The Sweet Inspirations - I'm Blue (Atlantic 2476)

I'm Blue


I've just recently received the sad news that Sylvia Shemwell, one of the original Sweet Inspirations, passed away this past February. As a member of one of the most influential female vocal groups ever, I thought we'd take a closer look.

When Emily 'Cissy' Drinkard was five years old, she began singing in a family Gospel group called The Drinkard Singers. Originally from Savannah, Georgia, the Drinkards moved to New Jersey in the early fifties. Emily's older sister, Lee, served as the manager of the group, which soon got noticed by Mahalia Jackson. In 1951, they would appear with Jackson, Clara Ward, and Rosetta Tharpe at a sold out Carnegie Hall, after which they would record a few singles for Savoy, in addition to broadcasting live from Symphony Hall in New Jersey every Sunday. Lee, who was the mother of Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick, had also adopted another daughter named Judy Guions (who would later become known as Judy Clay). Judy joined the group, along with Ann Moss and Marie Epps, and their appearances at the Newport Jazz Festival introduced them to a wider audience. After being included on a 'Newport Spiritual Stars' compilation in 1954, their performances at the festival were always well attended. When they brought down the house at the 1957 festival, they were signed to RCA on the spot, and they released the critically acclaimed A Joyful Noise the following year.

Cissy, meanwhile, was also the director of the Gospelaires, the young people's choir at her church, New Hope Baptist, in Newark. Both Dionne and Dee Dee were members, as was their cousin Myrna Smith and Judy's sister, Sylvia Shemwell. The Gospelaires began appearing publicly with The Drinkard Singers, and their talents were soon recognized by the local record companies, who began using the girls as background vocalists on sessions, the first being the Burt Bacharach penned Mexican Divorce with The Drifters in 1961. Bacharach, of course, would go on to make history with Dionne at Scepter, while Dee Dee and Judy Clay embarked on solo careers themselves shortly thereafter.

I don't think you can say enough about the importance of these ladies' vocals to the phenomenal 'New York Soul' records that were being produced in and around the city in the early sixties. In addition to the work they were doing at Atlantic (basically taking the place of The Cookies who, as The Raelettes, had moved on when Brother Ray did in 1960), they would also back folks like Chuck Jackson and Maxine Brown for Wand, and become an integral part of the 'session scene' in town. Perhaps the most striking example of their contributions during this period is their uncredited mind-blowing appearance behind Garnet Mimms on Cry Baby in 1963. Justly acknowledged as the groundbreaking, chart-topping tour de force it is, it's hard to imagine what this legendary Bert Berns and Jerry Ragavoy production would sound like without the girls from Newark. Berns would go on to use them on just about every record he cut from then on, most notably on the subsequent string of hits he produced on Solomon Burke for Atlantic.

Somewhere around in here, Sylvia cut a one-off single that was released on Philips in 1963, He'll Come Back. Written by Van McCoy and arranged by Teacho Wiltshire, it's become quite the favorite with Northern Soul fans, and will set you back about $250, if you can find a copy. As far as I can tell, it's the only record Sylvia would make as a solo artist, which is a shame, as she more than holds her own - delivering her own soulful take on that New Jersey 'girl group' sound. I wonder what the B side is like?

When Jerry Wexler signed Aretha in early 1967, he brought in Cissy (now going by her married name of Houston) to sing background with Franklin's sisters Erma and Carolyn on the timeless I Never Loved A Man (The Way That I Love You) LP. Just prior to that, Cissy had sung with the rest of her group (which now included Estelle Brown) on King Curtis Plays The Great Memphis Hits. It was Wexler who dubbed them 'The Sweet Inspirations' and, as he said in Rhythm and the Blues, they "became one of the pillars of the Atlantic Church of Sixties Soul... ultimately it was only a matter of common decency to put them under contract as a featured group." Which is just what he did, producing their first sessions for the company himself, just a week after they finished up work on the Aretha album.

