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By Larry, June 4, 2013 3:14 pm

Listen/Download Brother to Brother – Leavin’ Me

Greetings all

The tune I bring you today is the result of one of those loose limbed digging expeditions in which nothing of obvous consequence presents itself, so you start following leads where you find them, take a chance or two and go home with a bag full of interesting possibilities.

I grabbed Brother to Brother’s ‘Let Your Mind Be Free’ on such a day on the strength of their name, which I associated with their cover of Gil Scott Heron’s ‘The Bottle’ (retitled as ‘In the Bottle’), a Top 10 R&B hit in 1974.

The group, then including Michael Burton, Yogi Horton, Billy Jones and Frankie Prescott had relocated from St Louis, MO to NJ, where they hooked up with Sylvia Robinson’s Turbo records.

By the time Brother to Brother released ‘Let Your Mind Be Free’ in 1976, Billy Jones was the only remaining member of the group that had recorded ‘In the Bottle’.

The album is a solid example of mid-70s funk, well into the ‘YOWWWW’ zone, but not so much so that you wouldn’t dig it.

Though my heart still remains with the rougher edged, late 60s/early 70s funk, I find myself digging later stuff like this (and even later stuff like Zapp and Roger) the more I hear it.

There came a point where funk bands started to level out and extend the groove a bit, some so far that they were essentially making disco (though that could be an especially blurry line, see BT Express).

Brother to Brother still fall on the funky side of the wall, with an ear turned to late-period Sly and Parliament/Funkadelic (though not nearly as far out), making sounds that were melodic, yet still had something of a thump to them.

It would still be a few years before things mellowed out too far, and most of these type of bands would be overtaken (and pushed into obsolescence) by the rap revolution.

As it is, this kind of stuff isn’t too hard to find, especially if you find yourself at flea markets or garage sales now and then.

I hope you dig it and I’ll see you all on Friday.

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).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (2)

By Larry, June 2, 2013 1:32 pm

Gladys Knight and the Pips

Listen/Download Gladys Knight and the Pips – The Nitty Gritty

Greetings all

Before we get things rolling I wanted to extend a hearty ‘thank you’ to all of you who  made the 2013 Funky16Corners Allnighter/Pledge Drive a big success this year.

The contributions – whether they be mixes to fuel the Allnighter or donations to keep this machine rolling for another year – were all greatly appreciated.

As I mentioned in last week’s post, Funky16Corners will enter its tenth year of existence in 2013, a fact which boggles my mind as much as it does any of yours.

I was having a Facebook exchange with some friends the other day, in which I stated that even at the ripe old age of 50, I am still engaged in a constant search for new (to me) music. There is still so much out there that I haven’t heard, and thanks to amazing friends that are always turning me on to new sounds, and my own relentless digging, I keep ingesting it as quickly as I can manage, and relating the search, and the appreciation to all of you, here in this space.

It is a labor of love, writ large.

So once again, I say thanks, and Keep the Faith.

Larry

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PS If you just found out about all this, you can still click here to donate to Funky16Corners!

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I don’t know about you guys, but I need a little musical kick in the pants to get me going today.

Who better to provide it than the mighty Gladys Knight?

I have always been of the opinion that despite popular opinion to the contrary, it is Gladys Knight who was the greatest female voice in the Motown stable.

Knight was possessed of a singularly powerful, flexible voice that allowed her to kick ass no matter what kind of stuff she was laying down, from sensitive ballads, powerful dance floor soul or straightahead funk.

The tune I bring you today was a big hit for Gladys and the Pips in the summer of 1969, hitting #2 on the R&B charts and making it into the Pop Top 20.

‘The Nitty Gritty’, written by Lincoln Chase and originally a hit for his wife Shirley Ellis in 1963, and was covered many times (Ricardo Ray’s boogaloo take is especially tasty) over the years.

I first heard the Gladys Knight and the Pips version years ago on an old UK Tamla greatest hits, which exposed me to a number of fantastic tracks that I had never heard before.

The group was huge on the radio when I was a kid but their earlier output, with killers like ‘JustWalk In My Shoes’ and ‘You Need Love Like I Do’ was largely new to me.

‘Nitty Gritty’ is a tour de force Norman Whitfield production, driven by some supremely funky guitar (the highest instrument in the mix), mixed percussion (the congas and tambourine in the front) and of course an explosive vocal by Gladys.

There was already a rhythmic component in the lyrics, which Gladys takes to an entirely new level, and abetted by the mighty Pips, with the “BOOM BOOM BOOM”s and what not make this a 45 to be reckoned with.

I hope you dig it as much as I do, and I’ll see you on Wednesday.

Keep the faith

Larry

___________________________________________________________________________________________

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).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (10)

By Larry, May 26, 2013 1:01 pm

Greetings all.

Welcome to the 2013 Funky16Corners Allnighter and Pledge Drive.

Those of you that fall by F16C on the reg will already be familiar with our yearly do, in which I ask some of the finest selectors I know to dip into their crates and put together mixes (from a wide variety of styles, but always soulful) for your listening pleasure.

This being the interwebs, with the selectors coming to you from points all over the map (NJ, New Zealand, NY, UK, Ohio, Minnesota), and all of you good people spread even further afield, we get together for this virtual “Allnighter” (in the tradition of the great soul clubs the world over) once a year.

