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By Larry, June 5, 2016 11:33 am

Funky16Corners Presents: Queens
Vicki Gomez – Boys Are a Dime a Dozen (ABC/Paramount)
Rita and the Tiaras – Gone With the Wind Is My Love (Dore)
Apollas – Mr Creator (WB)
Clara Ward – The Right Track (Verve)
Gloria Jones – Heartbeat Pt1 (Uptown)
Sandy Wynns – Love Belongs To Everyone (Champion)
Tina Britt – The Real Thing (Eastern)
Brenda Lee – Dancing In the Street (Decca)
Candy and the Kisses – Keep On Searching (Scepter)
Dorothy Berry – Shindig City (Planetary)
Marie Queenie Lyons – Drown In My Own Tears (Deluxe)
Mirettes – Now That I Found You Baby (Mirwood)
Bobbettes – Tighten Up Your Own Home (Mayhew)
Funky Sisters – Soul Woman (Aurora)
Ella Fitzgerald – These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ (Salle)
Sari and the Shalimars – No Reason To Doubt My Love (Veep)
Judy Clay – Sister Pitiful (Atlantic)
Lesley Gore – Take Good Care (Of My Heart) (Mercury)
Barry St John – Cry Like a Baby (GRT)

Listen/Download – Funky16Corners Presents: Queens 86MB Mixed MP3

Greetings all and welcome to the 2016 Funky16Corners Allnighter/Pledge Drive!

This is the time of year where I and some of the finest selectors I know create some brand new mixes and post them here in the hope that you will all show your appreciation by clicking on the Paypal link and tossing something into the hat to help cover our yearly operating budget. This is the 10th Anniversary of the Pledge Drive and the 6th year of the Allnighter format.

This year’s line-up includes mixes from Asbury Park 45 sessions alums DJ Prestige, DJ Prime Mundo, DJ Bluewater, Vincent the Soul Chef, my man in the UK Ben Gibson, Tarik Thornton, HeavySoulBrutha Dave B, Chris Lujan of the M-Tet and the Dirty Dirty Podcast, DJ RP of Funkdefy Ohio and yours truly book-ending the whole thing.

The mixes this year are uniformly excellent, with sounds ranging from funk 45s, to Northern Soul, sweet soul, reggae, modern funk instros, soul jazz and everything in between.

We’ll be posting a mix each weekday for the next few weeks.

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Your donations help to keep Funky16Corners up and running, with the blog, Funky16Corners Radio Show podcast and hundreds of hours of archived mixes.

Everyone that donates will get the new 2016 Funky16Corners badge and bumper sticker, with which you can adorn the garment and flat surface of your choosing.

So pull down the ones and zeros, dig deep and Keep the Faith!

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We’re going to get things started (and eventually finished) with a two-part mix by yours truly, entitled Queens & Kings. These are each an hour long and feature an hour of danceable soul, first by the ladies, and then by the fellas.
I’ve picked up a lot of outstanding stuff in the past year, including some of my personal Northern Soul grails, a couple of unexpected things (from people you wouldn’t expect, naturally) and lots of other groovy sounds!

So dig it, and we’ll be back tomorrow with DJ Prime Mundo!

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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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, June 2, 2016 12:01 pm

Funky16Corners Presents ‘Hot Gravy’ – Guest Mix for Music for Modern Living
Albert Collins – Cookin’ Catfish (20th Century)
Billy Davis – Stanky Get Funky (Cobblestone)
Wynder K Frog – Dancing Frog (UA)
Mighty Hannibal – Fishin’ Pole (Shurfine)
Billy Clark and his Orchestra – Hot Gravy (Dynamo)
Gate Wesley and Band feat Billy Lamont – (Zap! Pow!) Do the Batman (Atlantic)
Albert Collins – Sno Cone Pt2 (TCF-Hall)
Bettye Lavette – Feel Good All Over (Calla)
Timmy Thomas – Have Some Boogaloo (Goldwax)
Jerry Lee Lewis – Shotgun Man (Smash)
Isley Brothers – Nobody But Me (Wand)
RD Stokes – My Sandra’s Jump (II Bros)
Bob Seger and the Last Heard – Heavy Music Pt2 (Cameo/Parkway)
Bobby Hollaway – Cornbread, Hog Maw and Chitterlins (Smash)
Maggie Thrett – Soupy (From the Soul)
Jimmy Holiday – The New Breed (Diplomacy)
Howlin’ Wolf – Pop It To Me (Chess)
Roy Ward – Horse With a Freeze Pt2 (Seven B)
African Beavers – You Got Something (RCA)
Banana Splits – Doin’ the Banana Split (Kelloggs)
TV and the Tribesmen – Trip City USA (HBR)
Jimmy Preacher Ellis – Put Your Hoe To My Row (Round)
Buena Vistas – The Soul Ranger (Marquee)
Danny White – Natural Soul Brother (SSS Intl)
Bobby Freeman – C’Mon and Swim Pt1 (Autumn)

