Rock me....

Another one from the amazing, Johnny Love and The Amethyst Garnets.

In this chapter of our story, the band discovers the built-in beatbox settings on 10 year old Gary Love's Hammond Fun-Machine. Eureka!

The results really are impressive given the band's limitations. I totally made-up the part about 10 year old Gary Love. Ya see, my newest theory is that two thirds of the Amethyst Garnets were children.

DIY gospel based soul at it's most amateurish. But don't let that description put you off. The cut's all the more beautiful for lack of polish.

A genuine amethyst-garnet [???] in the rough.

Hope ya'll enjoy...

I don't need your money...

As luck would have it, a friend scored this 45 on Ebay last week only to be offered another slightly nicer copy three days later. I've been far too busy to think about records lately, but when I got a text saying, "Zilla Mayes for $xx?", I was all over it.

Not cheap, but given how badly I've coveted this 45, it was a steal.

I posted the flip-side last December as part of my "records that drive me crazy" post. This side is just as good, although not quite as obscure. You may well have heard it before even if you've never heard of Zilla Mayes.

Ya see, this tune's been mistakenly included on at least two separate Betty Harris comps. Harris did indeed record a song with the same title [the worst in her entire discography], but it sounds nothing like this.

Which is a shame. Zilla Mayes didn't record all that much. This is the only 45 she made with Allen Toussaint. It may very well be the last recording she ever made. She deserves better than to have her effort buried even deeper in obscurity because of a stupid error.

Mayes was a pioneering female DJ in Atlanta. Besides this 45, I've only ever seen an album of what you might call "standards" and a couple of 78's.

Hope ya'll enjoy...

Salt and Pepper

I don't usually post records just because they're obscure, but I figure some of you might like to hear this one. I doubt you'll find it anyplace else.

I've been told Earnest Holland played in Fats Domino's band but can't find any info to confirm that.

Hope ya'll enjoy....

...to fall in love with me

This one goes out to Lady Mem'fis, aka Jackie Johnson. Took me more than a year to find a copy, in fact I wasn't even sure any copies still existed until six months ago. Hope you enjoy it hon. It's been a total pleasure.

Recorded at Cos Matassa's studio while she was still in her teens, this is the only record on which Johnson gets sole credit. If you'll check "Jackie Johnson" in the sidebar you can hear one of her sides with Bobby Powell, with whom she worked as a duo in the New Orleans area. She also wrote that song. It's fabulous.

The Tulane label is ultra-obscure. The RnB Indies only lists one 45 on the label, but that information is incomplete. There are three known releases, this 45 being one of the two that's not listed, the other being the first release by Ray Washington, aka Guitar Ray.

Hope ya'll enjoy...

I was a fool....

I have an odd relationship with Willie Tee's output. On the whole his records are not really my thing, often a little too slick, too breezy, too "jazzy" without actually being jazz.....but then there are times when the tunes seem so perfectly realized that the word "crystalline" comes to mind.

Which probably only means I have to be in the right mood to appreciate them. It may also mean that some day, when I grow up, I may well treasure his recordings.

Anyway, this 45 is the exception to the rule. I love it so much that I probably need to buy a new copy. That hint of groove wear is all my doing. Given that the vinyl was almost perfect when I got it, that translates as what?......a minimum of a hundred needle drops?

It's that amazing guitar solo, and then, towards the end, that scream. I can't really tell you why it works for me. It just does.

Hope ya'll enjoy...Earl King wrote the tune, Wardell Quezergue produced it.

[Oops, an obvious screw up, the tune was written by Willie Tee. Earl King wrote the flip-side]

Crystal Ball...

"Never enough trombone!"

This one goes out to the person who left the above comment on the last post. Thanks hon, you made me laugh. Actually, It's time to thank everyone who bothers to comment. I may not always have time to answer each and every one of your notes, but believe me, they are all appreciated.

