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By Larry, October 22, 2017 12:09 pm

Barry St John

Listen/Download – Barry St John – Cry Like a Baby MP3

Greetings all.

Today’s selection is yet another piece of evidence for why you should surround yourself with people with excellent taste and keep your ears wide open.

I first encountered Barry St John and her smoking version of ‘Cry Like a Baby’ when it rolled by in my Facebook news feed, the video having been posted in one of the groups I subscribe to.

The clip, from the Beat Club TV show had St John working the funky side of the street on the old Box Tops tune.

I set right out to find myself a copy of the 45 and in doing so discovered that St John had a couple of earlier 45s that were popular with the Northern Soul crowd.

St John, who was born in Scotland and had sung with R&B groups in the UK and Europe recorded ‘Cry Like a Baby’ in 1968, with production credited to Mike Pasternak aka hugely successful Pirate Radio DJ Emperor Rosko (who produced St John’s 1968 LP ‘According To St John’).

The arrangement featured St John’s powerful voice, backed with some punchy bass and drums and a horn section (dig that baritone sax) way up in the mix.

What I’ve heard of her album (which is nigh but impossible to lay hands on here in the US) is excellent.

St John went on to work as a studio backing singer, working on a ton of UK albums in the 70s including Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon’.

I hope you dig the track and I’ll see you all next week.

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

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If you dig what we do here or over at Funky16Corners, please consider clicking on the Patreon link and throwing something into the yearly operating budget! Do it and we’ll send you some groovy Funky16Corners Radio Network (and related) stickers!

_______________________________________________

Comments (3)

By Larry, October 15, 2017 12:10 pm

Lea Roberts

Listen/Download – Lea Roberts – When Something Is Wrong With My Baby MP3

Greetings all.

The record I bring to you this fine day is something I picked up in one of my periodic label sweeps, i.e. a dsearch aimed specifically at Minit Records soul 45s.

I spotted the 45 by Lea Roberts (a singer that was otherwise unknown to me) and noticed that it included a cover of Sam & Dave’s ‘When Something Is Wrong With My Baby’ (written by Hayes and Porter), so naturally I had to grab it.

Good thing I did, too, since Roberts reading of the southern soul ballad classic is a powerful one, with solid production by George Butler and a very interesting arrangement by Horace Ott.

There isn’t a a lot of info out there about Roberts. He real name was Leatha Roberta Hicks and she was from Ohio.

She recorded a couple of 45s for Minit and UA before recording a pair of albums in the early to mid 70s for United Artists.

Roberts had a powerful, gospel-infused voice, and her reading of ‘When Something Is Wrong With My Baby’ is excellent. The arrangement, which features understated guitar and piano, and unusually prominent drums really catches the ear.

I will definitely be on the lookout for her albums.

I hope you dig the track, and I’ll see you next week.

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

________________________________________________

If you dig what we do here or over at Funky16Corners, please consider clicking on the Patreon link and throwing something into the yearly operating budget! Do it and we’ll send you some groovy Funky16Corners Radio Network (and related) stickers!

_______________________________________________

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By Larry, October 8, 2017 11:28 am

Eddie ‘Little Buster’ Forehand

Listen/Download – Little Buster – I’m So Lonely MP3

Greetings all.

The record I bring you today is without any dispute one of my all time favorites, holding a secure spot in my Top 10.

I have to start by sending out a big thanks to Red Kelly of the B-Side (and many other blogs) who turned me on to the sounds of Little Buster many years ago.

Eddie ‘Little Buster’ Forehand (note the name, because his records feature about four or five different iterations of his name/nickname) was born in North Carolina in 1942 but relocated to Long Island (where he spent the rest of his life) in the late 50s.

He was blind, and recorded a string of absolutely brilliant singles for Jubilee, Josie and Minit between 1964 and 1969.

Today’s selection, ‘I’m So Lonely’ was his second 45, recorded in 1965.

To say that it is a special/unique record is to understate its power.

