The Funky Whistlers

Well... I promised a new mix about a week ago and it is finally ready to go. In the past I've whipped together mixes with a particular theme (take Windy City Workout and Baby Do Right By Me as fine examples), but have yet to put one together that focuses entirely on a single instrument. The idea of pooling together funky tracks that highlight the importance of a single instrument is by no means a new one. For instance, our dear friend Vincent the Soul Chef whipped together a funky guitar mix for Jemsite a few months back, while Mr. Funky 16 Corners has provided a number of smoking hot organ mixes in the past. With the solid staple of previous mixes highlighting key funk band instruments in tow, I decided to take the opposite route and throw together a mix focusing entirely on a rather 'un-funky' instrument, the flute. To keep things interesting, this mix highlights the flute playing a variety of roles. For example, in cases like Herbie Mann's Memphis Two-step, the flute plays a prominent role throughout the entire song, vamping along in a funky mode that really sets the tone for the entire track. In other cases, like Lonnie Liston Smith's Expansions, the flute remains hidden in the background while the other instruments really get things cooking, only to emerge for a brief time to treat the listener's ears to a killer funky solo. Regardless of the specific role played in each track, one thing is for certain, this mix demonstrates that in the hands of the right player even an instrument as unfunky as the flute can be mighty soulful.

The Funky Whistlers - Trunk of F.U.N.K. vol. 017

Tracklist
Artist – Song title - Flautist

Yusef Lateef – Nubian Lady – Yusef Lateef
Michael Howell – In The Silence – Bennie Maupin
Bobbi Humphrey – Chicago, Damn – Bobbi Humphrey
Mongo Santamaria – The Whistler – Grant Reed or Roger Glenn
Lonnie Liston Smith & The Cosmic Echoes – Expansions – Donald Smith
Hank Crawford – Funky Rooster – Jeremy Steig
Herbie Mann – Memphis Two-step – Herbie Mann
Ron Carter – Uptown Conversation – Hubert Laws
Harold Johnson Sextet + - Delores – David Crawford
Cymande – Changes – Mike Rose

GA's Groove

I've been promising a new mix for sometime and have finally had the opportunity to whip something together. Luckily for the listeners here, my wife actually told me that I should take some time out of this evening to put something together (I secretly think she wanted some Mother's Day alone time with Isabel, which is definitely OK by me), so I gladly present to you...

Trunk of F.U.N.K. vol 016 - GA's Groove

Due to the limited amount of time available tonight, I'm not going to go into details on the individual tracks provided in this mix. Suffice it to say that this mix is a collection of some of my all-time faves on the 45 format, many of which are old hat to seasoned diggers, but great nonetheless.

Tracklist

Title - Artist - Label

House of the Rising Funk - Chubukos - Mainstream
Synthetic Substitution - Melvin Bliss - Contempo
Marvins Groove - B.W. Souls - Round
Expo 83 - Backyard Heavies - Scepter
Ghetto Man - Tony Clarke - Chicory
Let A Woman Be A Woman, Let A Man Be A Man - Dyke & the Blazers - Original Sound
Compin' & Smokin' - Calypso King & the Soul Investigators - Soul Fire
Hot Grits - Elijah & the Ebonies - Capsoul
Shootin' the Grease - Jesse Gresham + 3 - Head
Wasted - The Gaturs - Gatur
Get Down People - Fabulous Counts - Moira

P.S. Thanks to everyone who has sent e-mails as of late, feedback is always appreciated.

Can't You Love Him - Rev. Stanley Keeble & The Voices of Triumph

I am by no means a religious person. Unfortunately for my record collection, this choice has left me with a plebian knowledge of gospel music, a member of the musical specturm that often demonstrates serious funk and/or soul tendencies (a fine example: the Good God! collection compiled by the fine folks at the Numero Group a few years back). The addition of funky gospel sides to my record colleciton has been further limited by the lack of "funky tip-offs"* on gospel records. Fortunately, the aquisition of a portable turntable has made it a little bit easier for me to stumble on gospel finds as of late. One such example**, acquired just this last weekend during a dig at one of my favorite spots in Chicago, has been provided for you listening pleasure today...

Can't You Love Him - Rev. Stanley Keeble & The Voices of Triumph - Sounds of Soul



Stanley Keeble was born in Chicago in 1937. His musical career started in 1952 with the Fellowship Bible Church choir, a group he directed, as well as accompanied on the piano and organ. His career in gospel music was continued through connections with artists like Inez Andrews and Jesse Dixon. In 1968, he decided to start his own gospel choir, The Voices of Triumph***, who back him on today's selection. Although I'm not sure how long the group was active, I do know that he worked with the group through at least 1974, as that is the publishing date stamped on the 45 label. More recently, he is credited with establishing the Chicago Gospel Music Heritage Museum, as well as hosting a weekly radio program on WKKC.

