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

____________________________________________________________________________

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 8, 2016 11:57 am

Mel Brown

Listen/Download – Mel Brown – 18 Pounds of Unclean Chitlings Pt1 MP3

Listen/Download – Mel Brown – 18 Pounds of Unclean Chitlings Pt2 MP3

Greetings all.

I have written about the mighty guitar slinger Mel Brown a couple of times over the years, including (unfortunately)when he passed away in 2009.

Brown made some of the tastiest, funkiest soul jazz albums of the late 60s and early 70s for the Impulse label, and I always grab his stuff when I find it in the field.

So, a little while back my man Tony C drops me a line to say that he saw a copy of today’s selection as a very affordable ‘buy it now’on Ebay, so I jetted over there, dropped a couple of bucks and camped out by the maibox in anticipation of its arrival.

Recorded for his 1970 album ‘I’d Rather Suck My Thumb’, ’18 Pounds of Unclean Chitlings’ is a record as deep and weird as its title.

Featuring Clifford Coulter on the organ, and Brown working his wah-wah pedal to death, ’18 Pounds of Unclean Chitlings’ sounds like the traces of a distant broadcast drifting from your speakers.

Displaying the unmistakable influence of Jimi Hendrix and all of the crackly, hoodoo-soaked 45s that fed into his stewpot, the jam is as tasty, and sinister a 45 as you’re likely to hear today.

The album cut stretches to 11:10, which the 45 breaks down into two parts, edited down to a hair short of 7 minutes.

What Impulse thought they were doing sending this one out on a 45 is beyond me (imagine this oozing out of a jukebox), but I dig it a lot, and thought you might, too.

A couple of his Impulse dates (but not this one) are available on iTunes.

You should check them out.

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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (1)

By Larry, April 14, 2016 9:26 am

Big Jay McNeely and Band – The Squat (Swingin’)
Big Jay McNeely and Band – Without a Love (Swingin’)
Leon Haywood – The Fat Fish (Fat Fish)
Leon Haywood – A River’s Invitation (Convoy)
Leon Haywood – Soul Cargo (Fat Fish)
Leon and the Burners – Whiplash (Josie)
Leon and the Burners – Crack Up (Josie)
The Packers – Hole In the Wall (Pure Soul Music)
The Packers – Go Head On (Pure Soul Music)
The Hideaways – Hide Out (Mirwood)
Leon Haywood – Soul On (Imperial)
Leon Haywood – Cornbread and Buttermilk (Imperial)
Leon Haywood – 1-2-3 (Imperial)
The Soul Machine – Bag of Goodies (Pzazz)
The Soul Machine – Twitchy Feet (Pzazz

Listen/Download – Funky16Corners Presents: Leon Haywood at the Organ 1962-1968 MP3

Greetings all.

The end of the week is here, and so is the Funky16Corners Radio Show, dropping 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 online via the TuneIn app or Mixcloud, or grab an MP3 right here at the blog.

News came down the pike last week that the great Leon Haywood had passed away at the age of 74.

Fans of 60s and 70s soul would have been familiar with vocal hits like ‘It’s GotTo Be Mellow’, ‘Mellow Moonlight’ or ‘I Want’a Do Something Freaky To You’.

However, as I discovered – quite by accident, years ago – Leon Haywood was not only a smooth singer, but a Hammond wrangler of the first order.

Turning over a few of his Decca and Imperial 45s revealed organ instrumentals, and then delving deep into the mystery behind that recording of the Packers’ ‘Hole In the Wall’, it was gradually revealed that in addition to a great singing voice, Haywood was just as comfortable on the keys.

He recorded on organ and piano frequently through the 1960s, often as a backing musician, or under a group alias, and then pretty much abandoned the sideline as he got more popular in the 70s.

I had this mix simmering long before he passed away, but as soon as I heard he was gone, I moved it to the front burner.

Born in Texas, he moved to California in the early 60s where he hooked up with the band of R&B saxophonist Big Jay McNeely, with whom he made his first records as an organist. I’ve included both sides of one of his 1962 McNeely 45s, both tunes co-written by Haywood. ‘The Squat’ and ‘Without a Love’ both feature Haywood using a wide open, slightly distorted/overmodulated organ sound in a heavily reverbed production. ‘The Squat’ is a wild R&B dancer, with it’s flipside working a more sedate, bluesy side of the street.

The next few songs fall into the window of 1965-1966, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they weren’t in exact chronological order.

