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By Larry, September 16, 2018 10:56 am

Perez Prado

Listen/Download – Perez Prado – Mama A Go Go MP3

Greetings all.

You find music in the strangest places.

A few years back someone posted a psychotronic video, with a clip of a dancer from some old black and white grindhouse flick, but the music playing over the clip was wild.

It took some finagling, but after asking around and doing a little digging I discovered that the track was toady’s selection, ‘Mama A Go Go’ by Perez Prado.

Prado was a Cuban/Mexican bandleader, known as the King of the Mambo who had hits in the 50s with the original ‘Mambo No 5′, Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White’ and ‘Patricia’.

Originally released in 1967 on the United Artists LP ‘Concierto Para Bongo’, ‘Mama A Go Go’ is a crazy fusion of Latin boogaloo and 60s au go go.
The mixture of styles is unusual, but I’m a little shocked it wasn’t more prevalent. The collision of the two styles seems like a natural fit to me, with the hard percussion and the wailing combo organ.

The album as a whole is a very interesting mix of styles, with a few tracks (‘Estoy’ and ‘A Go Go’) following the pattern of ‘Mama A Go Go’, ‘Cayitano’ moving in a straighter boogaloo direction and ‘Fantasia’ and the title track going straight up Latin jazz.

The album must have been popular in some markets, as it was released in a number of countries in 1967, then reissued in Spain and the US in the 70s (this is a 1979 Raiz issue) then again in a few countries in the 80s, then on CD a number of times in the following decades.

There was also a 45 issue of this track and as far as I can tell it’s rarer and more expensive than the LP.

I hope you dig it and I’ll see you 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!

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By Larry, November 19, 2017 11:48 am

Machito

Listen/Download – Machito and His Orchestra – Baby I Love You MP3

Greetings all.

You already know that I’d fill a bathtub in Latin soul and roll around in it if I could (TMI??), so imagine my delight when I happened upon the 45 you see before you today.

I knew of the might Machito (aka Francisco Raúl Gutiérrez Grillo) who was recording rhumba as far back as the early 1950s.

Like so many of his contemporaries, faced with the rising popularity of boogaloo, Machito went into the studio in 1968 with arranger/composer Bert DeCoteaux and laid down an entire album of (mostly) Memphis soul covers (and one groovy DeCoteaux original).

The obviously-titled ‘Machito Goes Memphis’ is not only smoking hot from start to finish, but also (at the writing) still relatively inexpensive.

Machito and his orchestra cover Booker T and the MGs. Wilson Pickett, Otis Redding, Eddie Floyd, Sam Cooke, and on this track, Aretha Franklin.

The band hits a nice groove, with the drums, bass and percussion laying down the bottom. It is – like the rest of the album – a headnodder, just Latin enough for the boogaloo fans and soulful enough for everyone else (though a considerable crossover is to be expected).

As far as I can tell, Machito never took this direction again.

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

________________________________________________

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 27, 2016 10:42 am

Ronnie Marks (today)

Listen/Download – Ronnie Marks – Some Lonely Heart MP3

Greetings all.

The tune I bring you today made its way into my playbox via the generosity and knowledge of a friend, which is always a groovy thing.

Many, many years ago my man Haim and I were out digging at a record show when he passed a Fania 45 to me, saying ‘You need this. Soul 45 on Fania.’ Naturally that sounded like a tasty proposition, so I tossed the 45 on my stack, paid up and took it home.

Good thing I did, since not only is it a very cool 45, but Ronnie Marks has a very cool story.

I have always been fascinated by non-Latinos that made their mark in the boogaloo era, especially guys like Harvey Averne and Larry Harlow.

Something that also grabbed me, was how many great Latin soul records are credited to the bandleader, while someone else is actually handling the vocals (very, very common in boogaloo).

Today’s selection is an intersection of those two threads.

Ronnie Marks worked as a singer with Latin bands for relatively brief, bit important and particularly productive time in the late 60s and early 70s. He worked with both Mongo and Monguito Santamaria, as well as Johnny Pacheco.

Marks was the singer on Monguito’s ‘Juicy’ and ‘Hey Sister’, as well as Mongo pere’s classic ‘We Got Latin Soul’.

‘Some Lonely Heart’, released in 1971 and produced by Jerry Masucci and Harvey Averne is prime, blaxplo-era funky soul. There is a little bit of Latin percussion helping to keep the beat, but this tune could have appeared on an LP by the Four Tops or the Temptations without a single alteration.

It contrasts the funky backing with a nice string arrangement and interlude, and Marks’ vocals are top shelf.

As far as I can tell ‘Some Lonely Heart’ didn’t chart anywhere, which is a damn shame.

Ronnie Marks is still around today, and working on a comeback. Dig this interview with Antonio Caez.

