Tell me all about Limmie and the Family Cookin'

[daviddesper]

I am listening to my local radio station's daily Soul Power Lunch Hour and they just played a song called "You Can Do Magic" by Limmie and the Family Cookin.' What do we know about them?

First of all it did not sound very "soulful" to me. I would put it more in the old girl group mode, or maybe the Mac and Katie Kissoon style. At any rate I found it interesting.

Any CD collection out there by this group so I can explore further?

Same station is now playing Kellee Patterson's take on Barry White's I'm Gonna Love You a Little Bit Longer and you KNOW you don't hear that every day!

If interested, tune in any weekday from 12 to 1 Eastern time online at WQSV-FM 106.3. They play some awesomely obscure stuff.

[Motown Eddie]

I am listening to my local radio station's daily Soul Power Lunch Hour and they just played a song called "You Can Do Magic" by Limmie and the Family Cookin.' What do we know about them? Any CD collection out there by this group so I can explore further?

Never heard of this act before, however, they do have entries on Discogs & Wikipedia. According to Discogs, Limme & Family Cookin' only recorded 9 singles between 1971 and 1975, don't have any studio albums and don't have a CD compilation of their work.

Limmie & Family Cookin' Discography | Discogs

Limmie & Family Cookin' - Wikipedia

[Motown Eddie]

First of all it did not sound very "soulful" to me. I would put it more in the old girl group mode, or maybe the Mac and Katie Kissoon style. At any rate I found it interesting.

I just listened to Limmie & Family Cookin's "You Can Do Magic" on YouTube. The song itself is pleasant early '70s Soul Music while the vocals suggest the '60s Girl Group Sound [as you said in your post].

[daviddesper]

Thanks for the Discogs reference. Wonder why I didn't think of that myself. Looks like they are featured on two different compilations that would give the nine singles you mentioned. But interestingly the song I heard today does not appear to be one of them. So it sounds like they recorded enough to have had a CD if anyone had ever been interested in releasing one on them.

[MIKEW-UK]

Limmie and Family Cookin' enjoyed a higher profile and much greater success in the UK than in the USA. I remember very well You Can Do Magic getting tons of airplay and they appeared on Top Of The Pops. I found their material much too saccharine and pop for my taste.

[MIKEW-UK]

At the same time, Avco was releasing some great soulful tracks in the UK on their distinctive purple label. The Stylistics and Van McCoy had many releases on Avco.

And here are some other great releases ......

[MIKEW-UK]

Chocolate Syrup, and L.J. Reynolds

[MIKEW-UK]

LJ Reynolds and Chocolate Syrup manufactured and distributed by AVCO

[MIKEW-UK]

Let One Hurt Do

[MIKEW-UK]

Little Anthony and The Imperials

[blue_whippet]

They reached #6 in the UK charts in April 1974 with a cover of The Essex A Walkin' Miracle

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGJgc6_9sWc

[MIKEW-UK]

[MIKEW-UK]

[Graham Jarvis]

Great one by the Stylistics ! & even better by Donald Height

[Stax_of_Motown]

Great album

[Sotosound]

I've always liked "You Can Do Magic". [[Got the single.) It's a really catchy and dance-able track.

It picks up a lot of elements from the best 1960s dance-able pop a la "98.6" etc., throws in a couple of Motown elements such as an Eddie Willis-lite guitar, and then tops it off with some excellent first-half-of-the-1970s instrumentation and production to complete the recipe.

If considered from a "soul" perspective then it might have disappointed some people, but if considered as a pop single, then it was a winner, at least as far as UK record buyers were concerned.

Their second follow-up, "Walking Miracle", was all over the radio but I wasn't as fond of it, despite its impeccable pop credentials and Van McCoy's involvement.

It's no surprise that "You Can Do Magic" sounds as it does, however. It was written and co-produced by Sandy Linzer, who worked with Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, Johnny Johnson and The Bandwagon, and The Toys. He also co-wrote and produced the UK number one "Use It Up And Wear It Out" by Odyssey, and went on to co-write the hidden gem that is "I Believe In You And Me" by Four Tops.

Just spinning my original styrene single of "Let's Hang On" and loving it.

And while going through some of my old "Not well-known-enough-to-take-on-the-road-with-my-mobile-disco" Polygram-distributed 7" singles, I came across "I Wanna Bump [With The Big Fat Woman]" by Bobby Marchan, played it for the first time since first acquiring it back in 1977, and realised why I hadn't played it since then.

It was a blatant attempt by Joe Tex's producer, Buddy Killen, to cash in on Joe Tex's hit and to make a killen along with this former female impersonator and vintage R&B singer.

Back to Limmie, Jimmie and the crew....

[jsmith]

Limmie & Family Cooking had 3 Top 40 pop hits in the UK in 1973.
They toured over here a lot in the mid 70's. After the mid 70's, Limme Snell stayed in the UK & went off on his own, forming Limmie Funk Limited [[UK based).
They had a couple of 45's out one of which became highly collectable -- "Saturday Night's The Night" [[originally released just under his name -- Limmie).
When Limmie returned to the US, the rest of the band became the Nick Straker Band and they had a big UK pop hit. Limmie died in the 80's but his sonm was also in the music biz around 15 to 20 years ago.
Limmie [[& his sisters) had been born Dalton, Alabama [[him in 1945), but the family moved to Ohio. He started singing at the age of 11 and was the first artist who recorded "Good Lovin" in 1964 [[a smash hit for Young Rascals in 1966). He had 3 solo 45's out in the mid 60's as Lemme B Goode [[all on Mercury). Before they formed Limmie & Family Cookin, they were involved in some recordings up in Ohio -- they had a 45 out on Warners / 7 Arts in 69 as the Sugar Cakes.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

I have Limmie & Family Cookin's "You Can Do Magic" b/w "Spider" on Avco 45 #4602. Both sides were written by Sandy Linzer, produced by Sandy Linzer and Steve Metz, and arranged by Charlie Calello.

