Comments (5)

By Larry, March 9, 2014 3:45 pm

The Staple Singers

Listen/Download The Staple Singers – Step Aside

Greetings all

I hope that the new week finds you all well.

While I really dig gospel music – especially old school – I have never really been a collector of the sound.

It’s a genre that I don’t know much about, so while I may dip my toe in every once in a while, I have yet to fully immerse myself.

That said, even though their early recordings are firmly in the gospel tradition, I like to think of the mighty Staple Singers as sui generis.

This has everything to do with the guitar of Roebuck ‘Pop’ Staples.

Listening to the group’s pre-Stax recordings is like witnessing a mystical collision of the sacred and the profane, with Pop’s Delta guitar lines winding in and out of the rich harmonies like an interloper.

There are other instruments present (bass, drums) but they’re marked by a plain-ness and subtlety that renders them practically invisible.

Listening to Pop’s guitar (with it’s roots in the masters he heard as a young man, including Charlie Patton, Robert Johnson and Son House) amble through the songs it almost as if the ghosts of those roadhouse men are being chased down a dirt road by the holy spirit.

The song I bring you today is an unusual one that has become a firm favorite of mine since I first heard it.

‘Step Aside’ – written by Pervis Staples – is an almost dirge-like number, with lyrics that cast the struggle for civil rights as a battle (the references to ‘foreign soil’ and ‘foreign land’ are particularly stark).

The moments where Pop steps in with his high tenor to cry ‘Step aside!’ it sounds as if he’s raising his hand and crying out from the amen corner.

It is a remarkable piece of music, that like everything else they did during this period transcends both gospel and soul, turning into something else entirely.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

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

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, February 23, 2014 5:12 pm

Willie Bobo (3rd from the right, blue shirt) and the Bo Gents

Listen/Download Willie Bobo and the Bo Gents – Broasted or Fried

Greetings all

The new week is here, and coming off of all of the cold and wetness of the winter, I bring you something warm and funky in which to wrap yourselves.

The name Willie Bobo is surely a familiar one to those of you that dig boogaloo, Latin jazz and all things groovy.

Willie ‘Bobo’ Correa was one of the preeminent Latin percussionists of the 1960s and 70s, recording as a leader and a sideman for a variety of labels, but mostly Verve.

His discography is filled with classics like ‘Spanish Grease’ and ‘Fried Neckbones and Some Homefries’.

Like many boogalooers and soul jazzers of the day, Bobo followed the stylistic wave, and as the rest of the world got funky, so did he.

The track I bring you today hails from his 1971 LP for the Sussex label, ‘Do What You Want To Do’.

Recorded with his band the Bo-Gents,’Do What You Want To Do’ is a killer collection of funky grooves, including the title track, a cool cover of the Beatles ‘Come Together’, and the track I bring you today, ‘Broasted or Fried’.

If the tune sounds familiar, it may be because I included it in a mix some years ago in a version by Clarence Wheeler and the Enforcers.

As it turns out, the song originated in Bobo’s band, written by his keyboardist Reggie Andrew, and then covered by Wheeler et al later in 1971.

The Bo-Gents version is taken at a slightly slower, yet still funky pace, with some groovy Latin percussion (naturally…) pulsing bass and electric piano.

It has enough push for the dance floor (Now Again reissued the track as a 45 in 2004), as well as plenty to dig while grooving between the ears.

I dig it a lot, and I hope you do to.

I’ll see you all on Wednesday.

Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

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

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (2)

By Larry, February 16, 2014 1:47 pm

Jay Berliner

Listen/Download Jay Berliner – Stickball

Greetings all

I hope everyone is ready to start the week feeling fine and funky.

The track I bring you today is something that has been marinating in my crates for a few years now.

I grabbed a copy of Jay Berliner’s ‘Bananas Are Not Created Equal’ a while back after a friend turned me on to the track you see before you today, ‘Stickball’.

I knew Berliner’s name – he is a prolific studio guitarist with a very long and prestigious resume, including stints with Charles Mingus and Van Morrison (Astral Weeks) – but had no idea he had ever done anything this funky.

Recorded in 1972, under the aegis of arranger Wade Marcus (who also wrote this tune) ‘Bananas…’ featured Berliner and a group of studio heavies working it out on a number of contemporary covers (Temptations, Al Green, Bill Withers) and a couple of excellent, funky originals.

