BLACK 45’S

The types of black music currently being released on singles are as varied and numerous as ever. We shall attempt to give a cross-section of these, to point out excellence and to document trends, some dominant, others esoteric, that are probably missed by the casual listener. Some of these records have been on the soul charts, while a few even became pop hits. Others get only regional airplay and quickly disappear into the comers of warehouses: A very few are so obscure that even the most arduous collector may have difficulty finding them. When they are not easily available we will try to give addresses.

It is perhaps best to start with the basics the blues. (CHARLES BROWN is one of the most influential, yet underrated of urban bluesmen. A household name arqong the black community in the late forties; Brown developed a mellow piano blues style that was an amalgamation of Texas blues and the night-club jazz of Nat �King� Cole. Brown influenced, either directly or indirectly, practically every city bluesman that followed, particularly Ray Charles. His latest release is ��Merry Christmas Baby� (Jewel 815), a remake of his early fifties hit, and although the season is past, don�t wait until next Christmas to pick it up. Possibly the best side Brown has made in fifteen years, it features his smooth voice, full-bodied piano, and the tastiest wah-wah guitar we�ve heard on a blues record. Another Brown who was big during the same period is ROY BROWN and his influence upon the music of the fifties was even more pronounced. Traces of the �crying� vocal style he developed can be heard in the work of such diverse artists as B.B. King, Bobby Bland, Junior Parker, Elvis Presley, Jackie Wilson, James Brown, Johnny Fuller, Hank Ballard, Chubby Checker, and Little Richard. Brown�s latest blues, �Love. For Sale� (Mercury 73166) highlights his unique falsetto style and clever tune writing abilities.

Since his first recordings in 1952, JUNIOR PARKER has evolved from a down-home sound to become one of the most sophisticated blues singers on the contemporary scene. His dry tone, delicately controlled vibrato, and relaxed phrasing are the essence of subtlety. His current side, �Drownin� On Dry Land� (Capitol 2997), effectively uses sly lyrics, stinging organ fills by Jimmy McGriff, and tight, funky New York big-band backing. At the close we are offered a rare sample of Junior�s simple, but tasty, harp work. Another fine blues in the modem vein is Z.Z. HlLL�s �Don�t Make Me Pay For His Mistakes� (Hill/222), a tune that deals with male-female relationships in the ghettp.

Three slow blues in the B.B. King-manner utilize the popular theme of escape. FENTON ROBINSON, the best of the three, is a stunning singer and guitarist. In �The Getaway� (Sound Stage 7 2654) he wails, �I�ve been in Chicago so long, I think it�s time I made my getaway. I�m going way down in Florida where the sun shines everyday.� LITTLE WILLIE POLLARD in �The City� (Carolyn 005) has the opposite problem — �I think I�ll move to the city, move way out in Hollywood,� so he can �get a city woman and cut that country wom^n a-loose.� JESSE FORTUNE, who can�t find peace anywhere, offers the ultimate escape from no-good women - �I believe I�ll take a trip to the moon and land way out in space.� — �Trip To The Moon� (New Chicago Sound 45-6919).

One of the mellowest blues releases is the topical �Tryin� Time� (Stax STA-0064) by ROEBUCK �POP� STAPLES. Everything about this slow blues, from Pop�s moaning vocal and and reverberating guitar, to the guitar fills (probably by Steve Cropper), the crying harp, and the electric piano (probably by thesong�s composer, Donny Hathaway), is perfect and the playing time is 5:10! A real bargain.

Joliet is a new L.A.-based label that issues sides made by Chris Strachwitz of Arhoolie Records, as well as its own productions. The best of their first releases is �Please Settle In Viet Nam�/�Once A Gambler� (Joliet 205) by the ever coqsistant LIGHTNIN� HOPKINS. His plea for peace is a bit confused since he says he hopes his girl�s old man stays over in Indochina. Chicago�s JOHNNY LITTLE JOHN comes very close to'the rough, urgent style of Elmore James with �Dream� (Joliet 204), which sound like rejected takes from the lp. PHILIP WALKER is better with �Hello My Darling�/�Trouble In My Home� (Joliet 202), but there 4s nothing distinctive about his style. Joliet Records can be obtained from Box 67201, Los Angeles, 90067.

Old-time Chicago, pianist LITTLE BROTHER MONTGOMERY has issued two singles that harken back to the boogie-blues style that he helped develope in the twenties. The first,' �New Vicksburg Bluds�/�Oh paddy� (FM 1001), features him and his band in the role of accompanists to Jeannie Carroll, one of the few young women working in the classic blues idiom. �Mini-Skirt Blues� (FM 1002) is a slow blues which shows that although Little Brother may be an old man, he still has a quick eye for fine chicks and can sing well too. You can get these two for $1.25 each from Eurreal Montgomery, 5326 S. Drexel Ave., Chicago, 60615.