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I'm not a huge fan of Allen Toussaint's work with his West Bank Army buddies.....but this cut is different. In a perfect world I'd be bombarded by umpteen variations on "Fortune Teller" every-single-day. Such exquisite torture. Ya know, after a couple of years I might just get tired of it.

Alon singles are impossible to scan. The record is "Crystal Ball" by the Stokes. Produced by Allen Toussaint. Mr. Toussaint is of course playing piano as well.

Hope ya'll enjoy....

[It may not seem like I took much of a break, but it was long enough to come to a rather obvious conclusion. Letting the blog slide during the weekdays, only posting on the weekends, is totally the way to go. No biggie, a lot people don't have time to blog more than once a week. I just got a little spoiled over the last couple of years. Anyway, that's how it is for the time being. If I feel inspired I'll offer up two records.]

If I should jump up and holler....

When I start getting bitchy for no real reason it means I've got too much going on.

Changes are coming fast this month. I'm about to take over some of my aunt's business obligations. I'm not actually sure I'm ready for the job, but in the long run it's definitely the smart thing to do and the position has the key advantage of being baby friendly. Actually, as baby friendly as I want it to be as long as I get the job done.

Anyway, I'm feeling slightly overwhelmed at the moment, so I'm gonna take a little vacation from the blog and concentrate on getting myself up to speed. First on the agenda is a sharp assistant who doesn't mind holding the baby once in a while. Chances are I'll be back in a week or so, although it could take longer than I imagine. We'll see how it goes.

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I forget how many records Clifton Chenier had on the Chess/Checker/Argo labels, I own two, could be there's another one I'm forgetting.

Anyway, hope ya'll enjoy...it's from 1960.

In the midnight hour....

Jazz Fest is in full swing and I'm soooo excited that Robert Plant will be making a special appearance at the House of the Blues tonight.

Sorry ya'll, but that's my idea of a joke even when the actual event is meant as a tribute to Bobby Charles [R.I.P.]. Our concerns at the moment are with friends and relatives in Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. Not to mention that the Mississippi River will be sitting at an estimated three feet below the tops of the levees for more than a week come mid-May....which is likely to exert as much pressure on that system as ever been applied.

A rather obvious point, but there's a huge difference when it comes blogging about New Orleans from a tourist's point of view and that of someone actually living here. It's the difference between posting a pic of that fabulous po-boy you had for lunch and trying to explain what it feels like to pack your bags before evacuating to Texas. And believe me, if you've never evacuated to Texas, you're in for a very big thrill.

So, I've definitely got my "Fuck You, I'm From New Orleans" t-shirt on today, but I get irritated by blogs touting their "amazing" once-a-year adventures in the city. Those of us in New Orleans have a completely different perspective. One that often it makes it very hard to find common ground with the standard pre-occupations of the tourist.

Thus I have some advice: save us all considerable embarrassment and mark that Jazz Fest shit as "how I spent my fabulous vacation" rather than "I've got my finger on the pulse of something interesting and exotic". I mean, isn't it all rather obvious, or does simply everyone who visits New Orleans have to presume a "special relationship" with the city and it's music?

Even if that means Robert Plant is somehow included?

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Here's another of my little treasures.

Hope ya'll enjoy...

I don't mind.....

I'd be surprised if there's a single DJ interested in 70s funk who hasn't spun this record at least once. Bobby Franklin has written out his own biography, here.

Bring it on down, indeed.

Hope ya'll enjoy......

Part 1.

Part 2.

Don't have to be no fancy dancer.....

I'm a little disgusted with myself. My recent posts concerning the Eight Ball label are totally wrong and I need to re-write them both. No sense in promoting misinformation on a subject so few know anything about. The only consolation being essentially the flip-side of that feeling....it's not like anyone else knows shit about the label either. I'm doing the best I can.

Surprise! Here's one I really don't know anything about.

This tune shows up on a comp called "Funky Funky New Orleans" but it's actually on what I presume is a private press label out of Baker, Louisiana....which is just slightly north of Baton Rouge.

