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.

Size Large - Spaceways Inc.

Today's selection is from a now defunct contemporary free-jazz trio that really knows how to lay down a groove...

Size Large - Spaceways Inc. - Altavistic



Drummer Hamid Drake, bassist Nate McBride, and reeds-man Ken Vandermark assembled into the trio known as Spaceways Inc. in 1999, after Vandermark had previously worked with each on a variety of different projects in Chicago and Boston. Taken from Ken Vandermark's website, "The initial version of the project focused on the work of George Clinton's Funkadelic and Sun Ra's various ensembles. Spaceways took those ideas about funk and free jazz and brought them someplace new on the album 13 Cosmic Standards (Atavistic, 2000). During a tour of Austria in the Spring of 2001, the trio talked about further developing the stylistic polarities suggested by the pieces of Clinton and Ra by applying them to compositions of their own. Spaceways followed though on this idea with the work recorded in August 2001 for the cd, Version Soul (Atavistic, 2002). This document expands on the hard funk/free jazz intersection of the first record and includes elements of reggae, "cool school" jazz, Southern back beats, and "new music" abstractions.

Today's selection certainly encompasses all of these elements into a seriously funky groove. Size Large starts off with Hamid Drake laying down the backbeat while Vandermark introduces a saxophone groove that will re-emerge time and again throughout the track. Drake then provides a size-large break that really sets the tone for the rest of the song. At the culmination of the mighty break, Vandermark re-emerges to intermittently return to the original groove while also stretching out in a number of equally funky directions. Throughout this time, the rhythm work of Drake is supported by solid upright work intermixed with sparse feedback/noise from McBride that really aids in pushing the sound of the trio out. This is all, of course, before McBride and Drake tighten things up again with solid rhythm work that allows Vandermark to really get down through the end of the track.

*Today's selection was taken from a CD only release, so don't bother digging in the crates for it.

Music is the Message

Another mix is in the can, so here it is for your listening pleasure...

This week's funky workout starts with a stormer from The Pharaohs, a group out of the Windy City who worked closely in a mentor-protege type role with the Pieces of Peace, a group who would be responsible for backing some of the greatest funk tracks to ever come out of Chicago. From there we move to the b-boy tested, beat-head approved funky instrumental of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's all-time classic, The Message, from Mighty Mo and the Winchester Seven, followed by a Hammond monster that is quite possibly the quintessntial funky organ groover of all time, brought to you by none other than Brother Jack McDuff. Up next is a track from Lloyd Price that is guaranteed to get any dance floor cooking, while killer work from the Counts will definitely keep bodies moving. From there things get a little more emotional, with a classic break served up by Tom Jones in a joint about love lost, followed by a fantastic instrumental version of Bill Withers', Ain't No Sunshine, by Eddy Senay. The Incredible Bongo Band then picks up the pace with some incredible percussion work, a groovy synth line, and punchy horns that sound like they're straight out of a 70's action film. Black Heat then keeps things rolling with a similar style of synth heavy jamming chock full of stabbing horns and solid rhythm work to help set the tone for the rest of the mix. In the end, Little Sister rounds things out with a groovy number with a deep, rolling bassline assembled by none other than Sly Stone.


Trunk of F.U.N.K. vol. 006 - Music is the Message

Tracklist

Song - Artist - Label

Is That Black Enough For You? - The Pharaohs - Capitol
The Message - Mighty Mo and the Winchester Seven - Peace St.
Hunk O' Funk - Brother Jack McDuff - Blue Note
They Get Down - Lloyd Price - GSF
Funk - Counts - Aware
Looking Out My Window - Tom Jones - Parrot
Ain't No Sunshine - Eddy Senay - Sussex
Ohkey Dokey - Incredible Bongo Band - Pride
No Time To Burn - Black Heat - Atlantic
You're the One pt. 1 - Little Sister - Stone Flower

P.S. Be sure to check back in Monday for an all-new single.