Chosen as their first Atlantic release, their phenomenal version of Pops Staples' 1965 Civil Rights anthem Why (Am I treated So Bad) would break into the R&B top 40 (and even hit #57 on the Hot 100) during the Summer of Love. The follow-up, Let It Be Me, which had been recorded at those same New York sessions, did even better, just missing the R&B top ten. They would provide the background vocals that June as they were recording Aretha's Lady Soul (that's them on Chain Of Fools!!), and would become closely allied with her for the rest of her tenure at Atlantic.

When the label decided it needed more material to complete an LP on 'The Sweets', as they were informally known, they sent them down with Tom Dowd to American Sound in Memphis. Wexler had been one of Chips Moman's first customers, and had already cut Esther Phillips, King Curtis and Wilson Pickett at the studio. During a sweltering two day session in late August of 1967, Dowd and Tommy Cogbill would produce some of the studio's finest work, not only on The Sweet Inspirations, but on King Curtis and Don Covay as well. As the story goes, Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham got up off the couch, wrote a song for The Sweets, and cut it themselves while Dowd and the rest of the Atlantic crew went to lunch.

Released as the first single from the album, that song, Sweet Inspiration, became a monster hit (top 5 R&B, top 20 Pop) in early 1968. Check out the ad that Atlantic ran in Billboard that March. Talk about cooking on all burners! Note Sylvia's sister Judy Clay right there alongside her... very cool! This rockin' selection we have here today was released as the flip of that single, and features some more 'in the pocket' work from the American Group behind their awesome vocal interplay. Written by Ike Turner, the original Ikettes version had been a hit for ATCO back in 1962. This one's better, I think... The Sweets would continue to chart that summer, covering hits like To Love Somebody and Unchained Melody, as well as singing on records by Aretha, Solomon Burke, and Billy Vera and Judy Clay.

All of which kind of makes Atlantic's decision to cut a Gospel album on them at the height of their success kind of strange. Songs of Faith and Inspiration by 'Cissy Drinkard & The Sweet Inspirations' would be released in the summer of 1968, right in between Tighten Up by Archie Bell & the Drells and The Midnight Mover by Wilson Pickett. I guess you have to give Wexler credit, I mean he knew that Gospel was their first love, and he let them sing it... They would also overdub their unbelievable background vocals in New York that summer when Atlantic brought back the tapes that they had recorded with Dusty Springfield at American in Memphis. Just listen to Son of a Preacher Man sometime, and you get the idea of how important the Sweet Inspirations were to the Atlantic Sound. I don't think they've received nearly enough credit for that.

Emboldened by his own American Studio recordings that had put him back in the top ten in 1969, Elvis decided to return to performing in public. His engagement that christened The International Hotel in Vegas that July would mark his first appearance in over eight years. He could have chosen anybody to sing with him, but he chose The Sweet Inspirations. Deep down inside, he knew the deal. The Sweets provided his shows with some much needed soul, and I think he appreciated that. They would sing behind him for the rest of his life.

Tom Dowd had accompanied the ladies down to Fame in Muscle Shoals and cut the brilliant Sweets For My Sweet in early 1969, and the single they chose to release from the LP, Crying In The Rain (a cover of the Everly Brothers hit) would just miss the R&B top forty. This is really a great album, and captures the fabled 'second rhythm section' at the height of their powers. The Sweets were still singing backup for everybody from Yusef Lateef to the Rascals for the label, and Wexler even brought them down to work with Pickett and Cold Grits at 'Atlantic South' in Miami.

At the end of the year, The Sweets would record Sweet Sweet Soul with Ugene Dozier and Thom Bell at Sigma Sound in Philadelphia, and (Gotta Find) A Brand New Lover would become their biggest hit since 'Sweet Inspiration' in early 1970. Two more singles released from the LP failed to chart, however, and Cissy Houston left the group shortly after that. Although they would hit the R&B chart twice more for the label, by 1971, with Wexler now merely an employee and the Warner owned company's focus shifting to acts like Led Zeppelin, Derek & the Dominoes and Crosby, Stills and Nash, they (unthinkably, really) chose not to renew The Sweets' contract in 1972.


Unbowed, they would sign with Stax (a company where it was still okay to be Black) as a trio in 1973. Despite excellent songwriting and production from David Porter and Ronnie Williams, Slipped and Tripped, the 45 released from Estelle, Myrna and Sylvia failed to dent the charts. One more single that didn't do much would follow in 1974 and, when Stax went under the following year, they took their contract with them. Although they were still performing with Elvis, his behavior was becoming more and more bizarre. When he died on August 16, 1977, The Sweet Inspirations were scheduled to perform with him in Portland, Maine the following evening...

