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By Larry, April 28, 2015 12:23 pm

Danny White

Greetings all.

Today’s mystery is: why would one of the preeminent soul singers of the 1960s write an amazing song but never record it himself?.

Now, the origins of the recording I bring you today are not in question.

Danny White is a New Orleans singer (the man behind the mighty ‘Natural Soul Brother’, one of my all time favorite 45s) who recorded a string of 45s for local (Frisco, Atlas) and national (ABC, Decca, SSS Intl) labels between 1961 and 1969.

He recorded today’s selection in a 1966 Memphis session arranged and produced by Gene ‘Bowlegs’ Miller, with the extra-groovy ‘Cracked Up Over You’ on the flipside.

Where the mystery (as it is) starts is the song I bring you today, the most excellent ‘Taking Inventory’.

A stomping soul number, with an excellent vocal by White, ‘Taking Inventory’ was written by none other than Stax star and 60s soul legend Eddie Floyd.

The crazy thing is, it would appear that no matter the excellence of the song, Floyd does not to have ever recorded the song himself.

That didn’t stop the song from getting around, though, with additional cover versions laid down by the Ferris Wheel (on the Pye label in the UK) and none other than Vic Waters and the Entertainers (for Capitol here in the US).

I can’t imagine why Floyd never recorded the song himself, but the version by Danny White is solid enough on its own.

Though White stopped recording after the 60s, according to the always excellent Sir Shambling, he went on to manage the Meters, and eventually died in 1996.

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

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.

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By Larry, March 15, 2015 11:39 am

Lou Johnson

Greetings all.

Lou Johnson is one of those names that pops up all over the 1960s soul timeline, sometimes in settings that almost make it seem like you’re dealing with different artists.

He first made his mark working with Burt Bacharach and Hal David, recording early versions of ‘Reach Out For Me’ ‘(There’s) Always Something There To Remind Me’ and ‘Kentucky Bluebird (Take a Message Martha)’ that would go on to be better known by singers like Dionne Warwick and Sandie Shaw.

He also recorded records that became favorites of the UK soul crowd, including ‘Magic Potion’ and the Northern Soul fave ‘Unsatisfied’.

Unfortunately, despite his fantastically smooth voice, and a wealth of remarkable material, his commercial success was limited, having his last brush with the charts in 1965 with ‘A Time To Love A Time To Cry’.

He had been recording for Big Top/Big Hill since 1962. One of the last things released on him by the labels was a 1966 session with Allen Toussaint, in which Johnson recorded a version of the Bacharach/David classic ‘Walk On By’.

It is a really unsual arrangement of a familiar song, with some decidedly New Orleans piano tossed into the mix. You can really hear Toussaint’s hand in the arrangement and Johnson’s vocal is inspired.

Johnson spent some time recording for Atlantic/Cotillion in the late 60s, but by 1971, he had moved on to Volt.

Volt sent him back to work with Toussaint in New Orleans, where they recorded the LP ‘With You In Mind’ (composed almost entirely by Toussaint).’

‘Frisco Here I Come’ has a nice, funky edge to it, with a long guitar-heavy intro, before the bass comes in to set the rolling tempo. Johnson is joined by female backing singers and a string section in the chorus, and then later on in the tune by a wild sounding organ.

It should have been a hit, but the only trace of radio play I can find is a single appearance on a New Orleans chart from the Spring of 1971.

It would appear that after ‘With You In Mind’, Johnson did not record again, apparently relocating to the West coast and working as a nightclub singer.

You can find a lot of Johnson’s work on iTunes (including ‘With You In Mind’ repackaged/retitled as ‘Crazy About You’).

I hope you dig the tune, 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.

Comments (2)

By Larry, February 22, 2015 12:03 pm

Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry

Greetings all.

I hope the new week finds you all well.

One of my favorite sidelines (and they are legion) is finding later records by artists that I had relegated to an earlier time. That these are discoveries to me is due in part to the fact that the later records are usually obscure, but also because of the ‘blind spot’ of R&B success.

This ‘blind spot’ as it is manifests itself with R&B/soul artists that had some degree of crossover success, and then seemingly faded from the limelight. What in fact happened many times, is that while they may have lost favor with pop audiences, many of these artists continued to place records on the R&B charts and black radio.

Other times, they didn’t even have that luxury, and were merely making a stab at a new/more contemporary audience.

Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry is best known for his 1956 hit ‘Ain’t Got No Home’, and ‘But I Do’ from 1961. He was a singer/pianist and a New Orleans fixture, and while he may have left the charts after 1961, he continued to record through the 1960s and 1970s.

The record I bring you today is a very groovy 1965 cover of a song that Hank Ballard had recorded with the Midnighters in 1956.

‘Tore Up Over You’ takes the Midnighter’s original and bumps up the tempo, tossing in some combo organ that sounds like it was borrowed from a Sir Douglas Quintet session. The bass and guitar push things along with an excellent vocal by Clarence and some female backing singers.

I know I say this a lot, but this really is one of those records that should have been a hit. It’s got plenty of kick to it, fits in very nicely with the 1965 musical zeitgeist and I wouldn’t hesitate to drop it for a room full of dancers. As far as I can tell, it did absolutely nothing when it was released, relegating it to the ‘to be rediscovered’ file, from whence I bring it to you.

So dig it, and I’ll see you all 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.

Comments (2)

By Larry, January 21, 2015 11:09 am

NOTE: As a result of my hospital stay and lots of lost blogging time, I’m going to dip back into the archives for some groovy things to hold you over until I get back up to full speed.

This blue-eyed Southern soul burner became an instant favorite of mine when I first heard it.

So dig it, and Keep the Faith
Larry

Listen/Download The Chitlins – Sugar Woman

Greetings all

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

___________________________________________________________________________________________

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.

Comments (1)

By Larry, January 19, 2015 1:22 pm

Martin Luther King

Listen/Download Chris Kenner – Memories of a King (Let Freedom Ring) Pt1

NOTE: After having this record for decades, it was only last year that I remembered to dig it out and post it to commemorate MLK Day (which I do again today).
Dig the tune, read up on your read ups and carry his message forward in your hearts every day.
Keep the Faith
Larry

Greetings all

This is an extra special, unscheduled, surprise post, tied in with my chronic inability to be prepared for any special occasion on the calendar.

To be sure, this situation has improved over the years, as I’ve built up a massive store of music, pictures and information that make these things easier.

Unfortunately, my mind is – to borrow a phrase from the autobiography of the great Dave Van Ronk – like the attic of the Smithsonian, and sometimes no matter how special something is, it gets filed, misplaced or forgotten.

I mention this because I finally remembered – at the last possible minute, naturally – to dig out and digimatize the record you see before you today.

Back in 1968, not long after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Chris Kenner, his hitmaking days long behind him, wrote and waxed a tribute to the great civil rights leader.

Entitled ‘Memories of a King (Let Freedom Ring) Pts 1&2’, it is a departure for Kenner, best known for penning and recording some of the greatest R&B to come out of New Orleans in the 1960s, as well as laying down some of the most obviously inebriated records I’ve ever heard.

That said, ‘Memories of King’ is an earnest and heartfelt, and at times the tiniest bit funky, tribute to Dr. King.

While it’s nothing earth shattering, it is a little known/heard 45, and was the second to last 45 Kenner recorded before he was sent to jail later that year. It was the beginning of a downhill slide that ended in his premature death in 1976.

Give it a listen, and remember the work and life of the mighty Dr. King.

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.

Comments (2)

By Larry, November 27, 2014 8:11 am

Mmmmmmmm!

Greetings all!

I first gathered these food-related mixes together for Thanksgiving 2011.

Since the Grogans will be chilling together this extended weekend, I thought I’d repost them for you to stuff into your ears/iPods/whatever.

There’s even a turkey song!

Don’t forget to tune into the Funky16Corners Radio Show this Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. If you can’t dig it at airtime, make sure to subscribe to the show as a podcast in iTunes, listen in on your mobile device through the TuneIn app, or grab an MP3 here at the blog.

Enjoy your Thanksgiving, have a great weekend with your friends and family, and I’ll see you all on Monday.