Featuring Little Buster’s voice and guitar, and precious little else (very spare bass and drum backing), ‘I’m So Lonely’ is a masterpiece of atmosphere and emotion. Though it is ostensibly a ‘soul’ record, it reaches back into the earliest days of recorded blues, borrowing Pop Staples wide open tremelo, is it less as an ‘effect’ and more as an essential character in the story of the song, acting as an aural backdrop.

Like many of the Delta bluesmen, Buster establishes a loose relation to the tempo, dancing in and out of the beat (as it is), yet never losing connection.

The recording – produced by Jubilee house producers Mickey Eichner and Steve Blaine – is unusually spare yet dripping in atmosphere, which comes exclusively from Little Busters voice and guitar.

His first two 45s (which seem to have come from the same session) have the same sound, and even later on, when he was working with other producers, and fuller arrangements, that rawness/bareness was still there in the background.

In a just world, Little Buster would be considered in the first rank of southern soul singers (even though he largely recorded in the North). His work is remarkably consistent, deep and emotionally powerful.

There are a number of records in his catalog (especially his upbeat, Horace Ott-arranged cover of ‘Cry Me a River’ from 1969) that are lost classics.

Little Buster went on to record in the modern era with his band the Soul Brothers, but aside from a mid-90s UK collection on Sequel, his amazing Jubilee/Josie and Minit sides are currently unavailable, which is a crime.

I hope you dig the sounds.

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

________________________________________________

If you dig what we do here or over at Funky16Corners, please consider clicking on the Patreon link and throwing something into the yearly operating budget! Do it and we’ll send you some groovy Funky16Corners Radio Network (and related) stickers!

_______________________________________________

Comments (1)

By Larry, September 24, 2017 11:02 am

The Ikettes (at least the set that went on to become the Mirettes)

Listen/Download – The Ikettes – Camel Walk MP3

Greetings all.

Today we return to that very deep, often very dark, and generally inscrutable corner of the universe occupied by Ike Turner and his various and sundry works.

Thanks in large part to the ugly side of his life/personality, Ike has been denied his rightful position among the true greats of R&B and soul from the 50s through the 70s.

Working as a songwriter, bandleader and guitarist. Turner laid down a mountain of amazing music under his own name, in partnership with the mighty Tina, and as you’ll see today, the Ikettes.

The ‘mystery’ of the Ikettes has bugged me for as long as I’ve been listening to/collecting soul music. The names of the singers that passed through their ranks over the years is legendary (and sometimes, possibly apocryphal), yet I have never seen anyone nail down which singers were in the Ikettes at what time, and what recordings they appeared on.

As a result, though their work is generally excellent, backing Ike and Tina, or as in today’s selection, stepping out on their own, it is very difficult to assign credit where credit is due.

Today’s selection, ‘The Camel Walk’ was released in 1964, and is credited to Ike Turner, who is almost certainly the producer of the record as well.

‘The Camel Walk’ was – as anyone that has witnessed live footage of James Brown can testify – a dance, with the earliest reference to it on record going back to the late 50s. By the time the soul era was in full swing there were a number of ‘Camel Walk’ records, by artists like LaBrenda Ben and the Beljeans, Benny Gordon and the Soul Brothers and on the boogaloo side of things, the Latinaires.

The Ikettes iteration is a fast moving dance floor burner with some funky drums (way up in the mix) piano and guitar.

The lyrics aren’t much to speak of, but this is a dance craze 45 and you don’t dip into this end of the crates looking for verbal profundity.

It is a groover, and it seems to be escalating in price of late, so go grab yourself one before you can’t, if you know what I mean.

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

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If you dig what we do here or over at Funky16Corners, please consider clicking on the Patreon link and throwing something into the yearly operating budget! Do it and we’ll send you some groovy Funky16Corners Radio Network (and related) stickers!

_______________________________________________

Comments (2)

By Larry, September 17, 2017 12:08 pm

Otis Clay

Listen/Download – Otis Clay – Show Place MP3

Greetings all.

Today we dip back into the catalog of the mighty (mighty) Otis Clay.

