Johnny Adams - Reconsider Me (SSS International 770)

nice blog, rr - al kooper http://alkooper.com

Johnny Adams - Reconsider Me (SSS International 770)

Reconsider Me

Old postcard

Jerry: What was the early Rock and Roll scene like in Dothan?

Robert: As far as I know the entire Rock & Roll scene in Dothan centered around John Rainey Adkins house on West Main Street. In '58 and '59, that's where it was happening. If the Adkins had a TV set, they didn't turn it on very much. Every evening you could hear music coming out of that house. My grandmother lived on Jeff Street across Porter's Woods from John Rainey's house. My grandfather died on Halloween day of '59 and I moved in with my grandmother to keep her company. She spoiled me rotten so I always had money to go to Northcutt's Drug Store where there was a soda fountain and a comic book rack. It was located just across the gully from John Rainey's house so I made it a habit of kind of playing peeping tom in the Adkins front yard so I could hear the music. At Dothan High, John Rainey, Buddy Buie, Bobby Goldsboro, Amos Tindall, Gerald Hall and Dave Robinson had gotten together and formed Dothan's first rock band, The WEBS.

There were other places that could have had rock music but I was too young to know about it. Napier Field had been an air base during World War II so we had a string of dead end clubs out toward Grimes and some more toward Ft. Rucker in Wicksburg. All the guys in the Webs knew what was happening out there and I'm sure some of those musicians inspired the WEBS.

Robert Register just finished watching DHS Class of '68's Jimmy "Joe Willie" Parkman's outstanding performance tonight on MSNBC's AMERICAN GREED. He deserves an Emmy!
http://www.cnbc.com/id/27087295

Robert Register

wishes he could have been in Madison Square Garden Thurs. night to see
Jerry Lee Lewis kick off the 25th anniversary Rock and Roll Hall of
Fame concert with a solo rendition of "Great Balls of Fire."
Afterwards, just for good measure, The Killer knocked over his piano
bench. I'll bet his daughter, Phoebe, su...re was proud. Phoebe is still
at the top of my list because she got us tickets to sit right up front
with her family at Jerry Lee's concert in Philadelphia back in Feb. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bB5xL577r4

Robert Register

was surprised today when he saw that Dothan Magazine has a new
publisher. Glad to see that Charmin' Sharman & Kerry are still
along for the ride. Blew me away that the magazine had the feature on
Playground's new release of Georgia Pines. I know Jim Lancaster
appreciates that. Hey, Jim! Let's meet up in ...Dothan on some Monday
& I'll take care of you as you hit all the media.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QccOFqA9XPA

Robert Register

plans on spending a frightening Halloween partying Saturday night in
the cellar of the Demopolis Hotel with Archie, Paula & friends.
I've been in the closed section of the hotel before & let me assure
you that architectual time capsule located on the square was made for
an Alice Cooper music video. Hopefully, ...I'll recover in the morning
enough to make it back to Northport for the UA Culture Fest on Sunday. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMAo0m4E4Lc

ROBERT NIX'S JUNE 29th,2006 PRAYER

DEAR FATHER GOD,
I HUMBLY ASK YOU TO INTERCEDE AND HEAL A GOOD FRIEND, DAWN
BAILEY. A SWEET, AND BEAUTIFUL LADY THAT I HAVE ALWAYS HELD THE MOST RESPECT AND REVERENCE FOR.

THE WIFE AND LIFE-LONG SOUL MATE OF MY VERY GIFTED FRIEND,BARRY BAILEY. SHE HAS NEVER HAD A NEGATIVE OR DEMEANING VIBE AROUND HER.

DEAR FATHER GOD
I HUMBLY ASK YOU TO TOUCH AND HEAL OUR GOOD BROTHER MIKE CLARK. HE IS
A TALENTED MAN AND DESERVES YOUR GRACIOUS ATTENTION.

