Barbara Perry – Say You Need It b/w Unlovable
Barbara Perry
Greetings all.
The end of the week is near, so I will remind you once again to twist the knobs on your radiola to tune in the Funky16Corners Radio Show, this and every Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. If you cannot be there at airtime, you can keep up by subscribing to the show as a podcast in iTunes, listening on your mobile device via the TuneIn app, or grabbing an MP3 here at the blog.
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Goldwax, one of the preeminent southern soul labels of the 1960s, and home to the likes of OV Wright, James Carr, Spencer Wiggins, Percy Milem and Timmy Thomas among others, is one of those imprints that I will always grab when I’m out digging.
Whether or not I’ve heard the 45 in question, so solid is the catalog that you are guaranteed a good time/listen, no matter what you happen to find.
Such was the case when I found the Barbara Perry 45 you see before you. I was out digging at a local stoop sale, and even though Perry was completely unknown to me, I saw a Goldwax 45 I didn’t have, so onto the keeper pile it went.
Good thing, too, because packed into its grooves were two excellent sides of Memphis soul.
I haven’t been able to find much out about Perry, who only ever had two 45s released in her career, one on the Memphis imprint Fernwood in 1961, and the disc you see before you in 1967. She did record several sessions for Goldwax, which eventually saw the light of day on compilations, but these two tracks were the only to make it onto 45 for the label.
‘Say You Need It’ is a great upbeat number with just a hint of country twang to it (imagine, if you will, the same song delivered by someone like Jeannie C Riley), and some very tasty lead guitar.
‘Unlovable’ is a slow, pleading ballad, with a great vocal by Perry, marred only by a slightly out of tune piano (what is it about out of tune pianos on 60s soul 45s??).
Perry’s other Goldwax recordings can be heard on a variety of compilations, most of which can be found on iTunes.
I hope you dig the tracks, and I’ll see you all on Monday.
Keep the faith
Larry
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Themocracy
I know what you mean about out-of-tune pianos on 60s soul tracks. Maybe it’s that Southern heat and humidity?
Perry is my mother. She dedicated herself to singing in the church and left the secular circuit. She still resides in Memphis, TN.