Clay is a singer that I came to pretty late in the game. Though I knew his name, I was not all that familiar with his work. Or the breadth of his career, from the deep south, to Chicago and then on to Memphis.

Since then, a number of his records have become big favorites (including ‘I’ve Got to Find a Way’ which sits securely in my personal Top 10), and today’s selection is no exception.

‘Show Place’ was (oddly enough) the b-side of the ballad ‘That’s How It Is (When You’re In Love)’ which features one of the most insanely out of tune pianos I’ve ever heard on a record.

Fortunately ‘Show Place’, which was written by Eddie Silvers (who also arranged and produced the record) does not suffer nearly as much, with the piano buried under a wave of horns, guitar and vocals.

The tune has a big, booming Detroit sound and Clay’s vocals seem to test the limits of the grooves.

It is a deep, powerful record, with enough punch and forward drive for the dance floor and some great hooks as well (it even got a UK release on the President label).

If you’re not hip to Otis Clay, get out there and start digging. Though his early work doesn’t seem to be currently available gathered in one place, his later material for the Hi label is plentiful and readily available.

I hope you dig the tune.

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

____________________________________________________________________________

If you dig what we do here or over at Funky16Corners, please consider clicking on the Patreon link and throwing something into the yearly operating budget! Do it and we’ll send you some groovy Funky16Corners Radio Network (and related) stickers!

_______________________________________________

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By Larry, September 3, 2017 11:14 am

Funky16Corners Soul Party A Go Go

Andre Williams – Soul Party A Go Go (Avin)
Bob Kuban Explosion – Jerkin’ Time (USA)
Kip Anderson – A Knife and a Fork (Checker)
Citations – Chicago (Mercury)
Eddie Bo – Shake Rock and Soul (Cinderella)
Oliver Sain – Jerk Loose (Checker)
Magnificent Malochi – Mama Your Daddy’s Come Home (Brunswick)
Larry Johnson – Mercy (Zorro)
Soupy Sales – Nitty Gritty (ABC/Paramount)
Alvin Cash and the Crawlers – The Barracuda (Mar V Lus)
Chuck Berry – Back To Memphis (Mercury)
Billy Preston – Hey Brother (Capitol)
Johnny Daye – I Need You (Stax)
Billy Graham and the Escalators – Ooh Poo Pah Doo (Atlantic)
The Foundations – Jerkin the Dog (Uni)
Howard Roberts – Florence of Arabia (Capitol)
Howard Tate – Stop (Verve)
Joe Simon – Come On and Get It (SS7)
Johnny Maestro and the Crests – Come See Me (Parkway)
Tender Joe Richardson – I Ain’t Going For That (Hot Biscuit)
Jackie Wilson – Hold On I’m Coming (Brunswick)
Ronnie Milsap – Ain’t No Soul (In These Old Shoes) (Scepter)
Objectives – Love Went Away (Jewel)
Fats Domino – If You Don’t Know What Love Is (ABC/Paramount)
Other Brothers – Hole In the Wall (Modern)
Russell Evans and the Nighthawks – Send Me Some Cornbread (Atco)

Listen/Download – Funky16Corners Soul Party A Go Go 117MB Mixed MP3

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Greetings all.

Welcome to Part Eleven of the Funky16Corners 2017 Allnighter/Pledge Drive aka The Summer of Soul!

This week we have the traditional closing mix of the festivities from your’s truly.

I got things started this year with a selection of Northern Soul, and I’m closing things out with a mix of dance floor movers, party starters, soul jazz and Hammond groovers.

The fundraising aspect of the 2017 Summer of Soul hasn’t been all that encouraging.

Whether it was the change in format, the switch to Patreon, or just a general lack of interest, I can’t really say, but if you were waiting for an appropriate time to toss something into the mix, now would be it.

So dig the sounds, and make sure to click on the Patreon button to help keep the lights on here at Funky16Corners! Fundraising up to this point has not been very encouraging, so please do what you can. It is as always greatly appreciated.