Listen/Download – Funky16Corners Presents – Hot Gravy 138MB Mixed MP3

Greetings all.

The end of the week is here, so I will remind you once again to check out the Funky16Corners Radio Show podcast, which drops each and every Friday with the best in funk, soul, 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 an MP3 right here at the blog.

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I should also say that the Funky16Corners 2016 Allnighter and Pledge Drive will start next Monday, June 6th.

As in years past, you will get a string of new mixes by myself and some of my favorite selectors, posted one every weekday over the course of more than two weeks.

These mixes will be accompanied by a Paypal/Donate button, so that those of you that dig what we do here (blogs, radio show, hundreds of hours of archived mixes) will toss something into the hat towards the operating budget for the next year.

All donors will also receive the new 2016 Funky16Corners badge and bumper sticker to affix to the garment and flat surface of your choice!

So stay tuned for that (lots of good stuff this year).

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The mix you see before you today – Funky16Corners Presents – Hot Gravy – was assembled at the behest of the most excellent Music for Modern Living blog, where it premiered last weekend.

Nigel has a good thing going over there, and has presented a number of very cool guest mixes by the best selectors in funk and soul.

This is a solid, hour-long kick in the pants, composed of some of the hottest dance floor soul and R&B bangers in my crates.

There are lots of old faves, a couple of things that might not be familiar, and with the weather finally getting warm, it should provide adequate moving and grooving for your weekend.

I hope you dig it, that you check out Music for Modern Living, and that as always, you…

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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, May 31, 2016 12:21 pm

Chuck Berry

Listen/Download – Chuck Berry – Club Nitty Gritty MP3

Greetings all.

The middle of the week is here, and I have some news.

After quite a bit of foot-dragging on my part, the Funky16Corners 2016 Allnighter and Pledge Drive will finally start rolling next Monday, June 6th.

As in years past, you will get a string of new mixes by myself and some of my favorite selectors, posted one every weekday over the course of more than two weeks.

These mixes will be accompanied by a Paypal/Donate button, so that those of you that dig what we do here (blogs, radio show, hundreds of hours of archived mixes) will toss something into the hat towards the operating budget for the next year.

All donors will also receive the new 2016 Funky16Corners badge and bumper sticker to affix to the garment and flat surface of your choice!

So stay tuned for that (lots of good stuff this year).

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The tune I bring you today is one of those gems that was kind of hiding in plain sight.

I shouldn’t have to explain Chuck Berry to any but the youngest of you (and even you should get familiar). Suffice to say, Berry was one of the single most important popular musicians of the second half of the 20th Century, racking up a long string of classic hits, and influencing most of the musicians that came after him, whether through his songwriting, performances, or both.

The bulk of Berry’s hits came between 1955 and 1964, with a brief resurgence at the beginning of the 70s.

Most people – myself included – would relegate him to an earlier period, an assessment pushed along by Berry’s association with the primal years of rock’n’roll and his primary work (for most of the last 40 years) as an ‘oldies’ act.

Despite my love for his best known work, and my deep respect for him, there wasn’t much in his catalog that I thought would be of interest to Funky16Corners readers.

That was until a few years ago, when a friend turned me on to today’s selection, 1966’s ‘Club Nitty Gritty’.

A storming bit of mod soul, ‘Club Nitty Gritty’ is unlike pretty much anything else in the Berry canon, and was – aside from some airplay in Washington, DC and a Top 40 run with the Pirate stations in the UK – largely ignored at the time of release, and forgotten since (aside from some of your hipper DJs).

Though ‘Club Nitty Gritty’ was released on a 45 in 1966 (backed with the even more obscure ‘Laugh and Cry’) which these days is fairly rare and expensive, Chuck and his record company at the time (Mercury) were kind enough to stash the tune away in a another, very strange place.

