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Another great one has left us: James Shaw, aka The Mighty Hannibal, aka King Hannibal.
I featured this primal dance jam during my first year of posting here at Daily 45, and it was around the same time I was fortunate enough to catch him live at The Ponderosa Stomp in New Orleans. even though the man had lost his sight (due to glaucoma), he put on one HELL of a show, albeit a too-brief one.
Hannibal cut his great '60's records in his home base of Atlanta, and he cut quite an image onstage, often wearing a gold turban (which he wore at the 'Stomp, much to the delight of the crowd). 'Jerkin' The Dog' is one of those records that I've DJ'ed in several cities and countries and no matter WHAT shape the party is in, this record immediately connects with the loins and groins of folks of many cultures and gets things MOVING.
After the release of the controversial (and spectacular) anti-Vietnam War single 'Hymn No 5' in 1966 (which featured another great dancer, 'Fishin' Pole' on the flip side), Hannibal spent a year in prison, which (fortunately) broke him of a nasty heroin addiction. His records in the early '70's (as King Hannibal) took on a funkier edge that showed a new found spirituality.
Thank you for the amazing music and for sharing your unique vision with the world, Mr Hannibal. You will be missed.
I don't know of any other records by Faye Crawford, or at least any under that name. A pity, as her voice is equally adept at a heartbreaking mid-tempo ballad ('What Have I Done Wrong'), or the uptempo flip side, 'So Many Lies'. Just listen to how her voice nearly gives out at the end of 'So Many Lies'; pure soul, baby. Considering the producer (Bert Keyes), it's safe to say that this is a New York City record. A drop-to-the-knees gorgeous record.
This is a lovely record out of Columbus, OH that definitely takes on characteristics of the Detroit sound, but is made unique by a joyful, very enthusiastic, and downright innocent group sound. Apparently this is the only record that the group released.
from 1968...
THE CHANDLERS - (NEVER BEFORE) YOUR LOVE KEEPS DRAWING ME CLOSER
Joe Bataan is one of the most influential musicians of the New York City scene that took elements of jazz, Latin, and soul music and created a whole new thing, initially centered around the Boogaloo dance craze that was all the rage in 1967.
Joe Bataan also has a way with deep soul ballads such as this; a lovely slow jam that's also found on his classic LP Saint Latin's Day Massacre.
Happy birthday to the AMAZING Barbara Lynn! She's a soul singing, guitar slinging, songwriting wonder, and she's still out there amazing audiences to this very day.
Anyone who has followed this blog knows that Ms. Lynn is a real hero of mine, and I have now featured nearly all of her 45's on this site. This particular record is incredibly scarce, and it took me a long time to finally find a copy. Barbara still plays this song in concert currently, and it's a number that was more famously cut by Lazy Lester back in 1958. Barbara lays out some red hot R&B on her recording, highlighted by a super soulful vocal.
We last heard from Detroit singer Edd Henry several years ago when I featured his brilliant, manic mid-'60's record 'Crooked Woman'; Edd was not very prolific with his releases (only 4 that I know of), which is a pity. Flashing ahead to 1974 finds Edd and a white hot backing band launching a double headed, heat seeking funk missile that's gonna devastate your mind.
This Philadelphia group (2 guys and one woman) made a run of singles
that never quite broke through the charts in the way that they should have between '63-'66.
The group was equally capable of dreamy tracks such as this, and flat out burners ('The Slow Fizz') with grooves filled with gorgeous vocals.
While Millie Jackson is perhaps best known for unique style of lewd, extended raps that became a trademark of sorts (and also a pair of notorious album covers that pop up all over the web), her early sides on Spring Records are a whole 'nother thang. This double sided masterpiece of sister funk showcases Millie's raw vocals at their best, and both sides burn with smouldering intensity, and use innuendo more cleverly than the downright explicit material Millie would later cut. 'Strange Things', to this listener, is one of the greatest female soul sides of the early '70's, and luckily for vinyl folks, it's easy to get and 'cheap as chips'.
Hailing from Winston-Salem, NC, The "5" Royales were a VERY important group in the evolution of soul music- their recorded output in the 1950's combined their gospel roots into secular R&B, much in the same way that Ray Charles (more famously) did as well. James Brown acknowledged his debt to the influence of The "5" Royales, going so far as to say he modelled his own Famous Flames on the group, and also recording their song "Think" several times.
The group released a few gospel records in the early 50's as The Royal Sons, but by 1952 they began recording secular music and changed their name to The "5" Royales and continued with more or less the same lineup until 1965. This smouldering hot R&B side was released twice- first on VJ Records in 1961, then again on the Home Of The Blues label in 1962 (the same recording was used for both).
Christmas arrived early this year, in that I found a copy of this record (that I've been chasing for many years) back last July.
Issued both in 1976 (to the fan club in limited numbers) and again in 1986 (this copy), this single hardly ever turns up for sale because both pressings were so limited, and most people tend to hang onto them. I have no idea where the '86 release was even SOLD, as I was both a Monkees fan and reading Goldmine magazine as a youngster during this era and I never remember seeing it for sale, and certainly have never seen it in any record stores. Perhaps producer Chip Douglas repressed it for the fan club only, I'm simply not sure. I've had both sides of this 45 on a lo-fi bootleg LP for over 20 years, but nothing beats having this copy with the uber-cool picture sleeve showing the fellas in the studio, reunited.
Chip Douglas and (Turtle) Howard Kaylan wrote the song back in 1968, and it was issued as a single by a group calling themselves The Christmas Spirit, which was made up of several Turtles and Linda Ronstadt. While the song was revisited for The Monkees version, it was completely re-arranged in a far superior way for their track, which is pure magic.
The group was unable to use the name Monkees due to legal restrictions, so the record was cleverly released as We Three Monkees. Michael Nesmith chose not to participate, but the rumor mill claims that it's none other than Nez playing pedal steel guitar on both sides. Micky and Davy take turns on the lead vocal, which is heartfelt and lovely, and the song itself is a wonderful thing. What's in the grooves makes it obvious that everyone involved was having a ball when they made the record. Davy takes the lead for a very moving, country flavored version of "White Christmas" on the flip side, which shows how this man could croon with the best of them and how missed he is.
The words written on the back of the picture sleeve, "An expression of friendship and togetherness to make the holidays a little brighter for all of us" couldn't be more spot on.
Whatever it is that you celebrate, I wish you peace, love, and happiness today, tomorrow and everyday.
One of the prettiest, yet little known soul Christmas singles.
I'm not sure if this Betty Lloyd is the same singer who was a member of the east coast girl group The Percells; Thomas Records was a Chicago label, and this track certainly has an indelible Chicago stamp on it.
The lyrics brilliantly capture the feeling of being alone at Christmas, but without self pity. Oozing with quality, this song should be a holiday standard.
