By matt (208.130.56.167) on Thursday, April 24, 2003 - 03:43 pm:

in reading about the brilliant, recently deceased new orleans songwriter/guitarist/singer earl king over the years, i've seen repeated references to his having signed with motown. nothing ever came out, as far as i know, but was anything recorded? has anyone heard any of it?

on a related note, how did the motown song "mojo hannah" (written by andre williams, clarence paul, and, i think, bunny paul) become a new orleans standard? was henry lumpkin's the first recorded version? what was the first non-motown version?

forgive me if any of this has been addressed previously.

thanks!
m

By Davie Gordon (193.122.21.42) on Saturday, April 26, 2003 - 02:00 pm:

Matt,

The "B Paul" in the credits for "Mojo Hannah" is
Barbara Paul - a different person to Bunny Paul.

"Mojo Hannah" is an interesting one - it was never
a hit but there's at least ten versions of it.

Henry Lumpkin's was the first, followed by an unreleased version by The Contours, then there's
a version by Marvin Gaye on his 1963 "Recorded
Live !" album.

There's a bunch of non-Motown versions in 1964,
the earliest seems to be Chicago group the Ideals
(Cortland 113, 1/64), then Esther Phillips
(Atlantic 2229, 4/64), Betty Harris (Jubilee 5480,
7/64) then a version by Cleveland band Bocky and
the Visions (Redda 1501 then nationally on
Philips 40224, 8/64).

1965 brings us a version by Ozz and the Sperlings
(Villa 701) then Motown revived the song when one
one of the writers, Clarence Paul, produced
a version by the Underdogs (VIP 25040, 1/67)

Then there's a burst of activity in 71-72 with
three versions Tammy Lynn (Cotillion 44135,11/71)
then the Intrigues (Yew 1013, 9/71) and then
Aaron Neville (Mercury 73310, 8/72)

There's probably other versions on albums - I've
only had a look at singles.

How did it become a New Orleans standard - I've really no idea - I wonder if Betty Harris used the
song in her live act, after her Jubilee singles
she worked for years in New Orleans. Maybe it became a "live" favourite for her.

As for Earl King - Motown recorded a few NO artists around 62-63 including Earl King and
Johnny Adams. For whatever reason none of the
material was issued at the time and, as far as
I know, has yet to surface on CD. There was
supposedly at least an album's worth of tracks recorded by both Earl and Johnny.

The Henry Lumpkin version was issued in 7/62 so
it looks feasible that the song's origins might have been in those New Orleans acts' sessions.
Maybe we'll never know the full story.

Any other theories ?

davie

By matt (208.130.56.167) on Monday, April 28, 2003 - 11:55 am:

davie: thanks for the great info!
matt

By RJ Spangler (152.163.188.68) on Monday, April 28, 2003 - 11:11 pm:

I loved Earl King! I had the pleaseure of playing many gigs with him. A Great guy, a great song writer too! -RJ

By RD (63.188.32.37) on Tuesday, April 29, 2003 - 01:33 am:

I have a Motown CD released in the '90s that has the Earl King and Johnny Adams tracks. I think it's called Blues Evolution. Sammy Ward and Mabel John also are featured.

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Tuesday, April 29, 2003 - 12:29 pm:

Earl King also wrote two R&B classics for singer Willie Tee - "Teasin' You" and "Walking Up A One-Way Street."

As for the Motown/New Orleans connection, according to NO drummer Bob French in an article I saw in Offbeat magazine years ago, musicians such as drummer Smokey Johnson had recorded at Motown as well as Johnny Adams & Earl King. Smokey was allegedly used as a very early session musician - on what recordings is anybody's guess.

Kevin Goins - KevGo

By Scratcher (65.132.78.30) on Tuesday, May 06, 2003 - 11:10 am:

RD, Earl King is on Blues Evolution but not Johnny Adams, you confused him with Arthur Adams who has two previously unreleased tracks on the CD.

By Yan (24.69.255.204) on Saturday, May 10, 2003 - 04:26 pm:

The Blue Evolution CD is a must-buy. "Hunger Pains" (Earl King) is classic rolling R&B in the Ace Records/New Orleans style. Oh and Sammy Ward's "Then You Changed" (thank-you Mickey Stevenson!- semi-legendary pioneering black journalist Lee Ivory co-wrote it with him; Mickey did the amazing production) is a complete masterpiece! Arthur Adams- "Let Me Love You Tonight" is wonderful too; and all 3 tracks mentioned were only released on this CD. (of the previously released stuff, my favourite is Amos Milburn's "Hold Me Baby"- great honking R&B) Go get it.