Part 1 of the record is nothing much, Part 2 is quite a bit better....that's why you get to hear it.

Hope ya'll enjoy....

Ya'll, she's doin' it...

Anla was a Goldband subsidiary which I believe operated between 1971 and 1974. There are some folks who say it started earlier, but I don't know that anyone has any proof either way.

I'm tempted to say the label is the pot smoking, runaway little sister of the older, more traditional, Goldband, but the analogy doesn't really hold up. Still, there is a strong strain of weirdness running through the Anla discography that's hard to explain without using the words "swamp" and "drugs" in the same sentence.

I put some of that weirdness down to Bill Parker [William Parker Guidry] and Chester Randle, who appear to have been deeply involved in the label. Besides the five singles the pair collectively get credit for on Anla, I'm of the opinion they're playing on several others as well....something of which I've no proof beyond what my ears tell me is true.

Freddie Love? All I know about the man is that he had one other 45 issued on Anla. That's it. If anyone knows more, I'd love to hear about it.

Is it just me, or is the organ player on this tune actually trying to mimic the croaking of frogs?

Hope ya'll enjoy.....

Come and take me by the hand...

Tomorrow there's a gathering of my husband's family out by Bayou Lafouche. Even though this year's harvest is by most accounts the worst in recent memory, we've been assured by there'll be a crawfish boil come hell or high water. Should be fun, I think around 30-40 people are expected. Unfortunately, we can't stay over more than one night.

Anyway, that's my lead-in to this 45. The Rustone label was operated out of Houma which is about 20/30 miles from where we'll be tomorrow. Of course Houma's only about 90 miles from the house, so take it for what it's worth.

The Rustone 45s I've found so far are pretty beat up. This one's a little better than the last I posted, but it's still rough. Not that I'm apologizing, truth is I really don't mind a certain amount of surface noise on a record. I've actually been disappointed with a few upgraded copies for that reason. I get used to the wear and miss it when it's gone. Rather like a well-used old wooden floor that loses it's charm after being sanded down and refinished. As far as I'm concerned this is the way Rustone 45s are supposed to sound.

Anyway, that's my justification for not shelling out $40 for the M- copy currently being offered on Ebay [not a totally outrageous price if anyone is interested, I'd def consider it myself if I didn't already own this $4 bargain special].

Willie West is of course still performing. Still has a marvelous voice. There are several newer albums available. You should def go see him if you get a chance. Not that anyone else should remember except me, but I love the man's voice so much that his tune "Keep You Mine" was the "first dance" at my wedding. There wasn't a dry eye in the house.

If you'd like a better copy of this tune, and don't want to pay $40 for the single, it can be found on a comp called "The Best Of Rustone". Downloads are available through the usual sources, but I'd pick and choose rather than download the whole collection. Listen to the samples and you'll see what I mean.

Hope ya'll enjoy....

No, no....ain't gonna cry...

[Since Divshare has decided to shaft it's many free users with no warning or explanation, yet another 70 of my old links are no longer available. Thus I'd like to offer this tune once again. The first time around it got very little attention. Perhaps at this point it will get more?]

One of my little treasures....about which I know virtually nothing.

[Update: this is the first 45 issued on this label. Eight Ball was owned by a man named Lionel Worthy whose main business was auto repair. Other than that, this record still qualifies as a mystery. First and foremost, who was 'Bobby Brown'?]

Hope ya'll enjoy...

I see I'm gonna have to get rough....

I consider this tune to be an antidote to the many local "bon ton roulet" anthems. Probably just a matter of personal association, but to me it resonates in a way that makes it the perfect theme song for a bad night out.

Ya see, beyond all the smiles and the "darlin's", New Orleans is a very rough city. Don't let anyone tell you it's not. While we're at pains to keep our many visitors nice and safe in the French Quarter, the truth is our local young men make a game of killing each other, 24/7. In any given year, there will be 8 to 10 times as many murders in New Orleans on a per capita basis as the national average.

