12.24.2006
Hot Potato / Red Pepper (Shhh Pt 2)
Rinkydinks Hot Potato (Part 1) 45 (Enjoy, 1963)
Roosevelt Fountain & the Pens of Rhythm Red Pepper I 45 (Prince-Adams, 1962)
Two more instrumentals, this time from the Dawn of Funk. Both of these cuts show the just where instrumental R&B was before James Brown was to the break the shit open with his string of seminal funk 45s.
First off we have the Rinkydinks. Rumored to be King Curtis's group under a different name, the Rinkydinks might also be the Ramrods, whose first single on Rampage, Soul Train Pt 1 & 2, is pretty much the same song as Hot Potato. Later Ramrod singles sound way more funky than this but that doesn't mean the above isn't by the same band. Because musicians were paid so little for recording, they often did records under different names both for the label that they were signed to and for other labels. In the later case, they kept their name a secret in order to avoid breaking the contract with the label they were signed to. Labels also turned out the same song under different band names and song titles, often creating new label names for old songs. One of the most notorious examples of the recycled song is Cliff Nobles hit, Boogaloo Down Broadway, which was put out at under at least 5 different titles or artists, a couple on which the vocals were wiped clean, and most of them on the great Phil LA of Soul label.
The most excellently named Roosevelt Fountain & the Pens of Rhythm were from Detroit and rather than retell the story, I will be lazy and refer you to here. As with the case of the Rinkydinks, Roosevelt Fountain was a name created by the label and the band's members were always in flux. On a personal note, Red Pepper is one of my favorite R&B instrumentals for a couple of reasons. First is that it is great. No need to explain why as you can listen yourself. Second, is that it was the first obscure R&B record I ever found and thus ignited in me a fierce 45 digging bug. If you like this blog, Roosevelt Fountain is partially to blame.
# posted by Scott Soriano : 12:30
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Sorry, I can't blame 60's Detroit for anything except losing in the Stanley Cup finals.
Cheers!
Cheers!
# posted by 
: 13:17
: 13:17
I have both of these recs. The Roosevelt Fountain is "ok." It's pretty sub-vegas grind (tons of vegas grind songs are r&b intros) but worth owning for a couple dollars. Garnell Cooper and the Kinsfolk (especially the one on Jubilee) is a far better example of this type of r&b instro. The Rinkydinks is pretty killer raw go-go stuff that could have easily been a white group, of course, alot of these recs are almost undestinguishable as far as what color the band could have been. Dig the ealry 60's East LA scene for proof.
# posted by : 11:36
: 11:36
You ever hear Broadneck? He's got a couple songs on this compilation CD I got called The Birmingham Sound: the Soul of Neal Hemphill and they're about the only things worth having the CD for. Amazing fuzz-laden, 'verbed out floor stompers. Have yet to look for the 45s though...
# posted by : 19:15
: 19:15
I like both of these, but I'm wondering....the song listed as Red Pepper has one of the band members uttering a line that includes the word 'potato' towards the end. Is this song actually Hot Potato? Just curious. Great blog, by the way.
Best....
Best....
# posted by : 20:56
: 20:56
The Rinkydinks 45 IS The King Curtis Band, and is the exact same recording that was on Rampage, except the Rampage single wasn't released until 1972!!
# posted by : 20:39
: 20:39
crudx2,
Can find no way to contact ya'....perhaps this then ?
you're about the only result i could google-up for "Mother Is",---from ki di me____ if i could possibly upgrade from the mono-tape of MY spinning it on WRPR in `82, i'd be thrilled and happy to "buy stuff" or trade or ______ , let's see if this goes thru !
---= Dave
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Can find no way to contact ya'....perhaps this then ?
you're about the only result i could google-up for "Mother Is",---from ki di me____ if i could possibly upgrade from the mono-tape of MY spinning it on WRPR in `82, i'd be thrilled and happy to "buy stuff" or trade or ______ , let's see if this goes thru !
---= Dave
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