In case you haven't checked out Dan Philips' piece on Diamond Joe/Solomon Burke over at Home Of The Groove, you most definitely should. In that post he's offered up a copy of Diamond Joe doing the same song I'm posting here, "How To Pick A Winner". In fact, it uses the exact same instrumental track.
I'd planned to post the two 45's together at some point just because I think it's interesting to compare the two, but since Dan's got his copy of the Diamond Joe up....I'll stick with this 45 and send you to Dan for the other version.
Personally speaking, I prefer the Diamond Joe, but the comparison's interesting simply because Maurice Williams is no slouch of singer himself. If the name doesn't ring a bell, think: the Zodiac's [Stay], and the Gladiola's [the original version of Little Darling].
Williams presumably hooked up with Toussaint through Marshall Sehorn, his partner. The Zodiacs had an early Deesu label release which was clearly leased through Sehorn's connections.
Could be there's a third 45 by Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs on Deesu. Unfortunately, I can't find a Deesu discography [how very odd] so am unable to check. I may just be dreaming on that one.
Diamond Joe's the winner!
ReplyDeleteThanks, ana. Will put your link up. Had not heard this version before. Barbria?? Maurice's version sounds fairly uptown except for that; but I'm with you in preferring the less polished but more pleasingly soulful Diamond (in the rough) Joe.
ReplyDeleteAs per the R&B Indies, there were three Maurice Williams 45s on Deesu:
302 Being With You/Baby Baby
307 Oo-Poo-Pah-Doo Pt 1/Pt 2
311 above
Also there were three by or with the Zodiacs:
304 May I/The Feeling
309 Surely/Don't Ever Leave Me
318 (Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs)
Live In Concert 'Stay'68/Live In Concert 'Dance Dance' 68
Unless something else slipped through the cracks...
BTW, I saw Maurice & the Zodiacs live on one of those R&B package shows in Memphis in 1966. Robert Parker was on it, too. I probably remember more about that than what I did last week. I'm that old....damn.
Colby...indeed.
ReplyDeleteDan...thanks for the info. Damn, there are a lot more Maurice Williams/Zodiacs singles on Deesu than I thought. I should pay more attention.
Not old Dan, just lot's and lot's of experience. That must have been some show. Seeing the "survivors" nowadays is great, but to have seen them in their prime, that's a whole other thing.
Oh yeah, the "Barbria" thing makes my brain go snap too.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed the vocal stylings of Maurice Williams for many years. It's great to hear the original 45. Thanks for the link to "Home of the Groove" and the great Diamond Joe version of this song. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHey Ms B, I have a Deesu discography I can send you - it gets confusing though because they started over from the same #s at one point, so there are several releases that have the same number.
ReplyDeleteJust to keep us OCD types sweating a few decades later, to be sure..
Thanks and keep up the good posts!
-Travis
Jem...you're most welcome.
ReplyDeleteTravis...I'd love to have that discography. Thanks for the offer. The more I think about it, the more I'm sure I've never ever seen one.
The addy is singbones AT yahoo DOT com