As you’ll see by the label above (a 1973 pressing), ‘Club Nitty Gritty’ appears on the album ‘Chuck Berry’s Golden Hits’, released in 1967.

When I tell you that I passed by this record at least 100 times in the 40 years that I’ve been buying records, if anything I’d probably be underestimating.

You see, what I (and probably most others) assumed, was that ‘Chuck Berry’s Golden Hits’ was exactly what it looked like, i.e. a collection of his old records.

What it was – in fact – was a 1966/67 rerecording of those songs for Mercury, packaged to look like a collection of 50s/early 60s recordings, with ‘Club Nitty Gritty’ tacked on to the end of it.

If I’d had any idea, I’d have grabbed it a long time ago.

That said, I’m very pleased indeed that I picked it up when I did, since ‘Club Nitty Gritty’ is a banger.

Kicked into gear by Berry’s tough rhythm guitar and some groovy electric piano (Johnny Johnson), Chuck drops in to tell the tale of the night spot in the title, then moves on to calling out a string of dances. It is fast moving enough for the dance floor, and Berry is in rare form. I haven’t been able to find out who produced the track(s) but the sound is very cool, with lots of reverb.

Berry didn’t release much new music in the late 60s, but what did make it onto record is worth checking out, including ‘Back to Memphis’ (1967), ‘Louie to Frisco’ (1968, both for Mercury) and ‘Tulane’ (for Chess, 1970).

I hope you dig the track, 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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, May 29, 2016 11:52 am

Ronnie and the Pomona Casuals (Charlie Lett, center)

Listen/Download – Ronnie and the Pomona Casuals – Out of Sight MP3

Listen/Download – Ronnie and the Pomona Casuals – I Wanna Do the Jerk MP3

Greetings all.

Ever since digging into the history of ‘land of 1,000 Dances’ back in the day I have had an interest in the East LA/Chicano music scene of the 1960s.

Southern California was a hotbed of Chicano bands that specialized in a a very groovy mixture of R&B, rock and soul. Groups like Thee Midniters, Cannibal and the Headhunters, the Atlantics and the Blendells laid down some of the hottest 45s (and a couple of excellent LPs) of the day.

Among their ranks was a multi-racial powerhouse by the name of Ronnie and the Pomona Casuals.

Led by guitarist Ronnie Duran, the band included his brother Jimmy on sax, lead singer Charlie Lett, drummer Philip Duran (not a brother), organist Robert Arroyo, bassist Ryan O’Brien and baritone saxophonist Bob Foley, the Casuals met and formed in high school.

They were managed by Billy Cardenas (who also produced their LP) who also handled a lot of the bigger area bands.

They recorded their album for Bob Keane’s Donna records in 1965, with none other than Arthur Lee (pre-Love) assisting on songwriting and backing vocals.

The album is a great example of the kind of blend that the East LA bands were so good at, with mostly R&B/soul material played with an exuberant, rocking feel.

The tunes I bring you today are the group’s ‘I Wanna Do The Jerk’ (rumored to have been written by Arthur Lee), and their cover of James Brown’s ‘Out of Sight’.

‘I Wanna Do the Jerk’ is one of those records where you can just picture a gym full of sweaty kids getting down while the band works it out on stage.

Their take on ‘Out of Sight’ (also covered by Cannibal and the Headhunters) has the same ragged but right feel of the rest of the record (I have no doubt that these guys played their own instruments in the studio) and the vocal by Lett is excellent.

The liner notes on the LP were written by DJ Gene Weed, who was also the host of Shivaree, one of the coolest 60s ‘dance party’ shows, which featured a lot of interesting pop, soul and R&B acts.

In addition to their LP, the Pomona Casuals recorded a handful of 45s for Donna and Mustang, and continued playing into the 1970s.

I hope you dig the tracks, and I’ll see you on Wednesday.

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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, May 26, 2016 10:44 am

R.B. Hudmon

Listen/Download – RB Hudmon – Yo Yo MP3

Greetings all.

The end of the week is here so I will remind you once again that the Funky16Corners Radio Show podcast drops each and every Friday with the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove, all on original vinyl. You can subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTune, listen on your mobile device via the TuneIn app, check it out on Mixcloud, or grab an MP3 right here at the blog.

