Tag Archives: Chicago Soul

January 26, 2012

More and More: Little Milton’s plea for more as the cost of living was skyrocketing.

By ayanacontreras

Whew. That was a long blogpost title, huh? I know. But, let me explain:

In late 1967, Chess Records’ Checker subsidiary released this record entitled “More and More” by Little Milton, where the chorus sings and growls:

“More and More… all the time!”

Ironically, the flip is a meandering soulful blues cut called “The Cost of Living”. So, maybe the editorial statement of the release was:

“The Cost of Living” is “More and More”!

Or, maybe, on a more hopeful note:

With “The Cost of Living” growing “More and More”… find More with Less!

Either way, it’s a beautifully grooving little record by Little Milton in the vein of all his grooving blues-soul hybrids cut here in Chicago in the late 1960s (my favorites being “Drifting Drifter”, “Blind Man”, “Don’t Leave Her”, “Poor Man”, and more). It also just happens to make me pretty happy.

James (“Little”) Milton Campbell, Jr. recorded most of his best known material here in Chicago, but he hailed from St. Louis. In addition to growling soulful vocals, he also played blues guitar. Oh yes, and he wasn’t particularly little.

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November 5, 2011

Tomorrow, we groove.

By ayanacontreras

Below, one of the grooves I’ll spin: “Love so Strong” from the Lovelites (pictured, left). Fronted by Patti Hamilton, the group of ladies from Chicago’s South Side  recorded a gaggle of groovin’ steppers (including one of their biggest hits, “My Conscience”).

The Lovelites are, in my humble opinion, one of the most consistent female groups in all of Chicago Soul, thanks to a string of sassy-sweet records mainly composed by Hamilton and produced by Clarence Johnson. Enjoy and jive on!

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October 14, 2011

Al-teen Records: Bill Meeks’ little ships of soul

By ayanacontreras

Bill Meeks was, in the late sixties, a jingle writer here in Chicago who started a record label called Al-teen. The label was based at 82nd and Stony Island, and put out records by Sunday (Williams), Drake and the En-Solids, Earl Duff, The Supurbs (sic), and Johnny McCall. Many of the tunes were composed by D. McGilberry. None of them were hits in their day.

Many small labels existed in this town, and most of them were born out of someone’s dream. They sent out little ships into the murky waters of the Industry hoping to reach that unknown shore of stardom. So many of those ships, those records, are still floating out there (testaments to those dreams).

Below, a couple of my favorite cuts from the label. Both are now worth a pretty penny. “Ain’t Got No Problems/Where Did He Come From” by Sunday was a hot enough platter here in Chicago that it got picked up for national distribution by Chess (which makes it Alteen’s most successful production).  To my ears, “Where Did He Come From” (the original B-Side) is the star of the story.

“I Need You” By Johnny McGill is a bit of a grittier record with sparser production, but has that particular leanness of a “little ship” sort-of-record that I love. You can feel that the record is a love child: created of of passion rather than obligation.

Female background on all of the Al-Teen cuts was by a group called The Voices. This is them singing along to Sunday’s “Ain’t Got No Problems” in 2009 (forty years after the fact) on a local radio show called “Sitting in the Park”. Wow. All of the talents of a whole bunch of people (and a whole bunch of hopes) rode on these little ships. I respect that. Jive on.

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October 3, 2011

Jo Armstead: a giant among men.

By ayanacontreras

Jo Armstead is a Mississippi-bred firecracker vocalist who is also a dynamite songwriter (a field dominated by men). She told SoulMotion.co.uk:

“By the time I was in my teens, I was sneaking out to cafes, juke joints, and dances on Saturday nights. Blues man Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland gave me my first opportunity to sing with a band…”

“The amplified sound of the guitar, bass, drums and piano with the horn section blasting away made the tiny nightclub atmosphere infectious. I remember a hot sticky night and my body dripped with sweat. I gave it my all and it was an intimate, hypnotic and totally exhausting experience”.

She joined the Ikettes in 1961, and wound up in New York a few years later, working in a songwriting trio with Nick Ashford and Valarie Simpson. The team split up in the mid-sixties, with Nick and Val going to Motown and Jo arriving in Chicago.

Her first songwriting success in Chicago was “Casanova (Your Playing Days are Over)” for Ruby Andrews in 1967 (a HUGE record here in Chicago that year). By then married to Mel Collins, the two ventured into a record label that almost exclusively featured her compositions, Giant Records, as well as the offshoots Gamma and Globe.

A number of releases on Giant also featured Jo Armstead’s sassy soprano vocals, including “I’ve Been Turned On” and “There’s Not Too Many More Left Like Him” [below].

Many of her compositions were recorded featuring a trademark rollicking, melodic, string-laden stepper groove that has aged quite well. Most arrangements were collaborative efforts between Armstead and Detroit’s own Mike Terry.

During her time in Chicago, she also wrote or co-wrote hits for Carl Carlton (“Drop By my Place”, and “Two Timer [above]), Garland Green (“Jealous Kinda Fella” [click here for more on Mr. Green]), and herself (“Stone Cold Lover”).  But, by 1969, her marriage was on the skids and she was bound for New York again. But, during her time in Chicago, she was indeed a giant among men. Jive on…

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September 6, 2011

Imaginations: good stuff!

