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By Larry, June 16, 2014 12:53 pm

14 @45rpm For Funky 16 Corners
A Mix By: HeavySoulBrutha

1. Hot Ice Company – I Got The Love You Need (Lionel)
2. Betty Harris – Mean Man (Sansu)
3. Little Milton – If You Talk In Your Sleep (Stax)
4. Z.Z. Hill – You Better Take Time (Audrey)
5. Syl Johnson – I’m Yours (Hi)
6. Junior Parker – Love Ain’t Nothin’ But A Business Goin’ On (Groove Merchant)
7. The Menzies Family – Country Drums (CMC)
8. Paul Humphrey & His Cool Aid Chemists – Cool Aid (Lizard)
9. Howard McGee & The Blazers – House Warmin’ Part 1 (Winley)
10. James Brown and the Famous Flames – Just Plain Funk (King)
11. Otis Redding – Nobody’s Fault But Mine (ATCO)
12. The Droptones – Don’t Get Caught (Colemine)
13. Benny Latimore – Move And Groove Together (Dade)
14. Della Humphrey – Don’t Make The Good Girls Go Bad (Arctic)

Listen/Download Funky16Corners Presents: HeavySoulBrutha – 14@45RPM

HUGE thanks to Larry for allowing me to participate. Funky16Corners was so influential in me starting to search out old records. I can’t thank Larry enough for all he does for the record digging community. Show your support for probably the best music treasure in the world and donate to keep Funky16Corners the gem that it truly is! Peace and SOUL… HSB

 

NOTE: Greetings all.
Today I have the pleasure of bringing you a mix from a new contributor to the Allnighter (but an old friend), HeavySoulBrutha Dave B from the ‘Put the Needle On the Record’ blog.
Dave is another guy with deep crates and exceptional taste in music, which is reflected in the high quality of the mix he has contributed.
It is a distinct pleasure to add him to the line up.
Dig it, and I’ll see you tomorrow!
Larry

____________________________________________________________________________________________
Contest!

Anyone that donates today to the Allnighter/Pledge Drive will (in addition to getting the badge and stickers) be entered into a random drawing for a copy of the new Cultures of Soul comp, ‘Andy Smith’s Jam Up Twist USA featuring Deano Sounds’. This is a very groovy collection of wild R&B and soul put together by one of the UK’s premier selectors.
There will be more drawings over the next week for CDs by Fantastic Voyage, Light In the Attic and 45s from Cultures of Soul!

___________________________________________________________________________

The winner of Monday’s Secret Stash Sonny Knight CD is Bianca Powell!
___________________________________________________________________________

Greetings all

Welcome to the 2014 edition of the Funky16Corners Allnighter/Pledge Drive.

This is the ninth annual Pledge Drive, and the fifth Allnighter.

If you haven’t experienced the Allnighter/Pledge Drive, it can be explained as thus: once a year, the Funky16Corners Blog, your home for the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove vinyl for almost 10 years comes to you with hand outstretched, asking for donations to offset the operating expenses of the web site.

The Funky16Corners ‘operation’ (as it is) included the Funky16Corners and Iron Leg blogs, the mix archives for both (containing well over 200 mixes), and the Funky16Corners Radio Show/Podcast (another 200+ files available for download, or through subscription in iTunes).

The money raised during the pledge drive goes to pay for the server space and fees associated with hosting the whole megillah.

As has been attested to many times in the past, Funky16Corners has humble beginnings, starting out on the old (free) Blogger service, moving to WordPress, and then to self-hosted WordPress. The move to paid hosting was necessitated by increased bandwidth usage, as well as the need for a place to store all the mixes (and eventually the radio show episodes).

The Allnighter/Pledge Drive is a once-yearly occurrence, in which yours truly, and some of the finest selectors out there whip up new mixes for your delectation.

In past years, I have posted all of the mixes in a single post, and left it up for a week.

This year, the quality and quantity of the mixes spurred me on to try something a little different, i.e. posting a new mix each weekday for a period of just over two weeks. This way, each selector gets their moment in the spotlight, and the mixes get spaced out so that the listeners don’t suffer from mix-fatigue.

Each day, you’ll get a fantastic mix (there really are some amazing ones this year) from one of my favorite DJs, many of whom have participated in the Allnighter before, as well as a couple of great new contributors.

