Jimmy Helms – Your Past Is Beginning To Show (My Love)
Jimmy Helms
Listen/Download – Jimmy Helms – Your Past Is Beginning To Show (My Love)
Greetings all.
The new week is here and summer is (at least in the Funky16Corners Blogcasting Nerve Center and Record Vault) officially underway.
Everyone in this crib is on vacation and the challenge is always to make the most of our leisure time without driving each other insane in the process.
It promises to be an eventful summer, so I’m confident that it will be memorable (in the good way) as well.
I’m still planning the Ray Bryant tribute for later this week (waiting on a crucial piece of vinyl), but there are lots of groovy things to write about (and listen to) until we get there, so let’s get started.
The tune I bring you today was something I picked up after seeing it on a friend’s sale list.
I’d never heard of Jimmy Helms before, but since the song was cool, and the price was right I picked it up, since there’s nothing cooler than more soul music.
As it turns out, Mr Helms is a member of that relatively small but always interesting soul music sub-strata, that being the American ex-pats.
Like Geno Washington, Mr Helms was an American who eventually settled in the UK, where he would find success as a performer.
He recorded his own records, and worked steadily as a studio singer through the 60s, 70s and 80s, before scaling the charts in the UK and Europe as the lead singer of the group Londonbeat, best known for their 1990 hit ‘I’ve been Thinking About You’.
The tune I bring you today is a stomping bit of soul from 1969 called ‘Your Past Is Beginning To Show (My Love)’.
It sounds every bit a solid piece of southern soul. Helms’ vocal cooks, and the arrangement, featuring pounding piano, tight horns and some cool fuzz guitar (even a little bit of electric sitar!) is perfect for the dance floor.
It would appear that ‘Your Past…’ was recorded before Helms’ migration overseas. The Oracle label was based out of the Boston area and was distributed by GRT, and later Capitol Records. The other acts I’ve seen listed for the label appear to have been pop and rock bands, including one with the improbable, Uncle Remus-inspired name of Brother Fox and the Tar Baby. I have seen references that mention Helms performing in and around Boston in the late 60s (this appears to have been issued in 1969) and he seems to pop up in the UK around 1972.
It’s a cool record, and I hope you dig it.
See you on Wednesday.
Peace
Larry
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Themocracy
Hi Larry
Jimmy Helms is best known in the UK for his top 10 hit in the early 70s, “Gonna Make You An Offer You Can’t Refuse”.
Great blog Larry, keep up the good work. Must go now, I’m watching Kool and the Gang live at Glastonbury (on the TV)
Trying to get in touch with Jimmy Helms as we are both from Florida and we were in the military band together. If you have an email address for him please let me know. He is a great guy.
Thanks,
Pender
Hi Pender, sorry taking so long to reply, just saw your message. I remember us being in the 3rd Army HQ band, Fort Jackson, Atlanta. Wow!! Small world!! Great to be in touch. Pls email me, let’s catch up. My email address: jhelms1947@aol.com. Stay well, be great to hear from you. Best, Jimmy Helms