{"id":990,"date":"2010-10-24T15:55:47","date_gmt":"2010-10-24T20:55:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/funky16corners.lunarpages.net\/?p=990"},"modified":"2012-08-03T15:36:41","modified_gmt":"2012-08-03T20:36:41","slug":"weldon-mcdougal-iii-rip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/?p=990","title":{"rendered":"Weldon McDougal III RIP"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/strong>\"Example\"<\/strong>
\n
\nWeldon McDougal III<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>\"Example\"<\/strong>
\n
\nLuther Randolph & Johnny Stiles<\/strong><\/p>\n

Listen\/Download – Four Larks – Groovin’ at the Go Go <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Listen\/Download – Cooperettes – Shingaling <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Listen\/Download – Lee Garrett – I Can’t Break the Habit <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Listen\/Download – Bernard Williams and the Blue Notes – It’s Needless to Say <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Listen\/Download – Volcanos – It’s Gotta Be a False Alarm<\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Listen\/Download – Eddie Holman – Stay Mine for Heaven’s Sake <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Listen\/Download – Eddie Holman – Eddie’s My Name <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Listen\/Download – Eddie Holman – I’ll Cry 1,000 Tears <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Greetings all. <\/strong><\/p>\n

I hope all is well on your end.<\/p>\n

Over the weekend I found out via Colin Dilnot<\/strong> of In Dangerous Rhythm<\/strong><\/a> that the legendary producer, performer, songwriter and promoter Weldon McDougal III<\/strong> had passed away.<\/p>\n

If the name isn\u2019t familiar, the music he helped create in Philadelphia during the 1960s should be.<\/p>\n

McDougal was one of the co-founders (with Luther Randolph<\/strong> and Johnny Stiles<\/strong>) of the legendary Harthon <\/strong>production house.<\/p>\n

In addition to the Harthon label, home to many brilliant (and rare) soul 45s, they created, and farmed out to a number of other labels, many equally excellent sides.<\/p>\n

If memory serves, I first became aware of Harthon via an old comp of their best stuff (issued and unissued) that turned me on to a wide variety of records that I would hunt breathlessly for the next decade.<\/p>\n

The tough thing is, for all the undeniable greatness of the records that McDougal made with Harthon, very little has been published about the label\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

Randolph (an organist) and Stiles (sometimes listed as \u2018Styles\u2019, guitar) had worked in and around Philadelphia before joining together and recording what would be the first Harthon 45s (one being released on Cameo).<\/p>\n

They eventually joined up with McDougal, who was performing with his group the Larks <\/strong>(no relation to the Don Julian <\/strong>group on the West Coast) and the Harthon powerhouse was soon up to full speed.<\/p>\n

They eventually brought local group Jo-Ann Jackson and the Dreams<\/strong> into the studio and recorded \u2018Georgie Porgie\u2019 (no doubt aimed at garnering airplay from local radio giant Georgie Woods<\/strong>), the first 45 on the label that wasn\u2019t a Randolph\/Styles instrumental.<\/p>\n

In Tony Cummings<\/strong> rare \u2013 and indispensable \u2013 tome The Sound of Philadelphia<\/strong> (the source for most of what I know about the partnership), Stiles was quoted as to the source of the Harthon sound:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sound we were trying to get was that Motown sound. The Detroit thing was what was happening so we just tried to get as near to it as we could. Our things were done in a small time kinda studio but we got the sound we wanted.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Stiles was basically getting to the root of the Northern Soul equation, i.e. reaching back to the Motor City and trying to recreate\/expand on the sound in places like Philadelphia, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

The music that McDougal, Randolph and Stiles would create over the next few years, with the help of the famed Philly rhythm section (Bobby Eli, Norman Harris, Earl Young, Ronnie Baker<\/strong>), writers and producers like Thom Bell, Eddie Holman <\/strong>and many others, created a number of records that are worshiped to this day on the Northern scene, and have also become some of my favorites, making Harthon my all-time favorite soul label.<\/p>\n

