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.

Don't Touch That Dial

Well ladies and gentlemen, here it is, the next installment in the Trunk of F.U.N.K. mix series. In a slight change of pace from the first ten mixes that have appeared here, I’ve whipped together a little something for all the soulies (as well as the regulars who don’t fancy themselves the soulie-type). Looking over the course of mixes here, it’s pretty obvious that the soul end of the spectrum has been pretty well overlooked to date, so I figured now to be as good a time as any to remedy that situation. I’m gonna keep things short and sweet this time around, that is, no back-story on the particular artists or singles, as things are still pretty hectic at the Trunk of F.U.N.K. compound. So, without further ado, I bring you…


Don’t Touch That Dial – Trunk of F.U.N.K. vol 011

Tracklist

Song – Artist – Label

S.O.S. (Stop Her On Sight) – Edwin Starr – Ric-Tic
I Want My Baby Back – Tyrone Ashley and the Funky Music Machine – Phil-LA
There Oughta Be A Law – Joe Hinton – Backbeat
What Kind of Fool (Do You Think I Am) – Bill Deal and the Rhondels – Heritage
I Can’t Rest – Fontella Bass – Checker
Tell Mama – Etta James – Cadet
I’m Not Tired Yet – Jay Jay Taylor – Dynamite
I’ve Got To Get Over – Syl Johnson – TMP-Ting
Mr. Pitiful – Otis Redding – Volt
Truer Words Were Never Spoken – Chris Bartley – Vando
We Gotta Make Up – Spencer Wiggins – Goldwax

I hope you dig the sounds, and be sure to tune in early next week for the next installment in the Trunk of F.U.N.K. singles series.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Everybody Needs Somebody - King Floyd

This week’s single comes to us from another N.O.L.A. soul man…

Everybody Needs Somebody - King Floyd - Chimneyville



Early in his life, King Floyd had a relatively minor music career in New Orleans, singing in bars on Bourbon Street. Deciding to make music a bigger part of his life after a brief gig in the army, King Floyd moved from New Orleans to California in the late 60’s. In 1969, Floyd recorded his first album, A Man Called Love, featuring songs co-written with Dr. John and produced by Harold Battiste (who aside from producing some great sides, is also responsible for starting All For One Records, a.k.a. AFO Records, the first African American musician-owned record label). Despite some heavy-hitters involved in the recording process, A Man Called Love, struggled on the charts and failed to raise King Floyd to stardom, so he moved back to New Orleans in 1970. Shortly after getting back to New Orleans, music arranger/composer Wardell Quezergue (a guy nicknamed “The Creole Beethoven”, who’s worked with some major names like Eddie Bo, Willie Tee, and Smokey Johnson), convinced Floyd it would be worth his while to record a song that Quezergue had recently arranged called, Groove Me, at Malaco Studios in Jackson, Mississippi (to further exemplify Quezergue’s funkiness at this point in his career, it is worth noting that Jean Knight recorded Mr. Big Stuff during this same session). Groove Me would ultimately reach #1 on the R&B charts and #6 on the pop charts after being picked up by Atlantic for national distribution. King Floyd would subsequently record another album, Think About It, released by Chimneyville/ATCO in 1973, which was also arranged with help from Quezergue. However, creative differences developing between the two would strain their working relationship and result in a record that would not chart as well as their previous output. Today’s selection, written by King Floyd and Theodore Royal and arranged by King Floyd (rather than Quezergue, an example of the growing discord between the two) was released as a 45 in 1972 by Chimneyville as the b-side to the track, Woman Don’t Go Astray, which is considered to be one of the highlights of the LP, Think About It.

Baby, Do Right By Me

For your listening pleasure, I've assembled a mix featuring some of my all-time favorite soul sister sides. The mix starts off with a heavy soul number from Roberta Flack, taken from her 1970 album, Chapter Two. Aside from her stunning voice, this album strongly benefits from arrangement and production work by a number of heavy hitters, including King Curtis, Deodato, and Eugene McDaniels (who is also credited with writing this particular track). Next up is a track from Marva Whitney that has been a personal favorite of mine for a long time, as her LP, It's My Thing, is one of my earliest soul sister purchases (this track was released as both a single and on the LP, It's My Thing. This is the LP version, as I've never been able to get my hands on the single). Jean Knight, most well-known for song, Mr. Big Stuff, then follows up with a recent acquisition that is seriously funky and was the inspriration for the title of today's mix. The Sister and Brothers then provide another few minutes of funky madness (thanks for the hot tip, Pres) that has also recently made an appearance in a FuFu stew creation from Vincent the Soul Chef. From there, the mix moves to a pair of funky classics from Jeannie Reynolds and Betty Wright that don't need a whole lot of introduction, followed by a great piece of Motown sound from Honey Cone, that was penned by none other than General Johnson (I can assure you that this name will pop up here in the future). Ike and Tina Turner then turn out the quintessential funky sister side, a side that easily falls within my all-time top ten, that's an insanely heavy adaptation of Sly and the Family Stone's, Sing a Simple Song. To start rounding things out, Inez and Charlie Foxx bring things back to the soulful end of the spectrum, and Bobbi Humprey serves up a nice slice of jazzy funk from her days working with producer George Butler (pre-Larry Mizell) to finish out the mix.


