We Came Up Tough

Henry Stone's Miami Sound - The Record Man's Finest 45s

There Must Be a Better Way

Tell Me That You Love Me

Tell Me That You Love Me - Jonny Benavidez with Cold Diamond & Mink

Rose Gold

In the mid 1960s, one of Missouri's premiere soul and funk outfits debuted under the name, Fabulous Elites. This 11-piece group first recorded at the legendary Damon studios and included the four Bedell brothers who would later help form the Kansas City Express. In a predominately white area where country music was the radio standard, the Kansas City Express literally broke the mold. While only one member hailed from Kansas City, the group stuck with its name, taking Springfield and the surrounding area by storm. This single, recorded at American Artists Studios, was the band's first and only 45. It became a local hit in the Springfield area. Their showmanship even caught the eye of a local friend who had ties to Stax records. The legendary Memphis-based label signed the Express, but the relationship was not to be. In an unfortunate twist of fate, Stax disbanded just four months after the Express became one of the last groups it ever signed.

The Kansas City Express is: Joe Bedell (guitar player), Larry Bedell (Keyboard), Ernie Bedell (Bass), Deloris Bedell (vocalist), Bert Coker (percussion), Richard Allen (drums), Danny Adams (sax), Ron Thomas (trumpet)

This Is The Place

Kansas City Express -  This Is The Place

Jason Joshua & The Beholders - Rose Gold

This Love

Should I Take You Home

Since exploding onto the scene with his debut 45, “Rosegold” and it’s anthemic follow-up, “I Don’t Care," Jason Joshua has built a dedicated following for his distinctive latin-soul sound and his notoriously titillating live performances. Following a string of homegrown Miami recordings with the Beholders on his own Mango Hill Records, Jason hopped the plane to Riverside to gather the Penrose Scholars for a session with his friend Bosco Mann, where he was eager to prove that just like a record, there’s more than one side to a man: “Language of Love” finds an ebullient Jayjo bubbling over an uptempo, guiro-laced latin-soul groove, while on the flip, “La Vida es Fría” slows to a dark crawl over which his Bataan-esque bilingual croons of cold-world sadness intertwine with mournful violins. But there is a glimmer of hope in the end as he enjoins us, We can work it out / If you know what I’m talking about...

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Fria b/w Language Of Love

Jason Joshua - Language Of Love

It’s about time someone put this cut on a 45!  As one of the most popular groups on today’s So-Cal soul scene, Thee Sinseers need little introduction. Their performance of “Seems Like” live at the Recordium went viral to the tune of over a million views, making them thee in-demand group for souldies parties up and down the coast. I heard they even played one party where the crowd wouldn’t let them leave the stage before playing “Seems Like” for the third time. When asked what song they wanted to cut for their Penrose session, singer, songwriter, and man-who-can-play-any-instrument, Joey Quiñones didn’t hesitate to answer, “We need a proper recording of that song.” And so it was done. In the candle-lit studio, the band delivered unto us a starkly intimate rendition, stripping the tune down to its underthings, and laying bare Joe Q’s euphonious exhortations.

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Seems Like b/w Seems Like (Instrumental)

Thee Sinseers - Seems Like

Though Bryan Ponce and Adriana Flores share the stage with Joey Q as part of the East LA souldies outfit Thee Sinseers, they really step into the spotlight with The Altons, a group they themselves founded along with drummer Caitlin Moss and bassist Gabriel Maldonado . On this their debut single on Penrose, Bryan sings the lead with a smoky-sweet falsetto that bends tenderly from growl to howl and back again. The group takes a turn through a classic Miracles-style mid-tempo groove on the A-side, leaving you helplessly addicted to their sweet eponymous refrain, When you go that’s when you’ll know…

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Penrose Records Vol. 1

The Altons - When You Go (Thats When You'll Know)

Kansas City Express - This Is The Place

Fraser Sweeney

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