There are two basic reasons for this, both equally important.

First and foremost, we try to raise some dough (via Paypal donation, see links below) to fund the server costs associated with keeping Funky16Corners (and Iron Leg) up and running. This includes the regular, thrice-weekly blog posts, as well as the Podcast, Soul Club, Guest Mix and Radio Show Archives (collectively holding well over 200 mixes of all kinds).

Second, is of course the fact that music – to paraphrase Willie the Shake – is the food of life, and so we assemble here to play on.

Blogging is for many – creators and readers alike – a transitory thing, but for the selectors here, and for many of the people that stop by here on a regular basis, music, especially soul, funk and jazz is life. These are no mere “collectors’. The mix-makers that you see here (and in all the previous years) have devoted a tremendous amount of time (not to mention,resources) to studying the sounds you will soon hear pouring out of your speakers.

Just the other day I saw someone bemoaning the overuse of the word “curating”, but I assure you that it applies to the work of every one of the people involved in this enterprise.

We all collect these sounds because we love them, but we have also all spent time sharing them, on blogs, and more importantly in live venues because we want to spread the word.

When I approach my fellow DJs to put together mixes for the Allnighter, I do so with complete confidence that they will select to impress, and impress they have.

What you here is roughly eight-and-a-half hours (in nine mixes) of the finest in funk, soul, latin, rocksteady, blues, disco, and Northern, put together by some of the best in the biz.

Funky16Corners is – and always has been – a not-for-profit enterprise. I have never taken ads here at the site and hopefully never will.

What I ask, is that if you dig what we do here, and you have the resources to do so, please throw a couple of bucks our way to keep the machine running for another year.

Everyone that donates five dollars or more will receive a Funky16Corners 2013 Allnighter Badge, F16C sticker, and one of our Keep Calm and Stay Funky stickers as well.

The Funky16Corners Blog will enter its 10th year of existence this year and though I’d probably still be at it if no one was paying attention, it’s much cooler doing it for folks like you!

So, I’ll offer you my thanks once again, and hopefully we’ll all be together again this time next year for more of the same.

Keep the Faith
Larry

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Click here to donate to Funky16Corners!

NOTE: It has been brought to my attention that the donation button has been experiencing technical difficulties. If you can’t get it to work, you can always log into Paypal and send the money to this address:

funky16corners@lycos.com

Thanks

Larry

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The Soul City – Everybody Dance Now (Goodtime)
Ross D Wyllie – Do the Uptight (A&M)
Popular Five – Little Bitty Pretty One (Minit)
Chuck Jackson and Maxine Brown – Can’t Let You Out of My Sight (Wand)
The Naked Truth – The Shingaling Thing (RCA)
Brenda Lee – Time and Time Again (Decca)
Derek Martin – Sly Girl (Tuba)
Shirelles – No Doubt About It (Scepter)
Robert Walker and the Soul Strings – The Blizzard (RCA)
The Trends – The Soul Clap (ABC)
The Tempests – Would You Believe (Smash)
Robert John – Raindrops, Love and Sunshine (A&M)
Kim Weston – Helpless (Gordy)
Earl Cosby – Ooh Honey Baby (Mirwood)
Four Pennies – You’re a Gas With Your Trash (Brunswick)
Ray Charles – I Don’t Need No Doctor (ABC)
Jo Armstead – I Feel an Urge (Giant)
Soul Sisters – Good Time Tonight (Sue)
OV Wright – Baby Mine (Goldwax)
The Velvelettes – He Was Really Saying Something (VIP)
Ronnie Love – Chills and Fever (Dot)
Little Caesar and the Empires – Everybody Dance Now (Inst) (Cameo/Parkway)

‘Everybody Dance Now’ is just under an hour of top shelf, hard charging Northern Soul, including some old faves as well as a grip of recently excavated heat that I think you’ll dig (and a couple of surprises too!).

Listen/Download Funky16Corners – Everybody Dance Now!
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Tony C: Feeling Good F16C Pledge drive 2013
Jean Dushon-Feeling good-Cadet
Merced Blue Notes-Whole lotta nothing-Tri Phi
Junior Wells-I’m gonna cramp your style-Bright Star
The Marvels-Forget about that mess-Sensation
Buddy Ace-Baby please don’t go-Duke
Buddy Greco-Twistin’ to the blues-Coronet
JJ Barnes-Won’t you let me in-Rich
The Charmaines-I idolise you-Kent
Joe Simon-Troubles-Hush
The Young Holt Trio-Ain’t there something that money can’t buy-Brunswick
Sonny Raye-Whip it on me-Jetstream
Pearl Woods-Sippin’ sorrow-Charge
BB King-16 tons-Crown
Ricardo Ray-Nitty Gritty-Alegre
Jack Constanzo-Evil ways-Discomoda
Willie Bobo-Be’s that way-Tico
Charlie Palmieri-Uptight-Atlantic
Tito Ramos-Big T-Cotique
The Beginning Of The End-Come down baby-Alston
The Soul Creations-Funky jive-GES
Tommy Wills-KC drive-Juke
Spanky Wilson-You-Mothers
Big Ella-It takes a lot of loving-Lo Lo
Eddie Parker-I need a true love-Triple ‘B’ Records

Tony Crampton is a UK based DJ/Collector whose mixes should be immediately familiar to readers of Funky16Corners. He has excellent taste, and gets frequent shout-outs here at F16C for records that he first put me onto.