So, if you dig what we do here at Funky16Corners, click on the Paypal link and toss some cash into the barrel.

Contributors will receive a 2014 Allnighter badge, as well as some stickers from the archive (as long as they last).

This year I will also be drawing the names of contributors at random for groovy swag, including CDs and 45s from Cultures of Soul, and CDs from Light in the Attic and Secret Stash.

So, dig the sounds for the next couple of weeks, and make sure you stop back on a daily basis to pick up new mixes and contribute for a chance to win some cool stuff.

Thanks, and as always,

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, June 15, 2014 11:43 am

Tarik Thornton – Pure Black Soul
Dyke & The Blazers – Black Boy (Original)
Black on White Affair- Bold Soul Sister, Bold Soul Brother (Topaz)
5 Miles Out- Super Sweet Girl Of Mine
Gloria Soul & The Hot Grits- Satisfy My Hunger (Golden Records)
Herculoids – Get Back (Herculoids)
James Brown – Soul Pride Parts 1 & 2 (King)
J.N. Thorp Elem. School Band – The Ghetto (Private Press)
Gil Scott-Heron – The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (Flying Dutchman)
Chico & Buddy – Can You Dig It (Tayster)
The Techniques IV- Project Song (Jasino)
Thin Lizzy – Showdown (Vertigo)
Ricky Lance – Lay The Cash On The Line (City Lights)
Nite Line – Fly (HU-DU Records)
Lynn Williams – Is It Possible (Dade)
Tyrone Davis – Are You Serious (High Rise)
King Ernest Baker – That’s When I Woke Up (Supreme)
The Impressions – That’s What Mama Say- (ABC/ Paramount)
The C.O.D.S- I’ll Come Running Back To You (Kellmac)
The Exits – Under The Street Lamp (Gemini)
Donald Jenkins & The Delighters- Music Revolution
Willie Tee- Swivel Your Hips (Gatur)

Listen/Download Funky16Corners Presents: Tarik Thornton – Pure Black Soul

NOTE: Hey everybody!
Welcome to a new week in the Funky16Corners 2014 Allnighter/Pledge Drive.

I am very proud indeed to get this week off to a bang with a new mix by my man Tarik Thornton.

Tarik has deep crates and excellent taste and always combines the two to great effect.

‘Pure Black Soul’ includes some deep, deep cuts, touching on the funky, the sweet and all points in between for an hour of pure listening pleasure.

Dig it, and I’ll see you tomorrow!

Larry

___________________________________________________________________________
Contest!

Anyone that donates today to the Allnighter/Pledge Drive will (in addition to getting the badge and stickers) be entered into a random drawing for a copy of the new Secret Stash CD by Sonny Knight and his Fabulous Lakers. This is an outstanding collection of funk and soul from a longtime Minnesota soul shouter who is just now getting his moment in the spotlight.
There will be more drawings over the next few weeks for CDs by Cultures of Soul, Light In the Attic and 45s from Cultures of Soul!

___________________________________________________________________________

The winner of Friday’s Cultures of Soul Roy Roberts 45 is Randy Sherman!
___________________________________________________________________________

Greetings all

Welcome to the 2014 edition of the Funky16Corners Allnighter/Pledge Drive.

This is the ninth annual Pledge Drive, and the fifth Allnighter.

If you haven’t experienced the Allnighter/Pledge Drive, it can be explained as thus: once a year, the Funky16Corners Blog, your home for the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove vinyl for almost 10 years comes to you with hand outstretched, asking for donations to offset the operating expenses of the web site.

The Funky16Corners ‘operation’ (as it is) included the Funky16Corners and Iron Leg blogs, the mix archives for both (containing well over 200 mixes), and the Funky16Corners Radio Show/Podcast (another 200+ files available for download, or through subscription in iTunes).

The money raised during the pledge drive goes to pay for the server space and fees associated with hosting the whole megillah.

As has been attested to many times in the past, Funky16Corners has humble beginnings, starting out on the old (free) Blogger service, moving to WordPress, and then to self-hosted WordPress. The move to paid hosting was necessitated by increased bandwidth usage, as well as the need for a place to store all the mixes (and eventually the radio show episodes).

The Allnighter/Pledge Drive is a once-yearly occurrence, in which yours truly, and some of the finest selectors out there whip up new mixes for your delectation.