BOTH OF THESE DEAR FRIENDS
HAVE DONE GOOD WORKS ON THIS EARTH.
PLEASE DEAR FATHER HEAR MY PRAYER AND BLESS
THEM WITH YOUR MERCIFUL WILL. HELP US ALL TO UNDERSTAND WHAT YOUR WILL IS.
IN JESUS' PRECIOUS NAME,
I ASK THESE THINGS,

AMEN...................................ROBERT NIX

Robert Register

Robertoreg sure enjoying learning more about Troy & B'ham's Pinetop Smith http://www.redhotjazz.com/pinetopsmith.html
The Downtown Group wants to put him up on the next mural but there are
no known images of Pinetop Smith. Maybe they could paint his hands @
the piano inside a T.O.B.A. theater or they could paint one... of his
record labels or find some of his kinfolks & let them model. They
say he was the first vocalist to direct "the girl with the red dress
on" or tell the audience to "mess around" or "shake that thing". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZgS03Md3mQ

ROBERT YOU DON'T KNOW ME.I CAME ACROSS A BLOG OF YOURS ABOUT THE
DEATH OF TOPPER PRICE.I HUNG OUT WITH TOPPER IN THE LATE SIXTIES.WE DID
PARTY IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.SORRY TO HEAR THIS.HELL OF A BLUES
PLAYER.I LEFT ALA
in THE EARLY SEVENTYS MOVED TO HOUSTON TX.I AM A
VIETNAM VET A DYING BREED.I HUNG OUT WITH HAROLD FLOYD, RAT CONNELL
WICK LARSON AND EVEN JIMMY HALL. WHILE LIVING IN ALA. I LOST TOUCH WITH
RAT .
I SAW HAROLD IN HOUSTON IN 97.HEAR WICK PASSED TOO.DO YOU KNOW RAT
MIKE CONNELL .I WOULD LOVE TO MAKE CONTACT WITH HIM.I HEAD TO
GALVESTON TX. FOR THE LONE STAR RALLY TOMORROW.LEON RUSSLE JONNY
WINTER LYNARD SKINNER SOME SHOW.THANKS LET ME KNOW I GO BY
GILLY
GILBERT MITCHELL

I will use this blog to explore the connections between West Florida and Zero.

Saturday, May 19, 2007

image courtesy of www.thesmokintoasters.com
www.myspace.com/thesmokintoasters

http://youtube.com/watch?v=xzRjFi3z_7g
Topper Price on stage @ Scott Boyer Benefit

http://youtube.com/watch?v=tMDOPQLV-fw
Over 4 minutes of Topper @ Sloss Furnace

http://www.alabamablues.org/topper.htm

Hey Roberto,
just learned that Topper Price has just died in B'ham.
thought you'd want to include it in your blog -

http://www.al.com/entertainment/birminghamnews/index.ssf?/base/entertainment/117947670541900.xml&coll=2


http://www.alabamablues.org/topper.htm

~Igor

"Topper died last night early in the evening, about 8 or
9. Overdose. RIP... He's to be buried in Mobile where
his daughter and father (only living relatives)
live but I hear there's to be a benefit here
to help with the burial costs.
He had no assets or insurances."

TOPPER PRICE
Harp player and vocalist Topper Price has played with Dickie Betts of The Allman Brothers Band and continues to make guest appearances with artists such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Albert Collins, and The Band, as well as countless regional acts like the Subdudes, The Radiators, and most recently Brother Cane. For more than 20 years, Topper has performed in bands like Cowboy, The Convertibles and others. Topper currently performs with his band the Upsetters at venues and festivals across the southeast, such as the Howlin’ Wolf Blues Festival in West Point, Mississippi.



This term "flock of gnats" really captured my imagination because I used to use it with Topper Price ever time I'd see him.

Man, I hugged his neck at the Crawfish Festival last month.

I used to tell him, "Topper,you walk in a room,
you got so many GODDAMN guardian angels around you
it looks like a flock of gnats!"