Listen/Download Tony C: Feeling Good
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Kris Holmes – Greenville and Beyond

Slim Willis – I Say That
Little Eddie – There’ll Be A Day
Virgil Griffin – If You Can’t Go
The Trademarques – I Can Set You Free
Chick Willis – My Bowlegged Woman
Heavenly Kings Singers – If You Wake Up In The Morning
Vikki Styles – Mark My Words
The Premiers – Funky Monkey
The Perails – Boss Walk
The Cherries – You Know You Gonna Need Me
Vicki Williams – Your Love Makes Me Stay
L. Johnson Jr. – You Gotta Have Soul
W. Williams & Sonny Wash – Don’t Lie To Me Lover
Spencer Jackson Family – Bring Back Peace To The World
Johnny Littlejohn – Can’t Be Still
Johnny Nix – Matchbox
Pops Porter – Baby Put Your Legs Upside The Wall
Willie Buck – Get Down & Disco To The Blues
Bobby Williams – Soul Party
Ervin Little – Teach Me How To Boogaloo

Kris Holmes ‘Greenville and Beyond’ mix is an extension of the website he created to track the wide variety of records associated with several Greenville, Mississippi labels and their Chicago connections. Kris is one of the premier DJ/Collectors in New Zealand, rocking it in live venues and on his show the Sunday Shuffle on Radio Ponsonby (which can be heard Saturday nights here in the US). He has exquisite taste, and has been a big influence on new additions to the crates here at Funky16Corners.

Listen/Download Kris Holmes – Greenville and Beyond
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Reaching Onward – A FleamarketFunk.com All 45 Excursion
Studio G’s Beat Group – Hi Bird/ Licorice Soul
Quantic and His Combo Barbaro – Enyere Kumbara/ Tru Thoughts
Lonnie liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes – Goddess of Love/ Flying Dutchman
Big Pimp Jones – The Smokeout/ Recordbreakin’
Hard Proof – Dragon/ Kept Records
The Jive Turkeys – No Answer/ Colemine
Yambu – Sunny/ Motuno
The T.M.G.’s – Agravation/ Funk 45
The DT6 – Don’t Doubt Me/ Starla
East L.A. Carpool – Linda Chicana/ GRC
Victor Green – The Ghetto/ Rejoint
Sir Ali Bengal – ABX (Instrumental)/ Our Label Records
Banda União Black – Yeah Yeah Yeah/ Vampi Soul

A Word from DJ Prestige

“Once again I’m honored to put together a guest mix for Larry at Funky 16 Corners. Today I’ve dug into my collection of 45s and pulled out a bunch of sides that I built around the intro from Sun-Ra. For the most part, these 45s represent a lot of the future of Funk, Soul, and who will be carrying on the torch of funky music in general in the years to come playing right along side a few older tracks that lend themselves nicely to this mix. Record labels like Colemine, who offer up The Jive Turkeys, Kept, who give us the Afro Beat of Hard Proof out of Austin, TX, The DT6 on Starla coming out of Scotland, Big Pimp Jones from Philly on Recordbreakin’, Our Records Label and Sir Ali Bengal out of Germany, and Quantic out of the UK represent a small amount of artists doing it like they did in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Some of these limited edition 7″s will be the sought after 45s in years to come. They’re recorded in the same manner as the originators, and each band lends it unique sound to the time line of music. I’ve also included some older sides such as Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes, a Disco Soul cover of “Sunny” by Yambu, a Latin influenced Donnie Hathaway cover from Victor Green, some Psychedelic Library Hammond Funk from Studio G’s Beat Group, as well as some West Coast Lowrider Soul with East L.A. Carpool. Each one of these bands, no matter if it the present day or the past has been reaching outward to put out good music, and that’s what I want to do with this mix. Please enjoy. DJ Prestige, Flea Market Funk 2013″

Listen/Download DJ Prestige: Reaching Onward
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Tarik Thornton: TCB
James Black and the Southern University Stage Band- Ole Wine ( Intro)- Whit
Oliver Morgan- Roll Call- Seven B
Gene Chandler- Soul Hootenany Part 1- Constellation
Temptations- Girl, Why You Wanna Make Me Blue- Gordy
Little Eva- Get Ready/Uptight- Spring
Seven Souls – I Still Love You- Okeh
Natural Four-I Thought you Were Mine – ABC
Claude Huey- Drifting – M.I.O.B
Richard Brown- Sweet & Kind- SteeleTown
Gino Washington- What Can A Man Do- Washpan
Charles Brimmer- This Feeling in My Heart- Broadmoor
The Pearls – Shooting High- Lamp
The Symphonic Four- Who Do You Think Your Fooling Part II- Sudan
Bob & Gene- It’s Not What You Know It’s Who You Know
Aaron Neville- Hercules- Mercury
Willie Joe – Funny Thing- Pure Black Soul
Detroit Emeralds- You’re Getting Too Smart- Westbound
Eddie Floyd- Stealing Love- Stax
The 13th Amendment – The Stretch – Slave
James Brown – I’ll Go Crazy – King

Tarik Thornton is a New Orleans native who has relocated to the Midwest. He has worked as part of a number of top DJ crews, and guested at some of the hottest nights around the country. He is always digging, and never fails to bring the heat.

