Another Lost Gem: Don Varner's He Kept On Talking

More and more excuses, so I figured I post a recent show that starts with a great track from Don Varner. I was reminded of this track from the yahoo southern soul chat list email, and as it turns out, it's only from that group that Don Varner was rediscovered in 2000.

All the information I have on Don Varner comes from David Cole in the liner notes to the excellent CD reissue of Don Varner's recordings, Finally Got Over: Deep Soul From the Classic Era (Shout!), which he took from a longer article in his excellent In the Basement Magazine. There's no need to recount all that here (go pick up a copy of the cd), just in short to say, Don Varner bounced around a few of the more obscure 45 labels in the South in the late 1960s and early 1970s (Downbeat, South Camp, Quinvy, House of Orange), did almost all of his recordings with Eddie Hinton at Quin Ivy's studio in Muscle Shoals, and just generally, seemed to be a great guy with a warm heart and an incredibly stark raspy, baritone voice. As I said, pick up the CD and check out the wealth of great tracks, from the Northern Soul favorite, "Tearstained Face," a great country soul swinger, "Down in Texas", a couple of Dan Penn gems, and some self-penned shakers like the title track. Even some of the cliched parts of the recordings, like the 60s tremloed guitar or the hip shaking, are overshadowed by the edge of his voice.

The track here, "He Kept On Talking," never got released in its day. According to Don (as interviewed by David Cole), "I thought that was the one. Everybody else thought that was the one, but it just didn't happen, it didn't even get a release." Quin Ivy prodcued the track himself, and it's written by another member of that southern soul mailing list, Jerry Williams, aka Swamp Dogg. It definitely has that commercial appeal with the arrangements and doesn't have the edge of the Eddie Hinton produced tracks. That's not the appeal the song has for me: it's the downward spiral that Don Varner takes from the lyrics.

I admit that I have a soft spot for the narrative song, especially when its initial emotion is revealed and subtly shifted during the telling, and this is one of those that sticks in the throat just right. The kind of songs that are country strong: Looking back and wanting everything to change, allowing the anger to swell, then consigning yourself to the harsh end. The first song that came to mind was "Mansion on the Hill," but after thinking about it I realized I could name about 15 Hank Williams songs that word. Although the performance reminds me more of the young, vulnerbale Johnny Paycheck ("Apartment #9" or "The Late and Great Me").

Don's got it all over too: the innocence; trembling shock as he soars over all the bridges, "We were just talkin' . . .", "So go on with him . . .", "I'll just swallow my pride . . ."; a waver as he tries to hold himself together even after the fact "I kept on smiling and turned my head / 'cause a man ain't supposed to cry." Finishing it all off with the brutality of the last line:

"But the memory of you face
Is gonna be hard to erase
'cause everytime I come see my children
I'll see you.

I'll see your face, baby."

It doesn't get any harder than that.


Don Varner passed away in 2002, but his wife keeps his legacy alive. It was a post to the southern soul email list in 2000 by Mrs. Francine Varner that led to David Cole's contacting Don and the reissue cd, so go out and grab a copy. David Cole also has a new issue of In The Basement out, which I haven't gotten a chance to get my hands on yet, but I have no doubt to its depth and quality.

The song appears not only on the Shout! reissue, but also on Down & Out: The Sad Soul of the Black South, a real solid southern soul compilation put out in Germany by the Trinkont label.


Well, here's the playlist:


Linda Rondstadt; The Dark End of the Street

Don Varner; He Kept On Talking; Finally Got Over! (Shout!)
Sam Baker; Sometimes You Have to Cry; SS7 2550
Major Smith; Paying With My Own Tears; Lewis 2807
Solomon Burke; These Arms of Mine; Proud Mary (Atlantic)
Mighty Sam McClain; Silent Tears; Amy

Eddie Giles; So Deep In Love; Silver Fox 9
Clarnce Carter; Too Weak To Fight; This Is; Atlantic
Bill Brandon; Full Grown Loving Man; On Rainbow Road (Soulscape)
Roy Head; She's About a Mover; Introduction to (Fuel)
Sam & Dave; You Left the Running; (Atlantic Unearthed)

