VA: Troubles, Heartaches & Sadness - Hi Records' Deep Soul Sisters (1966-76)

Whenever the classic sound of Memphis is discussed, the holy trinity of Stax, Goldwax and Hi dominate the proceedings. Although the Hi label was a relative latecomer in the soul stakes, it soon equalled, and often surpassed its rivals in both commercial and artistics terms. The company's roster was home to an array of talent, some already established, others fresh-faced and ready to roll, from whose ranks this collection of distaff delights has been assembled. Janet & the Jays' Memphis residence was brief, but the group's legacy, which includes Don Bryant's 'Without a Reason' and 'Love What You're Doing to Me', stands proudly among the finest Hi product of all time. Ann Peebles made her R&B chart debut in 1969 with her very first single, the start of a decade of chartbusters and, finally, the breakthrough into the soul market that had since eluded Hi. Four of Peebles' classic cuts are featured here, including 'Give Me Some Credit', 'Troubles, Heartaches & Sadness' and 'Run Run Run'. Memphis' best secret, Toni Green, was the lead vocalist of Imported Moods, a harmony outfit whose 'What Have You Done to My Heart' was released on the label in 1970. Five years before ex-fashion model Veniece joined Hi, released two singles pdq and promptly disappeared from the recording scene for six years. She returned from that hiatus with the driving downhome saga 'Stepchild', prompting a trip to Europe supporting Wilson Pickett. A revival of Otis Clay's 'Trying to Live My Life Without You' in 1975 proved to be her farewell disc. Signed to Hi Records, Quiet Elegance were produced by Willie Mitchell and Dan Greer, who acting independently, whip up a batch of hot, tough Southern sounds as magnificent as their debut single, 'I'm Afraid of Losing You'. Blue-eyed soul trio Joint Venture worked for several years as in-house back-up singers for Al Green before releasing one of the greatest 45s to find on the label, 'What Have You Done to My Heart', in 1970. One of their members, Donna Rhodes, recorded solo 'Where's Your Love Been' three years later. Erma Coffee's 1973 Hi single coupled her version of 'Any Way the Wind Blows' and 'You Made Me What I Am', both included here. She later recorded as Irma Coffee for Tamtown. Chicagoan soul diva Jean Plum arrived at Hi Records in 1975, where she debuted with the remarkable “soft-deep” double-header 'Look at the Boy' and 'Back to You'. Talking to the British publication Blues & Soul the following year, the singer expressed her excitement at the completion of sessions for her first album. The inclusion of treasures like 'Loneliness' and her supremely soulful interpretations of Aretha Franklin’s 'Today I Sing the Blues' would surely have ensured a top quality se but, sadly, the LP was never released. The 1976 single 'I Love Him' was Plum’s only other release until her final platter two years later. Meanwhile Hi girl group Known Facts delivered their impressive two-sider 'He's Got It' and 'How Can I Believe You', in 1975; same year that the Duncan Sisters issued 'It's You That I Need', their only outing on Hi. The fact that Ann Peebles alone amongst this talented asemblage hit the big time, detracts not one jot from the greats sounds laid down by her equally deserving labelmates, whom posterity has, at last, granted a wider and more appreciative audience than they attracted back in the day. Partially Taken from the original liner notes.

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Erma Franklin: Soul Sister - The Brunswick Collection (1969-1970)

