Black Ivory
The first disc "Don't Turn Around" (Today 1501) set the scene nicely. A well orchestrated slowie it featured an ethereal lead from Leroy Burgess over some tasteful harmonies and spent nine weeks on the national chart, peaking at no. 38. The flip "I Keep Asking You Questions" showed their uptempo side but the follow up "You And I" (Today 1508) penned by Burgess and Bascombe was right in the ballad pocket again. This too reached the top 40 R&B in the spring of '72 and it was clear that the initial hit was no fluke. The B side "Our Future" was a rather less impressive tilt at the social realism of street funk.
"I'll find A Way" (today 1511) which appeared lather that same year made it a hat-trick of sweet soul winners reaching the top 50, paving the way for their excellent debut LP "Don't Turn Around" (Today LP 1005). This featured all their previously issued material as well as the rather Jackson 5 influenced flip to their last chart hit "Surrender". This set confirmed them as major Big Apple stars. And with Bascombe doing the choreography and Patterson designing their stage outfits their live gigs were a wow, as they played to packed houses of mainly screaming female fans. Not bad for three 17 year olds!
Black Ivory's next 45 "Time Is Love" started '73 in much the same vein but this romantic beauty featured their best melodic hook to date, as well as a splendidly breathy delivery from Burgess. The reverse number was a version of Michael Jackson's smash of the previous year "Got To Be There" and was picked from the album. Their fifth top 50 hit in a row was the lovely "Spinning Around" (Today 1520) and for my money was their best 45 - not just because of the memorable melody and superb arrangement but also as it featured Burgess's most soulful lead. "Find The One Who Loves You" on the flip was also lifted from the LP.
The last 2 A sides were featured on their second LP "Baby Won't You Change Your Mind" (today 1008). This set was, if anything, stronger than the first. The title track in particular was an excellent ballad that was inexplicably never released as a single and "It's Time To Say Goodbye" was almost as good. The original version of "No Ifs Ands Or Buts" provided a melodic and welcome change of pace as did the pounders "One Way Ticket To Loveland" and "Just Leave Me Some". Their final 45 release "We Made It" (Today 1524), the first to feature Burgess' real vocal range rather than his aching falsetto, was right in their ballad bag but thanks to the company's ailing promotion and distribution failed to dent the charts.
By this time Today was in financial trouble and Black Ivory were in dispute with the company over royalty payments - and in fact they didn't cut anything for the last year of their contract. They moved to the newly formed Kwanza concern, recording "What Goes Around" in Philly but despite its chart success that label folded as well, and the trio moved onto Buddah for a lengthy stay. Much of the material on the three albums they cut for the company rated much higher on the Beats Per Minute scale than on musical subtlety. Several 45s were club favourites but their only national success came with the throwback ballad "Will We Ever Come Together". Leroy Burgess went on to further dance fame and fortune with the Aleems and Black Ivory returned with a patchy set for Panoramic in the 80s, but sadly the era for soul groups was over by then. But in their prime Black Ivory were big stars
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Comment by Shelley "SoleMann" King on January 18, 2008 at 6:45pm
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Black Ivory was the epitome of Sweet Soul back in the day...May the 70's music live forever....SMILE
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Comment by Virgo91261 on January 18, 2008 at 6:25pm
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OMG! I haven't heard this song since childhood. When my brother David (not his real name) was home from Providence College during Christmas break one year, he brought home a Black Ivory album. We all (my siblings and I) thought that Black Ivory was off the chain. As much as I love "Don't Turn Around," I agree with you that "Spinning Around" is the better song.
Great blog, Sole.
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Black Ivory 2007
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Remembering Q
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Maze Feel That You're Feelin
Maze Somebody Elses Arms
Maze Southern Girl
Cant Get Over You
Maze Golden Time Of Day
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Maze Southern Girl
Cant Get Over You
Maze Golden Time Of Day
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. The Butlers recorded their first single in 1960 titled "Loveable Girl". Left to right John Fitch, T Conway, Frankie Beverly, Sonny Nicholson and Joe Collins.
Frankie Beverly12/6/46 - 9/10/24
Power...Through Simplicity ♪♫♪
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