I couldn't find any info on the House of the Fox label, or Leian Rogers Enterprises. Please pass it along if you have some!
Now get funky!
Showing posts with label funk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label funk. Show all posts
Monday, April 18, 2011
Curley Moore & The Kool Ones - "Shelley's Rubber Band" - House of Fox, 1970(?)
I couldn't find any info on the House of the Fox label, or Leian Rogers Enterprises. Please pass it along if you have some!
Now get funky!
Monday, May 24, 2010
The Fantastic Johnny C - "Look What Love Can Make You Do" - Phil-L.A. of Soul, 1968
Today's tune is from another Philly-based musician, Johnny C. This record is best known for the flip "Boogaloo Down Broadway". "Boogaloo" is basically the same song as "Look What Love", but with a different set of vocals. And since everyone likes to talk about "Broadway", I thought you like to get a taste of the equally funky flip-side.
From the All Music Guide:
The Fantastic Johnny C was born Johnny Corley on April 28, 1943, in Greenwood, SC. He joined the armed services at an early age, leaving Brewer High in Greenwood before graduating to enlist. When his military duty ended, he moved to Norristown, PA, a small city 18 miles from Philadelphia, and found work as a heavy-equipment operator while becoming increasingly unable to resist the temptation to sing professionally. R&B producer Jesse James attended the same church as Corley and quickly spotted his talent. James made a career out of transforming gospel singers into secular performers; he discovered Cliff "the Horse" Nobles a short time later at the same church. James became Corley's manager and wrote songs for him -- one of them, "Boogaloo Down Broadway," convinced Corley to give pop music a serious try. "Broadway" became a big hit, hitting number five on the R&B charts and number seven on the pop charts. The follow-up, "Got What You Need," didn't surpass or equal "Broadway," but it did chart, while "Hitch It to the Horse" bounced onto the R&B charts, and even crept into the pop Top 40, in 1968. His stage name came about when some acquaintances of both James and Corley stated almost in unison, "That's fantastic -- what are you going to call him?" after hearing "Boogaloo Down Broadway." Hearing their response, James first came up with the Fantastic Johnny Corley before shortening it to the Fantastic Johnny C. His first gig was at the Uptown Theater in Philadelphia, sharing a bill with Sam & Dave, the Vibrations, and Joe Simon. Phil La of Soul released his only album, Boogaloo Down Broadway, a mini-masterpiece of gritty soul containing the deep soul cuts "Warm and Tender Love," "Shout Bamalama," and many dance tunes: "Cool Broadway," "Barefootin'," "The Bounce," and "Land of a Thousand Dances." Corley continued to sing in church while recording secular music. When he scored his first hit, he stated that his goal was to be the "number one soul brother," and, while he failed to achieve that lofty title, he did land among the stars for brief period courtesy of his explosive recordings.
I was able to find his album here: Boogaloo Down Broadway
Philadelphia’s Phil-L.A. of Soul might be best known for Cliff Nobles' "The Horse" which spawned a dance craze and plenty of copy-cat hits. (Check out this site where they really break down this whole Horse business!) Aside from "The Horse", "Boogaloo Down Broadway" was Phil-L.A.'s biggest hit. I understand Phil-L.A. of Soul was a subsidiary of Jamie Records (started in Philly in 1957 by Harold Lipsius) and seems to have shuttered at some point in the 70s. If anyone has more info, please share!
And the clip!
Today's tune is from another Philly-based musician, Johnny C. This record is best known for the flip "Boogaloo Down Broadway". "Boogaloo" is basically the same song as "Look What Love", but with a different set of vocals. And since everyone likes to talk about "Broadway", I thought you like to get a taste of the equally funky flip-side.
