Monthly Archives: September 2009

Betty Harris – Mean Man

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Download or listen to Betty Harris – Mean Man from the Sansu 45

I wanted to apologize to all who checked in on Monday for a new post. Unfortunately I had to make some real world moves, and until I start to get paid for FMF, I might be missing a beat now and again during the week for a while. My Friday night party got canceled due to circumstances that were out of my control (bar closing), so I’ve been hustling a bit to try and make some extra dough for the moment. I’m gonna do my best to really get to three posts a week, but until things get straightened out, they may be only 1 or 2 until then. Got it? This record was one I scored on the infamous $1 “Hey Joyce” day. It was a side that I needed to have as well, so it took me until then to really dig it out to review. Here’s Betty Harris with “Mean Man” on Allen Toussaint’s Sansu Records.

Born in Orlando, Florida in 1941, Betty Harris was raised in Alabama. Like so many of these great Soul singers, her start to this music game was deep rooted in the church. Her similarity to these singers was that they all left their roots to sing secular music. Some return eventually, some don’t. At age 17 Betty Harris would be taken under the wing of singer Big Maybelle. This resulted in some experience before eventually relocating to California, where she’d cut the side “Taking Care of Business” on Douglass Records in 1960. As many musicians in general did in the 1960′s, she was prodded to relocate once again. This time to New York City. She hooked up with Bert Berns for her rendition of Solomon Burke’s hit “Cry to Me” on Jubilee. This was her first taste of a Top 40 song. Her next two records did not fare as well (“His Kiss” and Mo Jo Hannah”) and she was soon off Jubille, but relocated once again to New Orleans after meeting Allen Toussaint. He scooped her up for the Sansu label. Here her Gospel filled Blues type ballads would give way to edgier Rhythm and Blues filled funkier sides. This relationship with Toussaint would finally give way to another Top 40, actually Top 20, in 1967 with “Nearer To You”, after she released a handful of Toussaint produced goodness. A duet with Lee Dorsey would follow. Harris’s career started to forge ahead, and she was slated to be a support act for Otis Redding before he was killed in the famous plane crash in 1967, and the bad luck started again. However, it as she moved ahead, she cut this very record with some studio musicians, you might have heard of them, members that would eventually become the Meters. Her relationship with Toussaint ended, but not without leaving us with a killer tune : “There’s A Break In the Road”. A Classic! She remained undercover until the 90′s, raising a family, her career forgotten (even to her) until some compilations in the UK were released, and finally Soul fans and diggers weren’t the only people who knew about Betty Harris.

This side is killer! From the horns, to the harmonizing, Betty Harris sure lives up to her potential in this Toussaint written number. The drums are all New Orleans on this dance floor smasher (in my opinion that is). Even though this guy is mean, there has got to be a reason she’s staying with him, and I can only say it’s her great voice (not to mention the backing band). If you don’t know who this backing band is, it’s members of the Meters like I said earlier. Get your groove on with this people and pay tribute to one of the best funky Soul music has to offer. Keep Diggin’!

Moments – Sexy Mama

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Download or Listen to Moments – Sexy Mama from the All Platinum 45

Here we are back to midweek once again. Thanks to all who came out to Tasty Beats on Saturday night. It was indeed a blast. The Get Down! is on hiatus until further notice, the bar has some issues to work out. Until then, I will be searching for another permanent Friday night, which means I’ll be bouncing around a bit. That being said, I wanted to get into some New Jersey musicians, inspired by the crowd on Saturday night. I have stacks of today’s group’s records, but sadly have never reviewed one. Today they are going to shine. Here’s to the ladies from Saturday night, and here’s The Moments with “Sexy Mama” from All Platinum Records from 1973.