Sunday, May 13, 2007

ROBERT,
IT APPEARS THAT I'M HITTING ON AT LEAST A COUPLE OF CYLINDERS!!
MAGIC ALEX HAD A WORKSHOP(GUITAR SCIENCE LAB) OFF PICCADILLY SOME PLACE. JIMMY PAGE TOOK US THERE AND PAGE ALSO GAVE ORBISON A BUNCH OF HOTROD PARTS FOR A VINTAGE STRATOCASTER HE HAD.
KEEP THE BABY FAITH,
RENEGADE ROBERT NIX

Robert:
It appears that Nix does actually have some memory cells left.
He's right.
Jimmy Page gave John Rainey his personal "Tone Bender" the precurser to all of the Fuzz Boxes.
In an article about the Candymen in the New York Times the writer mentioned how we used no special equipment other than the aforementioned ToneBender.

Now let's see how I'm holdin' up.

I believe that it was invented/conceived by the guy that The Beatles invested in who was going to make all of this new electrical equipment
Magic Alex?
We did in fact also have the first Marshall Amps in the US, given to us when Jim Marshall was still making them in his garage.
If we were so cool,why weren't we more successful?
BTW you're too funny Al, and the book was a masterpiece.
I'd like to write one as well ,but it wouldn't be as interesting, and I'd hate for my kids to read it.
RODNEY [Justo]

SPRINGTIME by Pierre Auguste Cot
image courtesy of http://www.myspace.com/doolydee


SEASONS PENTACLE
image courtesy of http://www.myspace.com/doolydee


image courtesy of http://www.amazon.com/Looking-Up-At-Down-Pb/dp/0877227225

"Yeah, they gone but when they here
they make it worth it to live here.
Most days we got it better than Panama City."

When I got back to the crib wid the groceries, I found my Topper Price business card.
It sez:

Topper Price
Artist

some music notes graphic

Harmonica
Vocals

Topper Price
& The Upsetters

I called the number at the bottom of the card and his fiance Kelly answered the phone.
I asked about the open mic night at the Nick on Tuesday and she said a bunch of clubs in
B'ham are doing that but she wouldn't be there.

I said,"Well, Topper loved the Nick at Happy Hour."

"Yes, he did," she replied. We had a wonderful conversation and folks, Kelly needs to be in our prayers right now.

I fried some shrimp.
ManZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ,
I fryzzzzzzzzzzzzz the bestest skrimpfish dat exisk in dah whole damn world.
Butterfly some 21/30s,
soak 'em in some balsamic vinagrette & lemon juice then pour that out and sprinkle a little Paul
Prudhomme redfish magic & garlic powder on 'em and soak 'em in buttermilk then dredge em in crushed saltines and Fish Fry.

Fry 'em up!

I laid around watching TV and napping until 'bout 5.
Gotta a nice phone call from California and then I set off to maybe do some fishing.

LBH~
Please go to this for me & think about writing me a report.

You are invited to ...

Doug Sahm Celebration

When:
Friday, November 06, 2009
8:00 PM to 2:00 AM CST

Where:
Antone's
6th Street
Austin, Tx 78704

Johnny Adams - Reconsider Me (SSS International 770)

Hey y'all~
Tim McGraw PUT Apalach on the map in 2009!!!!
This song called SOUTHERN VOICE by Dipiero http://www.bobdipiero.com/news.html
& Douglas will become our new anthem.
http://www.cmt.com/videos/tim-mcgraw/437639/southern-voice.jhtml?id=1622758

From Red Kelly's blog http://redkelly2.blogspot.com/

Another very cool Thomas, McCree, Thomas number, the vocalist on here, everybody seems to agree (except Huey Meaux, who says he never heard of him), is a guy named Big Ben Atkins.
http://www.myspace.com/classof65band
Atkins came up out of Vernon, Alabama (the same town that gave us Dan Penn), leading a college circuit band called The Nomads, mining the same territory as Penn's Pallbearers. He cut his first single at Fame, a double sider of Penn/Oldham tunes that was actually produced by Dan, and released on original American Sound partner Seymour Rosenberg's Youngstown label in Memphis.

