Comments (13)

By Larry, April 8, 2012 9:20 am

Johnny Otis

Listen/Download Johnny Otis Show – Keep the Faith Pt1

Listen/Download Johnny Otis Show – Keep the Faith Pt2

Greetings all.

I’m going to get the week started with an update of the medical situation here at the Funky16Corners compound.

I do so not only because many of you have sent along your prayers and good wishes for my wife’s health, but also because the next steps we take will likely effect the weekly workings of the blog*.

Back just before last Halloween my wife was diagnosed with leukemia.

It was, and has been for the last 5+ months been a rather harrowing roller coaster ride for the whole family, but especially Jen.

She has been facing cancer with a remarkable amount of courage.

The next few months will see us moving on to the next, crucial stage in her treatment, a stem cell transplant.

This is not only time consuming (in the hospital for nearly a month and then a few months of frequent outpatient visits) but – as you might imagine – a very serious medical process.

We have been extraordinarily lucky that Jen was able to find a stem cell/bone marrow match in a fairly short period of time, unusual because she doesn’t have any siblings (the first place they generally look to for a transplant).

Jen will be getting her transplant from an unrelated donor.

The donor pool needs to grow so that when people are in need of transplants the doctors have a large and diverse field of samples in which to find a match.

Getting tested for inclusion in the pool is short and painless process.

The bigger (and more diverse) the donor pool is, the greater the likelihood that someone else will be able to find a match and survive leukemia.

If you have the time, watch the video for the Be The Match foundation and/or follow the link to their site.

Once there you can read up on your read ups, register to become a donor (they send you the kit) and increase the possibility that someone out there will find a match.

I’m telling you from personal experience, this is very important, and you can change someone’s life without any risk to your own.

Today’s selection is appropriate not only because the title of the song has become a motto of sort for Funky16Corners, but particularly because the last several months have been all about keeping the faith.

When we marked the passing of the mighty Johnny Otis back in January, I made mention of (but did not own, at the time) the 45 you see before you today.

An unusual omission, when you think of it, since the title is practically inscribed on the Funky16Corners coin of the realm, and it is undeniably an exceptionally groovy bit of soul.

Though Johnny Otis hit the charts consistently in the late 50s and then again a decade later, the period in between produced some remarkable sides.

‘Keep the Faith Pts 1&2’ is one of those classic sounds that skirt the border that runs (and fluctuates) between soul and funk. It is also something that might to lesser ears be filed under ‘novelty’, solely on the basis of the numerous direct and indirect quotes (musical and lyrical) from the popular records of the day.

There are shouts to ‘Try a Little Tenderness’, ‘You Got Me Hummin’, ‘I’m Losing You’, ‘Knock On Wood’, ‘I Don’t Need No Doctor’, ‘Mustang Sally’ and in all likelihood a couple more I’m missing.

However – big however here – what you get on top of the references is a stellar vocal by Johnny himself (where a few years later you’d probably be hearing Delmar Evans), sweet female backing harmonies, some nice, hard drums and a delicious bed of greasy organ.

You also get (this starting to sound like a Ginsu knife commercial yet?) is a very groovy Part 2, in which the offering is mostly (but not entirely) instrumental, the bottom a little more audible and young Shuggie gets to drop a lick here and there.

This is one of those records I am honestly shocked is not a much bigger deal (Part 1 or 2) with the collectors, and the DJs and the dancers.

Eldo is an interesting label in that the bulk of its releases fall between 1960 and 1962, and the rest after it appears to have been reactivated by Otis for a short time in 1968 (when ‘Keep the Faith’ dropped) with a couple of sides by Johnny and a couple by Gene ‘The Mighty Flea’ Connors.

The later stuff isn’t terribly common or cheap, but their not crazy expensive either, falling into that gray area between your run of the mill collectors and (probably ignored by) the high-dollar ballers who think it beneath them to drop anything less than a fat wad on a 45.

It is exceedingly cool, hot enough for any soul night and anyone that says different is gonna get a poke in the eye.

There, I said it.

Dig it, and I’ll see you when I see you.

Peace

Larry

*Though I’m not 100% sure what I’m going to do yet (this is all a day to day process) I suspect that I may have to reduce the posting frequency for a time

Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC  (click on the logos).

