The Peerless Four - Complete [Disc 2]

The Peerless Four - I Don't Know What Tomorrow May Bring

The Peerless Four - Save a Seat

I heard about the existence of this acetate long before I heard it. The rumored duet between Soul chanteuse Bettye Swann and Bakersfield Country pioneer Buck Owens was the stuff of legend. Supposedly scheduled for release on Capitol, but shelved because of the “racial element”, only a few acetates squeaked out. This is one of them. It is as good as you think it’s going to be. A beautiful, electric piano led version of the Merle Haggard classic “Today I Started Loving You Again” with Bettye and Buck harmonizing perfectly over the top. No horns, no strings, no background vocals, no sweetening, just Bettye, Buck and the band. Complete with Capitol producer Wayne Shuler’s notes on the sleeve, this single-sided acetate epitomizes what I love about 45s, Soul music, and honestly, maybe even music in general.

Eli Husock's Album

Bettye Swann & Buck Owens - Today I Started Loving You Again (Unreleased Acetate)

Bro. Kirk Gorden, Thomas Stevenson, & Charles Gordon on the Full Gospel O’Bear’s Special label out of Baton Rouge. This label was almost certainly the imprint of Bishop Louis "Black" O'Bear (~1936-2011), who sings lead on the other side of this 45. The low volume & battered vinyl can’t disguise the full-hearted spirit this group gave to their music. I would love to learn more about the artists & label, if anyone has information to share.

Posted here as part of a retrospective on Rev. Charlie Jackson, which includes previously unpublished interviews, images, photos, audio, & video. See: http://50milesofelbowroom.com/articles/576-reverend-charlie-jackson.html

Full Gospel O'Bear's Special ov-861-1

Bro. Kirk Gorden: Jesus So Wonderful (Full Gospel O'Bear's Special)

Eli “Paperboy” Reed is a survivor. He’s been making Soul-inspired music since before it was cool and tearing up stages all over the world with his heart-stopping falsetto screams for close to a decade. From humble beginnings outside of Boston, at 18 Reed moved to Clarksdale, Mississippi and cut his teeth playing in juke joints all over the Delta. From there he took the well-trod path to Chicago where he spent a year as minister of music in a Southside church. Soon after returning to Boston, he was bit by the songwriting bug and released his first full length, “Roll with You” in 2008. The world began listening. Soon there were calls coming in from everywhere; television shows in the UK, festivals in Australia, and a jaw-dropping schedule of national and international tour dates. Major label deals were signed and his star kept rising, now with the help of song placements in major movies, television shows and commercials. The albums “Come and Get it” (Capitol) and “Nights Like This” (Warner Brothers) went on to do more than $2.5 million in total licensing, while Reed and his crack band continued to wow audiences on five continents. Now, after some much-needed time off from the road, Reed has returned to the studio and crafted a new album that is at once back-to-basics and startlingly current. “My Way Home” represents a return to the sonic character that Reed’s career began with, but it does more than that: It captures the essence of his sound. A sound that, over everything else, prizes feeling, energy, and, yes, Soul. 

Bettye Swann & Buck Owens - Today I Started Loving You Again (Unreleased Acetate)

Eli "Paperboy" Reed

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