Thank You!

I'd like to send out a HUGE "thank you" to the folks that responded to this last month's blog posts and helped me obtain information I so DESPERATELY needed:

First, Moptop Mike Markesich - the capo di capo tutti of garage punk 45s and dead wax numbers, who gave me great info about The City Dwellers (who knew they were possibly from Jersey? Mike did!!) and was able to put a date on the Gary Allen record on Saundra Lee (August, 1966 - I'll change it in the original post later). Mike is finishing up what promises to be THE definitive book on obscure 60s garage rock groups. Watch for it!

Secondly, I want to thank Bob, fellow blogger (who writes the excellent "Dead Wax" blog - check it out here), for being a veritable fountainhead of information, letting me know that the Gary Allen 45 was out of Arizona, giving me the release date of the Melvin London and The Red Hearts 45 (December, 1966 - again, I'll update the post), and especially for posting on his blog about the other two records on the Lil-Tee record label! Bob, you are awesome!

If I see either of you two in person, beers are on me! Thanks again, guys!

I also would like to thank all the folks who have read (and continue to read) my blog - you make it all worthwhile! Without you, I'm just another record geek....

Richard Sibello

GARY ALLEN - MY BABY WALKS BY NIGHT

Here's the fifth record in this month's blog theme - "records I've tried my damndest to get some info on, but failed miserably".

Gary Allen (not to be confused with the current country singer Gary Allan) made this one for the ultra-obscure Saundra Lee label sometime in the mid-60s. That's all I've got on this one. Good song, though, if you like country (and I do).

Anybody know anything about this mystery disk? Gary Allen, if you're out there, you made one hell of a record!

Gary Allen - My Baby Walks By Night (Saundra Lee 501) -1966

CHARLIE ALLEN - MOLASSES

From the weird and wacky file - the number 4 Mystery Record of the month.

This is yet another example of the strange early 60s phenomenon known as the "food" song. Notable examples include "Mashed Potatoes" by Nat Kendrick, "Peanut Butter" by The Marathons, "Bread And Butter" by The Newbeats, etc. I once did an entire two-hour radio show of just "food" songs, though I didn't include this one for some reason. Only thing I know about Charlie Allen is that he had another 45 on the Portrait label in 1962. Since the Teacho Wiltshire Orchestra is backing Charlie up, I am assuming this was a New York recording (and I know that the label was out of New York). This was the B-side (I'm assuming again - but who would try to have a hit record with a song about molasses???) of "There's Only One", a semi-gospel side. It was also produced by Charlie Allen for "The Frank Stuart Corporation", whoever they were. "Molasses" has cutesy girl-group backing, but the song is so damn weird that you sit there wondering, "did they really need a B-side this badly?". 

As always, any info on this record would be greatly appreciated.

Charlie Allen - Molasses (Bear 5004) - c. 1961-63

THE BOYS - SHAKE IT UP (Part 1)

Continuing this month's series of "records I don't know jack about", I submit Exhibit #3 - The Boys on the Lil-Tee label. The writing credit of Belford Hendricks and Clyde Otis (who wrote a LOT of stuff for Brook Benton) tells me that this was probably a New York record, probably early 1960s, but besides that I know nothing - this is the only record I've ever seen on the Lil-Tee label, and it certainly didn't chart anywhere. Which is too bad - this is a pretty rockin' instrumental featuring bongos (or congas, like I can tell the difference). I only included Part One of the record because Part Two is EXACTLY the same - only eight seconds longer. Any info at all (year of release, who the group was, etc.) would be much appreciated.

The Boys - Shake It Up (Part 1) (Lil-Tee 1003) - c. 1961-62

MELVIN LONDON and THE RED HEARTS - I CAN'T GIVE UP

Here is record #2 in this month's series of "45s I own that I know NOTHING (or next to nothing) about".

The only thing I DO know about this one is that it's out of Texas. It's listed on the "Texas Soul Recordings" website (check it out here), but, let's face it, you just have to look at the label to know it's from Texas. Mid to late-60s soul/funk in the style of James Brown circa 1967-68. Anybody got a year of release on this one?