During an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show, the hostess asked Erma Franklin, "What is it like to be the sister of Aretha?" Before Erma could answer, her sister, Aretha interjected, "Erma is her own woman!" "Her Own Woman" could be the title of Erma Vernice Franklin's biography. It seems that, through the years, the eldest daughter of The Rev. Clarence and Barbara Franklin did her own thing and achieved her own individual success, though her musical accomplishments were always overshadowed by those of her younger sister. Erma had her chances to record for Chess and to join Motown's early roster, but it was in 1961 that she successfully auditioned for Epic. Unfortunately, she was frustrated with the label's choice of directions for her and waited out her contract while spending 1961-1966 on the road. Then, when Aretha's career suddenly took off at Atlantic, Erma signed with producer/songwriter Bert Berns' Shout Records. 'Piece of My Heart,' a song Berns had co-written with Jerry Ragovoy, became Franklin's first Top Ten R&B hit in 1967; sadly, before Franklin could begin work on a proper LP, Berns died suddenly of a heart attack, throwing the company into chaos. In the meantime, Franklin backed her sister on many Atlantic recordings, and toured the U.S. and Europe. She signed with Brunswick in 1969 and scored a minor R&B hit with 'Gotta Find Me a Lover (24 Hours a Day),' also releasing her second LP, Soul Sister. On this album, she worked in Chicago with Johnny Pate, Sonny Sanders, and Willie Henderson for a harder-hitting sound than Aretha's, really in the groove with the best of Brunswick from the late '60s. But once again Franklin found herself with a label that didn't know what to do with her; after Brunswick nixed a proposed session with Aretha in the producer's chair, Franklin waited out her contract and moved back to Detroit in 1972 to work at a public relations firm. She performed with Aretha off and on through the '80s and '90s, and eventually took an upper-level job at the Boysville children's charity. She passed away in 2002, after a battle with cancer. Here I gathered all of Erma Franklin's Brunswick recordings, including her magnificient album Soul Sister, from 1969, and all of the non-LP singles recorded for the label between 1969 and 1970. Erma's vocals are incredible, equally at home with the original tracks on the record, as well as some late '60s hits that are nicely soulized by the boys in the band. Titles include 'Hold On I'm Coming', 'Light My Fire', 'By The Time I Get to Phoenix', 'Change My Thoughts from You', 'For Once in My Life' plus the singles 'I Just Don't Need You (At All)', 'It Could've Been Me', 'Whispers (Gettin'Louder)', '(I Get the) Sweetest Feelin'', and the previously unreleased 'Higher and Higher'. Note that the first two singles were omitted from Super Soul Sister, the 2003 reissue of Erma's Brunswick LP with bonus tracks. For her earlier catalogue, check HERE or buy (and share, if you please!!) the new compilation Piece of Her Heart: The Epic and Shout Years. http://www.allmusic.com/, http://www.dustygroove.com/, http://www.bluesmusicnow.com/

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Erma Franklin performing her much rarer version of the Jackie Wilson Northern Soul classic 'I Get The Sweetest Feeling':

Erma Franklin: Golden Classics ... plus (1961-1968)

Erma Franklin's musical accomplishments will forever be overshadowed by those of her younger sister Aretha, especially since she recorded very sporadically through the '60s. As a singer in her own right, Franklin is best known for recording the original version of ‘Piece of My Heart’, a Bert Berns song which became Franklin's first Top Ten R&B hit in 1967. Though Aretha went on to great fame, Erma - like her youngest sister Carolyn - was a struggling musician. Her own solo recording career was hampered by misfortune and by contracts with recording companies (Epic, Shout & Brunswick) who did not find the most suitable material for her husky voice. Although she did secure a minor 1969 hit with ‘Gotta Find Me a Lover (24 Hours a Day)’, her later work failed to match that early promise. From the ‘70s much of her time was spent working for Boysville, a child care charity in Detroit. Franklin died of throat cancer in September 2002. This compilation contains all of Erma’s Shout singles, recorded between 1967 and 1968 (A’s & B’s), considered Erma’s most soulful and best output. Included here are the classic ‘Piece of My Heart’, the blues-soul ballad - written for Erma by her sister Carolyn - ‘Don't Catch the Dog's Bone’, the sizzlingly funky ‘I'm Just Not Ready for Love’ and 'Open Up Your Soul', a song that recalls the kind of material Aretha cut in 1967. The second part of the set consists on six tracks from her earlier Epic years (1961-1963), most of which appeared on her first album Her Name Is Erma, released in 1962. As a complement I have added eight extra tracks from the same period: some more cuts from that debut album; her first single from 1961 ‘Don’t Blame Me / What Kind of Girl’; plus ‘Hello Again’ and ‘Love Is Blind’, which are the flips of ‘It's Over’ and ‘Abracadabra’, both included on the original release. Finally there is the floorfillin' anthem, and almost pro-feminist R&B song 'I Don't Want No Mama's Boy', from 1963. All in all, no less than 22 tracks from Erma Franklin’s Epic & Shout catalogues, which have been inexcusably forgotten for too long (this compilation dates from 1993 !!!) and should be given a properly remastered treatment straightaway. http://www.allmusic.com/, http://www.soulfulkindamusic.net/, http://en.wikipedia.org/, http://www.oldies.com/