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 (4)

By Larry, April 1, 2012 10:35 am

Mr Lou Rawls

Listen/Download Lou Rawls – A Natural Man

Greetings all.

I hope everyone get their ya yas out this weekend.

Here in NJ we’re trapped in that gray area where Spring alternately feels like Winter and Summer, but rarely anything in between.

_________________________________________________________________________

I was lucky enough this weekend to take part in the most recent HPRS record sale.

What started out a few years back as a recurring driveway/garage sale has turned into a ‘pop-up’ store of sorts with Gregorious and VinylDog as the resident vinyl slingers and a revolving cast of guest dealers (of which I was one) keeping the stock fresh and interesting.

It was a very groovy scene. I have participated several times in my capacity as customer, but this was the first time I was selling and I brought a nice selection of soul jazz, funk, soul and 60s rock (departing with much lighter crates than I arrived with!).

I got to see some old friends and meet some cool new folks (many of whom were readers of the blog).

If you are within driving distance of the Central Jersey area (the HPRS is located in Iselin, not too far off of Rt1) you really ought to stop by the next time they open the doors (which should be on Record Store Day, 4/21). I may not be thereon 4/21 but I will definitely plug it as the date nears, and will surely be returning to sell sometime soon.

Until then, a couple of pics…

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Last week I was going about my bidness when today’s selection popped into my ears from the old satellite radio and I smiled because I realized that I had it all recorded and ready to go.

Lou Rawls was one of the most versatile singers of the 60s and 70s, recording soul, jazz and R&B with one of the finest voices ever committed to vinyl.

There are many great singers (of which Rawls was one) but among them only so many truly great voices, and Lou Rawls had one that was always a distinct pleasure to listen to.

Though he is best known for his 70s Philadelphia International hits like 1976’s ‘You’ll Never Find Another Love Like Mine’, he was a fairly consistent chart presence during the previous ten years.

His 1960s Capitol recordings, especially those he made with the legendary David Axelrod were remarkable, but there was a period in the early 70s when he departed that label and moved to MGM when things eased off a bit.

The exception during that period was his 1971 hit ‘A Natural Man’ which hit the Top 20 on both the R&B and Pop charts.

Co-written by Bobby Hebb and Sandy Baron (a comedian, known for his portrayal of Morty Seinfeld’s nemesis Jack Klompus on Seinfeld), ‘A Natural Man’ is a fantastic, easy-swinging bit of soul with a great vocal by Rawls.

The record opens with a great bass/drums riff (Carole Kaye and Earl Palmer! I’m shocked that someone hasn’t looped it) and just a taste of the kind of spoken segment that Rawls specialized in during the 60s.

The lyrics are a timely surprise, almost quasi-hippie with a touch of black power lite added for flavor, all laid out in Rawls’ rich, slightly raspy baritone.

It’s one of those records that’ll have your head nodding before you know it.

I hope you dig it and I’ll be back on Wednesday.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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 (2)

By Larry, March 25, 2012 1:34 pm

Betty Lavette

Listen/Download Betty LaVette – Nearer To You

Greetings all.

I hope all is well in your corner of the soulful world.

Before we get started, I should mention that I’ll be joining the HPRS vinyl collective to sell some records this coming Saturday 3/31. The sale runs from 11-5 at 960 Green Street in Iselin, NJ (not too far off of Rt1). I’ll have a couple of boxes of LPs (lots of soul jazz and 60s rock) as well as a few boxes of 45s (funk, soul, jazz, rock etc) and some ephemera. If you’re in the area and have a taste for records come by and sample the wares.

A while back I decided to dip back into the crates to pull out some choice stuff for to digimatize for the Funky16Corners Radio Show.

There are so many records in my little record room (too many, at least for the allotted space) that every once in a while I can start flipping through boxes and pull out all manner of unjustly neglected (by me) records to listen to anew.

All of the good ones eventually end up in this space or on the radio show (usually both).

I picked up today’s selection many years ago out of some dollar bin or other.

It was long before I really had any idea about Betty LaVette (I knew her name, but little else) and grabbed it because it was a cover of one of my favorite Betty Harris tunes, ‘Nearer to You’.