Ella Brown; A Woman Left Lonely; Lanor 566
Joe Simon; Further On Down the Road; SS7
Arthur Alexander; Call Me Honey; The Momument Years (Kent)
Kinky Friedman; Sold America (live); Lasson From El Paso
Joe Tex; I'll Never Do You Wrong; Soul Country; Atlantic
Merle Haggard; My Past Is Present; Sing Me Back Home; Capitol

Johnnie Allen; I'll Never Love Again; Promised Land (Kent)
Touissant McCall; I'll Do It For You; Ronn 10 (West Side)
Lattimore Brown; I Wish I Felt This Way At Home; Renegade 101
George Jones; Heartaches By The Number; Mercury Recordings

Don Covay; Just Because; Mercy; Atlantic
Van Broussard; Tell Me the Truth; Van and Grace (Jin)
Johnny Truitt; There Goes the Girl (alt); Excello
Roscoe Shelton; I Can Cry If I Want To; AIM
Bobby Charles; Your Picture; Chess Masters

The Ovations; You Had Your Choice; Goldxaw Recordings (Kent)
Johnson, Hawkins, Tatum & Dunn; You Can't Blamc Me; CapSoul 22 (Numero Uno)
Impressions; You Want Somebody Else; This Is My Country; Curtom

And don't forget to vote next week.

R.I.P. Jerry Wexler, 1917-2008

Another sad post here on From the Dark End of the Street. The music giant, Jerry Wexler passed away a couple of weeks ago. There's no way I can come close to summing up the broad influence of his big ears on American Music. From the early days of R&B to the heyday of Southern Soul, the world wouldn't have been the same without him.

This show is made up of many of the hits from the golden era of Atlantic R&B. I forgot the set list at the station, so just sit back and enjoy the fruits of Jerry's hard work.


Rolling Stone has written a good obituary here.

R.I.P. Isaac Hayes: From the Dark End of the Street, 08/15/2008

The great Isaac Hayes passed away last Sunday at the young age of 65. While there are a lot of very fitting tributes out there to this immensely talented man, this show focusses on his songwriting while at Stax. The first two sets of the show are all songs written by Isaac. While there, Issac Hayes wrote over 200 songs with longtime collaborator David Porter, the breadth and depth of which are simply hard to come to grips with. His legacy is a huge one, and that's not even to mention the piano playing, session work, arrangements and solo performances.


The set list:

Aretha Franklin; Do Right Woman - Do Right Man; I Never Loved a Man The Way I Love You; Atlantic

Ruby Johnson; Left Over Love; I'll Run the Blues Away; Stax
Johnnie Taylor; I Had a Dream; Stax 186
Mable John; Same Time, Same Place; Stax 215
William Bell; It's Happening All Over; Soul of a Bell; Stax
Carla Thomas; Something Good (Is Gonna Happen For You); Stax 207
(Sir Isaac & the Do Dads; Blue Groove; Volt 129)

Homer Banks; Lad of Stone; Minit 32030 (Hooker on Love; Stateside)
Judy Clay; You Can't Run Away From Your Heart; Stax 230
The Astors; Twilight Zone; Stax 179
Wilson Pickett; Toe Hold; Hey Jude; Atlantic
Sam & Dave; Hold On, I'm Comin'; Stax 189
Danny White; Keep My Woman Home; Natural Soul Brother (Kent)
(Booker T. & the M.G.s; Winter Snow; Stax 236)

Isaac Hayes; I Don't Know What To Do With Myself; The Isaac Hayes Movement; Enterprise
Geater Davis; I'll Play the Blues For You; House of Orange Recordings; Soulscape
Bettye LaVette; Your Turn To Cry; Let Me Down Easy in Concert; Munich
Don Varner; Here Come My Tears Again; Down Beat 102 (Finally Got Over; Shout!)
Arthur Conley; Sleep On Otis; Soul Directions; Atco

