Comments (2)

By Larry, June 19, 2016 11:25 am

Larry Grogan – Kings

Artistics – So Much Love In My Heart (Okeh)
Millionaires – A Rather Hip Shing (Philips)
Volcanos- You’re Number One (Arctic)
Sims Twins – A Losing Battle (Omen)
Spirit of St Louis – Wait Until Tomorrow (Philips)
Eddie Purrell – The Spoiler (Volt)
The Spellbinders – A Little On the Blue Side (Columbia)
Bobby Bland – Shoes (Duke)
Bull and the Matadors – Move With the Groove (Toddlin’ Town)
Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers – It’s Growing (Gordy)
Billy Leonard – Tell Me Do You Love Me (Fairmount)
George Guess – No Matter What (Pearl Harbor)
Olympics – Baby Do the Philly Dog (Mirwood)
Benny Gordon and the Soul Brothers – I’m Gonna Give Her All the Love I Got (Wand)
Marketts – Stirrin’ Up Some Soul (WB)
Trade Martin – Moanin’ (RCA)
Bobby Newton – Do the Whip (Mercury)
The Groovers – I Got To Go Now (Up On the Floor) (Groovy)

Listen/Download – Larry Grogan – Kings 103MB Mixed MP3

Greetings all 

Welcome back to the Funky16Corners 2016, Allnighter/Pledge Drive.

Today I give you the final mix of this year’s Allnighter, the complementary/second half of this years mix from yours truly, ‘Kings’.

This is an hour of the finest male soul 45s – all dancers – from the classic era. You get soul from Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Los Angeles, St Louis, Memphis and Houston, all with the sounds to put some pep in your step.

Make sure to spin this one with the ‘Queens’ mix posted on 6/5 for the full effect.

I want to thank all the selectors that participated this year for putting together these great mixes, as well as everyone that donated.

If you haven’t donated, please click on the Paypal link and drop something in the bucket to help cover the 2016 operating costs.

Don’t forget to click that Paypal button and donate, and we’ll be back later in the week with some more of the soul and funk goodness you’ve come to expect from Funky16Corners!

___________________________

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

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

Also, everyone that donates will be entered into a drawing to win a copy of the new 45 by the M-Tet!

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

___________________________

Keep the faith

Larry

____________________________________________________________________________

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

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (1)

By Larry, June 5, 2016 11:33 am

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

___________________________

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

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

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

__________________________________________________________________

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

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

___________________________

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 (2)

By Larry, April 26, 2016 10:58 am

The Soul Survivors

Listen/Download – Soul Survivors – Tell Daddy MP3

Greetings all.

Today’s selection comes to you courtesy of the Funky16Corners ‘Hey, I didn’t Know They Had Another Record’ department.

The Soul Survivors (of Philadelphia, PA) are best known as the band that put Gamble and Huff on the map with their huge 1967 hit ‘Expressway To Your Heart’.

Though they had a minor hit with 1967’s ‘Explosion In Your Soul’, their chart presence was in steady decline throughout their career.

Their Crimson LP and 45s are all cool, but for most people (myself included for a long time) that was the end of the story.

So, imagine my surprise some years ago when I found their 1969 Atco LP ‘Take Another Look’ at a garage sale. I honestly had no idea they’d ever recorded post-Crimson (they even went on to record for TSOP into the 70s!), so I grabbed the album and took it home.

While I wouldn’t describe the record as a complete success, I will say that it has some definite highlights.
Recorded partly in Philly with Gamble and Huff at the boards, and partly in Muscle Shoals with Rick Hall, ‘Take Another Look’ is definitely worth a listen.

My favorite track on the album is the Soul Survivors return to the original “masculine” version (the song was after all written by Clarence Carter, prior to its legendary recording by Etta James as ‘Tell Mama’) of ‘Tell Daddy’.

The arrangement adds a slightly more modern/swampy edge to the familiar sound, but the overall effect is classic soul, with great vocals by the band and some tight hornwork. There’s very little of the 1969, bare feet in the mud white boy over-singing, with the Soul Survivors keeping it right, tight and outtasite.

This LP doesn’t turn up a whole lot, but it is definitely worth picking up if you find it.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

____________________________________________________________________________

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

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (6)

By Larry, April 24, 2016 9:49 am

Sandy Nelson

Listen/Download – Sandy Nelson – Love Is Like an Itching In My Heart MP3

Greetings all.

