ARCHIE BROWNLEE AND THE FIVE BLIND BOYS

Archie Brownlee was one of the greatest hard gospel lead singers of all time. Archie Brownlee could sing sweetly, then suddenly make his voice soar into a piercing scream - he seemed to get more music into a scream than any singer imaginable. The emotional heat from his singing caused many who listened to fall out, perhaps because his spiritual fire was too intense, even for him to contain. He died at the peak of his career on February 8, 1960 at the age of 35. For his entire career, Archie Brownlee sang with only one group, The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi.

The Five Blind Boys of Mississippi are among the greatest singing groups in popular music history. Their smashing harmonies and the leads of Archie Brownlee not only influenced numerous gospel ensembles, but such secular artists as Ray Charles or Jerry Butler. Their origins date back to the '30s, when Archie Brownlee (Brownley in some accounts), Joseph Ford, Lawrence Abrams, and Lloyd Woodard formed a quartet. They were students at the Piney Woods School near Jackson, Mississippi. They began as The Cotton Blossom Singers, and did both spiritual and secular material. The quartet sang on the school grounds in 1936, then were recorded in 1937 by Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress. After graduation, they decided to become professional singers and for a time performed under dual identities; they were the Cotton Blossom Singers .for popular songs and The Jackson Harmoneers singing almost strictly religious material for black church audiencesl. By 1944 the group decided to go professional, singing pop material for primarily white audiences.  Their repertoire and singing style was a mixture of sprituals and jubilee tunes similar to the Golden Gates. Around that time they got another lead singer to work with them, Melvin Henderson and moved the base of the operations to New Orleans. Here they became popular on local programs and began a daily radio program on WWL. They regularly shared programs with the biggest local quartet, the New Orleans Chosen Five also known as Soprocco Singers.

When Percell Perkins replaced Henderson in the mid-'40s, they became The Five Blind Boys.
Oddly, Perkins, who doubled as their manager, was not blind. 
They made their recording debut for Excelsior in 1946, after meeting label owner Leon Rene in Cleveland. They recorded for Coleman in 1948, the same year Joseph Ford was replaced by J.T. Clinkscales. But when they joined Don Robey's Peacock label in 1950, the Five Blind Boys became superstars.

 The single "Our Father" was a Top Ten R&B hit, and they became a prolific ensemble, recording 27 singles and five albums for Peacock through the '60s. Brownlee died in New Orleans in 1960. His riveting, chilling screams and yells were among gospel's most amazing. Perkins left the group soon after becoming a minister. The list of replacements included Revs. Sammy Lewis and George Warren, as well as Tiny Powell. Roscoe Robinson took over for Brownlee, and was assisted by second lead Willmer Broadnax, who was also a masterful singer. The Five Blind Boys continued through the '70s and '80s and into the '90s, though Woodard died in the mid-'70s, and Lawrence Abrams in 1982.

THE JACKSON SOUTHERNARIES "DOWN HOME"

On Friday, April 15th 2011, Malaco's historic studio and headquarters at 3023 West Northside Drive in  Jackson, Mississippi was destroyed by an EF2 Tornado.

I've been concerned, for the most part, with the essential role they played in keeping Southern Soul music alive during the seventies and eighties. Especially they did something I'd like to try and focus on that for a moment  here.

In late  1975 was targeting the gospel market again with the Jackson Southernaires. 

The Jackson Southernaires have a long history of musical training and awards that have made them one of the best gospel groups in Mississippi. 

This group contains five members: Huey Williams, Roger  Bryant Jr., Maurice Surrell, James Burks and Luther Jennings.  

In 1940, the Jackson Southernaires were organized by Frank Crisler in Jackson,Mississippi. The Jackson Southernaires began much the same way as the Mississippi  Blind Boys. They began singing at an early age and did a lot of performing around their hometown. The Jackson Southernaires was the first gospel group to use bass, drums, keyboard and guitar in Mississippi. The Jackson Southernaires have signed many recording contracts during their singing career. They signed their first contract with Duke/Peacock Records in 1963. Too Late was one of the top recording albums on this label. Later on, the Jackson
Southernaires signed a contract with the ABC/Dunhill Label. "Save My Child" and "Look Around" were the top two albums on this record label in 1972-75. 