Another esoteric, logically produced 45 is by the aptly named WATTS LITTLE ANGEL BAND, a group of youngsters from Griffith Park in L.A. who play cans, bottles, and pipes. �New Orleans — ,3; Land of A 1000 Dancei�/�Nik Nak Paddy Wack� (MJ 111) feature their exuberant vocals and primitive rhythms. Flute, guitar, and piano are added to �Nik Nak,� which could become the npvelty hit of the year if picked up on by prodram directors. Available from MJ Records, 5500 Newcastle, Suite 28, Encino, Calif., 91316.

The next four are extensions of the rockin� fifties Little Richard/Fats Domino sound. ARTHUR CONLEY�s �A Mighty Long Way� (Atco 45-6747) is a joyous celebration centered around a repetitive gospel theme. Conley�s. Otis Redding-influenced vocal is supported by an infectious, shouting chorus and Duane Allman�s fantastic slide guitar. R&B veteran IKE TURNER steps out of the back seat on �Takin� Back My Name� (Liberty 56194), alternating between a nasal vocal and fervent guitar solos throughout this medium tempo rocker. The wry lyrics and shortness (2:15) give this disc a feeling reminescent of Chuck Berry�s best work. �I Hear You Knocking� (Carousel 30051) by AL WILSON is a cover of Dave Edmunds� popular version of Smiley Lewis� old New Orleans song and in many ways exceeds the hit. The echoic effect is identical on both but whereas Edmunds sounds like Presley, Wilson�s treatment is embued with a Domino coloration. What really makes the record work though, is Ry Cooder�s down-home bottleneck playing. The crudest of the lot is WILLIE MABON�s �I Won�t Be Back No More� (Checker 1235) - the lyrics deal with welfare, pawn shops, and �picking cigarette butts up off the ground,� but as is true of the many Mabon singles over the past 20 years, his lazy husky-voiced talk-sing delivery induces a nonchalant aura that makes it so effective. Incidently, why has there been no Willie Mabon album to date?

Of the types of black records that come out, the last to be taken seriously as an art form are the comedy records. Like a blast out of the mid-fifties (�Say Man,� �Buick �59�, and �Shopping For Clothes�), �The Driving Lesson� by RUBY LEE AND HENRY is a situation record about a driving lesson that turns into an argument spiced with a profundity of gut-laughs. RAY SCOTT�s �The Prayer� (Checker 1234) has to be one of the most outrageous records ever made. Written by Red Foxx, it has Scott leading a chanting congregation in prayer for an un-named governor. Scott prays that the governor has such blessings as �a 17 car accident,� that the hospital roof caves in on the operating table, that �possums — 14 of �em, - suffering from hydrophobia —" eat their way through the casket looking for new meat,� that 22 freight trains run across his knee caps, etc.

�Lily White Mama, Jet Black Dad� is the flip of �The Prayer� and leads us into a Subject that is relatively new to black records — interracial sex. Sung in country and western style, this tune written by Andre Williams (of �Jail Bait� fame) discusses the problem of not knowing which color to identify with. JEWEL AKENS (�The Birds And The Bees� guy) in �Blue Eyed Soul Brother� (Paula 337) is even more confused. While warning his white-looking half-brother to �bring my black woman op home,� Akens admits that he too is half white. JIMMY McCRACKLIN is more sure of where he stands in �Stick To My Kind� (Minit S-32092), proudly proclaiming that he�s �a soul sister man� and putting his friend down for marrying a white girl. However, CHICK CARLTON simply asks the world to let him apd his white woman be in �Black Or White, Brown Or Tan� (Atco 45-6763).

From here we move to the hard soul stuff and no better place to start than with two sock-it-to-me classics. From the first bar of KING FLOYD�s �Groove Me� (Chimneyville 435) we know what he wants. This overtly sexual record contains the line, �you become a sweet taste in my mouth,� and is perfect to groove by. But before you get carried away, be sure to notice the subtle behind-the-beat bass and drum interplay. RUFUS THOMAS is probably the greatest practitioner of dance craze songs and �Push And Pull� (Stax STA-0079) is his best since the famous �Dog� series and Stax� finest release in sdme time. Steve Cropper, A1 Jackson, and all the boys are right on top of everything as Rufus tells us how to do it.

Another prominant Memphis sound is exemplified in the work of Willie Mitchell and Hi records. Mitchell�s activity dates back to the lAte forties when he played trumpet on sessions for B.B. King and others. Two of his latest productions are �Part Time Love� (Hi 45-2178) by ANN PEEBLES and �I Can�t Get Next To You� (Hi 45-2182) by AL GREEN. Both are brilliant transformations of earlier hits. While they�ve been mentioned elsewhere and were on the charts, if you�re not aware of the two incredible sides be sure to ask your local record man for them today.