The tune I bring you today is another chapter in the fascinating world of Joe South.

South, who had a stellar recording career of his own is probably best known as a songwriter, penning hits for artists like Billy Joe Royal, the Tams, Deep Purple, Lynne Anderson and many others.

Today’s selection is a song that South wrote (it was first recorded by Billy Joe Royal the previous year) and produced for teenage singer R.B. Hudmon (his name is misspelled on the label) in 1968.

Hudmon was a Georgia-based singer who was part of Bill Lowery’s (who Joe South worked with extensively) talent stable in Atlanta. He was only 14 when he recorded South’s ‘Yo Yo’.

His version of the song (arranged by South and probably featuring him on guitar as well) is great, upbeat soul, featuring Hudmon’s high tenor and a great horn chart.

South would go on (as he would with many of the songs he wrote for others) to record the song himself in 1971, as would none other than the Osmonds, who would have one of their biggest hits with a version of the song (quite good, actually) in the late summer of that year.

Hudmon would go on to have a number of minor R&B hits for Atlantic between 1976 and 1978.

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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, May 24, 2016 11:23 am

“Paul Nero” AKA Klaus Doldinger

Listen/Download – Paul Nero – Soul Medley #1 MP3

Greetings all.

The record I bring you today is an interesting combination of groovy sounds and an interesting back story.
A couple of years back someone on Facebook posted a clip of today’s selection and I knew I had to go out and find myself a copy.

The interesting thing is that ‘Paul Nero’ doesn’t exist, at least under that name. He is in actuality German saxophonist and arranger Klaus Doldinger, working under a pseudonym.

Using the ‘Paul Nero’ name, Doldinger and a collection of prominent German musicians, including organist Ingfried Hoffman (aka Memphis Black) and guitarist Siegfried Schwab (who with Manfred Hubler went on to record a bunch of incredible exploitation soundtracks later compiled as Vampiros Lesbos Sexadelic Dance Party) and American expat guitarist Joe Quick (who recorded on the Memphis Black records).

There were at least four albums released under the ‘Paul Nero’ name, all composed of covers of then popular hits, some focusing on soul, and some on pop/rock.

Today’s selection (actually listed on the album as ‘This Is Soul/Soul Finger/Soul Man’) is from the 1968 ‘Soul Party’ album, which is composed entirely of similar medleys. ‘This Is Soul’ is an original composition and the other tunes were -of course – originally done by the Bar Kays and Sam & Dave.

The opening section ‘This Is Soul’ features someone (with a German accent) speaking the intro, after a sweet drum break (one of the reasons this album is sought after) and the members of the band joining in one by one, a la ‘Memphis Soul Stew’. The playing – across the entire album – is quite good, in the style of a UK/Euro library LP.

My only complaint is the medley format, since I’d like to hear this band playing the entire songs.

That said, I’m going to be on the lookout for the rest of the albums (most of them were only released outside of the US).

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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, May 22, 2016 11:32 am

The Apollas

Listen/Download – The Apollas – Mr Creator MP3

Greetings all.

I was driving around this past week, working my way through one of a couple of huge Northern Soul playlists I have stacked up in the iPod, and found myself replaying today’s selection several times.

The Apollas are one of those soul groups that despite laying down a collection of demonstrably amazing 45s, were met with utter indifference on the charts.

Composed of three singers – Leola Jiles, Ella Jamerson and Dorothy Ramsey – the Apollas worked for a short time in New York with Lieber and Stoller before moving on to do most of their recording for Loma and Warner Brothers out on the West Coast.

The bulk of their 45s were produced by Dick Glasser, and arranged by cats like HB Barnum and Gene Page.

Today’s 45 is – at least in my opinion – the finest thing they ever did, and that has a lot to do with the fact that the song in question was penned by no less a duo than Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson.

‘Mr Creator’ was released in early 1967, and though it made little to no impact on its release, it went on to be a huge favorite in the soul clubs of the UK.

The record is in many ways the perfect intersection of talents, with stellar vocals by the Apollas, booming production by Glasser, a punchy, danceable arrangement by HB Barnum (dig the way the horns and vibes come in and out of the mix) and a great, hook filled tune by Ashford and Simpson.