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

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, July 28, 2016 11:53 am

Rulie Garcia

Listen/Download – Rulie Garcia and the East LA Congregation – Que Pasa (What’s Happening) MP3

Greetings all.

The end of the week is nigh, and so then is the Funky16Corners Radio Show, which drops each and every Friday with the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove, all on original vinyl. You can subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, listen on your mobile device via the TuneIn app, check it out on Mixcloud, or grab yourself an MP3 here at the blog.

If you follow Funky16Corners, Iron Leg or the podcasts associated with either blog, you have probabky heard me going on about my love for the East LA Chicano music scene of the 60s and 70s.

The most famous proponents of the sound, groups like Cannibal and the Headhunters, Thee Midniters, the Premiers, El Chicano and the Village Callers, are known for their mixing of Latino music, rock, R&B and soul and making some extremely cool records.

I have made chasing down and collecting these records a minor sideline (minor, since some of these 45s and LPs are extremely rare) and try to discover as much as I can about the musicians.

Today’s selection is a record by one of the busiest, yet more mysterious characters on the East LA scene, Rulie Garcia, aka Johnny Chingas, aka The Brown Brothers of Soul.

You can Google him all you like, but aside from the records his made, there’s not a lot of info out there about him.

It would appear that his real name was Raul Garcia, and that he was recording – at least as a sideman – as early as the late 1950s.

He recorded music under all of the names listed above (including the East LA Hammond classic ‘Cholo’ on Specialty in 1971) and was especially active in the 80s (he died in 1992, only 52 years old).

The record I bring you today is the last of three singles he recorded for United Artists in 1972 and 1973 as Rulie Garcia and the East LA Congregation.

‘Que Pasa (What’s Happening)’ is – like much of his other work – a celebration of low rider culture.

The song features a funky beat, fuzz guitar, lots of Latin percussion and Garcia’s raspy growl.

Though none of his records made the national charts, there is evidence that he had a significant following in Southern California, selling tons of records locally, some on his own Billionaire label.

That all said, if you head on over to Youtube and seek out the sounds associated with his various and sundry aliases, you will discover that he played all kinds of music.

I hope you dig the track, and keep your eyes (and ears) peeled for more East LA stuff in the future.

See you 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.

PS Head over to Iron Leg too.

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By Larry, July 21, 2015 12:55 pm

Ricardo Ray

Listen/Download – Ricardo Ray – Cool Jerk MP3

Greetings all.

It was not all that long ago, whilst browsing through the crates looking for something cool to blog about, that I pulled out an old fave, ‘Let’s Get Down To the Real Nitty Gritty’ by Ricardo Ray.

Ray was one of the first line boogaloo exponents during the classic mid-to-late 60s era, waxing heat for the Alegre label on his own and in partnership with Bobby Cruz.

The 45 version of his cover of Shirley Ellis’s ‘Nitty Gritty’ (which was a regional hit in 1968) has been a staple of my playbox for close to 20 years, so when I happened upon a copy of the LP from whence it came, I had to have it.

As boogaloo LPs go, ‘Let’s Get Down to the Real Nitty Gritty’ is very solid stuff indeed. Composed almost entirely of soul and R&B cover material, and played by Ray’s extra-hot band, it packs a punch from beginning to end.

The versions of ‘Nitty Gritty’ and Don Covay’s ‘Sookie Sookie’ are especially hot, but the one I’m here to preach about today sees Ricardo heading to Detroit.

When he covered the Capitols’ ‘Cool Jerk’ the tune was only a few years old, and a significant hit. Ray and band really lay into the song, with a heavy bass line, latin percussion and some very heavy drums (please to dig the breakdown at around 1:25).

In other hands, covering the song may have seemed a fools errand (why mess with perfection?) but Ray and his orchestra really bring something new and hot to the tune.

I hope you dig it, and I’ll 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.

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By Larry, March 17, 2015 12:05 pm

Willie Bobo

Greetings all.

I thought I’d whip a little Latin jazz/boogaloo on you to usher you over the hump.

One would assume that most of you were already familiar with the music of the mighty Willie Bobo.

Though Bobo came up as a percussionist with leaders like George Shearing, Cal Tjader and Mongo Santamaria, he made his biggest mark as a solo artist.

His 1960s Verve recordings are not only excellent, but were popular enough that they are still fairly easy to track down.

His cover of Len Barry’s ‘1-2-3’ (rendered here as ‘1-2-3 (Uno Dos Tres)’ was the title track from Bobo’s 1965 LP of the same name.

Taken at a brisk pace, with some tasty horns and the sinuous of guitar by Gabor Szabo, it’s not hard to imagine a discotheque full of swingers grooving to this one.

Grab yourself a copy of the 45, and you also get the mighty ‘Fried Neckbones and Some Home Fries’ on the flip.

If you haven’t got any Bobo heating up your crates, get out there and start digging. You will not regret it.

