July 2008 Blog Posts (6)

Prolifically Pure - Rex Rideout

Rex Rideout

producer l songwriter l arranger l musician…

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Added by Edie Antoinette on July 24, 2008 at 2:30pm — 2 Comments

On Your Own :: From Donny To Lalah

...and Daddy to Me.
"On Your Own" touches me in the deepest part of my core. It's as though Donny is breathing on me through Lalah, and by extension--encouraging me through my own Daddy, who like Donny, left way too soon.
This young lady is her father, as I am...mine.…
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Added by Edie Antoinette on July 23, 2008 at 9:30am — 3 Comments

Come Dance With Me



Sentimental recollections

like rainbows swirling

around big, fragile

floating bubbles

filled with our

dreams and ready to

~pop~





Kinetic, sultry

recommendations

like minds

wandering

and cozying up on

memories too hot

to

~stop~





Thoughts

dissipating into

'if onlys'

like surging

mirages

of what could

and should…
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Added by Edie Antoinette on July 22, 2008 at 12:30pm — 5 Comments

I Remember Motown

Vintage Motown: A jam session from the 1960s features Kim Weston (microphone) Stevie Wonder(dark glasses), Berry Gordy Jr. at the piano, Smokey Robinson (center rear) and Marv Johnson, at Gordy's left.

The Golden Age of the Motown Sound

By Vivian M. Baulch / The Detroit…

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Added by Edie Antoinette on July 22, 2008 at 12:00pm — 2 Comments

For Old Times Sake



Ramsey Lewis trio "TheInCrowd"



Because I hope we're still good friends

I'm scribbling these few lines

In hopes that just for old times sake

You'll answer me something.



It's funny how the time flies

When one is past the tender years

And yet old memories seem to cling

To things I once held dear.



Tell…
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Added by gmack on July 11, 2008 at 2:30am — No Comments

The Bitter And The Sweet

We were strangers when we met,

Only half alive, both trying to forget

The lonely nights that seem to have no end;

Afraid to love, or trust our hearts again.





And yet I knew

In the way your eyes searched mine,

You still had hopes,

That one day, some true love you'd find.





I bowed my head,

Not wanting you to see

The turmoil in my soul,

That you had stirred in…
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Added by gmack on July 3, 2008 at 1:18am — 2 Comments

Introspection

Entr'acte

  1. play Norman Brown — Night Drive
  2. play Norman Brown — Feeling
  3. play Norman Brown — Still
  4. play Miles Davis — miles 1
  5. play miles 2
  6. play miles 3
  7. play miles 4
  8. play miles 5
  9. play Marvin Gaye — I Met A Little Girl
  10. play Santana — 01 Singing Winds, Crying Beasts
  11. play Santana — 02 Black Magic Woman-Gypsy Queen
  12. play Mongo — 02. Afro Blue



The history of the Butlers/Raw Soul is dense, but for all of us music nerds, that's normal. It is not totally clear what year the Butlers actually formed but they released their first single in 1963 on Liberty Records. That single was "She Tried To Kiss Me" and another single followed on Guyden entitled "Lovable Girl." After the Guyden single the Butlers took a break not recording another record until the single "Laugh, Laugh, Laugh" was released on the Phila label in 1966. The group also backed Charles Earland and Jean Wells on one Phila single ("I Know She Loves Me"). 


As you might be noticing, the Butlers were doing a fair amount of recording but not achieving much success. The group's recordings sold regionally but never had the promotion to make an impact on the national scene. After the single with Phila, the Butlers moved to the Fairmount label (part of the Cameo-Parkway family) and released a handful of singles, some being reissued singles of the past. The Butlers were with Fairmount for 1966-67 and then moved to Sassy Records. Sassy released the group's greatest single (in my opinion) "Love (Your Pain Goes Deep)" b/w "If That's What You Wanted." A copy of that 45 sold for just under $500 last summer on eBay. Even though that isn't that much in the world of record collecting--it's still a hefty sum. The Butlers released another single on Sassy ("She's Gone" b/w "Love Is Good") that appears to be even 
harder to come by then the "Love (Your Pain Goes Deep)" single.

 

The true history become a bit blurred here as the AMG biography states that the Butlers last record was released on C.R.S. in 1974 (". However, between 1971 and that single, Frankie Beverly formed a group called Raw Soul and released a number of singles. Some of the songs recorded by Beverly during this period are "While I'm Alone," "Open Up Your Heart," (both on the Gregor label) and "Color Blind." "Color Blind" was released by the Eldorado label and rerecorded by Maze. Beverly's big break came when Marvin Gaye asked Raw Soul to back him on a tour. Gaye helped Beverly/Raw Soul get a contract at Capitol. Beverly decided to take the group in a different direction, a name change occurred, and Maze was created. 

The above isn't the most complete history of Beverly but hopefully someone will know a way to get in touch with the man or his management because a comprehensive pre-Maze history needs to be done on Frankie Beverly (his real name is Howard, by the way). Below you'll find every Frankie Beverly (pre-Maze) song available to me right now ("Color Blind" will be up soon). 

If you have a song that is not included below, shoot it over to funkinsoulman (at) yahoo.com and it will go up in the next Frankie Beverly post (later this week--highlighting Maze). Also, if you have any more information please share your knowledge. The Butlers material has been comp-ed sporadically (usually imports) but the entire Maze catalog has been reissued and is available. 

Enjoy.  "She Kissed Me" (Fairmount, 1966 or 1967) 
 
 "I Want To Feel I'm Wanted" (not sure which label or year) "Laugh, Laugh, Laugh" (Phila, 1966) "Because Of My Heart" (Fairmount, 1966 or 1967)
   
 "Love (Your Pain Goes Deep)" (Sassy, 1967)
   
 "If That's What You Wanted" (Sassy, 1967)
 



Frankie Beverly is one of those cats that has lasting power. He started in the music business doing a tour with doo wop group the Silhouettes and then formed his own group called the Blenders. The Blenders never recorded a single, Beverly wouldn't appear on wax until forming the Butlers a few years later. Along with Beverly, the Butlers included Jack "Sonny" Nicholson, Joe Collins, John Fitch, and Talmadge Conway.

Beverly would later enjoy great success fronting Maze and Conway would become a
well-known penning Double Exposure's
"Ten Percent" and the Intruders' "Memories Are Here To Stay." 
 While Maze is a phenomenal group, Beverly's work before that group will always stand out as his best (imo).

The Butlers produced tunes that most Northern Soul fans would kill for and Raw Soul gave the funksters something to pursue. If, by chance, you know of a way to get in touch with Frankie Beverly or his management, please drop me an e-mail. It would be absolutely great to do an interview with him about his pre-Maze work. He's still playing out, most recently doing a New Year's Eve show in Atlanta.
:: Funkinsoulman ::

Power...Through Simplicity ♪♫♪

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