Today’s selection sees us returning to the “you find groovy music in the strangest places file”, as well as another visit from our friend Sandy Nelson.

Long story short, Sandy Nelson was one of the most ubiquitous instrumental artists of the 1960s. The drummer had his first hits with ‘Teen Beat’ in 1959 and ‘Let There Be Drums’ in 1961, and though he didn’t make much of a stir on the charts after that, he churned out a steady succession of LPs (mostly for Imperial) in the 60s and early 70s, covering rock, pop and soul hits with a fair amount of style and verve, backed by the cream of LA sessioners.

Today’s selection is Nelson’s 1966 cover of my all-time favorite Supremes cut ‘Love Is Like an Itching In My Heart’.

Released on his ‘Superdrums’ LP, Nelson’s version of the tune has enough punch and style to make it on a soul dance floor. He hits that snare drum like it owes him money, and the arrangement, heavy on guitar and sax is a killer.

Nelson had enough style imbue his soul covers with plenty of heat (I really wish I had this one on a 45), and managed to attack garage and pop tunes with the same verve.

His records are cheap and easy to find at your better garage sales and flea markets (or on-line if that’s how you roll), and there is always something cool on them.

So get digging, and I’ll see you on Wednesday.

Keep the faith

Larry

____________________________________________________________________________

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

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

Comments (3)

By Larry, April 12, 2016 11:57 am

Listen/Download The Chitlins – Sugar Woman

Greetings all

I first posted the Chitlins ‘Sugar Woman’ (a big fave) almost three years ago, with the small amount of info that I was able to unearth, mixed with some speculation.

Last week, group member Pete Killingsworth posted a comment fleshing out the details significantly.

“Hi Larry,
I somehow ran across your article about The Chitlins and Sugar Woman. I played guitar on that record. Decon John Moore also played guitar. Deacon John did most of the guitar work and I just played chops. The horns were from Deacon John and the Ivories. My brother Sonny Killingsworth played bass. Sonny Tanner is incorrect as he wasn’t on it. Chris Miller was the vocalist and piano player. Sam Roe played drums. Chris Miller and my brother has passed away so Sam and I are the only ones still alive. The producer was Allen Toussaint. Stanley Chaission was our Manager. It’s true we were The Soul Brothers from Pascagoula Mississippi and consisted of Chris Miller, Sam Roe, myself, and my brother Sonny Killingsworth. Deacon John and the Ivories were brought in for sweetening. The record company came up with name “The Chitlins”. We said we’d change our name only if it was a nationwide hit which it wasn’t. It did well in New Orleans though. I can’t comment on the record company itself as I don’t know anything about it except that they were out of New York. It was recorded at Cosimo’s recording studio in New Orleans. So there you have it from the horses mouth. Man that was a long time ago but I remember it like it was yesterday.
Best Regards,
Pete Killingsworth”

Thanks to Pete we now know that there were some NOLA heavy hitters in the studio, including Deacon John Moore and none other than an uncredited Allen Toussaint (the label lists Chase Records honch Stanley Chaisson) working the board!

I thought that it behooved me to re-post this most excellent record, along with the new info (original post below).

I hope you dig the record (or still dig it if it’s already a fave) and I’ll see you all on Friday with a special tribute to the keyboard expertise of the great Leon Haywood.

Keep the Faith

Larry

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Originally posted September 2010

Welcome to the middle of another groovy week.

The track I bring you today is both a fairly recent discovery for me and a major fave.

It is also something of a mystery.

A few months back I was perusing a new (to me) record site on the intertubes, and a glimpse of the Pala records label caught my eye.

One half of the York-Pala construct, it was run by two cats named Charlie Greene and Brian Stone. These operators are best known as music managers who came to prominence in mid-60s LA working with acts like Sonny and Cher, the Buffalo Springfield, the Poor and a cat you may have heard of named Dr John.

I had always seen the York/Pala credit on many records, but it was only in the last few years that I actually found a record on either label.

I have two 45s by The Poor (LA-based folk rock) but the Chitlins ‘Sugar Woman’ was the first Pala disc I’d ever encountered.

The label appears to have been very short-lived, with only one other release (by Larry Marks).

