Category Archives: Collectors Soul

Lady Lois Snead

“I Found Out” / “Until We Learn”

Label: Divine Chords Recordings
Catalogue Number: DCR001
Release Date: Expected 1st March 2024
Format: 7′ Vinyl

Divine Who are thrilled to announce an exciting collaborative release with the legendary gospel artist, Lady Lois Snead for the brand new year!
We’re launching 2024 with this back-to-back double sided slice of audio dynamite, available on collectable, limited edition 7” single. It’s primed and packed tight with goodness to spiritualize your club session for the more discerning dance floors around the globe.

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Soul Discovery Christmas Show

22/12/23 Soul Discovery Playlist:
Anthony White “Stop & Think It Over” (PIR) LP
Teddy Pendergrass “More I Get, The More I Want” (PIR) LP
Clinton Jordan Feat: Selene C. Jordan”Silent Night” (Jfly Publishing)
Amos Milburn And His Aladdin Chickenshackers “One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer” (Aladdin) 7’
Bella Brown & The Jealous Lovers “What Will You Leave Behind”  (LRK Records) 7’

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Mary Love

 ‘More Love (And Then Some)’

Label: Record Shack
Catalogue Number: RS.45-065
Release Date: 28th Oct 2023 
Format: 7’

Mary Love is a much loved Soul-music legend, her sublime recordings are of equal quality to the likes of Linda Jones, Betty Everett and Betty Wright, but the deserved commercial success did not happen.
Nevertheless, she had a global career, appreciation came from those Soul loving people up there in the North of England where she became the ‘Queen of Northern Soul’!

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All Platinum – The Making of a Sound

Author: Steve Guarnori
ISBN: 978-1-3999-5659-8
Release Date: 26th November 2023

All Platinum – The Making of a Sound is the long overdue detailed history of All Platinum records from 1967-1979. The book contains 534 pages and over 300,000 words, dealing with each year in the company’s history as well as telling the stories of its artists and the musicians who signed for the company each year.

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Judy Freeman and Blackrock / Marshall Hooks

‘I Know Where You’re Coming From’ / ‘She Is All I Need’

Label: The Preservation Project 
Catalogue Number: 015
Release Date: 29th Sep 2023
Format: 7’ 

Did you know that Judy Freeman and Blackrock cut more songs than the 4 that were put out in 1971? We know of at least one.
“I Know Where You’re Coming From” is a 70s funky Northern Soul masterpiece. We’ve rescued a lost, never heard before, track by the group for the A-Side here. Fans of their music will immediately connect with this blistering anthemic Northern Soul monster. Go ahead and grab the talcum powder, and prepare to dance up a storm to this one.

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Mantis

“Love Was Born For Me” / “Do We Have Love” 

This is a sensational previously unissued double sider from 1976.Do We Have Love is a beautiful sweet soul side with killer vocal from Rocky Whitaker. Click on play and put on your dancing shoes!

Label: Epsilon Record Co.
Catalogue Number: EPS023 
Release Date:  20th July 2023 
Format: 7’

MANTIS:
Was made up of college buddies. They had all been in a Dartmouth College sponsored traveling band called the Green Dream made up of students in a class taught by Robert Northern … aka “Brother Ahh”. After graduation they much to the chagrin of their parents, decided to take their shot at stardom. They never achieved stardom but I got something better… the friendship of  5 guys who act like brothers that has lasted 50 years…they still Zoom once a month.

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The Society Hill Orchestra Ft. Kat Fontaine & Benny Barksdale, Jr.

Label: Society Hill / EMG
Release Date: July 2023  
Format: Digita

Hailing from the small city of Chester, PA on the outskirts of Philadelphia, Kathleen Fontaine-Prattis (affectionately dubbed “Kat” by family and friends) exhibited extraordinary talent as a singer at an early age. As a teenager, Kat began performing and recording with a host of local artists. It was not long before she was sought out by countless musicians, singers and producers that revolved around Philadelphia at the time. As the Sound Of Philadelphia and the recording empire created by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff grew, so did the experience and reputation of Fontaine. By then, she earned her place on a very short list of the area’s top voices. Kat quickly moved up the ranks of Philadelphia’s booming music scene. 