*Examples include, but are not limited to, the word "funky" in the song title or an artist name like, "(insert first name here) and the (insert object here)".

**There's no use in denying that I was initially drawn to this record by the imprint name, Sounds of Soul. Luckily, as has happened a great many times in the past, the imprint name tip-off didn't fail to impress.

***The Voices of Triumph are also featured on the Good God! collection released by Numero Group.

Philly Barracuda pt. 1 - Holly Maxwell

Hello again. Most of the regulars in these parts probably noticed that there wasn't much action around here last week. The onslaught of dirty diapers coupled with getting back to the daily grind full time left me wiped out to the point that it felt like I couldn't keep my thoughts straight, let alone write anything worth reading. Luckily things have been a sailing a bit more smoothly over the last few days, so I figured it was high time to get back here and provide you with a nice slice of dance craze 45 action...

Philly Barracuda pt. 1 - Holly Maxwell - Star



Interestingly, despite the reference to Philly in the title, this single was actually a Windy City product, as publication and production credits are given to Monk Higgins' Special Agent company, which he started during his time working in Chicago. Higgins, who shares writing credits with Holly Maxwell for this single, was a staple in the Chicago R&B and soul scene throughout the 1960s*. Despite the absence of a date on the 45 label, it's safe to assume that this single was recorded during or before 1969, as Higgins left Chicago for L.A. in that year to begin working with a number of west coast labels, including United Artists. Holly Maxwell was born and raised in Chicago, spending a significant part of her life trying to break into the music scene there. She got her start in the music business singing with the group the Tourjourettes during her high school years. She later attended Chicago Musical College in 1965, where she pursued studies in classical music. Her collegiate career ended early, however, after signing a deal with Constellation records, where she would record two singles that sold well locally, but never really picked up steam regionally or nationally. At least two more singles were recorded for the Star label in the mid- to late-60s, including today's selection. In 1969, Maxwell landed a deal with Curtom records that resulted in the release of one single, while in 1970 she cut a single for Smit-Whit records. With only limited success achieved in Chicago, Maxwell headed west for L.A. sometime in the early 1970s. During her time in L.A. she was managed by Monk Higgins' cousin Barbara Acklin who landed her a gig working with Ike Turner as Tina Turner's fill-in. Holly remained in L.A. until 1985, at which point she relocated back to Chicago. Despite never really amassing a level of critical acclaim in the states, Holly had/has a steady gig at Maxwell's Cafe (which is of no relation to her) in Paris, France.

With fingers crossed, but no promises, I hope to be back in a few days with the next volume in the Trunk of F.U.N.K. mix series.

*Monk Higgins is also credited with a single entitled "Barracuda" that was recorded by Alvin Cash and the Registers for the Mar-V-Lus label sometime during the 1960s. Despite the similar name, the two singles share very little, if any, musical qualities in common.

Get It Together

Hello again. A few weeks back Ava from Jemsite sent me an e-mail asking if I'd be interested in putting together a guest post for her blog. For those not in the know, Jemsite is a community dedicated to guitars, rock and roll, and the music industry as a whole. Her invitation indicated that she was particularly interested in a post on the collaboration between rock and funk. While I wouldn't consider myself foremost expert, I figured I could put something interesting together. So, with notion of the marriage between funk and rock fresh in my mind, I dug through my collection and hand-picked a dozen or so tracks that fall under one of three categories: 1) rock songs influenced by funk, 2) covers of funk songs by rock artists, or 3) covers of rock songs by funk/soul/jazz artists. The result is available on the Jemsite blog by following the link below.

Get It Together - Trunk of F.U.N.K. vol. 015 - Jemsite Guest Mix

Tracklist

Title - Aritst - LP Title (if applicable) - Label

Prelude – The Millenium – Begin – Columbia
Black Dog – Deodato – First Cuckoo – MCA
Train – The Buddy Miles Express – Expressway to Your Skull – Mercury
As I Lay Dying – Melting Pot – Ampex
(I Know) I'm Losing You – Rare Earth – Rare Earth
Funk-In-Wagnall – Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds – Dunhill/ABC
Go On Home – Gee Gee Shin – La Louisianne
Taurus – Dennis Coffey – Goin' For Myself – Sussex
Let A Woman Be A Woman – Roy Head – Same People – Dunhill/ABC
Get It Together – The Grass Roots – Dunhill/ABC
Season of The Witch – Al Kooper, Steven Stills, Mike Bloomfield - Super Session – CBS

And now for some really important news.... I was a bit slow in putting up this post as this has been a huge weekend for myself and my family. My wife and I welcomed our first daughter, Isabel Jane (photo at left), into the world late Friday night. We're finally home again, as mom and baby are both doing quite well (we've all actually had a reasonable amount of sleep over the last few nights, which is a nice surprise). I'd like to say that I hope things won't change too much around here, but there's really no way of knowing how busy the little bugger is going to keep us over the coming weeks. Hopefully I'll be back in a few days with a new single, but until then, enjoy.