James Carr; Stronger Than Love; Complete Goldwax Singles (Kent)
Dwight Yoakam; Stayin' Up Late; Population Me; Koch
Tony Borders; Headman; Cheaters Never Win; Soulscape
Chuck Jackson; Any Other Way; Wand (Mr. Emotion; Kent)
Jimmy Donley; Just a Game; Born to Be a Loser; Crazy Cajun/Edsel

Chris Kenner; That's My Girl; Instant
Clarence Murray; Dancing to the Beat; SSS 778
Chuck Mitchell; Let Me Be Myself; The Birmingham Sound: The Soul of Neil Hamphill, volume 2
Bill Wright; You've Got a Spell On Me; Eccentric Soul: The Tragar and Note Labels; Numero Uno
Sir Douglas Qunitet; Sixty Minutes; 1+1+1=4; Mercury


This show does not way come close to the genius of Isaac Hayes, but I hope y'all enjoy it.

I got an email on my way up the stairs to the radio station that Jerry Wexler had passed away during the night. Next week, I'll do a show on his giant legacy. Red Kelly has already done a great tribute here.

Thanks for listening and I've got a back log of shows (that aren't memorials thankfully) and some posts started which I'll finish up someday.

R.I.P. Chris Gaffney: Cowboys to Girls

Well, I've been completely remiss about updating this blog, between travel, work and some 16" softball, I haven't had much free time. But, well, that's no real excuse not to put up the podcasts, so apologies are in order.

The podcast is from the show a couple of weeks ago when still mourning the death of the great "Western Soul" singer, songwriter and accordionist, Chris Gaffney. So here's his first recorded version of the Gamble-Huff classic, "Cowboys to Girls."

Everyone knows The Intruders' version of this song, written and produced by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, the song was so big (#1 R&B; #5 Pop), that it defined Philadelphia Soul and allowed it to develop freely. It was the perfect song for the beginning of the movement's shift to prominence--full of street corner doo-wop swing with equal hints of urban gospel and teenage dancehall. And a timeless nostalgia that took people's minds off the tumult that was 1968 in America ("This whole world has been rearranged"). Whether that's good or bad in the bigger cultural picture is probably a subject for another blogger. As is the ensuing development of Gamble and Huff's productions (and Sissy Soul) after this song convinced Columbia to throw some money their way and establish the (very profitable) Philadelphia International Label.

The version here, from Chris Gaffney's great 1995 album, "Loser's Paradise" has much of the same elements of the original, but the mood is entirely different, and a much more emotional performance. Produced by his good friend and collaborator, Dave Alvin, the record showcases the various Southern influences on Gaff's music: Honky-Tonk, Tex-Mex, Southern California Roots Rock, Doo-Wop, and even some Cajun (he does a real nice job wailing the vocals and accordion on a version of the classic runner "Sugar Bee"). The song inserts those elements smoothly--the Tex-Mex picked guitar over a decidedly soul organ intro, the backing doo-wop backing vocals replaced by some haunting, and delicate, singing by Lucinda Williams, and of course, Chris' gruff vocals. The Intruders version has no sense of sadness, and what's nostalgia without that? I love the way Gaff breaks in after the intrumental fill, with "Oh I remem-hem-ber" just drenched in how much he missed a simpler time. And then there's that added verse at the end: "making love till long after dark / all day / all day."

Gaff's most recent project, The Hacienda Brothers also added "Cowboys to Girls" into their repertoire, and it was a huge hit. The three times that I saw them, this song always got people up to slow dance and sing along in whispered voiced to his/her partner. It was just such a beautiful sight for what a song can do.

They also released a version on the great cd, "What's Wrong With Right." The Hacienda Brothers are going to continue on without Gaff and will be playing some shows throughout the summer in what promises to be an emotional tour. They are also releasing a new record in a couple of weeks, "Arizona Motel," which if you buy from www.helpgaff.com a portion of the proceeds will go to alleviating some of the medical costs to his family.