I'm Gonna Leave You - Bobby Powell

With yet another major hurricane making its way through Louisiana, I found it appropriate to celebrate a single from this home to a number of great funk and soul acts this week.

I'm Gonna Leave You - Bobby Powell - Whit




Like a number of his contemporaries, Bobby Powell got his start singing in local church and gospel groups. He would carry this influence with him throughout the course of his career, which began in 1965 and continued well into the 90’s. His earliest recordings were for the Whit label, which was run by Lionel Whitfield, out of Shreveport, Louisiana. It was at this time that he would also see his greatest success, as his 1965 remake of blues standard, C.C. Rider, hit #1 on the Cash Box R&B charts. While recording for Whit, he also reached the charts with a few more singles, including today’s selection, I’m Gonna Leave You, which reached #34 on the R&B charts in 1966. Unlike his bluesy singles recorded for Whit in 1965, by 1966 Powell had begun infusing biting blues guitar, his down-home gospel-soul voice, and a tight, snapping rhythm section to create some seriously funky music, as evidenced by today’s selection. All in all, Bobby Powell’s funky sound is quite different from that of New Orleans greats like Eddie Bo and The Meters, but is no less important in demonstrating the significance of Louisiana music, not only in the history of funk and soul, but when considering American music in general.

Be sure to tune in Friday for volume 006 of Trunk of F.U.N.K. radio

Fair Skin Man - Broad Street Gang

Welcome back listeners!

Regulars around these parts have probably noticed a few changes. First, there's the face-lift. Now that I've stuck with this longer than I ever actually though I would, I figured it was time to make this place look a little classier. I've also included a section to announce live outings. I'm not doing much live work at the moment, but figured it would be worth announcing if and when opportunities arise. Finally, I've included a new section highlighting my favorite funky compilation at the moment. At this point, there won't be any reviews tagged to this section as most of these selections will have been expertly reviewed elsewhere (e.g. this month's selection was covered in Waxpoetics #29).

Now, back to the business...

I'd like to start today's post by thanking Mr. Grogan once again for cooking up something nice for all of us last week. I'd also like to thank Vincent the Soul Chef from Fufu Stew for the shout-out a few days back. Hopefully he'll whip up something tasty for the Trunk in the not-to-distant future.

Today's single is a nice slice of Philly funk from the Broad Street Gang.

Fair Skin Man - Broad Street Gang - Cougar




Unfortunately, I haven't been able to uncover much info on this group*. What I can tell you is that they released a few of singles and maybe a full-length at some point in their career. Today's selection on the Cougar label was produced by Mitchell Rowe, who is also credited with writing the track, and was engineered by 'Jungle Joe Regent', although neither of these names are familiar to me. Regardless of information on the Broad Street Gang, Fair Skin Man, is stone cold funky and should definitely feed your funky need until a new single is dropped in the Trunk next week.

*If anyone out there has any additional information on the Broad Street Gang, I'd really appreciate it if you could send it along to me.

Shake and Shingaling

Two weeks have passed us by again, which means it's time for an all new Trunk of F.U.N.K. mix.

As promised two weeks ago, volume 005 of the Trunk of F.U.N.K. mix series will not be brought to you by yours truly. Instead, it is with great pleasure that I introduce the inaugural Trunk of F.U.N.K. guest mix. Luckily for you and I, we've been graced by a true funk and soul aficionado whose crates are by no means shallow. That's right listeners, Larry, from the always on point Funky16Corners, has been kind enough to whip up something special to get your weekend started off right.


