Shirley Ellis: The Complete Congress Recordings (2001) ... plus

Shirley Marie Elliston was born in the Bronx section of New York City in 1941, of West Indian ancestry. There were opportunities for ambitious young people in the music business in New York City in the '50s, and Shirley began writing songs. She had success early with a song she wrote titled 'One, Two, I Love You', which was recorded by the Heartbeats in 1957. She also performed as a singer with a group called the Metronomes in the '50s, once winning an award at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. In 1959 Shirley became acquainted with talented 33-year-old songwriter/producer Lincoln Chase, who became her manager and songwriting partner. He wrote a song for Shirley titled 'The Nitty Gritty', and arranged for her to record on the Congress label, which was a subsidiary of Kapp. The record label changed her name to Shirley Ellis. 'The Nitty Gritty' was released in late 1963 and a short time later went top ten. Many sources say that Shirley married Lincoln Chase, although others report her husband's name as Alphonso Elliston. After years of working as a songwriter and performer, Shirley Ellis became well known to a national audience through her success with 'The Nitty Gritty'. She followed with a sequel that became a minor hit, '(That's) What The Nitty Gritty Is' and another titled simply 'Puzzle Song'. Many of Shirley's records featured a driving sax, and lots of percussion. Shirley recalled some words from a childhood game she had played and discussed them with Lincoln Chase, who rearranged them into a song; 'The Name Game' came out in early 1965 and was quite popular, rising to number three. It was followed a few months later by another song with nursery-rhyme style lyrics that went top ten for Shirley Ellis, 'The Clapping Song (Clap Pat Clap Slap)'. She continued to work with Lincoln Chase and had a few minor hits before retiring from show business in the late 60's. The Complete Congress Recordings offers quite a bit to fans of '60s pop-soul. Her string of hits are all featured, along with other great Chase's compositions, like 'Get Out' and 'Takin' Care of Business', plus her surprisingly strong versions of R&B standards like 'Kansas City,' 'C.C. Rider,' and even 'Stagger Lee.' I included three bonus tracks: her charming 1961 solo debut on Shell as Shirley Elliston, 'Love Can Make You Know', and two of her most famous songs for Columbia, 'Soul Time' and 'Sugar Let’s Shing-A-Ling', from 1967. http://www.tsimon.com/

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Shirley on a TV appearance performing one of her biggest hits,'The Name Game':

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'The Clapping Song' was recorded by Shirley Ellis in 1965, shortly after she hit it big with 'The Name Game'. The song made it to the top ten on the charts:

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Brenda & the Tabulations: The Top & Bottom, Epic, and Chocolate City Singles Collection (1969-1977)

Singer Brenda Payton and keyboardist Maurice Coates were the creative spark behind Philadelphia's Brenda & the Tabulations, and the pair wrote several impressive songs for the group, including the debut single 'Dry Your Eyes,' which was released by Gilda Woods' fledgling Dionn Records imprint at the end of 1966 and went Top Ten on the R&B charts and Top 20 on the pop charts early in 1967. When Dionn Records folded in 1969, the Tabulations landed on another Woods' imprint, Top & Bottom Records, and paired with producer and songwriter Van McCoy, continued to issue some outstanding singles, like 1969's airy soul delight 'The Touch of You,' a good seller in many R&B markets that features an endearing whisper/vocal from Brenda Payton, and their biggest record on the label, 1971's 'Right on the Tip of My Tongue,' which was written by the other two Tabulations, guitarist Eddie Jackson and drummer Jerry Jones. This set collects both of those songs along with the other singles the Tabulations released for Top & Bottom between 1969 and 1971, most of which get the soft soul treatment that exemplified Philly soul before the arrival of the harder-edged Philadelphia International sound, which obliterated everything that came before it. Other highlights here are 'Always & Forever,' 'A Love You Can Depend On,' 'Scuse Uz Y'All,' and 'And My Heart Sang (Tra La La)'. I added as bonus tracks the non-single cuts from the groups' first and only album on Top & Bottom Records, which dropped before the release of 'Right on the Tip of My Tongue', including two crafty remakes of 'California Soul' and 'Someday We'll Be Together'. Also, I added some of the singles they recorded for Epic Records between 1972 and 1973, the most significant of which are 'One Girl Too Late,' 'Little Bit of Love' and 'Let Me Be Happy,' plus all of their Chocolate City '45s released in 1976 and 1977, including 'Take It or Leave It' and 'Let's Go All The Way (Down)'. 29 tracks in all!! For more B&T, check HERE. http://www.allmusic.com/