In past years, I have posted all of the mixes in a single post, and left it up for a week.

This year, the quality and quantity of the mixes spurred me on to try something a little different, i.e. posting a new mix each weekday for a period of just over two weeks. This way, each selector gets their moment in the spotlight, and the mixes get spaced out so that the listeners don’t suffer from mix-fatigue.

Each day, you’ll get a fantastic mix (there really are some amazing ones this year) from one of my favorite DJs, many of whom have participated in the Allnighter before, as well as a couple of great new contributors.

So, if you dig what we do here at Funky16Corners, click on the Paypal link and toss some cash into the barrel.

Contributors will receive a 2014 Allnighter badge, as well as some stickers from the archive (as long as they last).

This year I will also be drawing the names of contributors at random for groovy swag, including CDs and 45s from Cultures of Soul, and CDs from Light in the Attic and Secret Stash.

So, dig the sounds for the next couple of weeks, and make sure you stop back on a daily basis to pick up new mixes and contribute for a chance to win some cool stuff.

Thanks, and as always,

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, March 11, 2014 11:04 am

Hank Ballard

Listen/Download Hank Ballard – Blackenized

Greetings all

One of the great things that James Brown was responsible for (in addition to the one, true, superheavy funk) was the rebirth of Hank Ballard’s career.

Ballard, an R&B pioneer who had a string of hits that stretched from 1953 (‘Get It’ with the Royals) to 1961 (several classics as the leader of the Midnighters) was an major influence on JB.

By the time he started recording with Brown in the late 60s, Ballard had been away from the charts for half a decade.

Working with Brown, he had his comeback hit in 1968 with ‘How you Gonna Get Respect (When You Haven’t Cut Your Process Yet)’ which made it into the R&B Top 20.

He recorded a string of excellent 45s (and an LP) over the course of the next few years.

Today’s selection ‘Blackenized’ (written by Brown) was released in 1969.

Like his previous hit, ‘Blackenized’ works the same black empowerment angle, with a funky band (dig that flute) and a great vocal/recitation by Ballard.

There are times where Hank crosses the line from the sublime into the ridiculous – such as his exhortation ‘You don’t have to be like an Oreo cookie, Brother. Black on the outside and white on the inside’, but it’s such a groovy track you kind of roll with it.

The flip side ‘Come On Wit It’ (co-written by Ballard, Brown and Bud Hobgood) is a more conventional JB/’69 funk outing.

I hope you dig the track, 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 (1)

By Larry, February 13, 2014 12:09 pm

Miss Yvonne Fair

Listen/Download Yvonne Fair – Say Yeah Yeah

Greetings all

The end of the week is upon is, so it is once again time to run the flag up the pole and send out the soul signal to remind you that the Funky16Corners Radio Show will be taking to the airwaves of the interwebs this (and every) Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. If you cannot be there at airtime you can always keep up with the show by subscribing to it as a podcast in iTunes.

I thought I’d end the week with a bang.

The 45 you see before you is one that I picked up many (many) years ago, out in the field for a pittance. If memory serves, I wasn’t even able to give it a listen at the time, having to wait until I got home.

When I did, I could scarcely believe my ears.

The record in question, ‘Say Yeah Yeah’ by Yvonne Fair was a funky, ever so slightly lo-fi banger, and if that was as far as things got, then I’d still be a happy boy.

But wait, there’s more…

When I started to dig around a little, I discovered, much to my surprise that ‘Say Yeah Yeah’ was not only a James Brown production, but it was recorded and released in 1963!?!

You read it right, Nineteen Hundred and Sixty Three, the very same year that the Godfather hit with ‘Prisoner of Love’.

Not even James Brown was this funky that early.

The safe assessment is that ‘Say Yeah Yeah’ was an outlier, a freak occurrence if you will.

Yvonne Fair’s vocal wasn’t in and of itself that odd, even though it was admirably heavy and raw.

Where things get crazy is the drums.

KA-BOOM.

Whoever was playing the drums was beating them like they stole his lunch money, and syncopating the bejeebus out of them as well.

Only the slightly old-timey organ, and the smoother, R&B horn section anchor it in 1963 at all.

Fair recorded with the James Brown organization (recording for King, Dade and Smash) until the mid-60s, after which she resurfaces at Motown in 1969.

She would record with Motown (working with Norman Whitfield for a time) through the 70s, having a string of R&B hits in 1974 and 1975.