Funky16Corners Guest Mix for Trunk of Funk - Shake and Shingaling

Tracklist

Artist - Song (Label)

Richards People – Yo Yo (Tuba)
Johnny Griffiths – Do It (Triple B)
Okie Duke – Ain’t No Color To Soul (Ovation)
Dave Lewis – Mmm Mmm Mmm (Panorama)
Stacy Lane – African Twist (Excello)
Different Strokes – Sing a Simple Song (Okeh)
Sod – Too Loose to Get Tight Pt 1 (Decca)
Gene Waiters – Shake & Shingaling Pt1 (Fairmount)
Kingpins – In the Pocket (Atco)
Ernie K Doe – Here Come the Girls (Janus)
Tammi Terrell – Oh What a Good Man He Is (Motown)
Rudy Ray Moore & the Fillmore St Soul Rebellion – Put Your Weight On It Pt 1 (Evolution)
Vicki Anderson – If You Don’t Give Me What I Want (King)
Backyard Heavies – Expo 83 (Scepter)
Joe Tex – You’re Right, Ray Charles (Dial)

And a few words from the maestro himself...

Greetings all.

Not long ago Greg, master of this very blog asked me if I’d be interested in laying down a guest mix for Trunk of F.U.N.K.. I said OK (natch), whipped together some hard hitters and scrambled myself up an omelette du funk. There’s something here for everyone: drum breaks (but of course), Hammond organ (again, who didn’t see that coming?) and solid vocals. There are some old faves, but hopefully some of these tracks will be new to you. I hope you dig it, and thanks again to Greg for the invite.

Peace

I hope you all enjoy this mix, as I know I surely will, and be sure to tune in Monday for the next installment in the Trunk of F.U.N.K. singles series.

Ain't Love Wonderful - Fantastic Four

This week’s Trunk of F.U.N.K. single is a little something for all the northern soulies out there…

Ain't Love Wonderful - Fantastic Four - Ric-Tic



Fantastic Four, a four-member harmony vocal group out of the Motor City, recorded a string of singles for Ric-Tic in the mid- to late sixties. Their first single, Girl Have Pity, released in 1966, did not chart as well as the group or label had hoped for. However, the singles that would follow in the coming years were quite successful. This week’s selection, Ain’t Love Wonderful, is actually the flip to their 1967 single, The Whole World is a Stage, which reached #63 on the pop charts and #6 on the R&B charts, and although The Whole World is a Stage is a great soul song, Ain’t Love Wonderful, is just the kind of solid northern soul mover that’s funky enough to get any dancefloor cooking.

The group followed up the release of The Whole World is a Stage with a handful of additional singles for Ric-Tic through 1968. After Motown bought out Ric-Tic in 1968 the group was signed to Motown’s Soul subsidiary where they recorded three singles before heading into semi-retirement in 1970. Later in the decade the group was convinced to sign with Eastbound, where they would release work on the Westbound label.

An interesting piece of trivia: Although artists like Edwin Starr and J.J. Barnes are commonly viewed as Ric-Tic’s shining stars, Fantastic Four was actually the biggest selling act on the label.

P.S. Remember to tune in to the inaugural Trunk of F.U.N.K. guest mix hitting the airwaves this Friday.

Problems - John & Ernest

Welcome back to the Trunk of F.U.N.K. singles series. Today’s selection is actually the flip to a more widely known track, Superfly Meets Shaft, by Dickie Goodman, which reached #31 on the charts back in 1973.

Problems - John & Ernest - Rainy Wednesday



Rainy Wednesday was the label owned and operated by Dickie Goodman. His name may ring familiar to readers as he became a pop sensation with his “break-in” records, recordings that would use short clips of other songs to construct entirely new numbers, emerging as one of the earliest examples of sampling. To put things in perspective, his first “break-in” record, co-written with Bill Buchanan, was a re-working of Orson Welles, War of the Worlds radio broadcast entitled, The Flying Saucer, which sold nearly 500,000 copies in 1956. Today’s selection was produced by Goodman and released on his label, Rainy Wednesday records. This track is actually the instrumental version of another Goodman track, Superfly, which used a repeated cut-and-splice of superfly for the vocals. Today’s selection was also issued by Rainy Wednesday under the name, Ruthie’s Theme, and was credited to Goodman, rather than John & Ernest. There is very little information on any of this work, as it was not Goodman’s most prominent at the time, so I have no idea why the name was changed, who John & Ernest actually are, or why playing credit was reassigned. Regardless of the lack of information, it’s a great track, so I’ll leave you with it until next week’s installment.

