Ted Taylor- The Road Of Love (Ronn 34)

The Road Of Love

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Hey all you lovers out there, dig this!

When I started toying with the idea of putting something up here for Valentine's Day, it got me thinking about record labels that sported the traditional red and pink hues associated with this oh so romantic feast of love. Ronn won, hands down... and not only for the actual label, but for one of the coolest 'company sleeves' ever (I've actually seen people selling just the empty sleeve on eBay)!

Alright. Now, all I had to do was find a B side of a 45 with 'Love' in the title... hmmm.

I didn't have to look far! This awesome tune by my man Ted Taylor more than fits the bill. A cover of Clarence Carter's 1967 Fame original, this smokin' version more fully explores the song's potential. Ronn was a Shreveport based subsidiary of Jewel Records, but if you look at the label it says; 'Prod. by R. Hawkins & J. Johnson'. It took a while for it to sink in, but that, of course, refers to Roger Hawkins and Jimmy Johnson, the drummer and guitarist of the fabled 'second rhythm section' at Fame. The Ted Taylor discography over at Soulful Kinda Music dates today's selection at 1969, which was around the time when Stan Lewis was sending his artists to cut there on Avalon Avenue on the weekends, when Rick Hall had off... presumably at a reduced rate. How about that?

So, feel free to kick off your shoes and groove around to that big fat Barry Beckett Hammond solo, whilst reminding your significant other that you can't go down that great big road of love all by yourself!

No, you sure can't. Happy Valentines Day!