Singles on Statue and Goldwax would follow, before he wound up at Grits n' Gravy. It certainly seems odd that Atlantic would agree to put out a record on a guy with an established 'name' out there on the street under a different moniker, especially seeing as how there were in reality two different Andy Chapmans on the same record. Like Tommy Tate said, this was also probably cut as a demo, and shopped out to Wexler who remained unaware of the ruse. I wonder what Huey would have done if it was a hit?

Quinton Claunch leased a couple more 45s to Josie, before Ben was picked up by Stax, who released the critically acclaimed Patchouli LP on their Enterprise subsidiary in 1971. Produced by Bobby Manuel and Duck Dunn, it was cut at Muscle Shoals Sound, and broke into the top 100 on the Billboard album chart that year. Like most white guys singing R&B in the late seventies, however, he ended up getting lumped in with the 'Country' guys (just like our friend Len Wade), and his biggest hit would come on the Country charts with We Don't Live Here, We Just Love Here in 1978.

Ben Atkins cut an LP per decade in the eighties and nineties, and is still around. According to his website, he is now performing as a founding member of The Class of '65, "...a complete show and dance band with a rhythm section, four piece horn section, light show, and female background and lead vocalists." His early material routinely fetches big bucks on eBay, and his own hard driving brand of 'blue eyed soul' still holds up today, as evidenced by this rockin' side that Huey Meaux produced on him over forty years ago (even if Huey doesn't remember it).

You can't make this stuff up. posted by Red Kelly at 9:11 AM

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Johnny Adams - Reconsider Me (SSS International 770)

Reconsider Me

SHELBY S. SINGLETON, JR.
1931-2009

Shelby S. Singleton, Jr. passed away this afternoon, a victim of the agressive cancer that had spread throughout his body. An absolute giant of the music industry, he never forgot where he came from.

From his work with folks like Brook Benton and Dinah Washington at Mercury, to the initiation of the big company's Smash subsidiary in 1961 (when Huey Meaux brought him Joe Barry's I'm A Fool To Care), to his own Plantation and SSS International labels (along with its own various subsidiaries like Silver Fox and Minaret), this was a man who knew a good record when he heard it.

One of the original, seat-of-the-pants 'record men', he told John Broven; "A good promotion man was one that could stay up for two or three days, could outdrink everybody, still be up when they were all on the floor, and could outeat everybody. Just complete workhorses, that's what we all were."

Singleton's Louisiana and East Texas roots ran deep. He was the guy who broke records like Sea Of Love, Hey Paula, Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, Chantilly Lace, Running Bear, and on and on in those early days. He had a knack for listening to what the local disk jockeys and juke box operators had to say, and taking it nationwide. Just as with Huey Meaux (who brokenheartedly described him to me this afternoon as 'more than a brother'), Shelby was lifelong friends with Henry Hildebrand, Jr (pictured above), who ran one of the largest record distributors in New Orleans, All South.

It was Hildebrand who turned him on to the work that Wardell Quezergue was doing on his own Watch label with Johnny Adams. When Shelby started up SSS International, he leased Johnny's cover of Release Me from Watch, and took it into the R&B top forty in early 1969. Genuinely impressed with Johnny's unmatched vocal talent, Singleton pulled out all the stops and brought him to Music Row to record this fantastic record we have here today. Written by his old friends from the Louisiana Hayride days in Shreveport, Mira Smith and Margaret Lewis, Shelby's production helped make this Johnny's biggest hit, and one of the all-time great 'Black Country' records.

As we've discussed in the past, when Singleton's Plantation release of Harper Valley P.T.A. became an absolute phenomenon in late 1968, it paved the way for his purchase of Sun Records from Sam Phillips the following year. Shortly after that, he bought up the Blue Cat and Red Bird masters from George Goldner, and continued in that vein, building up an incredible catalogue of great music that he was able to sell and resell over the years. An astute businessman, he presided over his Sun Entertainment Corporation right to the end.