Formed in the l 60′s out in Washington, DC, the original members were Mark Greene, Eric Olfus, Sr., Richard Gross, and John Morgan. They released a side on the Era label in 1963 called “Walk Right In”. The members stayed in the band until 1969, when William Brown, Harry Ray, and AI Goodman came from a bunch of different bands to form like Voltron to perform as one of the smoothest Soul bands out of the Garden State. These bands they were in were the Vipers, The Uniques, the Broadways, Sounds of Soul, the Corvettes, and others. That’s some pretty good experience before morphing into The Moments. Signed to Stang, a subsidiary of Sylvia and Joe Robinson’s All Platinum label, the original members left a mark with “Love On a Two Way Street” (originally recorded by All Platinum artist Lezli Valentine). They also put out sides such as “Not On The Outside” and “My Confession of Love”. The new line up would produce hits such as this very side, “If I Didn’t Care”, “All I Have”, “Sho Nuff Boogie” (with Sylvia Robinson” and a collaboration on “Girls” with the Whatnots. Ray and Goodman took part in a lot of songwriting for All Platinum, and the back up band was Willie and the mighty Magnificents. That’s some good stuff right there. Eventually the Whatnots became Ray Goodman and Brown after moving to Polydor. Their biggest hit was “Special Lady” in 1980, and after deaths, line up changes and other assorted music biz hijinks, they continued on as RG&B, and eventually The Whatnots featuring Mark Greene would also emerge after Greene got the Whatnots name legally.

“Sexy Mama” is some sexy ass wall grinding music. These brothers are smooth folks, and if you don’t have any Barry White lying around, I’d suggest grabbing some Moments, because they will do in a pinch. These guys were definitely some talented cats, who had a great past in their own right, and went on to put out some of the smoooooothest Soul records East of the Mississippi. I’m wondering if there wasn’t a baby boom in the Tri State area during the late 60′s and early 70′s due to the Moments 45. There are tons of All Platinum records all over New Jersey. They must have been in every juke box from Philly to Newark to Patterson to NYC. Seriously. All I know is that I dig this record, and I hope you do too. Keep Diggin’

Check Out the Moments on the Soul Train Scramble!

R.I.P. Roc Raida

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Not many DJ’s get elevated to Grand Master. Roc Raida did, and there was no doubt about it in any one’s mind. Roc Raida was a leader in the turntablist movement, and an integral part of World DJ battles, DJ crews, and perfecting the art of the scratch. From his early days as one of the leaders of the X-Men (X-ecutioners), to his work with Ghostface, Big L, the Jungle Brothers, Big L, Bob James, and many others, this guy was Hip Hop. Currently he was the DJ for Busta Rhymes, and even did scratches for Linkin Park and Pink. He was nothing but professional, an ambassador for DJ’s everywhere. It saddens me that this guy left us too soon. Rest In Peace Raida, you will be sorely missed.

Etta James – All The Way Down

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Download or Listen to Etta James – All The Way Down from the Chess Records 45

About two or 3 Summers ago I bought a box of unsleeved 45′s at The Spot. It had hundreds of 45′s in it. It was the infamous box that I pulled out Mickey and the Soul Generation’s “Iron Leg” out of. I kept all the good 45′s. They sit in a bin, still unsleeved, with all the ones piled up I’m eventually gonna do something with. Today I decided to go through it. I pulled this very record out. It is a scorcher. This woman, for some reason, generates a lot of traffic to Flea Market Funk. At one time it had to do with Cadillac Records, but now it has more to do with the woman herself. That woman is Etta James. We close out the week with a great side from Chess Records in 1973, “All the Way Down”.

