RAY T. JONES (source: FUNKY VIRGINIA)

There is a crazy blog called Funky Virginia, where I discovered amazing pearls included the awesome story of Ray T. Jones that I would like to share with you. 

By the mid 60's, as the U.S. dramatically ramped up its involvement in the Vietnam Conflict, Philadelphia native U.S. Navy Seaman E3 Raymond Thomas Jones, was assigned to duty in Norfolk, VA. In February of 1967, Jones's ship, the USS Barney, was deployed to the combat zone off the coast of Vietnam. The ship would return to Norfolk seven months later.

Like many black sailors stationed in Hampton Roads, Ray found himself drawn to Church Street, the nucleus of African American nightlife in a still heavily segregated Southern city. He spent much of his precious off-duty time taking in live shows at legendary spots like The Eureka Lodge, The Enterprise, and The Plaza Hotel. This vibrant scene had a lasting impact on him.

Ray was just starting a family when he came to Norfolk. In a lot of ways the new life he and his wife Vennel had embarked upon seemed a world away from the North Philly neighborhood where they both grew up. With Ray at sea for as long as nine months at a time, and not much of a support system in place for navy families at the time, the young marriage was under strain. One day Ray came home to an empty apartment to find that Vennel had left him, taking their son Ray Jr. with her. As the split stretched on, Ray was moved to write about the situation, forming what would become the lyrics to his first song. "Cause You're Coming Home" tells the story of heartbreak and separation, but also hope, reconciliation and his wife's eventual return. While back home in Philadelphia visiting family, Ray showed the song to his brother Paul, himself an established bassist who had recorded and toured extensively with Freda Payne, Bo Diddley, Garnet Mimms, Jean Wells, The Coasters and The Platters among others. Paul helped Ray with the arrangement, got some musicians together, and booked time at the legendary Virtue Recording Studio on Broad Street. The resulting 1969 recording captures a young Ray Jones delivering a touchingly personal ballad. The tape would remain safely tucked away and unreleased for the next six years.

Ray T. Jones "Cause You're Coming Home"

Jones's military duty continued throughout the seventies. While serving as First Class Fire Control Technician

Jones's military duty continued throughout the seventies. While serving as First Class Fire Control Technician on the Destroyer USS C.V. Ricketts, he facilitated classes and seminars for fellow personnel regarding race relations. In addition, Ray started singing in the ship's band. The racially integrated group performed at a number of USO functions throughout Europe with a repertoire that ran the gamut from R&B to Rock to Country & Western and everything in between. Ray was becoming a fan of all these types of music, and was incorporating different elements of them into his own emerging style. He was particularly enamored with the story telling nature of Country music. An idea started to form. Why not take his favorite parts of the Country sound and combine them with his Soul roots? The band began working with the "Country Soul" concept.

Back on Church Street, at the corner of East Brambleton, Queen's Lounge was probably the hottest club in town. Norfolk heavyweights The House Rockers were packing them in as the resident band upstairs at Queen's Top Side. In addition to the nightly House Rockers gigs, amateur nights were put on by the club. Adventurous souls would give it their best shot fronting the band and braving the usually merciless audience. After being back in town for a while on shore duty, Ray Jones decided to take the stage, no doubt bolstered by his Navy buddies. He put his USO experience to work, and won the crowd over. It probably didn't hurt that he had packed the place with his fellow servicemen ahead of time.

It took a few more strong showings from Ray to convince the club owner to grant him his own 30 minute slot for a set of popular R&B covers backed by the House Rockers. In order to capitalize on the opportunity, Ray sought out his neighbor, former House Rockers front man Sebastian Williams. He paid Williams $50 out of his own pocket to make a guest appearance during his set. Ray started promoting the show and creating a buzz. Sure enough, on the night of the gig Sebastian showed up at Queen's dressed to the nines. "Ladies and Gentlemen... Sebastian Williams!!!", Ray announced as his special guest stepped up to the microphone. The band launched into a smoking version of Wilson Pickett's "634-5789", and Sebastian proceeded to blow the roof off the place. When he was done with his one song, Seb mater-of-factly turned and exited into the Church Street night. Probably the best $50 Ray ever spent!

Word got around, not only about Sebastian's exploits, but the up and coming Ray T. Jones. Noah Biggs of Shiptown Records took Ray under his wing, acting as a mentor and manager. As much as his naval duties would allow, Ray began doing shows around the region at venues including the Moton Theatre in Newport News, supporting the likes of Barbara Stant and General Johnson.
With guidance and encouragement from Mr. Biggs and even a little coaching from the legendary Frank Guida, Jones decided to start his own label. In 1975, Ray used his connection with bassist Maurice Glass to enlist the mighty 35th Street Gang (AKA: Raw Soul) to back him on a recording date at Lenis Guess Studio. The first single from the self-produced session, "That Norfolk Sound" was paired with his earlier recording of "Cause You're Coming Home" and released on the newly launched Wee-Too. Ray decided to use his family's Philadelphia address on the label.