‘Stickball’ opens with Ray Barretto’s congas and Berliner’s guitar, then joined by Cornell Dupree on electric sitar and Paul Griffin on clavinet.

The tune has a thick, jazz-funk groove, with some hot soloing (naturally) by Berliner.

The rest of the album is definitely worth checking out if you happen to find a copy out in the field.

I hope you dig the sounds, 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.

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

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (1)

By Larry, January 2, 2014 1:13 pm

Young-Holt looking badass!

Listen/Download Young-Holt Unlimited – Mystical Man

Greetings all

The end of the week is near, so it is time to remind you to set the dial on your wireless set to bring in the Funky16Corners Radio Show, which airs this and every Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. If you are unable to join me at airtime, you can keep up with the show by subscribing to it as a podcast in iTunes.

How about something mellow to close out the week?

The Young-Holt organization, Unlimited, LTD etc has been featured in this space many times over the years.

Isaac ‘Red’ Holt and Eldee Young, from their days as two thirds of the Ramsey Lewis Trio, on to their string of outstanding soul jazz LPs in the late 60s and early 70s, have long been favorites of mine.

Though they are known to most for their 1969 hit ‘Soulful Strut’ (which, oddly enough they are rumored to have not played on), they laid down a string of great albums and 45s for the Brunswick, Cotillion and Paula labels between 1966 and 1973 (with Holt carrying on as a solo for a while afterward).

The tune I bring you taday hails from their 1973 LP ‘Young-Holt Unlimited Plays Superfly’, and is a testament to the often unsung hero of the group, pianist Ken Chaney.

Chaney, who replaced Hysear Don Walker when the group changed from the Young-Holt Trio to Young-Holt Unlimited was the driving melodic force of the trio, as well as composing some excellent tunes.

Today’s selection is the meditative, soulful ‘Mystical Man’, the final track (and one of only two originals) on the ‘Plays Superfly’ album.

It is a great piece of spiritual, late-night jazz, with some very groovy electric piano, arco and pizzicato bass by Young and some very restrained drumming by Holt.

The album is one of their best, and worth the investment if you can locate a copy.

I hope you dig the sounds, and I’ll 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.

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

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, December 22, 2013 12:26 pm

The LP (above), Miss Dorothy Ashby (below)

Listen/Download – The Soulful Strings – Jingle Bells

Listen / Download – The Soulful Strings featuring Dorothy Ashby – Merry Christmas Baby

NOTE: This year – as in years past – the run up to Christmas will be filled with re-postings of some of my (and your) fave soulful and funky holiday tunes.

This gives you all a chance to catch up on some soulful Christmas jams, and gives me time to rest my blogging muscles and enjoy the holiday.

Ho Ho Ho!

Originally posted 12/2007

Greetings all.

As I’ve stated repeatedly in the past, I’ve never been much of a holiday music collector. However, once in a while a personal obsession of mine also happens to have a Christmas record. In the case of Richard Evans and the Soulful Strings, their 1968 LP ‘The Magic of Christmas’ is a real gem.

The first tune I selected was the obvious choice (at least for me) because I can’t think of another version of ‘Jingle Bells’ that opens up with an honest to goodness drum break. I’m not sure who’s laying it down here (though I’m guessing that it is in fact Morris Jennings Jr.).

The second selection is a lush, sublime reading of Charles Brown’s classic ‘Merry Christmas Baby’ which features the brilliant Dorothy Ashby on harp. If you aren’t familiar with Ashby – I included her ‘Soul Vibrations’ on my collab with DJ Prestige ‘Beat Combination Pt2’ (check out the Flea Market Funk Mixes page)– she was one of the few harpists who could actually play jazz on the instrument, and the three albums she recorded for Cadet between 1968 and 1970 (in collaboration with Evans) are brilliant.

If your nerves are frayed (like mine) and the consumerist madness of the holiday season has you down, give this version of ‘Merry Christmas Baby’ a listen and all will (at least for a few minutes) be well, as it is positively sublime.

I’ll be taking the next week off to enjoy the holiday with my family and do a little visiting. I will most definitely be back with something for New Years Eve, so hang tight, enjoy your Christmas and I’ll see you all soon.<<

Peace

Larry

Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived!

The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock.

They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US).