Jamesetta Hawkins, aka Etta James was born in Los Angeles, CA in 1938. Allegedly the offspring of her pool hustler father Minnesota Fats (or so claimed by her mother), James started singing at an early age. After starting out in the church, and relocating to San Francisco, she joined a female Doo Wop group. Discovered by Johnny Otis, the group eventually renamed the Peaches put out a side called “The Wallflower” (a reworking of a Hank Ballard tune) out on Modern Records in 1955. There was some success with the side which led to tours with Little Richard, Johnny “Guitar” Watson and Otis Redding. Her 50′s releases never made a large impact like “Wallflower”, but she release a good amount of singles none the less. James would go on to sign with Chess Records and it’s subsidiaries (Argo, Cadet), releasing sides such as “If I Can’t Have You” (with husband Harvey Fuqua), “My Dearest Darling”, and a song that still gets played at weddings from 93 til infinity: “At Last”. The 60′s proved fruitful for Etta, as she released a string of hits such as “Pushover”, “Pay Back”, “Loving You More Each Day”, and others. This decade would also be a dark period as well, her heroin addiction wasn’t a secret, and stays at a Psychiatric Hospital went until the end of the decade. As the 60′s came to a close and the 70′s started, James, while still making records (not so many hits), still was a great draw on the road. Her Muscle Shoals recorded record Tell Mama garnished some attention, but as a whole James kept busy recording on Chess until 1978 (even after the death of it’s founder). Later on in her carreer, James has recorded for Island, Elektra, collaborated with Def Jef on Delicious Vinyl, reunited with Jerry Wrexler, earned a Grammy, and has been inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Her road to success (with many bumps along the way including being arrested for drugs) has shaped her carreer, adding fuel to the fire that burns when she performs. She is a legend that is still going strong today.

“All The Way Down” could be a soundtrack to a Blaxploitation film. It’s horn work in the intro is superb. But wait, there’s more. You get the horn arrangements, the strings, lots of chucky wah-wah guitar, and we’ll thrown in the funky drums and bass line (in the pocket) for FREE! Recorded is Los Angeles, and apparently for some imaginary soundtrack to a film ( I’d like to think that), the record features work on keyboards from William D Smith, percussion from King Errisson, and bass from Chuck Rainey. This is one bad ass side from one bad ass woman. If you have any doubts that Etta James wasn’t living the life, making records, living hard, and doing it to the death, then this record should change your mind. I’ll be back after the weekend with more dusty goodness. I’ve gotten a few questions about my digging: do I still do it, and when will I publish more stories. The answer is yes and yes. I’m just DJing quite a bit, making some moves, and getting things done. I still dig every chance I get. Stay tuned. Keep Diggin’!

Bill Doggett – Honky Tonk Popcorn

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Download or Listen to Bill Doggett – Honky Tonk Popcorn from the King 45

I hope everyone was excited as I was to get an e mail from the one and only Dick Hyman here in the Flea Market Funk mailbox. He isn’t the first to do so, and I’m hoping to get some great info from members of the Reggie Sadler Revue among others. Stay tuned for that. For now, I’m gonna get to a record that I have had a hard time finding in the field. I managed to dig up the original on several occasions, but never saw this in the crates, unfortunately. When I saw a VG copy show up on a set sale list, well I had to jump quick and get it. Here’s Bill Doggett and “Honky Tonk Popcorn” on King Records from 1969.

William Ballard Dogget aka Bill Doggett was born in Philadelphia, PA in 1916. The son of a church pianist, Doggett originally wanted to play the trumpet. His family couldn’t afford one, and since his mother played piano in the church, he switched over to that. Heralded as a child prodigy at 13, by 15 he had his own band the Five Majors. Moving on to the Jimmy Gorman Orchestra, he would eventually become the band leader with the orchestra. It was very short lived, as financial burdens came calling. He sold it to Lucky Millender, then went on to join him as a player. From here he joined the Ink Spots (my grandfather’s favorite band by far), before going on the back musicians such as Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Otis, and Lionel Hampton among others on piano. He cut his teeth for real on the live circuit with Louis Jordan, recording such classics as “Saturday Night Fish Fry” and “Blue Light Boogie”. This was around 1949 or so. In the early 50′s he formed another combo and switched over to King Records. His swinging sound produced a number of sides for the Cincinatti label. However, it wasn’t until 1956 when he released “Honky Tonk”, that he would find luck. The side sold over 4 million copies. His follow up records “Leaps and Bounds” and “Slow Walk” touched upon lighter Jazz and R & B, but were not even close success wise. He stayed with King Records until 1960, and went on to record for Sue, Warner Brothers, Columbia, and ABC Paramount. His popularity (and success of Honky Tonk) helped him get on the festival circuit, a place where he played until his death after a heart attack in 1996.