It was Harris’s biggest hit, making into the R&B Top 20 and the Pop Top 100 in the summer of 1967.

‘Nearer To You’ is one of the finest ballads to flow from the pen of the mighty Allen Toussaint, and it is one of Betty Harris’s best performances.

Now Ms LaVette has been featured in this space before.

Though she never really much chart success to speak of (though the flip side of today’s selection grazed the R&B Top 20), her discography, beginning in 1962 and moving through the next two decades on some of the finest soul labels in America is very solid indeed.

She recorded a handful of 45s for Shelby Singleton’s Silver Fox and SSS International in 1969 and 1970, the first of which featured today’s selection on the B-side.

Produced by Lelan Rogers*, LaVette’s version of ‘Nearer To You’ is a vocal tour de force.

LaVette’s voice is a powerful and flexible instrument and she manages to wrap it around Toussaint’s melody tightly, with a great southern soul backing.

She has had a career resurgence in the 2000s, recording a number of new, and excellent albums.

I hope you dig the tune, and I’ll be back on Wednesday.

Peace

Larry

*Lelan, brother of the famous Kenny and producer of the 13th Floor Elevators…

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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, March 8, 2012 5:14 pm

Playlist

Jenny Misty – Nature Boy- Breakout
Earnest Jackson – Funky Blackman (Stone)
Bill Withers – Kissing My Love (Sussex)
Talmadge Armstrong – You’ve Got So Much Feeling (In Your Love) (Love Records)
Sir Wales Wallace- Whatever you Want (Innovations 2)
Big John Hamilton – Just Seeing You Again (Minaret)
Alex Williams & The Mustangs – Thrill Aint Gone ( Jewel)
Ernest Johnson – Old Man Blues (Steph and Lee)
Rickey Calloway – Paid My Dues Part. 1 (Super Records)
Fabulous Counts – Rhythm Changes (Westbound)
Jimmie (The Shiek) Green – Let Yourself Go (Stringer)
Stage Three- Don’t Ever Go Home (Zelia)
Wisdom – Nefertiti (Adelia)

Listen/Download -The Wiz – Mixed by Tarik Thornton – 48MB Mixed Mp3/160K

Greetings all.

The end of the week is here and I have a very special treat for you all.

But first – as is always the custom – I simply must remind you that the Funky16Corners Radio Show will be blowing up the intertubes this Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. Or, should you be unable to attend at the time of broadcast, you can always drop by this very spot to grab yourselves an MP3 of this (or any of the previous ninety-some) week’s show.

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Also, I don’t usually do a whole ot of plugs here, but I got word that the BBC is doing an hour-long radio documentary on one of my all-time faves, the mighty Wilson Pickett, featuring interviews with folks like Bobby Womack, Steve Cropper, Bobby Eli, Willie Schofield, Eddie Floyd, Sir Mack Rice, Rick Hall, and Spooner Oldham and the whole thing is narrated by none other than Roger Daltrey.

It will be broadcast on BBC2 (for you good folks in the UK) on Monday March 12th at 10pm and will also be available on their listen again feature on their website for the following 7 days.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Now, back to the treats.

If you are a regular attendee of the festivities here at the Funky16Corners you will already be familiar with the mixing/digging prowess of my man Tarik Thornton.

Tarik has contributed to both of the previous Funky16Corners Soul Club Allnighters, as well as dropping one of his live sets from the Hip Drop.

Tarik is a very solid cat and it should go without saying (but I’ll say it anyway) that I hold his musical taste in high esteem.

The mix he brings us today is his latest excursion, this in a down-to-mid-tempo style, entitled ‘The Wiz’.

I’m always down to listen to any of Tarik’s mixes, but this one is extra groovy.

Despite my obvious love for hard charging bangers (funk and/or soul) I have a highly developed taste for the somewhat more laid back side of funk (see ‘Easy Mover’ just added to the Guest Mix Archive), in the “it doesn’t have to crack you over the head to bring the funk” school of thought.

That is the vibe of ‘The Wiz’ with some stuff straight out of the old school, some of slightly later – how the kids say “modern soul’ bag – and some very tasty breaks as well.

He doesn’t belabor the point either, bringing the whole thing in at around a tight 40 minutes.

Give this one a spin with the lights down low.

