Clydie King “Missing My Baby” (Imperial 66139, 1965)

It’s day 2 of 7 days of 7 songs, and I’m deconstructing the Wall Of Sound with my second choice. Clydie King, although only 22 when she started belting out her solo efforts at Imperial Records in 1965, was a veteran performer. Starting off as “Little Clydie” in 1956, she was a seasoned performer, duettist and session singer in the L.A, basin when it was decided that she’d be given a chance to re-up at solo stardom.

Being so closely associated with being one of a number of L.A. session singers in the early to mid ’60’s, it’s by no surprise thar all of her 1965-66 Singles output had a strong Goldstar Studios flavor. She spent most of her time hanging around there, and if there ever was a dominant influence in West Coast Soul-Pop, Phil Spector’s creations were the agents of sonic stature to play towards. Granted by the middle of 1965 radio audiences were starting to drift away from that particular sound.

Event though Clydie’s first effort didn’t win over the nation, Imperial tried again with this twinkling with late autumn starlight smooth operator in November of 1965. As this year comes to a close, I’m reminded daily about those I spend days apart from and truly miss, so, of course, as is tradition for late night dedications, I think this unheralded not-exactly-directly Wall Of Sound record is the perfect prayer to bring that love back.