What More Can a Woman Do? Brunswick & Chi-Sound Sisters of Soul (1999)

The year 1960 found the Brunswick label on the threshold of its fifth decade. The venerable imprint had survived several changes of ownership during a lifespan which straddled the jazz, R&B and soul eras. On the distaff side the company had played host to jazz immortals like Mildred Bailey and the Boswell Sisters in the ‘30s, while R&B divas such as Edna McGriff, Zilla Mayes and a pubescent Gladys Knight enhanced its ‘50s roster. Equally, throughout the ‘60s and well into the ‘70s Brunswick was home to an unprecedented array of female talent – names both old and new – whose legacy is saluted here. Many of these artists never got the same attention as their male counterparts; the scenario usually consisted of one or two hits, then a slide into obscurity. Only Barbara Acklin hit the heights as far as pop success went. She sounds strong on ‘Fool, Fool Look in the Mirror,’ ‘Love, You Are Mine Today,’ and the scorching ‘Love Makes a Woman.’ Slotting in neatly between Barbara Acklin's freshman outing and her chart breakthrough, came a brace of releases from Jackie Ross. Jackie's Chess Records hits aren't featured, but her Brunswick offering ‘Love Is Easy to Lose’, the first of only two singles she cut for the company, is quite as good. Other highlights include sassy Sugar Pie De Santo's ‘The One Who Really Loves You,’ Della Reese's ‘Nothing But a True Love,’ September’s ‘Caution’ and Lynn Roman's ‘I Don't Need No Sympathy.’ Linda Hopkins, Erma Franklin, Inez Johnston (aka Inez Foxx), Big Maybelle, Margie Alexander, La Vern Baker, and others also contribute. The awesome variety of female talent represented on this anthology spanning the years 1960 to 1977, shows us why Brunswick, judged on its classy roster of women, deserves to be up there with Motown and Chess in the pantheon of classic soul labels. If you’re still unconvinced after spinning this treasure-chest of goodies then may I suggest that you double your daily dosage. A cure is guaranteed. Taken from the original liner notes. http://www.allmusic.com/

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Carolyn Franklin: Sister Soul - The Best of the RCA Years (1969-1976)

The fates of the Franklin sisters comprise a classic American tragedy. One, Aretha, would go onto spectacular fame and worldwide acclaim, while her sisters, Erma and Carolyn, had brief careers as recording artists but never enjoyed anywhere near the same success. Far worse though, both succumbed to cancer. The youngest of the three, Carolyn may have been in her sisters' shadows but she also contributed to both their careers as a songwriter. Especially for Aretha, Carolyn helped co-write her enormously successful ‘Save Me’ and was also behind the mesmerizing torch song ‘Ain't No Way.’ Carolyn released a handful of singles in the mid-‘60s but it wasn't until 1968, when she signed with RCA, that she had her first major opportunity to make it on her own.What is readily obvious from any of her recordings in that era is that she was not trying to follow Aretha's footsteps in either singing or sound. She worked with production that was a bit looser, freer, and more open to righteous influences than some of her sister's hit-bound sessions. It is also true that Carolyn wasn't blessed with the singular voice that Aretha had, but she shows the influence of good training and natural ability to project herself with power and clarity. This package anthologizes virtually all of Carolyn's RCA singles as well as a hand-picked selection of the very best tracks from her four albums for RCA, including work arranged by Horace Ott, Wade Marcus, Bert De Coteaux, and other soul legends. There's a good deal of funk in the mix here: heavy bottoms on the tunes that really make them snap alongside the righteous vocals. The package is easily one of the hardest-hitting sets of female soul you could ever hope to find. 22 tracks in all, including ‘If You Want Me’, ‘There I Go’, ‘Ain't That Groovy’, ‘Boxer’, ‘Reality’, ‘Chain Reaction’, ‘Don't Wake Me Up in the Morning, Michael", ‘Not on the Outside’, ‘Boy I Love You’, ‘You Are Everything’, ‘Shattered Pride’, ‘I Can't Help My Feeling So Blue’, ‘As Long As You Are There’, and ‘You Can Have My Soul’. http://www.dustygroove.com/, http://www.soul-sides.com/

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