She passed away in 1994, only 51 years of age.

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, December 26, 2013 2:46 pm

Funky16Corners Radio v.62 – Hot Pants!! Under the Covers with James Brown

Playlist

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, December 24, 2013 11:45 am

Ho Ho Hyeaahhh!

Listen/Download – James Brown – Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto

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.

This track is especially apropos since we lost the Godfather of Soul on Christmas day back in 2006.

I’ll be back on Friday with some more James Brown-related treats!

Enjoy!

Originally Posted 12/18/11

Greetings all.

The time has come, as it does once a year for yours truly to let loose with the Ho Ho Hos and the jingle bells and what not on account of the fact that Christmas is approaching rapidly.

As has been mentioned here before, this is a multi-religious household, with myself representing the (extremely) lapsed-Catholic and my wife repping the Jewish and the Little Corners an interfaith bouillabaisse, their eyes and hearts filled to bursting with the childhood wonder of the season.

Which is really what it’s all about, at least from my vantage point, where what I want is no more or less than their happiness, and my wife’s good health.

You know that I’ve mentioned here (every single Christmas since this blog has been extant) that I have never been a prodigious collector of holiday music. Whether this has to do with my acceptance (almost at the DNA level) of the cheesy/classic seasonal sounds of my childhood, to the point where I can sit back and take some comfort in the sound of the voices of Andy Williams or Jim Nabors (and surprisingly enough, I can), or that seeing limited appeal/value in holiday music, I’d rather spend my money on reg’lar old soul and funk is in the end meaningless, since there always seems to be something cool dropping in from the margins to satisfy the Funky Kringle in us all.

I bring you today’s selection in particular because it is a favorite of bot myself and my wife, and naturally because it is a very groovy, upbeat and cheerful Christmas offering from Mr Please Please Please (HO HO HO?) himself, James Brown.

When I listen to ‘Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto’, I realize that what we get with this record is both funky and danceable, but also poignant, especially in these days where there’s a tent city of homeless families not 10 miles from my warm, toasty house, and Mr Brown was thinking of how this, the most precious of holidays for children especially, could be rough for the poorest among us, and we should remember that while we listen to this song.

We should also remember that James Brown, who gave us such a great Christmas song, left us on that very day five years ago.

So dig the tune (there’ll be many old faves dropping as the week progresses) and remember that not everyone has the wherewithal to have a groovy holiday.

So try to remember that even if you are (like me) not a religious person, that the Christmas season can just be about brotherhood in the general ‘Family of Man’ sense, which is cool too, especially when times are tough (which they are for so many).

See you on tomorrow.

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 (3)

By Larry, October 8, 2013 1:22 pm

Listen/Download Al Brisco Clark – Soul Food Pt1

Listen/Download Al Brisco Clark – Soul Food Pt2

Greetings all

Here’s a little riddle for you…

Q: When is a James Brown record not a James Brown record?

A: Probably when the Godfather is trying to hide from lawyers and/or accountants.

The record you see before you today is one of (many of) those.

I had heard of Al Brisco Clark’s ‘Soul Food’ long before I actually heard it, mainly because I am always on the lookout for “soul food”-related discs.

I finally grabbed a copy earlier this year, and after a little bit of emergency skip-removal surgery, in which me and my tone arm worked a little magic, I recorded it and bring it to you this fine day.

Imagine my surprise when I noticed the old ‘James Brown Production’ logo on the label.

This led to some info-digging, after which I discovered that Al, who was a baritone saxophonist in James’s early-to-mid 60s band (and is probably the “vocalist” on the record) was merely a figurehead, and that the organist on the track, the one who sounds like he’s playing with his elbows, is none other than James himself.

The “James Brown Productions” logo dates from Brown’s Smash years (Fontana was, like Smash a Mercury subsidiary), when he was betwixt and between with the King organization, and mainly releasing instrumental recordings (see Funky16Corners Radio v.17 James Brown – SMASHing Time).

‘Soul Food Pts 1&2’ is, like many “soul food” records, a recitation of delectables on top of an instrumental groove.

Here you get candied yams (always a fave), black eyed peas (the edible kind…) and mashed potatoes, among others.

Released in 1964, even the writing credit – ‘Ted Wright’ – is another James Brown pseudonym.