From the All Music Guide:
The Fantastic Johnny C was born Johnny Corley on April 28, 1943, in Greenwood, SC. He joined the armed services at an early age, leaving Brewer High in Greenwood before graduating to enlist. When his military duty ended, he moved to Norristown, PA, a small city 18 miles from Philadelphia, and found work as a heavy-equipment operator while becoming increasingly unable to resist the temptation to sing professionally. R&B producer Jesse James attended the same church as Corley and quickly spotted his talent. James made a career out of transforming gospel singers into secular performers; he discovered Cliff "the Horse" Nobles a short time later at the same church. James became Corley's manager and wrote songs for him -- one of them, "Boogaloo Down Broadway," convinced Corley to give pop music a serious try. "Broadway" became a big hit, hitting number five on the R&B charts and number seven on the pop charts. The follow-up, "Got What You Need," didn't surpass or equal "Broadway," but it did chart, while "Hitch It to the Horse" bounced onto the R&B charts, and even crept into the pop Top 40, in 1968. His stage name came about when some acquaintances of both James and Corley stated almost in unison, "That's fantastic -- what are you going to call him?" after hearing "Boogaloo Down Broadway." Hearing their response, James first came up with the Fantastic Johnny Corley before shortening it to the Fantastic Johnny C. His first gig was at the Uptown Theater in Philadelphia, sharing a bill with Sam & Dave, the Vibrations, and Joe Simon. Phil La of Soul released his only album, Boogaloo Down Broadway, a mini-masterpiece of gritty soul containing the deep soul cuts "Warm and Tender Love," "Shout Bamalama," and many dance tunes: "Cool Broadway," "Barefootin'," "The Bounce," and "Land of a Thousand Dances." Corley continued to sing in church while recording secular music. When he scored his first hit, he stated that his goal was to be the "number one soul brother," and, while he failed to achieve that lofty title, he did land among the stars for brief period courtesy of his explosive recordings.
I was able to find his album here: Boogaloo Down Broadway
Philadelphia’s Phil-L.A. of Soul might be best known for Cliff Nobles' "The Horse" which spawned a dance craze and plenty of copy-cat hits. (Check out this site where they really break down this whole Horse business!) Aside from "The Horse", "Boogaloo Down Broadway" was Phil-L.A.'s biggest hit. I understand Phil-L.A. of Soul was a subsidiary of Jamie Records (started in Philly in 1957 by Harold Lipsius) and seems to have shuttered at some point in the 70s. If anyone has more info, please share!
And the clip!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Afrique - Soul Makossa - Mainstream Records, 1972
Afrique is best known for thier song "House of Rising Funk" which contains a great drum break sampled by the Geto Boys on 'Damn It Feels Good to Be A Gangster' and N.W.A.'s 'Appetite for Destruction'.
Here's a bit of info on the origin of "Soul Makossa" from the Bravo Juju blog:
"The first articles on "disco music" appeared in 1972, and the invention is credited to a Cameroon-born and Paris-based jazz saxophonist, Manu Dibango, who in that year released Soul Makossa (1972), an exciting mixture of funk-jazz saxophone lines and hypnotic African beats.
After it was issued, David Mancuso found a copy in a Brooklyn West Indian record store and often played it at his Loft parties. The response was so positive that the few copies of "Soul Makossa" in New York City were quickly bought up. The song was subsequently played heavily by Frankie Crocker, who DJed at WBLS, then New York's most popular Black radio station.Since the Dibango failed to register the copyright, 23 or more groups quickly released cover versions to capitalize on the demand for the record."
Afrique did one of those covers, which is what we have here today. What can I say, this jam is basically a guareenteed ass-shaker, super funky Afro grooves! I'm listening to it right now and pumping my fist in my bedroom, seriously. You can still find the album without much trouble, here's the Amazon link: Afrique
From Wikipedia: Mainstream Records was founded in 1964 by Bob Shad, and in its early history reissued material from Commodore Records and Time Records in addition to some new jazz material. The label released Big Brother & the Holding Company's first material in 1967, as well as The Amboy Dukes' first albums, whose guitarist, Ted Nugent, would become a successful solo artist in the 1970s. Mainstream acted as the distributing label for the subsidiary Flying Dutchman Records and continued issuing soundtracks and new jazz material through 1978, when it shuttered.
Now let's do this clip!
Afrique is best known for thier song "House of Rising Funk" which contains a great drum break sampled by the Geto Boys on 'Damn It Feels Good to Be A Gangster' and N.W.A.'s 'Appetite for Destruction'.
Here's a bit of info on the origin of "Soul Makossa" from the Bravo Juju blog:
"The first articles on "disco music" appeared in 1972, and the invention is credited to a Cameroon-born and Paris-based jazz saxophonist, Manu Dibango, who in that year released Soul Makossa (1972), an exciting mixture of funk-jazz saxophone lines and hypnotic African beats.