Click here to go to the ordering page.
Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, November 26, 2013 1:41 pm

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles

Listen/Download Sokey Robinson and the Miracles – Whole Lotta Shakin’ In My Heart (Since I Met You)

Greetings all

As we prepare to cross the border into the money half of the week, I bring you some first-class, floor-filling, spellbinding Motor City soul.

I always pick up Tamla/Motown LPs when I find them in the field.

They are often heavily played but since they are also cheap, and usually harbor songs of interest, they go on the keeper pile without hesitation.

I don’t have much to say about Smokey Robinson that hasn’t already been chiseled into granite elsewhere, other than, whoa, that voice, and double-whoa, all those songs.

Oddly enough, today’s selection did not spring from the prolific pen of Mr. Robinson, but rather the mighty Frank ‘Do I Love You’ Wilson!

This is one of those records that can be held up as a prime example of the Motown record-makers (including Funk Brothers, producers and songwriters) art.

It is a propulsive dancer, filled with hooks and played (if you’ll excuse the expression) like a motherfucker.

The band is absolutely relentless in precision and drive, and Smokey is right on the money, especially when (at around 2:12) he mounts the word “I” and rides it on out of the studio into the sunset.

This is pure dance floor heat, from the opening drum roll right on into the fade out.

‘Whole Lotta Shakin’ In My Heart (Since I Met You)’ just made it into the R&B Top 20 in the summer of 1966, grazing the Pop Top 50.

It is a monster, and I hope youdig it as much as I do.

See you all on Friday.

Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived! The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock. They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US). Click here to go to the ordering page.

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

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, October 31, 2013 11:28 am

The Unifics

Listen/Download The Unifics – It’s All Over

Listen/Download The Unifics – It’s a Groovy World

Greetings all

The end of the week is upon us, and so I must remind you that the Funky16Corners Radio Show returns to the airwaves of the interwebs this and every Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. You can also keep up with the show by subscribing as a podcast in iTunes.

Late last week I got word that Al Johnson, the lead singer of the mighty Unifics had passed away at the age of 65.

I’ve featured the Unifics here at Funky16Corners a few different times over the years.

Formed at Howard University (as Al and the Vikings)  in Washington, DC, they were one of the finest late 60s soul harmony groups, hitting the R&B Top 40 four different times (Top 10 twice) in 1968 and 1969.

The track I bring you today, ‘It’s All Over’ is one of my favorites from their 1968 LP “Court of Love’ (the title tune was their first, and biggest hit in 1968).

Check out the Unifics performing ‘Court of Love’ on TV:

Written by the group’s producer Guy Draper, ‘It’s All Over’ features a groovy arrangement, with pumping bass, understated horns and some great falsetto harmonies by the Unifics.

Johnson’s lead is typically wonderful and, the bass breakdown midway through the song is incredible.

The Unifics broke up in the early 70s, with Johnson going on to a career as a songwriter and producer.

I’m also reposting my fave Unifics track ‘It’s a Groovy World’.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived!

The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock.

They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US).

Click here to go to the ordering page.
Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (3)

By Larry, October 17, 2013 11:30 am

The Lafayette Afro Rock Band

Listen/Download Lafayette Afro Rock Band – Oglenon

Greetings all

The end of the week is finally here, and so I implore you once again to turn your dials, this and every Friday night at 9PM to Viva Radio so that you might partake in the Funky16Corners Radio Show experience. If you can’t be there at the time of broadcast, you can subscribe to the show in iTunes, or grab an MP3 at the blog.

I thought I’d close out the week by continuing Wednesday’s drum-heavy groove, and dipping back into the crates for some more by the Lafayette Afro Rock Band.

I dropped their mighty ‘Hihache’ on you back in 2009, with it’s grooves and heavily sampled breakbeat.

The LARB was formed in (of all places) Long Island, NY, before relocating to France in the early 70s.

‘Oglenon’, a ten-minute epic (also from the ‘Voodounon’ LP) is one of those tunes where the drummers probably collapsed (or had to be replaced for the next song, anyway) after they were done.

The whole thing starts out with an extended drum passage, and returns to the drums again and again, interrupted briefly by the horns and the rhythm section.

‘Oglenon’ has that great, long-form Fela groove going on (especially that electric piano) and while they may reach a little further into the “rock’ column now and then, it’s still extremely funky.