Listen/Download Tarik Thornton – TCB
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Prime Mundo: Positive/Negative – A Live Mixtape
alzo & udine – c’mon and join us (mercury)
jim ford – i wanta make her love me (sundown)
truth – i can’t go on (roulette)
southside movement – i’ve been watching you (20th century)
stevie wonder – i was made to love her (tamla)
trapeze – what is a woman’s role (threshold)
bo diddley – go for broke (chess)
yardbirds – baby what’s wrong (sire)
fiesta dance party – summertime (fiesta)
jesse morrison – tell me, can you feel it (a-bet)
edwin starr – easin’ in (motown)
charles spurling – popcorn charlie (king)
the watts 103rd street rhythm band – 65 bars and a taste of soul (warner bros)
gilberto sextet – yes i will part 1 (tico)
albert collins – thaw out (blue thumb)
jerry maccain – juicy lucy (jewel)
charlie earland – sing a simple song (prestige)
aluar horns (nonesuch)
mongo santamaria – fingers (vaya)

DJ Prime Mundo is one of the OG Asbury Park 45 Sessions crew. He’s got a spectacular ear for the finest in funk, soul and jazz his turntable skills are next level. No matter how much you think you know, you will always find  something new to dig in his mixes.

Listen/Download DJ Prime Mundo – Positive/Negative
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DJ Bluewater Presents: Turn To This Sound
The Vibrators – I’m Depending On You
Alton Ellis – The Preacher
Roland Alphonso – How Soon
The Fugitives – Cantelope Rock
The Maytals – Bim Today Bam Tomorrow
Roy Shirley – The Prophet
Prince Buster’s All Stars – All In My Mind
The Gaylads – Joy In The Morning
The Uniques – My Woman’s Love
The Modifies – Death In The Arena
Slim Smith – Burning Desire
Glen Adams – Mighty Organ
The Dee Set – I Know A Place
Max Romeo – She’s But A Little Girl
Roy Shirley – Don’t Be Afraid
The Gladiators – Fling It Gimme
Sound Dimension – More Scorcher
Tony Brevett – Don’t Get Weary
The Ethiopians – Selah
The Rulers – Let My People Go
Lee Perry – Whup Whop Man
Teddy King & Prince Buster – Mexican Divorce
Derrick Morgan – Too Bad
The Soul Brothers – Windell
Ken Boothe & Norma Frazer – Give Me The Right

DJ Bluewater is another member of the Asbury Park 45 Sessions crew. He is as deep into the rocksteady 45 game as he is with funk and soul. He has been contributing mixes to the Funky16Corners Pledge Drives since the beginning.

Listen/Download DJ Bluewater – Turn To This Sound

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Funkdefy: Take Time To Know Her
Roy “C” – I Found-A-Man In My Bed – Pan Records
The Esquires – Listen To Me – Bunky Records
Tony Fox – Do It To It – Calla Records
The Soul Sisters – Think About The Good Times – Sue Records
Bobby Lewis – Tossin’ and Turnin’ – Beltone
Charles Spurling – Popcorn Charlie – King
William Alexander, Jr. and the Dukes – Give Me One More Chance – Aphrodisiac
Mary Jane Hooper – That’s How Strong Love Is – World Pacific Audition Records
Harvey Scales – What’s Good For You (Don’t Have to be Good to You) – Stax Records
Jay Dee Bryant – Get It (Come On and Get It) – Enjoy Records
Johnnie Taylor – Take Care Of Your Homework – Stax
J. J. Jackson – But It’s Alright – Calla Records
Otis Redding – Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag (Live) – ATCO Records
Tony Clarke – Ghetto Man – Chicory Records
Don Gardner – My Baby Likes To Boogaloo – Tru-Glo-Town
Dyke And The Blazers – Funky Bull Pt. 1 – Original Sound
George Torrence & The Naturals – Lickin’ Stick – Shout
Billy Stewart – Summertime – Chess
Percy Sledge – Take Time To Know Her – Atlantic

A Word from DJ RP

FUNKDEFY, located in Columbus Ohio, is the longest running Funk-N-Soul dance party of Central Ohio. Founded in 2004, the Crew is an ensemble group of crate diggers and beat battlers. Not only have they been throwing monthly all vinyl dance parties, but in years past introduced live Soul to Columbus, heating up the city with their combination of dance parties on wax mixed with some incredible live bands, including The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker, The Budos Band and Eli “Paperboy” Reed & The True Loves. The following contribution was put together by founder DJ RP for your audio pleasure. You can hear other mixes of theirs on Soundcloud and see updates about them on Facebook. The crew hopes you will become part of, and a friend of, the funky collective.