After it was issued, David Mancuso found a copy in a Brooklyn West Indian record store and often played it at his Loft parties. The response was so positive that the few copies of "Soul Makossa" in New York City were quickly bought up. The song was subsequently played heavily by Frankie Crocker, who DJed at WBLS, then New York's most popular Black radio station.Since the Dibango failed to register the copyright, 23 or more groups quickly released cover versions to capitalize on the demand for the record."
Afrique did one of those covers, which is what we have here today. What can I say, this jam is basically a guareenteed ass-shaker, super funky Afro grooves! I'm listening to it right now and pumping my fist in my bedroom, seriously. You can still find the album without much trouble, here's the Amazon link: Afrique
From Wikipedia: Mainstream Records was founded in 1964 by Bob Shad, and in its early history reissued material from Commodore Records and Time Records in addition to some new jazz material. The label released Big Brother & the Holding Company's first material in 1967, as well as The Amboy Dukes' first albums, whose guitarist, Ted Nugent, would become a successful solo artist in the 1970s. Mainstream acted as the distributing label for the subsidiary Flying Dutchman Records and continued issuing soundtracks and new jazz material through 1978, when it shuttered.
Now let's do this clip!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Gene Dozier - Hunk Of Funk - Minit Records, 1967
Today's funky gem is by Gene Dozier aka Ugene Lloyd Dozier aka Billy Jackson.
Gene had a long career, working with tons of musicians like Dusty Springfield, Lakeside, Shalimar, the SOS Band, Minnie Ripperton, the O’Jays and others. Unfortunately, after all of his efforts he remains a bit obscure. This song is off of the 1968 "Blues Power" album (songs of the funky instrumental variety with a few covers like "Cold Sweat"), and this single in particular broke the R&B top 50. There's a strong beat running through this one as some serious guitar and horn work elevate it to absolute badass. Gene passed in 2007.
Minit is a classic New Orleans label. They released a ton of great music, and if you ever come across anything on the label you owe it to yourself to give it a good listen.
(Ed - The following is from the discography page for Minit at Both Sides Now. Thanks!)
The Minit Label was formed in 1959 in New Orleans, Louisiana, by Joe Banashak and Larry McKinley. Joe Banashak ran A-1 Record Distributors in New Orleans when he formed the label. The man responsible for most of the hits on Minit was Allen Toussaint, who wrote, played piano, arranged, and produced the music. The first artist recorded for the label was Matthew Jacobs, also known as "Boogie Jake," who had three of the first six singles for the label. Ernest Kador (Ernie K. Doe), Aaron Neville, Irma Thomas, and Benny Spellman were also early artists for the label. The first hit for Minit was Allen Toussaint's production of Jessie Hill's "Ooh Poo Pah Doo, Part 2" which reached No. 28 in the summer of 1960. In 1961, Minit reached a distribution deal with Lew Chudd of Imperial Records. Shortly after the deal was formed, Minit had a No. 1 national hit with "Mother-In-Law" by Ernie K-Doe. At the end of 1961, the Showmen made a fine tribute to rock and roll with "It Will Stand," which only reached No. 61 on the national charts, but has been a standard of sorts ever since. The 1960-63 Minit label has long been known for the early work of some of the most talented and enduring performers on the New Orleans scene. When Allen Toussaint went into the Army in 1963, the hits stopped coming and the Minit Record Label was sold to Imperial.
I've noticed that Minit went through several designs for the 45 labels, here are some examples from my collection:
Here's the first design, a simple orange and black number.
Then we have this design with a clock-themed logo.
And now the final label design, which seems to be a very stylized take on the previous design. This was used until the label closed.
Special thanks for Fleamarket Funk for some of this info!
For a introduction to the music of Minit, I recommend this compilation which contains many of the high points - including "Hunk Of Funk". The Minit Records Story
And now, the clip!
Minit is a classic New Orleans label. They released a ton of great music, and if you ever come across anything on the label you owe it to yourself to give it a good listen.
(Ed - The following is from the discography page for Minit at Both Sides Now. Thanks!)