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The fundraiser will also take a slightly different form this year, moving to Patreon (click here or on the logo below to go to the Funky16Corners page) , where you will be able to spread your contributions out over the entire year (i.e. if you pledge 12 bucks, it doles it out a dollar a month over the course of a year), which will help cover the ongoing server/broadcast/hardware expenses. This year has seen the upgrade of a couple of crucial pieces of equipment, and any help you fine people can provide will keep the machinery moving here at Funky16Corners central.

So please dig deep so we can continue to do the same!

In addition to all the broadcasts and the blogging all of the Funky16Corners and Iron Leg mix archives will continue.

As I have mentioned recently, the changes to the general format here are as thus – The concentration of the operation will continue its shift to podcasting/radio, with the Funky16Corners Radio Show originating every week as a live broadcast, Thursday nights at 9PM Eastern on MIXLR, and will continue to be posted as a downloadable podcast every Friday, and broadcast in the UK on Cruising Radio.

The Iron Leg Radio Show will also move to a monthly live broadcast (day to be determined) also on MIXLR and will continue to be broadcast on Cruising Radio in the UK.

Don’t forget, my weekly radio show for WFMU’s Give the Drummer Radio, Testify! is on the air live, every Wednesday night from 10-12. If you dig Funky16Corners and/or Iron Leg I think you’ll dig it. So tune in when you get a chance!
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So, download and dig the mix, keep digging the radio shows, and we’ll be back next week with another groovy mix.

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

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PS Head over to Iron Leg when you have a minute!. <

Comments (1)

By Larry, August 28, 2017 7:19 pm

Tarik Thornton – Boss Action

Senator Jones- Sweet Thing (Bell)
Bates Sisters – So Broken Hearted (Nola)
Midnight Stomper aka Walter Lewis- Better Hold Me Darling (Twin-Town)
Carolyn Wicker -Ain’t Nothing You Can Do (Kon-Ti)
Marty Lewis – Can’t Do Without You (Big Deal)
Jimmy ( Mr. Motion) Lynch -Broadway ( La-Vel)
Jackie Verdell – Call On Me (Coral)
Bobby Thomas & The Afros – Please Mr. LoveMaker (Lyndell)
Hank Carbo – Fox A Mini Skirt (Castle)
Eddie ClearWater – Doin’ The Model (Atomic-H)
Sir Guy & The Rocking Cavailers – Funky Virginia (D.P.G)
T&T Interude
The Charms- Soul Woman (Estill)
UnderGround Express – I’ve Never Found A Girl (UGE)
Reflections – Reflex (Memphis And Its Music)
Unknown – Mighty Mighty ( Hoctor)
John Heartsman & Circles – Mr.Magic ( Athens of the North)
Gil Scott Heron & Brian Jackson – It’s Your World ( Soul Brothers)
Jackson Sisters – I Believe in Miracles ( Prophesy)
Tony Owens – I Can Hear Music (Soulin)
Larry Thomas & The UnderGround LTD. Express- Mellow Down (H & T)

Listen/Download – Tarik Thornton – Boss Action 150MB Mixed MP3

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Greetings all.

Welcome to Part Ten of the Funky16Corners 2017 Allnighter/Pledge Drive aka The Summer of Soul!

This week we have a great selection from my man Tarik Thornton

Tarik’s name and mixes should be familiar to visitors of Funky16Corners. He has been contributing guest mixes – in and outside of the Allnighter – for years, and always brings quality sounds with him.

Though Tarik currently reps the frozen north, he is a son of the Crescent City, and has done some serious digging there (and elsewhere) over the years.

He lays it down on the radio at KRSM in Minneapolis, and on the ones and twos wherever he can.

His contribution to this year’s Allnighter/Pledge Drive is packed from end to end with funky 45RPM heat ( I would expect no less).

So dig the sounds, and make sure to click on the Patreon button to help keep the lights on here at Funky16Corners! Fundraising up to this point has not been very encouraging, so please do what you can. It is as always greatly appreciated.