Ray T. Jones "That Norfolk Sound"

"That Norfolk Sound" is a gritty ode to the sometimes seedy, always exciting Church Street scene. Jones deftly fuses his diverse influences into a unique mixture of sustained psychedelic fuzz and folky acoustic guitar anchored by a stripped down funk rhythm section. Ray's delicate, almost mournful vocal takes us on a tour through a darker side of the seaport city, down Granby Street and even to a rowdy Country/Western bar to see "fists flying in the night". "Come on down to Norfolk and get some ghetto in your life".

"Are We Ready? Are We Together?" The follow up single came in '76. "Beat The Knees" is probably the record Ray Jones is best known for. It was born out of a vamp that Ray and the 35th Street Gang came up with on the spot in the studio. The hard hitting drums of Grover "Groove" Everett and Maurice Glass's beefy bass line lay the foundation for this deadly groove. Irresistible Fender Rhodes keyboard adds a whole other dimension of hip. The guy named Leroy that Ray raps about was actually a shipmate who was quite the ladies' man. You can use your imagination as to what "beating those knees" signifies. Turns out, last Ray heard, "do-it-do-it man" Leroy had become a man of the church, a preacher. These days he's hitting his knees to pray.

Ray T. Jones "Beat The Knees"


The flipside, "Take Me Back To Norfolk Town", with it's twangy slide guitar and tale of longing, sees Ray's vision of Country Soul fully realized. The song is simultaneously a love letter to his woman and the city he calls home. Out at sea, the sailor "left a lot of love, a lot heartache in Norfolk town". Not only does he miss his family, he craves "the smell and the taste of Virginia ham / the taste, the flavor of fresh steamed clams!" "There's no place like that Norfolk town."

Ray T. Jones "Take Me Back To Norfolk Town"

With two records under his belt, Jones approached Norfolk's WAVY with a proposal for a half hour TV special showcasing his Country Soul music. In December of '76 the project was green-lighted. That winter an outdoor show was filmed on a makeshift stage in a lot right next to the old Bishop Grace House of Prayer (AKA: Sweet Daddy G's) at the corner of Princess Anne and Church Street. The show, entitled "That Norfolk Sound", featured live footage of Ray Jones along with Navy bandmates Jerry Potter, Ron Morin (guitar), Mike Terlouw(Keyboards), Robin White (bass), Art Swimp (drums) and Dennis Eaves. The finished program also included interview footage and aired locally on Channel 10 in the Summer of 1977.

Ray had plans to follow this up with a full length LP entitled (what else) "That Norfolk Sound". He shopped the idea around and even struck an informal distribution agreement with Frank Guida, but a deployment to the Mediterranean put the project on hold. In the ensuing years, Ray's military service and growing family took priority over an entertainment career, although he never really fully gave up on his music. In fact, in the later part of the eighties Ray made a little bit of a comeback, re-releasing "Take Me Back to Norfolk Town" b/w "Cause You're Coming Home" on a Wee-Too 45.

After hitting the Cash 5 Lotto for $100,000 in 1995, Ray bought a house in Virginia Beach where he currently lives with his wife of 25 years Judy. A proud father of seven and grandfather of 14, Ray is retired from the U.S. Navy after 30 years of service, having risen to the rank of Master Chief.

Right now Ray is preparing to re-release his classic Wee-Too 45's. Also in the works is an album (on vinyl!), "I'm Going Back To Norfolk", which will contain unreleased tracks, including ones he cut with his Navy bandmates back in the 70's. Ray continues to write and record songs as Ray "2 Beers" Jones (a nickname he got in the Navy). These days his sound draws a lot more from the Country side of the Country Soul equation. You can get a sampling of what he's been up to on his myspace page. Ray also plans to eventually release a collection of his recent Country flavored material.

JOE MAYFIELD

Don't ask me who is Joe Mayfield. I really don't know.

Tried to find out something about his life his career but no tracks.

Just this crazy 45 "I'm On The Move/How's Thing With You" cut for Excello Records in 1965 that I bought a couple of years ago on ebay.

What I can say?

"I'm On The Move" is an average midtempo bluesy tune with cool horns arrangement but...

"How's Thing With You" is magic.

A stunning farfisa with a crazy vibrato and Joe's trembling and raspy vocals...so sweet and obscure.

TARHEEL SLIM (ALLEN BUNN)

                        

Bunn grew up in the countryside, working in the tobacco fields and listening to his mom's Blind Boy Fuller 78's. Eventually he learned to play guitar, and was heard singing and playing in church by Thurman Ruth, the leader of a local gospel quartet called the Selah Jubilee Singers (they'd soon drop the Jubilee part of their name).

Ruth recruited Bunn into his group (putting off his debut until tobacco season was over) and for the next eight years he sang baritone and played guitar with the Selah Singers, who also recorded secular material as the Larks, the Four Barons, and possibly a few other names. As the Larks they cut some nice sides for the Apollo label, and Bunn's lead vocals and guitar can be heard on their 1951 single "My Little Sidecar"

He had already been recorded as a blues singer by the Gotham label in 1949 cutting four sides with only his guitar for backing, but these would not be released until the 1980's. 