All in all, a groovy little biscuit, worthy of your sonic dinner (turn)table.

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.

Comments (1)

By Larry, March 10, 2013 11:25 am

Mr Maceo Parker (above) and his book and music (below)

Listen/Download Maceo and All the King’s Men – Got To Getcha

Listen/Download Maceo and the Macks – Parrty Pt1

Listen/Download Maceo and the Macks – Parrty Pt2

Greetings all

I hope the day finds you all well.

In the universe of funk, especially the swirling nebulae of James Brown and Parliament Funkadelic, there exists a supernova of the saxomophone known by a single name, one that represents cool, funk, swagger and the cutting sound of brass.

That name is Maceo.

Known more fully to his mother and the folks at the motor vehicle bureau as the mighty Maceo Parker, he was one of the brightest lights of the James Brown Band, the JBs, Maceo and the Macks, Maceo and All the King’s Men, Parliament Funkadelic and various and sundry permutations therein.

Devotees of funk probably wake up in the night with the sound of James Brown calling his name, requesting a saxophone solo or directions to the bridge.

Mr Parker is a master musician, and icon of the classic era of funk, and now (happily) the author of an autobiography covering all of the above called ‘98% Funky Stuff: My Life In Music’.

Truth be told, I was a lot more excited to see this fall through the mail slot than I was when RJ Smith’s (excellent and thorough) biography of the Godfather came out last year.

While there is probably very little about James Brown that has not at some time been driven deep into my brain, there hasn’t been nearly enough out there that explores the lives of the men that helped to make his amazing music a reality.

’98% Funky Stuff’ is a brisk read, with time spent on Maceo’s early years, his first connection with the James Brown band and its (temporary) interruption by the draft.

What I found most interesting about the book – other than getting to know Parker himself – were his contrasting impressions of working as part of the James Brown organization through the 60s and early 70s, and his transition into the world of George Clinton and P-Funk.

The feeling I get is that Brown didn’t value his sidemen nearly as much as they deserved, and as straight and disciplined a player as Parker was, he found the chaotic world of Parliament Funkadelic a refreshing environment in which to express himself.

The book doesn’t contain the kind of trainspotter’s detail that I might have liked (though I don’t know what book would, outside of an encyclopedia), but if you’re eager for a look at the life of one of the really important funk and soul musicians of the last 50 years, ‘98% Funky Stuff’ is a treat indeed.

I took this review of the book as an opportunity to dip into my crates and pull out some prime Maceo vinyl.

The first track hails from one of the periodic acrimonious episodes when Maceo (and pretty much the rest of the Godfather’s band) took off and did their own thing.

‘Got To Getcha’ (R&B Top 40 in 1970)is a dynamite piece of funk, with vocals by Maceo, a heavy groove (that manages to step outside of the JB feel) a groovy sax solo and some crazy lyrics (also courtesy of Mr Parker). It was recorded in 1970 for Lelan Rogers’ House of the Fox label. It also appears on the excellent ‘Doing Their Own Thing’ LP.

The second track  is one of the finest examples of Maceo working within the JB-context, that being the 1973 R&B Top 40 hit ‘Parrty Pts 1&2’. Built on a classic JBs groove, with a churning riff, band (and James Brown) chants and Maceo himself soloing over the whole thing, ‘Parrty’ is a killer..

If you want to dig deeper into the soundof Maceo Parker, you can pick up any of the many James Brown, JBs, Maceo and the Macks (or any of the other variations) 45s easily located, or if digital is your thing, iTunes has most of that, as well as his many solo albums available.

I hope you dig the tunes (and grab the book) and I’ll see you soon.

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, January 24, 2013 12:28 pm

JB at the B3

Listen/Download James Brown – You Know It

Greetings all

The end of the week is nigh so it’s time to remind you about the Funky16Corners Radio Show, which takes to the airwaves of the interwebs this and every Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. You can also subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes or grab an MP3 from the archive here at the blog.

The last instro of the week is a testament to the truism that sometimes you just never know what’ll turn up in your crates.

I was digging around for Christmas material late last year when I flipped over ‘Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto’* (never having done so before) wondering if the b-side was also a holiday track.

What I found was not more jingling bells, but in fact another of that rare species, the James Brown organ instrumental.

Many times over the years have I waxed wistfully about my love for the Godfather’s repeated dalliance with that giant mound of wood and wires known as the Hammond organ.