The Chitlins appear to have gotten their start – and spent much of their existence – as a white show band called the Soul Brothers, in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

The first time I heard ‘Sugar Woman’, what grabbed me was the New Orleans guitar (sounds like George Davis to me).

As it turns out the band did in fact record their sole 45 in New Orleans for Stanley Chaisson’s Chase Records imprint.

I have not been able to confirm whether or not there was actually a Chitlins 45 released on Chase, or if it was a production deal that was licensed to Pala.

My suspicion – without any hard evidence, mind you – is that Green and Stone happened upon the Chitlins via one of the many New Orleans connections in their orbit. Harold Battiste was Sonny and Cher’s musical director, and both Mac ‘Dr John’ Rebennack and Alvin Robinson were both working on the West Coast during this period.

That said, ‘Sugar Woman’ is a positively scorching bit of garagey soul with fantastic lyrics like

Let her know she’s a real Jim Dandy, feed her candy!

And

Let her know she’s a ring-dang-doo sir, don’t lose her!

The guitar, bass and drums are in a deep, deep groove, and the horns and backing vocalists are spot on.

I don’t know who the lead vocalist is but he’s killing it!

Via some cross-referencing (and following a few hunches) I’m led to believe that the band included guys named Chris Miller, Sam Roe, Pete Killingsworth, Sonny Tanner, having had some crossover with a group called the New Grooves.

As I mentioned earlier, I hear the distinct guitar stylings of George Davis, but the entire record has such a New Orleans feel to it, I wouldn’t be surprised to discover that this was the Soul Brothers/Chitlins singer fronting an entire studio full of NOLA pros.

In another interesting twist, the song is credited to country songwriter/producer Billy Sherrill, but I can’t find any instance of anyone else having recorded the tune.

The flip side, ‘The Next Time You See Me’ is an upbeat, bluesy shuffle.

“Sugar Woman’ was a local Top 40 hit in New Orleans in the Spring of 1967.

It is a truly remarkable tune, and one that I wish I’d had in my crates a long time ago.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

___________________________________________________________________________________________

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

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

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

Click here to go to the ordering page.
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, January 14, 2016 12:47 pm

Razzy Bailey

Listen/Download – Razzy – I Hate Hate MP3

Greetings all.

The end of the week is here, and so then is the Funky16Corners Radio Show podcast, bringing you the finest in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove all on original vinyl.

You can subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, listen on your mobile device via the TuneIn app, or grab yourself an MP3 here at the blog, or for the first show of the month at SoulGuyRadio.com

The tune I bring you today is something completely groovy and unusual.

If the name Razzy Bailey is at all familiar to you, it is probably because he was a country music hitmaker in the 1980s.

Bailey wrote/recorded today’s selection, ‘I Hate Hate’ in 1974, and had a sizable hit with it, first on Aquarian and then picked up for national distribution by MGM.

The song is a sweet, danceable, ever so slightly funky number that has – over the years – become something of a fave on the Northern Soul and crossover scenes.

The MGM version of the 45 is a slightly stripped-down take, with the children’s chorus (billed as the Neighborhood Kids on the Aquarian 45) mixed way down, and the drums and percussion higher in the mix.

Bailey, who got his start alongside cats like Joe South, went on to rack up a bunch of country hits (including a cover of Wilson Pickett’s ‘Midnight Hour’) in the 1980s.

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

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, December 15, 2015 1:34 pm

Billy Harner

Listen/Download – Billy Harner – Sally Sayin’ Somethin’ MP3

Greetings all.

The song I bring you today is a long-time fave from one of the truly great blue-eyed soul singers of the classic era, Billy Harner.

New Jersey born and bred, Harner recorded a string of killer 45s for a variety of Philly-based and national labels between 1964 and the mid-70s, as well as an excellent (and very rare LP).

Oddly enough, it wasn’t either of Harner’s big Northern Soul faves (today’s selection and ‘What About the Music’) that started me hunting for his records, but rather his 1967 45 ‘Homicide Dresser’ which I grabbed almost 20 years ago because it looked interesting. Now I have at least a dozen of his 45s (including an autographed disc which holds a place of honor in my crates).

Today’s selection, ‘Sally Sayin’ Somethin’ was a big local hit in Philadelphia (as well as charting in New York and New Orleans) in 1967.

Opening with a throbbing bass, doubled by piano, Harner and a chorus of female backing vocalists come in and the tune build up into one of the great choruses.

