His conversational, quick-witted singles sounded great on the radio at a time when there was a lot of fine Soul music around. His collected work, there are 25 on “The All Time Greatest Hits”, he wrote 24 of them, reflect the fast-changing times & taste of the audience. In a business which uses up & wears out the talent from 1965 to 1972 & then some more Joe was always around, always current & down with his bad self.

We Got The !!!! Beat

In 1966 TV shows in colour were a new thing. The Nashville stations (waiting to see if it would catch on ?) had no facilities for the new technology so a local production company went to WFAA in Dallas to record their Rhythm & Blues  and Soul show. They took Bill “Hoss” Allen, a local DJ with them, hired a band led by bluesman Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown & made 26 episodes of The !!!! Beat. The available footage warrants a couple more exclamation marks.It captures some of the great soul artists of the era in unmatched, deserved quality.

First up, Joe Tex, in the middle of 6 R&B Top 40 hits in 1965 & 5 more in 1966 after nearly 10 years of little success. “The Love You Save May Be Your Own” is part of that winning run, recorded at Fame Studios & released on Dial Records. Joe, like many other singers, started the decade in thrall to Sam Cooke. When he found his own voice he wrote & recorded some great Southern Soul tunes. There were the funny homespun wisdom, story song, almost proto-rap, ones (“Skinny Legs & All”) & the soul classics (“Show Me”). His collected singles are all hits, still fresh & a couple of them have been used in Tarantino movies.

Joe had a preacher’s touch about him & became a Muslim. He died from a heart attack at just 47. He said to Peter Guaralnick in “Sweet Soul Music”…”It’s been nice here, man. A lot of ups and downs, the way life is, but I’ve enjoyed this life. I was glad that I was able to come up out of creation and look all around and see a little bit, grass and trees and cars, fish and steaks, potatoes.And I thank God for that. I’m thankful that he let me get up and walk around and take a look around here. Cause this is nice.”…Top man !

I have just found this wonderful clip. Robert Parker started out in New Orleans & played with most of the luminaries of the 1950s from that city. He hit big with “Barefootin” in 1966 but was never able to repeat the success. In the UK this was a major Mod anthem, an absolute dance floor filler. More attention was paid to Robert over here & he often toured over the next years. The self-composed “Barefootin” is irresistible & if you are going to be a one hit wonder then let your hit be this good. It has been covered many times & here is a version by Pete Townshend.

One of the first posts I ever made on this thing featured the other clip of Barbara Lynn on The !!!! Beat. Her performance of the 1962 #1 R&B hit “You’ll Lose A Good Thing”, recorded when she was just 20, is a sublime thing. “It’s Better To Have It”, a hit in 1965, is not as good a song but Ms Lynn is beautiful, elegant, singing & playing like she means it here. In 1965 the Rolling Stones recorded her song “Oh Baby (We Got A Good Thing Goin’)” & Keef seems to love playing it. man, I love Barbara Lynn.

These clips are scattered around the Y-tube & are not easy to find. The 26 episodes are on DVD in the US &, as you can see, are of a quality that is found nowhere else. Otis Redding came along for one show, Esther Phillips & Little Milton almost made the cut here. If Google can help me with a complete track listing then my search will continue.