Extracts From My Book – The Last Note Book By Sharon McMahan
A Budding Songwriter As I was growing up, I Started to take notice of the songs coming from the radio. One day when I came home from school, I was listening to the radio and one of the songs I liked came on. It was called Mother-in-law by Ernie K. Doe. I was twelve years old. I remember sitting at the piano and really talking time to concentrate on the beat and how the singing came in. The more I listened, I began to think to myself that I should be able to copy that beat on to the piano. I started out by finding the note in bas and I began to play it with the left hand, to the beat. After playing the bass for a few bars, I tried to find the cord that would match with the right hand.Once I had both the bass and the chord, I started playing them back and forth like a drum and I was able to get the rhythm going as I played along with the song on the radio.
After the song was over, I sat there and thought about what I had just done. I was very surprised. I asked myself, “what just happened” ? After thinking about it for a minute or two, I concluded that I should be able to make up my own songs.
Getting Stared Ollie would come by often. I had no idea how much work he was doing when in Detroit. I was far too young to understand it all. He would stop by about once a week at first. I did begin writing more songs. He would come by and listen. He was always encouraging and listing intently at everything I wrote.
It was sad to hear of the passing of Tony Middleton this week. It immediately brought back memories of our first Cleethorpes weekender in 1993. Here’s a photo of that trip and the sleevenotes reminscence from the Cleethorpes CD. L to R Tony, Brad Comer, me, Mary Love on the fire escape at Ace Records, Harlesden.
“There’s nothing like meeting and striking up a relationship with an act to get their full co-operation. I was given Tony Middleton’s number by soul sleuth Andy Rix, and was keen to get him on the first Cleethorpes Northern Soul weekender show as he was quite unknown as a live artist back then. He had a very strong Northern Soul recording history that would sound great live and hopefully draw in the customers. I was due to visit the States on a record-buying mission about six months before the show and arranged to meet up with Tony in a rather swanky Swedish restaurant that he had picked out. I immediately felt out of my depth when he turned up in a sharp suit and a leggy Swedish blonde, who evidently owned and hosted the joint, came up and greeted him as a personal friend.
The prices didn’t make me feel any more at ease and the conversation was rather one-sided with Tony regaling me with all his achievements as a singer, actor and general man of the world. We got on well though and I think I probably upped my meagre offer for his fee just to save face: I really didn’t think he would go for it. However, he kindly said he would perform at our inaugural event because he liked me and it would be fun, even if the money was below his usual radar. I was extremely grateful and having got his word was happy to pay the sizeable bill and even throw in a tip to the Greta Garbo figure.
When Tony arrived in England, he was an easy-going and down to earth fellow who spent a memorable night out with myself, soul fan and DJ Val Palmer and a very colourful American punk rocker called Mike Spencer from the Cannibals group, who Tony teased by telling him that his Harlem gang used to kick Mike’s hoodlum friends’ asses all around Central Park.
THIS IS A PHENOMENAL CD BUT NOT ONE PERSON HAS PURCHASED IT FROM MY HOMETOWN OF OAKLAND AND LIKE THE MUSIC WRITER FROM EUROPE SAID” Most records he has ever heard that a hundred percent of the money goes into a fund to help struggling ARTISTS is usually the most raggedy record you could ever find. Then he turned and stated in his article “The Higher Power Project is a collectors item”.
Some have called Higher Power the national anthem of recovery. Higher Power was recently named the inspirational song and video of the year by a national contest sponsored by Tyler Perry, B.E.T, Lions Gate Films and Pastor Marvin Winan’s. Pastor Winan’s proclaimed that Higher Power “was the winner by far”. The video was produced by BAJAZZS founder/drummer Paul Tillman Smith, Braxton Brothers bassist Nelson Braxton and longtime Prince sideman guitarist/Bassist Levi Seacer Jr.
Donnie inspired my production team including my friend Norman Connors to do this record when Donnie got kicked off of the American Idol TV program because he made the mistake of informing the program that he got stopped by the police the night he celebrated with friends, making the final 32 and got a DUI while driving up Highway 580 in Livermore on the way to his home. He was on the same year as Fantazia and Jennifer Hudson. The singer they bought in to take his place George Huff came in sixth. Donnie should have won. Norman Connors is featuring three of Donnie’s new songs on his forthcoming record entitled “ROYALTY”. Donnie’s song Magazine Girl will be first on Normans new record, lol. Donnie finally won 1st. OOPPSS! I forgot, Donnie’s sister Terrill Carter Williams to me has the best song on the record called “Please Don’t Run Over Me”.
Every certain type of woman in America is gonna want a copy of this song. It’s a domestic violence song. Me , late vocalist Freddie Hughe’s and pianist Robert Collier wrote it. Lastly, world famous vocalist Nora Jones told Norman she loves four of the songs from the Higher Power Project and that she could maybe see doing them herself. That would a blessing if she even chooses to do one.
Listen to ‘Waiting Tables’ Some touring, off-Broadway work and the Broadway show Jesus Christ Superstar followed, interspersed with countless waitressing jobs up and down Manhattan’s West Side. Frequently out of work, and discouraged by more than one restaurateur from pursuing a career in the food service industry, Lorraine decided to try singing. She began working with various jazz and Top 40 bands in and around New York. She sang backup for Petula Clarkand Grand Funk Railroad, and finally put her own act together, eventually moving back to L.A., where she sang at local jazz clubs. Soon after, she joined producer Richard Perry’s vocal trio Full Swing and recorded three albums with the group.
