August, 2008
Gotta serve somebody
“Softee Man Blues” Doug Quattlebaum Prestige put out the Bluesville label in the early sixties and recorded some of the best blues artists of the day. The cover photos and art direction was great and included beautiful portraits of many blues legends. This one is a-typical. Some of the records were by little known, but authentic, old time blues men like this one by Doug “softee man” Quattlebaum.
Juice it up!
“Juicy” Willie Bobo. Verve. Another great one from 1967. Includes the title tune and funky Latin soul/jazz covers of sixties hits including “Music to Watch Girls By,” “Knock On Wood,” “Ain’t to Proud to Beg,” “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy”. Bobo played bongo, timbales, conga, and trap-drum and after stints with Machito, Mongo Santamaria, Perez Prado, Tito Puente, George Shearing, Cal Tjader and Herbie Mann helped pioneer the Boogaloo sound.
Give it up
“Ya! Ya!” The GREAT Lee Dorsey! on Fury Records (1961) “Oh well I’m uh sitting here la la waiting for my ya, ya, uh huh” Lee Dorsey opened for the Clash on their 1980 U.S. tour. He passed away in 1986. There are so many great soul and funk songs by Lee Dorsey. He worked with Allen Toussaint on this, his first hit, and often including on his album “Yes, I Can” in 1970. Always positive and funky. His song “Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky” from 1969 is a DJ favorite.