JOE SIMON is perhaps the finest big-voiced crooner in soul music. His gospel background taught him how to inject depth into every word and thus is evident in his delivery of the powerful 'ballad, �Your Turn To Cry� (Spring SPR-108). Another singer who came out of the church is WILLIE HIGHTOWER, whose �Time Has Brought About A Change� (Fame SPRO-6021) is an answer to Sam Cooke�s �A Change Is Gonna Come� and reveals that the Cooke tradition lives on. R.B. GREAVES� mellow soul version of Procol Harum�s �A Whiter Shade Of Pale�, (Atco 45-6789) is a well made cover. Greaves and the Muscle Shoals musicians stick closely to the original arrangement, which leads us to ask, �What is the point?� An utterly tasteless rendition of the same song has been done by THE DELLS. But the flip, �The Glory Of Love� (Cadet 5679), is a masterful recreation of the doo-whop sound.

The next record is a work of pure genius. ALLEN TOUSSAINT�s �From A Whisper To A Scream� (Tiffany TlF-9015) is decidedly unlike any r&b record yet released. It is an amalgamation of a wide variety of producing techniques (subtly surging horns, double-tracked vocal passages, and a chorus whose whispered replies to Toussaint�s vocal suggest the subconscious) that result in a dynamically sinuous disc that deserves top-flight promotion. His lyrics are also noteworthy and are comparable to Jerfy �Swamp Dogg� Williams� best work. Lines like, �I took kindness for granted, as if it came with the wallpaper,� stud this record that will probably get lost in the shuffle but is one Of the masterworks of 1971 thus far. Toussaint hails from New Orleans and is best known as a producer of artists like Lee Dorsey, Irma Thomas, Chris Kenner, and Ernie K-Doe. Toussaint�s most successful group at the moment is THE METERS. They are basically an instrumental quartet (organ, guitar, bass, and drums),' although they sometimes do vocals, New Orleans musicians have long been noted for their funky syncopation and the Meters have developed it to an amazing degree of sophistication. �Stretch Your Rubber Band�/�Groovy'Lady� (Josie 45-1026) is not the best example of what they can do but illustrates why almost every young soul band in the country strives to copy their rhythm patterns.

One musician who listens closely to the Meters is Sly Stone. In case you�ve wondered why the Family. Stone has not seen a new release in sometime, it�s because Sly�s been busy producing other artists for his Stone Flower label. You may recall that Sly got his start in the record business as a producer for Bobby Freeman, Gloria Scott, and others. His latest three efforts have the Meters� rhythmic stamp all over. The least impressive of these is LITTLE SISTER�s �Somebody�s Watching You� (Stone Flower 9001), a light ditty that is a bit too cute. The flip, �Stanga,� is much more interesting as is �Just Like You� (Stone Flower 9002) by 6DC The male vocalist blurts out the words in a strange, mushy manner over the wah-wah guitar and bass interplay and Sly�s echoic harp work is featured. �Dynamite,� on the other side, is closer to the Family Stone style and makes us wonder just who 6IX is. That leaves the incredible �Life And Death In G&A� (Stone Flower 9003) by JOE HICKS, The syncopated rhythmic interaction builds a hypnotic effect, while Hicks chants the phrases �life and death in G&A� and �If it feels good its alright,� giving the disc an aura of mystery. Oh, what we and a lot of other folks would give if we could figure out what goes' on inside Sly�s head.

We suppose everyone is aware of the vast influence Sly has had on soul music, particularly at Motown, during the last three years. Yet another major group has fallen under his spell. THE RASCALS� �Right On� (Atlantic 45-2773) makes free use pf Sly�s devices and is their most successful side in sometime.

We did not intentionally save the ladies for last, it just worked out that way. The most established artist mentioned here is GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS, whose �If I Were Your Woman� (Soul S 35078) is a departure from her long string of up tempo masterpieces. This plaintive ballad recalls the mood of her first hit, �Every Beat Of My Heart,� although it is faster and more elaborately arranged. The youthful voice of BETTY WRIGHT is a perfect match for the Jackson Fives�s tune, �I Found That Guy� (Alston A-4589), and it is good to hear this teenage classic done by a girl. TONI WINE�s �Let�s Make Love Tonight� (Atdo 45-6773) is one of the finest teenage make-out tunes ever recorded. It features suggestive lyrics and a Phil Spector-inspired production that brings to mind the Crystals. Another new singer is JACKIE MOORE, whose �Precious, Precious� (Atlantic 45-2681) has a gentle charm that will sneak up on you if you�re not careful.;

This continuing series is perhaps the first attempt to systematically chronicle r&b releases and trends. We definitely welcome comments from readers and records from manufacturers to assist in the thoroughness of our endeavor. Do not hesitate to write to:

Gary Von Tersch 425 27th Ave. San Mateo, Calif. 94403

Lee Hildebrand 1667 Lee Drive Mountain View, Calif. 94040