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  • Remember Back In The Day...60's 70's and 80's

    Remember Back In The Day...60's 70's and 80's

    14 members Latest Activity: Jan 16, 2017

    This is the group that loves OLD SKOOL. Share with us your memories as a child. Those old school parties, your hang-outs, your love affairs and…

  • Big Band & Swing

    Big Band & Swing

    3 members Latest Activity: Jul 21, 2014 Memories that include popular ballrooms like The Cotton Club, The Savoy and The Renaissance.. Gather here to explore and contribute to yet another…

  • VINTAGE VIDEO

    VINTAGE VIDEO

    17 members Latest Activity: Jul 14, 2016

    Rare footage from days gone by.

  • Artists

    Artists

    6 members Latest Activity: Apr 8, 2012 Share your masterpieces and hobnob with other artists. Feel free to sell your work too.

  • JazzMasters

    JazzMasters

    13 members Latest Activity: Sep 15, 2017 An upper room to gather and share facts and music; to contemplate and find stimulation in the heritage bestowed upon us by the Masters of Jazz, of…

  • Slow Jams

    Slow Jams

    23 members Latest Activity: Mar 28, 2014 What would we do without the sweet slow jams from back in the day?

  • TV LAND

    TV LAND

    21 members Latest Activity: Dec 29, 2016 A group set up for Old TV Shows, Commercials, Cartoons, etc...Ya'll know what to do...LOL

  • Poetry Corner

    Poetry Corner

    10 members Latest Activity: Jul 30, 2015 The mind's intricacies are as diverse as each pattern of a snowflake. Poets are those snowflakes.

  • Jazz Lounge

    Jazz Lounge

    21 members Latest Activity: Mar 27, 2020 I went home to Chicago over the weekend and found me some JAZZ! Here it is.

  • E.FM - Black & White Photography

    E.FM - Black & White Photography

    28 members Latest Activity: Feb 14, 2018

    This Group Was Created To Focus On Black & White Photography. It Can Be Your Own Photos Or Any Photos That Capture Your Attention.

  • Sha Na Na

    Sha Na Na

    12 members Latest Activity: Feb 14, 2018 For All Fans Of The Group And Hit Television Show...My Favorite Member Was Johnny Contardo

  • The Cover Art On 45's

    The Cover Art On 45's

    11 members Latest Activity: Feb 14, 2018 Gene inspired this group and he doesn't even know it....LOL, but like him, i have always loved the various 45 Labels especially the unusual…

  • E.FM Hall of Fame

    E.FM Hall of Fame

    17 members Latest Activity: Feb 14, 2018

    Great idea huh....LOL. All i ask is that there be no VIDEOS or MUSIC in this group, PICS ARE WELCOME...We will be honoring music, movie, tv,…

  • Neo Soul Cafe'

    Neo Soul Cafe'

    23 members Latest Activity: Feb 19, 2018 ...Southern Pecan Goodness.

  • Movie Soundtracks

    Movie Soundtracks

    18 members Latest Activity: Jan 12, 2017

    Cinematic fingerprints in time. Do you have a favorite or favorites? If so, this is the place to be.

  • One Hit Wonders

    One Hit Wonders

    24 members Latest Activity: Feb 14, 2018 This group will focus on mostly one hit wonders from any singer or singing group, it can also include singers or singing groups that most people…

  • All Things Funk

    All Things Funk

    17 members Latest Activity: Feb 14, 2018 The Group Name And Picture Says It All

  • Cooley High

    Cooley High

    9 members Latest Activity: Sep 10 My favorite movie of all time. Let's share the memories and discuss it.

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Diana-Ross2

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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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