In 1978, The Sweet Inspirations sang background on Frankie Valli's number one smash, Grease (!), which had been written and produced by Barry Gibb and released on RSO records. In 1979, after Estelle Brown left the group, they were asked by The Bee Gees to go on tour with them, and signed by Robert Stigwood to RSO. Pat Terry would take Estelle's place on their disco flavored album, Hot Butterfly, which didn't sell much - probably due to the fact that the company had overextended itself by then, and was busy fighting off a lawsuit from those self same Brothers Gibb. By mutual agreement, the girls broke up later that year.

In 1994, original members Estelle, Myrna and Sylvia reformed The Sweet Inspirations, adding a fourth singer, Portia Griffin. They began performing again, and were in demand by the legions of Elvis fans who had seen them in the seventies with the King, in addition to the Soul intelligentsia overseas, where they retained a huge following. In 2001, Sylvia suffered a stroke which left her unable to perform. The group has continued on, however, and recorded their first album in 25 years, In The Right Place, in 2005.

It kind of breaks your heart to think that Sylvia Shemwell, a lady whose voice has graced so many of the essential soul records that we all cherish, slipped away from us without so much as a mention in the press. May God rest her soul.

Ben E. King - Hey Little One (ATCO 6666)

Hey Little One

It totally amazes me sometimes how everything, eventually, seems to be connected. Last time out, we were talking about the mighty Soul Clan single, and I was postulating that maybe, just maybe, the backing tracks had been cut at American. We spoke about how everyone involved, from Womack and Covay to Burke, Tex and Conley had cut records with The Memphis Boys around the same time. But, as you may have noticed, I failed to mention Ben E. King. Well, shortly after that, I decided to write about that most unheralded of all the Clan members over on The A Side, and I found something very cool:


Yes, according to the Atlantic Records Discography for 1968, Ben E. King had also recorded in Memphis, with 'Arif Mardin's Orchestra' that October. Till I Can't Take It Anymore had been released as ATCO 6637 in January of 1969, and broke into the R&B top forty. It would also be included on the hastily put together Soul Clan LP on ATCO, which was fleshed out using cuts by each individual artist, that February. Just to give you an idea of where Atlantic's head was at in those days, ATCO LPs released that same month included Ball by Iron Butterfly, and Buffalo Springfield's Retrospective.

Solomon Burke was already gone, charting that March for his new label (Bell) with his awesome Fame recorded version of the Penn/Oldham/Johnson chestnut Uptight Good Woman (driving Jerry Wexler, I'm sure, just a little further up the wall in the process). King, no doubt, saw the handwriting on that wall, and by the time ATCO released this incredible record we have here today in April of 1969, he had already made the decision not to renew his contract. Needless to say, the label didn't promote the single, and I'd be surprised if many copies were pressed after the initial run of 'white label' promos.

So, the discography thing just says 'Memphis', and besides Ben E., only refers to 'Arif Mardin (arr) and others', as being on this session, so how do we know this was cut at American? Well, first of all, there is the fact that the label lists King Curtis as Mardin's co-producer, and American was his home away from home in those days. Mardin and the King were a team, and it was Curtis who brought Mardin's talents as an arranger to the attention of Jerry Wexler, who then turned around and made soul history by using him on those initial New York Aretha sessions. They had been working closely together ever since and, along with Tom Dowd, cut some simply amazing music there at 827 Thomas Street.

There is all of that, and then there's this...

Another name that jumps out at you on the label is that of the songwriter, Dorsey Burnette. A Memphis legend, he had formed the influential Rock and Roll Trio with his brother Johnny back in the early fifties. In 1956, he had hired a young kid named Chips Moman to go on the road with them, and travel out to the west coast. It was out there in California that Moman did his first session work, and got to know his way around a recording studio. He was hooked. The Trio basically broke up at that point, and after Dorsey cut a couple of singles that didn't do much, he decided to concentrate on his songwriting.