The Bushman - The Tenth Dymentions

Hello again. I hope that this last weekend has treated you well, as it did me, instilling a renewed sense of energy to approach the upcoming week with a full head of steam. I've got some huge news on the horizon (more on that in a few days), which, coupled with the time to finally sit back and relax a little bit, has left me feeling a lot better about things on the whole. It was with these feelings of excitement and energy that I chose today's single, a track that storms out of the gate from the first note and doesn't even consider quitting until the final note is played...

The Bushman - The Tenth Dymentions - Sapphire




We seem to have stumbled upon a trend here in the last few weeks, as this single is yet another example of a side that I've held onto for a bit in the hopes of being able to dig up any relevant information on the group. What I can tell you is that the Tenth Dymentions were a Chicago group, that this single was produced by Joe Savage, an individual with a reasonably long track record in Chicago indie productions in the late 60's and early 70's, and that writing credits on this single are given to Vern Ryan, who is presumably a member of the band. This band may in fact be the same group (or at least similar to) the Fantastic Dimensions who released a Northern mover on the Sapphire label (also credited to Vern Ryan). Other than that, there aren't a whole lot of other specifics out there on the band or the label.

The Bushman, a dance whose steps are not very well explained in vocals, relies on a full horn section that's blasting away throughout most of the song, a choppy guitar line that's really similar to the sound of Alvin Cash's Keep on Dancing, a fairly subtle organ line to round out the sound, and some hand drumming to help set the groove right for getting bodies moving on the dance floor.

Enjoy, and I'll be back in a few days with another guest mix.

Instrumental # One - Richard Terry & Co.

I hope you've been enjoying the guest mix I dropped last week over at This Is Tomorrow. I was definitely pleased to be given the opportunity to contribute to one of my current favorite music blogs. And if you haven't made your way there yet, be sure to stop by, not just for my guest mix, but for all of the other great singles and mixes hosted on the site. With that said, I know I had promised a fresh new single late last week, however, an untimely bout of the flu left me in a wholly unproductive state. In an attempt to make up for the lateness of it's delivery, I've chosen a newly acquired 45 from a powerhouse songwriting duo out of Chicago that will definitely be in heavy rotation over the coming months...

Instrumental # One - Richard Terry & Co. - Nickel



My first glance of the artist name listed on the 45 left me confused, as I was not familiar with an artist by the name of Richard Terry out of Chicago. However, taking a closer look at the writing credits cleared things up immediately. Instead of Richard Terry & Co., the artist name should have read Richard, Terry & Co., as Richard is none other than Richard Pegue (a prominent Chicago DJ and songwriter whose been in the business since the early 1960's*), while Terry is Terry Thompson (Pegue's long-time songwriting partner). Over the course of his career, Richard Pegue has worked at the Toddlin Town', Met, Nickel, Penny and TwiNight labels, among others where he wrote songs not only for himself, but also for The Perfections and Ronaldo Domingo. The songwriting duo of Pegue and Thompson was featured previously in the Windy City Workout mix, as the duo is credited with writing the Brothers and Sisters track, Nobody is Gonna Turn Us 'Round on the Toddlin' Town label. Aside from his work with Pegue, I haven't been able to dig up too much information on Terry Thompson. Additionally, I unfortunately still don't know who is involved in the Co. credited on this record as there isn't a ton of information out there on this particular side**.


*As far as I know, Richard Pegue is still hosting a radio show on Saturday nights on Chicago's WKKC 89.3 fm

**The flip to this single is the very soulful I've Got To Find A Way by the Hallelujah Chorus.

Can I Get A Witness?

A few weeks back, Mike over at This Is Tomorrow got in touch with me to see if I'd be interested in putting together a guest mix for his blog. For those that don't head over there regularly, he does some mighty fine work covering all things funk, soul, and hip hop, so with little hesitation I whipped together a handful of current favorites...


Can I Get A Witness? - Trunk of F.U.N.K. vol 014. - Guest Mix for This Is Tomorrow

Tracklist

Title - Artist - Label

Gossip – Cyril Neville – Josie
Free Your Mind – The Politicians – Hot Wax
What Can You Bring Me – Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band – WB
Razor Blade – Little Royal and the Swingmasters – Tri Us
(Do The) Hot Pants – Mr. Jim and the Rhythm Machine – Wizdom
Jukebox – Fried Chicken – Stone
Football – Mickey and the Soul Generation – Maxwell
Family Affair – The Family – North Bay
Will You Be Ready – Samson & Delilah – ABC
Something or Other – Richard's People – Tuba
Can I Get A Witness? – Barbara Randolph – SOUL
Fight Fire With Fire – Delia Gartrell – Right-On
Who's the King? (You Know That's Me) – Joseph Henry – Daptone
(I've Got) So Much Trouble On My Mind – Sir Joe and Free Soul – Mantis
Here's Some Dances – The Eight Minutes – Jay Pee

Enjoy, and I'll be back later in the week with a new single.