________________________

We will continue with a new mix every week for the duration of the summer, with a selection of stellar contributions yet to come from some of my (and your) favorite selectors including  a closing mix from yours truly.

The fundraiser will also take a slightly different form this year, moving to Patreon (click here or on the logo below to go to the Funky16Corners page) , where you will be able to spread your contributions out over the entire year (i.e. if you pledge 12 bucks, it doles it out a dollar a month over the course of a year), which will help cover the ongoing server/broadcast/hardware expenses. This year has seen the upgrade of a couple of crucial pieces of equipment, and any help you fine people can provide will keep the machinery moving here at Funky16Corners central.

So please dig deep so we can continue to do the same!

In addition to all the broadcasts and the blogging all of the Funky16Corners and Iron Leg mix archives will continue.

As I have mentioned recently, the changes to the general format here are as thus – The concentration of the operation will continue its shift to podcasting/radio, with the Funky16Corners Radio Show originating every week as a live broadcast, Thursday nights at 9PM Eastern on MIXLR, and will continue to be posted as a downloadable podcast every Friday, and broadcast in the UK on Cruising Radio.

The Iron Leg Radio Show will also move to a monthly live broadcast (day to be determined) also on MIXLR and will continue to be broadcast on Cruising Radio in the UK.

Don’t forget, my weekly radio show for WFMU’s Give the Drummer Radio, Testify! is on the air live, every Wednesday night from 10-12. If you dig Funky16Corners and/or Iron Leg I think you’ll dig it. So tune in when you get a chance!
_______________________________________________

So, download and dig the mix, keep digging the radio shows, and we’ll be back next week with another groovy mix.

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

____________________________________________________________________________

PS Head over to Iron Leg when you have a minute!. <

Comments (0)

By Larry, July 23, 2017 10:27 am

Brian ‘Preacher Man’ Hannan and DJ Trueskillz – Funkdefy Summer Mix

The Budos Band – King Charles
Mario Nascimbene – Hot Buns
Orgone – A Wot
Johnny Harris – Stepping Stones (Fragment of Fear Soundtrack)
The Winstons – Amen, Brother
Alfreda Brockington – Your Love Has Got Me Chained and Bound
The James Hunter Six – One Way Love
Eli “Paperboy” Reed & The True Loves – Stake Your Claim
Donald Lee Richardson – You Got Me In The Palm Of Your Hand
Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings – I’ll Still Be True
Nick Waterhouse – Ain’t There Something That Money Can’t Buy
Victor Green – Creole Girl
The Shaolin Afronauts – Follow The Path
Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band – Beetham Highway Ride
The Budos Band – Mas O Menos
Isaac Hayes – Joe Bell (Tough Guys Soundtrack)
Bill Caffie – I Am Mr. Big Stuff
Calvin Arnold – I Got Another One
Bobby & Cindy – If This Ain’t Really Love
Vernon Garrett – Long Lonely Nights
The Thoughts – Walk On Brother
Otis Jackson – Messenger To The Ghetto
Soul Excitement – Stay Together
Reggie Soul – I Got Jody
Georgiana McCoy & The Cassettes – I Don’t Want Nobody Else
Blume – Harold’s Room
Marva Whitney – I’m Tired, I’m Tired, I’m Tired (Things Better Change Before It’s Too Late)
Bee Bee Butler – Sweet Life
Black Nasty – Hip Drop
The Mohawks – Baby Hold On
Sylvie Vartan – Dansons (Let’s Dance)
Louis Neefs – Sixteen Tons
Les Chanceliers – Ooogum Boogum
B.J. Baker – Anywhere
Les Surfs – If You Please
New Swing Sextet – Monkey See, Monkey Do
Sister Cookie – Where’s My Money
Soul Finders – Why Don’t You Do Right
London Fogg – Easy Mover

Listen/Download – Brian ‘Preacher Man’ Hannan and DJ Trueskillz – Funkdefy Summer Mix – 159MB Mixed MP3

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Greetings all.