Haywood recorded a full album for the LA label Fat Fish in 1966, which included a few vocal numbers (but did not include his big Northern Soul number ‘Baby Reconsider’ which was on a later Fat Fish 45), as well as a grip of piano and organ instrumentals. I’ve included three tracks from this album, including the tunes ‘Fat Fish’, ‘Soul Cargo’ and his swinging cover of Percy Mayfield’s ‘A River’s Invitation’, which appeared on the album as well as a Convoy 45 (where I first heard it).

Next up is both sides of a 45 that I had for at least 15 years before I realized it was Haywood, by Leon and the Burners. ‘Whiplash’ – which uses a similar organ sound to the McNeely 45 – owes a debt to Alvin Cash’s ‘Twine Time’. The flipside, ‘Crack Up’ has a lean, Memphis sound to it.

The next two sides see Leon Haywood walking into the midst of the one of the most interesting musical mysteries of the classic soul era. The Packers ‘Hole In The Wall’ was a Top 5 R&B/Top 40 Pop hit in the Fall of 1965. The session was put together by LA DJ the Magnificent Montague, and included most of Booker T and the MGs (minus Duck Dunn) who were in LA recording with Bobby Darin, saxophonist Packy Axton of the Mar-Keys, and none other than Leon Haywood on organ (Booker T on piano) and Earl Grant on bass.

All would have been clear enough had this been the only record the Packers did, but Axton went on (with a variety of other players) to record a bunch of “Packers” records over the next few years, as well as both sides of the ‘Hole In the Wall’ 45 being issued in the US and the UK as two differently named songs by someone named Joe S. Maxey (more here).

Complicating matters even more, is the fact that Nat Nathan, sometimes with Haywood (sometimes without) would also record a bunch of ‘Hole In the Wall’-esque 45s (you can see the roots of the Packers “sound” in Haywood’s Fat Fish sides), including ‘Hide Out’ by the Hideaways on the LA Mirwood label.

As I mentioned earlier, Haywood included organ and piano instrumentals on his Decca LP ‘It’s Got To be Mellow’ and on the B-sides of his Decca and Imperial 45s. Included here are the originals ‘Soul On’ (45 only) and ‘Cornbread and Buttermilk’ (from the LP) and the 45-only cover of Len Barry’s ‘1-2-3’.

The last two tracks in this mix are the two sides of a great, funky 1968 Hammond 45 that I was after for years, only bagging a copy late last year. The Soul Machine’s ‘Twitchie Feet’ b/w ‘Bag of Goodies’ (recently covered by the Incredible Say Whats) were played, produced and written by Haywood, during his time with the LA-based Pzazz label (where he also recorded with Little Janice).

Now, I have no doubt whatsoever that there are gaps in this mix, especially where Haywood’s work as a sideman, or pseudonymous bandleader are concerned. I have a few 45s that I suspect are his handiwork, but no hard evidence to go on. If any of you have any records to add to the list, please let me know.

Haywood spent time between his 60s and 70s hits working in the studio, backing people like Shuggie Otis. He also started his own Evejim label, and worked as a producer.

He was a talented performer, and will be missed.

I hope you dig the mix, and 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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, April 7, 2016 12:50 pm

These are the JBs!

Listen/Download – The JBs – Music For the People MP3

Greetings all.

The end of the week is here, and so is the Funky16Corners Radio Show podcast, which drops 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 an MP3 right here at the blog.

Today’s selection is yet another of the countless chapters in the saga of the mighty JBs.

‘Music for the People’ written by “Sweet” Charles Sherrell, and released in 1977 (as the flipside of ‘Crossover’, actually the backing track of Lyn Collins ‘We Want To Parrty Parrty Parrty’) is a funky groover in the late-period JBs stylee.

It has that clockwork James Brown groove to it – dig the bass and guitar – and a group vocal running on top of things. Deep in the disco era, it still delivers the funk (especially the reference to ‘sardine sandwiches’!) even if the production is a tiny bit slick.

It is still – as are all JBs records – essential, so go out and get you some.

See you 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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, March 13, 2016 11:39 am

Harvey Scales

Listen/Download – Harvey Scales – What’s Good For You (Don’t Have To Be Good To You) MP3

Greetings all.

I hope the new week finds you all well.

The tune I bring you today is yet another tasty chapter in the long-running saga of Milwaukee, Wisconsin’s own soul giant, the mighty Harvey Scales.

Though his presence on the charts was limited to one fleeting instance in 1967 (with his 60s group, the Seven Sounds), he made a string of outstanding funk and soul records from the early 60s well into the disco era.

