Barbara Stant @ Dig Deeper June 26th!

It's been some four and a half decades since Barbara Stant's last New York performance. Back then, Barbara was just starting out as part of a teen girl group making the trek to the Big Apple from Norfolk. After a career that includes sharing the stage with the likes of Al Green, Barbara Mason, Joe Simon and the Isley Brothers, June 26th's
Dig Deeper marks the long overdue return of a Soul legend. Ms. Stant will be delivering her classic Shiptown sides including "My Mind Holds On To Yesterday", "Shadow In Your Footsteps" and "I'm Going To Outfit You Baby" with support from the fantastic Solid Set (who did an incredible job behind Lenis Guess a year ago). Needless to say, this will be a very special night. Don't miss this opportunity to witness a rare appearance by one of the absolute greatest singers to ever come out of Virginia!

Flair And The Flat Foots "Hey Boy - Hey Girl" (S.P.Q.R.) / Virginia's Employment Commision "John Fuzz" (New Faces '69)

In any survey of Virginia music it's damn near impossible not to keep coming back to the legacy of Frank Guida. Legrand may have been the most recognizable imprint in Guida's empire due in large part to chart topper Gary U.S. Bonds, but S.P.Q.R. was arguably Frank's most consistent label, with a catalog boasting the bulk of Jimmy Soul's output as well as some of Lenis Guess's most successful outings, not to mention the lone single by Garage Punk legends The Swinging Machine, and Barbara Redd's left field Northern Soul classic "I'll Be All Alone".

But as is the case with the Guida discography by and large, there are quite a few lost treasures awaiting excavation (See: Jimmy "Hot Lungs" Moore). S.P.Q.R 1007 is a particularly interesting number. The A-Side is credited to Floyd & The Flat Foots , the flip to Flair & The Flat Foots. Let's start with the Flair side. Despite its 1967 release, "Hey Boy - Hey Girl" has an early Soul sound that could be at least of '65 or even '64 vintage. Remarkably straight forward in it's approach, "Hey Boy" has that "live-in-the-studio" feel that makes Guida's records so exciting. Nothing too fancy here, just a tight band moving along at a nice clip, sounding like they hit the studio after a late night gig and nailed it in the first take. In this stripped down arrangement, the piano pounds out the rhythm, the guitar keeps pace, stepping out for a nice and concise no frills solo, and the drums...the drums are the basis for all the great Frank Guida productions. They're characteristically huge, with plenty of bottom. The drummer thunders through some crazy rolls that only pick up in intensity as the song progresses.

The lyrics aren't anything ground breaking, just direct and heartfelt. It's the way they're delivered that catches your ear. "Flair" is belting it out, maybe not silky smooth, but raw, honest, immediate and going for it. The back up singers are great too with their "Hey, hey, hey, girl! / Is it Love?" response. A winner from start to finish, this record's got charm to spare.

If "Hey Boy - Hey Girl" is a bit of a throw back for 1967, the "plug" side of this single is down right anachronistic. Floyd & The Flat Foots' "John Fuzz" is rockin' R'n'B that could be straight outta the early 60's. Opening with the theme from "Dragnet", "John Fuzz" lays out the misadventures of a sad sack cop who gets hit in the head with a mustard jar while trying to break up a domestic dispute, slips on a banana peel while walking his beat, and ends up in the hospital with a busted jaw after trying to recover a stolen car. Then in the final verse there's a slight change of heart as the cop's tormentors sort of take pity on the poor underpaid officer, a nice enough guy who never complains, even when he saved that kid stuck in a pipe. "He's alright!", they declare. Gee, thanks!

"John Fuzz" is more in line with the "novelty" tag applied to many of Guida's records. Apparently, Frank must have believed in this odd ball ditty on some level, because he waited another two years to re-release it (not an uncharacteristic move) as the debut of his New Faces '69 label. This time around "Fuzz" was preposterously credited to The Virginia's Employment Commission with the parenthetical tag "Hire Through". Is there any way the actual state agency known as the Virginia Employment Commission signed off on this? Seems unfathomable, but Mr. Guida could be very persuasive, and it was the late 60's.

The flipside of "John Fuzz", "Don't Go To Strangers" appears to be a left over track from the original Flat Foot sessions with Flair taking over lead vocal duties again, this time joined by a small horn section. Though not as fully realized as "Fuzz" and "Hey Boy - Hey Girl", "Strangers" is still a pretty solid ballad. It's not hard to imagine it being a show stopper in a live set. You can almost envision a female version of James Brown falling to her knees, pleading a la "Please, Please, Please" as a the Flat Foots' answer to Danny Ray comes out to drape a cape over her shoulders.

Flair & The Flat Foots "Hey Boy - Hey Girl"

Floyd & The Flat Foots / Virginia's Employment Commission "John Fuzz"

Virginia's Employment Commission "Don't Go To Strangers"

Willie Brown "I Think I'll Fall In Love" (Tri-Som) "Love That Stranger" (Tri-It)

The first half of the 1970's saw Norfolk record mogul Leroy Little on a bit of a roll. Having just inked a national deal with King Records for his Tri-Us label and it's most successful artist Little Royal, Mr. Little continued to deliver a steady stream of singles on a local level with his Tri-It and Tri-Som imprints. These sister labels lacked the wide spread distribution of Tri-Us, which is a shame because there were a number of outstanding releases between the two that deserved more attention than they received initially.

