Rob Jones reviews soul records from his vinyl collection.
Jerryo - Karate Boo-Ga-Loo (1967)
A record I first heard in a small club where the sound system was so bad I was convinced it was called 'G-rotty Boo-Ga-Loo'. 😄
Originally released on the Sammy Kaplan-founded Detroit Boo-Ga-Loo label and later distributed by Shout, 'Karate Boo-Ga-Loo' reportedly sold in excess of 400,000 copies which goes some way to underscore the popularity of the Boo-Ga-Loo dance craze at the time and probably explains why the Shout label release can still be picked up relatively cheaply. That said, and with the unrivalled musicianship of the Funk Brothers on the tune, it remains one of the standout authentic Detroit classics of the era.
An interesting fact which doesn't seem to have been widely reported is 'Karate-Boo-Ga-Loo' featured teenage backing singers Joyce Vincent and Temla Hopkins who went on to find fame with Tony Orlando and Dawn. Jerry had previously worked with Tommy Dark (Robert Tharp) as Tom & Jerryo whose 1965 hit 'Boo-Ga-Loo' on ABC Paramount was key in popularising the dance and arguably paved the way for everything that followed.
Taking into consideration the aforementioned US sales figures for 'Karate-Boo-Ga-Loo', I guess it would be true to say that the original UK London demo I've featured in the video below would be the prize from a collector's perspective. Most soul fans will already be familiar with Jerry Murray's work, but for anyone who isn't, a bit of research into his music will lead you to some real gems, so do be sure to check him out.
Johnny Thunder - Just Me And You (1966)
Johnny Thunder (Leroy Hamilton) came from the small community of Okahumpka in Florida and began his singing career as a teenager in his local church and on street corners, later becoming a singer with the Drifters and the Ink Spots, also working as a backing singer for Dionne Warwick. Back in 1962 he recorded 'Tell Her' which was the original version of the more widely known 'Tell Him' by the Exciters. Out of all the tunes he recorded, I think 'Just Me and You' was his best and it has always stood out to me as a brilliant if perhaps underrated soul classic. Known as a superb entertainer and highly regarded by many artists in the industry, Johnny died in 2024 of natural causes at the ripe old age of 93.
Kenny Williams - You're Fabulous Babe (1977)
I think it would be fair to say this is a record which somehow lost its true stature when it was hammered to death as the soundtrack of a seemingly endless TV advertising campaign for Fabergé Babe perfume back in the late 1970s.
Take all that away though and you have a very classy, high-quality soul tune which has often been championed by UK broadcaster Pete Schofield in numerous radio shows.
Kurtis Scott - No, No Baby (1966)
A brilliant old 100mph (161km/h) dancer with its instrumental counterpart "I'm Doing My Thing" by Soft Summer Soul Strings on Columbia circa 1969. Kurtis Scott was actually Kurt Harris, probably best remembered for his 1964 tune "Emperor Of My Baby's Heart" on Diamond - another song well worth a listen.
Liberty Belles - Shing-a-Ling Time (1967)
Jay Boy was the go-to label for tunes like this when I was around 13 or 14 years old, which has always made them impossible to part with later in life as they hold so many great memories of those early years, so I've often ended up with two copies of the same tune having later tracked down the originals when we all got a bit more clued up. I know of three different Shout demos of this one and at least a couple of different Shout issues. Also released on the Bang label in France and the Philippines, it's a great old dancer with the excellent 'Just Try Me' on the flip side. The Liberty Belles were Dianne Christian, Terry Whittier and Marva Sasso. Dianne Christian had previously been a singer with the Darlettes and the Chic-Lets before helping to form the Liberty Belles in 1967.
Loading Zone - Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead (1968)
Although this particular tune may not be familiar to you at first, it's certainly worth a listen as you will hear from the video.
Released back in March 1968, this obscure and relatively unknown version of the old Marvelettes classic can be found lurking on the flip side of 'Don't Lose Control (Of Your Soul)'. The band came from Oakland, California and consisted of Paul Fauerso (keyboards and vocals), Linda Tillery (vocals), Peter Shapiro (guitar), Steve Dowler (guitar), Bob Kridle (bass) and George Newcom (drums).
Lovettes – Little Miss Soul (1966)
Hailing from New Jersey, the all-female Lovettes consisted of Lois Joyner, Margie Godbolt, Lily Hammond and Lorraine Robinson. The band originally got together in high school to form the Tiaras, shortly after which they began to compete in local talent shows with friends Phil Terrell and Kool & the Flames - the first incarnation of Kool & the Gang. They later secured a recording deal with MGM and changed their name to the Pets under the supervision of Abner Spector. The relatively brief MGM era resulted in the release of just one single, 'What Kind of Girl (Does He Think I Am)'. Unfortunately, MGM didn't bother to promote the record and the Pets were axed from the label. Phil Terrell later introduced the band to Winnie Lovett of the Manhattans who renamed them the Lovettes (see the connection?) and wrote their songs, in turn introducing them to Joe Evans who signed them to Carnival Records.
There are a couple of different Carnival label designs of 'Little Miss Soul' - one has a clown on the logo and the other has the more simple lettered design as seen on this demo. Come to think of it, I've never seen a demo with the clown logo design. Beware though, the demo was bootlegged in 1972, but you can easily identify the 1966 original from the bootleg, as the original was mastered at Bell Sound Studios in New York and has the Bell Sound stamp in the dead wax.