The Feel It Advent-ure 2020: Door 7

So, the eagle eyed amongst you may have noticed a sequence to this year's Advent-ure posts. Any of you that have will have predicted today's post would be from an artist or group beginning with the letter G.

Yes there is a sequence, and it's a simple one – I'm running through the letters of the alphabet A to … er .. X (the 24^th is going to be challenging!). I am finding this simple rule concentrates the mind wonderfully and makes it much easier to choose which record to feature, and when the posts come thick and fast you need to make quick decisions.

The Gs in the singles boxes are not that extensive, and I have posted many of them already, so it was quickly narrowed down to one of three artists – Don Gardner, Barbara George, or Roosevelt Grier.

“Rosey” Grier won out when I started reading up on his life. I suggested the artist in yesterday's post - Louise Freeman - maybe a Georgia native, well Roosevelt Grier was definitely born in Georgia, and he is still alive, age 88 years and counting; and it is fair to say his life has been full and varied. His singing career resulted in 23 singles and 2 albums, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. From pro American footballer to prominent bodyguard, to needlepointer and more. Read his Wikipedia entry, it's fascinating. At 6' 5" Rosey may be a larger than life character, but it's difficult to believe he could be larger than his own life! 

This was his first 45, released at the beginning of 1960 on the A label – that label name ensuring it would have been listed first on any new issue distribution lists!

Roosevelt Grier – Why Don't You Do Right 1960

The Feel It Advent-ure 2020: Door 6

Here in the UK London Records were a godsend to Soul lovers in the 70s. The label was the UK home of Al Green, Ann Peebles, and any number of other Hi artists, but they also released singles from some other excellent and more obscure artists from labels such as Shout.

I can offer no information on Louise Freeman beyond the fact she had five US single releases - three in the 70s and two in the late 80s - and all were recorded in Georgia, so that is presumably her home state. (She rightfully has her place on Sir Shambling's site, but even John cannot offer any further background on the singer).

This is a beautifully arranged deepie. The intro is reminiscent of Betcha By Golly Wow, and elsewhere, fleetingly, Todd Rundgren's Hello It's Me comes to mind.

Louise Freeman – How Could You Run Away 1974

The Feel it Advent-ure 2020: Door 5

Jean Elias made only one record as far as anyone seems to know. The Duke/Peacock/Back Beat stable of labels made almost no use of Muscle Shoals recording studios, but this is where both sides of this 45 were laid down. I don't think  this 45 troubled the chart compilers though, the only Billboard references I can find to the single are listings in the "ones to watch" section in late November 1971. It is a mystery why Jean never found her way onto wax again as she is a good singer, this 45's tracks are above the average, and a Duke label stable Billboard advert as late as August 1972 was still listing Jean as being on their roster. I suspect for Jean it was a case of right place, wrong time. By 1972 the more "down home" Soul was starting to struggle to be heard in the face of the rapidly emerging Philly style and more lavishly arranged up town soul and funk.  

I thought I had posted the B side - How Can I Go On Fooling Myself - before, but it seems not. Of the two sides it certainly seems to be referenced much more frequently on the internet; it was, I am sure, the reason I bought this 45 a few years ago now and it has been the only one that has stuck in my mind. However, playing both sides again today I'm thinking the A side deserves some love too.

Jean Elias - You Made Me A Anybody's Woman  1971

  

The Feel It Advent-ure 2020: Door 4

It's Friday so we need something to dance around the kitchen table to.

There........ is what? There is. There just is!

I love the large gap in the title on this printing of the label. There were, it seems, at least four different labels for this release, this one being the most emphatic. Not only that, there were two different incarnations of Cadet 5574, The A side O-O I Love You being backed initially by There Is, and then subsequently by The Change We Go Thru (For Love). Why did that happen? Well, O-O I Love You entered the Hot 100 in November 1967 and stayed for 10 weeks, peeking at#61. However there was undoubtedly much love for its original B side (I suspect the radio DJs had flipped it) because There Is got its own release as an A side (Cadet 5590) in December of '67, and that also made the Hot 100 on January 20^th 1968, and it stayed in the charts for 11 weeks, peeking at #20. So, including life as a B side, we can easily say There Is spent a total of at least 16 weeks in the Billboard Top 100.  

