Track Listing:

1. Cool Chang - The Streets Of The Bronx
2. Dion And The Belmonts - I Wonder Why
3. The Cleftones - Little Girl Of Mine
4. Della Reese - Don't You Know
5. Jerry Butler - For Your Precious Love
6. Dean Martin - Ain't That A Kick In The Head
7. Cool Change - Father And Son
8. The Rascals - A Beautiful Morning
9. Aaron Nevile - Tell It Like It Is
10. Bobby Watson - Bustalk
11. The Gerry Niewood Quartet - I Only Have Eyes For You
12. Wilson Picket - Ninety Nine And A Half (Won't Do)
13. The Moonglows - Ten Commandments Of Love
14. The Flamingos And The Complexions - I Only Have Eyes For You
15. The Moody Blues - Nights In White Satin
16. The Four Tops - Baby I Need Your Lovin'
17. Butch Barbella - Regrets
18. The Jimmi Hendrix Experience - All Along The Watchtower
19. The Impressions - I'm So Proud
20. James Brown - It's A Man's Man's Man's World
21. Donald Byrd - Cristo Redentor
22. Bells And String Orchestra - Streets Of The Bronx

Views: 118

Replies to This Discussion

About Me
  1. play Cool Chang — 01. The Streets Of The Br…
  2. play 䐀椀漀渀 䄀渀搀 吀栀攀 䈀攀氀洀漀渀琀猀 — 䤀 圀漀渀搀攀爀 圀栀礀
  3. play 吀栀攀 䌀氀攀昀琀漀渀攀猀 — 䰀椀琀琀氀攀 䜀椀爀氀 伀昀 䴀椀渀攀
  4. play 䐀攀氀氀愀 刀攀攀猀攀 — 䐀漀渀✀琀 夀漀甀 䬀渀漀眀
  5. play 䨀攀爀爀礀 䈀甀琀氀攀爀 — 䘀漀爀 夀漀甀爀 倀爀攀挀椀漀甀猀 䰀漀瘀攀
  6. play Dean Martin — 06 Ain't That A Kick In …
  7. play 䌀漀漀氀 䌀栀愀渀最攀 — 䘀愀琀栀攀爀 䄀渀搀 匀漀渀
  8. play The Rascals — 08 A Beautiful Morning
  9. play Aaron Nevilles — 09 Tell It Like It Is
  10. play Bobby Watson — 10 Bustalk
  11. play 吀栀攀 䜀攀爀爀礀 一椀攀眀漀漀搀 儀甀愀爀琀攀琀 — 䤀 伀渀氀礀 䠀愀瘀…
  12. play 圀椀氀猀漀渀 倀椀挀欀攀琀 — 一椀渀攀琀礀 一椀渀攀 䄀渀搀 䄀 䠀愀氀昀…
  13. play 吀栀攀 䴀漀漀渀最氀漀眀猀 — 吀攀渀 䌀漀洀洀愀渀搀洀攀渀琀猀 伀昀 䰀漀…
  14. play 吀栀攀 䘀氀愀洀椀渀最漀猀 䄀渀搀 吀栀攀 䌀漀洀瀀氀攀砀椀漀渀猀 — 䤀 …
  15. play 吀栀攀 䴀漀漀搀礀 䈀氀甀攀猀 — 一椀最栀琀猀 䤀渀 圀栀椀琀攀 匀愀琀椀…
  16. play The Four Tops — 16 Baby I Need Your L…
  17. play Butch Barbella — 17 Regrets
  18. play The Jimmi Hendrix Experience — 18 All …
  19. play The Impressions — 19 Im So Proud
  20. play James Brown — 20 Its A Mans World
  21. play Donald Byrd — 21 Cristo Redentor
  22. play Bells And String Orchestra — 22. Stre…
Test...

RSS

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 ♪♫♪

Members

About

© 2024   Created by Edie Antoinette.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service