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Mitty Collier: Shades of Mitty Collier - The Chess Singles (1961-1968)

The mighty Chess Records of Chicago was home to some of the greatest female soul singers of the '60s. Arguably the finest of the lesser-known was Birmingham, Alabama-born Mitty Collier, whom the label signed up in 1960, when she was just 20 years old. She stayed with Chess for eight years, during which time the company recorded her sparingly, releasing 15 singles and one album, 1965’s Shades of a Genius, a set comprising songs originated by or associated with Ray Charles. Mitty started out singing R&B material in a local nightclub, to help subsidise her college education. Her life-changing moment came in 1959 when, while visiting her brother in Chicago during summer break, she won a talent show at the Regal Theater, an achievement she maintained for six weeks straight. Her prize was a spot on a bill headlined by B.B. King and Etta James. Fabled A&R man Ralph Bass witnessed the show and recommended to the Chess brothers that they give her a recording contract. Mitty debuted in 1961 with 'Gotta Get Away From It All', arranged and produced, respectively, by Riley Hampton and Roquel “Billy” Davis, legends to aficionados of Chicago soul. Her Chess swansong, released in 1968, was a new version of the same number, recorded at Fame Studios in Alabama with producer Rick Hall. She first figured on the charts in 1963 with 'I’m Your Part-Time Love', an answerback to Little Johnny Taylor’s 'Part-Time Love'. The record with which Mitty Collier will always be associated, the classic 'I Had a Talk With My Man', charted in 1964. Like its follow-up, 'No Faith, No Love', it was an adaptation of a number from the pen of leading gospel songerwriter James Cleveland. 'Sharing You', released in 1966, was Mitty’s only other hit. A decade ago, Chess themselves released a compilation of Mitty Collier recordings, but that now long deleted and much sought after set concentrated on her album. This collection, on the other hand, focuses on her singles. Each of her 15 A-sides is included, along with 9 more great tunes from the flips! Titles include 'My Babe', 'I've Got Love', 'Ain't That Love', 'My Party', 'Do It With Confidence', 'Git Out', 'Help Me', 'Like Only Yesterday' and 'For My Man'. http://www.acerecords.co.uk/

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Mitty Collier on a classic performance of her 1964 hit 'I Had a Talk With My Man':

Fontella Bass: Free (1972) ... plus

If Fontella Bass' 'Rescue Me' is the best soul single that Aretha Franklin never made, then Free is the lost classic that deserves space in any record collection housing worn-out copies of the Queen of Soul's I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You and Spirit in the Dark. This album was done after her time at Chess Records, and after her work in Paris with the Art Ensemble of Chicago, though that is definitely not the best reference point for what this particular album sounds like, which is much more in the vein of Aretha, or at times Nina Simone. Reuniting Bass with producer Oliver Sain, who helmed her classic mid-'60s sides for Chess, Free draws on the singer's gospel roots to forge a deeply spiritual and moving examination of post-civil rights America. Cuts like 'Talking About Freedom,' 'To Be Free,' and 'My God, My Freedom, My Home' showcase the remarkable power and poignancy of Bass' vocals, couched beautifully by Sain's nuanced, blues-inspired arrangements. The strings, when they are present, are edgy enough not to make the album ever sound too overproduced. This expanded version of her 1972 Paula album Free, adds a new version of her classic 'Rescue Me' along with four B-sides: 'It Sure Is Good,' 'I'm Leaving the Choice to You,' 'Home Wrecker,' and 'It's Hard to Get Back In.' Bass wrote most of the songs here herself - including the touching blues ballads 'Wiping Tears' and 'I Need Love'-, along with a few collaborative efforts with her then-husband Lester Bowie, and all the tracks showcase her dynamic, dramatic approach to soul. In short, if you are interested in delving into late-'60s/early-'70s soul past the obvious masters, then you really can't go wrong with this album. http://www.answers.com/, http://www.dustygroove.com/, http://www.amazon.com/