As with any great Northern Soul anthem, “Mr Creator’ is a masterpiece of dynamic/daramatic shifts. The way the song lifts at the bridge (around 1:05) and then again when the horns come in at around 1:35 is a thing to behold.

It kind of boggles the mind that a record this perfect went nowhere. The Apollas never made the R&B charts, and as far as I can tell they didn’t find any regional Pop or R&B success either. They were lucky enough to have access to great material and a dedicated producer, and fortunately soul fans have embraced them retroactively.

Their records are now in demand, and I’m lucky that I was able to score a copy that plays well in spite of it’s less than stellar visual condition.

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

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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (3)

By Larry, May 19, 2016 12:02 pm

Timothy Wilson

Listen/Download – Timothy Wilson – Love Is Like an Itching In Your Heart MP3

Greetings all.

The end of the week is upon us and so is the Funky16Corners Radio Show, coming to you each and every Friday with the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove, all on original vinyl. You can subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, on Mixcloud, on your mobile device via the TuneIn app, or an an MP3 any old time you like right here at Funky16Corners.com.

Today’s selection is a very groovy cover version of one of my all time favorite records, the Supremes’ ‘Love Is Like an Itching In Your Heart’.

The artist is the little known (outside of soul collector circles), but excellent singer Timothy Wilson.

Wilson, who was born in Maryland was an early member of the Serenaders, alongside George Kerr and Sidney Barnes, and went on to record a grip of excellent 45s under his own name for labels like Veep, United Artists, Buddah, Blue Rock and Sky Disc between 1965 and the early 70s.

Wilson’s version of ‘Love Is Like an Itching In Your Heart’ (produced by Kerr, who worked on a lot of Wilson’s sides) was released on Blue Rock in 1969.

Sticking to the general template of the original, the pace is a bit faster (making it great for the dancers) with booming saxophone. Wilson has a high tenor voice that often veers to the edge of falsetto and it gives his version of the song and edge missing from the original.

Though he appears to have made his last record in the 70s, Wilson has toured as a member of the modern incarnation of the Teenagers (as in ‘Frankie Lymon and…’).

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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, May 17, 2016 11:04 am

Edwin Starr

Listen/Download – Edwin Starr – Back Street MP3

Listen/Download – Edwin Starr – Back Street (Inst) MP3

Greetings all.

Though the mighty Edwin Starr is best known to the general public for his Motown-era hits like ‘War’ and ’25 Miles’, the soulies will tell you that his greatest days were recording for the mighty Detroit soul powerhouse Ric-Tic between 1965 and 1967.

Ric-Tic, run by Joanne Bratton and Ed Wingate, released some of the finest Motor City soul of the classic era, with sides by Starr, Gino Washington, JJ Barnes, Rose Batiste, the Fantastic Four, Al Kent and many more.

Edwin Starr’s Ric-Tic sides are consistently excellent, and ‘Back Street’ is one of the best of the lot.

Written by Starr and LeBaron Taylor (both under other names) ‘Back Street’ is a fast moving number with a big following among the Northern Soul crowd.

The arrangement, featuring drums, percussion, handclaps and a prominent rhythm piano is pushed along by horn stabs and female backing vocals.

Starr’s vocal is, of course, top notch. He was one of the finest male voices working in Detroit during the classic era.

I’m also including the groovy instrumental take from the b-side, which has also been known to be spun for dancers of distinction.

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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, May 15, 2016 10:03 am

Jackie Verdell

Listen/Download – Jackie Verdell – Are You Ready For This MP3

Listen/Download – Jackie Verdell – I’m Your Girl MP3

Greetings all.

The new week has arrived and I though I’d whip a little of that high-class, uptempo soul in your direction.

I forget where I first heard of Jackie Verdell, but for some reason I thought she was a Chicago-based singer.

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Verdell came out of Philadelphia, and before her 1960s career as a secular singer was a driving force in the world of gospel as a vocalist in the Davis Singers. So powerful was she, that the mighty Aretha Franklin singled her out for praise in her autobiography.

She moved over into the world of R&B and soul in 1963 with Peacock Records, and during the 60s moved on to Decca and Coral imprints before returning to the gospel fold in the early 70s.