Stick It In Your Ear Hole - Eddie Mobley

Well, here we are, back again with an all-new single for your listening pleasure...

Stick It In Your Ear Hole - Eddie Mobley - Sound Plus



I picked this record up a fair bit ago, but have waited on adding it to the old blog in an attempt to find any relevant information on the artist. However, a good deal of searching using the traditional avenues has yielded nothing pertinent to date*. The little bit I can provide you with is taken directly from the 45 label. Of note, the song is credited to a fellow by the name of Robert S. Riley, Sr.; Sound Plus is the product of JR Enterprises of Nashville, Tennessee, so presumably, Eddie Mobley was from the greater Nashville area; and the record was distributed by T-K productions of Court Hialeah, Florida (the T-K label was home to K.C. and the Sunshine Band, among many others). Like a good bit of the other work on T-K, this track has a refined sound thats not quite disco (maybe more appropriately classified as "pre-disco"?) with a fair amount of hand drumming and heavy brass worked into the mix to give a really full sound.

*If anyone out there has any additional information, it would be appreciated if you could pass it along.

Cracker Jack - Mickey and His Mice

This week's single is one of many finds from last Sunday at the Milwaukee record show. Luckily for me, a pretty good turn out dealer-wise led to the pick up of a good number of great sides that will be making an appearance here one way or another over the next few months. This week's single comes to us from a small label (I'm only aware of 3 releases) out of Baltimore, Maryland...

Cracker Jack - Mickey and His Mice - Marti



"Mickey" is actually the prominent Baltimore jazz tenor player Wilfred "Mickey" Fields, who is featured prominently wailing away throughout the track. Aside from "Mickey", I don't know who any of the other players on this record are. What I do know is that this song was arranged by Eddie Drennon*, who presumably is the same Eddie Drennon as that of Eddie Drennon & BBS Unlimited, the D.C. group responsible for the disco hit, Let's Do The Latin Hustle. Aside from today's selection, Mickey and His Mice also recorded for the Bell and Samar labels.

*Drennon is credited alongside "Mickey" and the record producer M. Cantine with writing the song

Enjoy the new year, and be sure to check back in next week for a new single and mix.

Cultivating Classics

With a number of holidays fast approaching here in the states, I figured it was only appropriate to provide you all with a little gift of my own…

Trunk of F.U.N.K. vol. 012 – Cultivating Classics

Tracklist

Artist – Song – Label

Syl Johnson – Is It Because I’m Black – Twinight
First Natural Hair Band – Ripped Open By Metal Explosions – United Artsts
Quincy Jones – Summer In The City – A&M Records
War – Magic Mountain – MGM
Linda Lyndell – What A Man – Stax
Jimmy ‘Bo’ Horne – Let Me Be Your Lover – Sunshine Sound
James Brown – Funky President – Polydor
Rufus Thomas – Do The Funky Penguin, Pt. 1 – Stax
Cymande – Brothers On The Slide – Janus
Monk Higgins and the Specialties – Big Water Bed – United Artists

A quick perusal of today’s tracklist is probably all that is necessary to figure out the underlying connection of each of these tracks. For those not readily making the connection, today’s mix starts with Syl Johnson’s classic race relations anthem, Is It Because I’m Black, which has been sampled a boat-load of times, but was used most notably for the Wu-Tang Clan’s, Hollow Bones. Following up is The First Natural Hair Band, a musical project headed by Hair composer Galt Macdermot, with Ripped Open By Metal Explosions, used most appropriately for the Artifacts track, C’mon Wit Da Get Down. Next on the list is one of my all-time favorite electric piano sides, Summer in the City, from none other than Quincy Jones, which was sampled for The Pharcyde’s, Passin’ Me By, off of their album, Bizarre Ride II. The pace then picks up a bit with Magic Mountain by War, the intro to which later served as the basis for De La Soul’s, Potholes in my Lawn. Lynda Lyndell then follows things up with a little tune about the greatness of the man in her life, What A Man, which is one of those tracks with a sample that’s easily recognized from the very first note by just about anyone who listens to it. Up next is a tune with a sample that I recognized almost immediately upon putting the needle to the wax, however, I couldn’t quite put my finger on the exact tune that used it quite so easily. A quick bit of Google searching informed me that the track I was listening to, Let Me Be Your Lover by Jimmy ‘Bo’ Horne later re-emerged as the backing track to Stereo MC’s, Connected, a song I was only previously familiar with from radio play, which is probably why it didn’t jump to mind right away. The Godfather of Soul and the Crown Prince of Dance then serve up two classic breaks back to back, which have been used so many times that there’s hardly a point in putting together a list. The mix then moves to a song that is most likely the least recognizable sample of the bunch, as it was recently chopped up by MF Doom as the basis for John Robinson’s, The Replenish. The mix then closes out with a Monk Higgins and the Specialties classic, Big Water Bed, which provided the horn sample for Big Daddy Kane’s, Ain’t No Half Steppin’. Hopefully this mix suits your fancy and provides some solid listening enjoyment over the course of the upcoming weeks. I’ll be back early next week with an all-new single, so be sure to check back in.