His first solo sessions to see the light of shellac were for Apollo in '51 where he recorded two sessions that produced four singles -- The Guy With The 45  b/w She'll Be Sorry.

Discouraged b/w I Got You Covered, Wine b/w Baby I'm Gonna Throw You Out, and My Flight b/w Two Time Loser. These were issued under the name Allen Bunn, and good as they are, none of them sold very well. He was still touring with the Larks/Selah Singers when he cut his first session for Bobby Robinson, the Harlem based record store owner/producer/entrepreneur who is one of the most important figures in the history of New York City rock'n'roll and until recently could be found sitting out front of his record store on 125th Street until a rent hike finally forced him out. For Robinson's Red Robin label Bunn cut Too Much Competition b/w My Kinda Woman. Some of these discs were issued under the name Allen Bunn others as Allen Baum. Around 1955 he met and married Lee Sanford aka Little Ann and they began singing together, first as The Lovers, under which name they recorded some fairly dull sides for the Aladdin's Lamp subsidiary in 1957. 

He also recorded with a group called The Wheels on Premium whom he evidently managed (they also recorded as the Federals on Deluxe), these are also some forgettable sides although enough people like Let's Have A Ball that it regularly shows up as a repro, as well as appearing on recordings by the Southern Harmonaires and Mahalia Jackson on Apollo. 

In 1958 he entered the recording studio again, this time renamed Tarheel Slim, under the aegis of producer Bobby Robinson and with Wild Jimmy Spruill on guitar and Horace Cooper on piano cut his greatest record, a two sided monster--Wildcat Tammer b/w Number 9 Train, issued on Robinson's Fury label, it remains one of the pinnacles of New York rock'n'roll. Both sides feature Slim's burning guitar, with Spruill's scratchy rhythm guitar driving both tunes at full steam, they remain the type of classic performances that never sound old or dated.

Strangely enough, he never again had a solo record released. His next session, held nearly a year later, introduced the public to the recording duo of Tarheel Slim and Little Ann, and their first disc--It's Too Late b/w Don't Ever Leave Me was a minor hit. The record was released by both Robinson's Fire label and Chess' Checker subsidiary out of Chicago, not to mention pressing that have turned up on the Hermitage and Bobby Robinson labels. I assume Robinson leased the record to the Chess brothers and then changed his mind. It's Too Late is a doom laden dirge with Slim's tremolo laden guitar work and Ann breaking down into a sobbing fit at the end.

Robinson really liked these overwrought crying ballads, and would later have some success with the kings of the genre-- Jackie And The Starlities

The follow up--Much Too Late reversed the formula, basically it's the same tune, only this time it's Slim who breaks down. While neither record charted, they were good sellers in the New York area and can be found cheap even today. Speaking of which, I once stumbled onto an entire dumpster of Fire, Fury and Enjoy 45's and 78's on Broadway and dragged home hundreds of free records, every one of them was good. Getting back to our subject, in 1959, Tarheel Slim and Little Ann cut a couple of killer rockers- Security and Lock Me In Your Heart , both tunes are excellent with Slim and Jimmy Spruill's guitar work predominant on both tunes, kind of like Mickey and Sylvia playing rockabilly. 

Unfortunately their commercial peak had already passed with their second release and soon they were recording drek like covers of country tunes Send Me The Pillow You Dream On and I Love You Because and standards like Good Night Irene. Leaving Robinson briefly they recorded for Atco, then returned to record for Robinson's Port and Enjoy labels. Bobby Robinson had more labels than some people have hairs on their head. Since he was an indie with no way to collect from distributors, every time he'd get a hit record-- Wilbert Harrison's Kansas City, Lee Dorsey's Ya Ya, etc., he'd end up getting run out of business since he had to pay to have the discs pressed but couldn't collect from the distributors until he delivered another hit. Each hit record seemed to be followed by a bankruptcy. Still, Bobby Robinson was a tenacious sort, and always bounced back with a new label, and kept making great records. He would go on to record Lightnin; Hopkins, Lee Dorsey, Elmore James, Wilbert Harrison, and dozens of street corner doo wop groups. Meanwhile Taheel Slim and Little Ann pretty much dropped from sight, their career seemed to peter out around the early 60's and nothing was heard from them until the early 70's when blues researcher Peter Lowery dug up Tarheel Slim to play a few gigs where he performed with an acoustic guitar in the style of Brownie McGhee (who was earning a good living playing to white college audiences in a style that has been dubbed "folk blues"). Tarheel Slim played a few festivals in 1974 and was well received, but once again he seemed to drop from sight. In 1972 he released two killer and unlucky acoustic blues records "No time at all" and "Superstitious" for Pete Lowry's Trix Records.

How he spent the years from 1975 until his death in 1977 we do not know, I imagine some of it was spent watching Sanford and Son, Good Times and The Jeffersons. That's what I was doing.

In 1977 he was diagnosed with throat cancer and died from pneumonia brought on by the chemotherapy.