Unlike most of the singers that worked in James Brown’s legendary soul
revue in the 1960s, Hank Ballard (real name John Henry Kendricks)
already had a proven track record when it came to hit singles. Back in
the early ’50s, Ballard and his band The Midnighters (formerly The
Royals) scored two US R&B chart toppers for Sid Nathan’s Federal
label in the shape of ‘Work With Me Annie’ and ‘Annie Had A Baby.’
Ballard, in fact, was also responsible for penning the dance craze tune,
‘The Twist,’ which Chubby Checker turned into a global smash in 1960.
However, when Ballard’s fortunes began to ebb from 1962 onwards When the
Midnighters split in ’65, it was his King label mate and friend, James
Brown, who tried to resurrect the Detroit born singer’s career with the
socio-political-themed single ‘How You Gonna Get Respect (When You
Haven’t Cut Your Process Yet)’ in 1968. Sure enough, Brown’s magic touch
paid off and the 45 which featured the Cincinnati group, The Dapps,
and used virtually the same backing track to ‘Licking Stick,’ a chart
hit for the Godfather only a few months earlier thet dented the R&B Top
20. This excellent 18 track compilation opens with the above
mentioned 45 and features the complete ‘You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down’
LP that Ballard recorded for King in 1968 under the influence of the
Godfather. The album’s almost impossible to find now, so hats off to
Soul Brother for putting it back on the shelves again. As well as
Ballard’s original King LP, the highlights of which include a version
of ‘Unwind Yourself,’ previously recorded by Marva Whitney, and ‘Funky
Soul Train’ – you’ll also find six non-album bonus cuts. Among them is
the funky gem, ‘Butter Your Popcorn,’ and ‘Blackenized,’ a Brown-penned
slice of black power rhetoric riding on a funky, flute-laced groove.
Ballard’s funk-infused revamp of his ’50s hit, ‘Annie Had A Baby’ –
released on JB’s People label – is also included, along with the
fiercely funky ‘Finger Poppin’ Time’ and the popular rare groove, ‘From
The Love Side,’ which steals the backing track to Marva Whitney’s ‘I
Made A Mistake Because It’s Only You.’ Needless to say, this is an
essential album for both funk fanatics and aficionados of James Brown
productions..fantastic!..I love this guy i rate as good as JB for raw funk..The last 2 taster,s shows the soul of the man!
AMM
Courtesy Of Kenji...Thank You!
The Tasters!
21 comments:
The last two tasters sound great, thanks for the review Kenji and AMM
He's a good one ... Thanks for review, P.
Going off the tasters very much influenced by JB , thanks Kenji.
This looks like a funky soul train! 😁
Thanks, Kenji & AMM!
Really good one
Thanks Kenji for a top-notch review today
Thanks, Kenji and AMM. Nice collaboration! Another great review!
Fine Review, Thanks!
thanks for this review Kenji and AMM
Anything with JB's touch on it has gotta be good!
Many thanks Kenji & AMM for this one.
BigD
thanks for this too
Kenji and AMM many thanks
Thanks for the review AMM
The bonus tracks on the CD are new to me, looking forward to this review. Thanks
Thank you kindly my friend for the review
Thanks Kenji and AMM for the review.
Sweet! :D Thx Kenji and AMM ✌🏻🌍☮️
Thank you for a fine collaboration of Kenji and AMM. The review is excellent and the tasters are inviting. Thank you AMM.
Thanks for review
thanks Kenji and AMM for this JB flavoured review.
Big thanks to Kenji and AMM for this great set from Hank one of the great early trend setters of funk/soul
Cheers Pedro
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