There are a couple of other versions of Cowboys to Girls that I know of: Gene Chandler did a upbeat version on his Brunswick LP, "Now There Was a Time," that's a pretty hard hitting version for Chicago soul with some great sliding falsettos. Joe Bataan also did a version, and apparently, the song was a big hit with Latino youth in Southern California in the late 60's, which I know nothing about (but intrigues me muchly).

Thanks for listening and I promise I'll be better in the future about posting the shows (even if I don't have time to write anything).

And please visit www.helpgaff.com

Here's the playlist:

James Carr; The Dark End of the Street; Goldwax 317

Chris Gaffney; Cowboys to Girls; Loser's Paradise; Hi-Tone
The 5 Royales with Willie Mitchell; Show Me; Take Me With You Baby; (Purple Pyramid)
Betty Everett; Getting Mighty Crowded; VeeJay 628
The Ovations; Qualifications; Gold Wax 306 (Kent)
Wilson Pickett; Something You Got; The Exciting Wilson Pickett; Atlantic

Joe Simon; Long Hot Summer; SS7 2608
Little Johnnie Taylor; There is Something on Your Mind; Ronn 59
Homer Banks; 60 Minutes of Your Love; Minit 32008 (Hooked On Love; Stateside)
Spenser Wiggins; He's Too Old; Gold Wax 337 (Kent)
Solomon Burke; (No No No) Can't Stop Loving You Now; Atlantic

Geater Davis; Sweet Woman's Love; House of Orange 2401
Johnny Truitt; That's What Love Will Do; Abet 9423 (Excello Soul Story; P-Vine)
George Jones; Sometimes You Just Can't Win; Trouble in Mind; United Artists
Ruby Johnson; How Strong Is My Love; (I'll Run Your Hurt Away; Stax)
Tony Ashley; We Must Have Love; Decca 32342

Clarence Carter; That Old Time Feeling; Atlantic 2876
Jerry Lee Lewis; Another Place, Another Time; Another Place, Another Time; Smash
Otis Clay; Trying to Live My Life Without You; Hi 2226
Johnny Soul; Lonely Man; SSS 785 (Souther Soul Showcase; Kent)
Ralph "Soul" Jackson; 'Cause I Love You; Atlantic 2597

Otis Rush; Gambler's Blues (long version); Cotillion 44032
Ted Taylor; The Road of Love; You Can Dig It!; Ronn
Don Varner; Handshakin'; Diamond 264; (Finally Got Over; Shout!)
Joe Hinton; You Gotta Have Love; Backbeat
Jan Howard; I Still Believe in Love; s/t; Decca

Donnie Fritts; You Gonna Love Yourself in the Morning; Prone to Lean; Atlantic
Bobby Charles; Everyone Knows; Walkin' to New Orleans; (Edsel)
Johhny Ace; Saving My Love For You; Memorial Album; MCA

R.I.P. Chris Gaffney, October 3, 1950-April 17, 2008

A sad day for Western Soul. Chris Gaffney, singer, songwriter and accordionist, passed away a few days ago after a brief battle with liver cancer.

Most recently, Chris was the lead singer of the Hacienda Brothers, a country soul band based out of Tuscon, Arizona. Anyone who was lucky enough to see Chris perform know he sang the songs the way they had to be: with direct, honest emotion.

If you would like to send a message to Chris's family or help contribute to the medical expenses, please visit this website: http://www.helpgaff.com/

The Years That Got Away: "I never saw them coming, I never felt them leave, they came and went just like a whisp of smoke upon the breeze."

He will be greatly missed.

For Those Who Can't Make the Ponderosa Stomp: Barbara Lynn's Oh Baby (We Got a Good Thing)

The Ponderosa Stomp is just a few days away, and, unfortunately, I can't make it down to the Crescent City for this annual showcase of Soul, Blues, Rockabilly, Country, and Swamp Pop. So I featured a bunch of the artists playing for the first hour of the show this week, starting with a great early hit for Barbara Lynn.