Honky Tonk Popcorn is a reworking of Doggett’s classic by the Godfather of Soul. Don’t get it twisted people, the old one is ok, but this reworking is THE BOMB. It’s heavy, has plenty of Hammond, and when James breaks it down to scream a bit, all hell breaks loose. By the time this record was out, Doggett was in his his sixties, still killing it. This is by far the funkiest cut the man ever put out in his career, and with help from James Brown and company, this 45 rates high on the FMF scale. Even if you didn’t know it was Doggett, it has the signature JB production, the heavy, heavy, drums, and of course the JB style. Go grab yourself a copy kids, because this one is never going to get old. Most notably, the Beatnuts copped this sample for “Are You Ready?” And why wouldn’t they, this side is red hot. I’ll see you Friday. Keep Diggin’!

Dick Hyman Digs Flea Market Funk

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A message from the Electric one:

“Your comments on my old 45rpm of RESPECT recently came to my attention. Many thanks! I’m glad you liked it. That dates back to the 1960’s. I don’t know if you are aware that RESPECT is one of 12 items on an LP called Sweet,Sweet Soul on Command Records, and that I overdubbed both the piano and the organ. The drummer was Bob Rosengarden, the bassist Bob Haggart. We made another album along the same lines called “Mirrors”, also for Command.”

Dick Hyman

More to come. Stay tuned. Keep Diggin’!

Eddie Hazel – California Dreamin’

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Download or Listen To Eddie Hazel – California Dreamin’ from the Warner Brothers Lp

After a few days off (due to some gigs), I’m back. Did you miss the Funk people? While i was away, I managed to pick this record up at my local for cheap. While the owner wasn’t giving up some Philly Soul (said it was for his personal collection), I managed to grab this Lp for a mere buck. It’s kind of a shame he had no idea who this artist was, but his loss is certainly my gain. I want to shout out Mr. and Mrs. David and Patti Herschel, who were married on Sept. 12th. I had the distinct pleasure of actually DJing their reception/ party at the swanky Watermark here in AP, and it was a great time. They like my DJ style and apparently so did their guests. I don’t normally do a wedding, but since they were such cool people, I couldn’t refuse. Big ups to them. Let’s get back into the swing of things with Eddie Hazel and “California Dreaming” from the Warner Brothers LP Game, Dames and Guitar Thangs from 1977.

Eddie Hazel was born in Brooklyn, NY in 1950, but spent his childhood growing up in Plainfield, NJ. Self taught to play the guitar at age 12, by 17 he was being courted to play with George Clinton and his band The Parliaments. As the Parliaments morphed into Funkadelic when players came and went, Hazel would become a very important player. He would lend his Hendrixesque acid style guitar playing, while mixing in some Funk and well to the Funkadelic sound. His greatest accomplishment and most memorable performance (one he is often remembered for) is “Maggot Brain”. Here he was at the pinnacle of his career, but Hazel started to move down hill quickly. His chronic drug use and abuse would catch up to him. It was no secret that his drug problems caused pay docking and what not from George Clinton. After Maggot Brain, his use in the studio and on record declined. He even went to Detroit to do some side work with the Temptations in ’72-3. He didn’t learn his lesson, and in 1974 was involved in some sort of fight with an airline attendant which caused an arrest and more trouble. Clinton replaced him as a guitar player, and even though he was featured on Standing On The Verge of Getting It On , his days were numbered in Parliament/ Funkadelic. He stayed close to Clinto though, who gave him work and recorded his solo stuff. Eddie Hazel, tragically died in 1992. His fast living caught up to him, but his talent and legacy live on.

It is no secret that Eddie Hazel could have been the next Jimi Hendrix. He followed in the footsteps of Jimi, but the fast life and drug problems got in the way of a really great musician’s progress. His version of “California Dreamin’ “, in my opinion is one of the best versions. You’re not gonna beat the original, but Hazel’s version of fuzzed out, trippy, and down right nasty guitar work throughout does it for me. I like the addition of the choir, and the piano riff as well. I’m glad to be back, and I hope you enjoyed this little bit of goodness on your Monday morning. Keep Diggin’!