The big selling point of the record (aside from the pop hooks, attributed pseudonymously to ‘Sunshine/Poltergeist’ ?!?) is Harner’s vocal, which is flexible enough to move between a smooth tenor and a soulful growl. He really is a seriously underrated singer, and his records are all worth picking up.

I hope you dig the tune (and dig a little deeper into Billy Harner).

See you all on Friday.

Keep the faith

Larry

____________________________________________________________________________

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

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, November 29, 2015 11:17 am

Skip Easterling

Listen/Download – Skip Easterling= I’m Your Hoochie Koochie Man MP3

Listen/Download – Skip Easterling – Ooh Poo Pah Do MP3

Listen/Download – Skip Easterling – Too Weak To Break the Chains MP3

Listen/Download – Skip Easterling – I’m Your Man MP3

Greetings all.

Late last week, while I was checking an old e-mail account and found a notification of a comment on the oldest version of the blog.

The comment itself was semi-cryptic, but when I followed it to the original post I realized that the commenter was telling me that James ‘Skip’ Easterling, one of the great blue-eyed soul singers out of New Orleans had passed away.

Oddly enough, initial searches turned up a death notice, but no mention in any of the local New Orleans papers (since remedied).

Easterling, long a favorite of mine had a recording career that lasted from 1961 into the mid 70s, making a string of 45s for New Orleans labels like Ron, Alon and Instant (he also had at least one self-released 45 that I’ve never heard).

Easterling got his start wavering between R&B and pop sounds, but by the time he went into the studio with Eddie Bo in 1967, he was firmly in the soul camp.

The record he made with Bo, ‘Keep the Fire Burning’ b/w ‘The Grass Is Greener’ is one of the finest mid-decade 45s to come out of the Crescent City, with a smoking dancer on one side and a heartfelt ballad on the flip.

Easterling’s sojourn with Bo was brief, and by 1970, he was in the studio with Huey Piano Smith, recording for Instant.

Smith’s late-period work for Instant is consistently good, and largely unheralded since so many of the post-3300 (catalog numbers, when Smith was doing most of his work for the label) 45s are very scarce (there are a bunch I’m still looking for).

Easterling’s first two 45s for Instant are his best, and oddly enough still fairly easy to track down.

His version of the old Willie Dixon standard ‘I’m Your Hoochie Koochie Man’ is a wild, smoothly funky reworking of the song that owes a debt to King Floyd’s ‘Groove Me’. The arrangement, with electric piano and tastefully applied horns (and flute!) is a subtle masterpiece.

The record was a hit in New Orleans and some other southern markets, but was sadly the high water mark of Easterling’s chart success.

The flip is a very nice version of Jesse Hill’s ‘Ooh Poo Pah Do’, which features a great vocal by Easterling and great playing by the band (listen to the electric piano ooze up through the mix).

His next 45 is one of those records that is painfully obscure, but ought to be regarded as one of the finest records to come out of New Orleans in the early 70s.

‘To Weak to Break the Chains’ (written by Huey Smith) combines, R&B, soul, funk and even a touch of timely psychedelia (dig that backwards guitar!), all wrapped in a stellar vocal performance by Easterling. The tune has an off-kilter, purely New Orleans rhythm to it, with some remarkable interplay between the drums, horns and rhythm guitar.

That record’s flipside, ‘I’m Your Man’ rolls in a slower groove, with some nice flute and vibes accents.

All told, Easterling laid down 15 (maybe 16) 45s in his career, and like so many great singers in New Orleans never really broke through outside the city limits despite the quality of his catalog.

He did continue to perform, appearing at at least one of the Ponderosa Stomp shows.

There was a UK compilation of his recordings that came out in the late 80s on the Charly label, but as far as I can tell, aside from some shady looking comps in iTunes, his work is almost completely out of print.

So dig these tunes, watch for a tribute on the Funky16Corners Radio Show in the new year, and raise a glass to a really groovy singer.

See you on Wednesday.

Keep the faith

Larry

____________________________________________________________________________

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

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, October 11, 2015 10:23 am

Ladies and Gentlemen, once again, Wayne Cochran!

Listen/Download – Wayne Cochran- Harlem Shuffle MP3

Greetings all.

What say we light us a fire under this week?

