Jackie Wilson, Gladys Knight, Erma Franklin, Nina Simone, Aretha Franklin, Jerry Butler, Esther Phillips, Irma Thomas, Chuck Jackson… This guy wrote Giving Up, the Donny Hathaway masterpiece, for crying out loud.

An early associate of Ray Charles and Ike Turner, Alan Merry ran his YoDi, Gateway and Merry labels like a kind of community youth project, in tough, late-sixties East St. Louis, Illinois.

Another knockout diggers’ selection of sweet, stately soul music; heavy on the hurt and harmony, just like its predecessor.
Both volumes are stuffed with killlers, and hotly recommended.
Terrific.

Guaranteed to put a beam on your bean and a glide in your stride, the DVD here compiles moments from a local 1982 TV show, broadcast live from a club called The CopHerBox. It’s pleasurable enough just watching people get down so naturally, in a real-life club… but you also get ventriloquists, contortionists, body-builders, impersonators, ‘the full-figured ladies fashion show’, comedy sketches, android group-dancing to techno, rubber chickens… and bands like Universal Togetherness miming to their latest records. There’s also a mini-documentary, complete with Phil Cohran section; and twenty-three full musical performances. (Finally the Dingwalls posse gets a glimpse of Luba Raushiek in action.)
The CD and vinyls are culled from a trove of self-released 45s and small-time twelves; a die-cut cathode-ray jacket and six in-package stills are your tickets and souvenirs.
Great fun.

Look out for Wayne McGhie, Jackie Mittoo and Johnny Osbourne passing through from Studio One. Also Alton Ellis’ son, Noel, and numerous local one-aways. Lovingly researched.

Three hours from the legendary Festival — Rance Allen, The Emotions, The Temprees, The Soul Children, Isaac Hayes, Richard Pryor, The Staples Singers, The Bar-Kays, Rufus Thomas and the rest.

‘Three fabulous gems from the Cameo-Parkway catalogue ensure another winner: The Orlons’ I Ain’t Coming Back, I Love Him So by Nikki Blu, and Comin’ Home Baby by Dee Dee Sharp.’ Loads more lovely stuff.