Teddy "Taurus" Lamont, and the 1973 Atlanta Mayoral Race

Teddy Larmont and the Mind Slayers - Leroy's Master Plan - Part II (Calga)

There's going to be a new mayor of Atlanta elected tomorrow, and this timely subject reminded me of a 45 buried deep in the Georgia Soul archives, nearly as forgotten as many of the "also-ran" candidates of countless elections gone by. In 1973, no less than six candidates ran for the office of Atlanta's mayor. The winner of this historic election was Maynard Jackson of course. Among other candidates in 1973 were Dr. W. J. Stafford and the subject of today's featured record, Leroy Johnson. Stafford dropped out of the race under a minor cloud of controversy relating to his business ventures and allegations of tax fraud. Johnson, on the other hand, received the endorsement of the Atlanta Constitution, though he did not receive enough votes to put him into the runoff election. Still, Johnson was a highly qualified and respected state politician and civil rights leader in Atlanta.

Leroy Johnson also seems to have had a fan in Teddy "Taurus" Lamont. While the song is titled "Leroy's Master Plan-Part II" there is little resemblance to part 1 by George Logan on the flip, which is "Leroy Part 1". There are some interesting details about George Logan, on which I am awaiting confirmation before they appear here.

Lamont was featured on the blog back in 2006, before I knew much, if anything, about him. More light can now be shed on Teddy Lamont's career with the help of an article published in the Atlanta Daily World in 1978, written by Prentis Rogers. Lamont was born and raised in Atlanta, graduated from Howard High and his first recording appears to have been the "Black Moses" b/w "Whip A Hickey On Your Head" 45 on the Mark IV label. There's also a mention in the article that Lamont worked as a waiter, but was called back to the music business. In the early to mid-1970s, Lamont became Little Richard's road manager, a position he held for four years. Lamont also started his own label and publishing business, Chunk O' Gold. Besides the Chunk O' Gold label, Lamont also published songs performed by Little Richard's backing band for the Delmar label. Those sessions were recorded at Herb Lance and Calvin Arnold's studio. It's very likely that this particular 45 was recorded there as well.

Following his stint on the road with Little Richard, Lamont turned his attention back to Atlanta and started a non-profit awards ceremony to honor local musicians who made an impact on the music business. The Golden Peach Awards doesn't seem to have ever gotten off the ground, however. The aforementioned Prentis Rogers article indicates that Lamont ran into political opposition from Capricorn Records in Macon due to a dispute which revolved around a proposed award named after Otis Redding. There was also a funding issue, where Lamont believed he was eligible to receive funding from the state of Georgia. That funding never materialized.

There's a great quote from Lamont in the Atlanta Daily World article, which I can definitely relate to as a self-appointed archivist of Georgia Soul music.

"Maybe I'm just stubborn, but if you'll notice, everybody that's from Atlanta seems like they had to leave to make it. Well, I want to prove that Atlantans can make it at home."

There will be a new Atlantan who will make it at home tomorrow. If you live in Atlanta, don't forget to take some time out of your day to go vote. None of this years candidates have a 45 to boost their campaign, but somebody's gonna have to win, right? You may as well help choose.

Lastly, a personal note. I had just been getting back into the swing of some fairly regular blog postings, which was all thrown off course when my girlfriend and I moved, and all of my records were in storage for a few months. We're just starting to get settled into the new house, so I hope I'll get back into the swing of things with the blog again soon. Sorry for being absent for so long. Keep checking back or subscribe to the blog in your favorite blog reader, and I'll try to keep Georgia Soul coming to your computer screens!