Foxy – Trouble

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Download or listen to Foxy – Trouble from the Double Shot 45

Well, we all knew the end of the Summer was coming, and here it is. Lots of rain this year, not as much digging as I’d liked to have gotten in, but I got a fair amount in though. I took a small vacation from writing for a week. It’s not that that I don’t have anything to write about, it’s that I work 6 days a week and 3 or four of them are days and nights, so I needed to relax. I’ve got a private function this weekend to DJ, so I’m excited and a little anxious to get all my music ready, so I might keep it a little short. Big ups to Larry over at Funky 16 Corners for getting a shout out from Nick Hornby (yeah, High Fidelity Nick Hornby). I wanted to share a side that I dug up this year sometime and had featured on a previous mix. I was really curious about this record, so I figured it would be a great way to end the Summer. Here is Foxy with “Trouble” on Double Shot Records.

While I couldn’t dig up a tremendous amount on the band Foxy, I was able to get some info on Double Shot Records. It was an independent label based out of Hollywood, CA, run by Hal Winn and Joe Hooven. The label itself was known for putting out bands like the Count Five, Soul singer Brenton Wood, who they had quite a bit of success with, and early Senor Soul sides. (no relation to Oliver Wang). Their first single was released in 1966 ans they released records until 1972, where the label was sold to Original Sound. As far as this side goes, I dug it up in a private sale. The moment I dropped the needle on this monster I knew it was a keeper. The drums in the beginning and organ really got me. I’m not even talking about the girl vocals and the fuzzed out guitars that keep up with the percussion until the end. If anyone has any info about this record, feel free to pass it along. Until then, Keep Diggin’!

The Village Callers – Hector

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Download or Listen to The Village Callers – Hector from the Rampart Records 45

Today is a record that I had known about for quite a while, but didn’t end up getting a copy of it until earlier this year. Jack the Ripper always had this in his bag, and Larry from F16 always raved about it. It really is a great record, and if you’re not familiar with it, get familiar. Here’s The Village Callers with “Hector” on Rampart Records from 1968.

The Village Callers would come out of a band called Marcy and the Imperials. MATI would grown into the Village Callers (allegedly taken from a Willie Bobo record), who fused a Latin sound into their music, and were one of the first bands in the LA area to do so. Their sound was a mix of Latin percussion, Jimmy Smith style organ, some R & B, and Mongo Santamaria and Wille Bobo sounds thrown in to round it out. The original line up featured Ernie Hernandez on guitar, Joe Espinoza and Manny Fernandez, on bass and drums respectively, Angie Bell on vocals, “Fuzzy” Martinez on the saxophone, and Chuck Masten on percussion. The Village Callers had a few other singers as well: Ersi Arvisu and Al Anaya, who came in and out of as band members often do. This line up was the lineup that recorded the live record, and the Callers did go through many other musicians in their time, some from Marcy and the Imperials, some not. The band played in many of the hot venues in LA and through California, when they were introduced to Eddie Davis of Rampart Records by their manager Hector Riviera. Get the correlation? The Callers would play gigs with the Watts 103rd Street band in some of the hippest venues in LA. There was a sort of battle for these young, hot musicians, and when they were offered some money (I believe $10,000), they took it and jumped ship from Rampart. This was a bad move in the long run, as even though the Village Callers got air play on the radio, the band would soon move into another direction. With personnel changes, the band would soon change it’s name to Silvanus and become a Rock band. The Latin flavor was gone. Many of the former VC musicians would go on to play with other bands, such as Poverty Train, Orange Colored Sky, and the Sal Chico Band.

This record is something. Recorded live at the Plush Bunny, the groove is, unfuckable with. The organ is the main focus, but when the groove locks in, and the horns start to blow, it’s a full blown freak out. Allegedly they were going for a “Tequila” sound, but this side is much,. much better. It has been said that bass was tripled in the studio and the original was so long that they had to divide it into two parts. Now there was much fooling around and busting of chops of their manager throughout, in English and in Spanish. This is a record that any good 45 DJ should own. You can get it under $20 and I highly recommend it. Ask any of the 45 Session guys and I think they’d say the same. I’ll see you Friday with some treats before the Holiday weekend here in the States. Keep Diggin’!