I know you’ll dig it.

See you on Monday.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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 (6)

By Larry, March 4, 2012 3:12 pm

Darrell Banks

Listen/Download – Darrell Banks – Open the Door To Your Heart

Greetings all.

Welcome to another spectacular week in the world of vinyl.

The tune I bring you today is one of those case studies in a record that I came around to, despite plenty of evidence, very, very late in the game.

It must be said in my defense, however, that this was wholly the fault of this record’s no less than spectacular b-side, one of my all time favorite soul tunes, Darrell Banks’ version of ‘Our Love Is In the Pocket’.

A song that I heard first (and fell in love with) via Amen Corner, and then picked up on Banks’ version on an old Northern Soul comp, ‘Our Love Is In the Pocket’ is one of those records that never, ever gets old to me.

Oddly enough, I had read (and been told directly) many times that the version I needed to hear was that by JJ Barnes, and that I ought to have flipped the Banks 45 over to hear the song I bring you today, ‘Open the Door To Your Heart’.

Once I listened deeply and attentively ‘Open the Door To Your Heart’ – how do they say – grew on me, so much so that I felt compelled to pull it out of the crates and digimatize it.

Though it doesn’t have the power hooks of ‘Our Love…’ it is without a doubt a wonderful record, so much so that it was a #2 R&B hit in 1967 and made it into the Pop Top 40 as well (it was in fact Banks’ biggest hit before his premature death in 1970).

I suppose the problem – if it can be said that there was one – was my yet to be developed taste for a more subdued, mid-tempo variety of Northern (and othern) soul. Whether it was a matter of my ears maturing, or seeing what folks liked to dance to (that being not everything at 140+ BPM), this is now a record that dig quite a lot.

Since I know a lot of you already do too, I can only say that I hope someone out there that was similarly afflicted hears it and is so converted.

See you on Wednesday.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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 (10)

By Larry, February 22, 2012 11:56 am

Packy Axton (2nd from left) with some Memphis heavies…

Listen/Download -Martinis – Hung Over

Greetings all.

First, some important news.

The day before yesterday I found out that I was going to have to change the domain where the Funky16Corners Blog and web zine reside. Unfortunately I had very little notice and the change was made rather hastily.

As a result, a lot of people that come looking for the blog using the old funky16corners.lunarpages.net links are going to find NOTHING. If you use the www.funky16corners.com, or just funky16corners.com (no WWW) you’ll still get here.

The problem is, blogging being what it is, a lot of the incoming links are located in places where they aren’t likely to get changed any time soon, and it’s going to take Google a while to rediscover the content here.

In the interim, I would appreciate it, that if you’re associated with a blog or website that links here, please adjust the links accordingly. If not, please just pass the word along, via Twitter or Facebook, that we have moved.

As I explained briefly yesterday, the switch over to the new domain should appear largely seamless – completely so in regard to new content – but there will be some effect on older stuff.

The graphics have to be restored to all posts prior to last November.

The links should be working in the Radio Show, Podcast, Guest Mix and Soul Club archives. If you find any broken links, please let me know.

This is an especially hectic and stressful time already, and I may have missed something here or there.

Thanks – as always – for your patience.

__________________________________________________________________________________

That said, today’s selection is one of those records that have been staple in my crates for a long, long time, and I can’t honestly say why I never featured it before.

Why am I posting it now, you may ask?

Because it is, quite suddenly, timely.

A while back I provided some very minor assistance in the research for the folks assembling the Light In the Attic compilation ‘Charles Packy Axton: Late Late Party: 1965-1967’ for which they very graciously (and surprisingly) thanked me in the liner notes.

Long-time readers of the blog will be aware that packy Axton features prominently in one of my favorite sagas, that being the story of the Packers ‘Hole In the Wall’ (more here) and its reappearance as a single by a cat named Joe S Maxey (as well as the vocal cover by the Other Brothers).

Ever since being clued into the various recorded exploits of Charles Packy Axton in Rob Bowman’s excellent book ‘Soulville USA: The Story of Stax Records’ I have picked up Packers record where and whenever I find them.

Axton, the son of Stax co-founder Estelle Axton, was a saxophonist and a hard living party animal who expired prematurely in 1974 at the age of 32.