Baby, Do Right By Me - Trunk of F.U.N.K. vol. 007

Tracklist

Song - Artist - Label

Roberta Flack – Reverend Lee – Atlantic
Marva Whitney – Get Out of My Life – King
Jean Knight – Jesse Joe (You Got to Go) – Dial
The Sister and Brothers – Yeah, You Right – Uni
Jeannie Reynolds – The Phones Been Jumping All Day – Casablanca
Betty Wright – Clean Up Woman - Alston
Honey Cone – Stick Up – Hot Wax
Ike and Tina Turner – Bold Soul Sister – Blue Thumb
Inez and Charlie Foxx – (1-2-3-4-5-6-7) Count the Days – Dynamo
Bobbi Humphrey – Smiling Faces Sometimes* – Blue Note

*R.I.P. Norman Whitfield. When I put this mix and post together last week it was prior to finding out about his passing. When I looked over this post last night before posting it, I had totally overlooked the fact that the mix closed out with Bobbi Humprhey's cover of Norman Whitfield's classic, Smiling Faces Sometimes (originally recorded by The Temptations). This is really an unfortunate coincidence, but nonetheless an appropriate tribute to one of the all-time great soul songwriters.

Ain't It A Shame - Guys & Dolls

Up this week is another side from my collection that comes with little associated information.

Ain't it a Shame - Guys & Dolls - Astrophe Records



My usual avenues of research have garnered no pertinent information on the group, the label, or the single. I have no idea if this group released any other singles, where they were from, or what year this track was recorded/released, nor do I have any idea as to whether or not other singles were ever released on Astrophe records. The only details I can share with respect to writing and production credits come directly from the disc label. In particular, writing credits for this track, as well as the flip, Pretty, Pretty, Baby, are given to Chestleigh, Sullivan, Lane & Lane. Production is credited to Thumbe Productions, and the track is BMI registered to Star Point 7. So, if anyone out there has any other information, passing it along would be greatly appreciated.

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.

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!

Funk Inc. - Bowlegs - Prestige

Trunk of F.U.N.K. singles is back again this week with the first of what I expect to be many jazz funk sides to be presented here.

Bowlege -Funk Inc. - Prestige



Ohio-native Bobby Watley began performing as a drummer at the age of 15. Later, while working alongside a variety of organists, including Winston Walls, Manuel Riggins, and Lonnie Smith, he made the decision to switch to the organ himself. Mostly teaching himself to play, he has also acknowledge insight from acclaimed players such as Brother Jack McDuff. In 1969, after a request by the owner of the Indianapolis club Surf Side Seven for a house band to back vocalists, he pulled together guitarist Steve Weekley, tenor saxophonist Eugene Barr, conga player Cecil Hunt, and former James Brown drummer Jimmy Munford, who collectively came to be known as Funk Inc. During their work at Surf Side Seven, Funk Inc. caught the attention of Jack McDuff and Houston Person. Here's where a couple of conflicting stories begin to emerge. Some references indicate that the band sent a demo recording to Bob Porter, a producer at Prestige, with a letter of recommendation from McDuff, while a different story indicates that McDuff and Person passed word on to Porter directly (if anyone out there has a more definitive answer, I'd certainly appreciate more accurate information). Regardless of how they got there, Funk Inc. was soon signed to Jazz-Funk powerhouse Prestige Records. Today's selection, "Bowlegs", is taken from Funk Inc.'s first LP for Prestige, "Funk Inc.", which is the only Funk Inc. record produced by Bob Porter. The band recorded two more 'acid-jazz' LPs for Prestige, "Chicken Lickin'" and "Hangin' Out", before trying to move to slicker production in the mid-70's. The pressure and disagreement of reinventing the sound of the group proved to be too much as Funk Inc. disbanded in 1976. In 1995, Funk Inc. reassembled to begin recording for Prestige again, resulting in the release of the album, "Urban Renewal".

P.S. If you dig this side and can't get enough of Funk Inc., the fine people at Fantasy records have done a bang-up job re-issuing "Funk Inc.", "Chicken Lickin'", and, "Hangin' Out" on CD and LP.

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.