I hope you dig the sounds.

See you 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.

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By Larry, September 4, 2014 4:00 pm

Ray Barretto

Listen/Download Ray Barretto – Mercy Mercy Baby

Listen/Download Urban Dance Squad – A Deeper Shade of Soul

Greetings all

The end of the week is finally here, so that means it’s time to hoist your antenna, fire up the radiola and twist the knobs until the dulcet tones of the Funky16Corners Radio Show come spilling out of the speakers. This can be experienced every Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio, and you can also subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, or grab and MP3 here at Funky16Corners.

I have posted many a tune by the mighty Ray Barretto in this space over the years, including a couple from the album you see before you today.

You could ascribe this to laziness or lack of imagination on my part, or you could come correct and deal with the fact that Barretto’s 1968 opus ‘Acid’ is one of the greatest albums in the history not only of Latin soul, but music in general.

I mean, honestly…’Soul Drummers’, ‘A Deeper Shade of Soul’ and today’s selection, ‘Mercy Mercy Baby’ on the same LP??

Barretto was on fire, laying down ‘Hard Hands’, ‘Acid’, ‘Together’ and ‘Barretto Power’ all between 1968 and 1971, working the boogaloo/Latin soul/funk vibe as well as crafting more traditional sounds.

‘Mercy Mercy Baby’ opens with rolling bass and piano, before a tasty horn section joins in, along with the master’s congas, and vocals by Jimmy Sabater and Willie Torres.

It’s a great one for the dance floor, and ought to have folks singing along with the band.

I also have a bit of a bonus track for you today.

I have to be honest when I tell you that the first time I ever heard Ray Barretto, wasn’t on one of his records, but through a sample.

Back in 1989, I picked up the first album by the Dutch group Urban Dance Squad, having heard and dug the cut ‘Deeper Shade of Soul’ (probably via MTV, so there’s that…).

It was an early days mixture of live band, rap and turntablism, with a mellow, stoner vibe that I dug then, and still dig today.

It wasn’t until a few years later, when my man Haim passed on the CD reissue of ‘Acid’ that I realized that ‘Deeper Shade of Soul’ was built on a Barretto sample, and having dug the source and the source-erer, I dug it all the more.

Flash forward to earlier this year, and while out a-digging, what do I find but a 45 issue of the UDS tune, and I figured, since I was whipping a little Barretto on you to close out the week, I’d toss the Urban Dance Squad into the pot to thicken the stew, as it were.

So, dig that, 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.

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By Larry, March 27, 2014 11:48 am

Carlos Malcolm (right) at work in the studio

Listen/Download Carlos Malcolm – Don’t Walk

Greetings all

The week is coming to a close once again, so I will take this opportunity to remind you that the Funky16Corners Radio Show takes to the airwaves of the interwebs 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 or by grabbing an MP3 at the blog.

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Before we get started today, I should mention that Funky16Corners turns up (#73) in the Style of Sound list of the Top 100 Most Influential Music Blogs.

This is very groovy indeed (nice to know, as always, that someone is out there digging what I do), but also cause for a few thoughts about music blogging over the long haul.

Funky16Corners will reach its 10th anniversary this November, and things – as they often do on the interwebs – have changed drastically during that time.

By any measure, the ‘boom’ days of music blogging have passed. Traffic has slacked off considerably since the heady days of the mid-to-late aughts when blogs seemed to be appearing (and dropping away) at a remarkable rate.

I don’t know what the actual stats are, but from personal experience I can say that most blogs don’t last very long at all, few getting past the first few posts, and those that do closing down over time, either  due to lack of interest from the blogger or their audience.

Many of the best remembered music blogs have gone the way of the dodo, though if you take a stroll through my blogroll there are still lots of great ones out there, like Fleamarket Funk, Soul Sides (which appears adjacent to F16C in the list), The B-Side, AM, Then FM and Home of the Groove.

When I look at the Style of Sound list, there are only a half dozen or so names I recognize, which I think says a lot about how much the blogging landscape has changed since I got involved in 2004.

That said, check out the list, and click around. You might discover something cool.

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Today’s selection is another one of those reminders that it always pays to register the important facts, and use them to dig a little deeper when you can.

As a funk fan (with a minor in the Jamaican variety thereof) I was already familiar with the name Carlos Malcolm.

‘Straight Out of the Ghetto’, by Malcolm and his band the Fireburners (oddly enough, also recorded for an American label, Ahmad Jamal’s AJP imprint) is a killer bit of funk.

What I did not know, until I spied an LP on a friend’s sale list, was that Malcolm had been recording well before that tune, with a very interesting history indeed.

Born in Panama to Jamaican parents, Malcolm spent time in both of those countries growing up, eventually becoming a successful bandleader in Jamaica during the 50s and 60s.

He had recorded ska in Jamaica, but came to New York in the late 60s to record for the Roulette label.