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Letta Mbulu: Letta Mbulu Sings (1967) / Free Soul (1968)

With her performance at the Unity Festival Apartheid in 1991, Letta Mbulu returned triumphantly to her homeland of South Africa. Having been exiled, due to Apartheid, for more than a quarter century, Mbulu had gone from a teenager in the groundbreaking South African musical production King Kong of 1960 to one of the most influential singers to ever come out South Africa. In addition to recording such classic tracks as 'What is Wrong with Groovin’,' Mbulu added her soulful vocals to recordings and/or concerts with late jazz saxophonist Cannonball Adderly, Michael Jackson, and Harry Belafonte. Mbulu, whose screen credits include, A Warm December and The Color Purple, performed the opening title track and most of the African music for the historical '70s miniseries Roots. During her lengthy exile, Mbulu remained committed to the music of her birth land. She helped to form South African Artists United (SAAU) in 1986, basing the group on the Union of South African Artists that grew from the African Jazz and Variety for whom she made her early debut. Mbulu's husband, Caiphus Semenya, who she met while touring with King Kong, plays an essential role in her music. Two of Mbulu best recordings are her debut album Letta Mbulu Sings (1967) and Free Soul (1968), both produced by David Axelrod. These albums were cut at a time when Axelrod was riding high for Capitol Records through work done with Cannonball Adderley and Lou Rawls, and both feature Rawls' arranger HB Barnum penning charts for Mbulu. It's an incredibly righteous work from Letta done in a very groovy '60s mode that goes way beyond the typical folksy treatment that other African soul singers were getting in the US at the time. The tunes on the set groove around in a nice bouncy mode throughout, making good use of Axelrod's sense of space and shape, and letting Letta's spectacular vocals step out in a setting that gives equal focus to American soul, African rhythms, and a hip globally-conscious vision. 20 tracks in all, including 'Pula Yetla', 'Mamani', 'My Son', 'Only When You're Mine Again', 'Kukuchi', 'What More Could Be Right', 'Where Does It Lead', 'West Wind', 'Qhinebe', 'Sexwaxwa', and 'Zola (Mra)'. For more Letta, look HERE. http://www.dustygroove.com/, http://www.allmusic.com/
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Merry Clayton: Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow (1975) ... plus

