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The Chashers’ “Without My Girl” is one of the more obscure releases and not that well known even among rare soul collectors, partly due to the record being one of the more recent discoveries on the northern scene. The track may have been first played in the UK at the Middleton all-nighters by DJs Carl Willingham and Phil Shields. By the time “Without My Girl” came out in late 1968, The Chashers had evolved from a merger of earlier bands.  The two writers, Lamar (aka Tom) Collins, lead singer and Roy Thompson, guitar, were members of The Avalons, originally from...

June 2017 sees the arrival of the eagerly anticipated follow-up to Tony Beesley's critically acclaimed book "Sawdust Caesars: Original Mod Voices". "Mojo Talkin' - Under the Influence of Mod" is a 514 page hardback volume, packed with rare and exclusive photos and words of Mod influence across the decades. This volume studies the impact upon both individuals - from the sixties period through to the '79 revival and beyond - and the media associated with the culture. The development of music across the decades sits alongside the evolving look and style (original skinheads are also chronicled as is the influence on early punk)....

Motown had the Funk Brothers. Stax had the Memphis Horns. Muscle Shoals had the Swampers. Throughout 1960s Nashville R&B history, a musical partnership existed between James (a.k.a James Marshall, Jimmy, Jimi) Hendrix (b. 1942, d.1970) and Billy Cox (b.1941), with a later addition of singer Johnny Jones (b. 1936, d. 2009) – as members of The King Kasuals and later derivative bands. The combo frequently featured on a number of venue performances and local recordings; Jimi Hendrix’s early career in Nashville is perhaps one of the less documented periods of his life, but he claimed this is where he really...

The Spontanes from Gastonia, NC ran initially from 1960 to 1968, with a couple of subtle band title changes at various points to include lead singers Joe Ray Dowell and Harley Hogg. In one form or another they have continued to perform pretty much ever since. The group had more than forty members during its history, including about twenty during their 1960s recording period. They played across the south east including Spartanburg SC, Charlotte and Greensboro NC, and at various college venues including the University of Georgia campus in the late 60s. The Spontanes went on to record for Eclipse,...

Texan Don Robey was an entrepreneur, community celebrity; and some report an individual who used threats and violence to get his way. But whether a man of stature, malevolence or elements of both, he followed many business avenues and was successful in most of them. Robey’s entertainment enterprises, including ownership of four of the biggest and most prolific R&B orientated labels in Texas – Peacock, Back Beat and Sure-Shot, has secured his place within web pages of the Texas State Historical Association’s hall of fame. A building carrying his family legacy, the L. Robey Building stands where his recording studios...