Listen/Download Funkdefy – Take Time To Know Her
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F16C Presents: Are You Ready For This
Jackson Sisters – I Believe In Miracles (Prophecy)
Brothers – Are You Ready For This (RCA)
Papa John Creach – Joyce (Tom Moulton Mix) (Buddah)
Johnny Hammond Smith – Los Conquistadores Chocolates (Milestone)
Eddie Kendricks – Going Up In Smoke (Tamla)
Muscle Shoals Horns – Breakdown (Bang)
Charles Mann – Do It Again (ABC)
Touch – Love Hangover (Breaking Down) (Brunswick)
Lyn Collins – Rock Me Again & Again & Again & Again & Again & Again (People)
JBs – All Aboard the Funky Soul Train (Polydor)
Silvetti – Spring Rain (Salsoul)
Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes – Bad Luck (Tom Moulton Remix) (Philadelphia International)
Ray Charles – Compared to What (Atlantic)

‘Are You Ready For This’ includes all manner of funky disco, disco-y funk, and even a couple of similarly inclined tunes from the Northern Soul canon. Mostly 45s, a couple of 12’s and an LP track here and there.

Listen/Download Funky16Corners – Are You Ready For This?
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Click Here To Donate to Funky16Corners

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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).

If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, May 23, 2013 10:53 am

Listen/Download Jesse Boone and the Astros – You Can’t Be a Monkey Woman

Greetings all

I should start by telling you the big news, which is that the Funky16Corners 2013 Allnighter/Pledge Drive is a go for this coming Monday. We have a stellar lineup of guest DJs this year, including Kris Holmes (NZ), DJ Prestige (BK/NY), Tony C (UK), DJ RP of Funkdefy (Ohio), DJ Prime Mundo (NJ), Tarik Thornton (NOLA/MN), and DJ Bluewater (NJ), bringing funk, soul, Latin and rocksteady, as well as two new mixes (Northern Soul and Disco) from yours truly.

And, in addition to all that great music, there are new badges and stickers for donors!

I hope to see you there.

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It’s also time for me to remind you to tune into the Funky16Corners Radio Show, which airs this (and every) Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. If you cannot attend the festivities at airtime, you can subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, or you can grab yourself an MP3 here at the blog.

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The tune I bring you today is a solid slice of Atlanta soul by one of that city’s most important musical figures.

I won’t go too deep into the Jesse Boone story (I will however send you over to the Georgia Soul blog for more info), but it bears noting that he recorded a bunch of 45s for local labels, ran a label or two himself and wrote and produced for a grip of other artists as well.

Today’s selection –‘You Can’t Be a Monkey Woman’ – was initially released on the local Bruboon label in Atlanta and then picked up for national distribution by Atlantic in 1968.

The tune is a very solid bit of southern soul, with pounding drums and guitars, and a horn section that sounds like it was on loan from Stax. The record picks up steam as it goes along, thanks in large part to those horns and the backing vocals.

Boone would go on to found the Soul Po-Tion label which released a bunch of 45, including sides by Boone and the Astros (together and Boone solo), Nathan Bartell and Hugh Boynton among many others.

This is the kind of 45/sound that drew me into soul music in the first place so many years ago, and I can listen to stuff like this all day long.

I hope you dig it too, 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.
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).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, May 21, 2013 2:17 pm

Junior Wells

Listen/Download Junior Wells – Girl You Lit My Fire

Greetings all

I have been hard at work preparing for the 2013 Funky16Corners Allnighter/Pledge Drive.

Almost all of the participating DJs are present an accounted for, this year’s groovy premiums are ready to go (more on that on Friday) and we ought to be up an running for next week.

This years mixes are blazing hot, with a most of the familiar heads working it out, as well as a couple of new contributors that really bring their best stuff.

Funk, Northern Soul, Reggae, Disco, R&B, you name it, you’ll hear it. So get ready to download (and hopefully donate).

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I will assume that most of you with a passing interest in the blues will have heard the name Junior Wells before.

Over a three decade period, alone and alongside the mighty Buddy Guy (among others) Wells laid down some of the finest vocals and harp wailing to come out of the Chicago scene.

What Junior Wells also did, was cross over – frequently – into the worlds of funk and soul during the mid to late 60s.

While pretty much every blues artist made an attempt to cast a wider sonic net during these years (some more convincingly than others) few had as natural an aptitude for it as Wells did.

The records he made for the Chicago-based Bright Star and Blue Rock (a Mercury subsidiary) labels are great examples of his ability to both rev up the blues and perform convincing soul music.

The tune I bring you today, ‘Girl You Lit My Fire’ was Wells’s second single for Blue Rock in 1968.

Arranged by none other than the great Charles Stepney, ‘Girl You Lit My Fire’ – despite it’s obvious tip of the hat to a certain Doors hit (RIP Ray…) , is a hard charging, horn driven bit of funky soul (the drums are especially tight) with a powerful vocal by Wells.

The flipside (like several of his 45s from the period) leans more in the blues direction, with a cover of GL Crockett’s ‘There’s a Man Down There’ (better known in the Allman Brothers version as ‘One Way Out’).

All of Wells’s 45s from this period are worth picking up, and thankfully not terribly hard to come by.

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

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).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, May 19, 2013 12:51 pm

Tommy Tucker

Listen/Download Tommy Tucker – Long Tall Shorty

Listen/Download Tommy Tucker – Mo’ Shorty

Greetings all

Welcome once again into the inner sanctum of all things soulful.

Welcome to another groovy week here at Funky16Corners.

