Ruth McFadden

Listen/Download – Ruth McFadden – Rover Rover MP3

Greetings all.

Back in the day, when I was digging up (and taking home) all the Philadelphia soul I could find, I was lucky enough to find all three 45s released on a short-lived label called Huff Puff.

The ‘Huff’ was of course Leon Huff (of Gamble and…) and the releases, by the Landslides, The Producers and Ruth McFadden (all 1968) were all arranged by Bobby Martin (though he’s not explicitly credited on the Producers 45) and produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff.

The music – as is to be expected – is all first rate, played by the Philly rhythm section guys (Baker, Harris, Eli, Montana etc) and of course amazingly written songs.

They’re all interesting (I wrote up the Producers a while back and all three 45s have been played on the Funky16Corners Radio Show), but the Ruth McFadden 45 especially so.

McFadden had had a career as an R&B singer back in the 1950s, and then dropped off the radar almost completely (other than a 1965 one-off for Sure Shot) until she reappeared on Huff Puff with ‘Rover Rover’ in 1968.

‘Rover Rover’ is a funky, atmospheric (dig those strings) number with a great, gritty vocal by McFadden and a Bobby Eli guitar line that would pop up again in the Brothers Of Hope 45 ‘Nickol Nickol’ on Gamble that same year.

Though she would go on to record another great single for Gamble and Huff (‘Ghetto Woman Pts 1&2’ in 1972) none of her stuff charted (even locally in Philly) and she remains a fairly obscure artist (though there appears to be a compilation of her earlier recordings).

That said, this is a very groovy 45 that grows on you with repeated listens.

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

Keep the faith

Larry

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