VA: Soulful Kinda Ladies Vol.1

This compilation highlights the performances of some of those lesser-known, but nevertheless worthy, R&B female artists from the '60s whose contributions are only now beginning to be fully appreciated by the collector audience. A case in point is Ramona King, whose 1964 recording 'It's in His Kiss' was overshadowed by Betty Everett's version the very same year. Linda Carr's winsome approach has been compared to that of Diana Ross, and her 'Everytime' does nothing to dispel that notion. Complementing this 1965 release by Carr are two slightly earlier efforts, 'Sweet Talk' and 'Jackie, Bobby, Sonny Billy.' (Little) Helen La Rue Lowe's 'The Richest Girl (Ain't Got Nothing on Me)' received airplay on LA's KGFJ when it was released in 1966. She also recorded with the Superbs and Side Effect. Baby Washington is a name well-known to soul aficionados as well as doo-wop fans of the '50s. Her 'Let Love Go By' and 'My Time to Cry' from 1961 are both self-penned efforts which have thus far escaped reissue. Like Washington, Connie Questell emerged from doo-wop origins in the late '50s. Questell's mid-'60s efforts like 'The Girl Can't Take It' and 'Tell Me What to Do' are now achieving the belated recognition they most certainly deserve. Theola Kilgore achieved her greatest success in 1963, when her 'The Love of My Man' peaked at No. 3 on the R&B charts. This moving ballad, along with the follow-up 'This Is My Prayer,' are both included here, as is 'He's Coming Back to Me,' a lesser-known but equally fine example of Kilgore's repertoire. Shirley Gunter made a series of singles with her vocal group the Queens before striking out on her own as a soloist. Her 'Stuck Up' from 1969 gives us an indication of how she might have sounded had she signed a recording contract with Berry Gordy, Jr. After singles for Coral, Jubilee and Atco, Bette McLaurin teamed with pianist/producer Sampson Horton, for whom she cut 'Never' b/w 'As Long as You're Mine' on the Pulse label. Johnnie Mae Matthews' 1961 'The Headshrinker' has got a satirical theme which adds a wryly humorous touch quite rare for an early sixties R&B release. Marcene "Dimples" Harris recorded both as a single artist and with her sisters Beverly and Betty as part of the Harris Sisters in the '50s. Her 'I Just Don't Understand' from circa 1965 is waltz-time blues with a familiar soulish flavor. Another songstress who was no stranger to the blues was Lula Reed, who with husband Sonny Thompson was an oft-recorded member of the King Records rooster of the '50s and early '60s. Her 'Gabbin' Mouth Blues' from 1963 is an updated version of Big Maybelle's R&B classic with (presumably) Ray Charles' orchestra pooviding a simmering instrumental backdrop. As for Benice Swanson, Patience Valentine and Debbie Dovale, I wish I could furnish some biographical info, but in the absence of such let's the music speak for itself! Taken from the original liner notes.

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One of the "soulful ladies" featured on this compilation, Linda Carr, singing Sam Cooke's 'You Send Me'. From The Sam & Dave Show, live in Offenbach, Germany, 1967:

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