Keep the faith

Larry

 
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Funky16Corners Radio v.3 – Soul Food (That’s What I Like) Pt1

Track listing

Brother Jack McDuff – Hot Barbecue (Prestige)

 Soul Runners – Chittlin’ Salad Pt1 (MoSoul)

Lionel Hampton – Greasy Greens (GladHamp)

Albert Collins – Cookin’ Catfish (20th Century)

Andre Williams – Rib Tips (Avin)

Maurice Simon & The Pie Men – Sweet Potato Gravy (Carnival)

Mel Brown – Chicken Fat (Impulse)

Lonnie Youngblood – Soul Food (That’s What I Like) (Fairmount)

Prime Mates – Hot Tamales (Sansu)

Just Brothers – Sliced Tomatoes (Music Merchant)

Leon Haywood – Cornbread and Buttermilk (Decca)

Bobby Rush – Chicken Heads (Galaxy)

Booker T & The MGs – Jelly Bread (Stax)

Gentleman June Gardner – Mustard Greens (Blue Rock)

West Siders – Candy Yams (Infinity)

Hank Jacobs – Monkey Hips and Rice (Sue)

George Semper – Collard Greens (Imperial)

Billy Clark & His Orchestra – Hot Gravy (Dynamo)

Listen Download Mixed MP3

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Funky16Corners Radio v.9 – Soul Food Pt2

Playlist

1. Simtec Simmons – Tea Box (Maurci)

2. Johnny Barfield & The Men of S.O.U.L. – Soul Butter (SSS Intl)

3. Ronnie Woods – Sugar Pt2 (Everest)

4. Stan Hunter & Sonny Fortune – Corn Flakes (Prestige)

5. Fabulous Counts – Scrambled Eggs (Moira)

6. Watts 103rd St Rhythm Band – Spreadin Honey (Keymen)

7. Freddie Roach – Brown Sugar (Blue Note)

8. Albert Collins – Sno Cone Pt1 (TCF Hall)

9. Chuck Edwards – Chuck Roast (Rene)

10. Willie Mitchell – Mashed Potatoes (Hi)

11. Booker T & The MGs – Red Beans & Rice (Atlantic)

12. Righteous Brothers Band – Green Onions (Verve)

13. George Semper – Hog Maws & Collard Greens (Imperial)

14. Lee Dorsey – Candy Yam (Amy)

15. Roosevelt Fountain & his Pens of Rhythm – Red Pepper Pt1 (Prince Adams)

16. Bad Boys – Black Olives (Paula)

17. Willie Bobo – Spanish Grease (Verve)

18. American Group – Enchilada Soul (AGP)

DOWNLOAD – 39.3 MB Mixed MP3

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Funky16Corners Radio v.60 – Finger Lickin’ Good!

Funky16Corners Radio v.60 – Finger Lickin’ Good!

Playlist

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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.

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By Larry, October 14, 2014 10:59 am

Listen/Download Al Capps Band – Sissy Strut

Greetings all

The great existential question for today is: When is the right time for a groovy Meters cover?

The answer, as delivered by the oracle on the mountain is: All the time.

Though I had never heard of Al Capps (though I assumed – correctly – that it wasn’t the old-timey cartoonist), my Spidey sense always tingles in the presence of a Meters cover.

‘Cissy Strut’ was a Top5 R&B hit (grazing the Pop Top 20) for the Meters in 1969.

It has for years been the go-to cover, being waxed by Johnny Lewis, Earl Van Dyke, Hoctor, LaBert Ellis and many others, thanks to its deeply wired funk and infectious melody.

Al Capps was an arranger for many big, mainstream pop artists (Andy Williams big)  in the 60s and 70s, laying down the occasional 45 of his own along the way.

He waxed ‘Sissy Strut’ – not sure why the spelling was changed*, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t know that ‘the cissy’ was a dance – in 1970.

Opening with electric piano and deep, deep brass, the melody is played on flutes and trumpets, with some nicely recorded drums pumping things up from underneath.

The whole thing is over before you know it, clocking in at under two minutes!

I won’t force it on you, but if you ever grab a copy of this 45, flip it over for an insane medley of the theme from 2001 and MacArthur Park (seriously).

That said, I hope you dig the tune,and I’ll see you all on Friday.

Keep the faith

Larry

 *They also managed to change the spelling of Nocentelli and Modeliste on the label…

_________________________________________________________________________________________

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.

