Judy Clay

Listen/Download – Judy Clay – It Takes a Lotta Good Love

Listen/Download – Judy Clay – You Can’t Run Away From Your Heart

 

Greetings all.

What better way to start off the week, than with a very solid slice of Memphis soul?

I’ve been a fan of Judy Clay for a years. Most of that time, I only really knew her late-60s duet work with the mighty Billy Vera, like ‘Country Girl, City Man’ and ‘Storybook Children’, and her duets with William Bell, like ‘Private Number’.

She got her start in the the famed gospel group the Drinkard Singers, alongside Cissy Houston and Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick, moving into the world of secular music in 1961 for the Ember label.

Clay spent the next few years recording for Ember, Choice, Scepter, and Lavette, before landing at Stax in 1967.
The two songs you see before you today represent both sides of her amazing debut single for Stax.

‘It Takes a Lotta Good Love’, co-written by Al Bell and Booker T Jones, and produced (both sides) by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, is a soulful powerhouse, with a punchy, radio-friendly arrangement, and a wonderful vocal by Clay. This is one of those records that just kind of kicks you in the ass and makes you wonder why it wasn’t a hit.

Interestingly enough, I can only find one chart reference to ‘It Takes a Lotta Good Love’, and the station was also playing the flipside, ‘You Can’t Run Away From Your Heart’.

A killer Hayes/Porter ballad, with a beautiful melody, and an incongruous, yet perfect guitar opening, had a little more success than its flipside, showing up in four different markets. The performance is a testament to the fact that Judy Clay should have had a bigger career. She maneuvers from her very solid middle range, into high notes and back again with perfect control, and brings a lot of gospel flavor into her delivery.

She had her last hit in 1970, and spent the next decade performing as a backing singer for a variety of performers, including Ray Charles and Wilson Pickett.

She passed away following a car accident in 2001.

I hope you dig the tunes, and I’ll see you on Wednesday.

Keep the faith

Larry

 

 

 

_________________________________________________________________________________________

 

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

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.