His run of excellence started with the local Cuca and Magic Touch labels (1966/67), moving on to Chess and Cadet (1969-1971), then Stax (1972/73) the later in the 70s on Casablanca, the into the 90s for Earthtone and Kashgold.

The record I bring you today was not, but clearly should have been a hit.

‘What’s Good For You (Don’t Have to be Good To You)’ was released in 1972, and it is a slice of funky soul perfection, fitting right in alongside the best of the Invictus/Hotwax sound.

Pushed along by a bubbling bass guitar and some party noises, ‘What’s Good For You..’ is one of those records that you’d swear was sampled (especially that repeating piano figure), yet never was. It has an extremely catchy chorus, and is prime dance floor material.

Scales went on to co-write Johnny Taylor’s big hit, ‘Disco Lady’.

Speaking of samples, Scales funky disco opus, ‘Dancing Room Only’ would go on to be sampled by the Beastie Boys (among others).

Scales still performs today, in and out of Milwaukee.

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

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (1)

By Larry, March 8, 2016 1:00 pm

Ernest Vantrease

Listen/Download – Ernest Van Treose and the McDaniel Mary St Band – Popcorn Push Push MP3

Listen/Download – Ernest Van Treose and the McDaniel Mary St Band – Medicine Man MP3

Greetings all.

The track I bring you today is a very funky 45, with a very funky pedigree.

‘Popcorn Push Push’ by Ernest Van Treose and the McDaniel Mary Street Band is one of those old-school, funk 45 crate staples. I was after it for years, finally grabbing an OG for my play box last year.

The tune rumbles along on a wave of pulsing bass, ringing, Meters-like guitar, and some tasty organ action.

Released in 1969, the 45 (both sides) was written and produced by none other than James Shaw, aka the Mighty Hannibal.

I’m not sure if Ernest Van Treose (often credited under what appears to be the correct spelling ‘Vantrease’) hooked up with Hannibal in Atlanta (though the band takes its name from an intersection in Atlanta), but he was a busy player. Vantrease was for years a sought after keyboard player for giants like BB King, Buddy Rich and Ray Charles as well as playing in the band of his brother, trumpeter Earl Vantrease.

‘Popcorn Push Push’ is a killer, and the flipside, ‘Medicine Man’ gives Vantrease a little more space to solo on the organ.

Vantrease did at least one more 45 with Hannibal for RCA, though this time it was a vocal soul effort ‘These Are the Things’ , released as Ernest Vantrease with the McDaniel and Mary Street Band in 1970.

I hope you dig the tunes (make sure to grab Monday’s mix) , and I’ll see you all on Friday.

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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (1)

By Larry, March 6, 2016 11:33 am

Funky16Corners Presents – Funky Music Is the Thing
Harvey Scales – Dancing Room Only (Casablanca)
Alvin Cash – Twine Time (XL)
Eddie Drennon and BBS Unlimited – Get Down Do the Latin Hustle (Friends and Co)
United Image – African Bump (Branding Iron)
Cookie Jarr and His Krums – Ain’t No Use Pt1 (Roulette)
Willie Henderson and the Soul Explosions – Is it Something You’ve Got (Brunswick)
Robert Parker – Get To Steppin’ (Island)
Seven Seas – Pat’s Jam (Glades)
Dave Richmond – Phase Out (KPM)
Frankie Gee – Date With the Rain (Claridge)
Hack Bartholomew – La La You (CTI)
Lyn Collins – Give It Up or Turnit A Loose (People)
Rimshots – Do What You Feel Pt2 (Stang)
Jr Walker and the All Stars – Gimme That Beat Pt2 (Soul)
The Brothers – Fire (RCA)
Dynamic Corvettes- Funky Music Is the Thing (Abet)
Maceo and the Kings Men – Thank You Fallettinme Be Mice Elf Agin Pt2 (House of the Fox)
Bobby Keys – Gimme the Key (Ring’O)
Jimmy Bo Horne – Dance Across the Floor (Sunshine Sound)
ST4 – Funky (Scepter)

Listen/Download – Funky16Corners Presents: Funky Music Is the Thing 113MB Mixed MP3

Greetings all.

I hope the new week finds you all well, at least well enough to get out on the floor.

A while back, I took my son out for a long-promised digging session at one of the few decent local record stores. He grabbed himself a bunch of LPs, while I scoured the 45 bins, picking up mostly disco 45s.