Comments (2)

By Larry, September 14, 2014 12:47 pm

Cosimo Matassa 1926-2014

Willie Harper – But I Couldn’t (ALON)
Willie West – Hello Mama (Deesu)
Tim Whitsett and the Imperials – Monkey Man (Ace)
The Stokes – Young Man Old Man (ALON)
The Stokes – Whipped Cream (ALON)
Warren Lee – Star Revue (Deesu)
Eddie Lang – Something Withing Me (Seven B)
Oliver Morgan – Roll Call (Seven B)
G. Davis & R. Tyler – Hold On Help Is On the Way (Par-Lo)
Eddie Bo – Fence of Love (Seven B)
Guitar Ray – Patty Cake Shake (Hot Line)
James Rivers – Tighten Up (Eight Ball)
Lee Circle – Other Delights (ALON)
Robert Parker – In the Midnight Hour (NOLA)
Roger and the Gypsies – Pass the Hatchet Pts1&2 (Seven B)
Bobby Powell – Why Am I Treated So Bad (Whit)
Art Neville – Hook, Line and Sinker (Instant)
Chris Kenner – Fumigate Funky Broadway (Instant)
Skip Easterling – Keep the Fire Burning (ALON)
Willie West – Did You Have Fun (Deesu)
Eddie Bo – Skate It Out (Seven B)
Curley Moore – Soul Train (Hot Line)

Listen/Download The Master: A Cosimo Matassa Sampler

Greetings all

I hope the new week finds you well.

It was at the end of last week that news came down that the legendary Cosimo Matassa had slipped the surly bonds of earth at the age of 88.

If you are not familiar with the name, if you are a regular here at the Corners, you are most certainly hip to the sounds that he helped bring into the world.

Matassa was, from the early 1950s, the recording/mastering engineer of record for most (not much, MOST) of the music – rock’n’roll, R&B, soul and funk – laid down in the Crescent City, as well as  a label owner and record distributor.

I won’t go into much detail here, because the extremely long and complicated story has already been told (and is still being added to) at the mighty Cosimo Code website by cats like Davie Gordon, Red Kelly, John Broven, John ‘Sir Shambling’ Ridley and Peter Gibbon.

There, they have endeavored to compile a list of recordings recorded, or mastered by Matassa, using his unique coding system.

Your next stop should be the Cosimo Code site, where anyone with even a passing interest in New Orleans music could get lost for hours.

When I heard that Cosimo had passed, I went back through the chronological lists at Cosimo Code and started pulling recordings out of my own archive as I saw them on the list, so that I could put together a representative (though hardly comprehensive) sampling of the records he helped birth.

These are exclusively 1960s recordings (mostly 1965-1967) with a couple of surprises (as in, I was surprised to see them on the list) and a few unusual things you might not normally find here at Funky16Corners. There’s a just a touch over an hour of solid 45s (and one LP track).

So, click on the link, give the old ones and zeros a spin, and head on over to the Cosimo Code and try to digest the mind-boggling breadth of Mr Matassa’s portfolio.

Condolences to those that knew him, and props to the CC crew for their amazing work.

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.

Comments (0)

By Larry, August 31, 2014 11:41 am

Alvin Robinson

Listen/Download Alvin Robinson – Let the Good Times Roll

Greetings all

Since the summer is rolling slowly to its conclusion, I thought I’d post something hot and sweaty out of the Crescent City (in more ways than one, son).

If you have rolled with the Funky16Corners thing for any length of time, you will already be familiar with the fact that I hold the mighty Alvin Robinson in very high esteem.

One of my favorite singers (soul or otherwise), Robinson was also a guitarist, who recorded several excellent 45s under his own name between 1961 and 1969 for a variety of labels.

The best stuff he ever did was during his association with the Leiber and Stoller machine on the Red Bird, Blue Cat and Tiger labels in 1964 and 1965.

Robinson’s best known track (to those that even know) is his original recording of the classic ‘Down Home Girl’, later covered by the Rolling Stones and the Coasters (among others).

It is an epic 45, and ought to be much better known.

Robinson sounds to me, what Chris Kenner might have sounded like had he a slightly better voice and a more sober disposition.

It’s all gravel and soul with a gift for phrasing that boggles the mind.

Today’s selection is Robinson’s 1965 cover of his New Orleans homeboy Earl King’s classic ‘Come On’.

King’s original came out in 1960 on Imperial, and is itself an R&B landmark.

Robinson’s cover rolls at roughly the same speed (hewing closer to the OG than the Jimi Hendrix Experience would a few years later), with some tasty horns and distorted guitar (Alvin, himself).

The production is credited to Leiber and Stoller, with arranging credit going to yet another New Orleans-ian (who first brought Robinson to L&S’s attention), Joe Jones.

Though Alvin Robinson would continue to record as a session guitarist, as far as I can tell he didn’t record another vocal after the 1960s.

He passed away in 1989, only 51 years of age.

I hope you dig the tune, and I’ll see you all 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.