Welcome to Part Five of the Funky16Corners 2017 Allnighter/Pledge Drive aka The Summer of Soul!

This week we have a great selection from the dynamic duo of Brian ‘Preacher Man’ Hannan and DJ Trueskillz of Funkdefy in Columbus, Ohio.

Preacher Man and Trueskillz have been holding it down in Columbus for 13 years, and do their Funkdefy night the last Saturday of every month at Bossy Girl’s Pin Up Joint, where this set was recorded live on May 27, 2017.

What you get here is a very tight set mixing old and new sounds together to keep the dance floor hopping all night long.

So dig the sounds, and make sure to click on the Patreon button to help keep the lights on here at Funky16Corners!

________________________

We will continue with a new mix every week for the duration of the summer, with a selection of stellar contributions from some of my (and your) favorite selectors including  Tarik Thornton, Ben Gibson, Chris Lujan of the M-Tet, DJ Bluewater and HeavySoulBrutha Dave B.

The fundraiser will also take a slightly different form this year, moving to Patreon (click here or on the logo below to go to the Funky16Corners page) , where you will be able to spread your contributions out over the entire year (i.e. if you pledge 12 bucks, it doles it out a dollar a month over the course of a year), which will help cover the ongoing server/broadcast/hardware expenses. This year has seen the upgrade of a couple of crucial pieces of equipment, and any help you fine people can provide will keep the machinery moving here at Funky16Corners central.

So please dig deep so we can continue to do the same!

In addition to all the broadcasts and the blogging all of the Funky16Corners and Iron Leg mix archives will continue.

As I have mentioned recently, the changes to the general format here are as thus – The concentration of the operation will continue its shift to podcasting/radio, with the Funky16Corners Radio Show originating every week as a live broadcast, Thursday nights at 9PM Eastern on MIXLR, and will continue to be posted as a downloadable podcast every Friday, and broadcast in the UK on Cruising Radio.

The Iron Leg Radio Show will also move to a monthly live broadcast (day to be determined) also on MIXLR and will continue to be broadcast on Cruising Radio in the UK.

Don’t forget, my weekly radio show for WFMU’s Give the Drummer Radio, Testify! is on the air live, every Wednesday night from 10-12. If you dig Funky16Corners and/or Iron Leg I think you’ll dig it. So tune in when you get a chance!
_______________________________________________

So, download and dig the mix, keep digging the radio shows, and we’ll be back next week with another groovy mix.

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Keep the faith

Larry

____________________________________________________________________________

PS Head over to Iron Leg when you have a minute!. <

Comments (0)

By Larry, June 18, 2017 10:37 am

The Impressions

Mr and Mrs Turner

Listen/Download – The Impressions – You Must Believe Me MP3

Listen/Download – Ike and Tina Turner Revue – You Must Believe Me MP3

Greetings all.

Before we get rolling….

My weekly radio show for WFMU’s Give the Drummer Radio, Testify! is on the air live, every Wednesday night from 10-12. If you dig Funky16Corners and/or Iron Leg I think you’ll dig it. So tune in when you get a chance!
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I will go ahead and assume that is you are regular visit to these environs that you are already acquainted with the sounds of the mighty Impressions.

Though the group were much more than just a vehicle for the genius of Curtis Mayfield, there is also no doubt that without him they would never have reached the heights they did.

Today’s selection was a Top 20 hit for the group in 1964, and is a perfect example of the group’s deep, gospel-inflected soul.

The arrangement is pure Chicago class (courtesy of Johnny Pate) but also opens with a taste of Mayfield’s Pop Staples-influenced guitar, sitting there all by itself, laying a foundation of Mississippi Delta soil on which the rest of the song rests (and weaving itself in and out of the arrangement all the way through).

One of Mayfield’s finest ‘begging for forgiveness’ tunes, it treads a fine line between pleading and confidence, with Sam Gooden and Fred Cash’s harmonies riding up in the front seat with Curtis’s voice so closely that it almost sounds like he’s doubling (tripling?) himself.

