Dwight Franklin "Foxie Lila"

Dwight Franklin "Foxie Lila" (Franklin)

Dwight "The Love Messenger" Franklin was raised in Atlanta, and he graduated from Booker T. Washington High School in Atlanta in 1969, but didn't record this 45 until a good 10 or so years later. Franklin had performed some gigs locally with Tony Troutman but never travelled extensively outside of the Atlanta area with his music. This, Dwight's only record, had been quite a rare 45 until a friend of Dwight's found a wants list posting for this record on a well known Northern Soul message board back in January of 2009. Naturally, this caused quite a stir and the 45 started showing up on a handful of sales lists and auctions. We don't know how many copies of this 45 found their way into dealers and collectors hands, but the market price for the 45 has dropped considerably. One has to suspect that once the stock dries up again, if in fact it does, price could raise a little bit again, but probably not to the heights it saw as recently as last year.

Regardless of the strange ebbs and flows within the collectors market, the quality of this late 70s/early 80s 45 has not been diminished. While Dwight doesn't recall exactly what year the 45 was pressed, we can date it to a period of time based on the synthesized keyboards, though they aren't very strong in the arrangement or mix. Dwight, his brother, and a couple of his other friends recorded "Foxie Lila" in his Atlanta home, but he recorded the flip side "Come Back Home" in Little Rock Arkansas. At the time he was splitting time between Atlanta and Little Rock. Eventually, Dwight settled down in Little Rock so in a way, this is not only a Georgia soul 45, but an Arkansas soul 45 as well. If anyone out there tracks 45s from Arkansas, we will have to share credit for this one!

This year, Dwight and his nephew have re-pressed the 45 to almost identical specs. The sound quality on the reissue is good quality, which is a plus. I will try to obtain ordering information about the reissue and update this post. At this time I'm not sure of what the price is or where to order them from, exactly. Should you be curious about how to tell a reissue from an original, just look at the dead wax etching, where you'll see where the matrix number had been written incorrectly and then scratched out. This does not exist on the original, which only has the correct matrix numbers etched in.

Freddie Terrell "Soul Know How To Make Music" Live

This past Wednesday, Hermon Hitson played a gig with The Buckboard Express at a small bar in East Atlanta called 529EAV. Before Hermon took the stage, the bass player got everyone doing a soul clap, which sounded eerily familiar. Sure enough, he started in on the opening lines of Freddie Terrell's second single "Soul Know How To Make Music". Wow! I wonder when the last time Freddie played this one was? I grabbed my camera and though it had a pretty low battery, I knew I had to try and record some of this. I didn't get the whole song, but it's a pretty good taste.



Hermon came on and ran through a bunch of his old tunes, as well as "Hey Joe" and a later Joe Tex tune which I can't remember the title of. Not a bad Wednesday night out!

This also ties into the Calvin Arnold thread which has been weaving itself quite prominently through the blog lately. Dig the writing credit in the below label scan.

Shout was, as has been well documented, a label owned by Bert Berns, who also started Bang Records. After he died in 1967, there was a lack of focus at the label until his wife, Ilene, moved the label to Atlanta, where Calvin Arnold met and befriended her. Calvin's own label, Scream, was named as a quiet tribute to Ilene and Bert. The tail end of the Shout catalog is littered with 45s recorded in Atlanta, by Atlanta artists. Calvin's name appears, I think (I'll have to double check this), on only one other Shout 45 though. That is Bit of Honey's "He's the One" b/w "Live In Maid" (Shout 250). There are earlier Georgia-bred 45s on the Shout label that predated Ilene's relocation to Atlanta, and those deserve their own space on this blog. Tack those to the growing list!

The Female Nightingales "You Going To Need Him"

The Female Nightingales "You Going To Need Him" (Church Door)

Today's post is only slightly out of character for the blog. We've looked at a couple of Calvin Arnold related records recently in which Calvin was involved as an artist. But it has also been mentioned here that he ran a studio with Herb Lance. Today, though, I thought it would be fun to look at one of his productions for the Church Door label, of which there are a pretty good handful. The Church Door label was Herb Lance's project, based out of the studio that he and Calvin owned together. I chose this particular record to feature not only because it's good, but because it's one that many R&B fans will recognize. Quite a few R&B groups recorded secular versions of the song, including The "5" Royales, Tiny Powell and others. The song is a great example of the gospel influence in R&B/Soul music. In fact, Tiny Powell was a member of the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi - as was the prolific soul singer Roscoe Robinson at one time. I'm not exactly sure when the Female Nightingales recorded this but it's pretty safe to assume it was in the mid 1960s.