There's a lot more I could say along those lines, but I'm sure you get the point. Certainly anyone who's ever lived in the city knows exactly what I'm talking about.

I'm pretty sure this is the second release on the Eight Ball label. It was run by Lionel Worthy when he wasn't seeing to the cars in his auto repair shop. Seems he had a small studio out back.

James Rivers recorded a number of sax-based instrumentals over the years. As far as I know, this is the only record he sings on. It's not the best, or by any means the worst, singing in the world, but that's not really the point. Just wait till the man starts blowing blood through the flute [mostly on the second side]. Holy shit.

Part 1.

Part 2.

Hurting last night...

The Hearts were the brainchild of Zell Sanders who in '53/'54 saw Joyce West, Forestine Barnes, and Hazel Crutchfield singing at the Apollo and scooped 'em up. The girls were between 12 and 15 years old. So, the usual story right? They go into the studio, make some records, have a hit, and that's basically it, right?

Well, no. The story of the Hearts is about as complicated as it gets. Within a relatively short period of time, Zell Sanders turned the Hearts into a franchise with two separate groups recording under that same name and several others as well. Group members came and went, altogether something like two dozen singers were involved at one time or another. Both Baby Washington and Betty Harris are notable alumni. As you might imagine, the recordings vary from girl group sweetness to a much tougher RnB sound.

Sanders recorded the Hearts for her own labels but also leased them out to other record companies. In fact, once you look into the breath of her dealing with other labels it becomes clear that she engineered Baby Washington's early solo career and may have done the same with Betty Harris.

While it's fairly easy to find a Hearts discography, it's my experience is that they are often wrong, or at the very least contradict other discographies in obvious ways. Truth is, no matter how hard anyone tries to lay it all out, it's still very confusing.

For instance, one source says this record was issued in 1956 on J&S, but another says 1960, and yet another says 1963. I also happen to know there was a release on the Zell label [not the common red label issue from 1970] which nobody mentions.

So, what is this record? I'm not really sure, it's the only copy I've run into that looks like this. However, it's clear to me this 45 was issued no earlier than 1963. Check the distributor. Cos Matassa didn't start Dover until 1963. That's why I paid attention to the record in the first place. A Hearts record that was distributed out of New Orleans? How very odd. I end up thinking it's the equivalent of a local issue.

So, who's the lead singer? The folks at Ace Records, who've put out a couple of nice comps of Hearts related material, say that it's Ruth Artis, a name I think I recognize from gospel music but am unable to confirm. Actually, I can't find anything on her at all.

I hope ya'll enjoy....it's a great one.

No love times two...

Just in case ya'll needed more proof that I'm a sick woman....

Two copies of the same record with different versions of the same song. Both are tough to find for a reasonable price, however the version without strings usually sells for a premium.

Hope ya'll enjoy.....

No Love [with strings]

No Love [without strings]

Sweet sixteen that is her age...

I've been meaning to post these two together for a long time. "We Like Mambo" is actually the first recording by Huey Smith and The Clowns. It was meant to be a split single with Eddie Bo's "I'm So Tired" on the flip but the label was misprinted with Bo's name on both sides.

I forget where I read it, but there's an interview with Bo where he says how sorry he felt for Smith after the misprint, but that he sure got a lot of work out of the record because folks thought "We Like Mambo" was his. I assume that's why Bo and Edgar Blanchard worked up the mambo-esque instrumental "Hey Bo" for his next release. Blanchard in turn released a jazzy version of that tune re-titled "Bopsody In Blue" on an album a couple years later.

While "Free Single and Disengaged" is basically the same song as "We Like Mambo" it's by far the more realized of the two and undoubtedly the more influential. While I've never found an exact duplication, the horn part makes me of early ska tunes every time I hear it.

Hope ya'll enjoy....

We Like Mambo

Free Single and Disengaged

Wild Magnolias going to Melpomene....

I really meant to post this on Fat Tuesday but chances were about 50/50 that someone else would do the same and finding my copy of the 45 turned out to be harder than I expected, so ya'll got "Funky Soul" by David Batiste and The Gladiators instead.

