Ronnie Marks – Some Lonely Heart

By , September 27, 2016 10:42 am

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Ronnie Marks (today)

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Listen/Download – Ronnie Marks – Some Lonely Heart MP3

Greetings all.

The tune I bring you today made its way into my playbox via the generosity and knowledge of a friend, which is always a groovy thing.

Many, many years ago my man Haim and I were out digging at a record show when he passed a Fania 45 to me, saying ‘You need this. Soul 45 on Fania.’ Naturally that sounded like a tasty proposition, so I tossed the 45 on my stack, paid up and took it home.

Good thing I did, since not only is it a very cool 45, but Ronnie Marks has a very cool story.

I have always been fascinated by non-Latinos that made their mark in the boogaloo era, especially guys like Harvey Averne and Larry Harlow.

Something that also grabbed me, was how many great Latin soul records are credited to the bandleader, while someone else is actually handling the vocals (very, very common in boogaloo).

Today’s selection is an intersection of those two threads.

Ronnie Marks worked as a singer with Latin bands for relatively brief, bit important and particularly productive time in the late 60s and early 70s. He worked with both Mongo and Monguito Santamaria, as well as Johnny Pacheco.

Marks was the singer on Monguito’s ‘Juicy’ and ‘Hey Sister’, as well as Mongo pere’s classic ‘We Got Latin Soul’.

‘Some Lonely Heart’, released in 1971 and produced by Jerry Masucci and Harvey Averne is prime, blaxplo-era funky soul. There is a little bit of Latin percussion helping to keep the beat, but this tune could have appeared on an LP by the Four Tops or the Temptations without a single alteration.

It contrasts the funky backing with a nice string arrangement and interlude, and Marks’ vocals are top shelf.

As far as I can tell ‘Some Lonely Heart’ didn’t chart anywhere, which is a damn shame.

Ronnie Marks is still around today, and working on a comeback. Dig this interview with Antonio Caez.

I hope you dig the tune, and I’ll see you on Friday.

Keep the faith

Larry

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PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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