||||Bold Soul Brother

Soul Brother's Testify

Recent chat about this tune prompted me to pull it and rip it for your pleasure. This is yet another track for which I can find very little background information. I picked this up, I think, from eBay a while back and pretty sure it came up with a 99p starting price and I secured it for about £40. A price I was happy to pay as this hardly ever comes up for sale and when it does, changes hands for c£100 (see Manship’s copy).

Part 1 appears to have also been released on Anla (AL115) with Sweet Potato Mash on the flip (which I have NEVER seen in the flesh), but today’s offering is Anla’s 1968 release (AL102) with Part 1 and Part 2 on the same record. I’ve also seen this referred to as the “Original Soul Senders”, but have no idea why… since the label clearly shows the artists as Chester Randle’s Soul Sender’s (not sure why so many apostrophes!).

You might also be able to find a copy of its recent (2007) reissue on BGP (521) with 87th Off Broadway & Can’t Get Enough on the flip.

Enough talking, enjoy the tunes. Part 1 should be played first as this is the more commercial offering, part 2 steps the tempo up a bit with blasting horns and less vocals; both great tunes you could drop into any funky mix and not break the beat.

Martini's - Hung Over

I featured this tune in a mix recently, and whilst digging for further information, was able to discover very little…

The writers are listed (side 1: Hung Over) as J. Keyes, C. Axton, A. Mitchell, M. Hodges & L. Hodges and (side 2: Late Late Party) as J. Keyes, C. Axton, M. Hodges & L. Hodges.

Side 1 really feels like it should be the second side (the hangover follows the late party); but is a tune that hooks from the opening bars. There is a section about a third of the way through where someone appears to be expressing their pain at their hangover (or, as some people prefer to think, bringing up some of last night’s excesses). Late Late Party is just a perfect tune for the stragglers at the end of a long night (I can see the lounge lizards tapping their feet).

Whilst researching the names, I came across a suggestion from Funky16Corners that said “I believe the Martinis were actually Packy Axton and other members of the Packers (along with some studio guys, maybe members of the Hi rhythm section).” The general consensus appears to be that the Martini’s were not a working band, but more likely a number of session musicians, certainly Leroy Hodges was one of the members of the Hi Rhythm Section (Memphis house band).

It is believed this record was released in 1967; but failed to chart. Unfortunately, like the actual artists performing on the record, I can find no information at all on the record label (Bar Records “24k Memphis golden soul”), nor the producer (Keyton); although I assume this to be a combination of J. Keyes & C. Aston. Can anyone shed any light?

In my post for “World“; I mentioned that I could find very little information on the band. Thanks to Frank Gordon for the following info-bytes:

“My uncle, Kalid Abdul Shaheid, formed the band. All of the band members were from New Jersey. My uncle is on the the Piano, the bass is played by Carl Harris, his younger sister Phyllis is the vocalist. Ogden (kip) O. Lee is the lead guitarist and on the drums was Ernie; but I can’t remember his last name.

“Ernie was from Newark,  Ogden from Linden, Carl was from Edison and Phyllis lived in East Orange.

“Phyllis was gorgeous; she would definitely make your heart skip a beat. As a teenager traveling with the group, mine did many times.

“The Conga players name was Akbar, his last name escapes me as well as it has been a number of years, but he lived in Newark as well.

“Since Khalid is my uncle, he allowed me to work with the band. I was a teenage sound man and roadie. I unloaded the van, set up the equipment, connected everything and tested it. Loaded everything and when I got my license, I hauled it almost everywhere they were playing. I did this all through High School for about 25 dollars a week.

“The money didn’t matter as I was having fun hanging with them. They all are really great people. I also got a friend of mine involved with me so we both traveled with them and we began spinning records during their timeouts and were part time DJ’s.

“They would practice most of the time in my uncles basement in Elizabeth on Bond Street behind School 20. When the band broke up, Carl and Phyllis formed their own band called Brother and Sister and brought in their youngest sibling to sing with them. I remember many things that went down during the time they were playing.”