🥁 Nabay – Believe It Or Not…

(EX) £50

https://youtu.be/ENUS8AZDXfQ?si=Pn9qHzW0TQLZ2YLb

🥁 Doris Troy – Just One Look, in just one take…

Doris Troy – Quick facts

Doris Elaine Higginson was born January 6th 1937 in The Bronx, NYC.

Working as a 16 year old usherette at the Apollo theatre, she was discovered by James Brown.

She earned $100 for writing the song How About That recorded by Dee Clark.

Writing under the name Doris Payne, her only USA hit Just One Look was recorded in only 10 minutes as a demo. The producers at Atlantic liked it and decided to release the record with no re-recording or alteration. Just One Look was a hit in the US and UK spending 14 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100.

An excellent backing singer working with the likes of Solomon Burke, The Drifters, Dionne Warwick and others. She moved to London in 1969 signing with Apple Records where she recorded her own album and collaborated with The Beatles, Eric Clapton and The Rolling Stones.

No stranger to live shows, she appeared at Ronnie Scotts and perhaps as notably The Torch in 1972. Anyone lucky enough to be at The California Ballroom in Dunstable on 12th February with the enormous sum of 70 pence got a great show.

In 1974 Doris moved back to the USA where she continued to play mainly casinos and night clubs. She died of emphysema on February 16, 2004, at the age of 67 in Las Vegas.

Did you know?

The stage musical Mama I Want To Sing is based on the life of Doris Troy.

Following a long run (more than 1500 performances) in New York, the show travelled to Japan (twice), Switzerland, Germany and Italy before a long run in The West End of London with Chaka Khan playing the role of her aunt.

The movie is available on DVD or streaming on the internet.

The following records are available:

🥁 Al Green – Tired Of Being Alone…

Al Green – quick facts

Albert Leonores Greene was born April 13, 1946. One of ten children he began performing aged ten.

Kicked out of the family home after his father caught him listening to Jackie Wilson. He went to live with a prostitute and began using and dealing in drugs.

Inspired by Wilson Pickett and Elvis Presley, he recorded dozens of records and eight of those went gold. The first was Tired Of Being Alone.

Back Up Train was an R&B hit for Al Greene & The Soul Mates in 1968. The action side for many of us though was the flip Don’t Leave Me. After a fallow period recording on Hot Line he moved to Willie Mitchell’s Hi Records.

The following records are all available now:

Click to play

🥁 The Steinways – My Heart’s Not In It Anymore…

The Steinways – quick facts

Formed in the mid fifties, they were originally an all male group known as The Laddins.

With Frankie Gearing joining the line up, they became The Steinways and their first recording on Oliver was My Heart’s Not In It Anymore. That record went on to become a Wigan ‘monster’ and latterly the flip side You’ve Been Leading Me On became popular.

Gearing left the group to form The Glories and their I Worship You Baby is evergreen.

Here we have a lovely original issue in a solid VG+ condition and a very tiny biro mark on the A side. Offered for £175 including postage anywhere.

The Glories – I Worship You Baby (EX+) £25

🥁 Garnet Mimms – A big voice…

Garnet Mimms – quick facts

Born 16th November, 1933 in West Virginia USA. Married to Delores, they have one daughter. At age 90 he became a born again christian in the 1980’s and today he ministers prisoners.

A big voice, he has always been popular on the Northern Soul scene and similar in style to Roy Hamilton.

Like many of his counterparts, Garnet Mimms started singing in church choirs and local gospel groups. He formed two groups in the late fifties, The Deltones and The Gainers but with no chart success, he left to form Garnet Mimms and The Enchanters with Charles Boyer and Zola Pearnell. He moved to New York in 1963 and signed with United Artists.

His first hit record was Cry Baby written by Bert Berns and Jerry Ragavoy. Reaching No’1 on the R&B chart and No’4 on the Billboard Hot 100, it was a million seller gold disc award. Janis Joplin recorded it in 1970 and it was released posthumously following her death in October 4th 1970. The record is being used in the current Miss Dior TV advertising campaign Miss Dior.