Family Groove Records hits us once again with another banger for the turntable. Whether you are a DJ looking to move butts with a funky 45 or a collector wanting to have a fresh copy of this heater, you’ve come to the right place. Turn up the volume because here comes David Batiste And The Gladiators with Funky Soul Pt.1 and Funky Soul Pt.2

David Batiste & The Gladiators were a band of brothers formed during their high school years in 1961. The band played all over The Big Easy and were one of the hottest shows at the time. Winning a talent show at the Apollo Theater in Harlem in 1965, this band was ahead of the curve and one of the bands laying the groundwork for what would go on to become the funk phenomena. A cult track and crowd pleaser, “Funky Soul” was originally called “Going To See The Man” and while the band played live, it had its own dance called “rock the ship”. Crowds would go bananas when it was performed. So much, that it caught the attention of WYLD DJ Larry McKinley who scooped the band up and got them down to the famous studio of Cosimo Matassa. He also got Isaac Hayes to come to New Orleans from Memphis to arrange horns on the track. The rest is history. Fast forward to the ’90s and the track was compiled by BBE Records as well as Ubiquity (both using audio source from 1970’s pressings) and performed (of course) by Miles Tackett & the Breakestra in the ’00s. The direct master tapes were recently discovered from NOLA as well as a whole album’s worth of unreleased material from David Batiste & The Gladiators. Talk about a time where you’re lucky to be alive if you dig funk! That is forthcoming on the Family Groove label. For now, dig “Funky Soul” below.

Listen to the track and purchase the record here.

Dig Deeper!