The album he recorde for Roulette, 1968’s ‘Don’t Walk: Dance’ is an interesting mix of sounds, including jazz, latin, and as you’ll hear in today’s selection, a bit of boogaloo.

The album’s title (sort of) track, ‘Don’t Walk’ is an outstanding example of the kind of mixture Malcolm was working with at the time. It sounds like a Latinized variation on Lee Morgan’s ‘Sidewinder’, mixing percussion (vibes and drums) with waves of horns, with the trombones (Malcolm’s instrument) and trumpets playing a call and response game.

The whole thing has a very groovy mid-60s discotheque feel, danceable, but with some juice for your ears as well.

Malcolm, who spent a fair amount of time living and working (not always as a musician) here in the US, left music for a time (working in publishing) but returned to it in the 1990s.

I hope you dig the track, 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 (1)

By Larry, July 18, 2013 11:24 am

Harvey Averne

Listen/Download Harvey Averne Band – Run Away Child Running Wild

Greetings all

The end of the week is nigh, so I will instruct you once again to twist the knobs on your Radiola until you dial into the Funky16Corners Radio Show, this and every Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio.

If you are otherwise disposed, you can subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, or grab an MP3 download out of the archive at the blog.

The cut I bring you today is an especially tasty bit of Latin funk, which I featured in an old Funky16Corners Radio mix back in the day.

If you have even a passing knowledge of the world of Latin soul and boogaloo, then the name Harvey Averne should be a familiar one.

Through the 60s and 70s, Averne was one of the major proponents of New York-based Latin soul and funk (and eventually salsa).

A vibraphonist and bandleader, Averne, like Latin music giant Larry Harlow, was not latino at all, but rather a Jew from the outer boroughs of New York.

The recordings he made in the 60s, for labels like Atlantic, Fania and Uptite are prime examples of the sound, and big favorites of mine as well.

The track I bring you today is a cover of the Temptations 1969 hit ‘Run Away Child (Running Wild)’.

You get lots of groovy piano, Latin percussion, and of course Avernes ringing vibes laying down a very cool version of the Whitfield/Strong classic.

Released in either 1969 or 1970 (I haven’t been able to nail down the date), ‘Runaway Child (Running Wild)’ is another great example of Averne taking source material from outside the Latin world and laying a little sabor in the grooves.

His treatment of the Temps classic is every bit as danceable as the OG, and then some.

Uptite was a very interesting label, releasing only 45s on between 1969 and 1971 by Averne, Joe Bataan, the 125th St Candy Store, Parrish and a few others.

Most of the 45s aren’t too hard to come by, with the marked exception of Averne’s ‘Never Learned To Dance’ which is exceptionally rare and expensive.

I hope you dig the sounds and I’ll see you in a few days.

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 (10)

By Larry, May 26, 2013 1:01 pm

Greetings all.

Welcome to the 2013 Funky16Corners Allnighter and Pledge Drive.

Those of you that fall by F16C on the reg will already be familiar with our yearly do, in which I ask some of the finest selectors I know to dip into their crates and put together mixes (from a wide variety of styles, but always soulful) for your listening pleasure.

This being the interwebs, with the selectors coming to you from points all over the map (NJ, New Zealand, NY, UK, Ohio, Minnesota), and all of you good people spread even further afield, we get together for this virtual “Allnighter” (in the tradition of the great soul clubs the world over) once a year.

There are two basic reasons for this, both equally important.

First and foremost, we try to raise some dough (via Paypal donation, see links below) to fund the server costs associated with keeping Funky16Corners (and Iron Leg) up and running. This includes the regular, thrice-weekly blog posts, as well as the Podcast, Soul Club, Guest Mix and Radio Show Archives (collectively holding well over 200 mixes of all kinds).

Second, is of course the fact that music – to paraphrase Willie the Shake – is the food of life, and so we assemble here to play on.

Blogging is for many – creators and readers alike – a transitory thing, but for the selectors here, and for many of the people that stop by here on a regular basis, music, especially soul, funk and jazz is life. These are no mere “collectors’. The mix-makers that you see here (and in all the previous years) have devoted a tremendous amount of time (not to mention,resources) to studying the sounds you will soon hear pouring out of your speakers.

Just the other day I saw someone bemoaning the overuse of the word “curating”, but I assure you that it applies to the work of every one of the people involved in this enterprise.

We all collect these sounds because we love them, but we have also all spent time sharing them, on blogs, and more importantly in live venues because we want to spread the word.

When I approach my fellow DJs to put together mixes for the Allnighter, I do so with complete confidence that they will select to impress, and impress they have.

What you here is roughly eight-and-a-half hours (in nine mixes) of the finest in funk, soul, latin, rocksteady, blues, disco, and Northern, put together by some of the best in the biz.