I thought we’d get things started with one of the truly great slabs of R&B/soul.

‘Long Tall Shorty’ is one of the UR documents of the mod/beat sound, having been covered by both the Kinks and the Graham Bond Organization and holding a place of honor on many a sweaty basement club turntable during the early 60s.

Tommy Tucker had already had a hit with ‘High Heel Sneakers’ in 1963, before laying down ‘Long Tall Shorty’ (co-written by none other than Don Covay) the following year.

Tucker, born Robert Higginbotham in 1933 was a singer, pianist/organist who recorded in a variety of settings (groups and solo) between 1951 and 1967.

‘Long Tall Shorty’ is an especially interesting cut. It – like ‘High Heel Sneakers’ is built on a pretty standard, uncomplicated, Jimmy Reed-esque frame, but thanks to a sly build up and some very tasty guitar turns into something else entirely by the time its 2:23 are done.

Though Tucker worked extensively with guitarist Welton ‘Dean’ Young, it would seem that the guitarist on this 45 is in fact Timmy Oliver, as Young was on the road performing as one half of Dean and Jean.

The song starts off chugging amiably, but gathers steam gradually, almost imperceptibly until the band is running at top speed. It’s not hard to imagine a cellar full of pilled up modernists moving and grooving to this one.

Though the record has obvious roots in a slightly earlier bag, by the time the organ kicks in it’s obvious that Tucker is operating in a fully modern context. Aside from a couple of Bo Diddley sides, I can hardly think of an artist dragging quite so much old school R&B into a soulful setting this late in the game (though I have full confidence that one of you fine souls will provide an example or two that blows that thesis out of the water).

If you can get your hands on a copy of this 45 – which shouldn’t be too terribly difficult – you need to get to the end of ‘Long Tall Shorty’ and continue on to the b-side, the instrumental take thereon, entitled ‘Mo’ Shorty’. The guitar work is outstanding, and if anyone out there knows anything about Timmy Oliver (I haven’t been able to find anything) please let me know.

So roll back the rug, throw back a pint or two and get to dancing.

I’ll see you on Wednesday.

Keep the faith

Larry

___________________________________________________________________________________________

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).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (3)

By Larry, May 16, 2013 11:05 am

Vic Waters (center, dig the spats) and the Entertainers

Listen/Download Vic Waters and the Entertainers – I’m White – I’m Alright

Greetings all

The end of the week approaches and so does the Funky16Corners Radio Show, which comes to you this and every Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio with the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove, all on original vinyl. If you can’t be there at airtime, you can always catch up by subscribing to the show as a podcast in iTunes, or by grabbing an MP3 out of the archive here at the blog.

The tune I bring you today first came to my attention when a couple of people started discussing it on an internet message board ( a pursuit that makes up a solid percentage of all internet content).

The record in question ‘I’m White – I’m Alright’ by Vic Waters and the Entertainers was seen by some (apparently people that didn’t actually listen to the record) as a misguided, racist rant. The other folks, the ones that took the time to get past the title, and with a little bit of perspective under their belt, recognized the tune as an “answer” record of sorts (to JB’s ‘Say It Loud I’m Black and I’m Proud’).

Vic Waters and the Entertainers were a white showband that were pretty big stuff in Tampa Bay, FL during the 60s.

They recorded three 45s with Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham behind the boards, one (a nice cover of the Eddie Floyd composition ‘Taking Inventory’, also recorded by the Ferris Wheel and Danny White) on Capitol proper, and then two more (one of which you see before you today) on Capitol’s Crazy Horse subsidiary.

The Entertainers were not unlike the countless white R&B/soul bands that populated the night clubs, frat houses and various and sundry other dance floors of the American south during the 60s, like the Tempests, the Rubber Band, Bill Deal and the Rhondels and many others.

‘I’m White – I’m Alright’ is indeed funky, and can be best described as “the white brothers can get down too”, which they can and do.

It’s worth the ride to hear Vic deliver lines like :

“I’m light, white and out of sight. I ain’t tan but I can jam.”

Surely, some of this stuff – 45 years on – sounds culturally tone-deaf, but it appears that Vic and the Entertainers had their hearts in the right place.

Would it have been better if he’d said “I’m pale but I can wail” or ‘I may be pink but I’m funkier than you’d think’?

Of course not.

I hope you dig the tune, and have yourselves a great weekend.

I’ll see you all on Monday.

Keep the faith

Larry

___________________________________________________________________________________________

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).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (2)

By Larry, May 12, 2013 11:39 am

Ralph Soul Jackson

Listen/Download Ralph Soul Jackson – Sunshine of Your Love

Greetings all

Welcome once again into the inner sanctum of all things soulful.

I have to admit that I was totally ignorant as to the existence of today’s selection until it popped up on a friend’s sale list last year.

Always on the lookout for a groovy cover tune, I pulled the ripcord on the sound file, had my ears singed and requested (nay, demanded) that the 45 be put in reserve until I could send some semolians coursing through the ether.

Ralph Soul Jackson, aka the Alabama Love Man was a son of that great state, cousin to none other than Jo Jo Benson, and recorded this (and many other great 45s) with the good folks at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals.

