John R – Keep On Scratchin’
John R, On the Air…
Listen/Download – John R – Keep On Scratchin’ MP3
Greetings all.
The end of the week is here, and so is the Funky16Corners Radio Show, which appears wafting on the airwaves of the interwebs each and every Friday with the best in soul, funk, jazz and rare groove, all on original vinyl. You can subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, listen on your mobile device via the TuneIn app, check it out on Mixcloud, or grab yourself an MP3 right here at the blog.
If you are a fan old old-school radio, especially R&B radio, the name of John Richbourg, better known to ears far and wide as ‘John R’ looms large.
Richbourg, who was (unknown to most of his listeners on WLAC in Nashville, TN, where he worked alongside legends like Gene Nobles and Hoss Allen) a white guy (who spoke in a style that used a lot of black vernacular), was a pioneering R&B and soul DJ from the late 40s on into the 70s, as well as a talent scout/A&R man, and (with the Seventy Seven label) record man.
Today’s selection will attest to the fact that he was also, on occasion, a recording artist.
There are tons of stories out there, in books and carried on the air by the voices of musicians and music fans a like, of hearing the voice of John R, travelling over the airwaves on WLAC’s powerful AM signal (at night WLAC could be heard through most of the US and the Caribbean), bringing with it the sounds of everyone from Howlin’ Wolf to Otis Redding into their ears in the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s.
Back in the day when radio DJs were literally and figuratively powerful, John R was an influential presence, selling music, mail order tchotchkes and soul.
Most people that came of age in the internet era will have no idea what a big deal radio DJs were back in the day, and in his time, John R was one of the biggest.
He recorded ‘Keep On Scratchin’ in 1965, and while he doesn’t really ever “sing” in the classic sense of the word, he does rap over a tight R&B backing, recreating (to a degree) the feeling of his nightly broadcasts (with a band and backing chorus).
I have no idea who ‘A. Valier’ was, who is credited with writing the tune, but the producer Jerry Kennedy was a busy man in the 50s and 60s, recording all kinds of country and R&B sides (he produced Charlie Rich’s ‘Mohair Sam’).
John R left WLAC in the early 70s, when radio was starting to morph into an entirely different beast, and passed away in 1986 at the age of 75.
There are a bunch of examples of his on-air style available on Youtube (and elsewhere on the internet), and you should definitely check them out.
I hope you dig the record, and I’ll see you all on Monday.
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.
Themocracy
My favorite John R clip is when he’s selling baby chicks. Used to listen to WWVA in Wheeling, WVa where baby chick sales pitches were ever present!