Most of the stuff I found fell on the funky side of things, and while listening to them, I started to work up  the mix you see before you today, in which that kind of thing is mixed in with more of the same, some slightly later, danceable funk, as well as a couple of unusual things that sounded right to me.

The hour-long mix is (with three exceptions) culled exclusively from 45s, heavy on the drums (there are a couple of nice breaks in there) and all right, tight and outtasite for the dance floor.

As always, I hope you dig it, and I’ll see you all 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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, February 18, 2016 12:26 pm

Listen/Download – Marie Franklin – You Ain’t Changed MP3

Greetings all.

The end of the week is near, and so then is the latest episode of the Funky16Corners Radio Show podcast.You can (and should, really..) subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, listen on your mobile device via the TuneIn app, listen on Mixcloud, or grab yourselves an MP3 right here at the blog.

The tune I bring you today is a hard-hitting, funky number by a singer that I don’t know much about.

Marie Franklin only recorded a few 45s during her short career, two for Tangerine, one duet with Vernon Garrett for Venture (more on that in a sec..) the disc you see before you today and a couple of rarer items on small labels.
The duet with Garrett is important, because it ties into the provenance of today’s selection (both records having been released in 1968).

Venture was a relatively short-lived imprint formed when the husband and wife team of Kim Weston and Mickey Stevenson left Motown in Detroit and made their way to California.

If you look closely at the label of ‘You Ain’t Changed’ you’ll notice the presence of Clarence Paul (another ex-Motown mover) and the publishing credit of Mikim music, Weston’s publishing company.

The tune itself, (written by Willie Cooper and Ernie Shelby who also wrote I Don’t Want to Discuss it for Little Richard and Nobody for Williams and Watson) ‘You Ain’t Changed’ manages to encapsulate a Motown-like production, while cozying up to the early vibrations of funk. Franklin had a hell of a voice, sounding to me a lot like Tina Turner (interesting since one of her TRC 45s was a cover of Ike and Tina’s ‘Anything You Wasn’t Born With’).

It kind of blows my mind that a singer this talented and powerful (you have to check out her duet with Garrett) didn’t see more success.

This 45 (which was also released in the UK on MGM) isn’t an easy pull, but if you dig it you ought to be able to put one in your box for 25 or 30 bucks.

I hope you dig it, and 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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, February 16, 2016 12:51 pm

The Stylistics

Listen/Download – The Stylistics – Let the Junkie Bust the Pusher MP3

Greetings all.

I don’t know about you, but I could use a pick me up.

What better way to get picked up, than a little energetic, funky soul.

This particular 45 is very groovy, and especially interesting because it is a stylistic (no pun intended) departure for the (here it comes…) Stylistics.

Known best for their big hits like ‘You Are Everything’ and ‘People Make the World Go Round’, the Stylistics shot out of the gate in 1970 with this number affixed to the B-side of their first 45 (and first chart entry) ‘You’re a Big Girl Now’.

Written by Marty Bryant and Robert Douglas, ‘Let the Junkie Bust the Pusher’ is a fast-moving, decidedly un-Stylistic, topical soul side that sounds like it could have been lifted from a Blaxploitation soundtrack of the time.

Originally released on the local Philadelphia label Sebring, it got the group picked up for national distribution by Avco, where they would hook up with Thom Bell and Linda Creed, who would write so many of their biggest hits.

The drums are especially heavy here, and you get lots of group harmony, as well as Temptations-like solo shots by members of the group.

This particular song remains a 45-only cut, not making it onto the Stylistics debut LP.

It’s very cool, as well as cheap as chips, so go out and get you some.

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

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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, February 9, 2016 12:22 pm

Listen/Download – The Magistrates feat. Jean Hillary – After the Fox MP3

Greetings all.

I hope the middle of the week finds you well.

The tune I bring you today is one of those groovy 45s that sought to surf the wave of a musical trend, in this case the tsunami of ‘Horse’ records in 1968 (see here*) spawned by Cliff Nobles and Company.

The interesting thing is that the group in question, a studio assemblage called the ‘Magistrates’ had already had a hit, earlier in 1968 doing (much more successfully) the same thing, except with the ‘Here Comes the Judge’ fad (which you can read all about in the old Funky16Corners web zine).

The Magistrates were two members of the Dovells, Jerry Gross (who also worked with a bunch of Philly acts as a songwriter, producer and arranger), Mike Freda, and a vocalist named Jeannie Yost, working under the name ‘Jean Hillary’.