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TMF

TMF isn’t a Tribute Band… THEY ARE THE BAND! These gentlemen with the exception of lead vocalist, Chris Walker toured and recorded with the man himself for the last two decades and beyond. Ladies and Gentlemen, Introducing… TMF “The Music Forever”

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TRU

“Never Give Up”

Label: Society Hill / EMG
Release Date: 30th June 2023  
Format: Digita

Hailing from the Camden, New Jersey / Philadelphia area, a part of the country that became a breeding ground for great vocal groups such as the O’Jays, Stylistics and Blue Magic, three veteran vocal greats come together to form TRU, a highly versatile group that brings the sweet sound of Philly Soul forward for a new generation. Led by vocalist James “Jimi” Williams, TRU also features vocal great Billy Maynor and newest member, the charismatic Dennis Sproul.

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Bobby Harden & The Soulful Saints

“One Night of the Week” /“Feels So Good” 

How do you define a true Soul Man? With difficulty, given that so much is down to a certain mystical mojo. But if anyone knows one when they see him, it would be Stax legend Eddie Floyd, who has spent 60-plus years perfecting the role. When Bobby Harden joined the star-studded Blues Brothers Band in 2012 as one of two singers in support of Floyd, the elder Soul Man immediately recognized similar qualities in his understudy. “He was everything I’d been when I was younger,” said Floyd, who gracefully passed the torch after several tours tag-teaming on stage. “I always tell him. ‘I saw you, my man,’ and I said, ‘That’s it! I can go back to the house and rest!’”

You get the sense it will be many years until Harden makes a similar transition into retirement. The true Soul Man, after all, lives to work, recognizing that success don’t come knocking on the door with a gold-plated invite. Born in Youngstown, Ohio, Harden was blessed with a voice to raise roofs, and after a stint in Houston attending college, headed up to New York City to pursue his passion. It wasn’t always easy, but years singing soul classics on the wedding band circuit sharpened that church-trained voice and polished his moves in the process; they also instilled in Bobby the necessary professionalism to not just survive, but thrive on a slow, yet inexorable, rise in reputation.

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The Rhythm Roots Allstars Feat: John Arthur Bigham

“Say I Do” / “Island Hustle”

Label: F-Spot Records 
Catalogue Number: FSPT-1027
Release Date: 16th Dec 2022
Format: Vinyl Color: Yellow / Blue / Black 7’

The Rhythm Roots Allstars began in 1998 as the house band for the weekly Rhythm Room at Temple Bar, a popular Los Angeles club that served as the epicenter for underground urban funk, soul, and international music for over a decade. This collective, featuring some of L.A.’s busiest musicians in the scene, is most notable for co-writing and crafting the music for 2017’s Grammy-nominated album “And The Anonymous Nobody” by De La Soul, in addition to recording with artists such as Ghostface Killah, Aloe Blacc, Raheem DeVaughn, Afrodisiac Soundsystem and more. Having backed up and supported numerous artists such as De La Soul, Talib Kweli, Brother Ali, and Barrington Levy, to name a few, it’s been a long time coming for Rhythm Roots Allstars’ first official solo release.

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Double O’s Demingo’s

“Color One Tear Black” Parts 1&2

Label: Symphonical Records
Catalogue Number:  SR-012 
Release Date: 26th October 2022
Format: 7’  / Digital  

Double O’s Demingo’s Cincinnati teens Bill Smith & Randy Vandivier would play together during the late 60s in a group called ‘Billy & The Hitch Hikers’ fronted by James Bowens, who through his fascination with James Bond would adopt the nickname ‘Double O’ Hailing from Lincoln Heights, the group would be surrounded by and play with the likes of Bootsy Collins, Charles Spurling who became staples at local King Records.

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Robert IMtume Owens

Reflecting on my life, there was never a time when music wasn’t a part of it. In fact, at the age of 7, I remember walking down 52nd and Hooper in South Central, LA, and hearing a voice say to me, “You are a singer and you will sing.” That voice turned out to be correct. I went on to sing in the California state choir that was directed by Andre Crouch when I was 8 years old. I sang soprano at the time because I had a really high voice. I’ve been singing ever since, though now, I’m definitely more of a tenor.

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