Boogalo-Tramp - A.C. Reed

Welcome back, listeners.

Hopefully things are well on your end. After a few hectic weeks in a row, there's finally been some good news at the Trunk of F.U.N.K. compound. Luckily for me, good news typically allows for some free time, which was aptly spent this last weekend getting in some digging at a spot I'd only been to once before. While browsing through boxes and boxes of uninteresting 45's, I stumbled across this little nugget, which caught my eye almost immediately due to the interesting label design and name of today's selection...

Boogaloo-Tramp - A.C. Reed - Nike



A.C. Reed (birthname: Aaron Corthen) was a blues saxophonist working out of Chicago from the 1940's through the early 2000's. Born in Missouri, Reed moved to Chicago during World War II and got his start in the music business shortly thereafter playing for the likes of Earl Hooker and Willie Mabon. Throughout the 1960's Reed recorded singles for a number of small Chicago labels, including the Nike label, the home of today's selection. In the late 1960's, Reed joined Buddy Guy's band, during which time he went on tour with Guy, Junior Wells and the Rolling Stones. He later formed his own band, The Sparkplugs, and continued writing and performing music until he passed away in 2004.

The Nike* record label was started in Chicago in 1961, by Charles Colbert, Sr. as a means to release a single recently recorded by The Daylighters, his son's band, after the group had been dropped by Talty. The label was reorganized in 1962, resulting in the formation of two new subsidiaries, TipTop and Jive. Over the course of it's existence, the Nike record label was primarily home to DooWop groups, however, today's selection would defnitely not fall into that category. Writing for today's selection is credited to Corthen, a individual by the name of Neal (who I can't find any relevant information on), and Tony Gideon, a founding member of the Daylighters. Today's selection was recorded in 1966. The track opens with drums and a twangy blues guitar not unlike Lowell Fulsom's version of Tramp, is quickly filled out with some backing horns for a few bars, and finally capped off with Reed's saxophone, introduced immediately after the title of the song is yelled out.

*The letter I in Nike represented by a missile on the label is most likely a reference to the Nike missile sites in the land around Chicago.

Be sure to check back in on Friday, as an all-new mix will be ready to get your weekend started off right.

African Walk - Oliver Sain

Today’s selection is one of the 45’s I picked up during my last visit to Chicago a few weeks back…


African Walk - Oliver Sain - Vanessa





Born in Mississippi in the early 1930’s, Oliver Sain relocated to St. Louis, Missouri in the late 1950’s, only after a military stint in Korea and a short-lived musical career in Chicago playing behind a number of big names. The choice of St. Louis was a wise one for a man so heavily rooted in the blues (he’s from Mississippi, after all), as Sain would quickly emerge as a prominent saxophonist, releasing recordings for a number of different Midwest imprints, including Bobbin and Vanessa. Unfortunately, there’s not a whole lot of information out there on either of these imprints. Of the few details available for these imprints, it has been noted that the group led by Sain on his Bobbin imprint recordings featured future soul greats Fontella Bass (featured in the most recent Trunk of F.U.N.K. mix) and Little Milton. As these recordings are some of the earliest in the careers of both Milton and Bass, Sain is often credited with “discovering” these artists. Additionally, Sain is given responsibility for kick-starting the career of Bobby McClure, a northern soul singer who would record at least one 45 for Sain’s own Vanessa imprint, I Got A Good Woman, before moving to Chess records out of Chicago. Later in his career, Sain would release a string of recordings for the Abet imprint, including the fantastically funky, Saint Louis Breakdown, as well as a number of sides aimed at the emerging disco craze, like Booty Bumpin’, Bus Stop (previously featured at FleaMarketFunk), Party Hearty, She’s a Disco Queen, and B-OO-G-IE. Today’s selection, released on the Vanessa imprint, is one of Sain’s funkier outputs. The song features his saxophone prominently wailing away over tightly snapping backing drums and a twang-y, funky, blues guitar line that really helps move things along at a great pace.

Enjoy this tune for now, and be sure to check back in next week, as there’ll be a new single and mix available for your listening pleasure.