I bought it on eBay without having ever heard it simply because I like the Avco label [[The Stylistics, Donnie Elbert, Van McCoy, etc.) My copy is NM but pressed off-center which, unfortunately, throws a monkey wrench in the enjoyment factor.

Limmie & Family Cookin' have a great Girl Group sound, and I really like "You Can Do Magic" a LOT! However, IMO, they should have come up with a better group name that's easier for people to remember. Limmie & Family Cookin' makes little sense to me. [[Is their last name Cookin'?)

"You Can Do Magic" [[went to #3 in the U.K.)
https://youtu.be/omLyf4GhN-A?si=w7Q3suzvpIH2jJkc
.....b/w.....
"Spider"
https://youtu.be/fTExvOOr4PM?si=bgcHUCwqFSlf_OdZ

[Philles/Motown Gary]

"Make Love To Me" is a song that Van McCoy had produced on Faith, Hope & Charity. I really like this version by Maxine Brown. I can't read the production credits on the Avco 45 label shown above, but I'm assuming it was Van who produced it since he was on Avco himself. Damn! Just when I thought I finally had all of Van's '70s productions!

[Sotosound]

"Make Love To Me" is a song that Van McCoy had produced on Faith, Hope & Charity. I really like this version by Maxine Brown. I can't read the production credits on the Avco 45 label shown above, but I'm assuming it was Van who produced it since he was on Avco himself. Damn! Just when I thought I finally had all of Van's '70s productions!

Tap on the photo on this from ebay UK.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153525121...3ABFBMpMTApsRj

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Tap on the photo on this from ebay UK.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/153525121...3ABFBMpMTApsRj

Thanks, Soto! Just as I suspected -- produced by Joe Cobb & Van McCoy. The B-side -- "Always & Forever" -- produced by Joe Cobb & Van McCoy as well. "Always & Forever" was also produced on Brenda & The Tabulations on the Top & Bottom label.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

I'm glad you guys brought up the subject of Limmie & Family Cookin'. I've discovered that I really like this group -- so much that I was inspired to put together an Avco Records Discography. [[From 1975 on, I was unable to find U.S. Avco catalog #'s. Other than that, this is what I came up with:

LIMMIE & FAMILY COOKIN'

1972

"You Can Do Magic" [[Avco AV-4302)
https://youtu.be/omLyf4GhN-A?si=yW-JllaVv36B1DYy
..... b/w.....
"Spider" [[Avco AV-4302)
https://youtu.be/fTExvOOr4PM?si=G-YdB2EjahmSX8wU


1973

"Dreamboat" [[Avco AV-4621)
https://youtu.be/cHSUyRBGMQY?si=rTSnuLJ9DPur33A_
..... b/w.....
"Made In Heaven" [[Avco AV-4621
https://youtu.be/oKFPhP0aKFo?si=BAeCt8RXUb9oWveO


1974

"A Walkin' Miracle" [[Avco AV-4637)
https://youtu.be/xWqEShxoNOQ?si=z78MiSoYuthPQmyP
..... b/w.....
"Here's Tomorrow" [[Avco AV-4637)
https://youtu.be/1uBp2lB8DTM?si=as8FF6TgQ3_fTugM

"Saxaphone Jones [[Avco AV-4641)
https://youtu.be/m6RpRanPb5U?si=g9JkXuhWdusDHsAV
..... b/w.....
"I'll Be Your Song" [[Avco AV-4641)
https://youtu.be/d_pdKfTHj9Q?si=kaXwGS2EdSPbyt7L

1975

"Lollipop" [[Avco AV-
https://youtu.be/2CWBNb6MmRk?si=3wmEQjk28diBEPSF
..... b/w.....
"When You Told Me We Were Through"
https://youtu.be/j9GfDkKlWkE?si=ftWgDabgZkT85Acq


"Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me" [[Avco AV-
https://youtu.be/Cv0Aaxn3Sj8?si=dgwI1E8pXF8xxnrP
..... b/w.....
"My Baby Will Never Go"
https://youtu.be/0amq-X41jlk?si=L4Ixfo4EZzMjbysD


1977

"I Can Stop [[Any Time I Want To)"
https://youtu.be/r2f-hKvUl9Y?si=nJPsj2iVrMSDKLBA
..... b/w.....
"A Little Bit Of Soap"
https://youtu.be/7VjbMXR-FuQ?si=oaa331wjZtNGBtjI

[jsmith]

Limmie, solo in the 60's .. a slightly hectic version of a later hit for the Rascals ...

[jsmith]

Limmie after Family Cookin ... decent pop soul but very little funk on evidence ...

[mark speck]

All three of Lemmie's Mercury singles are very collectable. The flip of "Good Lovin'" is a fantastic beat ballad, "We Can't Finish What We Started", which was my introduction to his music, thanks to its inclusion on a cassette I'd gotten in my tape-trading days.

I eventually lucked out and found the 45, but like many of my rare soul singles, I was forced to sell a huge chunk in October of 2022 to keep from being evicted. :[[

Best,

Mark