Barbara Lynn's story is another great one from the I-10 stretch that unites East Texas with New Orleans, with stops along the way in Lake Charles and Lafayette: born to Creole parents in Beaumont, discovered by a Crazy Cajun, and recorded in New Orleans.

After Joe Barry caught "Bobbie Lynn and the Idols" at Lou Ann's, a roadhouse in Dallas, he suggested she get in touch with his manager Huey Meaux (who had just taken Barry's "I'm a Fool to Care" to the national charts). Well, the Crazy Cajun was impressed (although I have a sneaking suspicion he also though he could sell the novelty of a girl group fronted by an attractive woman playing guitar left-handed) and he took her to the fames Cosimo Matassa studio. After one failed release, put out "You'll Lose a Good Thing" on the Philadelphia based Jamie label. Almost miraculously, the song spent 3 weeks at the top of the R&B charts in the summer of 1962. It's hard to underestimate what a feat that was back then: a woman playing her own guitar and topping the charts (And it still always strikes me today--every once in awhile late at night, I catch that Jerry Butler hosted infomercial for a soul cd box set and am always pleasantly taken aback when they show that brief clip (from The Beat I believe) of Barbara singing her hit).

Check out this performance from You Tube (no lip0synching here!) and you can see what a magnetic performer Barbara is:



Today's selection was one of the follow up singles to "You'll Lose a Good Thing" that didn't live up to the that single's previous success but still kicks it. It's another Lynn original that always strikes me as a mixture of all the good sounds of the Gulf Coast--a little bit Bobby Bland R&B, a little bit B. B. King guitar, some Lake Charles 2-step, a touch of teenage dancehall, and that driving rhythm guitar (probably from Miss Lynn herself).

And it's a song that reinforced the noble nature of Barbara back then (and still today). While she was doing extensive touring to back up "You'll Lose a Good Thing" with heavyweights like B.B. King and Sam Cooke, her mother went everywhere with her (Barbara was only 20 when the song hit), and kept her on the straight and narrow. As quoted in a recent interview by Scott Jordan in the Lafayette Independent Weekly, her mother would "tell all those guys, 'My daughter don't smoke or drink,' and they all called her 'Mother Dear,' because they heard me calling her Mother Dear." And here's a sweet song about fidelity that no matter how much her old flame might want her, she's "right here at home" because "Oh Baby, we got a good thing goin' on." She sounds so resolute I absolutely love it, especially when the music drops to the background and she implores her man, "Baby make me know that you're mine, all mine, all mine."

I'm not the only one who loves this song, as Mick Jagger called up Huey Meaux and asked to cover it, which of course Barbara gave immediate permission. It came out on The Rolling Stones, Now in the U.S. and on Out of Our Heads in the U.K. Well, the Stones don't add much to the song, except some Chicago blues guitar to replace the horns, but they did add to Barbara's pockets. She was able to buy the house in Beaumont where she still lives today, and according to the Scott Jordan interview: "I still get royalties from that song."

After some decent charting singles on Jamie, and a few for smaller labels for Meaux, and a brief stop by at Atlantic in the early 70's that failed to produce any big hits, Barbara retired to the West Coast to raise her family. After a couple of decades silence, she made a live record while touring Japan that put her back on the map, and has continued to record off and on since. And she plays the Ponderosa Stomp just about every year, and according to all the the reports I hear, she still has a good thing going on.

Thanks for listening!

Also, you can check out the track here from another great blogger.

A Couple of More Notes: The Tommy McLain version of Bobby Charles's "Before I Grow Too Old" is one of my favorites and is the type of Swamp Pop cover of Charles that I mentioned in the Sahm post a couple of months ago. The slight waver in his voice is just perfect, especially on "gonna kiss all the pretty girls," and "'cause it will take a lot of prayers to save my soul." Also, I failed to mention that Ralph "Soul" Jackson (no relation) has a newer CD out called "The Phenix City Sessions," which y'all should pick up to support this good, good man.

