Bernice Willis – Breakfast In Bed b/w Confidence

By , November 19, 2015 3:29 pm

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Bernice Willis (left) with the Kittens

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Listen/Download – Bernice Willis – Breakfast In Bed MP3

Listen/Download – Bernice Willis – Confidence MP3

Greetings all.

The end of the week is nigh, so I will ask you once again to grab yourself a weekly dose of soul in the form of the Funky16 Corners Radio Show podcast. We come to you every week (and once a month at SoulGuyRadio.com) with the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove all on original vinyl. You can subscribe to the show in iTunes, listen on your mobile device via the TuneIn app or grab a download here in the archive.

Today’s selection is one of those 45s that I picked up knowing nothing about the artist, but when I saw the label (gotta keep stacking up those Okehs!) and a song I really dig (‘Breakfast In Bed’) I knew I had to have it.

Good thing, too, because Bernice Willis’s take on the Eddie Hinton/Donnie Fritts classic is very nice, indeed, and sports a nice funky tune on the flip.

There isn’t much out there on Bernice Willis who does not appear to have done much solo recording. However, she did make a grip of 45s with her previous group, the Chicago-based Kittens for labels like Vick, ABC/Paramount and Chess between 1963 and 1967.

The 45 you see before you today was recorded in 1969, and oddly enough when you Google it, there is a listing in a December 1969 edition of Billboard, where it is included as a soul single expected to chart, right next to another version of the song by Baby Washington (which appeared here back in 2006)!

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Willis’s version opens with an odd-sounding electric piano (also used on the flip), then Willis comes in with a deep, sexy, gospel-inflected voice. Willis takes the tune at a more muscular, funky pace than the hit by Dusty Springfield (or the version by Washington).

The flipside ‘Confidence’ is a nice, funky,midtempo number with lots of bass and conga drums, and another great vocal by Willis.

I can’t find any evidence that Bernice Willis made any records after this Okeh 45, which is a shame.

I hope you dig the 45, and I’ll see you all next week.

Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

 

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PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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