Melvin London and The Red Hearts - I Can't Give Up (Panther 1001/1002) -1966

THE CITY DWELLERS - YOUR TURN TO CRY

I realize that most of my posts are rather long-winded. Sorry. I just can't shut up about records that I like. Besides, over the years I have gathered a LOT of information on my records - might as well write it down somewhere, right?

This month's posts will be a bit different. First of all, I'm going to attempt to post more frequently than roughly once a week. Secondly, this month I'm going to reach out to you, and find out what YOU know, by posting 45s from my collection that I know NOTHING (or next to nothing) about. So the posts will be a bit shorter this month.

First one up - this 45 by a group known as The City Dwellers. It's a "garage" 45, nothing special (you definitely won't be trading your original 13th Floor Elevators LPs to get a copy of this), but it is rare. Only copy I've ever seen, at any rate. None of my reference books mention it. I've posted it on "garage rock" forums, with not a single reply. I doubt even Mike Markesich knows it (and he is the foremost authority on garage punk singles, bar none). I can't even remember where I got the damn record. Only thing I can tell you about this one is that, judging by the label (and the fonts used on it), the record is out of New York City and was pressed and released in either 1965 or 1966. Like most garage singles, the intended A-side ("He Don't Love You") is pretty lame, but the flip side is pretty good, so here it is.

If anyone knows ANYTHING about this record, I'd definitely appreciate a shout-out in the comments section.

The City Dwellers - Your Turn To Cry (3-J 305) - c. 1965-66

ESTHER PHILLIPS - HOME IS WHERE THE HATRED IS

When Gil Scott-Heron passed away on Friday, May 27, 2011, I swear the first thing I thought was, "I wonder what he and Esther Phillips will have to say to each other." While Gil could write about the seamy side of life like no one else (eat your heart out, Lou Reed), Esther Phillips lived out the horrid facts of life often detailed in Scott-Heron's songs.

She was born Esther Mae Jones in Galveston, Texas on December 23, 1935. Esther and her family moved to Los Angeles when she was five, and she spent a lot of her time singing in church choirs and talent shows. One such talent show was held at The Barrelhouse Club, which was owned by L.A. R&B pioneer Johnny Otis. Esther won first prize, and Johnny offered the then 13-year-old Esther a spot in his traveling R&B show. She was usually paired with Bobby Nunn of The Robins (later of the Coasters) in duet spots, though she would have the occasional solo spot, billed as "Little Esther". To avoid trouble with the truant officer, Otis would either lie about her age or use the excuse that she was the sister of one of the band members. Either way, this was not the greatest environment for a young teenage girl to grow up in.

In late 1949, Esther was teamed with The Robins (who, along with Johnny Otis, were recording for the Savoy label out of Newark, NJ) at a recording session which produced "Double Crossing Blues". The record became a sensation, and by February, 1950, Little Esther found herself with a #1 R&B hit - she had just turned 14. To this day, she still holds the record for the youngest female to have a #1 R&B hit single (the similarly ill-fated Aaliyah came close in 1994 with her #1 R&B hit "Back & Forth", but she was fifteen at the time). Little Esther was now officially an R&B superstar. "Double Crossing Blues" stayed at #1 for 9 weeks, and her next two singles, "Mistrustin' Blues" and "Cupid's Boogie" (both duets with Mel Walker of the Johnny Otis band) also hit #1 on the R&B charts, and by the end of 1950, Little Esther had seven Top Ten hits on the R&B charts.

Unfortunately, with great success comes great pressures. Little Esther and the Johnny Otis band were in demand EVERYWHERE, and from 1950 to 1953 she toured constantly. Life on the road was rough, to say the least. Traveling between dates was done by bus, not by plane, and the better hotels in any city were not exactly hospitable to black performers, so they had to make do with second-rate accommodations, or, worse yet, had to find their own housing with loyal fans or in rooming houses. Glamorous, eh? The rigors of the road caused performers to find solace anywhere possible; sex, booze and drugs were the name of the game, and Little Esther soon became familiar with all three - and she wasn't quite 16 yet. Esther Mae Jones was a long way from home, and was growing up fast - too fast. "Little Esther" would not do as a stage name, and one night, when the bus was fueling up at a Phillips 66 gas station, she looked at the sign and decided that "Phillips" would be her new last name. It was just as good as any other name she could have picked - at that point Esther Mae Jones, the little girl from L.A. who sang in the choir was long gone, replaced by a performer with no real home, no stability, and no one in her life to guide her down the right path; she might as well have been born in that lonely gas station on the road.