Also, it's been quite a while since I updated this and I apologize (I've got excuses), but I've got a couple of shows and posts backlogged now, so I'll be ready for any more breaks in the action. Including one of odd Bob Dyaln covers to celebrate his Pulitzer.

The Set List:

Lazy Lester; The Dark End of the Street; Harp and Soul; Alligator

Barbara Lynn: Oh Baby (We Got a Good Thing Goin'); You'll Lose a Good Thing: The Jamie Recordings
Tommy McLain; Before I Grow Too Old; Essential; Jin
Warren Storm; Prisoner's Song; King of the Cajun Dance Halls; Crazy Cajun
Roscoe Robinson; We're Losing it Baby; Paula 378
Syl Johnson; We Did It; Hi 2229

Sonny Burgess; Red Headed Woman; Sun 247 (Rounder)
Joe Clay; You Look That Good To Me; (Ducktail; Bear Family)
Hayden Thompson; Love My Baby; Sun
Roy Head; I'm Not a Fool Anymore (Introduction; Fuel)
Bettye Harris; Bad Luck; Sansu 461 (Get Low Down; Sundazed)

Ralph "Soul" Jackson; Take Me Back (The Birmingham Sound; Rabbit Factory)
William Bell; It's Happening All Over; The Soul of a Bell; Stax
Willie Mitchell; Baby, You Turn Me On; Soul Serenade; Hi
The Collins Kids; Hoy Hoy Hoy; Columbia
Barbara George; Love (Is Just the Chance You Take); A.F.O.

Chris Kenner; That's My Girl; Instant 3252
Bobby Powell; Tell Me Who's Your Lover; Whit 6900
Art Neville; What's Goin On; Specialty 656
Wallace Johnson; Something To Remember You By; Sansu 467
Lee Dorsey; So Long; Amy 945

Irma Thomas; Let's Do It Over; Down at Muscle Shoals; Chess
Big John Hamilton; I Have No One; Minaret 129 (Southern Soul Showcase; Kent)
Spencer Wiggins; Old Friend; Goldwax 312
Merle Kilgore; When Your Love Stopped; Ring of Fire; Pickwick
Joe Tex; Set Me Free; Soul Country; Atlantic
Wilson Pickett; It's All Over; The Exciting; Atlantic

Joe Medwick; Barefootin'; (Crazy Cajun; Edsel)
George & Greer; Good Times (Gold Wax Story, Volume 2; Kent)
Arthur Conley; Funky Street; Soul Directions; Atco

"Let's Do It Over": Joe Simon, John R., Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham

My apologies out there: I've been busy with out of town visitors and various meetings and such and didn't get a chance to update the blog last week. And, to make things worse, haven't really gotten the chance to prepare anything for this week. So, I fall back on one of my stand-bys: the best of Dan Penn hits. This week, the first partnership with Spooner Oldham, the first hit for Joe Simon, and an early encounter with Muscle Shoals: "Let's Do It Over."

The success of Vee-Jay 694 is another story of the confluence of many talents with great timing and circumstance.

Joe Simon had recorded a few unheard singles for the California based Hush label, which got him the notice of Chicago based Vee-Jay records. If it were 1963, Vee-Jay would have been a good home for his smooth easy singing style, with a roster boasting Jerry Butler, Jimmy Reed, The Dells, Betty Everett, Gene Chandler, and the Four Seasons, not to mention distributing the early Beatles 45s. But by 1965, Vee-Jay was in many legal battles with EMI and Capitol over the Beatles and being sued for back payments by Frankie Valli. Although good singles were still being released, the company was on the verge of losing it all in 1965. Simon had moderate success with "The Adorable One" (609) and "When I'm Gone" (663), but it wasn't till he met John R. that things began to get rolling.

John Richborg, known throughout the South, especially in the black community, simply as John R., was one of the disc jockeys on the ultra-powerful WLAC Nashville. John R. broke many an R&B artist in those days with his 50,000 watts of power and, of course, a great ear. Otis Redding, James Brown, Chuck Berry are just some of the greats that owed part of their success to the man. When Joe met John, he suggested to Vee-Jay, as he had begun to do for others, to take Joe down to a small Northern Alabama city, Muscle Shoals, to record.