By ayanacontreras

The Imaginations were a mid-seventies Chicago-based vocal group that rose out of the ashes of Brighter Side of Darkness (best known for “Love Jones”, their story can be found here).  In 1974-1975 they put out a flurry of singles and one album, “Good Stuff”.  I originally bought the album because I had to hear “Love Jones ’75″ (which didn’t disappoint) and because a number of very strong local songwriters and arrangers were involved (Maurice Commander/Jerline Shelton, Tom Tom Washington, Benjamin Wright, Clarence Johnson, etc.). The album features a bit too much filler for my taste, but some pretty fresh cuts, as well… Including this sweet, upbeat stepper, “Sweet Mona”. Jive on!

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August 18, 2011

Betty Everett: there’ll come a time

By ayanacontreras

It was last summer. I was privileged enough to hear the iconic (and prolific) arranger Tom Tom Washington play a few chords of  the tune “There’ll Come a Time” on a piano stationed at a Recording Studio on 80th and Stony Island, where in the vacant lot next door they grew cabbage.

It was electric, especially because Betty Everett’s “There’ll Come a Time” (released in 1969 on Uni Records) was one of the first Chicago Soul albums I ever owned. It was also exciting because Tom Tom Washington arranged some of my favorite cuts on the album (we both agreed on our favorite: “1900 Yesterday” (below), sort of an off-kilter swinging 60s dance cut).

On the album, Betty’s sassy-yet-classy salty mezzo-soprano voice was perfectly augmented by swirling strings, staccato horns, shuffling doo-wop background vocals, and rollicking piano. Featuring compositions by Eugene Record (of the Chi-Lites), Curtis Mayfield, and Eddie Sullivan (of the Classic Sullivans), the album serves as a snapshot of Chicago Soul at the time.

Above, listen to Betty Everett’s classic “There’ll Come  Time”. You can hear the cut “1900 Yesterday”, by clicking the “continue reading” icon below… Jive on!

Continue reading

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August 4, 2011

Clea Bradford and Frank D’Rone: my love’s a monster, so think i will. jive on.

By ayanacontreras

From Frank D’Rone’s Cadet/Chess album “Brand New Morning” released in 1968 (arguably Cadet’s creative peak), “Think I Will” was arranged by Richard Evans and is the Brother record to Clea Bradford’s bananas Sister cut “My Love’s a Monster” (also from Cadet in 1968). Yes. The horns are so mighty, and that guitar work is extra-tasty… I think I’ll jive on, too!

So here’s the little narrative I pieced together from the two records… First, in the record above, poor unsuspecting Frank decides to go out on the town (maybe to Mister Kelly’s, or something). He thinks he’ll fool around with some girl’s heart. That is until he meets Clea (listen below what goes down next).

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July 18, 2011

Oscar Brown, Jr.’s Work Song

By ayanacontreras

I love the breadth and depth of Oscar Brown Jr.’s work.  A prolific singer, songwriter, playwright, and activist, he was also a born and bred Chicagoan. The cut below “Work Song”, is from his first LP, 1960′s “Sin and Soul” which he recorded in his mid-thirties. He was a father of five at the time of his debut. I love how simple the arrangement is on the track, and yet, it still SWINGS…..jive on.

Brown wrote at least 1,000 songs (only 125 have been published), twelve albums, and over a dozen musical plays.

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June 14, 2011

Do it Like Mama: Simtec and Wylie give us a cut that makes me want to break out my hotpants.

By ayanacontreras

Simtec (Simmons) and Wylie (Dixon) were a homegrown Sam & Dave styled duo on Syl Johnson’s Shama label when this scorcher came out in 1970.  Both Simtec and Wylie had scuffled about on the Chicago Scene in a variety of acts before this release: Simtec actually put out a track in 1967 on tiny Maurci Records credited to “Simtec Simmons & the Mechanical Monster”… it added up to a curious bunch of funk, blips, and beeps.

A bit of a local hit, “Do It Like Mama” lost steam and died quietly before breaking through nationally. Love the sock-it-to-me, hard grit on this, as well as the message that ‘the stuff your Grandma did is gonna come back in style’. Truer words were never said, far as I’m concerned.  Roll down the windows, and drive real slow……

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February 23, 2011

Chuck Bernard: Soul Survivor

By ayanacontreras

Vocalist Chuck Bernard (left, 1966) was born and bred in St. Louis and was able to lay down a series of cuts with a ton of great songwriting teams that kicked around Chicago during his time here (among them the legendary Bridges-Knight-Eaton).
Chuck is perhaps best known for his cuts “Wasted” and “Indian Giver” (moderate hits of the time), but he released a number of valiant rare soul efforts well into the seventies on labels such as Monk Higgins’ St. Lawrence and Ric Williams’ Zodiac.

Above, “Bessie Girl”, an example of Bridges-Knight-Eaton Dramatic Soul from 1969. Below, “The Other Side of My Mind”, a slice of groove with a psychedelic flavor that just may surprise you. Jive On.

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