The following article was written for the sleeve note of the 10 CD Box Set The Odyssey: A Northern Soul Time Capsule compiled by Ian Dewhirst and released at the beginning of 2015. It is a brief overview of the Northern/Rare Soul scene since the demise of Wigan Casino. it is by no means a comprehensive and full overview of what was happening and has happened since 1980/1981. It focuses only on the main all-nighters of the time. There has been 100s off venues since Wigan that have held an all-nighter and it was impossible to mention all within the constraints of the word count I was held to. It neither focuses on Soul Nights of which there was literally 1000s and even more today. The majority held no influence on the scene in the way the likes of Blackpool Mecca did. That isn’t to say there was none, some are featured but many are not as space didn’t allow . Hopefully there will be a book to follow that will feature many of the venues and clubs omitted.
Much has been written about the Northern Soul scene up to the demise of The Wigan Casino, but very little has actually been written about what followed. For many, the scene died when Wigan Casino closed its doors for the final time.
The Norman Connors days. Me and Norman were the young Jazz drummer up-and-comers in the sixties in New York. Normans momma was in Philadelphia and mine was in California. Norman could run to his momma’s house to eat while I starved to death,lol. We were best friends but god obviously had different intentions for the both of us. Norman had no idea I had a love for writing silly little songs on the piano from the age of fifteen.
After I left the Jazz Avant Garde John Coltrane era and came back to Oakland I kept playing but started writing again. In the mean time Norman became one of the best show-men Jazz drummers around and people started noticing him and the right record producer gave him a shot and making records and he then started making great records. We had made a pack that if either one of us could ever help the other we would so the band Vitamin E was born. His wife named the band and I at first hated that name but now ironically I use Vitamin E everyday, hahahahahahaha!
This is a song I wrote for my very young wife in the seventies when we were just learning how to get along called “LISTEN”. The first lyrics start off like this, “Listen to Me, Your hearts Not Free”. Of course today I’m the one who’s discovered I ain’t free, she free! Norman Connors version below features John Coltrane’s pianist McCoy Tyner’s sax man Gary Bartz who now lives in Oakland. Good luck Gary! Norman had the bomb band in those days. Norman’s got a great new album coming soon and guess what, he say. (Paul can I have 3 of your songs?, U got hits! ) No I don’t Norman, them Hip Hoppers & Rappers got hits, all we got is, “Can’t Quit”. Uh Oh Norman I forgot! I like me and Freddie Hughes version of “Listen” better,lol. By the way, this is the song that Donny Hathaway was on the way to the studio to record for Norman when Donnie’s manager called and demanded twice as much money.
In the mid-90s when I wandered into Vinyl Experience a second-hand collectors’ shop on Hanway Street in London’s West End, for the first time in a few weeks and while I was checking out the various specialist collectors boxes that they kept behind the counter, I noticed about 50 sealed cardboard boxes under the LP racks. On asking the shop owner what they were he said, “Oh that’s the remnants of the Carlin collection we got a few months ago”. “What’s that all about then?” I ventured. It turned out that this famous music publishing company had decided to throw out all its old demos and samples as surplus to requirements. Mark Hayward, the shop’s owner, had snapped up the massive collection which included demos and acetates from every major popular music act of the 50s, 60s and 70s, including Elvis, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie etc. etc. etc.
After turning luminous green with envy, I realised that Mark knew which were the obviously rare soul records (as did everyone with the advent of Record Collector magazine), but, as he was sketchy on the more obscure items and ignorant of US labels altogether, a bit of damage limitation was in order.
Sharon was born in Sevierville, Tennessee but raised and musically disciplined in Detroit, Michigan.
Sharon began her career, as a teen in Detroit, Michigan. She wrote her first songs at the age of 12. After auditioning her, Ollie McLaughlin launched her writing career by publishing and producing and releasing several of her songs on his own record lables, KAREN, CARLA, MOIRA & RUTH Records. McLaughlin recorded Sharons songs on major artists, Barbara Lewis, Deon Jackson, Gracie Darnell and Johnnie Mae Matthews. He also secured a UK release for Sharon’s song, Someday We’re Gonna Love Again, recorded by the London based group, The Searchers. It charted to #11 in Billboard, in several countries and to #23 here in the United States, in 1964/65. Thus, Sharon has a tremendous fan base in the UK and Western Europe.
SHARON MCMAHAN SONGWRITER / ARTIST / PUBLISHER / PRODUCER
Later, another Detroit based publisher/producer became familiar with Sharons writing skills. He was Don Davis, producer of Johnnie Taylor, executive producer of The Dramatics and many more artists. He recorded Sharons songs on current Hall of Fame artists, Etta James and Mavis Staples. He was also responsible for Sharons song to be recorded and released on The Three Degrees.
The 6Ts Rhythm and Soul Society was co-founded in August 1979 by Randy Cozens and Ady Croasdell. The first dance was held in a function room called Henri’s at the Bedford Head pub in Maiden Lane in London’s Covent Garden. The first night was a great success with soul records, dancing, carousing and debauchery.
One more equally splendid night was held there before the management rebuilt the pub and kicked us out. By then we had a solid following and with the help of one of the first club mailing lists that we had established, sent out slightly amusing newsletters before each dance and got the crowd to follow us to our next venue. At this stage, Ian Clark’s graphics for the newsletter and membership card were very much a part of the set-up.
The Exportations (aka Living Proof) In the early 80’s Anthony Pilgrim, Bernard Gibson, Ernestine Johnson, Rick Gibson, Willie Gibson, from Detroit, Michigan released a couple of singles at VIR-RO Records. One minor hit was “Find Another Day”. The group consisted of the three brothers, Gibson and two other singers. In the mid-1980s, they changed their Name to “Living Proof” and released another album and a handful of Singles.
