The Apollas “Open The Door, Fool” (Warner Brothers 7181, 1968) Another door opens, and then it closes. So goes a number of “game of love” songs in the proliferation of music created by humanity. There’s plenty of those to find and discover in the Lady Soul mold, therefore, as we slip and slide down a…
Tag: West Coast Soul
Irma Thomas “Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand) (Imperial 66041, Pop #52, 1964)
Irma Thomas “Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand) (Imperial 66041, Pop #52, 1964) There’s no mystery, yet still a mystery in Irma Thomas’s voice. The Soul Queen of New Orleans has been delighting audiences for 57 years, and today we applaud the fact that this soul survivor still sells out and serenades us…
Righteous Rage and Rhythm: This is dedicated to Etta James
I’ll say, one of my biggest regrets of my concert going life was not seeing Etta James perform live before she succumbed to Leukemia 4 years ago. There’s many soul singers so omnipresent in the crafting of the adult I’ve become as my life spins its LP year (I hate Christ Year, and 33 &…
Clydie King “Missing My Baby” (Imperial 66139, 1965)
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…
Ketty Lester “Love Me Just A Little Bit” (Tower 208-B, 1966)
Ketty Lester “Love Me Just A Little Bit” (Tower 208-B, 1966) Talented and Sultry, Ketty Lester is one of the ultimate Lady Leos of Soul. Despite having only one major hit record, she was able to purvey her talents on multiple mediums normally closed off to African American women in the 1960s. Recording and hit…
Darlene Love “He’s a Quiet Guy” (Philles 123-B, 1964)
Darlene Love “He’s a Quiet Guy” (Philles 123-B, 1964) There’s a few things to consider over the next few weeks. 1) The Sun is in Leo. 2) There’s a Venus Retrograde, soon to retreat back into the flames of Leo and 3) There’s a bevy of Soul Legends born under the sign of Leo as…
Mary Love “Hey Stoney Face” (Modern 1010-B, 1965)
Mary Love “Hey Stoney Face” (Modern 1010-B, 1965) By 1965, the Motown influence reached its arms to both coasts. Not only were the sonic patterns of West Grand Boulevard influential on female soul records, as in the case of Ashford and Simpson in New York, certain songwriters vied for attention from the label. Notable on…
Betty Turner “Stand By And Cry” (Liberty 55861-B, 1966)
Betty Turner “Stand By And Cry” (Liberty 55861-B, 1966) Given the top flight production values all of her singles received, one would think that Betty Turner had a really big chance of breaking through to become an accomplished recording start of the West Coast recording scene. Of course, it’s another story of not exactly turning…
The Blossoms “My Love, Come Home” (Reprise 0475-B, 1966)
The Blossoms “My Love, Come Home” (Reprise 0475-B, 1966) I think so far, appropriately, 10 days into Women’s History Month (as much as I loathe segregating history off to one month of the year), that the month of March will be “Women Of Soul” themed around here. One group of Soul Survivors are The Blossoms. The group…
DJ Larsupreme 