Comments (1)

By Larry, July 31, 2014 11:58 am

Idris lays into the traps…

Listen/Download Idris Muhammad – Express Yourself

Listen/Download Idris Muhammad – Super Bad

Listen/Download Leon Spencer – Message From the Meters

Listen/Download Lou Donaldson – Everything I Do Gohn Be Funky From Now On

Listen/Download Lonnie Smith – See Saw

Listen/Download Melvin Sparks – Thank You Pt1

Listen/Download Melvin Sparks – Thank You Pt2

Listen/Download Bob James – Nautilus

Greetings all

I logged on to the interwebs last night only to be greeted by rumors of the passing of the mighty Idris Muhammad.

It wasn’t long before the rumors were confirmed by this obituary out of his home port of New Orleans.

Idris Muhammad was born Leo Morris in New Orleans in 1939.

He was childhood friends with the Neville brothers, and one of his first gigs was playing on Fats Domino’s 1956 smash ‘Blueberry Hill’ (he also played on the seminal Crescent City track, the Hawketts ‘Mardi Gras Mambo’).

Muhammad left New Orleans in the mid-60s and headed north to make his bones as a jazz drummer.

He soon became a fixture on a seemingly endless succession of heavy New York soul jazz dates, playing alongside a wide variety of organists, guitarists and others (dig the discography in his Wikipedia entry), eventually leading his own dates for Prestige starting in 1970.

Idris has appeared here at Funky16Corners many times over the years, both as leader and sideman.

His drumming style was steeped in the New Orleans second line, and was deeply funky, both in the wayback Ninth Ward way and also in the post-James Brown get down.

I’m posting a wide variety of tracks blessed with his beats, but that mixture of Big Easy and Good Foot was never more obvious than  in  the solo in his cover of Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd St Rhythm Band’s ‘Express Yourself, the opening track’ from his 1970 debut as a leader ‘Black Rhythm Revolution’. Listening to it is hearing a very groovy bunch of uptown jazzers suddenly morphing into a high-stepping, umbrella-waving parade.

It is bad-ass.

I’m including the flipside of that 45, his cover of JB’s ‘Super Bad’ (bringing it all back around, as it were) as well as a grip of sessions from the late 60s/early 70s that feature Muhammad. It’s worth noting that two of the best tracks hail from NOLA, Lou Donaldson covering Lee Dorsey and Leon Spencer, the Meters.

The last track, Bob James’ epic – heavily sampled, see below* –  1974 track ‘Nautilus’, in which Muhammad lays out one of the smoothest/tastiest breaks ever.

Idris Muhammad went on to play with a host of jazz greats, spending may years working with Ahmad Jamal, before retiring to his home town in 2011.

He was a master of the skins, who carried the beat in his heart and soul.

He will be missed.

See you on Monday

Keep the faith

Larry

     *Songs that sample ‘Nautilus’ (from the-breaks.com)