Muscle Shoals wasn't quite on the map yet for soul music in 1965. Things had gotten started, but things were also going away, and the studio, well Rick Hall in particular, was unsure of their sound (and thus their future). Arthur Alexander and Jimmy Hughes (coincidentally, "Steal Away" was being distributed by Vee-Jay) had already broken big out of Muscle Shoals, but Arthur was in Nashville and so soon was original group. In late 1964, David Briggs, Jerry Carrigan, and Curly Putnam had been lured away by the bigger paychecks in the Music City, But with their departure, some of those waiting in the wings stepped up in influence at FAME, notably Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham.

Dan and Spooner had been around Muscle Shoals for a few years, playing the fraternity circuit in white R&B bands and hanging around the studio. By early 1965, Dan had a job as house writer for Rick and, as quoted by Barney Hoskyns: "All I really cared about was the studio. I hadn't thought of cuttin' my own records or anything for a long time. I wanted to be a writer and a record produced." Spooner was playing second fiddle (or piano as it were) to Briggs, but getting big calls whenever he could. But with their departure for Nashville, Dan's band (formerly the Mark Vs, then Dan and the Pallbearers) petered out and Spooner was now the keyboard player. The rest of the FAME gang were also brought in around this time, with Jimmy Johnson and Roger Hawkins joining the fold. And along came a Joe Tex hit and a Joe Simon follow.

Buddy Killen had brought down Joe Tex with an iffy song. Joe recorded "Fresh Out of Tears," and according to Killen it took forever, then they threw together a song Joe had penned himself and been kicking around: "Hold On to What You Got." Killen told the musicians he "wanted straight out country chords." After some overdubbing and messing around with the tapes up in Nashville, Killen released the record and it sold 50,000 copies in the first day. Joe Tex was on the map and the idea of country soul was in full force in Muscle Shoals. Much as with the early career of Jimmy Hughes and the Wallace Brothers, it was Dan Penn and the musicians who pushed the famously hard-headed Rick Hall into producing a different kind of song. Not coincidentally, according to Dan, it was the kind of music he had been hearing on WLAC.

"Let's Do It Over" was the first real song Dan and Spooner wrote together. And it was the first real hit for Joe Simon, spending 17 weeks on the R&B charts, peeking at #13. The song really spotlights what's so great about Joe Simon--his delivery. Joe may be the most underrated of all the great soul singers because everything seems to come so effortless and natural to him. His rich baritone just ebbs and flows with the song, constantly bringing the song up ("Full of your prec-cious love"), then settling himself ("Looking back"). The imploring nature of the lyrics really allows Joe to ease back and be emotional at the same time--it's almost as if he's singing in an audible whisper with immaculate clarity. Upon each listen, I find new lines of the song that stick out differently than the last time.

As far the band goes, there's a couple of hints of what FAME would become, with Jimmy Johnson's gentle county pick and the ease of the backing vocals and horns. But there isn't any of the cliches that would later come to represent the Muscle Shoals sound, but I think that works in Joe's favor, allowing him to set the phrase and tempo of the song. Anyway, I just love how he gently he pleads with his woman, asking her yet in that calm tone of voice that just oozes confidence. And that to me is one of the great aspects of the Penn-Oldham collaborations: the emotion can always go either way. Depending on the strength of the singer, "Let's Do It Over" could be either the desperation or the conviction as the dominant element. But when they're done right, it's never that simple. No matter how easy the singer sounds.


Irma Thomas also recorded a version of "Let's Do It Over" when she was sent by Chess to Muscle Shoals in 1967. Although it was never released as a single, it was put out on the album "Down At Muscle Shoals," and it shows the band in full force by that time--with all the cutting riffs and edge even on the ballads. Don't get me wrong, Irma's version is stellar, but I prefer Joe's because she doesn't quite implore that emotional ambiguity to the tune. Hers is definitely heart-felt and renching, but the vocals never reveal that other side of the lyrics. (Toussiant McCall also recorded a good version of the song, that didn't get released by Ronn at the tie, but that's for another post).