Merry Clayton was among the most ubiquitous session singers of the '70s when she provided background vocals for everyone from Lynyrd Skynyrd, Linda Ronstadt, Ringo Starr, Carole King, and Jerry Garcia to Billy Preston, the Blackbyrds, and the Brothers Johnson. She is especially famous for her contributions to the Rolling Stones' 'Gimme Shelter' in 1969. But regrettably, Clayton wasn't as successful as a solo artist. One of the solid, but overlooked, solo albums Clayton recorded in the '70s was Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow, a really cool collaboration between her and Eugene McDaniels, a producer who really takes her music into new territory here. As with other perfect productions by McDaniels in the '70s, Gene really grabs the whole thing up and makes it his own adding a lot more funk to the mix than you might expect, and electrifying the instrumentation in ways that bump up Merry's vocals nicely. Even better, though (he wrote a number of tunes for the set) the kind of off-beat soul numbers that are typical from Eugene's own work, which help Merry move into a hip range of themes and topics. There's a righteous mix of funky jazz and soul on the record, a bit like the sound of Marlena Shaw's Blue Note albums, and McDaniels titles include 'Gold Fever', 'If I Lose', 'Gets Hard Sometimes', and 'Sink or Swim'. Other highlights range from the gritty 'Do What You Know' and a very funky remake of Bob Dylan's 'Rainy Day Women #12 & 35' to Deniece Williams' 'How'd I Know That Love Would Slip Away,' which Clayton recorded before either the Emotions or Williams herself. The title track, meanwhile, is the memorable theme song from the '70s cop show Baretta. I added SEVEN bonus tracks, consisting on the four cuts she contributed with to the Brewster McCloud's OST (1970), her impassioned rendition of 'The Acid Queen,' taken from the adaptation that The London Symphony Orchestra made of the Who's rock opera Tommy in 1972, and two tracks from the Big Sur Folk Festival, recorded live in Monterrey, which were compiled on the 1971's Celebration album. http://www.dustygroove.com/,http://www.allmusic.com/. Thanks to EliotW for sharing this!

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Merry Clayton performing 'Keep Your Eye on the Sparrow' on Soul Train, 1975:

The Three Degrees: The Roulette Years (1970-1972)

The Three Degrees started in 1963 in Philadelphia, PA., where they were discovered by producer and songwriter Richard Barrett, who got them a deal with Swan Records that produced many singles over the next four years. After their contract with Swan ended, the Three Degrees (at this stage comprised of Valerie Holiday, Sheila Ferguson and Fayette Pinkney) enjoyed brief signings with several smaller record companies till they signed to Roulette Records in 1970. Their frist Roulette release was a revival of the Chantels' 'Maybe'; which the girls had previously recorded for Swan. The '70s version, with Valerie's superb monologue, took them to #4 on the US soul charts in 1970. During the next three years, the succession of hits included 'I Do Take You,' 'You're the One,' and 'There's So Much Love Around Me'. This success led to an appearenace in the film The French Connection and a three month, 28-city tour with Englebert Humperdinck with whom they recorded the album Englebert Humperdinck Live at the Riviera. Englebert was quoted a describing them as "the finest singing trio around today". This was a significant period for the Three Degrees as they were now able to prove their worth and versatility with a wealth of songs from classic standards such as 'Stardust' and 'Macarthur Park' to the funky 'I Won't Let You Go' and 'Who Is She (And What Is She to You)'. Valerie, Fayette and Sheila gave their all in this musical collage, each displaying their own individuality and strenght with a variety of interpretations. Just listen to Sheila's velvety richness fading to Fayette's sweet tenderness and finally Valerie's soulful crescendo in the masterpiece 'Ebb Tide'. These early-'70s tracks, with their great orchestations combined with intricately mastered vocal arrangements and, of course, three dinamic voices, preceded a scintillating run on Philadelphia International Records and are essential for fans wanting another side of the "TSOP" and 'When Will I See You Again' songbirds. Taken from the original liner notes and http://www.allmusic.com/

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Recorded live in Japan in 1974, Fayette, Sheila and Valerie come together as only they can to perform their classic rendition of the Jim Webb's masterpiece 'MacArthur Park':

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Doris Troy: Doris Troy (1970) ... plus