In 1975 the Jackson Southernaires signed a recording contract with Malaco Records. 

"Down Home" is their debut on Malaco

Stunning Record.

Though lyrics, powerful vocal harmonies and a great rhythm section.

Here we have :

"don't let him catch you (with your work undone)"

 

And the soulful Travel on:

Every album that was released by this record label reached national acclaim. 

In conclusion, the Jackson Southernaires have had a long and prosperous career. 

They believe without God they cannot make it,  with God on their side they will be a success.

Huey Williams, the leader of this group, says on the liner of one of their albums,

 "God has allowed the Jackson Southernaires to sow seeds across America and abroad".

DARONDO

William Daron Pulliam, who performed in the 1970's under the name Darondo, was a funk and soul singer from the San Francisco Bay Area.  A mystery to most, Darondo records are high on the wants-lists of many collectors. He is spoken about in hushed-tones by other Bay Area musicians. Back in the day he was seen cruising around town in a white Rolls Royce (with a "Darondo" license plate). He opened-up for James Brown and lived a colorful lifestyle hanging with folks like the notorious Fillmore Slim. Take a listen to these tracks, released for the first time together on an album, and you may agree that he could have been the next Al Green or Sly Stone. But about 25 years ago Darondo disappeared.

Releasing three singles in the early 1970s (as Darondo, Darondo Pulliam, or the miss-spelled Dorando) he mixed low-rider soul with blues and r'n'b. He delivered in a variety of styles from the socially-charged "Let My People Go"   

to the sexually-driven funk of "Legs".

All three singles were recorded in the San Francisco Bay Area, and both sides of each of the singles are fantastic productions.

"You can hear a little bit of everything," says Darondo about his music style. "There's a little jazz and a little soul. They say if you Black you supposed to have soul. I got Latin flavor in me so there's some Latin in it. Definitely got the Blues in it. I sound kinda' country but I grew up in the Bay Area," he adds.

But after the release of his three 45s Darondo stopped recording. 

"It was mostly me, just having a good time with a real good hobby" he says. "It wasn't about money but about having fun. Something I just liked to do. Maybe your dream is to be a James Brown or Frank Sinatra but those were just mostly dreams to me".
Outside of the music business Darondo was living life to the full, and it eventually caught up with him. 

"Folks would say 

"Daron got that dough?"

"Daron Do?"

"that's how I got the name. I used to get my suits tailor made, one of a kind, like my rings. A player can't have the same ring as someone else. Got my rings specially made with diamonds and stones. But in order to get yourself together you had to get away from all the fastness. I was driving around in a Rolls Royce, I was a fast young man," adds Darondo.
Darondo now lives in Northern California with his wife and family.

Recorded in the early 1970s, tracks from the demo reel were taken into a San Francisco studio in the summer of 2005 for enhancement. Darondo over-dubbed missing background vocals and guitar parts alongside up and coming San Francisco soul man Bing Ji Ling. Darondo warmed up quickly, he hasn't lost his touch.

BLACK NASTY

 Along with George Clinton's Parliament/Funkadelic, Black Nasty was among the first crop of self-contained funk bands to emerge from Detroit's vibrant R&B scene. A family affair led by drummer Artwell Matthews, Jr. that featured the lead vocals of his sister Audrey and her future husband Terrance Ellis, the group was shepherded by Artwell and Audrey's mother, veteran singer, songwriter, and producer Johnnie Mae Matthews, whose earlier finds included the Temptations and Mary Wells. Notable among these greasy slices of early Seventies Motor City funk are the John Lee Hooker–inspired "Black Nasty Boogie" and such message songs as "It's Not the World," "Booger the Hooker," and the title track. After the album made little impact, Stax dropped Black Nasty, which changed their name to Nazty and recorded a couple of singles for Excello. After some personnel changes, the group became ADC Band, getting an R&B Top Ten hit with "Long Stroke" in 1978 and recording as late as the mid-'80s.

Found on the tube the sweet midtempo "I Have No Choice":