Anyway, there's absolutely no reason not to post this song out of Carnival season. It's one of the funkiest records ever cut. In fact ya'll should go just ahead and get up out of your seats right now. The controls are set for the ground zero of funk.

And that's not just BS. I'm one of those who think the roots of funk as we know it today lie in the coming together of two very different African musical traditions in New Orleans. On the one hand the sound of Central Africa as distilled in Cuba, poly-vocal and poly-rhythmic. And on the other, the Islamic influenced melismatic uni-vocal tradition of the Sub-Saharan peoples who represented a large proportion of those brought to the continental U.S. as slaves.

In essence, the blues met the rumba in Congo Square.

And although not often mentioned, I think there was a third influence at work. That of Haitian/Voodoun drumming, which originates from a singular African culture and is in it's way different than that of Cuban Santeria or Palo Monte [the religious sources of the secular rumba].

Ya see, I think it's possible that the local Voudoun drum influence is what gives a distinct flavor to recordings made in New Orleans even when the musicians were consciously trying to copy elements of Afro-Cuban music. The "pseudo-mambo" recordings made in New Orleans, Southern Louisiana, Mississippi, and by extension Chicago during the 1950s are of far greater importance than many realize. I'm always shocked when I see them dismissed as "primitive" or "novelties" when to my mind they are the keynotes of a very important musical fusion in it's infancy.

I hadn't really thought about it before, but yeah, this tune is "pseudo-mambo" to the core.

Hope ya'll enjoy....I'm including Part 2, not only is it close to a minute longer than Part 1, but towards the end there's this telling moment when Willie Tee and the band drop out and all that's left is the pure essence of the thing.

Part 1.

Part 2.

You've got me so torn up....

I hate to make such a broad generalization, but I'm not a huge fan of many of the soul/funk sides to come out of San Antonio during the 60's and 70's. I just don't hear many great singers in the bunch, which to my ears makes much of the city's output sound like "frat" soul/RnB. Not that there's anything wrong with that, it's just not a sub-genre that cranks me all that much. For that matter it's unlikely you'll see me post anything by New Orleans' own Jokers.

Still, it's impossible to deny that Sunny and the Sunliners [and before that the Sunglows] were a great band with some killer tunes to their name. And to give credit where credit is due, Sunny Ozuna is arguably one of the best singers to have come out of San Antonio. Certainly I'd rather listen to him than a whole mess of others. Ozuna is of course still at it and much revered throughout South Texas. There are several nice collections of his work around.

While it's impossible to overlook the farfisa organ on this tune, it wouldn't swing nearly so hard without the superbly timed horn "punches" or the totally cool sound of that drum beat.

Hope ya'll enjoy....

The video below is neither Sunny Ozuna related, nor even an example of the area's traditional Conjunto polka [it's straight up cumbia]. I was just looking for an excuse to post the clip 'cause I used to hear this song all the time when I lived around the corner from a Tejano bar in Austin. They really used to crank up the jukebox on this one.

I know only a little about the Garcia Brothers. They used to go by Los Quatro Vatos Locos and are originally from Eagle Pass, Texas. Jimmy Garcia [who's playing the sax in the clip] was a excellent accordion player and is now unfortunately dead.

My mama done told me....

Took a nice stroll down to catch some of the brass band action at the French Quarter Festival earlier today. In case ya'll don't know, Quarter Fest is totally free and fairly easy to navigate, especially if you're staying close by. If I were planning to spend a long weekend in New Orleans I'd def schedule around it rather than Jazz Fest. Much better representation of local artists, none of that BS about putting a man like Allen Toussaint on stage before the totally barf inducing Bon Jovi, and the money you save will literally pay your hotel bill.

Just sayin'.

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I'm a fool for Earl King, especially when he plays a guitar solo so sharp it makes me worry about getting cut. The whistling at the end is pure icing.

Hope ya'll enjoy....it's from 1959.