One interesting example of a Tri-It single that refused to go away quietly is Sebastian's "Living In Depression". It's essentially Little Royal & The Swingmasters' finely honed (and previously released) funk instrumental "Razor Blade" plus overdubbed vocals courtesy of the legendary Sebastian Williams (and Leroy's son Keith at the controls in the studio). "Depression" was released on three different labels in 1975, Tri-It and Pesante out of Norfolk, as well as New York's Brown Dog. Despite these efforts it never achieved the success of the original instrumental version, which held the coveted flipside of Little Royal's biggest commercial success "Jealous".

This brings us to another Swingmasters 45, "Boogie on Down", released a year earlier in 1974 on Guess Records. In this case it would appear that it was the Swingmasters record that added overdubs to a pre-existing track. "I Think I'll Fall In Love" by Willie Brown on Tri-Som, is a killer funky soul tune utilizing the exact same backing track as "Boogie On Down". For all intents and purposes the instrumental B-Side of "I Think I'll Fall In Love" is "Boogie On Down" minus the boisterous band banter and some tastefully placed piano.
In contrast to "Living In Depression", Willie Brown's "I Think I'll Fall in Love" has a more natural flow, no doubt helped by the song's more manageable pace. Despite Sebastain's valiant effort, his vocals on "Depression" almost have the quality of being in competition with the backing track, seeming somewhat rushed in spots, and every now and then even drowned out by the music. "I Think I'll Fall In Love" feels more like a song intended to have lyrics. Interestingly, the Willie Brown record makes no mention of The Swingmasters, not even on the instrumental flip. While "Boogie On Down" credits Leroy Little as the sole songwriter with no mention of Garfield Williams and Leroy Tuna, the team credited with writing "I Think I'll Fall In Love". Was Leroy Tuna a pseudonym for Leroy Little? Yet another interesting mystery to be solved.

Willie Brown cut one more single for Leroy Little, this time on Tri-It. Recorded at Brockington & Guess Studio in Norfolk with backing from the mighty Raw Soul, the top side, "Get Out And Get It", is no doubt as solidly funky as you'd expect, but it's the atmospheric B-Side that's most striking.

"Love That Stranger" does indeed sound like it's from some far off place, perhaps not even of this world. At the center of this unusual arrangement is a cavernous organ sound embellished with shimmering vibraphone effects. Intricate yet soulful jazz guitar drifts in and out as subtly funky drums serve as the anchor. Brown echoes himself on double tracked vocals, including a fragile falsetto that levitates above it all, as he pleads for forgiveness after being away from home too long.

Despite there being no backing band credited on "Love That Stranger", it's a pretty safe bet that Reno Renaldie's cleverly named outfit The Reno Expedition holds that honor. In fact, the Expedition's only single, the instrumental "Ain't Nothing But A Party" (also on Tri-it) almost sounds like a pitched-up run through of "Stranger". Well, at least the organ and drums do, conjuring images of some frenzied shindig at the local roller rink.

Willie Brown "I Think I'll Fall In Love"

Willie Brown "Love That Stranger"

The Reno Expedition "Ain't Nothing But A Party"

***Please check out the Ol' Virginia Soul: Encore! CD for "Living In Depression" as well as Brent Hosier's touching tribute to the late, great Sebastian "Plut" Williams, a true gentleman and a giant of Virginia Soul, loved and missed by many.

Lil Walter and The Average Black & White Band "Funk Train" (Column B)

In 1959, a fifteen year old Walter Williams cut a pair of duets with his sister Lola for Richmond's legendary Nu Kat label. The record, "No Mercy" b/w "Broken Heart", was Walter's first as a featured artist, but he had already made a name for himself as leader of Lil Walter's Band, the backing combo credited on most of Nu Kat's early releases.
Five years later, The Walter Williams Show unleashed the super raw two-sider "Hootenanny Stomp" b/w "The Cat" for Turn-Tage, one of a handful of small labels under the auspices of Joe Turnage's Church Hill Records, Richmond's primary black owned record store.
"Lil" Walter Williams remained a fixture on the city's ultra competitive Soul scene, becoming one of its best known band leaders. His band worked extensively with the superb vocal group The Bonnevilles, to the point where they were commonly billed as Lil Walter & The Bonnevilles. The Bonnevilles would go on to record for Now Records in D.C. (sans Lil Walter) backed by fellow Richmonders Zeke & The Soul Setters.
It would be some ten years until Lil Walter's third single saw the light of day. Recorded in 1975 at Alpha Audio, "Funk Train" dramatically illustrates how much things had changed since Walter got his start way back in the 50's. It also shows the development of an artist who was able to adapt and stay very relevant. Despite being a sage veteran at this point, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that Walter was still a young man in his early 30's.
The cleverly dubbed "Average Black & White Band" was indeed an integrated outfit but we would argue that these guys were a least a cut above average. "Funk Train" chugs along propelled by some super tight drums (especially the cymbal work!) and Lil Walter's own thunderous bass line. The horn section locks in and keeps everything on point, but it's a white keyboard whiz known simply as "Sweat" who steals the show.
The flip "Everyday Life" offers a nice change of pace with a classy deep ballad. We again refer you to Sir Shambling's wonderful Deep Soul Heaven for a listen.
In an unusual development, "Funk Train" was later renamed "Do The Rope 'Pee' Dope" and white stickers displaying the new title were placed on the labels of remaining copies of the record. One can only assume the change paid homage to Heavyweight Champ Muhammad Ali, who famously employed the "rope-a-dope" strategy in legendary bouts against George Foreman and Joe Frazier in the mid 70's. Whether this move translated into more record sales is anyone's guess.
Special thanks to Brent Hosier for his invaluable information on Lil Walter Williams. Without him this entry wouldn't have been possible. Please check out Brent's outstanding Ol' Virginia Soul Part 1 CD for more information on Mr. Joe Turnage, Turn-Tage Records and much, much more!

