Something about this track shouts "record label exploitation" but I dig it just the same.
The singer, Baby Ray (Eddlemon, co-writer of the track) sure had a fine voice, and after one LP release (from which this 45 was drawn) he disappeared from sight in the music biz, apparently. Judging from the names on the label, I'm assuming this was a Nashville session, and the Nashville cats capture a cool groove that leans more towards a marriage of mod beat, folk rock and pop soul than PURE soul, but in its own way, this little record shows that even many of the records that were purely studio concoctions designed to latch on to the musical trends of the 60's could turn out mighty fine.
from 1966...
BABY RAY - THE HOUSE ON SOUL HILL
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7 comments:
It kind of has a Johnny Rivers vibe. Didn't Johnny also record on Imperial?
Also Baby Ray did a cover of "There's Something On Your Mind". Derek, is this the "b" side?
Thanks for the info on this one...that's much more than I've ever been able to find.
Baby Ray is soul singer Ray Eddlemon who released three singles and one album for Imperial Records. His only hit was “There Is Something On My Mind” from 1969 which was produced by James Brown, who alsp played organ on the song. http://www.musicknockout.net/Artists/babyray.html
Sorry anonymous but that is not quite correct. Baby Ray *did record There Is Something on My Mind (which is the flip side of this single) but it has no James Brown involvement. Baby Lloyd is the baby man with James Brown involvement; his version of "Something On Your Mind" (with JB) was a minor hit.
Baby Ray Eddlemon was my friend and brother. We recorded songs together in the Nevada State Prison system where he later died in ESP. I was released but my friend never made it out alive. I have some songs recoreded by him in prison that no one has. One in particular, that I wrote was, "Death Row" another was, "Sweet C'est La Vie" some he wrote and recorded. We agreed to share them with the world, but I'm the only one still alive. Waylon Jennings was a good friend of Ray's, but now he's also gone to his rewards. You can contact me through ScottFrench999@gmail.com, or call me in California 209-550-1930.
You think his songs were intense during his earlier years? you should have heard him when he was older knowing he'd never be free again. He recorded one called, "Girl on the Phone," that blew us away. Too bad no one wants to hear the songs him and I recorded in prison. No doubt in my mind, the boy was a genius... and man could he ever play a guitar. scottfrench999@gmail.com
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