‘Here Comes the Judge’ was a minor national hit in May of 1968, and a big single in Philadelphia.

They followed it with ‘After the Fox’ ( a very thinly disguised attempt at a ‘Horse’ number) in August of that year, but only really got any play locally.

The resulting number is a funky dancer, with a guitar line and bridge that get as close to Cliff Nobles as possible without being an outright rip, as well as a wailing vocal by Yost/Hillary.

There’s enough meat on the record that it manages to transcend the ‘novelty’ label.

It’s a groovy one, and I hope you dig it.

See you on Friday.

Keep the faith

Larry

*Oddly enough, when that piece was written 15 years ago, I hadn’t yet picked up the Magistrates 45, so it isn’t mentioned!

____________________________________________________________________________

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, February 7, 2016 11:07 am

Roger and the Gypsies – Pass the Hatchet Pt1 (Seven B)
Professor Longhair – Big Chief Pt2 (Watch)
Bobby Marchan – Shake Your Tambourine (Cameo/Parkway)
Diamond Joe – Gossip Gossip (Sansu)
Eddie Bo – Hook and Sling Pt1 (Scram)
Lee Dorsey – Four Corners Pt1 (Amy)
Dixie Cups – Two Way Poc A Way (ABC)
Earl King – Street Parade (Kansu)
Meters – Cardova (Josie)
David Batiste and the Gladiators – Funky Soul Pt2 (Instant)
Bobby Williams – Boogaloo Mardi Gras Pt2 (Capitol)
Curly Moore – Sophisticated Cissy (Instant)
Ernie K Doe – Here Come the Girls (Janus)
Larry Darnell – Son of a Son of a Slave (Instant)
Explosions – Hip Drop Pt1 (Gold Cup)
Rubaiyats – Omar Khayyam (Sansu)
Warren Lee – Funky Belly (Wand)
Willie Tee – Sweet Thing (Gatur)
Danny White – Natural Soul Brother (SSS Intl)
Lee Dorsey – Who’s Gonna Help Brother Get Further (Polydor)
Oliver Morgan – Roll Call (Seven B)
Eddie Bo – Can You Handle It (Bo Sound)

Listen/Download -Funky16Corners Presents Boogaloo Mardi Gras! – 85MB Mixed Mp3/192K

Greetings all.

Hey everybody!

It’s Mardi Gras time again, and I am keeping up with the annual tradition by posting another one of my favorite Funky16Corners mixes, ‘Boogaloo Mardi Gras’ (first posted in 2012) in which I have compiled some of the finest New Orleans soul and funk in my crates.

It has everything you need (except for liquor and potato chips) to laissez les bon temps roulez, so get you an um-ba-rella in your hand (thanks Alvin!) , roll out into the street and get your second line on.

This year I’m also re-posting all three volumes of The History of Allen Toussaint from the Funky16Corners Radio Show, because we can’t let the first Mardi Gras since his passing happen without a proper commemoration!

Show #293. Originally broadcast 12/11/15

History of Allen Toussaint Pt1

A Tousan – Java (RCA)
A Tousan – Whirlaway (RCA)
Diamond Joe – Fair Play (Minit)
Chick Carbo – In the Night (Instant)
Chris Kenner –Johnny Little (RCA)

Willie Harper – A New Kind of Love (Alon)
Willie Harper – But I Couldn’t (Alon)
Benny Spellman – Fortune Teller (Minit)
Benny Spellman – Lipstick Traces (Minit)
Ernie K Doe – A Certain Girl (MInit)

Ernie K Doe –Mother In Law (Minit)
Stokes – Young Man Old Man (Alon)
Stokes – Whipped Cream (Alon)
Willie West – Hello Mama (Deesu)
KC Russell – Younka Chunka (Uptown)

Warren Lee – Star Revue (Deesu)
Warren Lee – Ever Since (I’ve Been Loving You) (Deesu)
Lee Dorsey – Ride Your Pony (Amy)
Lee Dorsey – Operation Heartache (Amy)
Lou Johnson – Little Girl (Big Top)
Lou Johnson – Walk On By (Big Top)

Benny Spellman – I Feel Good (Atlantic)
Frankie Ford – I Can’t Face Tomorrow (Doubloon)
Aaron Neville – Where Is My Baby (Bell)
Irma Thomas – What Are You Trying To Do (Imperial)

