The Mystery Of "Act Like A Shotgun"

[TomatoTom123]

Surely one of MoWest's best and funkayiest songs, "Act Like A Shotgun" was recorded in September 1971 by the wonderful George Curtis Cameron...

... OR WAS IT?

You see, I know G.C. was particularly good at mimicking the voices of other singers [[Smokey on "Don't Wanna Play Panama Games") but on this one, he just sounds EXACTLY like Willie Hutch. So, who is it?

Willie and G.C worked and recorded together at MoWest in the early 1970s... "Act Like A Shotgun" was written by Willie Hutch and both feels and sounds like a Willie Hutch song... AND the track was originally assigned to Willie... but it was only ever released as a single by G.C. Cameron... so, who is it!?

Have a listen and tell me what you think!

[MIKEW-UK]

That's Willie Hutch's vocal on much, if not all, of the recording.... odd for sure!

[TomatoTom123]

Hey Mike, yes, it certainly is odd! And thanks for posting that video too... so G.C. went and performed it on Soul Train even though it's almost definitely not him singing!? MYSTERIOUS!

I think I read that G.C. has since claimed that it is him singing on "Act Like A Shotgun"... unfortunately Willie Hutch was never asked before his death in 2005 so we'll never know his side of the story...

[TomatoTom123]

Here's a song that G.C. Cameron and Willie Hutch recorded together... so y'all can compare the voices!

[arr&bee]

Whoever sang it should've taken that-shotgun and blown that crappy song up.

[TomatoTom123]

Whoever sang it should've taken that-shotgun and blown that crappy song up.

arr&bee, WHAT!? Am I allowed to be offended at your comment?? LOL

I guess you are entitled to your opinion [[meh) but if I had a shotgun I'd shoot you right there and then for saying such a thing...

[arr&bee]

Haaaaaaaa...i hear ya my friend,we aren't gonna agree on everything.

[TomatoTom123]

Yea, we'll have to agree to disagree... no firearms involved

[TomatoTom123]

Watching this now... I have to say, with no offence to the man himself, the lip-synching by G.C. is pretty bad... it just doesn't look like he is singing it, or that he ever did sing it...

WEIRD!

[marv2]

I don't remember this song.

[Boogiedown]

Very interesting record !
More of a percussion driven jam than a structured single , listened to it first and fully expected to then see Norman Whitfield's name attached to it , certainly not future disco champs Gene Page and Hal Davis !

[TomatoTom123]

Very interesting record !
More of a percussion driven jam than a structured single , listened to it first and fully expected to then see Norman Whitfield's name attached to it , certainly not future disco champs Gene Page and Hal Davis !

Yes indeed, boogiedown! It is certainly a fantastic piece of funk, and one aimed directly at the dancefloor. Definitely a touch of Norman Whitfield there too.

Mmm, interesting last point... could you consider this proto-Disco perhaps?

[TomatoTom123]

Well, I think I have to conclude that: "Act Like A Shotgun" is not sung by G.C. Cameron... it just has to be Willie Hutch. I have no idea why Willie's vocals were released as a single under the name of G.C.... perhaps Willie did a demo for G.C. and the demo was then released as a single. Maybe because G.C. was a relatively unknown act MoWest thought no one would notice!

I know G.C. was good at mimicking others but this just sounds too much like Willie Hutch IMO. Still..... so MYSTERIOUS!

[Boogiedown]

Mmm, interesting last point... could you consider this proto-Disco perhaps?

Hi Tom,
I don't think I'd place it on any of my own proto-disco lists, but I could see someone else deciding to do so because of the emphasis on percussion. Sound-wise, it's a bit of an anomaly record to me so it doesn't have that disco lineage I look for, and I don't hear in it the precursor of elements to come disco wise . It's more solidly funk.

If I were doing a set that included this record I might follow it up with :

[TomatoTom123]

Hi Tom,
I don't think I'd place it on any of my own proto-disco lists, but I could see someone else deciding to do so because of the emphasis on percussion. Sound-wise, it's a bit of an anomaly record to me so it doesn't have that disco lineage I look for, and I don't hear in it the precursor of elements to come disco wise . It's more solidly funk.

If I were doing a set that included this record I might follow it up with :

Hey boogiedown, I agree with you there... the song is firmly in the funk genre for me...! But you're definitely right about the emphasis on percussion... I just hadn't consciously noticed it before.

Ooh, now I really hear what you mean thanks to that Joe Tex song... the percussion, the horns... a great track BTW!