He was, through the 60s a member of the Mar-Keys, and recorded with a revolving cast of characters (that often included Stax heavies and the Hodges brothers of the Hi records house band) under the names the Packers, the Martinis and the Pac-Keys, as well as providing backing for singles by singers LH White and Stacy Lane.

Thes 45s are collected in the aforementioned Light In the Attic comp, which if greasy, low down R&B and soul is your bag, ought to be on your shopping list.

The tune I bring you today, ‘Hung Over’ is the very essence of smoky, late night grooves, until it is rudely interrupted by the sound of someone making a very loud noise, which I (and many others) assumed was simulated (?) vomiting, but according to the liner notes of the comp, was actually Packy’s version of an angry growl.

The flip side, ‘Late Late Party’ is built on the same frame.

The various and sundry Axton-related 45s run from not too expensive to very much so, so if you’re not dedicated to finding them and shaking out your wallet, picking up the CD might be a better idea.

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

Peace

Larry

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 (10)

By Larry, February 19, 2012 3:15 pm

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.

I hope you all are well.

I had some other things planned for today, then while I was out running errands I drove past a church with a sign up about Ash Wednesday, which meant only one thing to my deeply lapsed, heathen, ex-Catholic self (I’m so far gone I usually don’t catch on until I see people walking around with ashes on their foreheads), that being that Mardi Gras was at hand.

Despite my obvious affinity for and devotion to the music of New Orleans, for some reason I have a fairly consistent mental block when it comes to remembering Mardi Gras.

It seems that every single year it comes into my sightline either on the day of or after and I end up sitting here like a schmo wondering why I couldn’t get it together to commemorate that most significant of New Orleans-based festivities.

Fortunately, this year fate stepped in, I saw that sign and mixed you up a nice, spicy bowl of New Orleans funk and soul gumbo.

I don’t think there’s anything in this mix that hasn’t appeared in this space at least once over the years, but that shouldn’t stop you from digging in.

There are a few Mardi Gras-specific numbers here, including the record that gives the mix it’s title by Bobby Williams, the mighty Professor Longhair and ‘Big Chief’, the Dixie Cups and their Mardi Gras Indian chant Two Way Poc A Way’ and Earl King’s ‘Street Parade’.

There are also a grip of drum-heavy, NOLA party burners as well, powerful enough to get you up out of your seat and on to the floor.

I hope you dig the sounds and I’ll be back on Wednesday with something cool.

Also, don’t forget to check out the latest episode of the Funky16Corners Radio Show via the Flash player in the sidebar.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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 (7)

By Larry, February 16, 2012 2:06 pm

Slim Harpo

Listen/Download -Slim Harpo – Baby Scratch My Back

Greetings all.

It has been another busy week here at the Funky16Corners compound, with hospital visits and sundry other responsibilities that simply must be taken care of lest the world wind off of its axis.

First, a bit of important business to get out of the way.

As most of you probably know, these are dark times for music blogs.

The copyright wars are getting hotter all the time, with domains seized, blogs shut down and threats being issued on the reg.

Funky16Corners, one of the longer lived blogs of its kind, has been extraordinarily lucky over the years in that we have not once (knock wood) been on the receiving end of threats, take-down notices or other negative feedback related to the posting of music.

For the longest time, I kept things going as usual, with all of the Funky16Corners Radio Podcast mixes posted in the archive containing the individual files and a fairly relaxed attitude to breaking the links on the single tracks in the regular posts.

A while back I tightened the reins a bit on the regular posts, pulling down the tracks after a 10 day period so that Funky16Corners remained true to its spirit as an educational resource.

Then, a few months ago it became apparent that less, shall we say, “dedicated” bloggers were indemnifying themselves against difficulty by deep linking (posting links on their blogs directly to the URLs on my server) to my tracks, not to mention the same thing being done (in a much more mechanical fashion) by rogue MP3 services that scour the internet for content to offer their visitors.

Despite the fact that I was breaking the links in my posts, they were still available to anyone who had deep-linked or in some other way recorded the full URL of the tracks.

My initial reaction to this was to relocate my on-line archive (which I use frequently to access tracks for mixes and tribute posts to artists that had passed on) and to move tracks to “off-line” locations after the aforementioned 10-day period.