Groove on, soul brother

It is with great sadness that I bring you this unscheduled post. Today marks the loss of one of (if not the) greatest soul voices of all time, Isaac Hayes. While ultimately remembered for penning the theme song to Shaft, his other solo work (such as the oft-sampled Walk On By) and writing/production work with David Porter is something truly amazing. May he rest in peace, and may today's selection forever remind you to always Do Your Thing, whatever it may be.

In memoriam, Trunk of F.U.N.K. presents...

Do Your Thing - Isaac Hayes - Enterprise

A Mind Wandering

Ahhhh... another two weeks have passed already. Honestly, I couldn't believe it when I realized that a new mix was scheduled for this week. Although things have calmed down a good bit over the last few weeks, it still seems like time is just flying by lately. This week's mix is inspired by my desire to kick back, relax, and enjoy a mental break from the daily routine. I'm sure that regulars here will notice that, despite including roughly the same number of tracks as vol. 1-3, this week's mix is a good bit longer than usual, clocking in at about 50 minutes. While perusing the blogosphere, it seems to me that all too often the vinyl junkies of the world overlook the long-player to make room for the funkiest of 45's. And don't get me wrong, I enjoy a succinct slice of funk as much as the next guy, but sometimes there exists a groove that needs to be stretched out. Trunk of F.U.N.K. vol 004, A Mind Wandering, was inspired by such grooves, and, for the most part, encompasses tracks that couldn't fit onto a single side of 7 inches of wax (a couple of shorter tracks were included simply because they fit the mood I've been searching for lately).

The mix starts off with a jazz-funk track from pianist Les McCann that slinks along in a cool electric groove. Hip hop heads will notice classic samples taken from this track by the likes of MC Shan and Pete Rock. The mix then moves to a heavy brazilian number from Airto, showcasing a standout performance from the percussion tag team of Airto and Flora Purim. Larry Young's Fuel then provides us with another slice of funk that is heavy on the electric keys, as well as a solid break to start the song off. A few weeks ago I mentioned that Ramsey Lewis would certainly show up here many times. I wasn't kidding, as this week's mix moves from the work of Larry Young to smoking electric piano work from Ramsey Lewis. This track is a personal favorite of mine due to the way it starts off with an amazingly heavy groove, which seems to totally fall apart in the middle and then come back together at the end. Next up A Wandering Mind keeps the soul-jazz feel with a song from funk powerhouse, Cymande. This group is no stranger to beatheads and vinyl junkies, but this track in particular seems to get less coverage than some of their more classic material, which seems crazy after hearing that great vamping flute line. Curtis Mayfield then gives us a break from all things jazz with a serious funk bomb. The title of this one is perfect, and begs the question, with a groove that funky does anything really need to be said? From there the soul-jazz re-emerges with one of the shorter tracks in this set. Highlighted previously on this site for their roles as members of the Ramsey Lewis Trio, The Young-Holt Unlimited use this track to prove that they can get bodies moving on the dancefloor without the assistance of Ramsey on the keys. And what would a laid-back jazz-funk mix be without some smoking organ work? To close things out A Wandering Mind presents back to back organ groovers. First up is a number from Jimmy McGriff taken from an album sub-labeled, The Super Funk Collection, which for anyone who's heard it is a more than accurate description. I can safely say that while this is the first track from this record presented here, it won't be the last. Finally, the mix wraps up with an organ groover from Lou Donaldson. An organ groover from Lou Donaldson, you say? But he's a sax player! Certainly that's the case, but here we have a track credited to a young Lonnie Smith, who is featured prominently on the organ throughout the entire number. So, without further ado, Trunk of F.U.N.K. presents...