The Minit Label was formed in 1959 in New Orleans, Louisiana, by Joe Banashak and Larry McKinley. Joe Banashak ran A-1 Record Distributors in New Orleans when he formed the label. The man responsible for most of the hits on Minit was Allen Toussaint, who wrote, played piano, arranged, and produced the music. The first artist recorded for the label was Matthew Jacobs, also known as "Boogie Jake," who had three of the first six singles for the label. Ernest Kador (Ernie K. Doe), Aaron Neville, Irma Thomas, and Benny Spellman were also early artists for the label. The first hit for Minit was Allen Toussaint's production of Jessie Hill's "Ooh Poo Pah Doo, Part 2" which reached No. 28 in the summer of 1960. In 1961, Minit reached a distribution deal with Lew Chudd of Imperial Records. Shortly after the deal was formed, Minit had a No. 1 national hit with "Mother-In-Law" by Ernie K-Doe. At the end of 1961, the Showmen made a fine tribute to rock and roll with "It Will Stand," which only reached No. 61 on the national charts, but has been a standard of sorts ever since. The 1960-63 Minit label has long been known for the early work of some of the most talented and enduring performers on the New Orleans scene. When Allen Toussaint went into the Army in 1963, the hits stopped coming and the Minit Record Label was sold to Imperial.
I've noticed that Minit went through several designs for the 45 labels, here are some examples from my collection:
Here's the first design, a simple orange and black number.
For a introduction to the music of Minit, I recommend this compilation which contains many of the high points - including "Hunk Of Funk". The Minit Records Story
And now, the clip!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Harvey Scales & The Seven Sounds - "Love-itis" - Magic Touch Records, 1968?
This week's 45 is "Love-itis", a slab of driving funk by Harvey Scales which was later covered by the Sonics (not one of their best recordings unfortunately).
Harvey AKA "Twistin' Harvey" is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin native and is well-loved there but not really huge elsewhere. But, he was the first African American song writer to get a certified Platinum record with the hit single "Disco Lady" co-written with Johnnie Taylor. I guess his son is in the Rap game so music runs in the family.
Magic Touch Records was run by Lennie LaCour who emigrated north from Louisiana to the north Chicago area in the early 60s, and had run several labels in the Chicago / Milwaukee area such as Score, Busy Bee and Dynamic Sound before starting up Magic Touch. LaCour got his singers and bands from Chicago and occasionally Milwaukee. From the latter city the most famous label signings were Harvey Scales and Marvel Love. Lacour also produced many of the sides himself. The label started around 1965, and went in several stops and starts, up until the final releases in the early 80s. Towards the end LaCour tried hard to break into the disco market, and a lot of the better soul releases from this period are hidden away as B sides to disco 45's. Thereafter what happened to LaCour is still a mystery.
Thanks to the folks at toodarnsoulful.com ,the Magic Touch label info was grabbed directly from there.
Looks like they may be re-releasing some of Harvey's work soon as I came across this:Love-Itis
And now the clip!
This week's 45 is "Love-itis", a slab of driving funk by Harvey Scales which was later covered by the Sonics (not one of their best recordings unfortunately).
Harvey AKA "Twistin' Harvey" is a Milwaukee, Wisconsin native and is well-loved there but not really huge elsewhere. But, he was the first African American song writer to get a certified Platinum record with the hit single "Disco Lady" co-written with Johnnie Taylor. I guess his son is in the Rap game so music runs in the family.
Magic Touch Records was run by Lennie LaCour who emigrated north from Louisiana to the north Chicago area in the early 60s, and had run several labels in the Chicago / Milwaukee area such as Score, Busy Bee and Dynamic Sound before starting up Magic Touch. LaCour got his singers and bands from Chicago and occasionally Milwaukee. From the latter city the most famous label signings were Harvey Scales and Marvel Love. Lacour also produced many of the sides himself. The label started around 1965, and went in several stops and starts, up until the final releases in the early 80s. Towards the end LaCour tried hard to break into the disco market, and a lot of the better soul releases from this period are hidden away as B sides to disco 45's. Thereafter what happened to LaCour is still a mystery.
Thanks to the folks at toodarnsoulful.com ,the Magic Touch label info was grabbed directly from there.
Looks like they may be re-releasing some of Harvey's work soon as I came across this:Love-Itis
And now the clip!
Monday, February 22, 2010
I found a bunch of old 45s yesterday, here's the breakdown. Let me know if yer interested in anything!
