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Mike Little is a member of the Electric City Shag Club in Anderson,
South Carolina. He is also a member of the Association of Beach & Shag Club
DJ’s and the National Association of Rhythm & Blues Deejays. He hosted
for 3-1/2 years The Saturday Morning Beach Party on WANS, 1280 AM in Anderson, which was rated by Arbitron as the highest
rated AM show listened to and number three overall for that time slot. In 2004,
he was awarded the Rufus Oates Award by the National Association of Rhythm & Blues Dee Jays for his writing contributions. He now serves on the Board of Directors of the NARBDJ.
My Music Or Yours
by
Mike Little
Have you ever heard of Sam Frazier, Jr.? Neither had I until now. His new album, Take Me Back,
has just been released in time for the Migration. Sam Frazier, Jr. was one of
the recording artists for the Sound of Birmingham studio in the early seventies. Though
a number of singles by him were released, by the dawn of the Disco era, Sam's soul career was virtually over. In the late eighties, he relocated to Las Vegas and recorded a couple of albums. While working as the manager of a trailer park, Sam began performing in Las Vegas and elsewhere with one
of his neighbors as a tribute artist. In 2006, he returned home to take care of family needs, jumping back into the local
music scene. Sam also began working with the North Carolina-based Music Maker
Relief Foundation, a non-profit organization founded to preserve the musical tradition of the South by directly supporting
the musicians who make the music. Sam Frazier, Jr. recently went into the studio
and recorded a new album, Take Me Back, on the Big Legal Mess label, an independent label based out of Oxford, Mississippi. There are at four or five tunes that the shaggers would delight in hearing as they
step onto the hardwood. Two songs I feel outshine the others. Don't Spread Your Love Around very well be a hit during the Fall Migration. I've played it, and it works well. The other one, Set Me
Free, needs pitch adjustment, like a -5. Yes, -5! With that, the crowd will be listening and dancing to what could be a major hit. Even though newly recorded, the song sounds as if someone had uncovered a lost sixties or seventies number. However, the production and recording quality shows that it is definitely a current
recording. Other cuts that will be well received are the title track, Take
Me Back, I Been Hurt, not The Tams' classic, and I Don't Want Another Love.
Check out Sam Frazier, Jr.'s Take Me Back, and let me know if I am right about it.
If your crowd likes some hard-driving harmonica and guitar blues, then you don't to miss looking into the new release from
Blues great, guitarist John Primer and awesome harp player Bob Corritore, Ain't Nothing You Can Do! From Delta Groove Records.
This is not the first time these two have worked together. The Chicago Blues guitarist and the Arizona, by way of Chicago,
harp master teamed together in 2013 to release the album, Knockin' Around The Blues, also from Delta Groove. The duo is backed
by an all-star cast of musicians that includes Henry Gray on piano, Barrelhouse Chuck on piano, Big Joe Atkins on guitar,
Chris James on guitar and a host of others. Gamblin' Blues headlines this album of ten cuts. You'll find a lot of similarity
on this one with B.J. Emery-Maurice Vaughan tune, I Gamble, I Gamble. Gamblin' Blues is a 5-minute song and will have to
be cut short or edited. Bob Corritore really shows his harmonica skills on the instrumental, Harmonica Boogaloo. Other
numbers you will want to check out are Poor Man Blues, May I Have A Talk With You and For The Love Of A Woman. John Primer
was born in Camden, Mississippi. After his father died, his mother found work in Chicago. John follow, bringing with him
the sounds and spirit of Mississippi. After spending nine years with the house band at Theresa's Lounge, John was recruited
to play in Willie Dixon's All-Stars. After a year or so, he was recruited to play with the last band of Muddy Waters, playing
with the Chicago Blues King, until Waters' death in 1983. Shortly thereafter, John joined forces with Magic Slim, spending
fourteen years with Magic Slim & The Teardrops before venturing out on his own band in 1995. Windy City native, Bob Corritore,
taught himself to play the harmonica at an early age. He eventually moved to Phoenix, Arizona, where he teamed up with Louisiana
Red for a year. In the early nineties, he opened his own club, the Rhythm Room, where he formed his own band, the Rhythm
Room All-Stars. In recent years, Bob has been recording with other artists, including Dave Riley, Big Jon Atkins, Tail Dragger,
Henry Gray and, of course, John Primer. Ain't Nothing You Can Do! Should be relatively easy to locate.
Ecko
Records has released Ms. Jody's latest, (I Got That) Thunder Under Yonder. As
usual, Ms. Jody has a number of songs that will work well in the Shag arena. The
title track, I Got That Thunder Under Yonder, is not a bad song. However,
the wording may be just a little risqué for our needs. I would suggest listening
to the lyrics on the song's entirety before playing in the clubs or on the air. However,
you can't go wrong with Let It Flow. I feel this is going to be the chosen
song from the album. See what you think.
I'm So Confused also has appeal. It could perhaps work just as
well, or it could be the followup number to Let It Flow. You also should
take a listens to I Had To Lie and Power Stroke. Both of these
might work, however, Power Stroke may be too much on the risqué side. There
are several line dance numbers on the album. Ms. Jody's Energizer Slide has
its own steps, but you'll have to ask someone to interpret the steps, as I am not much of a line dance expert. I do believe that with the song Stir It Up, you would be able to use this as another Macarena song. Also, Booty Strut should be able to be used for The Boss. Ms. Jody has given us a number of hits over the past decade among which include The Bop, Still Stroking,
The Rock and Get Drunk Party. (I Got That) Thunder Under Yonder is
in the stores now.
In
addition to being one of the most sought-after lead guitarists, Monster Mike Welch heads his own band. In fact, he is so good, it is part of the reason why they call him “Monster”. Mike got the name from actor Blues Brother Dan Akroyd. He
recently teamed up with Chicago Blues singer and rhythm guitarist Mike Ledbetter, formerly with The Nick Moss Band, to record
the new Delta Groove Music release, Right Place, Right Time. Most of the
album consists of hard-driving Blues material, however the dancers should find favor with Cryin' Won't Help You or
maybe Can't Sit Down. Don't get confused with the You Can't Sit Down
song by The Dovells or the instrumental by the Phil Upchurch Combo. This
albums song is an original written by Mike Ledbetter. Other songs of interest
would be Kay Marie and Big Mama. Check out the tune Down
Home Girl. This one was written by Jerry Lieber and Artie Butler. You might remember that the Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller
writing team who wrote numerous hit songs back in the fifties and sixties for acts such as The Coasters, The Drifters and
many, many others. Born in Austin, Texas, Monster Mike Welch is based out of
the Boston area. When he was eleven, his parents began driving him to Blues jams
around Boston, learning strokes from such greats as Ronnie Earl and Luther “Guitar Jr.,” Johnson. Right Place Right Time by Monster Mike Welch and Mike Ledbetter is available where ever Blues music
is sold. By the way, Mike Ledbetter is a distant relative of Huddie William “Leadbelly”
Ledbetter, the “King of the 12-String Guitar.
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