Funky16Corners is – and always has been – a not-for-profit enterprise. I have never taken ads here at the site and hopefully never will.

What I ask, is that if you dig what we do here, and you have the resources to do so, please throw a couple of bucks our way to keep the machine running for another year.

Everyone that donates five dollars or more will receive a Funky16Corners 2013 Allnighter Badge, F16C sticker, and one of our Keep Calm and Stay Funky stickers as well.

The Funky16Corners Blog will enter its 10th year of existence this year and though I’d probably still be at it if no one was paying attention, it’s much cooler doing it for folks like you!

So, I’ll offer you my thanks once again, and hopefully we’ll all be together again this time next year for more of the same.

Keep the Faith
Larry

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Click here to donate to Funky16Corners!

NOTE: It has been brought to my attention that the donation button has been experiencing technical difficulties. If you can’t get it to work, you can always log into Paypal and send the money to this address:

funky16corners@lycos.com

Thanks

Larry

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The Soul City – Everybody Dance Now (Goodtime)
Ross D Wyllie – Do the Uptight (A&M)
Popular Five – Little Bitty Pretty One (Minit)
Chuck Jackson and Maxine Brown – Can’t Let You Out of My Sight (Wand)
The Naked Truth – The Shingaling Thing (RCA)
Brenda Lee – Time and Time Again (Decca)
Derek Martin – Sly Girl (Tuba)
Shirelles – No Doubt About It (Scepter)
Robert Walker and the Soul Strings – The Blizzard (RCA)
The Trends – The Soul Clap (ABC)
The Tempests – Would You Believe (Smash)
Robert John – Raindrops, Love and Sunshine (A&M)
Kim Weston – Helpless (Gordy)
Earl Cosby – Ooh Honey Baby (Mirwood)
Four Pennies – You’re a Gas With Your Trash (Brunswick)
Ray Charles – I Don’t Need No Doctor (ABC)
Jo Armstead – I Feel an Urge (Giant)
Soul Sisters – Good Time Tonight (Sue)
OV Wright – Baby Mine (Goldwax)
The Velvelettes – He Was Really Saying Something (VIP)
Ronnie Love – Chills and Fever (Dot)
Little Caesar and the Empires – Everybody Dance Now (Inst) (Cameo/Parkway)

‘Everybody Dance Now’ is just under an hour of top shelf, hard charging Northern Soul, including some old faves as well as a grip of recently excavated heat that I think you’ll dig (and a couple of surprises too!).

Listen/Download Funky16Corners – Everybody Dance Now!
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Tony C: Feeling Good F16C Pledge drive 2013
Jean Dushon-Feeling good-Cadet
Merced Blue Notes-Whole lotta nothing-Tri Phi
Junior Wells-I’m gonna cramp your style-Bright Star
The Marvels-Forget about that mess-Sensation
Buddy Ace-Baby please don’t go-Duke
Buddy Greco-Twistin’ to the blues-Coronet
JJ Barnes-Won’t you let me in-Rich
The Charmaines-I idolise you-Kent
Joe Simon-Troubles-Hush
The Young Holt Trio-Ain’t there something that money can’t buy-Brunswick
Sonny Raye-Whip it on me-Jetstream
Pearl Woods-Sippin’ sorrow-Charge
BB King-16 tons-Crown
Ricardo Ray-Nitty Gritty-Alegre
Jack Constanzo-Evil ways-Discomoda
Willie Bobo-Be’s that way-Tico
Charlie Palmieri-Uptight-Atlantic
Tito Ramos-Big T-Cotique
The Beginning Of The End-Come down baby-Alston
The Soul Creations-Funky jive-GES
Tommy Wills-KC drive-Juke
Spanky Wilson-You-Mothers
Big Ella-It takes a lot of loving-Lo Lo
Eddie Parker-I need a true love-Triple ‘B’ Records

Tony Crampton is a UK based DJ/Collector whose mixes should be immediately familiar to readers of Funky16Corners. He has excellent taste, and gets frequent shout-outs here at F16C for records that he first put me onto.

Listen/Download Tony C: Feeling Good
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Kris Holmes – Greenville and Beyond

Slim Willis – I Say That
Little Eddie – There’ll Be A Day
Virgil Griffin – If You Can’t Go
The Trademarques – I Can Set You Free
Chick Willis – My Bowlegged Woman
Heavenly Kings Singers – If You Wake Up In The Morning
Vikki Styles – Mark My Words
The Premiers – Funky Monkey
The Perails – Boss Walk
The Cherries – You Know You Gonna Need Me
Vicki Williams – Your Love Makes Me Stay
L. Johnson Jr. – You Gotta Have Soul
W. Williams & Sonny Wash – Don’t Lie To Me Lover
Spencer Jackson Family – Bring Back Peace To The World
Johnny Littlejohn – Can’t Be Still
Johnny Nix – Matchbox
Pops Porter – Baby Put Your Legs Upside The Wall
Willie Buck – Get Down & Disco To The Blues
Bobby Williams – Soul Party
Ervin Little – Teach Me How To Boogaloo

Kris Holmes ‘Greenville and Beyond’ mix is an extension of the website he created to track the wide variety of records associated with several Greenville, Mississippi labels and their Chicago connections. Kris is one of the premier DJ/Collectors in New Zealand, rocking it in live venues and on his show the Sunday Shuffle on Radio Ponsonby (which can be heard Saturday nights here in the US). He has exquisite taste, and has been a big influence on new additions to the crates here at Funky16Corners.