I would like to see all the New Orleans stuff that was recorded in that 1963 session released (Johnny Adams was there- so was Joe Jones); but the Esquerita stuff takes presidence for me- the man was a god; and everything he ever recorded desrves to be available. Any other Esquerita fans out there?? One of the best black rock n rollers ever.

By Davie Gordon (193.122.21.42) on Friday, May 16, 2003 - 12:38 pm:

Yan,

Have a look at the new (June) issue of Mojo
- there's a free 28 track cd with some
great stuff on it - the MC5's "Kick Out The Jams"
for openers - but it's also got a garage band
version of Earl King's "Trick Bag" and a Bunker
Hill track - if you love Esquerita you'll love the Bunker Hill track. The real surprise for me was a Jonathan Richman track that I really like.

By Garry J Cape (80.1.5.31) on Friday, May 16, 2003 - 02:52 pm:

Talking of Earl's song "Trick Bag", a version by a white group The Excuses was a popular r&b-style dancer in recent years on the UK Northern soul scene. Produced by Tim Whitsett in Jackson MS - there also exists an alternate unreleased version from 1969 which was also played on the Northern scene as by Tommy Tate - it is in fact by New Orleans artist C.P. Love, and was finally released as a limited edition vinyl 45 last year by Grapevine in England. (www.grapevine-soul.com)

Earlier this year, when I presented C.P. with a CD-R of his cut of the track, in an emotional moment he told me he had never heard it from the day he recorded it - he enjoyed hearing it again so much he had plans to include it in his gigs on Bourbon Street

By MEL&THEN SOME (212.159.50.171) on Friday, May 16, 2003 - 03:48 pm:

Garry,
just for the record,
Excuses
'trick bag/Keep on Climbing'
on the
Vivace Record Label(no.4501).
mel.

By Eddie Jones (209.215.117.4) on Friday, May 16, 2003 - 03:50 pm:

Garry:

I wasn't aware of C.P. Love. Can you tell me more about him? You say he's working in New Orleans?

Earl King's three songs on the 1996 Motown release "Blue Evolution" are terrific. And the rest of the disc's good, too. Ironically, right at the time of Mr. King's death, reissue label Fuel 2000 released a CD of his early '70s New Orleans music, including the local classic "Street Parade." And on June 10 his early '60s recordings for Imperial, including "Trick Bag" and "Come On," is coming out.

But like Willie "Teasin' You" Tee said at Earl's memorial service, we need to figure out a way to give our music greats their flowers while they're still with us. The Funk Brothers movie is a wonderful example of doing that.

By Garry J Cape (80.1.15.38) on Saturday, May 17, 2003 - 05:54 am:

Hi Mel
Yes, I had a few of The Excuses 45 a few years back....as much as it is an inferior vocal version - the C.P. Love version is the one to have; C.P. also recorded the Tommy Tate-penned flip "Keep On Climbing", but again it is unreleased.


Hi Eddie
C.P.Love had a great 45 on Chimneyville from Malaco, Jackson MS......"I found all these things" is a great Southern soul ballad - covered a few years ago at Malaco by Johnnie Taylor but until now unreleased and to be included in his upcoming CD.
Wolf Stephenson rates it as one of Johnnie's best ever and C.P. himself was seriously moved when he knew Johnnie had covered it......look out for C.P.'s version of the song on a forthcoming Grapevine Deep Soul compilation CD from Malaco.
C.P. is currently singing at The Blues Club on Bourbon Street in the French Quarter - he is still in GREAT voice...go ask him for "Trick Bag" and see the delight on his face.....

By MEL&THEN SOME (217.14.178.81) on Saturday, May 17, 2003 - 06:48 am:

Garry,
many thanks for your reply.
I havent heard the C.P.Love version.
The only material I have heard which is hardly any by C.P.Love were all 70's tracks,
which,
for myself personally I dont listen to a lot.
But I can still appreciate a record no matter which year,
but anything over 74 is my ignorance as I am a 60's uptempo guy.
Anyway,
just like to add
its a pleasure speaking with you Garry,
I still have a lot of your old Lists from the 70's and am obviously well recognised with your work.
Regards
mel.

By Garry J Cape (80.1.1.233) on Saturday, May 17, 2003 - 08:19 am:

Mel

I wish I still had those records from my lists in the 70's and 80's..........the best example is Jimmie Bo Horne at £8 , but there were plenty of others over the years .....

Regarding C.P. Love's version of "Trick Bag"...you can hear a sound clip of it on our website at www.grapevine-soul.com.....and of course, Grapevine will be happy to sell you a copy.....

By MEL&THEN SOME (217.14.178.46) on Saturday, May 17, 2003 - 11:07 am:

Nice one Garry,
mel.