I haven't done too much research into the Female Nightingales yet, but I know of at least two other 45s by them including another on the Church Door label, and one on the Brother Love label out of Atlanta.

Church Door (CD 102) Wrapped Up / He Can Do Anything
Brother Love (No #) Why Not Try God / More and More Like Him

While we're on the subject, let's also give a listen to Tiny Powell's take on this song from 1964, even though it's not a GA record.

Tiny Powell "Take Me With You" (Wax)

GA Music Hall of Fame in jeopardy?

I'm still trying to sort through some information I just learned about a little while ago, but apparently there are two bills, which could make the difference between the Georgia Music Hall of Fame and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame from remaining in Macon, or opening up the door to them moving to Atlanta. This all revolves around two tax bills currently on the floor of the Georgia House of Representatives, HB 804 and HB 805. Bibb County and the City of Macon would levy the new taxes if these bills pass.

I'm also still working at my regular day job, so haven't been able to do much investigation into this yet, much less sort through all of the politics involved in what really brought these bills to the floor. However, an email from Alan Walden (a 2003 inductee into the GA Music HOF) states that the vote is iminent and that if you are interested in keeping the Halls of Fame in Macon, then State Senator and Minority Leader Robert Brown (D-Macon) needs to hear your voice today (Wednesday) and tomorrow (Thursday).
I should also take this opportunity to mention that the Otis Redding exhibit at the GA Music HOF has been extended through April 19. This is by far the best thing that I've ever seen at the Hall, and I would urge every one of you to make the trip to see the exhibit.

So I guess I have some further reading to take care of tonight, and very likely, an email and phone call to Senator Brown to make tomorrow! Don't let me do all of the work for you though. Go do some further reading yourself, and by all means, let your voice be heard!

Roy Lee Johnson "Just In Time For the Wedding" + New CD

Roy Lee Johnson "Just In Time For the Wedding" (1-2-3 716)

I just learned over the weekend that Bear Family are releasing a compilation of material by the great Roy Lee Johnson, and I don't think I could have heard any news that would have made me happier. Before I get to the info about that upcoming CD, I decided to feature a song along with this post that won't be on that CD. This is by no means any comment on Bear Family, for they always do a good job with their CDs. But "Just In Time For the Wedding" is a little bit outside of the focus of Bear Family's compilation, which focuses on the meat and potatoes of Roy Lee's career during the 1960s. Roy Lee's Stax material won't be represented either. But that's all OK. I still can't wait to get my hands on this one!

Bill Lowery's 1-2-3 label had been distributed by Capitol for a few years covering the late 60s/early 70s, but after that deal ended, Bill soldiered on for a little while longer on his own. It couldn't have been that much of a struggle. The Lowery Group, now without Bill, remains one of the biggest players in Georgia's music industry and built something of an empire on music publishing alone. Still, it appears that the promotion budgets had been slashed for these final releases on 1-2-3 since this and other 45s from the 700 catalog series are nowhere near as common as the Capitol distributed 1700 catalog series these days.

Musically, this song hints at the influence that Clarence Carter had on Southern Soul at this stage of the game (1978), but still shows that Roy Lee had vocal chops on top of his guitar chops. Roy Lee is certainly known for his guitar work, but his voice, the way he treats deep soul ballads, and his ability to write some amazing songs deserves more attention. Enter Bear Family.

When A Guitar Plays the Blues obviously hints at Roy Lee's undeniable guitar prowess, but also showcases the beauty that lies within is the songwriting, and Roy Lee's vocals.