He laid down his cover of ‘Sunshine of Your Love’ in 1969, a year after Cream had their hit.

I’ve always been a huge fan of Cream, especially this song, which is the tune that drew me toward the band as a kid.

‘Sunshine of Your Love’ is remarkably cool, despite being a fairly simple piece of work, relying on the interpreter for that extra added something. Hand it to a garage full of teenage troglodytes and it doesn’t sound quite as magical.

Jack, Eric and Ginger whipped their particular brand of fuzzed out, psychedelic plod onto it and the audience – even the Top 40 – ate it up.

Mr Jackson went into Fame studios with Spooner Oldham and managed to one-up the lads from the UK in a big way.

You get a stunning horn chart, some groovy electric piano and a big fat bass, with Ralph riding it all like a bronco buster. The band adds a little more conventional forward thrust to the beat (on account of you’d maybe want to have people dance to the record), and while Ralph takes the occasional liberty with the lyrics, I don’t think Peter Brown would mind.

The extra cool thing is, that Ralph Soul Jackson is still at it today! He released the ‘Alabama Love Man’ CD last year and all reports indicate that he is still at the top of his game.

I hope you dig the tune (and grab the new stuff as well) and I’ll see you on Wednesday.

Keep the faith

Larry

___________________________________________________________________________________________

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).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, May 9, 2013 12:21 pm

Bobby Williams

Listen/Download Bobby Williams – Let’s Jam

Greetings all

The end of the week is here, and so is your weekly helping of the Funky16Corners Radio Show. I come to you every Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio, spinning the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove, all on original vinyl. If you can’t be there at airtime, you can subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTune, or grab an MP3 here at the blog.

In other news, the Funky16Corners 2013 Allnighter and Pledge Drive will be arriving at the end of the month. I have many of your old favorites lined up, as well as some very cool new names bringing mixes to the table. I also have a cool premium on the way for folks that donate this year. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for news!

The tune I bring you today is a very groovy, very gritty slab of Florida funk.

Originally released in the US (on the Normar label) as by Bobby Williams and the Mar Kings, what you see before you is the contemporaneous (within a couple of years) release on the UK Contempo-Raries imprint (with the name truncated).

This is the Florida-based Bobby Williams (as in ‘Funky Superfly’) as opposed to the New Orleans-based Bobby Williams (as in ‘Boogaloo Mardi Gras’).

This Bobby Williams laid down a series of excellent 45s through the years for labels like Lu-Pine, Sure Shot, Duplex and R&R, ranging from storming Northern Soul (‘I’ve Only Got Myself To Blame’), blazing funk (‘Funky Superfly’ and today’s selection) to smooth, late night soul (‘You Need Love Like I Do’).

His funky stuff – like most of the ish from the early 70s – is heavily influenced by the mighty Godfather of Soul (Williams’ ‘Let’s Work A While’ is a barely disguised reworking of ‘Give It Up Or Turn It A Loose’), and ‘Let’s Jam’ is no exception.

Though the overall sound isn’t too James Brown-y (especially the instrumental side of things) Bobby’s vocal, and the call and response action (including a tip of the hat to Isaac Hayes) definitely owes a debt to JB.

The bass guitar (BIIIIG BASS!) , wah wah guitar and horns whip up a mighty racket, and Bobby is working very, very hard.

This is one I think you’re gonna want to spin a bunch of times, until you have gotten all the way (not half way) down.

I hope you dig it, and I’ll see you all on Monday.

Keep the faith

Larry

*The LP version of ‘Love Potion Number 9’ sounds like the same band but the 45 labels I’ve seen don’t provide a credit in that regard
___________________________________________________________________________________________

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).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, May 7, 2013 10:30 am

The Coasters

Listen/Download The Coasters – Cool Jerk

Greetings all

I hope the middle of the week finds you all well.

The Coasters loom large in the transition from R&B to soul, especially in relation to their work with the mighty Leiber and Stoller.

Their ATCO recordings, stretching from the mid-50s to the mid-60s are unmatchable.

Unfortunately for all concerened, the Coasters had their last taste of chart action in 1964.

The years after they left ATCO were commercially unsuccessful, yet – no surprise here – artistically rewarding.

Though the group bounced between a few different labels (Date, Turntable, King) they continued to work with Leiber and Stoller and their later catalog, though often hard to come by, is quite good.

The tune I bring you today hails from the tail end of the group’s productive years (i.e. making new material as opposed to capitalizing on old ones).

Though I don’t know how they ended up on King, they recorded three 45s and an LP for the label, all released in the early 70s.

The LP contains re-recordings (or possibly remixes) of Date material like ‘D.W. Washburn’, ‘Soul Pad’ and ‘Down Home Girl’ as well as new material.

The tune I bring you today is another cover, but with a very cool twist.

‘Cool Jerk’ first recorded by the Capitols in 1966 is reworked with distinctly Latin touch.

Not only do you get the Leiber and Stoller production, but the arrangement is by Marty Sheller and the orchestra is conducted by none other than Larry Harlow. I’m not sure if it is in fact Orchestra Harlow, but it certainly sounds like it.

The pairing of the Coasters with the boogaloo sound is an inspired one and makes me wish that they’d done more in this vein*. Their King material was released between 1971 and 1973, though it all sounds to me like it was recorded on the earlier end of the time line.