The more I thought about the situation the more I decided that I needed to take whatever steps I could to protect Funky16Corners without compromising the “mission” (for lack of a better word) of the blog.

As a result, I did some restructuring at the server level, as well as removing the ZIP file links from the Podcast Archive.

All of the mixed MP3 files remain, but access to individual tracks has, at least for the time being, been removed.

I know that some of you will be disappointed – the archive is one of the most heavily traveled parts of the site – but this is something I felt needed to be done.

I have always felt that what I do here at Funky16Corners – as well as most of the blogs I link to – is much different than the popular idea of music blogging.

I have never posted full albums here, and the music I do post is always posted along with commentary and historical context.

I’m happy to say that in the many cases where I have been contacted by an artist that was featured here or a member of their family, the feedback has always been positive.

Unfortunately, the reality of blogging in 2012 is that the worst possible scenario could descend at at minute, and I owe it to myself to make this environment as “safe” as possible.

Hopefully the status quo will be maintained.

___________________________________________________________________________________

That said, I should also remind you that the Funky16Corners Radio Show takes to the airwaves of the interwebs Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. If you cannot make the scene at airtime, you can always come by the blog on Saturday and pick up an MP3 of the show.

Also (yes, there’s more…) the post I recently did about the passing of the great Johnny Otis has been republished on the Greek culture website The Goddess of the Hunt!

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What better way to face such chaos than a bit of mellow (bot not too mellow), soulful (just the right amount of soul) Louisiana blues.

Does the name Slim Harpo set your ears vibrating and your feet moving just so?

Though I can’t remember the exact day, I do know the year that the sounds of Mr James Moore (aka Slim Harpo) first breached the redoubts of my ears.

It was sometime back in Nineteen and Eighty Seven that my brother from another mother, the Bluesman handed me a brick of cassettes, all of which contained the sounds from whence he got his sobriquet.

There, alongside the Kings (Albert and BB) was a tape featuring the sounds of the mighty Slim Harpo.

While the name was at the time familiar (no doubt due to British Invasion coverage of his catalog by cats like the Rolling Stones, the Kinks and Them) I had never heard the originals.

I was in for a treat.

While I listened to all of those tapes, the one that took up permanent residence in my automobile was the Slim Harpo collection.

There was something very groovy about Slim’s voice and harmonica that shot right into the pleasure centers of my brain.

Years of reflection have led me to the conclusion that this was probably due to the fact that the music of Slim Harpo, while bluesy, was not entirely “the blues”, swimming in a swamp of R&B, soul and even country sounds, and it was all wrapped up in his unique voice.

He recorded his first record for Excello in 1957, and had his first hits in the early 60s and his first (and only) R&B Number One hit with the record you see before you today ‘Baby Scratch My Back’ in 1966.

The groovy thing is, that while there is something undeniably laconic about Slim Harpo’s music, the more you listen to this record in particular the more you realize how danceable it is.

It’s not a hard-charger, but it possesses a groove as thick as molasses.

Sadly, Slim Harpo died in 1970 at the age of 46, felled by a heart attack.

If you dig this cut, head out and grab yourself a copy of ‘The Best of Slim Harpo’ and get hip to a master.

See you on Monday.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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 (4)

By Larry, February 12, 2012 2:53 pm

Listen/Download -Bobby Hollaway – Cornbread, Hog Maws and Chitterlins

Greetings all.

Welcome to another week here at the madhouse with sixteen funky corners.

I have to begin by telling you all, that if you intend to click on the MP3 link in today’s post that you should really strap yourselves in.

One of the most important part of being a good DJ is taste, not only ones own, but the ability to recognize it in others.

Over the years I’ve come to trust the opinions of several DJs/collectors, one of whom is the mighty Midnight Cowbwoy down in Crackalack.

He’s one of those guys who has excellent taste in music, and who is always putting excellent stuff in his playlists that I haven’t heard before.

Late last year, when I posted a couple of versions of ‘The Little Drummer Boy’ in this very space, he mentioned to me that I ought to pick up a 45 by a cat named Bobby Hollaway called ‘Funky Little Drummer Boy’.

It wasn’t long before I found a copy and grabbed it sight unheard.