     A Tribe Called Quest’s “Clap Your Hands”
     Alkaholiks’s “Daaam!”
     All Natural’s “Think Again”
     Basement Khemist’s “Correct Technique”
     Camp Lo’s “Black Nostaljack”
     Chubb Rock’s “Keep it Street”
     DJ Food’s “Spiral Dub”
     DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince’s “Jazzy’s Groove”
     Dream Warriors’s “Voyage Through the Multiverse”
     EPMD’s “Brothers on My Jock”
     Eric B and Rakim’s “Follow the Leader”
     Eric B and Rakim’s “Let the Rhythm Hit ‘Em”
     Freestylers’s “Warning”
     Geto Boys’s “Snitches”
     Ghostface Killah’s “Daytona 500”
     Group Home’s “Inna Citi Life”
     Ice T’s “?”
     JCD and the Dawg lb’s “Over Pussy”
     Jeru’s “My Mind Spray”
     Joe Budden’s “Yo, Yo, Yo”
     Jungle Brothers’s “Book of Rhyme Pages”
     K-Solo’s “Everybody Knows Me”
     Keith Murray’s “The Rhyme”
     King Sun’s “Big Shots”
     Kruder & Dorfmeister’s “Original Bedroom Rockers”
     Large Professor ft Pete Rock’s “The Rap World”
     Leaders of the New School’s “Show Me a Hero”
     Lord Shafiyq’s “My Mic is on Fire”
     Lyrical Prophecy’s “You Can’t Swing This”
     Main Source’s “Live at the Barbecue”
     Mary J. Blige’s “Just Mary”
     Mary J. Blige ft Nas & DMX’s “Sincerity”
     Mekon’s “Phatty’s Lunch Box”
     Mike Zoot’s “Scene”
     Naughty by Nature’s “Cruddy Clique”
     Nice & Smooth’s “No Delayin’”
     Onyx’s “Black Vagina Finda”
     Onyx’s “Throw Ya Gunz”
     Organized Konfusion’s “Stray Bullet”
     Pete Rock & CL Smooth’s “Take You There”
     Pete Rock & CL Smooth’s “The Sun Won’t Come Out”
     Pete Rock & CL Smooth’s “What’s Next on the Menu?”
     Poison Clan’s “Paper Chase”
     Poor Righteous Teachers’s “Word is Bond”
     Project M’s “The Place to Be”
     Public Enemy’s “Anti-N*gger Machine”
     Puff Daddy ft Busta Rhymes and Notorious BIG’s “Victory”
     Queen Mother Rage’s “Slippin’ into Darkness”
     Red Myers’s “Shoplifter”
     Run-DMC’s “Beats to the Rhyme”
     Run-DMC’s “Groove to the Sound”
     Salt-N-Pepa’s “Doper than Dope”
     Slick Rick’s “Children’s Story”
     Soul II Soul’s “Jazzie’s Groove”
     Tame One’s “Torture Chamber”
     The Roots ft Mos Def’s “Double Trouble”
     Threat’s “Bust One Fa Me”
     Tim Dog’s “Bronx Nigga”
     Tim Dog’s “I’ll Wax Anybody”
     Tim Dog’s “Low Down Nigg*”
     Ultramagnetic MCs’s “Ced Gee (Delta Force One)”
     Ultramagnetic MCs’s “Moe Love on the One & Two”
     Ultramagnetic MCs’s “Raise it Up”

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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.

Comments (1)

By Larry, July 13, 2014 1:01 pm

Boz Scaggs

Listen/Download Boz Scaggs – Hercules

Greetings all

When I was picking through tracks trying to decide on something to start the week, my natural inclination was to go back into the dark recesses of the archives, yet I was met time and time again by the siren song of something brand new.

Not long ago, while searching for something else entirely (as is often the case)I happened upon a completely unexpected cover version of a familiar song.

I first heard Aaron Neville’s original version of ‘Hercules’ (written by Allen Toussaint) close to 15 years ago on an old Charly Records CD comp of New Orleans soul and funk.

The song –a very tasty groove indeed – lodged in my consciousness soon after when I realized that the original 45 – of which there are very few – had become a sought after disc among collectors of my ilk.

While I have never encountered a copy myself, I remain on the lookout.

That said, while seeking something else Toussaint-related, I came across a listing for a cover of ‘Hercules’, by none other than Boz Scaggs.

Now, if you grew up in the 70s (like me, for instance) the sounds of Mr Scaggs were inescapable. He had a number of big hits in the decade, including groovers like ‘Lowdown’ and ‘Lido Shuffle’.

It was only many years later that I discovered that he had a much deeper history, having recorded his first solo records in the 60s, and spent time as a sideman with the early Steve Miller Band.

When I discovered that Scaggs had covered ‘Hercules’, I set out in search of a copy of the record, which proved both easy and cheap.

Appearing on his 1974 LP ‘Slow Dancer’, Scaggs’ version of ‘Hercules’ is very groovy indeed.

Though it lacks some of the heat of the NOLA-based OG, it comes awfully close.

Produced by Johnny Bristol with arrangements by HB Barnum, this version of ‘Hercules’ is a funky, slow burner.

Scaggs takes the song at a slightly slower pace than Neville, but the groove here is deep indeed. The addition of strings gives this version a slightly smoother, nighttime vibe.

As far as I can tell, Boz Scaggs’ ‘Hercules’ has remained largely unnoticed for the last 40 years, instead of heating up dance floors, where it should have been. I suspect that this has something to do with Scaggs’ (somewhat undeserved) reputation as a middle-of-the-road pop artist.

Give this one a spin and then pass it on to someone who will dig it.

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.