The way the muted horns rise up and recede again behind the verse is a thing of beauty, making it my favorite Impressions record by a longshot.

I’m also including a very groovy cover of the tune by the Ike and Tina Turner Revue.

Their version appeared on the 1965 LP ‘The Ike and Tina Turner Show Vol2’ on Loma. This, along with the previous year’s ‘Live – The Ike and Tina Turner Show’ is an essential volume and a fantastic snapshot of a live soul revue of the classic era.

If someone were smart, they’d reissue the two discs together.

Though it was recorded not long after the original by the Impressions fell off the charts, Tina introduces the song by saying they were going “way back”.

Ike’s guitar plays pretty close to the original, while the Ikettes and Tina trade lines expertly, giving the tune a fuller, more open harmony workout.

It’s a highlight of the album, which also includes a cover of the Impressions ‘Keep On Pushin’ (coincidentally the Impressions release that immediately preceded ‘You Must Believe Me’) as well as a weird ‘fake live’ version of the Turner’s Northern Soul classic ‘Somebody (Somewhere) Needs You’.

I hope you dig the tunes.

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

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, June 11, 2017 9:12 am

Listen/Download – James Duncan – I Got It Made (In the Shade) MP3

Greetings all.

Before we get rolling….

The Funky16Corners blogging experience has begun its transition into the (grandiosely named, but with tongue in cheek) Funky16Corners Radio Network!

The changes are as thus – The concentration of the operation will continue its shift to podcasting/radio, with the Funky16Corners Radio Show originating every week as a live broadcast, Thursday nights at 9PM Eastern on MIXLR, and will continue to be posted as a downloadable podcast every Friday, and broadcast in the UK on Cruising Radio.

The Iron Leg Radio Show will also move to a monthly live broadcast (day to be determined) also on MIXLR and will continue to be broadcast on Cruising Radio in the UK.

Actual written blogging will continue, but will likely be limited to one new post a week.

This year’s Funky16Corners Allnighter/Pledge Drive will evolve into a Summer of Soul, with a new guest mix posted here (starting at the end of June) once a week, every week for the duration of the summer.

So dig in, join me on Thursday nights, and keep watching this space for further details.
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Today’s selection is something I picked up a couple of years ago after being tipped off to the fact that it shared a backing track with another record already residing in my crates.

James Duncan recorded a grip of 45s on his own and with the Duncan Trio for the King/Federal from 1964 on into the eary 70s.

His earlier stuff is features some amazing, raw vocals in a New Breed R&B style.

Today’s selection ‘I Got It Made (in the Shade)’ was released in 1970, and sees Mr Duncan inside a much funkier bag.

The tune opens with some wild, bow-legged, twangy guitar and tight drums, with Duncan singing over the top.

In and of itself, it is a fine funk 45 indeed.

That said, a year or two later, Hugh Boynton made his way up to Macon, GA (where the Duncan track has been recorded) and availed himself of the backing track for ‘I Got It Made (In the Shade)’, writing new lyrics and adding a new vocal (and giving himself writing credit)  rechristening the song as ‘The Funky Grasshopper’.

Neither record is particularly expensive, both hovering in the 25-30 dollar range. You can dig the Hugh Boynton side on Youtube.

I hope you dig the sounds.
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Don’t forget, my weekly radio show for WFMU’s Give the Drummer Radio, Testify! is on the air live, every Wednesday night from 10-12. If you dig Funky16Corners and/or Iron Leg I think you’ll dig it. So tune in when you get a chance!
_______________________________________________

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

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, June 4, 2017 10:52 am

Homer Banks

Listen/Download – Homer Banks – Round the Clock Lover Man MP3

Greetings all.

Changes are afoot!

Starting today, the Funky16Corners blogging experience begins its transition into the (grandiosely named, but with tongue in cheek) Funky16Corners Radio Network!

The changes are as thus – The concentration of the operation will continue its shift to podcasting/radio, with the Funky16Corners Radio Show originating every week as a live broadcast, Thursday nights at 9PM Eastern on MIXLR, and will continue to be posted as a downloadable podcast every Friday, and broadcast in the UK on Cruising Radio.