So, a few days go by and the record in question falls through the mail slot and I promptly carry it to the turntable where I placed it under the needle with care.

As soon as it started spinning I knew it would be featured prominently during the Funky16Corners Christmas 2012 festivities.

That said, I then flipped the disc over and saw that the B-side was entitled ‘Cornbread, Hog Maws and Chitterlins’, and since I can’t very well see a title like that and not play the record, I gave it a spin.

Holy shit…

It was like finding a ten dollar bill, flipping it over and realizing that the number in the corner was really ‘100’!

The song in question is just a hair under two minutes of fast-moving, spellbinding, hair-raising, ass-kicking (there was a special on hyphens down at the blog store!) instrumental soul.

Wham bam thank you ma’am – as the saying goes – what you get here is some greasy organ, hard-hitting drums, saxo-mo-phone and fatback guitar – all piled up on a paper plate and slathered in gravy.

The whole thing is like a stick of dynamite, but it’d be worth it if all you got to hear was the drums at the beginning of every chorus.

I haven’t been able to nail down any info on Bobby Hollaway, but once again, reading the fine print on the label provides some important clues.

I noticed that the record had been produced by Bobbie Howard (which sounded familiar) so I set out into the interwebs and discovered that this was in all likelihood the very same Bobbie Howard who had been in Washington, DC-area band the British Walkers.

The British Walkers were an R&B/garage/beat band who’s ranks included the likes of Roy Buchanan and John Hall.

Howard was also responsible for the Mod fave ‘Sh’Mon’ – released under the name Mr. Dynamite – and was in a band called The Sweet (not the UK band).

Interestingly enough, The Sweet’s 45 on Smash, produced by and featuring Bobbie Howard is exactly one catalog number down the list from the Bobby Hollaway 45.

Whether ‘Bobby Hollaway’ was a DC-area musician (sax or organ?) or a pseudonym for somebody else, I do not know, and if one of you does know, I would appreciate you dropping me a line clearing this whole thing up on account of I LOVE this record.

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

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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 (5)

By Larry, February 2, 2012 4:11 pm

Booker T and the MGs

Listen/Download -Booker T and the MGs – Plum Nellie

Greetings all.

The end of another week is finally upon us.

Things are so busy/topsy turvy these days that the end of the week has lost almost all meaning (other than the fact that the boys get the weekend off).

It seems sometimes as if we’re lost in a blur marked by the analog “hospital/no hospital”.

This is not to say that that my wife’s health situation has gotten worse, because it hasn’t, but rather that the grind of treatment and the ensuing disruption of what little routine we could depend on tends to leave us in a fog of sorts, composed of equal parts confusion, boredom and angst.

That said, one of the things you can depend on is that if Friday is here, so is the latest episode of the Funky16Corners Radio Show. We have a very special episode this week, composed entirely of a tribute to Etta James and Johnny Otis. It will hit the airwaves of the interwebs this Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. If you can’t make it at airtime, you can always fall by this very spot over the weekend when and where I post a downloadable MP3 of every week’s show (see the Radio Show tab in the header).

The tune I have chosen to close out the week this time is a veritable audio grease fire from the Memphis law firm of Jones, Cropper, Jackson and Dunn.

I am not ashamed to admit that the first time I heard the song ‘Plum Nellie’ is was on a Small Faces record, since Messrs Marriott, Jones, McGlagan and Lane were a big part of my ear-filling during the Mod/garage days of the 80s.

Though the Small Faces version (released in 67, but a part of their repertoire prior) of the tune is a killer, there is simply no getting past the fact that when Booker T and the MGs set foot in the Stax studio in 1963 they were gunning for bear.

Though – like every other largely instrumental unit of the day – the MGs recorded their share of filler (though even that was soulful) when they were at their best they were very, very heavy, and ‘Plum Nellie’ is a great example of that very heaviosity.

Opening with some whipcrack guitar from Steve Cropper, the tune settles into a ‘Green Onion’-y pace, but with a much grittier overall vibe. The horn arrangement is inspired, boiling up menacingly when needed. There’s a particularly inspired moment (at around 1:20) when the horns rise up and seemingly morph into Cropper’s guitar which then opens up into a raging solo.