Comments (3)

By Larry, June 15, 2014 11:43 am

Tarik Thornton – Pure Black Soul
Dyke & The Blazers – Black Boy (Original)
Black on White Affair- Bold Soul Sister, Bold Soul Brother (Topaz)
5 Miles Out- Super Sweet Girl Of Mine
Gloria Soul & The Hot Grits- Satisfy My Hunger (Golden Records)
Herculoids – Get Back (Herculoids)
James Brown – Soul Pride Parts 1 & 2 (King)
J.N. Thorp Elem. School Band – The Ghetto (Private Press)
Gil Scott-Heron – The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (Flying Dutchman)
Chico & Buddy – Can You Dig It (Tayster)
The Techniques IV- Project Song (Jasino)
Thin Lizzy – Showdown (Vertigo)
Ricky Lance – Lay The Cash On The Line (City Lights)
Nite Line – Fly (HU-DU Records)
Lynn Williams – Is It Possible (Dade)
Tyrone Davis – Are You Serious (High Rise)
King Ernest Baker – That’s When I Woke Up (Supreme)
The Impressions – That’s What Mama Say- (ABC/ Paramount)
The C.O.D.S- I’ll Come Running Back To You (Kellmac)
The Exits – Under The Street Lamp (Gemini)
Donald Jenkins & The Delighters- Music Revolution
Willie Tee- Swivel Your Hips (Gatur)

Listen/Download Funky16Corners Presents: Tarik Thornton – Pure Black Soul

NOTE: Hey everybody!
Welcome to a new week in the Funky16Corners 2014 Allnighter/Pledge Drive.

I am very proud indeed to get this week off to a bang with a new mix by my man Tarik Thornton.

Tarik has deep crates and excellent taste and always combines the two to great effect.

‘Pure Black Soul’ includes some deep, deep cuts, touching on the funky, the sweet and all points in between for an hour of pure listening pleasure.

Dig it, and I’ll see you tomorrow!

Larry

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Contest!

Anyone that donates today to the Allnighter/Pledge Drive will (in addition to getting the badge and stickers) be entered into a random drawing for a copy of the new Secret Stash CD by Sonny Knight and his Fabulous Lakers. This is an outstanding collection of funk and soul from a longtime Minnesota soul shouter who is just now getting his moment in the spotlight.
There will be more drawings over the next few weeks for CDs by Cultures of Soul, Light In the Attic and 45s from Cultures of Soul!

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The winner of Friday’s Cultures of Soul Roy Roberts 45 is Randy Sherman!
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Greetings all

Welcome to the 2014 edition of the Funky16Corners Allnighter/Pledge Drive.

This is the ninth annual Pledge Drive, and the fifth Allnighter.

If you haven’t experienced the Allnighter/Pledge Drive, it can be explained as thus: once a year, the Funky16Corners Blog, your home for the best in funk, soul, jazz and rare groove vinyl for almost 10 years comes to you with hand outstretched, asking for donations to offset the operating expenses of the web site.

The Funky16Corners ‘operation’ (as it is) included the Funky16Corners and Iron Leg blogs, the mix archives for both (containing well over 200 mixes), and the Funky16Corners Radio Show/Podcast (another 200+ files available for download, or through subscription in iTunes).

The money raised during the pledge drive goes to pay for the server space and fees associated with hosting the whole megillah.

As has been attested to many times in the past, Funky16Corners has humble beginnings, starting out on the old (free) Blogger service, moving to WordPress, and then to self-hosted WordPress. The move to paid hosting was necessitated by increased bandwidth usage, as well as the need for a place to store all the mixes (and eventually the radio show episodes).

The Allnighter/Pledge Drive is a once-yearly occurrence, in which yours truly, and some of the finest selectors out there whip up new mixes for your delectation.

In past years, I have posted all of the mixes in a single post, and left it up for a week.

This year, the quality and quantity of the mixes spurred me on to try something a little different, i.e. posting a new mix each weekday for a period of just over two weeks. This way, each selector gets their moment in the spotlight, and the mixes get spaced out so that the listeners don’t suffer from mix-fatigue.

Each day, you’ll get a fantastic mix (there really are some amazing ones this year) from one of my favorite DJs, many of whom have participated in the Allnighter before, as well as a couple of great new contributors.

So, if you dig what we do here at Funky16Corners, click on the Paypal link and toss some cash into the barrel.

Contributors will receive a 2014 Allnighter badge, as well as some stickers from the archive (as long as they last).

This year I will also be drawing the names of contributors at random for groovy swag, including CDs and 45s from Cultures of Soul, and CDs from Light in the Attic and Secret Stash.

So, dig the sounds for the next couple of weeks, and make sure you stop back on a daily basis to pick up new mixes and contribute for a chance to win some cool stuff.

Thanks, and as always,

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.