Clifford Curry – Soul Ranger on SSS International

Well here we are at Wednesday already, and I’m hoping you guys were digging the latest podcast. I was digging on a lot of those sides, and today I’m going to take one of those sides and talk a little about it. Before I do, I’d like to give another shout out to Allen over at Soul Spectrum, and to Memo who’s pointed me in the right direction for a Sound Burger. Devil Dick has aroused some interest in his Soul Invaders quest, getting an e mail from one of the original band members about the record. It’s really cool when a family member (or the real musician) contacts you about their music. I’ve got some shout outs from families of Wilbert Harrison, Linda Jones, and Jay Walking label owner Robert Fulton. Most people are happy we’re keeping this music alive. That’s why it’s so important to have audio blogs like this one and the ones linked in my blogroll, this music needs to be preserved! That being said, let’s jump into this little slice of Soul on SSS International Records by Clifford Curry, “Soul Ranger”.

We’re gonna take a trip to Knoxville, Tennessee and take a look at this veteran of Soul music and his long career that is still relevant today. Starting out in the late 50’s, while he was in high school, he joined The Echoes, who were later renamed The Five Pennies. They released “My Heart Trembles” and “Mr. Moon” on Savoy Records, and eventually disbanded and went their seperate ways. Royalty disputes led to other bands being formed, ( the Four Pennies and the Bingos) , and being renamed ( The Hollyhocks) , but those royalty and money problems would not go away. Curry was a journeyman Soul singer, who bounced from label to label, group to group, and persona to persona, but he perservered and kept close to his roots and Soul music in general. He recorded with the Bubba Suggs Band, The Contenders, The Fabulous Six, and as a solo artist as Sweet Clifford, Clifford Sweet, ( not always by choice) and Clifford Curry. The theory of try until you succeed would definitely prove to be true for Curry. He had some level of success on labels like Savoy, Elf, Excello, SSS, Caprice, Abbott, Ridgecrest (as small as it was), Blue Sky, Nasco, CC, Woodshed and later on in his career, Buddah. His highest degree of success was with Knoxville DJ Rob Galbraith, where he contributed his writing skills to the side. This selection on Shelby S. Singleton’s SSS International label is a pretty strong offering as well.

The fact that the record was on blue vinyl made it catch my eye, but the SSS International label always has some great sides, so really this record was a no brainer for me to pick up. Clifford Curry is a true Soul veteran. His voice carries out on this side, and he does prove that he is indeed a Soul Ranger, moving from town to town, group to group, and stage name to stage name, spreading the word of Soul to everyone. He’s mending broken hearts, giving that shoulder to cry on, and this is only in the lyrics. The killer bass line and horn section reinforce the fact that this side is a definite Soul banger. So if he’s the Soul Ranger, he’s definitely a super hero for Soul. This man has sacrificed lots to get where he is today. He may not have topped the charts, but he made an honest living, preaching the Gospel of Soul throughout the United States, one song at a time. Keep Diggin’!