Herb Newman’s Era Label was well established in Los Angeles by the time the soul era (pun intended) came about. With over 150 singles behind him by the time our musical story starts in 1962, Herb was a record label veteran. He only occasionally dabbled in black music, probably by chance as opposed to design, he was more at home with straight pop records.
His biggest hit by a black singer was Jewel Akens The Birds And The Bees which was total pop but came out of a notable session by the accomplished soul group the Turn Arounds whose two great Era numbers feature here along with the full story of that hit. Akens could sing soul as well as pop though and a great late 60s stomper, written and produced by Eddie Daniels, has been…
320 kbps | 139 MB | UL | TB | HF ** FLAC
…unearthed and debuts here. Herb Newman actually had a notable future soul star in his ranks when the young Brenda Holloway recorded I Ain’t Gonna Take You Back for his Catch subsidiary in 1964. Another future soul chartmaker was Jimmy Lewis who just had the one Era release arranged by Northern Soul hero James Carmichael. Jesse Davis Gonna Hang On In There was a rare soulful departure for the nightclub singer protégé of Frank Sinatra but the Sherlie Matthews composition still sounds awesome when blasted out of the speakers at Northern gatherings. Wigan and elsewhere favourites are provided by Othello Robertson So In Luv, Billy Watkins The Ice Man and there are alternate versions of both A Slice Of The Pie and Meet Me At Midnight arguably better than their Jewel Akens and Cindy Lynn originals. Further previously unissued manna comes from the HB Barnum arranged Dance With Me by Billy Watkins and excellent alternate readings of Stand There Mountain and The Blue Shadow by ex- vocal group singer Vince Howard that Herb Newman had cut on pop acts previously.
There are Popcorn classics from the very colourful Bruce Cloud (check out the sleevenotes on him!) and the glamorous Carol Connors, while both sides of Steve Flanagan’s Stafford monster I ve Arrived sound great alongside Melvin Boyd’s killer version of Exit Loneliness, Enter Love. Let’s throw in a previously uncharted Brenda Holloway duet by the Lovemates and Kent think you’ve got a deal…
1. Billy Watkins – The Ice-Man (02:27)
2. Othello Robertson – So In Luv (01:57)
3. Steve Flanagan – I’ve Arrived (02:25)
4. Bruce Cloud – Meet Me At Midnight (02:40)
5. The Turn Arounds – Ain’t Nothin’ Shakin’ (02:26)
6. Jimmy Lewis – What Can I Do Now (02:32)
7. Melvin Boyd – Exit Loneliness, Enter Love (02:47)
8. Bruce Cloud – My Book (02:21)
9. Carol Connors – I Wanna Know (02:08)
10. The Lovemates – Boomerang (02:35)
11. Vince Howard – The Blue Shadow (02:21)
12. Tommy Mosley – Echoes in the Night (02:31)
13. The Soul-Mates – I Get A Feeling (02:21)
14. The Turn Arounds – Run Away and Hide (02:15)
15. Steve Flanagan – I Need To Be Loved So Bad (02:34)
16. Jesse Davis – Gonna Hang On In There Girl (02:38)
17. Jewel Akens – Your Good Lovin’ (02:23)
18. Billy Watkins – Dance With Me (02:21)
19. The Elites – Sir Galahad (02:14)
20. Bernie Byrd – A Slice of the Pie (02:23)
21. The Composers – You and Yours (02:22)
22. Brenda Holloway & The Carrolls – I Ain’t Gonna Take You Back (01:55)
23. Vince Howard – Stand There Mountain (02:29)
24. Othello Robertson – Come On Home (02:55)