The first, long overdue, collection of rare but sought-after singles by Roy Lee Johnson, the underground hero of guitar freaks and deep soul fans. Includes 'Mister Moonlight', known to millions by the Beatles but originally by Dr Feelgood and the Interns (vocal: Roy Lee Johnson) and the first version of 'When A Guitar Plays The Blues', since revived by Albert Collins and Roy Buchanan. Eleven previously unissued tracks including four by underrated soul man, Curtis Smith, Johnson's fellow singer-guitarist in the Interns. The most soulful of Sixties soul packaged with all Bear Family's meticulous attention to detail including a lavishly illustrated essay by über-fan and soul authority, Martin Goggin. -- Roy Lee Johnson first came to attention as the occasional vocalist with the Interns, a R&B band led by blues shouter Dr Feelgood, aka Piano Red. But there's a whole lot more to this songwriter, guitarist and singer of soul with a capital 'S'. Johnson's little heard treasures of Southern soul are finally served up on one CD. Everything he recorded for Okeh, Columbia, Josie and Philips is here; records you'd never own without spending months on e-bay and trunkloads of cash. -- There are gritty dance workouts, lilting soul ballads, ferocious instrumentals and devastating deep wrist-slashers from Muscle Shoals. Sixties soul reissues may be coin of the realm these days but few are quite as essential as this scorching collection of Roy Lee Johnson's best performances.

Track listing:
1. Mister Moonlight - Johnson, Roy Lee
2. Love Is Amazing - Johnson, Roy Lee
3. Sea Breeze - Johnson, Roy Lee
4. Black Pepper Will Make You Sneeze - Johnson, Roy Lee
5. Too Many Tears - Johnson, Roy Lee
6. Nobody Does Something For Nothing - Johnson, Roy Lee
7. Busybody - Johnson, Roy Lee
8. I'm So Happy - Johnson, Roy Lee
9. My Best Just Ain't Good Enough - Johnson, Roy Lee
10. Love Birds - Johnson, Roy Lee
11. When A Guitar Plays The Blues - Johnson, Roy Lee
12. Plowing Playboy - Johnson, Roy Lee
13. That's All I Need - Johnson, Roy Lee
14. Slowly I'm Falling In Love With You - Johnson, Roy Lee
15. Two Doors Down - Johnson, Roy Lee
16. Stanback Headache Powder - Johnson, Roy Lee
17. It's All Over - Johnson, Roy Lee
18. Busybody - Johnson, Roy Lee
19. So Anna Just Love Me - Johnson, Roy Lee
20. Boogaloo No. 3 - Johnson, Roy Lee
21. Cheer Up Daddy's Comin' Home - Johnson, Roy Lee
22. Guitar Man - Johnson, Roy Lee
23. Can You Handle It - Johnson, Roy Lee
24. Chunk Some Love - Johnson, Roy Lee
25. Take Me Back And Try Me - Johnson, Roy Lee
26. She Put The Whammy To Me - Johnson, Roy Lee
27. Don't Do This To Me - Smith, Curtis
28. Two Wrongs (Won't Make It Right) - Smith, Curtis
29. Come Here Baby - Smith, Curtis
30. I've Got A Feeling - Smith, Curtis

The Gardenias "What's the Matter With Me" (Fairlane)

The Gardenias "What's the Matter With Me" (Fairlane)

Calvin Arnold's first group was The Gardenias, back when he and some friends were just messing around as kids. Besides Calvin, the other members were John Marshall, with guys named Harold and Little Joe, of whom Calvin couldn't remember their full names. The name was given to them by Buster Brown, who was a member of the Blue Dots, an Atlanta doo wop group which also featured Grover Mitchell. After they gigged around Atlanta for a while, they were approached by Johnny Terry, then a member of James Brown's Famous Flames. Johnny took them up to Toccoa, Georgia and then up to Greenville South Carolina where they hooked up with Esquerita.

Esquerita was recording for Capitol Records at the time, and the Gardenias became his backup vocal group both in the studio and on the road. While the Gardenias were working with Esquerita, Calvin wrote a number of tunes which Esquerita recorded including "Baby, You Can Depend On Me", "Why Did It Take You So Long", "Crazy, Crazy Feeling", and "Gettin' Plenty Lovin'". All of these appear on Esquerita's 1959 album for Capitol (T 1186).

Tommy Brown took The Gardenias up to Detroit in 1962, where he was going to try and get them signed to Motown. Turns out Motown was more interested in Tommy's wife, Liz Lands! While the guys were up in Detroit though, they managed to record a couple of songs that Calvin had been kicking around with the group since their earliest days together. Tommy was able to place the songs with the Atlanta based Fairlane label, which had some distribution with King Records, whom Tommy also had ties with at the time. On the 45, both songs are credited to Tommy Brown and Calvin Arnold, but Calvin apparently wrote both songs before he even knew Tommy.