Repeated appearances of the mighty (and mightily quoiffed) Wayne Cochran here on the blog, and on the Funky16Corners Radio Show will attest to my admiration for the man and his music.

Cochran was in the first rank of white soul men in the 1960s, making some absolute killers for labels like Mercury, Chess and King, among them legendary sides like the unbeatable ‘Going Back to Miami’.

It was a while back, out digging in the field when I was lucky enough to happen upon the record you see before you today, Cochran’s version of the oft-recorded ‘Harlem Shuffle’.

Originally (and best-ly) done by Bob and Earl – it is impossible to beat that opening fanfare – ‘Harlem Shuffle’ was laid down many times over the years, vocally and instrumentally, by a string of soul and R&B performers.

Cochran waxed his take in 1965, and I’m here to tell you (though you really should pull down the ones and zeros and give it a spin yourself, because who are you going to believe, me or your own ears…) that it is among the best covers of the tune.

First off, Wayne Cochran hit everything like a sledgehammer, and he and his band plow into ‘Harlem Shuffle’ without a lick of mercy. The horns are up front, but it’s all about the bass guitar, which is the real furnace heating things up here.

Wayne himself is at his raw-voiced best, and I don’t doubt that were you to drop the needle on this the dance floor would fill up post haste.

The flip ‘Somebody Please’ is a great slice of JB/Famous Flames-influenced heat.

I hope you dig the track, 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 (2)

By Larry, May 28, 2015 10:13 am

Miss Mable John

Funky16Corners Presents: Same Time, Same Place

Eddie Jones – Let’s Stop Fooling Ourselves (Fairmount)
Andy Butler – Take Me (TRC)
Mable John – Same Time Same Place (Stax)
Steve Colt and the 45s – So far Away (RCA)
Vanguards – Somebody Please (Whiz)
Invincibles – Heart Full of Love(WB)
Tyrone Davis – Knock On Wood (Dakar)
Barbara Perry – Unlovable (Goldwax)
Ike and Tina Turner – Too Many Ties That Bind (Minit)
Carl Hall – You Don’t Know Nothing About Love (Loma)
Gloria Jones – When He Touches Me (Minit)
Soul Brothers Six – Somebody Else Is Loving My Baby (Atlantic)
Jackie Verdell – I’m Your Girl (Decca)
Grover Mitchell with St John and the Cardinals – Sweeter As the Days Go By (Josie)
Homer Banks – Lady of Stone (Minit)
Johnny and the Expressions – Something I Want To Tell You (Josie)
McKinley Travis – Baby Is There Something On Your Mind (Soultown)
Soul Clan – That’s How I Feel (Atlantic)
Walter Scott and the Kapers – I Want To Thank You (Ivanhoe)
William Bell – You Don’t Miss Your Water (Stax)

Listen/Download – Funky16Corners Presents: Same Time Same Place 110MB/Mixed MP3

Greetings all.

The end of the week is here, and so is this week’s episode of the Funky16Corners Radio Show. We come to you each and every Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio with the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove, all on original vinyl.

Also, the 2015 Funky16Corners Allnighter/Pledge Drive is approaching rapidly. There’s a grip of outstanding mixes ready to roll, so watch this space for details!

Speaking of original vinyl, the flow of it into the Funky16Corners Blogcasting Nerve Center and Record Vault has continued unabated, and inside that tidal wave of wax has been a goodly amount of those classic soul ballads.

As a collector/appreciator, I came to the world of ballads fairly late in the game, but I hve been making up for lost time.

So prodigious has been the accumulation, that I felt the time was right for a new ballad mix, so here it is.

There is a lot of southern soul in here, but also a couple of stylish west coast items, with stops in Chicago and Philadelphia as well.

As they say on the streets, ‘It’s all good’, but there are some highlights that bear mentioning.

You have to check out Andy Butler’s very groovy take on Bobby Womack’s ‘Take Me’, hardcore honky Steve Colt’s old-school JB-isms in ‘So Far Away’, the lo-fi, gospel-inflected perfection of the Invincibles’ ‘Heart Full of Love’, Ike and Tina bringing it on the b-side with ‘Too Many Ties That Bind’, Carl Hall’s epic ‘You Don’t Know Nothing About Love’, Gloria Jones covering Rodge Martin’s ‘When He Touches Me’, the mighty Soul Clan and ‘That’s How I Feel’ and reliably genius contributions from Mable John, Homer Banks, the Soul Brothers Six, Grover Mitchell, William Bell and many more.