The whole affair comes to a close at around the two-minute mark, and my thought is, had they taken it any further, they may have burned the studio down.

It’s that hot.

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

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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 (3)

By Larry, February 1, 2012 2:09 pm

Mr Don Cornelius

Listen/Download -The Ramrods – Soul Train Pts 1&2

Listen/Download -The Rimshots – Soultrain Pts 1&2

Greetings all.

I come to you on what would normally be a ‘between-posts’ day because the news came down today that the great Don Cornelius had died.

Cornelius was the host of the long-running ‘Soul Train’, the premiere showcase for black music on national TV in the 70s, 80s and 90s.

I spent many a Saturday morning watching the best dancers in America groove on the Soul Train line and listening to his deep, rich voice end every show with the phrase “You can bet your last money it’ll be a stone gas honey!”

Cornelius got his start as an insurance salesman, but moved into entertainment as a DJ on Chicago’s legendary WVON in 1966.

Soul Train started as a local Chicago show on 1970, moving into national syndication in 1971 (Cornelius was the host until 1993).

Though the theme that most people associate with the show is ‘TSOP’ by MFSB and the Three Degrees, which was the show’s theme from 1973 to 1975, the original theme was an unusual, very groovy, and totally recycled record.

The original ‘Soul Train’, as credited by the Ramrods was used as the theme to the show from 1971 to 1973. It may very well have sounded familiar to some of the older heads in the audience, because it had originally been released almost ten years before as recorded by the Rinky Dinks (actually a group led by King Curtis on guitar) under the title ‘Hot Potato’.

I had never heard this ‘version’ of the Soul Train theme until a few years after I picked up a copy of the Ramrods 45, when I saw a clip from the early years of the show and heard it playing in the background.

When it was released on Rampage records in 1972 under the Ramrods name, it grazed the R&B Top 40, remaining on the charts for several weeks.

That same year, the Rimshots covered the song and released their version on the All Platinum subsidiary A-1 records.

I present both two-part versions in full today in remembrance of the mighty Don Cornelius, and because they both represent a good, greasy, soulful groove.

He will be missed and we wish him love, peace and soul.

Peace

Larry

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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, January 31, 2012 3:14 pm

Mr Freddie Hughes

Listen/Download -The Casanova II – Maybe They’re Right

Greetings all.

I come to you in mid week with a powerful slice of West Coast soul.

The Casanova Two were a mystery to me when I picked up this 45 some years back. I added it to my keeper stack at a record show on the strength of the fact that I already had a Merl Saunders 45 on the same label, and because I was constitutionally incapable of passing up a record by a group with a name like that.

I’ve always been of the opinion that most of the male duet groups that recorded in the 60s were doing so in the wake of Sam and Dave and The Casanova Two are no exception, trading lines in the style of the masters.

Early Bird was a bay area subsidiary of the Fantasy label that appears to have been under the guidance of pianist Lonnie Hewitt (who just happens to have written and produced this very single). The label released a dozen singles between 1966 and 1968.

The Casanova Two were Freddie (not Fred*) Hughes and Wylie Trass, two Bay Area singers who would go on to record under their own names, Hughes for Wand and Trass for ABC and Pashlo.

The duo recorded a pair of 45s for Early Bird, the other of which (I seem to be the king of picking up the less valuable of anyone’s 45s) “We Got To Keep On” is a Northern fave that has been known to change hands for well over 100 bucks.

‘Maybe They’re Right” – from 1967 – is a fantastic, upbeat side with some very interesting (dare I say, jazzy?) melodic things going on in the background (courtesy of Mr Hewitt, who had spent time as a sideman for Cal Tjader among others).

It’s just this side of funky, with some very nice horn bursts and organ bubbling up underneath.

Both Hughes and Trass appear to still be active, performing around the Bay Area.

I hope you dig the 45, and I’ll be back on Friday.

Peace

Larry

*This is not the same person as Fred Hughes (also from the West Coast) who recorded brilliant stuff like ‘Oo Wee Baby, I Love You’ for VeeJay

Also, make sure that you check out the POAC link below (click on the logo). It’s a fantastic organization that provides services to our local autism community, with education and recreational events, and any contribution you could make would be greatly appreciated.

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.