Stop Sneaking Around - Brenda and the Tabulations

Well, hello again regular visitors. It's been quite some time since I last posted anything, but don't worry, now that things are back in order at the Trunk of F.U.N.K. compound, I should be at this on the regular again for at least the next few months. All aspects of my life, both personal and work-related, have been beyond hectic lately. In particular, my hard drive failed a little over a week ago, leaving me without a home computer for a bit and making it impossible to put anything up here. Luckily, nothing of significance was lost with the untimely demise of the hard drive, as I've learned my lesson in the past. This unfortunate event, mind you, was coupled with 80+ hour work weeks that made it even less possible to put anything up here. Taken together with some major personal life events that I'm not going to get into here, things have been pretty poor lately. Luckily, last weekend was a long holiday here in the states, so I got to head down to Chicago to see some family and friends that have been sorely missed (as well as getting in some great digging at a new spot and a pretty alright set at a party on Saturday night).

So, to get things back in working order around here, I figured I'd send out a good bit of sister soul from the city of brotherly love...

Stop Sneaking Around - Brenda and the Tabulations - Top and Bottom



A fluke of quite serendipitous sorts is the easiest way to describe the early incarnation of Brenda and the Tabulations. During the summer of 1966, two teenagers, Brenda Payton and Maurice Coates, were working a summer job at a children's park. They decided it would be fun to practice a few popular numbers that they could peform for the kids at work one day. Luckily for them, as they were performing the newly learned numbers, the wife of a prominent Philly radio jock and owner of a couple of Philly record labels, Gilda Woods, drove past and liked what she heard. She approached the duo and asked if they had any original material, to which Coates responded that they did, prompting the duo to put together the future hit, Dry Your Eyes, at the ripe old age of 15 or 16. The original incarnation of the group (featured in today's selection) assembled for this recording consisted of Brenda Payton as the lead with Eddie Jackson, Maurice Coates, and Jerry Jones providing backing harmony vocals. This group lasted until 1971, at which point the guys parted ways with Payton. Payton didn't call it quits, however, chosing to be replace the men with the female backing vocalists Pat Mercer and Deborah Martin. During the decade-long existence of Brenda and the Tabulations, three albums and a number of singles were recorded for the labels Dionn and Top & Bottom, both of which were run by Gilda Woods. Today's selection was written by Maurice Coates and Brenda Payton, with arrangements prepared by Sam Reed.

I should also mention that a few months back, I posted a single from a Philly group, The Broad Street Gang, despite having little/no information on the group. A few weeks back, the brother of the bass player sent me an e-mail with the following information: The bass player on this particular track is my brother "James Alexander Fox" (a stage name). Chester Greere, Mitch AKA Mitchell Rowe, and the brother of the bass player were present during recording of several of the tracks for the LP.

Additionally, I've heard a bit of speculation on the group Lunar Funk, who were featured here previously with the single Mr. Penguin. A friend Paul from Detriot area sent me an e-mail that Lunar Funk may have actually been the band The Fabulous Counts, covered exhaustively previously by our friend Larry from Funky16Corners.

Enjoy the week, and rest assured that a new mix will be posted for your listening pleasure this Friday.

I Gotta Find Out For Myself - The Intrigues

Today’s selection comes from the Philly soul quartet*, The Intrigues…

I Gotta Find Out For Myself – The Intrigues – Yew



The Intrigues consisted of four member, Alfred Brown, James Lee, James Harris, and Ronald Hamilton. They got their start in the late 60’s and were fairly consistently active through 1972. During this time they recorded a handful of 45’s for Toot, Bullet, Yew, and Janus, as well as one LP for Yew in 1970. The LP released in 1970 carried the same title as their biggest hit, In A Moment. Between 1972 and 1985, the group seems to have no recorded output, however, in 1985 they released the song Fly Girl for the World Trade record label. Writing credit for today’s selection is given to Al Brown, with production and arrangement handled by Bobby Martin and Thomas Bell.

*During this same time frame, another group known as The Intrigues (out of Boston, Massachusetts) recorded a few sides for the Port label. There are no common members between the two groups.

**My apologies for the poor quality band photo. I tried to blow up an image that was cropped from the cover of their only LP.

Windy City Workout

Well, it's come time for a new mix again. Since this is the 10th mix here at Trunk of F.U.N.K. (somewhat of a milestone for me, as I never thought I'd keep doing this with any regularity), I figured I'd do something a little special. I've mentioned before that I lived in/around Chicago until just a few years ago when I moved up to Madison, Wisconsin to continue my education. I feel like growing up in Chicago has had a pretty big influence on the music that I've listened to (this ranging anywhere from punk to soul, although I don't see myself taking the time to blog about the former anytime soon), so it seemed only appropriate to assemble some of my all-time favorite funk and soul tracks out of the Windy City to commemorate the 10th mix here at Trunk of F.U.N.K. With that said, we've got a little bit of everything today, making sure to keep things heavy on the snapping drums and punchy bass lines, production features that have always made Chicago sides really stand out.