What you get here is ‘Funky16Corners Presents: Same Time, Same Place’, an hour of the finest soulful pleading, shouting and wailing, reaching back into the amen corner, and out into heartbreak alley.

I’ve been spinning this one non-stop since putting it together, so you know it’ll be good.

I hope you dig it (spread the word), 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 (0)

By Larry, May 21, 2015 12:46 pm

R. Dean Taylor

Greetings all.

The end of the week is upon us, so I will remind you once again that the Funky16Corners Radio Show hits the airwaves of the interwebs each and every Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. If you can’t be there at airtime, you can subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, listen on your mobile device through the TuneIn app, or grab an MP3 here at the blog.

Don’t forget, the Funky16Corners 2015 Allnighter/Pledge Drive is coming up soon. The mixes have started rolling in, including some by some old faves, as well as a couple of stellar new contributors. Watch this space for details!

Today’s selection is one of those records that I could have sworn was featured here some time in the past 10 years, yet when I bucked down and did a search I discovered that aside from a few mix appearances, it had never gotten the spotlight.

Time to remedy that…

R. Dean Taylor was a Canadian-born singer/songwriter who had a few 45s under his belt when he signed on with Motown as a staff songwriter (and occasional recording artist) in 1964.

Over the next eight years he wrote for Motown (co-writing ‘Love Child’ for the Supremes, among other songs) and recorded for the subsidiaries VIP and Rare Earth.

He is best known for his 1970 pop hit ‘Indiana Wants Me’, yet hardcore soul fans will always swear by today’s selection, the 1966 classic ‘There’s a Ghost In My House’.

Co-written by Taylor with the Holland/Dozier/Holland juggernaut, ‘There’s a Ghost In My House’ is one of those Motown sides that should have been huge (imagine if it had been done by the Four Tops), but ended up getting lost in the shuffle.

Propelled by a powerful fuzz guitar lead, and a solid rhythm section (listen to that bass drum!), ‘There’s a Ghost In My House’ is a dance floor killer.

Though it didn’t hit here in the States, it became an in demand side in UK soul clubs, eventually becoming such a Northern Soul favorite that when it was reissued in the UK in 1974 it reached the Top 5 on the Pop charts!

It has long been a favorite of mine, and I can recall the day I finally found a copy (along with a grip of heavy Northern Soul 45s) digging in Philly about 15 years ago.

It is a staple in my play box, and still kind of sends a shiver up my spine when it starts playing.

I hope you dig it, too, 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 (3)

By Larry, May 12, 2015 11:50 am

Gene looking mean on a Euro P/S

Greetings all.

Whilst strolling through the back alleys of the windmills of my mind (and the to-be-blogged folder) I set eyes upon the blue-eyed soul smoker you see before you today, and decided to whip it on you all.

Though I suspect most of you vinyl types are at least familiar with the name Gene Pitney, and/or one of his many melodramatic hit singles of the 1960s, I wonder how many of you knew that he had something like ‘She’s a Heartbreaker’ up his sleeve.

I first heard (saw) the tune more than 30 years ago when someone passed along a VHS (remember those?) of bootlegged 1960s rock and soul TV appearances and promo videos. One of the clips in question was Pitney lip-synching ‘She’s a Heartbreaker’on some dance party show or other.

I was surprised by the tune, and dug it right away, yet managed to wait a few decades before I actually put my hands on the record.

Recorded and released in 1968, and marking the last time Pitney would hit the Top 40, ‘She’s a Heartbreaker’ is a killer tune, written by none other than Jerry ‘Swamp Dogg’ Williams and co-written and produced by Charlie (Inez and…) Foxx (though according to Swamp Dogg, it’s his joint and Charlie Foxx glommed his name onto it).

Propelled by a solid beat, some twangy electric sitar, a punchy horn section and some exciting strings, the real force behind ‘She’s a Heartbreaker’ is Pitney’s powerful voice. A performance like this makes you wonder why he didn’t do more like this, but considering his track record before and after this, I guess ol’ Gene knew where his bread was buttered.

That said, this is nothing less than a soul banger, and whether or not Gene Pitney saw fit to repeat its magic, it can stand on its own.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

_________________________________________________________________________________________

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

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.