Archive for the ‘Johnnie Taylor’ Category

Barbara Mason

Sunday, August 9th, 2009

barbaramasonreadyuka, Barbara Mason, Arctic, London American

Listen: Yes I’m Ready / Barbara Mason BarbaraMasonReady.mp3

barbaramasonshackin, Barbara Mason, Don Davis, Buddah

Listen: Shackin’ Up / Barbara Mason BarbaraMasonShackin.mp3

Basically, a Philly girl who came up through Gospel. ‘Yes I’m Ready’ reached #5 in ’65, with an intro the had me believing it was the soundtrack to being drunk. Her delivery drew me right in with that imaginery alcohol slur. Like Barbara Lewis from around the same time, she was one of the soul voices that sat nicely between all the English Invasion songs on Top 40 radio.

You wouldn’t know she was a church girl from some of her 70′s output, like the great ‘Shackin’ Up’. Not unlike Millie Jackson, and produced by Don Davis (Eddie Floyd, Bobby Womack, Albert King, The Dramatics, Carla Thomas, Johnnie Taylor, Little Milton), it just sums up liberated female voices during the mid 70′s and deserved a way higher Billboard chart placing than #91.

Johnnie Taylor

Saturday, July 4th, 2009

johnnietaylortestifyuk1, johnnie taylor, stax

Listen: Testify (I Wonna) / Johnnie Taylor JohnnieTaylorTestify.mp3

Okay, so the title isn’t as good as his ‘Cheaper To Keep Her’, but the groove is crazy. I own just about every single Johnnie Taylor ever made, and definitely all the ones on Stax. None of them can touch this. Like with most, Booker T & The MG’s are clearly playing all over it and unbelievably, ‘Testify (I Wonna)’, never gets props. It wasn’t even included on the box set, THE COMPLETE STAX SINGLES. Sorry. I’m confused. Not only was it a single, but a classic Don Davis production.