Today’s selection, ‘Are You Ready For This’ was her first 45 for Decca in 1967. Penned by writer/producer Buddy Scott and singer Jimmy Radcliffe (he of the classic ‘Long After Tonight Is All Over’), produced by Joe Medlin and arranged by the great Bert De Coteaux, ‘Are You Ready For This’ features a great vocal by Verdell and a punchy, four on the floor beat. I really dig the interplay between the lead and rhythm guitars and the horn chart.

Though the record didn’t make the R&B charts, it did have some regional pop success in the Midwest and Los Angeles.

The flipside, ‘I’m Your Girl’, written by Verdell herself is a wonderful deep ballad with just a hint of a Southern soul sound to it.

Following her return to gospel, she recorded for a few different labels into the early 80s, but unfortunately did not find success.

Jackie Verdell passed away in 1991.

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

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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, May 12, 2016 11:23 am

Sonny Cox

Listen/Download – Sonny Cox – Chocolate Candy MP3

Greetings all.

The end of the week is here, and so is the Funky16Corners Radio Show podcast, which drops each and every Friday with the best in funk, soul, 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, dig it on Mixcloud, or grab an MP3 right here at Funky16Corners.com (and coming soon to Dirty Old Boston Radio).

I have a very groovy one for you today.

I was out scouting the hinterlands of the internet, on the prowl for records (you know, like always) and while perusing a sales list happened upon today’s selection.

Though I knew the name Sonny Cox, what grabbed me was the title ‘Chocolate Candy’.

‘Could this be the same ‘Chocolate Candy’ that the Soulful Strings recorded?’ I asked myself.

A quick enlargement of the label, which revealed the writer as Phil Upchurch confirmed my suspicions, so I grabbed it.

You all know that there probably isn’t a bigger fan of Richard Evans and the Soulful Strings in the world than yours truly, and finding covers of their material is a rare event, indeed.

‘Chocolate Candy’ first appeared on the group’s 1969 ‘String Fever’ album (their best, IMHO). Upchurch was the guitarist in the Chess/Cadet house band, who also recorded a number of excellent records under his own name (though, as far as I can tell he never recorded ‘Chocolate Candy’ on his own).

Sonny Cox was a sax player who formed the Three Souls and recorded with them for the Chess subsidiary Argo, eventually recording a solo album, ‘The Wailer’ for Cadet in 1966, which was arranged and produced by none other than Richard Evans.

Cox recorded ‘Chocolate Candy’, again with Evans producing, for Bell in 1969. He lays down a dark, reverb-filled version of the song on what sounds like a Varitone electric saxophone, with some great guitar, heavy bass and organ and handclaps.

The record didn’t go anywhere (though the flipside, a cover of ‘The Choking Kind’ got some airplay in Washington, DC.

Cox seems to have retired in the early 70s, taking up a new career as a high school basketball coach in the Chicago area.

I hope you dig the sounds, 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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, May 10, 2016 1:27 pm

Patti and the Emblems

Listen/Download – Patti and the Emblems – Please Don’t Ever Leave Me Baby MP3

Greetings all.

Many times over the years, I’ve talked about getting inured to an unfamiliar tempo.

Doing so (many times over the years) has expanded my musical horizons exponentially.

Though I started collecting fast-moving, dance floor killers back in the day, I have come to love ballads, deep soul, as well as all the wonders of mid-tempo stuff.

One such record is today’s selection, ‘Please Don’t Ever Leave Me Baby’ by Camden, NJ’s own Patti and the Emblems.

Though it is certainly brisk enough to dance to, ‘Please Don’t Ever Leave Me Baby’ is one of those songs that you reserve for the beginning/build up of a set. It’s not likely to drag people out onto the floor, but if they’re already their, they’ll get into the groove and keep moving.

Patti and the Emblems were a discovery of Frank Bendinelli and Leroy Lovett of B&L productions. They had their first (and only) hit in 1964 with ‘Mixed Up Shook Up Girl’ on Herald, eventually moving on to Kapp Records in 1967.

During their career they were fairly prolific, recording 10 45s over a four year period.

They were lucky to have a great lead singer in Patty Russell, and the help of a young Leon Huff on piano.

‘Please Don’t Ever Leave Me Baby’ (penned by Bendinelli and Lovett) is a hook-filled, very nicely produced number with all the hallmarks of a great Philly soul side (I live the vibraphone accents).

As far as I can tell, this 45 isn’t terribly expensive these days, so go and get yourself one for your play box.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

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PS Head over to Iron Leg too.