So, there is no dispute, here is track worthy of another spin 53 years later.

The Dells – There Is 1967

PS: while The Dells (Cadet 5574) were sparring with the likes of The Impressions and Al Green(e) – his very first hit – in the lower reaches of the Hot 100, The Monkees, The Beatles, and Lulu were among the big hitters at the top. However, by February 1968 when There Is (Cadet 5590) peaked at #20, the Top 10 was somewhat bereft of big rock/pop names – Paul Mauriat (Love Is Blue) was at #1 having just knocked The Lemon Pipers (Green Tambourine) off the top spot, and The Temptations (I Wish It Would Rain) and Otis (Dock of The Bay) were both in the Top 10.

The Feel It Advent-ure 2020: Door 3

 

I have John Peel to thank for having this record in my collection. 

Back in the 70s John played the A side It's A Man Down There on one of his shows and it stuck in my mind, and it is probably still on one of my mixtapes which were made up of tracks he played. I bought my copy around 15 years ago now, I guess.

There is a copy of this single in John Peel's much publicised “special box” that contains 142 singles in total. Did he acquire his copy when he was living in the USA or later , I wonder? I am sure that he certainly first heard it while he was in the USA because it actually made the Hot 100 in 1965, peaking at 67.

For such a “raw” record with little or nothing in the way of production frills that seems remarkable. It's success may have been due in no small part to famed DJ, John R (Richbourg) in Nashville who pushed the record hard.

Very little is known of George L Crockett, and only one known picture of him exists. Some say his middle initial is actually T. We know for sure G stands for George. The accepted wisdom, such that it is, can be found on Wikipedia.

G L Crockett is buried at Burr Oak Cemetery, Alsip, Illinois. He died in 1967 at the tragically young age of 38, apparently from a cerebral hemorrhage brought on by hypertension, a condition he had suffered from for many years. This was possibly exacerbated by alcohol as it is documented that George had a drink problem. (However, a different, more sinister cause of death is suggested by a possible daughter on some youtube comments – although I know one should be careful when reading youtube comments).

G L Crockett left a recorded work of just four singles on the 4 Brothers label and one early outing on Chief (as G “Davy” Crockett”). G.L.'s drink problem made him difficult to work with apparently and he was dropped by the label after his fourth outing. The Daniels in the credits on this track is Jack Daniels who was the prinicpal operator of the 4 Brothers label that was run out of Barney's Record store in Chicago. (This info comes from Robert Pruter's excellent book Chicago Soul, where there is an in depth write up on 4 Brothers and the artists that appeared on the label).

I'm featuring the B side today. It has a real “live” feel to it. Consistent with the fact that it was probably recorded in one take. I particularly love the meandering guitar.

G.L.Crockett – Every Hour, Every Day 1965

The Feel It Advent-ure 2020: Door 2

Black Ivory is a group I had pretty much ignored for many years. Probably my blind spot had been created by a dislike for high register sweet soul in my youth. Dislike turned to appreciation quite a few years ago now though and, for example, The Delfonics then became a firm favourite of mine. However, Black Ivory somehow eluded my attention until very recently. I put that right this year and “filled my boots” with their 45s, most of which are as cheap as chips.

It is now 51 years since Black Ivory settled as a trio and, after a hiatus in the 80s and 90s, they are still performing. Quite some achievement. 

Black Ivory – Just Leave Me Some 1973

PS: I notice they actually had a single released on Buddah in 1975 called Feel It. That is one I don't have yet.

The Feel It Advent-ure 2020: Door 1

 

No posts for four months and now I'm embarking on a full on Feel It Advent-ure – yes a post a day right up to Christmas Day!

Foolhardy? Very probably. Certainly a gamble.

Here is Ray Agee making it a hat-trick of Advent-urous appearances hereabouts. He was behind Door 11 last year, where you can read a little more about him.

Ray Agee – The Gamble 1963