Burnette got himself noticed by Ricky Nelson, who would take one of his compositions, Believe What You Say, into the top five in 1958. The Burnette Brothers were then signed by Imperial (Nelson's label), and had songs covered by some of their old school R&B guys like Roy Brown. By 1960, Dorsey had signed with Era Records, and his first single for them, Tall Oak Tree, would go to #23 Pop. Hey Little One was the follow-up, and made it to #48. It's just a great record, man...

In 1968, the song was all over the radio again, as Glen Campbell took it and crossed over from #13 Country into the middle of the Hot 100. His album of the same name would top the Country LP Charts that year, and send another single, I Wanna Live, into the Pop top forty. Hey Little One was suddenly hot again, and helped put Burnette, who had been struggling with a series of personal demons since his brother Johnny's premature death in 1964, back on his feet. Capitol subsequently signed him, and he hit the Country charts regularly for them on his own in the early seventies.

Anyway, I'm betting that Chips Moman might have had something to do with the selection of this song by the Atlantic producers, and this haunting atmospheric American Group work of genius puts me in mind of the sound they would be creating for Elvis in just a few short months.

It is truly a hidden gem.
_______________________________________________________________

OK, folks, thanks to Noel-23 down there in the comments, I would say we now have definite proof that this awesome record we have here was cut at American Sound. He was kind enough to point me in the direction of the scan at left of King's prior ATCO single (6637), both sides of which (according to the discography) were cut at the same session as 'Hey Little One'. There on the label credits it reads "Produced & Arranged by Arif Mardin and King Curtis Recorded at American Studios Memphis, Tennessee". Why that information was left off the later single is anybody's guess, but it proves our suspicions were correct. Which, of course, means that ALL of the Soul Clan members cut at American in 1968...

The Soul Clan - That's How It Feels (Atlantic 2530)

That's How It Feels

An American Single?

In Sweet Soul Music, Peter Guralnick said "...the singers never did get to actually meet in the studio... but instead recorded their vocals separately to a backing track which Covay had put together with Bobby Womack at the Wildwood Studio in Hollywood."

In Nowhere To Run, Gerri Hirshey said "...one session... was actually cut in Nashville in February 1968, yielding... Soul Meeting and That's How It Feels."

Hmmm... although I've never actually featured either side of this awesome 45 here on the site, I have spoken about it a number of times:

5/1/06
An idea that Solomon and Don Covay had been working on for some time, The Soul Clan, had finally begun to take shape in 1967. The idea was for all of these great performers to pool their talents and resources, and become a positive force within the black community. They envisioned things like buying ghetto real estate and refurbishing it, providing jobs, building schools, and creating black-owned restaurant franchises that would knock the McDonald's and KFCs out of the box... the possibillities were endless.

Originally, it was to include Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Joe Tex, Solomon, and Don Covay. When Otis died in late 1967, Pickett backed out as well saying, "I got my own hit records, I don't need that shit!". They were replaced with Redding's sidekick, Arthur Conley, and former Drifter Ben E. King. Covay put together the backing tracks out in L.A., and each of the artists overdubbed their vocals in turn. The resulting single hit the charts in July of 1968, and climbed to #34. At this point, Solomon Burke claims, "The record was stopped and banned...we were going against the grain of what black entertainers are supposed to do. We were all just supposed to go out and buy red Cadillacs. We weren't supposed to go out and start talking about spending millions of dollars on building and developing... We were supposed to talk about having parties and good times and eatin' barbecue ribs. You know, pork chops."

9/19/06
Don Covay and Bobby Womack had put together the backing tracks for the long-awaited Soul Clan single out in L.A., and Atlantic had each individual artist record his vocals whenever they were available. After Wilson Pickett balked, and Otis Redding went and died on them, they arranged for Ben E. King and Arthur Conley to replace them. Conley recalled that he never even spoke with the other members of the Clan about the record, and that he recorded his part all alone up in New York. The single would go to #34 R&B in the Summer of 1968, and then, according to Solomon Burke, "the record was stopped and banned". He may have been right.