Over the years I\u2019ve been tracking down Harthon records (It was years before I scored an OG with the famous black and orange logo see above) I ended up following all kinds of leads and discovering a number of things I hadn\u2019t expected.<\/p>\n

The tunes I\u2019m featuring today \u2013 I\u2019ll be posting Harthon stuff all week \u2013 are in many ways the cream of the Harthon crop (at least to my ears) all bearing the marks of the label\u2019s sound, i.e. solid, hook-laden songwriting, sparkling production and most important of all, fantastic singers.<\/p>\n

<\/strong>\"Example\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first of these is what is probably the best known of all Harthon productions, the Four Larks <\/strong>(McDougal\u2019s group with a \u2018Four\u2019 added to distinguish them with the LA group) \u2018Groovin\u2019 at the Go Go. Written and arranged by Thom Bell, \u2018Groovin\u2019 at the Go Go\u2019 is a record that I chased for a long time, often being outbid (when it showed up for auction) and bemoaning my failure to procure it \u2013 in this very space \u2013 often.<\/p>\n

Then, in what must surely be one of the great moments of vinyl related altruism, a reader found a copy and sent it to me, gratis.<\/p>\n

Needless to say my mind was good and truly blown (this is not a cheap record) and the 45 has held a place of honor in my record box ever since then.<\/p>\n

Leased to the Capitol Records subsidiary Tower, \u2018Groovin\u2019 at the Go Go\u2019 is one of those records that in a just world would have been a huge hit.<\/p>\n

The record featured Irma Jackson<\/strong> on lead vocals, and has a great repeated riff played on piano and vibes, backed by a throbbing bass and drums, as well as wonderful, atmospheric backing vocals and a horn chart that won\u2019t quit.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t know much about the Cooperettes <\/strong>other than the music I\u2019ve heard on their Brunswick and ABC 45s. They were a Philly-based girl group, and their \u2018Shingaling\u2019 is an absolutely stunning Northern-styled pounder. This track would later be recycled as the unreleased (but heavily bootlegged) \u2018You Need Love\u2019 by Irma and the Fascinators. <\/strong>I\u2019ll post a recording of my bootleg 45 later this week.<\/p>\n

The next two cuts were also lifted from bootleg 45s (there was a brisk trade in bootlegs on the Northern Soul scene in the 70s) , and are among the finest things to come out of Harthon (if only I\u2019d been able to score original copies, but alas…).<\/p>\n

The first is by Lee Garrett,<\/strong> who would later move to Detroit, recording his own records as well as co-writing the Spinners<\/strong> hit \u2018It\u2019s a Shame\u2019. \u2018I Can\u2019t Break the Habit\u2019 is a killer with a great vocal by Garrett and a very cool piano interlude in the second half of the record.<\/p>\n

The other bootleg-sourced cut is in my Top 3 Harthon sides, Bernard Williams and the Blue Notes<\/strong> \u2018It\u2019s Needless To Say\u2019. I know I\u2019m repeating myself, but this record really, REALLY should have been a hit. It has it all, great songwriting, performance, production and arrangement. This is the group that was formed when the original Blue Notes split up, with Williams forming his group and Harold Melvin<\/strong> forming the other.<\/p>\n

<\/strong>\"Example\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

The next cut is the A-side from one of the two 45s the mighty Volcanos<\/strong> recorded during their brief sojourn with Harthon. Aside from a typically solid lead vocal by Gene Faith,<\/strong> the record features a pounding instrumental backing, which would later be bootlegged in the UK with the vocals stripped off (credited to the Body Motions<\/strong>). I\u2019ve never been able to nail down the chronology of the Volcanos time with Harthon, but a number of clues (including the funkier b-sides on the 45s) lead me to believe that they were recorded after the group\u2019s Arctic period but before the sides released on Virtue, which are basically Gene Faith solo records (the remainder of the group moving on to record as the Moods <\/strong>and the Trammps<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