The mix starts off with a dancer from Floyd Smith, followed by a Northern monster from Clea Bradford. Two heavy hitters penned by Chicago soul great Jo Armstead (who was featured here just a few weeks ago) are then brought to you by The Deacons (this particular track is an instrumental version of the Syl Johnson classic of the same name) and Syl Johnson. Next up we've got a classic break from Alvin Cash and the Scott Bros. Orchestra, follow up by a little bit of kid soul from Cindy and the Playmates. General Crook then moves things to a more serious tip with a track that was as relevant on the day it was recorded as it is today. Jodi Gales then keeps things moving with a great bit of sister soul that grooves along with a choppy biting (almost bluesy sounding) guitar similar to the intro on the earlier Alvin Cash side. The Brothers and Sisters then utilize an almost baroque singing style to really send home the point that they plan on doing whatever it is that the came to do. Five Stairsteps & Cubie then provide us with another classic break right in the intro that's most assuredly the result of genius production work by Curtis Mayfield. The Dynamic Tints then provide heavy harmony soul output courtesy of backing work by the Pieces of Peace Orchestra who were featured in part here previously as The Pharaohs. The Soul Crusaders Orchestra then close things out with a number that slinks along rather strangely, relying on a piano part that sounds neither in tune nor in time.












Windy City Workout - Trunk of F.U.N.K. Vol. 010

Tracklist
Title - Artist - Label

Floyd Smith - Soul Strut - Dakar
Clea Bradford - My Love's a Monster - Cadet
Sock it to me pt. 1 - The Deacons - Shama
I Feel an Urge - Syl Johnson - Twinight
Keep on Dancing (inst.) - Alvin Cash and the Scott Bros. Orchestra - Toddlin' Town
Now That School is Thru pt. 2. - Cindy and the Playmates - Jay Pee
What Time It Is pt. 1 - General Crook - Down to Earth
Jodi Gales - You Gotta Push - Thomas
Nobody Is Gonna Turn Us 'Round pt. 1 - The Brothers and Sisters - Toddlin' Town
Don't Change Your Love - Five Stairsteps & Cubie - Curtom
Be My Lady - The Dynamic Tints - Twinight
Funky Jive - Soul Crusaders Orchestra - More Soul


Be sure to check back in Monday for another new single.

No Messin' Around - Pauline and Bobby

First things first, it’s unfortunately time for yet another obituary post here. I’ve just recently found out that Merl Saunders, who was featured here just over a month ago, passed away last week. Saunders had a long and successful career on both the organ and electric piano, and he will be greatly missed.

Second, I wanted to mention that I will no longer be making the weekly singles available for download as a result of concerns with copyright infringement and blogger removing some of my posts. From here on out, you will only be able to listen to the tracks via the player that is included in each post. Please do not e-mail me asking me to give you a link to download any singles, as I simply will not do it. Until further notice, mixes will still be available for download.

Now onto today’s single, which was released on the Expo label out of Chicago…

Pauline and Bobby – No Messin’ Around – Expo



There isn’t a whole lot of information available about Expo Records, Pauline Chivers (or sometimes Shivers, depending on which 45 you have in your hands), Bobby Jones. Today's selection was written by Browley Guy and arranged by John Cameron. The little bit of additional information I can provide is that Chivers had seen success prior to No Messin’ Around in the form of a duet with her husband Sydney "Bird" Chivers* entitled, Spring, that was released on the Vee Jay label in 1963. Chivers would also see success later in her career with the singles, You Better Tell Him No, Won’t You Come Back Home, and, Tough Stuff, released on the O-Pex label (a later incarnation of Expo) in the late 60’s. Bobby Jones never really had what would be considered success with recorded material, but was a regular in the Chicago soul scene for a pretty lengthy career.

*The track is credited to Pauline and Birdlegs, not Sydney, in the event you go about searching for it

An Hour of 45 RPM Power - The Fufu Stew Guest Mix

I don't know what's happening here, but posts are disappearing like crazy (maybe it's time for me to make a move somewhere else...), so here's a re-post of Vincent the Soul Chef's Fufu Stew guest mix for Trunk of F.U.N.K., An Hour of 45 RPM Power.

Hello, kiddies.

I'm pleased to be able to share this exclusive set of 45s,

handpicked from my collection with you, the faithful readers of

Trunk Of F.U.N.K. This set represents just a small sample of tunes,

some common and some rare, that I have acquired over the past

four years. Some of these tunes I am playing for the first time...

There are way too may people to thank for providing me

with the education and inspiration to continue digging through

piles and piles of dusty record bins which allows me to keep the

decks spinning. Fasten your seatbelts and get ready for an hour of

45 rpm power, chock full of all things funky...