10/6/06
Joe had cracked the top ten with both of his releases (Skinny Legs And All and Men Are Gettin' Scarce) just prior to the issue of the Soul Clan single in June of 1968. He was, arguably, the hottest star on there at that point, and would continue his success on the charts well into the seventies - something his fellow Clan members would be unable to do... In 1981, there were big plans for a Soul Clan reunion, complete with a world tour and a new album. At a press conference in New York in July of that year, Joe told author Gerri Hirshey "It ain't gonna work... We are five different men. Most of us are loners... a soul man is that, singular... As far as I can see, the future of the Soul Clan died with Otis Redding." As it turned out, he was right, the single concert held in NYC that summer was a disaster, and the rest of the plans failed to materialize.

4/16/07
I know we've talked about The Soul Clan before (in our Solomon Burke, Joe Tex, and Arthur Conley posts), but it's important to remember that the whole thing was Don Covay's idea. He was the one spinning the elaborate aspirations, daring to imagine a world in which Black Americans could control their own destinies. According to Solomon Burke, they had initially asked Atlantic for a million dollar guarantee up front, and the project was to include a complete album of material. The Clan was reportedly waiting for Otis Redding to fully recover from minor throat surgery when he died in that infamous plane crash in December of 1967. Covay, more than ever now, was committed to making his dream come true. He wrote and recorded the basic tracks of the single out in Hollywood with (an uncredited) Bobby Womack, and the rest of the Clan overdubbed their vocals as their schedule permitted. Arthur Conley, of course, would replace Otis, and Soul Meeting broke into the R&B top 40 in the summer of 1968. Although a great record, the Soul Clan's moment seemed to somehow already have passed. Whether it was due to a conscious decision on the part of the Atlantic brass (as Covay and Solomon Burke believe to this day) or not, that would be the end of that...

Well, I think we were all wrong.

As I mentioned over on the other side, it has been my intention to continue the work I started with the American Soul mix, and focus on some great singles that were cut at American Sound that may have never gotten the attention they deserve. Like I said in the interview thing with Roben Jones, I continue to discover the work of these amazing musicians on records I've listened to for years, with today's selection being, perhaps, the most glaring example... let's do the math:

If the backing tracks were indeed cut in February of 1968 (which seems about right as the single was released in July, and it probably would have taken that long to get all of those separate vocals on there), that was precisely the period when Atlantic was ensconced down there on 827 Thomas Street, with Tom Dowd cutting both Arthur Conley and Solomon Burke there the following month. Buddy Killen cut all of Joe Tex's records there. Bobby Womack was living in an apartment in downtown Memphis, and had become one of 'the Boys' cutting his breakthrough Fly Me To The Moon LP at roughly the same time. Don Covay, who lived in St. Albans out here on Long Island back then, had been cutting at American since August of 1967.

The Atlantic Records Session Index for 1968 had this to say:

Note the question mark... and

Which would seem to indicate that Covay worked on finishing the project in New York, near where he lived. It certainly seems a stretch to think that both Covay and Womack wound up in Los Angeles right in the middle of all of this...

And so it is my considered opinion, my friends, that this much revered and talked about 45 (with it's way cool intro that puts you in mind of Conley's Burning Fire) was indeed an American Single. What do you think?

American Soul

American Soul


Hey everybody, if you've been around here awhile, you already know what a big fan I am of the music that was recorded at the American Sound Studio in Memphis. From #1 hits on people like Elvis, B.J. Thomas and Neil Diamond to obscure B sides by some of our favorites like Sir Lattimore, Roscoe Robinson and Sam Baker, the American Group gave it their all. The most versatile of any of the great Memphis studio bands, I continue to discover them again and again on great records that I've played for years. Whether produced by their own Chips Moman and Tommy Cogbill, or by outsiders like Buddy Killen, Papa Don Schroeder and Tom Dowd (to name a few) the music they created there continues to intrigue and amaze me.

There's been a couple of exciting new developments recently, and I wanted to share them with you...

First off, Erick Crews, whose father Don was the co-owner of the studio with Chips, has started up a Facebook Group called Chips Moman & Don Crews' American Sound (Recording) Studio. As much as I had resisted joining Facebook in the past, it's things like this that make it all worthwhile. Erick has collected some fascinating photographs, news clippings and memorabilia, and more are being added everyday. The group counts Spooner Oldham, Gene Chrisman and Bobby Wood among over 240 other members, and it's great hearing what they have to say. This is truly a phenomenal resource, folks, with the potential to become even better. Come join us!


