Rob Jones reviews soul records from his vinyl collection.
New People - I'm Losing You (circa 1968/69)
All Star Records was a small independent label and while the group's exact home city remains unconfirmed, original copies of the 45 have historically been tied to Chicago, Illinois. Notably, an archive copy emerged from the personal estate of the late Chicago record producer and blues bass player Frank Bandy in 2019, strengthening the Chicago connection. Furthermore, Frank Bandy played bass with Chicago outfit the Dontells and although slightly speculative, it's very likely that the New People consisted of core members of the Dontells, who were Gwen Bradshaw (vocalist), Emanuel Seal Sr (lead vocals), Nathaniel 'Nate' Pendleton (tenor/writer) and Art Mitcham (vocalist) all of whom were working with Leroy Dandridge circa 1966/67, which provides a plausible blueprint for the New People line-up. Legendary producer Leroy Dandridge also worked with Sam & Kitty, the Turks, Singing Sam etc. From a collector's perspective, my advice would be to track down a copy for your collection, as the asking price of this particular gem at the time of writing this review certainly doesn't reflect its true value.
Norvells - Why Do You Want to Make Me Sad (1967)
A high quality yet underrated tune which was also released on the Janis label and can still be found relatively cheaply. The Norvells were a Chicago-based vocal soul group whose tracks were written and produced by the legendary Chicago DJ and producer Richard Pegue for Penny Records. After the Norvells disbanded, Richard Pegue reformed the line-up with several of the original members and renamed the group the Perfections, pulling the 1967 master tape of 'Why Do You Want to Make Me Sad' from his Penny Records sessions and re-releasing it on Twinight Records in 1969 to give the song another chance at radio play under the new group name. This was common practice in 1960s soul and R&B production due to strict budget constraints. Despite the label confusion, one play of the video below will reveal a tune which in my opinion should be ranked up there with the best of them.
Penny Carter – We Gotta Try Harder (1966)
The second of only two records Penny Carter made on the Verve label and an absolutely brilliant tune with an authentic soul classic feel which I've played on the radio on more than one occasion. Penny was a former member of the Masterettes before they changed their name to the Exciters.
Phenomenons - Without Your Love (1978)
A sometimes overlooked classic on the flip of 'You Gave Me Happiness'. Information on the Phenomenons is pretty sparse to say the least, but it's likely they were an AVI studio group rather than a touring band. AVI was formed in Los Angeles in 1968 by Seymore Heller, Ed Cobb (who composed 'Tainted Love') and Ray Harris, although this release came at a time when the label was later expanding into the gospel/soul/disco genres. Unfortunately AVI seems to have failed to document the band members and apart from a few production notes, that's about all I know - except to say I once had a white demo but I have no idea where that went. 😄
If you were a Phenomenon, do get in touch with this website to set the record straight via the email address at the bottom of this page - which I believe has to be copied and pasted into an email in an effort to thwart the dreaded bots.
R B Hudman - Yo-Yo (1968)
A belting version of the 1966 Billy Joe Royal classic on Columbia (or CBS here in the UK) and it's certainly worth checking out if you don't have it. Robert Hudman (real name Hudmon) would have been about 14 when he recorded this version, but sadly his career was cut short when he died in 1995 at the age of just 41.
Roosevelt Grier - Slow Drag (1967)
Now that's what I call old school! It's quite likely that you won't remember or perhaps have never heard of this one, but this tune always transports me back to the days when records such as this were appreciated for the superb pieces of laid-back soul they were - and it can be picked for a song today, going to prove you can still put a decent vinyl collection together on a budget if you know what to look out for. Personally speaking, my collection would feel as if it had something missing without the presence of this one, but let's take a quick look at Roosevelt Grier's rather colourful career.
Roosevelt 'Rosey' Grier was born in Cuthbert, Georgia in July 1932 and released his first single 'Sincerely' c/w 'Why Don't You Do Right' on the 'a' Records label (A-105) back in 1959, a small independent label originating in New Jersey and distributed by Calico, not to be confused with the major ARC (American Record Corporation). Perhaps Rosey's most memorable release for rare soul fans though was 'In My Tenement' which he recorded on RIC in 1964. Following a sports career during which he'd been a professional football player for the New York Giants and the Los Angeles Rams (having played in the NFL Pro Bowl twice), Rosey went on to become a bodyguard for Robert Kennedy during the 1968 presidential campaign. He was guarding the senator's wife Ethel at the time of the assassination and although he was unable to prevent the killing of Robert Kennedy, Rosey managed to subdue the shooter and take control of the gun, ensuring the safety of everyone else present. He hosted his own Los Angeles TV show and made around 70 guest appearances on various other shows including the Man From U.N.C.L.E., I Dream of Jeannie, Kojak and CHiPS to name but a few during the 1960s and 1970s, before becoming an ordained Christian minister in 1983 and founding 'American Neighborhood Enterprises', a non-profit organisation dedicated to serving inner-city youth. He also guest starred as himself in a 1999 episode of the Simpsons.
Coming back to the record, Rosey wrote and recorded 'Slow Drag' during a major transitional phase of his life - 1967 being the year he retired from professional football and was looking toward a full-time career in entertainment industry. Unfortunately, MGM Records rarely documented individual musician credits in the 1960s, but because 'Slow Drag' was cut under the direction of the legendary production team of Chips Moman and Dan Penn, we can safely assume that the backing music was driven by the 827 Thomas Street Studio Band - more famously known as the Memphis Boys, a legendary group of session musicians who provided the rhythm section for hundreds of hits in that era. The stellar line-up consisted of Reggie Young (lead guitar), Tommy Cogbill (bass), Gene Chrisman (drums), Bobby Emmons (organ) and Bobby Wood (piano).
Fans will be pleased to know Roosevelt Grier is still doing well at the age of 94.