James was not a superior technician, but he did bring a certain joie de vivre to his playing which – though it occasionally descended into flights of fancy that sounded as though he had eschewed his hands for his elbows – were often quite cool.

This track, ‘You Know It’ is an especially groovy surprise since it is both funky, and has a cool arrangement, with the strings and the horns and what not.

This is proof that no matter how much you think you know, the James Brown discography is filled with all kinds of blind alleys, dark corners and cul de sacs.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

*’You Know It’ also appeared as a track on the ‘Soulful Christmas’ LP
___________________________________________________________________________________________

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 (5)

By Larry, January 1, 2013 3:08 pm

Miss Marva Whitney

Listen/Download Marva Whitney – It’s My Thing

Listen/Download Marva Whitney – Things Got To Get Better (Get Together)

Listen/Download Marva Whitney – This Girl’s In Love With You

Greetings all

It was just a few days short of Christmas (the very day that the Godfather of Soul slipped the surly bonds of earth but six years ago) that word filtered down to me that the mighty Marva Whitney had died.

Marva Whitney – one of the great divas of the classic era of the James Brown Revue – was born in Kansas City, KA in 1944, where she grew up performing gospel music.

It wasn’t until the mid-60s that she made the move to the secular side of soul, eventually joing James Brown and recording her first 45 with his organization in 1967.

During her tenure with Brown, running from 1967 to 1970, she recorded more than a dozen 45s and three albums (one unreleased) before moving on to record sides for T-Neck, Forte and Excello.

She left music for a time in the 1980s before returning to perform with various and sundry James Brown alumni, eventually working with Osaka Monauril (big ups to DJ Pari who was instrumental in her return to the studio), recording new music and touring extensively in the 2000s.

Whitney had one of the most powerful voices in the realm of classic funk.

Though she didn’t have much in the way of commercial success in her heyday, Whitney is treasured both by crate diggers, who verily worship her hard-hitting funk sides, but also by the hip hop side of things for heavily sampled tracks like ‘Unwind Yourself’.

The three tunes I’m posting today have all appeared at Funky16Corners over the years and are staples in my crates and playlists.

The first is my personal favorite. ‘It’s My Thing’ – an obvious “answer” to the Isleys – was her biggest hit, making it into the R&B Top 20 in the Spring of 1969.

It’s a killer from its opening notes, and right up there with the best singles of James Brown’s King-era. The instrumental backing is rock solid, yet fairly rudimentary, with Marva’s remarkable voice dragging the whole show behind her in the dust.

The second is another banger, which ought to be familiar to listeners of the Funky16Corners Radio Show, via the whole song, but also from the sample of her voice that graces so many drops. ‘Things Got to Get Better (Get Together)’ is a fast mover with a tasty horn chart that propels the song from the bottom up. There’s a fantastic live performance clip from he show ‘Music Scene’ in 1969, with Marva laying it down in front of the mighty James Brown band that must be seen,not just for the undeniable power of the music, but for Ms Whitney’s platinum afro, which is a thing to behold.

The last track is something extra special that I was introduced to some years back when Dave Withers guested at the Asbury Park 45 Sessions.

Marva Whitney’s ‘This Girl’s In Love With You’ (a distaff remake of the huge Herb Albert hit) from 1969 is one of those records that ought to be much better known. Every time I play it out I see the same reaction that I had the first time I heard it, that being “where has this record been all my life?”.

It is in turns sweet, funky and a remarkable contrast to the harder edged stuff in Marva’s catalog. I’m not sure who did the arrangement, but it’s fantastic and the fact that this record doesn’t seem to have charted anywhere just makes me shake my head.

Though some of Marva Whitney’s old-school vinyl can be hard to come by and costly, you can find her 2006 comeback LP with Osaka Monaurail ‘I Am What I Am’ in iTunes, and most of her classic tracks can be found on the ‘James Brown’s Funky Divas’ collection (along with a lot of other indispensable music).

I hope you dig the sounds, and when you get a chance, get down in memory of the great Marva Whitney.

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, December 18, 2012 3:35 pm

Ho Ho Hyeaahhh!

Listen/Download – James Brown – Santa Claus Go Straight To the Ghetto

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.

There are also two years of Funky16Corners Radio Christmas Specials (12/24/10 and 12/23/11) in the Archive.