An Hour of 45 RPM Power - Fufu Stew Guest Mix

The tracklist

Song-Artist (Label)

01 Kool And The Gang-Melting Pot (Ampex)
02 Charge-The Mod Squad (Tangerine)
03 Black Frost-Grover Washington Jr. (Kudu)
04 Doing My Thing-Ray Bryant (Cadet)
05 Who You Been Socking It To-The Isley Brothers (T Neck)
06 I Can't Stop Loving My Baby-Linda Jones (Loma)
07 Somebody's Watching You-Little Sister (Stone Flower)
08 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-Kool & The Gang (De-Lite)
09 Misdemeanor-Foster Sylvers (Pride)
10 I Been Hoodood-Dr. John (Atco)
11 The Funky Bird-Rufus Thomas (Stax)
12 Got To Have Your Loving-King Floyd (Chimneyville)
13 Got What You Need-The Fantastic Johnny C (Phil LA Of Soul)
14 (If You're Going To Do It) Do It Good-The Formula IV (Rocky Road)
15 Hey Gyp-The Soul Survivors (Crimson)
16 I Want To Dance Dance Dance-Freedie / Henchie & The Soul Setters (Reprise)
17 Rose Marie-The Dynamic Tints (Twinight)
18 Boogaloo Tramp-A.C. Reed (Nike)
19 You Funked It Up-Gradual Taylor (Queensgate)
20 Let's Go Skinny Dipping-Hank Ballard (Stang)
21 The Cook Out-King Curtis & The Kingpins (Atco)

If you like what you heard, then by all means, drop on by and visit

Fufu Stew for more of the same and then some. Thanks and mad

props to DJ GA for the invite, and know that you have an open

invitation to bring the Trunk Of F.U.N.K. heat to the Fufu Stew

kitchen... Have fun(k) and as always, be safe.

Peace and blessings.

I've Been Turned On - Jo Armstead

I put up this post last Friday, and for some strange reason it was gone today, so I'm going to put it back up and see what happens.




Today we have a little switcheroo from the normal schedule here at Trunk of F.U.N.K. Unfortunately, the real world often gets in the way of one's hobbies, so instead of a delivering a new mix today, I've decided to leave you with a single that will hopefully hold you over until a new mix is dropped by sometime early next week.

I've Been Turned On - Jo Armstead - Giant



Jo Armstead formed Giant Records with her husband Mel Collins shortly after moving to Chicago in 1965. However, she had already maintained a solid music career prior to this point. Jo (a.k.a. Joshie) got her start in the music business as an Ikette for the Ike and Tina Turner Revue in 1961, during which time this group recorded their top 20 single, I'm Blue (The Gong Gong Song). She later moved to New York, where she teamed up with songwriters Ashford and Simpson who were working for Scepter/Wand Records at the time. Her work with Ashford and Simpson resulted in the release of her biggest hit, Stone Cold Lover, as well as co-writing credits for Ray Charles', Lets Get Stoned, Ruby Andrews', Casanova (Your Playing Days are Over), and Garland Green's, Jealous Kind of Fella, to name a few. Aside from forming Giant Records, the husband-wife duo is also responsible for the Globe and Gamma Record labels, which were home to a number of big names in soul.

The Short Stack

For everyone who's been precariously hanging on the edge of their seats, the new mix I promised last week is finally here. Vincent the Soul Chef from over at Fufu Stew was kind enough to drop a guest mix here a few weeks back, so I've repaid the favor in kind this week...

Trunk of F.U.N.K. vol. 009 - The Short Stack

Tracklist

Title - Artist - Label

Funky In Here – Willard Burton & The Funky Four – Capitol
Funky Walk pt. 1 (East) – Dyke And The Blazers – Original Sound
Sophisticated Cissy – Rufus Thomas – Stax
Gator Bait – The Gaturs – Gatur
Hey, Mr. D.J. – Bobby Moore & The Rhythm Aces – Checker
There Was A Time – Dee Felice Trio – Bethlehem
Do It One More Time (The Twine) – Alvin Cash & The Crawlers – Mar-V-Lus
Spreadin’ Honey – Soul Runners – MoSoul
Let It Crawl – Society’s Bag – Warner Bros.
Pearl Time – Andre Williams – Sport
Boogaloo No. 3 – Roy Lee Johnson – Action
Hole In The Wall – The Packers – Pure Soul Music
My Baby Likes To Boogaloo – Don Gardner - Tru-Glo-Town
Break Through – Mike Sharpe – Liberty
The Pearl – Jerry-O – Shout
The Goose – T.S.U. Tornadoes – Atlantic
Philly Dog – The Mar-Keys – Stax
Doin’ The Banana Split – The Banana Splits – Hanna-Barbera


Since I've been away for a few days, I haven't had an opportunity to pay homage to one of the greatest voices in soul, Levi Stubbs, who passed away late last week. Your sweet voice will be greatly missed.