I hope you dig the sounds, that you have a great weekend, and, as always that you…

Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived!

The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock.

They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US).

Click here to go to the ordering page.
Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (4)

By Larry, September 1, 2013 10:53 am

John Bishop and his guitar, looking badass.

Listen/Download John Bishop Trio – Wade In the Water

Greetings all

I hope the new week finds you well.

The summer is finally at and end, at least the part of the summer marked by the invasion of the great horde, which tends to recede right around Labor Day, leaving the beaches to us locals for a few precious weeks.

The fam and I had the opportunity to vacate in the latter half of August, during which the wife and I had our own little getaway.

Naturally, that included a little bit of record digging (doesn’t it always) which resulted in a nice fat stack of new additions to my crates, here and over at Iron Leg.

I always enjoy stepping out of my own little vinyl ecosystem and into a new one, where the ebb and flow of wax is different, the stock is new (at least to me) and not quite as picked over as what I’m used to.

There aren’t too many opportunities of that nature where I live, so it’s a gas when I get my mitts on some stuff that I haven’t seen/heard before.

Keep your eyes peeled for the results of said excavations in these pages.

The tune I bring you today is one of those great intersections of a song I love and a particularly hot performance.

‘Wade In the Water’ is a spiritual that goes back well over a century, which is why the writing credits on this version – to Sam Cooke and JW Alexander – are odd, but that is neither here nor there, especially when you consider how often people were slapping their names on public domain compositions in order to pick up a little scratch.

It has long been one of my favorite songs and I’ve gotten into the habit of picking up records with versions of it (like I do with ’Soul Makossa’) wherever I find them.

I had been on the lookout for the record you see before you today – ‘Bishop’s Whirl’ by the John Bishop Trio – for years. While it’s not particularly scarce, it eluded me nonetheless so I was happy to score a copy at a nice price.

John Bishop (born Gregory Ceurvorst) was a Chicago-based guitarist who ended up touring with Ray Charles (thus the Tangerine label) in the late 60s. He also played with Donny Hathaway, Ramsey Lewis and the Staple Singers among others.

His version of ‘Wade In the Water’ – the full album edit is included here, there is a much shorter version on 45 – is smoking, with exceptional work by Bishop on guitar and organist Newell Burton, Jr. Bishop goes into a blazing solo around the three-minute mark that explodes around 4:15.

It is an exceptional bit of hard-charging soul jazz, generating enough heat for the dancers (the 45 has a minor following with the Northern Soul crowd).

I haven’t been able to nail down whether or not this was Bishop’s touring band, or a group put together for the date. Burton was a Sacramento-based organist, and the bassist on the record, Jerry Scheff is a renowned session player who started a long stint touring with Elvis Presley around the time that this album was recorded.

That said, the rest of the album – with the exception of the soulful ‘Way Out Back’ – is fairly straight ahead jazz.

Bishop settled in Chicago, where he played with his wife in the Georgia Frances Orchestra, until his passing in 2011 at the age of 65.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived!

The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock.

They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US).

Click here to go to the ordering page.
Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, August 18, 2013 2:46 pm

Effie Smith

Listen/Download Effie Smith – Teenage World Pts 1&2

Listen/Download Effie Smith – Harper Valley PTA Gossip

Greetings all

I hope the new week finds you well.

The tunes I bring you today are artifacts of (the end of) a time when an artist could settle themselves in a niche and ride it for all it was worth.

I picked up Effie Smith’s ‘Harper Valley PTA Gossip’ years ago (pre-portable) and when I got it home I was pleasantly surprised to discover a sassy old lady engaged in a telephone conversation. The rap was based (see title…) on Jeannie C Riley’s 1968 mega-hit ‘Harper Valley PTA’, and it was groovy in an ‘Aunt Esther goes funky’ way.

Flash forward about half a decade, and I’m down in DC spinning (and digging, natch) at a record show and what do I turn up but a whole album of Effie Smith telephone raps!

The thought of a performer working a gag so thoroughly hasn’t been in vogue since the crest of the Bill Seluga ‘You Can Call me Ray’ wave, and I had to admire her persistence.

As it turns out, Effie Smith had been working it out in the world of jazz and R&B since the 1930s (?!?), working with Lionel Hampton, Benny Carter and Johnny Otis.