Trunk of F.U.N.K. vol. 004 - A Mind Wandering

Tracklist

Title - Artist - Album - Label

1. The Harlem Buck Dance Strut - Les McCann - Layers - Atlantic
2. Finger (El Rada) - Airto - Fingers - CTI
3. Sticky Wicket - Larry Young's Fuel - Spaceball - Arista
4. Kufanya Mapenzi - Ramsey Lewis - Funky Serenity - Columbia
5. Rickshaw - Cymande - Cymande - Janus
6. Can't Say Nothin' - Curtis Mayfield - Back to the World - Curtom
7. Who's Making Love - Young-Holt Unlimited - Soulful Strut - Brunswick
8. Dig It On - Jimmy McGriff - If You're Ready Come Go With Me - Groove Merchant
9. Peepin' - Lou Donaldson - Mr. Shing-a-ling - Blue Note

P.S. The next installment of Trunk of F.U.N.K. radio won't be brought to you by your's truly. Instead, a real heavy hitter will be gracing our airwaves with the inaugural mix of the Trunk of F.U.N.K. guest mix series (sorry, I'm not going to spoil the surprise, you'll have to check back to find out who it is).

Count the Ways - Archie Bell & the Drells

This week's Trunk of F.U.N.K. single comes to us from a band most commonly associated with a single that sparked a new dance craze in 1968, the Tighten Up...

Count the Ways - Archie Bell & the Drells - Glades



Archie Bell and the Drells got their start pretty young. As early as junior high, this group of close friends began performing at, and winning, school talent shows. After a string of annual victories, their vocal talents were recognized by a local Houston DJ, Skipper Lee Frazier, who invited the group to cut a single for his label, Ovide. After their stint at Ovide and a few singles for the East West label, Archie Bell and the Drells recorded Tighten Up, originally the B-side to the "single" Dog Eat Dog. Frazier tried to push Dog Eat Dog to success over the airwaves but it failed to catch on. One day, he was finally convinced to play the flip, Tighten Up, (rumor is that the Drells had always thought Tighten Up should be the single) over the air, and a new craze was born. The single eventually hit #1 on the R&B charts in 1968. Unfortunately for the Drells, Bell was summoned to duty in Vietnam by the Army, limiting the live performances and recording that the group could do at this time (I've read that Bell only heard of the success of Tighten Up while recovering from wounds suffered in the war, and that there were a number of Archie Bell imitators trying to cash in on his success at this time). Based on the success of the single, however, Atlantic came knocking for the Drells to put together a full album, so Bell began coming home whenever granted leave to start working on the record and fronting the Drells live. It was also around this time that Bell met the respected production duo Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, who offered to produce Archie Bell and the Drells full-length for Atlantic. The results of their collaboration led to amazingly soulful singles like, I Can't Stop Dancing. The Drells relationship with Atlantic continued until 1972, at which point they were dropped from the label.

After being dropped by Atlantic, Archie Bell and the Drells headed south to begin recording for the Florida label Glades (a sub-label of TK, who brought us Miami greats like KC and the Sunshine Band and Latimore). As it turns out, TK records owner Henry Stone became known to be pretty crooked, especially when it came time to dish out royalties, so the Drells time with Glades was limited to a few singles: Dancing to Your Music, Ain't Nothing for a Man in Love, and today's psych-funk freak-out, Count the Ways.

The likelihood of a dead-end career in Florida prompted Bell to contact his old friends Gamble and Huff, who were seeing major success at that time with their label Philadelphia International. Gamble and Huff were more than happy to begin working with Bell again. Unfortunately, Bell fell second to more prominent acts on Philadelphia International, like the O'Jays, leading him to make the decision to part ways with the label.

More recently, Bell recorded a solo album in the early 80's and he is still doing some live performing to this day.