Lil Walter and The Average Black & White Band "Funk Train"

The Dynamic Deadbeats Band "Movin' Out / Hearsin' Around" (Greenedeem)

Rising from the ashes of Southside Richmond teen outfit the L'Sabres, a new band clad in black, faces covered in white corpse paint, made their mark on the city's burgeoning rock scene in the mid 60's. The Deadbeats stayed true to their garage roots, but took things in a decidedly more soulful direction. In '66 the lads hit the notoriously low-fi Richmond Sound Stages at 2314 W. Cary Street to bang out their first record, self-released on the Greenedeem label. The top side, "Movin' Out", is a fairly typical blue-eyed take on the Stax/Volt sound of the day, owing more than a passing nod to Wilson Pickett's "In The Midnight Hour". The flip, "Hearsin' Around" is a sleazy instrumental just right for midnight creepin', named for the morbid ride The Deadbeats drove to gigs.
The ensuing year and a half after this first release saw the band (many of whose members were still in high school) continue to mature, ditching the stage make up and honing its sound. The Deadbeats cut two more singles, both of which had the same pairing: "No Second Chance" b/w "Why Did You". The first recording of these songs was another characteristically muddy Richmond Sound Stages production with an extremely small press run (possibly 100). Think of it as a rough draft for what was about to come.
In mid '67 the band traveled up to Philadelphia to re-cut both tracks in an real recording studio. The result, released on the Strata label, is a perfectly realized two sided Garage-Soul stomper. Unfortunately, that didn't stop the record from quickly sinking into obscurity during "The Summer of Love".
These days the Strata issue of "No Second Chance" is by far The Deadbeats' most sought after 45, demanding big bucks amongst record aficionados and packing dance floors at Soul nights the world over. Both sides can be found on the awesome Ol' Virginia Soul Part 2 CD, along with plenty more information about one of Richmond's legendary bands.

The Dynamic Deadbeats Band "Movin' Out"

The Dynamic Deadbeats Band "Hearsin' Around"

The Soul Duo "Just A Sad Xmas" Shiptown

Comprised of Little Ida (Ida Sands) and Little Daddy (Joe Webster from The Anglos), The Soul Duo recorded two classic 45's for Noah Biggs' Shiptown label. Their first single, "This Is Your Day" piqued enough interest in 1969 to be picked up for national release on the Jamie label out of Philly, but down in the Old Dominion, The Soul Duo are most fondly remembered for their follow up effort. "Just A Sad Xmas" was a sizable hit in the Tidewater region, and for good reason. Ida and Joe turn in some amazingly deep vocals on this hard hitting ballad with perfectly sympathetic backing from The Sounds Band (love that bluesy organ!). Definitely not your run-of-the-mill seasonal fluff, we think "Sad Xmas" deserves to be included amongst the classic soulful Holiday songs.
Here's hoping the season finds you happy and well. Thanks for your support over the past year. See you in 2010! Happy Holidays from Funky Virginia!

Soul Duo "Just A Sad Xmas"

Unreleased Barbara Stant & Raw Soul 45 Available Now!

Our dear friend Brent Hosier, the guy behind the outstanding "Ol' Viginia Soul" series and head honcho of Plut Records has done it again! Hot off the presses comes a previously unreleased gem from the First Lady of Virginia Soul, Norfolk's own Barbara Stant! More powerful than a locomotive, "Superman" is heroic Sister Funk from 1972 written and produced by Lenis Guess. MS. Stant is at the top of her game on this one, with super-human backing from Raw Soul, who also contribute the aptly titled flip, "Just Walk Funky". How these two tracks remained in the vaults for some 37 years is beyond us, but now's your chance to get them both on one killer 45!
Another high quality release mastered from the original reels, for optimal sonic impact. As always, quantities are limited, so grab 'em while you can, and support a great Virginia label! And remember "It ain't a boot...if it's on Plut!"

$5.00 each (Shipping $3 in the US and $6 for the rest of the world). Listen to the sound samples below!
Raw Soul featuring Barbara Stant "Superman"
Raw Soul "Just Walk Funky"

SOLD OUT!