Listen/Download Kris Holmes – Greenville and Beyond
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Reaching Onward – A FleamarketFunk.com All 45 Excursion
Studio G’s Beat Group – Hi Bird/ Licorice Soul
Quantic and His Combo Barbaro – Enyere Kumbara/ Tru Thoughts
Lonnie liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes – Goddess of Love/ Flying Dutchman
Big Pimp Jones – The Smokeout/ Recordbreakin’
Hard Proof – Dragon/ Kept Records
The Jive Turkeys – No Answer/ Colemine
Yambu – Sunny/ Motuno
The T.M.G.’s – Agravation/ Funk 45
The DT6 – Don’t Doubt Me/ Starla
East L.A. Carpool – Linda Chicana/ GRC
Victor Green – The Ghetto/ Rejoint
Sir Ali Bengal – ABX (Instrumental)/ Our Label Records
Banda União Black – Yeah Yeah Yeah/ Vampi Soul

A Word from DJ Prestige

“Once again I’m honored to put together a guest mix for Larry at Funky 16 Corners. Today I’ve dug into my collection of 45s and pulled out a bunch of sides that I built around the intro from Sun-Ra. For the most part, these 45s represent a lot of the future of Funk, Soul, and who will be carrying on the torch of funky music in general in the years to come playing right along side a few older tracks that lend themselves nicely to this mix. Record labels like Colemine, who offer up The Jive Turkeys, Kept, who give us the Afro Beat of Hard Proof out of Austin, TX, The DT6 on Starla coming out of Scotland, Big Pimp Jones from Philly on Recordbreakin’, Our Records Label and Sir Ali Bengal out of Germany, and Quantic out of the UK represent a small amount of artists doing it like they did in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Some of these limited edition 7″s will be the sought after 45s in years to come. They’re recorded in the same manner as the originators, and each band lends it unique sound to the time line of music. I’ve also included some older sides such as Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes, a Disco Soul cover of “Sunny” by Yambu, a Latin influenced Donnie Hathaway cover from Victor Green, some Psychedelic Library Hammond Funk from Studio G’s Beat Group, as well as some West Coast Lowrider Soul with East L.A. Carpool. Each one of these bands, no matter if it the present day or the past has been reaching outward to put out good music, and that’s what I want to do with this mix. Please enjoy. DJ Prestige, Flea Market Funk 2013″

Listen/Download DJ Prestige: Reaching Onward
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Tarik Thornton: TCB
James Black and the Southern University Stage Band- Ole Wine ( Intro)- Whit
Oliver Morgan- Roll Call- Seven B
Gene Chandler- Soul Hootenany Part 1- Constellation
Temptations- Girl, Why You Wanna Make Me Blue- Gordy
Little Eva- Get Ready/Uptight- Spring
Seven Souls – I Still Love You- Okeh
Natural Four-I Thought you Were Mine – ABC
Claude Huey- Drifting – M.I.O.B
Richard Brown- Sweet & Kind- SteeleTown
Gino Washington- What Can A Man Do- Washpan
Charles Brimmer- This Feeling in My Heart- Broadmoor
The Pearls – Shooting High- Lamp
The Symphonic Four- Who Do You Think Your Fooling Part II- Sudan
Bob & Gene- It’s Not What You Know It’s Who You Know
Aaron Neville- Hercules- Mercury
Willie Joe – Funny Thing- Pure Black Soul
Detroit Emeralds- You’re Getting Too Smart- Westbound
Eddie Floyd- Stealing Love- Stax
The 13th Amendment – The Stretch – Slave
James Brown – I’ll Go Crazy – King

Tarik Thornton is a New Orleans native who has relocated to the Midwest. He has worked as part of a number of top DJ crews, and guested at some of the hottest nights around the country. He is always digging, and never fails to bring the heat.