Tune in Friday for a new Trunk of F.U.N.K. radio episode!

Get Hip!

Welcome back to Trunk of F.U.N.K. radio.

I need to start this post with a couple of important shout-outs. First, good luck to my brother who has his fitness test for the Navy J.A.G. program today. You've been training hard for months, so I'm sure you'll do just fine. Second, congratulations to my good friends Brian and Cary who are getting married tomorrow. It's definitely an honor to be your best man.

For everyone else, I hope this last week has treated you well. Things have been really hectic for me lately. Between work and personal matters I was beginning to thing that this mix might not happen until next week. Fortunately there was no need to upset the regular listeners as I was able to crank this out last night.

This week's mix is a bit more "eclectic" than the previous two installments. It starts out with a humorous bit from Joe Tex that sounds like it was recorded in the heat of a righteous party. We then move to a song from Ricky Allen about the unfortunate event of thinking you're losing the one you love. From there it moves to a trio of sides from groups whose inner-workings and member-swapping have sparked controversy for years (including the claim that the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band was originally the Soul Runners, and that members of the Soul Runners may have also recorded as the Packers. Larry over at Funky16Corners is under the impression that there is no real connection between Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band and Soul Runners, and he usually knows whats up, so thats the story that we'll stick with here too). After that we slow things down a bit with one of my favorite Meters tracks, which is followed up with Reuben Wilson's smoking cover of War's "Cisco Kid". From there we move to a recently released funk track (I'm noticing a trend of including one contemporary funk track in each mix that I should probably stick with from here on out) from Bama and the Family that sends out the kind of laid back vibe that is perfect for closing out a hectic week. The mix then picks it back up a bit with a tune from Ripple that sums up the feeling of everything that has and will ever appear on this blog. Soul Searchers and Beginning of the End then provide tracks containing three (3) huge breaks over the span of just a few minutes. Finally, the mix wraps up with one of those great party tracks from the Bar-Kays that I don't think I will ever tire of.

Trunk of F.U.N.K. vol. 003 - Get Hip!

Tracklist

Title - Artist - Label

1. Skinny Legs and All – Joe Tex - Dial
2. It’s a Mess I Tell You – Ricky Allen – Bright Star
3. Go ‘Head On – The Packers – Pure Soul Music
4. Brown Sugar – The Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band – Warner Bros.
5. Charley – The Soul Runners – MoSoul
6. Sophisticated Cissy – The Meters - Josie
7. Reuben Wilson – Cisco Kid – Groove Merchant
8. Don’t Think… Do – Bama and the Family – Lenar
9. I Don’t Know What It Is, But It Sure Is Funky – Ripple – GRC
10. Funk to the Folks – Soul Searchers – Sussex
11. Funky Nassau pt. 1 – Beginning of the End – Alston
12. Soul Finger – Bar-Kays – Volt

Ramsey Lewis - Back to the Roots - Cadet

This week’s single comes from a performer and label out of the city that I was born and raised in, Chicago.

Back to the Roots - Ramsey Lewis - Cadet



Ramsey Lewis has had a long and successful career as a jazz pianist, starting his jazz-playing career at age 15 with Wallace Burton’s band, the Cleffs. Aside from serving as his introduction to jazz, this was also the point at which Lewis met drummer Isaac “Redd” Holt, and bassist Eldee Young who would later form the Ramsey Lewis Trio after the disbanding of the Cleffs due to a number of members leaving to fight in the Korean War. After recording their 1965 hit, The In Crowd (single reached #5, album #2 on the pop charts), Holt and Young left the Ramsey Lewis Trio to begin Young-Holt Unlimited, and were replaced by Cleveland Eaton and Maurice White. In 1970, Morris Jennings replaced Maurice White, to establish the final line-up of the Ramsey Lewis Trio (they would actually drop “Trio” at this time, deciding to work under Ramsey Lewis’ name). It is this final line-up of Lewis, Eaton, and Jennings that is credited with writing today’s selection, which was taken from an LP of the same name release in 1971. Ramsey Lewis’ pop success had begun to dwindle by this point in his career as this album only reached #163 on the pop charts, however, this does not mean that he wasn’t still putting out solid material (as exemplified by today’s selection) during this point in his career. I can safely say that although this is the first time that the work of Ramsey Lewis has appeared on this site, it will in no way be the last.