While I had always assumed that the Gardenias 45 was recorded in Atlanta, it turns out to have been recorded in Detroit, though in which studio still remains a mystery. However, this new bit of information could explain how "What's the Matter With Me" wound up also being recorded by Othea George on the Soul label out of Detroit. Funny thing there is that Othea's 45 lists Mike Terry as the songwriter. Terry, of course, was an extremely talented songwriter and arranger, and his baritone sax is prominent on so many great Detroit soul recordings. But in this case, at least, it seems that Mr. Terry was overly-generous with taking credit for Calvin Arnold's work.

By 1963, the group had returned to Atlanta where they were playing a variety of gigs ranging from a Washington High School talent show (March 26) to the Royal Peacock opening for Hank Ballard & the Midnighters (April 2). Calvin mentioned that they quit using the name The Gardenias after learning about the Detroit group using the same name, though it seems that they did continue using the name themselves, even if just for a short period of time.

Upcoming concerts of note

Here's a roundup of upcoming live appearances of interest to fans of Georgia soul music.

Eula Cooper
March 12-16 Prestatyn Northern + Modern Soul Weekender
Eula's appearance at this weekender in Wales is really exciting, as it will be Eula's first UK appearance ever. Eula hadn't been performing at all for quite a few years, and was brought back out into the public eye through a great monthly night in New York called Dig Deeper. Eula, with the Sweet Divines backing her, made a triumphant return to the stage and is now set to sing for around 3000 soul fans in the UK, most of whom probably know every word to every song that she'll sing. I can't wait to see the pictures, and hopefully video!

Delia Gartrell
March 28 Dig Deeper NYC
Speaking of Dig Deeper, another singer with Georgia roots is set to appear there this month. So far they've featured Eula Cooper, The Mighty Hannibal, and two Georgia transplants, Young Jessie and Harvey Scales. Now add Delia "Dee Dee" Gartrell to that list. Dee Dee will be promoting her recent CD "Starting A Movement" and singing a few of her classic songs for what will surely be an appreciative audience in New York. Knock 'em dead, Dee Dee!

Hermon Hitson
April 19 Smith's Olde Bar
Important: Tell the person at the door that you're there specifically to see Hermon, as this will help determine how much Hermon gets paid that night. Hermon will be backed by his Buckboard Express band along with two or three other acts. This show could be a good showcase for Hermon that can lead to more gigs for him in town. Go out and show Hermon your support.

May 2 Drunken Unicorn
I'm still working on getting details for this show, but Hermon has this one in his date book.

Charles Walker & the Dynamites with Betty Harris
May 7 The EARL
Betty is not known as a Georgia-based singer, but she does make her home in the Atlanta area now. We're incredibly fortunate that she'll be gracing the stage at the EARL with the Nashville funk and soul band The Dynamites backing her. They're also bringing Charles Walker back, who never disappoints. The man is ageless! DJs Terry "T1" Holloway and I will also DJ this show. Having seen Betty perform twice at the Ponderosa Stomp, I can testify that if you see only one concert during the month of May, make it this one.

Here are a few other locations in Atlanta that will be of interest to fans of Georgia soul (and blues) music.

Blind Willie's
It is always good to keep an eye on the Blind Willie's calendar to know when local favorites such as Sandra Hall and Tommy Brown are appearing here. Not only that, but they do still bring in some excellent touring artists as well.

Northside Tavern
Also good to keep an eye on NT's calendar. Roy Lee Johnson has popped up here a couple of times and they get some other great local artists appearing on a regular basis such as Ike Stubblefield, The Soul Shakers and others.

Tanqueray Lounge
The Tanqueray is a small venue that gets pretty crowded on Sunday nights. Gino Parks was doing a Sunday night residency there for a while, but you can also reasonably expect to see other local singers like Eddie Sawyer and George Hughley take the stage. Go prepared to dance. The last time I went there I wanted to just check out the music and talk with some friends, but a woman there insisted that if we were going to hang out, that we also needed to join in and dance. I guess I can't fault her, but just be prepared when you go.

Luella's Juke Joint
Jae B the Soul Man appears on March 28, and while the club hasn't been booking acts on a weekly basis such as when they started, they are looking to get back to the weekly schedule this spring. Check their Myspace page for the latest news.

And here's a Youtube clip of Delia's January appearance at Eyedrum in Atlanta.