New Nolan Strong & the Diablos tribute LP - out Sept. 7 2010

**rich** · 08-07-2010, 04:12 PM

Hello all,
I've been compiling a new covers record called
"Daddy Rockin' Strong: A Tribute to Nolan Strong & the Diablos"

It will be released on my small label, [[cleverly titled) The Wind Records.
However, Norton Records will distribute the record. They are a great NYC label.

I am very proud of the record, it has 13 great covers by some big Detroit garage bands like The Dirtbombs and The Hentchmen, and a bunch of others [[Wreckless Eric, Lenny Kaye, Reigning Sound, Cub Coda, etc..) - even some heartfelt liner notes written by Andre Williams! Andre also does a cover of "The Way You Dog Me Around."

I think Devora would be proud!

Click here to read more about the record! And to see the cover art. My friend Craig did a great drawing of Nolan for the cover.
http://www.thewindrecords.com

I will post samples of the record soon - if anyone wants to hear it.

lennytone · 08-07-2010, 04:58 PM

Nice cover, looking forward to it, especially to hear my old friend Lenny Kaye's contribution.

**rich** · 08-07-2010, 06:47 PM

Lenny does "I Wanna Know" - it sounds awesome. I'll get it online soon. Great guy and an A+ Fortune fan!
In the meantime, this is what Lenny wrote on his online tour diary about it:

June 29, 2010
"This year it's complicated by the due date of a track for a Nolan Strong and the Diablos tribute album. One of my favorite Detroit doowop groups, recording for the legendary Fortune label, the project was initiated by Norton Records' Billy Miller and producer-enthusiast Rich Tupica. My choice is "I Wanna Know," and I decide to do it all in my basement, soup to nuts, drums to bass to organ to guitars to vocals, including four part harmony, which of course takes far more weeks than I could've imagined. I have never gone the distance on my ProTools LE setup, and the learning curve is steep [[luckily for my percussion skills, I figure out how to move the bass drum to land somewhere near the downbeat); but by early on the morning of my leavetaking, I press play on the final mixage, bounce to disk, and send the "files" to Billy and Rich."
-Lenny
http://lennykaye.com/page01.html

**rich** · 08-12-2010, 11:25 PM

Here is a link to LISTEN to a few of the tracks. I've invested a lot of time into this record. Hope people like it.
I did all for the name of Nolan!

link:
http://www.myspace.com/nolanstrongtributealbum

**rich** · 08-14-2010, 01:06 AM

Guess this is much more of a Motown crowd [[and, I guess, a "Fantasia" crowd too) - not a Fortune-type crowd.
Oh well.
I thought it was a cool idea.

**fury13** · 08-14-2010, 08:53 AM

The folks here don't care about anything pre-'64, Rich.

**mr_june** · 08-14-2010, 05:58 PM

I care. I just played that "Wind" clip about 15x. That song is a mesmerizing masterpiece. Nolan is etheral and the bass singer is hypnotic. A Super Duper underrated song. A touch of beauty and sadness in the song and in the fact that all but one of the original guys who sang on "The Wind" are like the song says "gone." I'm going to check out the other songs and though it would be hard to live up to "The Wind" I hope they are close. If so, I'll be buying the tribute CD. Thanks much.

**mrclemma** · 08-15-2010, 03:49 AM

I'm another Fortune fan. I'm very excited about this project. When is the release date? When do we get to see a track listing?

**rich** · 08-15-2010, 09:11 PM

They are mostly garage rock/ rock n roll bands. Some of these bands have been in Spin/Rolling Stone, etc. I think they are all great.
So this won't be a run of the mill doo-wop record! These are great new versions.
It's vinyl only, and looks very Fortune. But if you want a CD, just e-mail me.

MARK "BBQ" SULTAN The Wind
DIRTBOMBS Daddy Rockin’ Strong
CUB KODA You’re The Only Girl, Delores
OUTRAGEOUS CHERRY [[Yeah, Baby) It’s Because Of You
ANDRE WILLIAMS WITH THE A-BONES The Way You Dog Me Around
DANNY KROHA Do You Remember What You Did
REINING SOUND Mind Over Matter
WRECKLESS ERIC AND AMY RIGBY I Want To Be Your Happiness
A-BONES Real True Love
HENTCHMEN The Mambo Of Love
DEMONS CLAWS Try Me One More Time
GENTLEMEN JESSE AND HIS MEN Harriette It’s You
LENNY KAYE I Wanna Know

**robb_k** · 08-16-2010, 12:39 AM

I'm a big Fortune fan, and like music back into the '30s. But garage bands are not my taste [[other than Gino Washington). I listened to the 3 samples. I can see some people on this forum liking them. The Wind was an interesting half-way decent vocal. But the instrumentation was a little too modern and offbeat for me. Daddy Rocking Strong was a pretty fair rocker [[but, again, not my kind of sound). I like group harmony. Mind Over Matter was okay, but again, the lack of group harmony and modern instrumentation made it not my "cup of tea". But, I'm sure thereare several people here that would like them. Even James Brown in 1966 is way too modern for me, so people can't go by my taste.

**rich** · 08-16-2010, 09:24 AM

I feel ya Robb. I love the old stuff too. I was hoping to get some younger people into Nolan by having younger bands do some modern covers. But, to be honest, a few of the other songs [[that are not posted) are quite traditional, straight forward covers [[even with some group harmony). "The Wind" is for sure the most bizarre cover on the record - I think Mark Sultan took the "reverby/weird" vibe of the 'The Wind' and added a row of exclamation points to it! I'll send you a cd, I think you'd be surprised at how some of these groups re-did em! Not that you'd "love" them - but I think its interesting to hear some new life breathed into Nolan's spirit!

**rich** · 09-13-2010, 01:41 AM

If all else fails, at least the LA Times wrote a new story about Nolan because of this record!
check it out!
link:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/musi...an-strong.html

**robb_k** · 09-13-2010, 01:58 AM

Reigning Sound's version of "Mind Over Matter" is a decent rocker, but, I guess I'm spoiled by Nolan's and Eddie Kendricks [[and the rest of the Pirates [[Temptations)) vocals. Reigning Sound's lead didn't use much range at all on that recording. I'd probably like a version made by me better. That's one of my favourite "shower songs". Still, I'm sure a lot of young kids would like the whole album.

**rich** · 09-13-2010, 04:59 PM

link to buy the tribute at Norton Records!:
http://www.nortonrecords.com/lps_new.php

I have a lot of 20-something friends who love R&B/doo-wop and old soul. Not all younger people like Lady Gaga and other BS [[only the majority - which happens to have bad taste!) Actually, a lot of young people in Detroit, and all over have kept Fortune alive. If it wasn't for garage bands in Detroit, Nolan wouldn't have a headstone.

Anyway, Reigning Sound sell-out clubs all the time, so they aren't depending on this one song for anything. But i think Greg did a great job with the vocals - I wasn't expecting Bocelli caliber singing. And All Music Guide gives all of their albums perfect [[or near perfect) ratings.

I think this tribute record would be boring as hell if it was all straight-forward, traditional doo-wop covers. I don't think many people singing today could match what Nolan did - so why try?