Also, the long-awaited Memphis Boys: The Story of American Studios has just been released by the University Press of Mississippi.

Written by Roben Jones, the book takes the reader inside the day to day operation of the studio using actual session logs kept by Reggie Young and Bobby Emmons. How cool is that? Roben fell in love with the American Group's music as a young girl, and has been collecting it ever since. As she told Allen Smith over at Soulful Music, "One Saturday morning in April 1969 I heard on the radio the Box Tops version of I Shall Be Released. I was fourteen. To this day I can't describe how affected I was by that record. It wasn't the song so much as it was the production... Tommy Cogbill and Chips Moman had woven the music so creatively around this Bob Dylan tune that they had transformed it into a statement of their own. It was just such an original concept. It made me aware of the producer's role in making a great record..." Roben went on to become a published poet, and brings those unique sensibilities to the writing of this book. A 'labor of love', she began the project way back in 2002.

Roben was kind enough to speak with me last week:

Memphis Boys: The Story of American Studios is now available at Amazon.

Now, I first put together the American Soul mix we have here back in January of 2008 when I was working on the Chips Moman Story, and put it out there on the late lamented Soul Detective Podcast. Shortly after that, the Podcast thing was taken down because of some 'terms of service' violation or something... anyway, I thought maybe a lot of people hadn't heard it so I'd re-post it here on the main page. Let's take a look...

Joe Tex - Skinny Legs And All (Dial 4063) 1967 - a top ten pop hit (#2 R&B), they say that Reggie Young's incredible guitar lick actually knocked Joe down on the floor!

Arthur Conley - Funky Street (ATCO 6563) 1968 - Just four months after Otis died, Tom Dowd took Arthur into American and produced this high energy stomper... check out those handclaps!

King Curtis - Cook Out (ATCO 6534) 1968 - The flip of the King's cover of a Buffalo Springfield song, this one picks up where 'Memphis Soul Stew' left off... 'we call that dinner on the ground'

Bobby Womack - I'm Gonna Forget About You (Liberty 56186) 1970 - Actually recorded two years earlier for the amazing My Prescription LP, it was written by Womack's mentor Sam Cooke and produced by Moman, they just don't come much better than this, y'all!

Roscoe Robinson - How Many Times Must I Knock (SS7 2618) 1968 - That's Womack on the guitar backing up the man who introduced him and his brothers to Sam in the first place. Check out Tommy Cogbill working that bass! Lord Have Mercy!

Soul X 2 - It's Alright Now (SS7 2612) 1968 - Another great J.R. Enterprises production, this time on former Soul Stirrers guitarist LeRoy Crume and Pilgrim Wonders' Calvin April's attempt at crossing over. Just another example of how great this band was.

Sam Baker - Sugarman (SS7 2620) 1968 - John R took Monument songwriter Kris Kristofferson's noir street tale to Chips and cut it on our friend Sam Baker. I love the horn arrangement...

Don Covay - Never Had No Love (Atlantic 2440) 1967 - Produced by Cogbill, this one just kills me. Reggie Young's guitar is just unbelievable, man. How great is Don Covay?

Solomon Burke - Meet Me In Church (Atlantic 2527) 1968 - You already know how I feel about this one... it still kills me every time I hear it. A Tom Dowd production of an Arif Mardin arrangement, Reggie's guitar is, once again, amazing.

Oscar Toney Jr. - For Your Precious Love (Bell 672) 1967 - Here's the top 5 hit that Papa Don cut on Oscar in one take down there on Thomas Street. It will live on forever.

Wilson Pickett - I Found A True Love (Atlantic 2558) 1968 - When Jerry Wexler sent Pickett to American, he teamed up with Bobby Womack to cut some of the best records ever made. This is one of them!

The Masqueraders - Love, Peace And Understanding (AGP 122) 1969 - Finally on their own, Tommy Cogbill produced this simply fantastic 45 on this most under-appreciated of all vocal groups for American's own label.