Well loved by all who knew him, Shelby S. Singleton's incalculable contributions to American popular music will live on forever.

May He Rest In Peace.

started thinking about Halloweens past tonight & realized that this Saturday is the 50th anniversary of my Grandpa Register's death. He was a conductor on an ACL train called The Judy that went to Bainbridge & Chattahoochee. Seeing Grandpa in the casket was the only time I ever saw my Daddy cry but after that was over Daddy took me on the Insider's Tour of Johnson Funeral Home on North Foster. Talkin' 'bout HALLOWEEN! He showed me where his gang stacked wooden formaldehyde crates up so they could climb up & look into the embalming room whenever somebody important was being prepared.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DksGi7B5Bd

Sunday, October 25, 2009

spent all afternoon rockin' down @ Little Willies with the Alabama Blues Project Blues Party. The bar was closed ( got no hassles for bringing my miniatures) so the kids could attend and perform. Great vibes with superb art on display. What a wonderful way to raise money for a worthy cause~ The Alabama Blues Project: Bringin' The Blues To The Young & The Young @ Heart!
http://www.youtube.com/user/cara4lynn#p/a/u/0/TxwDHwrz4sg

came up with this little joke tonight,"Who was more afraid, other than the Tuscaloosa Police Department, that Bama was gonna lose the game today?" Answer~"The restaurant owners!"
Had a lot of fun wid dah Big Orange. Ended up in a lawn chair in Mayor Mark's front yard & then hooked up wid Mort & Mary @ the southeast corner of The Houndstooth(my favorite perch!)
"WE GOT IT BY THE SKIN OF OUR TEETH!!!!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPFk0X1p2fs

knows that THE Pink Room in the County Jail is SRO tonight! They gotta be packed in there like sardines!When folks beeze uncontrollably sliding into OBLIVION, Stay Outta Dah Way! This town got CRUNK BUCK BAD AS# WILD tonight! Saw Frodo. He turned 21 @ midnight. Hope he don't think all that stuff he saw happens every night down at the pub. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wD9mCp8SifM

can't understand why the "Bloomer Incident" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Bloomer_(1856) @ Geneva was left out of the book Pensacola During The Civil War. A Yankee invasion of South Alabama in December of 1862 seems like a pretty important subject to me. I just found out tonight that The Bloomer was engaged in the destruction of 380 different salt works & the town of St. Andrews in December of 1863. There are some great links on the Web. http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Bridge/4684/raid.htm

found an article tonight containing images of letters mailed with Confederate postage to Mail Route 1538 which was between Marianna and Campbellton. According to documents in the National Archives, my G-Great Grandfather, John Young Register of Geneva, had the contract to deliver the mail along this route in 1861. This was the road that the Yankees took before the Battle of Marianna.
http://www.jlkstamps.com/csa/archives/beau.htm

went out to the UA tonight to see what was going on with this May of 1970 Performance related to the production of the musical HAIR by the Theater Dept. I'm in there @ the reception showing off some of my stuff & out of the corner of my eye I notice some Academic Sh*t Head just picked up my copy of the Thursday, May 7, 1970 Tuscaloosa News & start snapping it around like he bought it this afternoon. I called him on it & he acted like I hadn't said a thing. I told him,"Put it back where you found it or you're gonna get in trouble." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6tV11acSRk

bought a little book @ the Ft. Pickens' Gift Shop Thurs. that charged me to fulfill my destiny. The book by George F. Pearce is called PENSACOLA DURING THE CIVIL WAR~ A Thorn in the Side of the Confederacy. If the Good Lord lets me, I'm gonna write a story about how the U.S. building Ellicott's Mound #381 in Houston County in Aug. 1799 ABSOLUTELY started all the Seminole Wars which lasted all the way up to the Civil War. The other story I wanna write is about MY PEOPLE during the Civil War.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMHyovwX7JM