The Iron Leg Radio Show will also move to a monthly live broadcast (day to be determined) also on MIXLR and will continue to be broadcast on Cruising Radio in the UK.

Actual written blogging will continue, but will likely be limited to one new post a week.

This year’s Funky16Corners Allnighter/Pledge Drive will evolve into a Summer of Soul, with a new guest mix posted here (starting at the end of June) once a week, every week for the duration of the summer.

So dig in, join me on Thursday nights, and keep watching this space for further details.

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Over the last five years or so, Homer Banks has become one of my all time favorite artists.

As both a performer and songwriter, Banks made some of the finest Memphis soul 45s of the 1960s.

He was a fine singer in the Southern soul tradition, and wrote some killer tunes, for himself as well as artists like the Mad Lads, Wilson Pickett, Johnnie Taylor, Sam and Dave and Jeanne and the Darlings.

Today’s selection was released in 1968 and has an interesting pedigree indeed.

‘Round the Clock Lover Man’ was written by Banks and Allen Jones, produced by Johnny Keyes and Packy Axton of the Packers/Pac-Keys and arranged by Keyes as well.

‘Round the Clock Lover Man’ finds Banks harmonizing with himself (I think) with an interesting melody, mid-tempo pace and carefully applied horns and piano.

It exists in a kind of odd gray area half a step up from ballads but not quite aggressive enough to be a dancer.

This doesn’t suggest that the quality isn’t first rate, but rather that the song is not easily pigeonholed.

It was the second-to-last of the singles in his 66-68 run with Minit.

As far as I know Banks work as a performer has yet to be gathered in one place and reissued, which is a damn shame as it’s all good.

I hope you dig the tune.

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My weekly radio show for WFMU’s Give the Drummer Radio, Testify! is on the air live, every Wednesday night from 10-12. If you dig Funky16Corners and/or Iron Leg I think you’ll dig it. So tune in when you get a chance!
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Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

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 23, 2017 12:22 pm

Clyde McPhatter

Listen/Download – Clyde McPhatter – A Shot of Rhythm and Blues MP3

Greetings all.

Before we get rolling….

My new weekly radio show for WFMU’s Give the Drummer Radio, Testify! had it’s inaugural episode last Wednesday and is archived over there. If you dig Funky16Corners and/or Iron Leg I think you’ll dig it. I’ll be on the air every Wednesday night (tomorrow!) from 10-12, live, so tune in when you get a chance!
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I am endlessly fascinated with artists who are associated with the earlier days of R&B who continued to make music (often overlooked or forgotten) well into the classic soul era.

Today’s performer is a great example thereof.

Clyde McPhatter sang with Billy Ward and the Dominoes, was a founding member of the Drifters and had a string of solo hits stretching from 1955 to 1965 (though most of those fell between 55 and 61).

Though he dropped off the charts for good in 1965, he continued to record well into the 70s for a variety of labels (his great cover of ‘In My Tenement’ appeared her a while back).

Today’s selection hails from a brief run (1966-1967) that McPhatter had with the Amy label.

His smoking cover of Arthur Alexander’s classic ‘A Shot of Rhythm and Blues’ (a landmark of early soul which became something of a Beat group standard in the UK) was recorded in Muscle Shoals with Rick Hall at the board, and it shows.

Opening with rock solid drums and horns, McPhatter drops in followed by guitar and bass and a groovy combo organ and he is joined in the chorus by female backing singers.

It’s a great update of the tune, and packs plenty of soul power, which is why it’s so disappointing to see that it doesn’t appeared to have gained an audience anywhere, even regionally.

Perhaps audiences associated McPhatter with an earlier style/sound, but someone missed the boat by not promoting the 45, since it sits right up there with pretty much anything else coming out of the Southern soul sound at the time.

An object lesson is keeping your ears (and mind) open.

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

Also, make sure to follow Funky16Corners on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

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.