Stuff Up For Grabs:
The Magic Touch - "Dear Mother" / "A Woman Will Do Wrong" - Falcon's Roost, 1975
Joe Cuba Sextet - "Talk About Luv" / "I'm Insane" - Tico, 1967? (Latin-y proto salsa / boogaloo)
Ray Charles - "Sunshine" / "America The Beutiful" - Crossover, 1976
The Three Sounds - "Love For Sale" / "On Green Dolphin Street" - Blue Note, 1960 (jazz, and in terrible shape)
Executive Suite - "Your Love Is Paradise" / "I'm Leaving This Time" - Babylon, 1974
Fredrick Knight - "I've Been lonely For So Long" / "Lean On Me" - Stax, 1972
Joe Simon - "I Found My Dad" / "Trouble In My Home" - Spring Records, 1972
Moments - "Thanks A Lot" / "My Thing" - Stang, 1972
The Intruders - "Baby I'm Lonley" / "A Love That's Real" - Gamble, 1967
Bloodstone - "Natural High" / "Peter's Jones" - London, 1972
The Delfonics - "Walk Right Up To The Sun" / "Round And Round" - Philly Groove, 1972 (inspiration for the bit in Nas' "If I Ruled The World"?)
Joe Simon - "The Mirror Don't Lie" / "Power Of Love" - Spring Records, 1972
Little Anthony & The Imperials - "I'm Falling In Love With You" / "What Good Am I Without You" - Avco, 1974
The Independents - "I Love you, Yes I Do" / "Leaving Me" - Wand, 1972
Stuff I was planning to keep, but I guess anything is negotiable:
The Persuaders - "Thin Line Between Love & Hate" / "Thigh Spy" - Atco, 1971
The Beginning Of The End - "Funky Nassau Part I & II" - Alston, 1971 (terrible shape, but a classic)
Jimmy "Bo" Horne - "Gimme Some Part I & II" - Alston, 1975
King Floyd - "Groove Me" / "What Our Love Needs" - Chimneyville, 1970
James Brown - "Public Enemy #1-Part 1" / "I Got A Bag Of My Own" - Polydor, 1972
B.B. King - "Never Trust A Woman" / "Worryin' Blues" - ABC Paramount, 1964
Stuff Up For Grabs:
The Magic Touch - "Dear Mother" / "A Woman Will Do Wrong" - Falcon's Roost, 1975
Joe Cuba Sextet - "Talk About Luv" / "I'm Insane" - Tico, 1967? (Latin-y proto salsa / boogaloo)
Ray Charles - "Sunshine" / "America The Beutiful" - Crossover, 1976
The Three Sounds - "Love For Sale" / "On Green Dolphin Street" - Blue Note, 1960 (jazz, and in terrible shape)
Executive Suite - "Your Love Is Paradise" / "I'm Leaving This Time" - Babylon, 1974
Fredrick Knight - "I've Been lonely For So Long" / "Lean On Me" - Stax, 1972
Joe Simon - "I Found My Dad" / "Trouble In My Home" - Spring Records, 1972
Moments - "Thanks A Lot" / "My Thing" - Stang, 1972
The Intruders - "Baby I'm Lonley" / "A Love That's Real" - Gamble, 1967
Bloodstone - "Natural High" / "Peter's Jones" - London, 1972
The Delfonics - "Walk Right Up To The Sun" / "Round And Round" - Philly Groove, 1972 (inspiration for the bit in Nas' "If I Ruled The World"?)
Joe Simon - "The Mirror Don't Lie" / "Power Of Love" - Spring Records, 1972
Little Anthony & The Imperials - "I'm Falling In Love With You" / "What Good Am I Without You" - Avco, 1974
The Independents - "I Love you, Yes I Do" / "Leaving Me" - Wand, 1972
Stuff I was planning to keep, but I guess anything is negotiable:
The Persuaders - "Thin Line Between Love & Hate" / "Thigh Spy" - Atco, 1971
The Beginning Of The End - "Funky Nassau Part I & II" - Alston, 1971 (terrible shape, but a classic)
Jimmy "Bo" Horne - "Gimme Some Part I & II" - Alston, 1975
King Floyd - "Groove Me" / "What Our Love Needs" - Chimneyville, 1970
James Brown - "Public Enemy #1-Part 1" / "I Got A Bag Of My Own" - Polydor, 1972
B.B. King - "Never Trust A Woman" / "Worryin' Blues" - ABC Paramount, 1964
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