Listen/Download Tarik Thornton – TCB
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Prime Mundo: Positive/Negative – A Live Mixtape
alzo & udine – c’mon and join us (mercury)
jim ford – i wanta make her love me (sundown)
truth – i can’t go on (roulette)
southside movement – i’ve been watching you (20th century)
stevie wonder – i was made to love her (tamla)
trapeze – what is a woman’s role (threshold)
bo diddley – go for broke (chess)
yardbirds – baby what’s wrong (sire)
fiesta dance party – summertime (fiesta)
jesse morrison – tell me, can you feel it (a-bet)
edwin starr – easin’ in (motown)
charles spurling – popcorn charlie (king)
the watts 103rd street rhythm band – 65 bars and a taste of soul (warner bros)
gilberto sextet – yes i will part 1 (tico)
albert collins – thaw out (blue thumb)
jerry maccain – juicy lucy (jewel)
charlie earland – sing a simple song (prestige)
aluar horns (nonesuch)
mongo santamaria – fingers (vaya)

DJ Prime Mundo is one of the OG Asbury Park 45 Sessions crew. He’s got a spectacular ear for the finest in funk, soul and jazz his turntable skills are next level. No matter how much you think you know, you will always find  something new to dig in his mixes.

Listen/Download DJ Prime Mundo – Positive/Negative
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DJ Bluewater Presents: Turn To This Sound
The Vibrators – I’m Depending On You
Alton Ellis – The Preacher
Roland Alphonso – How Soon
The Fugitives – Cantelope Rock
The Maytals – Bim Today Bam Tomorrow
Roy Shirley – The Prophet
Prince Buster’s All Stars – All In My Mind
The Gaylads – Joy In The Morning
The Uniques – My Woman’s Love
The Modifies – Death In The Arena
Slim Smith – Burning Desire
Glen Adams – Mighty Organ
The Dee Set – I Know A Place
Max Romeo – She’s But A Little Girl
Roy Shirley – Don’t Be Afraid
The Gladiators – Fling It Gimme
Sound Dimension – More Scorcher
Tony Brevett – Don’t Get Weary
The Ethiopians – Selah
The Rulers – Let My People Go
Lee Perry – Whup Whop Man
Teddy King & Prince Buster – Mexican Divorce
Derrick Morgan – Too Bad
The Soul Brothers – Windell
Ken Boothe & Norma Frazer – Give Me The Right

DJ Bluewater is another member of the Asbury Park 45 Sessions crew. He is as deep into the rocksteady 45 game as he is with funk and soul. He has been contributing mixes to the Funky16Corners Pledge Drives since the beginning.

Listen/Download DJ Bluewater – Turn To This Sound

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Funkdefy: Take Time To Know Her
Roy “C” – I Found-A-Man In My Bed – Pan Records
The Esquires – Listen To Me – Bunky Records
Tony Fox – Do It To It – Calla Records
The Soul Sisters – Think About The Good Times – Sue Records
Bobby Lewis – Tossin’ and Turnin’ – Beltone
Charles Spurling – Popcorn Charlie – King
William Alexander, Jr. and the Dukes – Give Me One More Chance – Aphrodisiac
Mary Jane Hooper – That’s How Strong Love Is – World Pacific Audition Records
Harvey Scales – What’s Good For You (Don’t Have to be Good to You) – Stax Records
Jay Dee Bryant – Get It (Come On and Get It) – Enjoy Records
Johnnie Taylor – Take Care Of Your Homework – Stax
J. J. Jackson – But It’s Alright – Calla Records
Otis Redding – Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag (Live) – ATCO Records
Tony Clarke – Ghetto Man – Chicory Records
Don Gardner – My Baby Likes To Boogaloo – Tru-Glo-Town
Dyke And The Blazers – Funky Bull Pt. 1 – Original Sound
George Torrence & The Naturals – Lickin’ Stick – Shout
Billy Stewart – Summertime – Chess
Percy Sledge – Take Time To Know Her – Atlantic

A Word from DJ RP

FUNKDEFY, located in Columbus Ohio, is the longest running Funk-N-Soul dance party of Central Ohio. Founded in 2004, the Crew is an ensemble group of crate diggers and beat battlers. Not only have they been throwing monthly all vinyl dance parties, but in years past introduced live Soul to Columbus, heating up the city with their combination of dance parties on wax mixed with some incredible live bands, including The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker, The Budos Band and Eli “Paperboy” Reed & The True Loves. The following contribution was put together by founder DJ RP for your audio pleasure. You can hear other mixes of theirs on Soundcloud and see updates about them on Facebook. The crew hopes you will become part of, and a friend of, the funky collective.

Listen/Download Funkdefy – Take Time To Know Her
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F16C Presents: Are You Ready For This
Jackson Sisters – I Believe In Miracles (Prophecy)
Brothers – Are You Ready For This (RCA)
Papa John Creach – Joyce (Tom Moulton Mix) (Buddah)
Johnny Hammond Smith – Los Conquistadores Chocolates (Milestone)
Eddie Kendricks – Going Up In Smoke (Tamla)
Muscle Shoals Horns – Breakdown (Bang)
Charles Mann – Do It Again (ABC)
Touch – Love Hangover (Breaking Down) (Brunswick)
Lyn Collins – Rock Me Again & Again & Again & Again & Again & Again (People)
JBs – All Aboard the Funky Soul Train (Polydor)
Silvetti – Spring Rain (Salsoul)
Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes – Bad Luck (Tom Moulton Remix) (Philadelphia International)
Ray Charles – Compared to What (Atlantic)

‘Are You Ready For This’ includes all manner of funky disco, disco-y funk, and even a couple of similarly inclined tunes from the Northern Soul canon. Mostly 45s, a couple of 12’s and an LP track here and there.