It is important to note that Effie was also mother to the one and only producer/songwriter Fred Smith, a very familiar name to fans of LA soul.

The first track I bring you today will be familiar to those of you that listen to the Funky16Corners Radio Show, from my use of a drop from ‘Teenage World Pts 1&2’ (1965). The voice of the husband was provided by Effie’s real life spouse,  John Criner.

The second track is the aforementioned ‘Harper Valley PTA Gossip’, which grazed the R&B Top 40 in November of 1968.

Effie Smith passed away in 1977 at the age of 63.

I hope you dig the tracks, 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.
Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, August 15, 2013 11:37 am

Mr. Oscar Brown, Jr.

Listen/Download Oscar Brown, Jr. – Forty Acres and a Mule

Greetings all

The end of the week is here, and so I must remind you that the Funky16Corners Radio Show will once again take to the airwaves this Friday at 9PM on Viva Radio.

If you cannot be there at airtime, you can keep up with the sounds by subscribing to the show as a podcast in iTunes, or by grabbing an MP3 here at the blog.

I thought I’d end the week with something very cool and a bit unusual.

I would assume that the jazzers and the Mods among you might already be familiar with the name, and music of the mighty Oscar Brown, Jr.

Brown was the kind of multi-faceted talent, singer, poet, composer, political activist that you don’t see too much these days.

In a career that lasted from his teens until his death at the age of 78 in 2005, Brown worked as a soul jazz singer, composer of music and lyrics, social activist and teacher.

The tune I bring you today is a fantastic introduction for those of you that don’t know him, and a reminder for those of you that do of how great he was.

’40 Acres and a Mule’, recorded in 1964 (released in 1965 on the LP ‘Mr Oscar Brown Jr Goes to Washington’), is simultaneously swinging, humorous, cutting and incisive.

Brown, who was one of the earliest proponents of putting lyrics to jazz instrumentals (you probably know Nina Simone’s version of his lyrics to ‘Work Song’), also wrote ‘The Snake’, which became a Northern Soul favorite when recorded by Al Wilson.

He was a master whose body of work ought to be much better known.

I hope you dig the tune, 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.
Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (0)

By Larry, July 30, 2013 3:28 pm

Ronnie Dyson (above),and the wrong side of the record (below)

Listen/Download Ronnie Dyson- Fever

Greetings all

The track I bring you today is proof that every once in a while you need to hit the LP racks as well as digging through the 45s.

I grabbed Ronnie Dyson’s debut LP ‘(If You Let Me Make Love To You Then) Why Can’t I Touch You’ because I’d never seen it before, I dug the title cut (a hit in 1970) and because it had some interesting looking covers in the track listing.

When I got it home and set to digimatizing I was pleasantly surprised indeed, especially by today’s selection, Dyson’s cover of Little Willie John’s* ‘Fever’.

Dyson, who got his start as the lead in the original company of ‘HAIR’ in 1968 (and also appeared in Putney Swope) first sang ‘(If You Let Me Make Love To You Then) Why Can’t I Touch You’ in an off-Broadway show called ‘Salvation’.

He was signed to Columbia records, making it into the R&B Top 10 (and #13 Pop) in July of 1970.

The album of the same name features covers of Freda Payne’s ‘Band of Gold’ and Bread’s ‘Make it With You’, which, while not as epic as Ralfi Pagan’s version, is still pretty cool.

I especially like Dyson’s version of ‘Fever’ because it has a hard driving, Northern Soul feel to it.

As it turns out, the cut has a minor following with the soulies, and would probably be a lot bigger if it were available on 45.

Dyson had a string of R&B hits between 1970 and 1983, including his biggest hit, ‘The More You Do It (The More I Like It Done To Me)’ – he sure loved those parenthetical titles – in 1976.

Tragically, he was only 40 when he died of heart failure in 1990.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

* Written by Eddie Cooley and Otis Blackwell
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Also, the brand new Funky16Corners ‘Keep Calm and Stay Funky’ stickers have arrived!

The stickers are 4″ x 3″ and printed on high quality, glossy stock.

They are $2.00 each, with free shipping in the US ($2.00 per order shipping outside of the US).

Click here to go to the ordering page.
Also, make sure that you check out the links below to the Be The Match Foundation and POAC (click on the logos for more info).

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.