Soon after this singe Vee-Jay went belly up and things worked out for everyone (well, everyone else), as Joe went to Sound Stage 7, the new R&B label from Monument with John R. as the head of the A&R department and released a ton of great singles and had bigger hits. Dan and Spooner continued to write and play together in Muscle Shoals, then in Memphis, and had bigger hits. And FAME brought in everyone and had bigger hits. John R. died in 1986, but his impact still rings out over the airwaves. Dan and Spooner still play (together and apart), write, and produce. And Joe, well, he's a Bishop in Flossmore, Illinois, about 20 minutes south of where I live, and records Gospel albums. Check it out and you'll immediately recognize that voice and, well, he's still got it.

There's a great discography with some sound clips, including "Let's Do It Over" by a great purveyor of Deep Soul, Sir Shambling, here.

One of these days, I'll just throw up a podcast of the quintessential recordings of Dan Penn songs: everything from the obvious (James Carr's "Dark End of the Street," Aretha's "Do Right Woman," Percy Sledge's "Out of Left Field," "Solomon Burke's "Take Me (Just As I Am)") to the lesser known (Ralph Soul Jackson's "Cause I Love You," Tony Border's "Cheaters Never Win," Van Broussard's "Feed the Flame," Clarence Carter's "She Ain't Gonna Do Right").

The setlist:

The Flying Burrito Brothers; Dark End of the Street; Sin City

Joe Simon; Let's Do It Over; Vee-Jay 694
Jimmy Hughes; Why Not Tonight; Fame 1011
Willie Hightower; If I Had a Hammer; (s/t; Astralwerks)
Irma Thomas; Yours Till Tomorrow; Down at Muscle Shoals; Chess
Percy Sledge; It Tears Me Up; Atlantic 2358

Johnny Ace; Pledging My Love; Memorial Album; MCA
Bobby Charles; On Bended Knee; Chess Masters
Al Prince; True Love; Ronn 39
Johnny Adams; I Won't Cry; (Reconsider Me; Collectibles)
Bobby Bland; How Does a Cheating Woman Feel; The Duke Recording

Oscar Toney, Jr.; Turn On Your Love Light; For Your Precious Love; Bell (Rev-Ola)
Wilson Pickett; You Can't Stand Alone; The Sound of . . .; Atlantic
Little Carl Carleton; Competition Ain't Nothing; Backbeat 588
Arthur Conley; One Night Is All I Need; More Sweet Soul; Atlantic
Tony Borders; What Kind of Spell; South Camp 7009 (Cheaters Never Win; Soulscape)

Solomon Burke; You Can Make It If You Try; Atlantic 2185
Eldridge Holmes; Love Affair (Carolina Soul Survey; Grapevine)
Warren Storm; Tennessee Waltz; King of the Cajun Dancehalls
Joe Perkins; I'm Not Gonna Leave; Sapton 100
Cookie & the Cupcakes; Got You On My Mind; Chess 848 (King of Swamp Pop; Ace)

Bettye LaVette; I Still Want To Be Your Baby (Take Me Like I Am); Scene of the Crime; Anti
Tony Joe White; Whomp Out on You; Black & White; Monument
Sam & Dave; I Get What I Want; Complete Stax Singles; Rhino
Mighty Sam; Baby Come On Home; Amy 11,022 (Complete Amy Recordings; Sundazed)
Candi Staton; I'd Rather Be An Old Man's Sweetheart . . .; I'm a Prisoner; Fame

Percy Wiggins; Book of Memories; Atco 6479 (Atlantic Unearthed: Soul Brothers)
Wanda Jackson; Funny How Time Slips Away; Love Me Forever; Capitol
Aaron Neville; For the Good Times; Make Me Strong (Charley)