Enjoy this single over the rest of the week and tune in for a new mix on Friday.

Lunar Funk - Mr. Penguin pt. 1 & 2

Up this week is another party-starting two-sided 45 filled with loads of fuzzed-out guitar and a smoking organ…

Mr. Penguin pt. 1&2 - Lunar Funk - Bell



I’m having a hard time finding ANY information on this group using the usual search strategies (to some extent this probably has to do with the ridiculous number of hits for the single “Lunar Funk” by The Fabulous Counts). What I can tell you is that this single spent 8 weeks at #63 in 1972, and that Linda Williams, Janice David, and William Flemister share writing credits for the single. Equally as difficult as finding information on Lunar Funk is finding information on any of the writers. Presumably, Flemister was a member of Lunar Funk as he is also credited with writing the single “Slip the Drummer One” (a side equally as funky as “Mr. Penguin”, but currently being saved for a future Trunk of F.U.N.K. mix). The only other information I’ve been able to dig up on “Mr. Penguin” is in regard to the executive producer Marlin McNichols. McNichols was a monster record producer having a major hand in hits dating back to the 60’s (more info on his career here).

Stay tuned for a new single and mix up next week.

Hittin' to the Streets

Welcome to the next episode of the Trunk of F.U.N.K. radio show. I should start by mentioning that my original intentions of putting up a mix a week were proving to be much more demanding than I had imagined. So, in the interest of preserving sanity, from here on out expect a new mix every other Friday, with a single covered at the beginning of each week.

On to the mix... I had originally put the first half of this set together for a party I played in Chicago back in March. It's one of those mixes that I've always enjoyed, so I figured it would be a great addition to this show. To keep things fresh for anyone who may have caught this set the first time around, the second half includes a few more recent acquisitions. Similar to volume 001, all of the tracks here are from 45s, however, unlike volume oo1, I've stuck to 45s found "in the field" this time around. I was planning on 'Hittin' to the Streets' to do some digging this weekend, but with the forecast of sweltering heat and rain, that probably won't happen. For all you listeners that are 'Hittin' to the Streets' this weekend, I suggest rolling down the windows, turning up the volume, and keeping cool with this batch of grooves.

Tracklist -- Title - Artist - Label

1. Detroit – Paul Humphrey and his Cool Aid Chemists – Lizard
2. Hicky Burr pt. 1 – Bill Cosby – Uni
3. Hum and Dance Along – Temptations – Gordy
4. Gettin’ it on ’75 – Dennis Coffey – Sussex
5. Chaser – Kutiman – Afro-Kats
6. Funk Pump – Counts – Aware
7. Funky Rubber Band – Popcorn Wylie – Soul
8. Afro-Strut – Nite-Liters – RCA Victor
9. The Wootie-T-Woo – The People’s Choice - Phil L.A. of Soul
10. Get Down – War - UA