 ____________________________________________________________________

Show #294. Originally broadcast 12/18/15

History of Allen Toussaint Pt2

Eldridge Holmes – Emperor Jones (Alon)
Eldridge Holmes – A Time For Everything (Alon)
Eldridge Holmes – Humpback (Jetset)
Eldridge Holmes – Gone Gone Gone (Jetset)

Eldridge Holmes – Worried Over You (Sansu)
Eldridge Holmes – Until the End (Sansu)
Eldridge Holmes – Wait For Me Baby (Sansu)
Eldridge Holmes – A Love Problem (Decca)
Eldridge Holmes – If I Were a Carpenter (Deesu)

Betty Harris – I Don’t Want to Hear It (Sansu)
Betty Harris – Sometime (Sansu)
Betty Harris – Nearer To You (Sansu)
Betty Harris – Mean Man (Sansu)

Benny Spellman – Sinner Girl (Sansu)
Diamond Joe – Gossip Gossip (Sansu)
Prime Mates – Hot Tamales (Sansu)
Curly Moore – We Remember (Sansu)
Art Neville – Bo Diddley Pt1 (Sansu)

John Williams and the Tick Tocks – A Little Tighter (Sansu)
John Williams and the Tick Tocks – Do Me Like You Do Me (Sansu)
Rubaiyats – Omar Khayyam (Sansu)
Willie Harper – You You (Sansu)
Wallace Johnson – If You Leave Me (Sansu)
Wallace Johnson – Baby Go Ahead (Sansu)

 ____________________________________________________________________

Show #295. Originally broadcast 12/25/15

History of Allen Toussaint Pt3

Allen Toussaint – Get Out of My Life Woman (Bell)
Allen Toussaint – Hands Christian Anderson (Bell)
Allen Toussaint – We the People (Bell)
Allen Toussaint – Sweet Touch of Love (Scepter)
Allen Toussaint – Country John (Reprise)

Betty Harris –There’s a Break In the Road (SSS Intl)
Diamond Joe – The ABC Song (Deesu)
Earl King – Tic Tac Toe (Wand) 1970
Earl King – Street Parade (Kansu) 1970
Lou Johnson – Frisco Here I Come (Volt)
Rhine Oaks – Tampin’ (Atco)

Lee Dorsey – Four Corners Pt1 (Amy)
Lee Dorsey – Everything I Do Gohn Be Funky (From Now On) (Amy)
Lee Dorsey – Give It Up (Amy)
Lee Dorsey – A Lover Was Born (Amy)
Lee Dorsey – Who’s Gonna Help Brother Get Further (Polydor)

The Meters – Cardova (Josie)
The Meters – Good Old Funky Music (Josie)
Ernie K Doe – Here Come the Girls (Janus)
Willie West – Fairchild (Josie) 1970
Eldridge Holmes – Pop Popcorn Children (Atco)
Eldridge Holmes – The Book (Deesu)
Aaron Neville – Hercules (Mercury)
Labelle- Lady Marmalade (WB)

 ____________________________________________________________________

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

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, February 4, 2016 11:49 am

The Common Pleas

Listen/Download – The Common Pleas – The Funky Judge MP3

Greetings all.

The end of the week is here, and so I will tell you once again that you should be digging into the Funky16Corners Radio Show podcast, bringing you the finest in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove, all on original vinyl, this and every Friday. 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 and MP3 right here at the blog.

We close out the week with the funk side of one of my all-time favorite Philadelphia 45s, ‘Funky Judge’ by the Common Pleas.

Backed with the remarkable sweet soul of ‘I Wanted More’, this 45 has had a secure home in my crates for decades.
It was only recently (the record having been a complete mystery to me before that) that I learned that the Common Pleas were a bunch of white guys!

Getting their start with a Phily doo wop group called the Illusions, the Common Pleas (led by guitarist Fred Jones) recorded one 45 for Crimson (also home to the Soul Survivors and the Brothers Two) and were apparently a pretty big draw as a live band in Philadelphia and South Jersey.

‘Funky Judge’, released in 1968 is part of the who ‘Here Comes the Judge Craze’, which spawned a grip of funk and soul records, with no less than three (Common Pleas, Cliff Nobles and Co and the Magistrates) coming out of Philadelphia.

‘Funky Judge’ is what I like to call a “shout-out” record, with the band namechecking and in some instances imitating the stars of the day, including Arthur Conley, Sly and the Family Stone, Sam and Dave, James Brown, Wilson Pickett and others.

There’s lots of soul clapping as well as heavy drums, bass and guitar.

It is a killer, a big fave of mine, so I hope you dig it too.

See you 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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.