By 1952, 16-year-old Esther was a veteran of the road, had switched labels from Savoy to Syd Nathan's Federal label (mainly because Savoy's owner, the notoriously tight-fisted Herman Lubinsky, didn't believe in paying ANY royalties to performers OR writers), and had become a full-fledged heroin addict. She started a pattern of not showing up for concerts and recording sessions, and though she continued to record, her sides for Federal were just not selling like her earlier 1950 peak. So strung out she could barely stand most of the time, Esther decided to get well. She quit the tour in 1953, made a few singles for Decca, and announced her retirement the next year. She moved back to her home state of Texas, settling in Houston, and from 1954 to 1962 little was heard from Esther Phillips, though she did record a couple of singles for Savoy in 1956 and both the Federal and Savoy labels continued to release records by her up until 1959.

In early 1962, Esther Phillips became acquainted with up-and-coming record producer Lelan Rogers, aka "The Silver Fox". Lelan not only was the brother of future country superstar Kenny Rogers, but would later go on to produce The 13th Floor Elevators, The Emperors (whose "I Want My Woman" is one of the most primitive garage 45s ever released), and would later form the Silver Fox label, under whose imprint he produced Betty LaVette, George Perkins, Eddy "G" Giles and a number of other great soul artists. Lelan had just formed a brand new label with his partner Bob Gans, Lenox Records, and Esther was the first artist signed to the label. Taking a cue from Ray Charles and his very succesful "R&B meets C&W" fusion, Lelan paired Esther with a tune that was originally a C&W hit for Jimmy Heap and Perk Williams in 1954 called "Release Me". Release it they did, as the first-ever 45 on the Lenox label, and not only did it become her fourth #1 R&B hit, but it hit Top Ten on the pop charts, something Esther had never done before. She continued to record for Lenox until the label went belly-up in 1964, then signed with Atlantic, where she had a few more soul hits. She also traveled to England, and appeared on an episode of "Ready, Steady, Go!" with the Beatles, who told Esther that her remake of "And I Love Her" (done, of course, as "And I Love Him") was, in their opinion, the only tolerable outside version of a Beatles' song they ever heard (they were probably just being nice - her version isn't anything special, though it did hit #11 on the R&B charts in 1965).

Unfortunately, the new round of whirlwind success brought back old habits, and by late 1966 Esther again sought help for her heroin addiction, this time at Syanon Treatment Center in Santa Monica, CA. Upon her release in 1969, she made records for Roulette (where she had another hit with a country remake - "Too Late To Worry, Too Blue To Cry") and Epic, and appeared at several jazz festivals.

She was signed by Creed Taylor's Kudu label in 1971, and her first LP for the label, "From A Whisper To A Scream", contained the selection above, which was released as a single in early 1972. It wasn't her biggest hit, but was definitely her most transcendent performance. Gil Scott-Heron's song about a lonely, anguished junkie who is not welcome at his own home (and thus, feels homeless) because of his addiction took on a new poignancy when Esther Phillips sang it. Plus, let's face it, all of the "junkie" songs up to that point were sung by men (including Gil's original version of "Home Is Where The Hatred Is"), so a WOMAN singing about walking the streets, addicted, unwelcome anywhere was even more chilling to listen to.

Esther Phillips had a few more hits (including a disco remake of "What A Difference A Day Makes") and continued to make good records for Kudu, Mercury and Winning Records (no Charlie Sheen jokes, please) into the 1980s. Unfortunately, she also battled her heroin addiction all through the 1970s, and on August 7, 1984, her kidneys and liver finally gave out. Esther Phillips was only 48 years old. I can only hope that she and Gil Scott-Heron are sitting back, wherever they are, sharing their experiences on Earth. Perhaps they're collaborating on a song.......

Esther Phillips - Home Is Where The Hatred Is (Kudu 904) - 1972