Trunk of F.U.N.K. vol. 002 - Hittin' to the Streets

Buddy Miles Express - Train

Here’s a tripped out funk track that I’ve really been digging lately…

Train - Buddy Miles Express - Mercury



Buddy Miles has lent his funky drumming skills to a staggering number of musicians. Examples include Wilson Pickett, Mike Bloomfield, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, and George Clinton/Funkadelic/Parliament. During the 60’s, Miles befriended Jimi Hendrix, who is credited with producing the record “Expressway to Your Skull” from which today’s selection was taken (if you get a chance, check out the liner notes written by Jimi). Later, Miles played drums on Hendrix’s “Electric Ladyland”, before filling a permanent spot behind the kit in the Band of Gypsys. After the untimely end of the Band of Gypsys, Miles continued recording material with the Buddy Miles Express (later dropping the Express). It was during this time that he re-recorded a Band of Gypsys song, “Them Changes”, which would become the song forever associated with the name Buddy Miles. A lesser-known fact of Buddy’s later career was his role as the voice of the California Raisins during the 1986 ad campaign. He continued recording and performing live until heart problems forced him to stop, ultimately resulting in his death earlier this year.

Be sure to tune in to volume 2 of Trunk of F.U.N.K. radio this Friday.

Greg

Mr. Jamo - Shake What You Brought With You

The first installment of the Trunk of F.U.N.K. weekly singles is a great two-part 45 that will definitely get any party started right

Shake What You Brought With You pt. 1&2 - Mr. Jamo -SSS International



Now for some back-story… In the early 60’s, Jamo Thomas expatriated from the Bahamas for Chicago to record a handful of soul sides for Thomas, Conlo, and Chess records, of which ‘I Spy (for the FBI)’ earned him the most fame. Later in the decade he moved south to record a number of 45s for Sound Stage 7 (run by Nashville DJ and producer John Richbourg – check this out for a deeper look at SS7) and SSS International, which was run by Shelby Sumpter Singleton, Jr., who would take over Sun Records from Sam Phillips in 1969. The single ‘Shake what you brought with you’ is – for lack of a better word – goofy, not just in comparison to Jamo Thomas’ other work, but in comparison to the SSS and SS7 catalogs. In particular, layering a groovy sitar and ramblings of Jamo (which are seemingly incoherent at times) over the top of snapping drums make it hard to envision what Jamo, Anthony Dorsey, and Stan Watson (who share equal writing credit) were thinking while working together in the studio. In the end, it probably matters less what they were thinking, and more that their madness resulted in a bona fide winner.

Stay Tuned!

-Greg

Here... We... Go...

Greetings and welcome to Trunk of F.U.N.K. (Freshly Unearthed Nuggets and CooKers) radio. After years of collecting funk and soul records, I’ve decided that there is no reason to keep what I’ve found to myself. Instead, I’ve decided it’s time to bring the music to the masses. The running theme here is to introduce the listener to records they’ve never heard before, rekindle an interest in records that have fallen by the wayside over the years, or simply as an excuse to listen to some seriously deep grooves. The plan (tentatively…) is to post a new show every week while also filling in the mid-week with any tracks that I’ve been particularly into lately. To get things started I’ve posted the first volume of Trunk of F.U.N.K. radio, Ain’t It Funky Now!. Hopefully this set will be just the pick-me-up needed to get your weekend started right.


Tracklist – Title-Artist-Label

1. Hook and Sling pt. 1&2 - Eddie Bo - Scram
2. Ain’t It Funky Now pt. 1&2 - Grant Green - Blue Note
3. Go For Yourself - Soul Tornadoes - Magic City
4. Every Now and Then - Mr. D & the Highlights - JAS Records
5. Amen, Brother - The Winstons - Metromedia
6. My Thing is a Moving Thing - T.S.U. Tornadoes - Volt
7. The Houston Hook - Imaginary Visions - Deep Funk
8. Do the Frog - Bo Diddley - Checker
9. A.A.B.B. - Put the Pieces Together One by One - I-Dentify
10. They Won’t Let Me - The Unemployed - Cotillion
11. Cold Bear - The Gaturs - ATCO


Trunk of Funk vol. 001 – Ain’t It Funky Now!

P.S. For more detailed information on some of these tracks (e.g. A.A.B.B.-Pick up the pieces one by one) I recommend heading over to Funky 16 Corners where serious knowledge is dropped on the regular.

Stay tuned!

-Greg