It’s a fantastic dance floor mover, and I hope you dig it.

Keep the faith

Larry

*The LP version of ‘Love Potion Number 9’ sounds like the same band but the 45 labels I’ve seen don’t provide a credit in that regard
___________________________________________________________________________________________

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).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, May 5, 2013 11:57 am

Obrey Wilson

Listen/Download Obrey Wilson – Soul Satisfaction #1

Greetings all

Here’s an interesting one.

The last time we discussed Obrey Wilson, it was in the negative, i.e. in relation to having his name (unjustly) appended to the writing credits for ‘(Love Is Like) A Ramblin’ Rose’, the record made famous by Jerry Lee Lewis, Ted Taylor and of course the mighty MC5.

The song was written by Fred Burch and Maryjohn Wilkin, which is how the song was credited until Ted Taylor made his way to Nashville to record his version, where the tune came away from the experience with Wilson’s name stuck to it.

I have no idea why this happened – though the world of soul music in the classic era is packed with similar copyright shenanigans – but it did.

That said, Obrey Wilson was no mere record business suit/copyright pirate, but was a fine singer who recorded a dozen 45s between 1961 and 1973 (thanks to Sir Shambling for the discographical information).

I encountered today’s selection on a list a few years back, dug the sound and grabbed it.

‘Soul Satisfaction #1’, written and produced by another mysterious figure – Eddie Polo – is an unusual late 60s (1969 to be exact) hybrid, of gritty southern soul, gospel and just a touch of funk. Too slow for all but the most lubricated dance floor, but very groovy nonetheless, ‘Soul Satisfaction #1’features a great vocal by Wilson.

The record was recorded in Nashville, where Wilson seems to have been spending a lot of time in the late 60s.

The flipside, ‘Break Away Baby’, also written by Polo, is an excellent, deep soul ballad.

All in all a very groovy record, by an artist I wish I knew more about.

I hope you dig it.

Keep the faith

Larry

___________________________________________________________________________________________

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).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, May 2, 2013 10:40 am

Richie Barrett

Listen/Download Richie Barrett – Some Other Guy

Greetings all

The weekend is once again upon us, and so is the Funky16Corners Radio Show. Coming to you this and every Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio, we bring you the finest in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove, all on original vinyl. If’n you cannot dig at airtime, you can always subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, or grab yourself an MP3 copy out of the archive here at the blog.

The tune I bring you today is without question one of my all-time favorites, and a 45 that eluded me for quite a while.

This is odd, because Richie Barrett’s ‘Some Other Guy’ is not a crazy expensive disc (between 50 and 100 USD on a good day), but it is in demand, so when copies pop up, the get knocked down rather quickly with a certain amount of competition in the bidding and so forth.

I was lucky enough to get my copy on the cheap side of things, and have probably given it a spin (or a digital play) every day since then.

Thing is, this record is one that loomed large in my musical tutelage for many years, thanks in large part to the fact that ‘Some Other Guy’ became one of the go-to covers for Liverpool bands of certain vintage, that being the heart of the beat era, and naturally, the Beatles.

The song was part of the playlist of the Fabs (it is the song they were playing when they were first filmed playing at the Cavern Club) and it was also recorded by bands like the Big Three, Johnny Kidd and the Pirates and a bit later on by ex-Beatle Pete Best.

It was the killer version by the Big Three that caught my ear first and made me want to track down the original.

Richie Barrett is a particularly interesting figure in the history of R&B and soul in that he was not first and foremost a recording artist.

Barrett made his mark as a producer and songwriter for groups like the Chantels, and hadn’t done a ton of recording before he found himself in the studio alongside the mighty Leiber and Stoller in 1962.

The record they made, ‘Some Other Guy’ is a brilliant bit of R&B well on the way to soul, with rumbling bass, electric piano and even a groovy organ solo.

Those widely separated opening notes on the electric piano build a tremendous amount of drama, especially considering what follows.

What ‘Some Other Guy’  also is, is one of the most blatant bits of imitation Ray Charles as has ever been impressed on a lump of vinyl.

‘Some Other Guy’ sounds like Leiber, Stoller and Barrett took a pile of Brother Ray’s late-period Atlantic ish, tossed it into a blender and poured the resulting slop into a microphone.

Not only do you get the rolling electric piano rhythm of ‘What’d I Say’, but Barrett is all but channeling Charles’s voice in every possible way.

It’s positively shocking that they didn’t try to release it under some name like ‘Charles Ray’, or ‘Brother Ray’ or some such tomfoolery.

Of course we are talking about Leiber and Stoller, who managed to kick ass just about every time they entered a studio, so despite any similarities to records living or dead, ‘Some Other Guy’ is epic.

Oddly enough, despite the obvious greatness of this record, L&S didn’t bother to mention it in their autobiography.

Slap this on at your next ripple and potato chip party and watch every last soul tear their way out onto the floor fighting over which part of the rug they get to slice.

In fact, I suggest that you go get lubricated, pop this one on at high volume and tear up the joint yourself, as best you can.

It is – after all – almost the weekend.

Capisce??

Groovy.

See you cats on Monday.

Keep the faith

Larry

___________________________________________________________________________________________

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).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.