<\/strong>\"Example\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Eddie Holman<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>\"Example\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

The last three cuts are two of the finest soul sides produced by any label, let alone Harthon.<\/p>\n

If you mention the name Eddie Holman<\/strong> to most people, the record that comes to mind is \u2018Hey There Lonely Girl\u2019 the Ruby and the Romantics<\/strong>* cover that Holman took into the Top 10 in 1970. However, one of my earliest Philly soul related obsessions was tracking down and reveling in the spectacular nature of the 45s that Holman recorded with Harthon for Cameo\/Parkway and Bell during the mid-60s.<\/p>\n

Often working with his writing partner James Solomon<\/strong>, Holman, possessor of one of the mightiest singing voices ever committed to vinyl, recorded several remarkable 45s that were largely ignored by radio. Aside from 1966s \u2018This Can\u2019t Be True\u2019 (to be posted later this week) Holman was absent from the Top 40 until he hit with \u2018Lonely Girl\u2019.<\/p>\n

The first of these is \u2018Stay Mine for Heaven\u2019s Sake\u2019. Written by Holman and Solomon, and arranged by Luther Randolph, \u2018Stay Mine\u2026\u2019 is yet another record that seemingly had every prerequisite for chart success, pop hooks, solid arrangement and above all Holman\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n

The second of the Holman sides featured today is the Northern Soul favorite (and a record I\u2019m proud to say I scored digging within the Philadelphia city limits) \u2018Eddie\u2019s My Name\u2019. Propelled by a speedy dancers beat, handclaps and sharp snare drum shots, \u2018Eddie\u2019s My Name\u2019, with production credited to \u2018Randolph, Stiles and McDougal\u2019 is a big fave with the soulies and has been comped a bunch of times.<\/p>\n

The final record for today is Holman\u2019s epic ballad performance \u2018I\u2019ll Cry 1,000 Tears\u2019. Released on the Bell label, this is the Eddie Holman 45 that eluded me the longest. With a melody that occasionally touches on Jimmy Ruffin\u2019s <\/strong>\u2018What Becomes of the Broken Hearted\u2019, \u2018I\u2019ll Cry\u2026\u2019 is really Holman\u2019s vocal tour de force. The chorus sees him soaring to almost operatic heights against an amazing arrangement. This was his last 45 with Harthon (in 1968), before moving to ABC.<\/p>\n

The end of Holman\u2019s tenure with Harthon coincided with the end of the partnership. McDougal would leave Philadelphia to go work in promotions for Motown, where he stayed until returning to Philly in 1972 to work with Gamble and Huff<\/strong> at Philly International.<\/p>\n

The news of McDougal\u2019s unfortunate passing led me back into the crates where I dug out a couple of Harthon rarities, which I\u2019ll be posting later in the week.<\/p>\n

I hope you dig the sounds.<\/p>\n

Peace<\/strong><\/p>\n

Larry<\/strong><\/p>\n


\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>\"Example\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

*Originally recorded as ‘Hey There Lonely Boy’
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n


\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

Check out the Funky16Corners Store at Cafe Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

PS Head over to Iron Leg
\n<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Weldon McDougal III Luther Randolph & Johnny Stiles Listen\/Download – Four Larks – Groovin’ at the Go Go Listen\/Download – Cooperettes – Shingaling Listen\/Download – Lee Garrett – I Can’t Break the Habit Listen\/Download – Bernard Williams and the Blue Notes – It’s Needless to Say Listen\/Download – Volcanos – It’s Gotta Be a False […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[46,14,24,67,74,12,18,1],"tags":[166,169],"class_list":["post-990","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-digging","category-funky16corners","category-northern-soul","category-obituary","category-philly-soul","category-soul","category-soul-45","category-uncategorized","tag-funky16corners","tag-northern-soul"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pMKgo-fY","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/990","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=990"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/990\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3015,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/990\/revisions\/3015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=990"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=990"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/funky16corners.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=990"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}