Zero to 180 – Three Minute Magic
According to Michel Ruppli’s The King Labels: A Discography, Elaine Armstrong would record a total of four sides (possibly at King’s Cincinnati studio?) although only two would make it on to her one and only King 45 from 1968. “Sad But True” is the A-side: “Sad But True” Elaine Armstrong
[For an update on the perilous status of the original King Records site, click here] A recent Cincinnati visit allowed me the chance to verify that the former King Records complex is still standing. But for how long? Polly Lucke, Zero to 180’s West Coast correspondent, recently brought to my
One thing you will not experience in a Barnes & Noble or Books-a-Million: finding something inside the book you just bought, such as a newspaper clipping that pertains to the book in question (typical) or a press release from the publisher (also common). More unusual would be to find cut-up
In the early part of this century, reissue label, Hip-O, put out a comprehensive series of James Brown single releases that were issued from 1956-1981. Historians & researchers will no doubt be studying these liner notes in decades to come as they try to organize and make sense of the
Years ago I remember being spellbound by a Mojo feature article that interviewed several of the musicians in The Famous Flames who had toured Vietnam with James Brown in 1968 and played for a large number of very grateful soldiers right in the heart of the war zone. I quickly
Beau Dollar & The Dapps – according to Dave Thompson‘s history simply entitled, Funk – were the resident band at Cincinnati’s Living Room night club “when they were discovered by James Brown” in 1965. Cincinnati music writer and producer, Randy McNutt, on the other hand, asserts in his King Records
Is Cincinnati aware the degree to which Manzel‘s two 45s “Space Funk” (from 1977) and “Midnight Theme” (1979) have become revered dance tracks around the globe? Note the trippy backwards drumming intro that immediately draws in the listener on “Space Funk”: “Space Funk“ Manzel (1977) The number of times Dopebrother
Impressive musicianship and stellar vocals make for another slice of Cincinnati funk on Counterpart Records that is able to command a decent two figures at auction: “Hang Up Your Hang-Ups“ Umoja As with 400 Years of What‘s “Get Down People,” this one-off 45 — Umoja‘s sole musical gift to the
How cool that a 45 released on Shad O’Shea‘s Counterpart label — “Get Down People” by 400 Years of What — sold on Ebay for over $500. However, if it weren’t for Buckeye Beat‘s comprehensive listing of 45s released on Cincinnati’s Counterpart Records, I might have missed out altogether on this
Heavy funk circa 1969 from a band with a most unlikely moniker, The Conservatives: “Who Understands” (Pt. 1) The Conservatives (1970) “Who Understands” (pt. 1 & 2) appears to be the second of two 45s issued by Chicago-based indie label, Ebonic Sound — both single releases by The Conservatives (“That’s
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