This year’s Christmas show airs on Friday night 12/21 at 9PM on Viva Radio.

Enjoy!

Originally Posted 12/18/11

Greetings all.

The time has come, as it does once a year for yours truly to let loose with the Ho Ho Hos and the jingle bells and what not on account of the fact that Christmas is approaching rapidly.

As has been mentioned here before, this is a multi-religious household, with myself representing the (extremely) lapsed-Catholic and my wife repping the Jewish and the Little Corners an interfaith bouillabaisse, their eyes and hearts filled to bursting with the childhood wonder of the season.

Which is really what it’s all about, at least from my vantage point, where what I want is no more or less than their happiness, and my wife’s good health.

You know that I’ve mentioned here (every single Christmas since this blog has been extant) that I have never been a prodigious collector of holiday music. Whether this has to do with my acceptance (almost at the DNA level) of the cheesy/classic seasonal sounds of my childhood, to the point where I can sit back and take some comfort in the sound of the voices of Andy Williams or Jim Nabors (and surprisingly enough, I can), or that seeing limited appeal/value in holiday music, I’d rather spend my money on reg’lar old soul and funk is in the end meaningless, since there always seems to be something cool dropping in from the margins to satisfy the Funky Kringle in us all.

I bring you today’s selection in particular because it is a favorite of bot myself and my wife, and naturally because it is a very groovy, upbeat and cheerful Christmas offering from Mr Please Please Please (HO HO HO?) himself, James Brown.

When I listen to ‘Santa Claus Go Straight to the Ghetto’, I realize that what we get with this record is both funky and danceable, but also poignant, especially in these days where there’s a tent city of homeless families not 10 miles from my warm, toasty house, and Mr Brown was thinking of how this, the most precious of holidays for children especially, could be rough for the poorest among us, and we should remember that while we listen to this song.

We should also remember that James Brown, who gave us such a great Christmas song, left us on that very day five years ago.

So dig the tune (there’ll be many old faves dropping as the week progresses) and remember that not everyone has the wherewithal to have a groovy holiday.

So try to remember that even if you are (like me) not a religious person, that the Christmas season can just be about brotherhood in the general ‘Family of Man’ sense, which is cool too, especially when times are tough (which they are for so many).

See you on tomorrow.

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, December 11, 2012 4:25 pm

Myra Barnes aka Vicki Anderson

Listen/Download Myra Barnes – Super Good (Answer to Super Bad) Pt1

Listen/Download Myra Barnes – Super Good (Answer to Super Bad) Pt2

Greetings all

How’s about some of the dead on the one, super heavy funk to help you get on up and over the hump?

The record I bring you today is one that I was seeking for a long time, before it ultimately turned up in a box of cheapies at a record show.

It looked a little distressed, but for three bucks I could not pass it by. When I got it home and dropped the needle it was immediately evident that I had made the right choice.

That said, this 45, released in 1970 and credited to Myra Barnes (and then parenthetically to Vicki Anderson, who is Myra Barnes and vice versa…) is a killer.

It is prime, funk 45 era James Brown-and associated action, with interjections by the king himself and some cool, fuzzed out guitar (which you get to hear a lot more of in Part 2) as well.

The thing that always puzzled me, is why the double billing?

Myra Barnes is the birth name of Vicki Anderson, one of the great divas of the James Brown organization.

She recorded for a variety of labels, under both names, but oddly enough not in chronological order, i.e. even though there are ‘Myra Barnes’ 45s released on the King label in 1970 and 1971, there are also Vicki Anderson 45s released before and after those (from 1967 to 1971).

Was James trying to break Myra/Vicki in any way possible, and playing any card available? Certainly the vocals on the Myra/Vicki 45s sound like the same person, so it’s not like she was working separate personas.

There was some fluctuation in the position of ‘main female singer’ in the James Brown revue with Myra/Vicki preceded by Anna King, replaced by Marva Whitney, and then returning to the fold before being replaced by Lyn Collins.

To complicate matters even further, she recorded again for Brown’s I-Dentify label under the name ‘Mommie-O’ in 1975.

In the end, Myra Barnes/Vicki Anderson/Mommie-O laid down some of the finest records of the classic funk era, and JB himself reportedly considered her to be the finest singer he ever worked with.

I hope you get down, dig the sounds, 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.

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.