Listen/Download The Chitlins – Sugar Woman

Greetings all

I first posted the Chitlins ‘Sugar Woman’ (a big fave) almost three years ago, with the small amount of info that I was able to unearth, mixed with some speculation.

Last week, group member Pete Killingsworth posted a comment fleshing out the details significantly.

“Hi Larry,
I somehow ran across your article about The Chitlins and Sugar Woman. I played guitar on that record. Decon John Moore also played guitar. Deacon John did most of the guitar work and I just played chops. The horns were from Deacon John and the Ivories. My brother Sonny Killingsworth played bass. Sonny Tanner is incorrect as he wasn’t on it. Chris Miller was the vocalist and piano player. Sam Roe played drums. Chris Miller and my brother has passed away so Sam and I are the only ones still alive. The producer was Allen Toussaint. Stanley Chaission was our Manager. It’s true we were The Soul Brothers from Pascagoula Mississippi and consisted of Chris Miller, Sam Roe, myself, and my brother Sonny Killingsworth. Deacon John and the Ivories were brought in for sweetening. The record company came up with name “The Chitlins”. We said we’d change our name only if it was a nationwide hit which it wasn’t. It did well in New Orleans though. I can’t comment on the record company itself as I don’t know anything about it except that they were out of New York. It was recorded at Cosimo’s recording studio in New Orleans. So there you have it from the horses mouth. Man that was a long time ago but I remember it like it was yesterday.
Best Regards,
Pete Killingsworth”

Thanks to Pete we now know that there were some NOLA heavy hitters in the studio, including Deacon John Moore and none other than an uncredited Allen Toussaint (the label lists Chase Records honch Stanley Chaisson) working the board!

I thought that it behooved me to re-post this most excellent record, along with the new info (original post below).

I hope you dig the record (or still dig it if it’s already a fave) and I’ll see you all on Friday with a special tribute to the keyboard expertise of the great Leon Haywood.

Keep the Faith

Larry

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Originally posted September 2010

Welcome to the middle of another groovy week.

The track I bring you today is both a fairly recent discovery for me and a major fave.

It is also something of a mystery.

A few months back I was perusing a new (to me) record site on the intertubes, and a glimpse of the Pala records label caught my eye.

One half of the York-Pala construct, it was run by two cats named Charlie Greene and Brian Stone. These operators are best known as music managers who came to prominence in mid-60s LA working with acts like Sonny and Cher, the Buffalo Springfield, the Poor and a cat you may have heard of named Dr John.

I had always seen the York/Pala credit on many records, but it was only in the last few years that I actually found a record on either label.

I have two 45s by The Poor (LA-based folk rock) but the Chitlins ‘Sugar Woman’ was the first Pala disc I’d ever encountered.

The label appears to have been very short-lived, with only one other release (by Larry Marks).

The Chitlins appear to have gotten their start – and spent much of their existence – as a white show band called the Soul Brothers, in Pascagoula, Mississippi.

The first time I heard ‘Sugar Woman’, what grabbed me was the New Orleans guitar (sounds like George Davis to me).

As it turns out the band did in fact record their sole 45 in New Orleans for Stanley Chaisson’s Chase Records imprint.

I have not been able to confirm whether or not there was actually a Chitlins 45 released on Chase, or if it was a production deal that was licensed to Pala.

My suspicion – without any hard evidence, mind you – is that Green and Stone happened upon the Chitlins via one of the many New Orleans connections in their orbit. Harold Battiste was Sonny and Cher’s musical director, and both Mac ‘Dr John’ Rebennack and Alvin Robinson were both working on the West Coast during this period.

That said, ‘Sugar Woman’ is a positively scorching bit of garagey soul with fantastic lyrics like

Let her know she’s a real Jim Dandy, feed her candy!

And

Let her know she’s a ring-dang-doo sir, don’t lose her!

The guitar, bass and drums are in a deep, deep groove, and the horns and backing vocalists are spot on.

I don’t know who the lead vocalist is but he’s killing it!

Via some cross-referencing (and following a few hunches) I’m led to believe that the band included guys named Chris Miller, Sam Roe, Pete Killingsworth, Sonny Tanner, having had some crossover with a group called the New Grooves.

As I mentioned earlier, I hear the distinct guitar stylings of George Davis, but the entire record has such a New Orleans feel to it, I wouldn’t be surprised to discover that this was the Soul Brothers/Chitlins singer fronting an entire studio full of NOLA pros.

In another interesting twist, the song is credited to country songwriter/producer Billy Sherrill, but I can’t find any instance of anyone else having recorded the tune.

The flip side, ‘The Next Time You See Me’ is an upbeat, bluesy shuffle.

“Sugar Woman’ was a local Top 40 hit in New Orleans in the Spring of 1967.

It is a truly remarkable tune, and one that I wish I’d had in my crates a long time ago.

I hope you dig it as much as I do, and I’ll see you all on Friday.

Keep the faith

Larry

 

 

 

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3 Responses to “UPDATE! The Chitlins – Sugar Woman”

1. DJ Waterman says:

   May 21, 2016 at 1:39 pm

   I remember you originally posting this and how good it was, but now the added bonus of the Toussaint connection just makes so much sense.

2. Larry says:

   May 21, 2016 at 2:23 pm

   That was a very nice surprise, indeed!

3. stanley chaisson says:

   March 14, 2017 at 9:27 pm

   Facts… Billy Sherill and I wrote Sugar Woman. Green and Stone hired me as producer as per my bringing the Aubrey Twins to work with Mac, who they managed along with sony and cher and more. I hired Toussaint to do the horns, but he would not take .any money. regards Stanley
   Chaisson 3/14/17

   Fact: Billy Sheril

   Fact: Billy Sherill and I Stanley Chaisson wrote Sugar Woman. The song was written on a flight Billy and I were on going to Nashville. I recorded that song for Green and Stone via my bringing the
   Aubrey Twins to them when working with Mac.
   I Hired Toussaint to do the horns, but he would not take any money.