As great as these records are, they are only beginning to scratch the surface. The depth and quality of the music that was created at American Sound just boggles the mind.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Chips Moman, Tommy Cogbill, Don Crews, and all of the Memphis Boys for that... you guys are the greatest!

(Do The) Push And Pull, Pt 1 (STAX 0079)

(Do The) Push And Pull, Pt 1

You Can't Make This Stuff Up

So, after the Willie Mitchell Memorial Celebration, people were hanging out in the lobby of the Church, just kind of catching up on old times. I was talking with Otis Clay, Darryl Carter and Howard Grimes, all of whom I have gotten to know better since the O.V. Memorial back in 2008. Along came a lady in red, who proceeded to rub Howard's cheeks. "He's always smiling like that. I always rub 'em whenever I see him, for good luck. He was the drummer on my first record..."


Carla Thomas... I couldn't believe it. Here I was actually getting to meet this woman who played such an important role in the history of Stax. A woman who, for whatever reason, has been thought of as some sort of recluse for the past couple of decades. She was great. Funny and outgoing, with a twinkle in her eye that puts you in mind of her father...


I watched as Al Bell came up to her. I would venture to say that they hadn't been in the same room together since Stax went out of business 35 years ago.


A lot of water has gone under that bridge. The friction between the old and the new at Stax in those days was kind of embodied in Bell's relationship with the Thomas family. A lot of words have been left unspoken. As I said last week, Al is back in town as the head of the Memphis Music Foundation. He was genuinely glad to see Carla, and seemed to welcome the opportunity to let his voice be heard. I spoke with him for some time about the bankruptcy, and he told me in minute detail how it all went down. Not a pretty story, it included, he said, a hit squad that had orders to take him out unless he did what the big money boys wanted him to do. Incredible stuff.

As it turned out, people were going back to the Marriott downtown, and Carla needed a ride. I, of course, offered my services. As we were on our way out, we met up with her brother Marvell (one of Chips Moman's original Triumphs, and the keyboard man on so many great Stax records), who wasn't sure which lot he had left his car in (the place is HUGE). I offered to give him a ride to go look for it. I started talking about how I had Sattelite Radio in this car I rented, and that I had heard Carla on there twice in one hour on the way down. Once we were all in the car, I tuned the radio to Soul Town, and some song was just finishing up.

As the first notes of the next tune came out of the speakers, both of them yelled at once "It's Daddy!" You really can't make this stuff up, folks. Here I am with Carla and Marvell Thomas in my car, which in itself is as unlikely a scenario as one could possibly imagine, and out of all the songs on all the stations in all the world, here's Rufus Thomas (doing a song that was produced by Al Bell, no less) beaming from some Sattelite back down into Memphis, doin' the Push and Pull. Our hair was literally standing on end. It was spooky, man. I don't know if you believe in this kind of stuff, but I sure do. There are no coincidences, my friends. This had to be some kind of sign...

Back at the Marriott, Marvell met up with Sir Mack Rice.

We were soon joined by J. Blackfoot and Eddie Floyd,

as Carla sat there on the couch with David Porter and Al Bell.

Along with a few soul devotees from the UK who had made the trip for Willie's funeral, we had us a time, talking about those storied salad days at Stax. Days when Carla was the Queen to Otis Redding's King, days of Gee Whiz and B-A-B-Y. Like some kind of impromptu Stax reunion, I think some bridges were built, and ideas hatched for some incredible possibilities down the line.

After a while, Carla asked me to take her to another post-Willie Tribute party that was being held at The View, the funky Soul and Blues club out by the airport. We, of course, got lost for a while navigating the I-40/240 nightmare, and it gave me the opportunity to speak with her at length. This is one incredible woman, folks. She has been there and done that. The heir apparent to her father's incredible legacy as the ambassador of Memphis Music, she has chosen to live in obscurity. She has no telephone. "Are you ready to reclaim your rightful place as the Queen of Memphis Soul?" I asked her.

She wanted no part of it...

When we got out to the club, it was obvious how much she was loved by everyone in the place. As they were winding down a set that had included Queen Ann Hines and Toni Green, they pulled Carla up on stage and the joint went nuts.

She didn't sing. She didn't have to.