Although she was born in the Bronx, and first came to prominence in the US with her 1963 hit 'Just One Look', Doris Troy earned probably her most loyal following in Britain. Nicknamed Mama Soul by her British fans, she moved to London after enjoying a steady streak of UK success and some noteworthy collaborations with leading British musicians during the mid-'60s. She can be heard on the Rolling Stones' 1969 anthem 'You Can't Always Get What You Want', and enjoyed a prominent solo spot on Pink Floyd's 1973 epic, 'Dark Side of the Moon'. She appeared on George Harrison's solo hit 'My Sweet Lord', and on Carly Simon's 'You're So Vain', and featured as both writer and singer on Billy Preston's album 'That's The Way God Planned It' for Apple. She affirmed her Anglophile leanings by signing with the Beatles' label in 1969; a deal instigated by George Harrison. Like Billy Preston's similar effort, this flopped, even when it was well-received by some critics; but unlike Preston, Troy really never got a second chance. As with Preston, Harrison rounds up a zillion big name guests: Steve Stills appears and contributes a couple of tunes (including 'Special Care'); Ringo drums; Preston and Harrison are prominent; Eric Clapton, Peter Frampton, Klaus Voormann, Jackie Lomax, Leon Russell, and Delaney & Bonnie all contribute to this album. Troy herself is credited as producer. Highlights on this release include 'Don't Call Me No More,' 'Ain't That Cute,' 'So Far,' 'Gonna Get My Baby Back,' 'I've Got to Be Strong,' 'Hurry,' and 'You Give Me Joy Joy.' This reissue adds no less than five bonus tracks: three are previously unreleased, while 'Get Back' and Leon Russell's 'Vaya Con Dios' were B-sides. Also try the compilation Just One Look: The Best of Doris Troy, that you can hear HERE. http://www.memorabletv.com/, http://www.spectropop.com.a
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Doris Troy was suffering from emphysema when she re-recorded her classic Northern Soul anthem, 'I'll Do Anything', in 1999:

Joann Garrett: Just a Taste (1969) ... plus

As a 15-year-old student at Chicago's DuSable High School, Joanne Garrett (aka Joann Garrett and Jo Ann Garth) won a recording contract with Chess Records for finishing first in a Regal Theater talent show, no small feat considering Chicago's vast talent pool. The deal produced 'Stand By My Side,' a huge local hit, in 1966. She followed with Dee Clark's 'You Can't Come In' (March 1967) and a remake of the Heartbeats' 'Thousand Miles Away' (1968), with the Dells (uncredited) providing backing vocals on the A-sides. Garrett left Chess in 1968 to record for Duo Records. With Andre Williams producing, she cut 'That Little Brown Letter' backed with 'I've Gotta Be Loved' in 1968; later in 1968 she cut 'I'm a Now Girl (Do It Now)' b/w 'One Woman,' arguably her most popular recording, and and another two singles. In the meantime, Chess emptied their vaults and released 'It's No Secret' and 'Unforgettable' b/w 'We Can Learn Together', which came from her album Just a Taste, released a year before, in 1969. In 1970 she also recorded 'Goin' Man Huntin'', for the short-lived Twinight label. Despite her age, Chi-town producers recorded Garrett in a Dinah Washington-esque vein, but that changed on her sole release for Don Robey's Duke/Peacock setup in Houston, TX, where she waxed Barbara Hammonds' 'I'm Under Your Control' b/w 'Sting Me Baby', in 1973. A final single, 'Don't Abuse Your Faithful Love' b/w 'Charlie Boy (We Got to Love One Another),' credited as The Rock with Joanne Garrett, appeared on Scorpio Records; it flopped, and sadly, after a good start, Garrett rarely saw the inside of a recording studio again. Her tunes became popular Northern soul items. On Just a Taste (1969) Chess omitted Garrett's first three singles but added two excellent replacements: Aretha Franklin's 'Ain't No Way' and Dionne Warwick's 'Walk on By.' Garrett's pretty soprano soars on the Heartbeats' 'Thousand Miles Away' and is spunky on 'Soul Town.' Local hits 'It's No Secret,' 'Depend on Me,' and 'Unforgettable' are tasteful Chicago soul. I included here the three singles Garrett released on Chess between 1966 and 1967, as well as others she recorded for different labels througout her career, EIGHT bonus tracks in all (two of them are just low quality samples, I'm afraid). http://www.allmusic.com/

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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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