Listen/Download Funky16Corners – Are You Ready For This?
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If you want one of the new Funky16Corners stickers (free, of course) click here for info.

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Comments (0)

By Larry, May 7, 2013 10:30 am

The Coasters

Listen/Download The Coasters – Cool Jerk

Greetings all

I hope the middle of the week finds you all well.

The Coasters loom large in the transition from R&B to soul, especially in relation to their work with the mighty Leiber and Stoller.

Their ATCO recordings, stretching from the mid-50s to the mid-60s are unmatchable.

Unfortunately for all concerened, the Coasters had their last taste of chart action in 1964.

The years after they left ATCO were commercially unsuccessful, yet – no surprise here – artistically rewarding.

Though the group bounced between a few different labels (Date, Turntable, King) they continued to work with Leiber and Stoller and their later catalog, though often hard to come by, is quite good.

The tune I bring you today hails from the tail end of the group’s productive years (i.e. making new material as opposed to capitalizing on old ones).

Though I don’t know how they ended up on King, they recorded three 45s and an LP for the label, all released in the early 70s.

The LP contains re-recordings (or possibly remixes) of Date material like ‘D.W. Washburn’, ‘Soul Pad’ and ‘Down Home Girl’ as well as new material.

The tune I bring you today is another cover, but with a very cool twist.

‘Cool Jerk’ first recorded by the Capitols in 1966 is reworked with distinctly Latin touch.

Not only do you get the Leiber and Stoller production, but the arrangement is by Marty Sheller and the orchestra is conducted by none other than Larry Harlow. I’m not sure if it is in fact Orchestra Harlow, but it certainly sounds like it.

The pairing of the Coasters with the boogaloo sound is an inspired one and makes me wish that they’d done more in this vein*. Their King material was released between 1971 and 1973, though it all sounds to me like it was recorded on the earlier end of the time line.

It’s a fantastic dance floor mover, and I hope you dig it.

Keep the faith

Larry

*The LP version of ‘Love Potion Number 9’ sounds like the same band but the 45 labels I’ve seen don’t provide a credit in that regard
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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, January 13, 2013 2:40 pm

Sunny Ozuna

Listen/Download Sunny and the Sunliners – My Dream

Greetings all

I thought I’d get the week off to a very mellow start.

About a month ago there was a discussion on an internet message board I frequent about favorite b-sides.

One of the records posted was a disc that I recognized immediately as having already owned.

The catch being that I had never listened – all the way through anyway – to the side that was posted.

The record in question was ‘My Dream’ by Sunny and the Sunliners.

I do not recall exactly when (or how) I bought the 45 in question, but I do know that I picked it up for the (actual) b-side, a funky cover of Tender Joe Richardson’s ‘Hip Huggin’ Mini’.

Though it’s entirely possible I dropped the needle on the other side of the record, I’m sure I lifted it again as soon as I heard that it was a ballad, an act of sacrilege that places the acquisition of the 45 many years in the past, when I was still prone to doing unpleasant things like that.

Anyhow…my curiosity piqued, I dug out the 45, placed it upon the Edison machine and was promptly poleaxed.

First and foremost because the music coming out of the victrolinator was a very smooth, very groovy bit of low-rider soul, but also because I had not noticed (this story being a long string of ignorant moves) that this side of the record – ‘My Dream’ – was also a cover, this time of the tune by the Harvey Averne Dozen (another unjustly ignored b-side already in my crates).

Sunny and the Sunliners (connected to The Sunglows but ultimately a different band, see Ana-B’s comment below) were a mostly Chicano R&B/soul band from San Antonio, TX that hit the R&B charts three different times in 1963 and 1964.

Though they were away from the national charts after that they continued to record through the 60s and 70s.

Led by vocalist Sunny Ozuna, they cooked up a very tasty stew of R&B, soul, rock and even a bit of funk, not at all unusual in 1960s Texas, but done especially well in their case.

It seems that ‘My Dream’ charted locally in 1968 (the original versions of both sides were released that year), and then again, two years later in Hawaii!?!

‘My Dream’ is el supremo, back seat makeout music, with some sweet falsetto backing vocals and some especially nice lead guitar.

It’s one of those records that you’ll find yourself listening to over and over again, digging into the sound and appreciating something new every time.

I hope you dig it too 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.