Willie Tee

Listen/Download – Willie Tee – Walking Up a One Way Street MP3

Greetings all.

The end of the week is nigh, so I will ask you once again to grab yourself a weekly dose of soul in the form of the Funky16 Corners Radio Show podcast. We come to you every week (and once a month at SoulGuyRadio.com) with the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove all on original vinyl. You can subscribe to the show in iTunes, listen on your mobile device via the TuneIn app or grab a download here in the archive.

This week is Part 2 of the History of Allen Toussaint, with a focus this week on the sounds of the Sansu label. Listen in, and if you didn’t catch Part 1, hit the archive and grab that one, too.

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Today’s selection is an all-time New Orleans soul classic, laid down by one of that city’s greatest singers, Wilson Turbinton, better-known far and wide as Willie Tee.

Tee got his start recording for AFO in 1962, and spent the 60s working as a solo artist, and with his brothers in one of the great NOLA funk bands, the Gaturs.

‘Walking Up a One Way Street’ from 1965 is one of those records in the mid-tempo sweet spot that is popular with both the Northern Soul crowd in the UK as well as the Beach Music folks in the USA (I have it somewhere on an old Atlantic Records comp aimed at the Beach crowd).

‘Walking Up a One Way Street’ is like a New Orleans all-star session, having been written by Earl King, produced and arranged by Wardell Quezerque and performed by Willie Tee himself.

The song bounces along on top of a jaunty horn section (I dig in the verse where the trumpets drop out and the saxes carry the load), with a wonderful vocal performance by Tee.

There’s a reason this 45 is sweated by many and hard to find, but I’m here to tell you I waited and found my copy on the cheap side, so keep your eyes peeled and your wallet close by and you’ll eventually score one, too.

I hope you dig the sounds, and I’ll see you all on Monday with some new stuff for Christmas!

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.