Columbia College Chicago Digital Commons @ Columbia College Chicago Center for Black Music Research: Black Music Research Newsletter Publications Fall 9-1-1990 Black Music Research Bulletin, Fall 1990 Samuel Floyd Columbia College Chicago Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.colum.edu/cbmrnews Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons, and the Education Commons Recommended Citation Floyd, Samuel, "Black Music Research Bulletin, Fall 1990" (1990). Center for Black Music Research: Black Music Research Newsletter. 31. https://digitalcommons.colum.edu/cbmrnews/31 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Publications at Digital Commons @ Columbia College Chicago. It has been accepted for inclusion in Center for Black Music Research: Black Music Research Newsletter by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Columbia College Chicago. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BLACK MUSIC RESEARCH BULLETIN < B \I R COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO Vol. 12, No. 2 ISSN 0898-8536 Fall 199C Contents A Historical Overview of Soul Music in Chicago A Historical Overview of 1 Soul Music in Chicago 1,y Robert Pruter, Elmhurst, fllinois Robert Pruter Chicago Gospel 4 Chicago was once a major center soul factories as Detroit, Memphis, Horace Clarence Boyer for the production and recording of and New York. soul music, that "gospelized" variant Michigan Avenue, just south of Jazz in Chicago: A Historical 8 of rhythm and blues that emerged in Chicago's downtown, was the city's Overview the early 1960s and dominated black "Record Row" and the center of its Richard Wang music for the next decade. During flourishing music scene (Dachs 1964, Florence B. Price and 11 the 1960s and 1970s Chicago-style 176). There the offices of Chess, Vee Margaret Bonds: The soul music was produced by such Jay, One-derful, ABC-Paramount, Chicago Years major labels as Vee Jay, Chess, ABC­ and a host of record distributors Rae Linda Brown Pararnount, Curtom, Okeh (a Colum­ were located. The distribution firms bia subsidiary), Brunswick (a Decca and the local radio stations worked Chicago Imprints in the 14 subsidiary.), and Mercury. There were in symbiotic fashion to contribute im­ CBMR Database numerous lesser lights, many mere measurably to the growth of the local Samuel A. Floyd, Jr., mom-and-pop operations, that also record industry. Black Musicians in the 15 helped fuel the soul explosion in the In the Black Belt of the city's south Claude Barnett Papers city-Brainstorm, Formal, Cortland/ and west sides were the theaters and Otha Day Witch, Nike/Tip T-0p, St. Lawrence/ nightclubs that were the venues from Jubilee Singing Groups in 17 Satellite, Giant, Four Brothers, .One­ which the record companies discov­ Illinois: A Research Note derful- a veritable laundry list of ered and drew their talent. The big• Robin Hough names. gest and brightest venue was the Many of the world's major soul Regal Theater (47th and King Drive), 1991 National Conference on 19 acts-such as Jerry Butler, the Im­ which was the equivalent of New Black Music Research: pressions, Gene Chandler, the Chi­ York's Apollo Theater. Other theaters Abstracts of Papers lites, and the Dells----called Chicago of note were the Capitol (79th and Portrait of a Black Flutist 25 their home. At one time, as many as Halsted), the Tivoli (63rd and Cot­ Charles Walthall one-third of all the records spun on tage Grove), and the Trianon Ball­ the city's black radio stations were lo­ room (62nd and Cottage Grove). The Dvorak and African- 26 cally produced (Pruter 1987). Interna­ most famous clubs were the High American Musicians, tionally, Chicago was putting as Chaparral (77th and Stoney Island), 1892- 1895 many records on the charts as such the Club (55th and State), and the Maurice Peress Sutherland (47th and Drexel). The first Chicago company to ex­ A full-length book treating this subject, OiicJlgo perience great success in the emerg­ Soul, by the author, Is scheduled to be pub­ lished by the University of Illinois Press in N<>­ ing soul market was Vee Jay, vember 1990. founded in 1953 by Vivian and James 2 Bracken. For most of its history, as "Just Be True" (1964), and "Nothing The company could hardly be said to the largest black-owned record label Can Stop Me" (1965), most of which be ready for the corning soul era. But before Motown, the company was were composed by Curtis Mayfield the Chess brothers adapted by bring­ headed by Ewart Abner, Jr., but in and produced by Carl Davis. ing in from Detroit 'Billy Davis as 1963 he left to form Constellation. Okeh waS Columbia's long-time, A&R head and by beefing up their Several of Vee Jay's key artists independently distributed R&B sub­ in-house production, arranging, and moved to Constellation. sidiary. By the early 1960s, however, writing staff. When the 1960s arrived, Vee Jay the label was practically moribund, Etta James was Chess Records' first was one of the nation's largest inde­ and in 1962 Columbia hired Carl' big soul star. She hit with such melo­ pendents, and the company's cre­ Davis to serve as producer and A&R dramatic ballads as "At Last'' (1961} ative department, under the direction director of the label. He brought his and "Stop the Wedding" (1962) and of Calvin Carter, was in a strong po­ own team of musicians and arrang­ such soul shouters as "Pushover" sition to make its presence felt in ers (principally Johnny Pate, Riley (1963) and "Tell Mama" (1967). soul music. Some observers claim Hampton, and most importantly, James was followed by a host of that Chicago's first soul record had writer Curtis Mayfield) and within a gospelized wailers, notably Mitty indeed come out of Vee Jay- "For year rejuvenated Okeh. Collier, who hit with "I Had a Talk Your Precious Love" (1958} by Jerry with My Man" (1964) and "No Faith Butler and the Impressions (McEwen No Love" (1964), among others, and 1980, 143}. The company was so im­ Many of the world's major soul Sugar Pie DeSanto, who hit with pressed with Butler's soulful baritone acts- such as Jerry Butler, the "Slip-in Mules" (1964). that within months Carter split the In the softer soul vein was Billy young singer from the group and Impressions, Gene Chandler, Stewart, a Washington, D.C., native promoted him as a single artist. He t11e Chi~lites, and the Dells­ whose recordings were virtually all went on to become one of Chicago's called Chicago their home. done at Chess. His unique style of biggest hitmakers, scoring with such vocalizing, which he called doubling standouts as "He Will Break Your of words, was put to marvelous use Heart" (1960), "Need to Belong" The most sucCESSful Okeh artist on "Strange Feeling" (1963), "1 Do (1963), and "Giving Up on Love" was Major Lance, for whom Davis Love You" (1965), and "Sitting in the (1964). employed a deep brass sound to en­ Park" (1965). The Dells were a vet­ Dee Clark was Vee Jay's biggest hance Lance's reedy vocals. The most eran group of some fifteen years by act of the late 1950s, but most of his memorable Lance hits were "Monkey the time they began a magnificent hit best hits were soul-styled songs from Time" (1963}, "Hey Little Girl" string at Chess in the late 1%0s with the 1960s. At Vee Jay, Clark hit with (1963}, "Um Um Um Um Um Um" "Ooo I Love You" (1967), "There Is" "Raindrops" (1961), among others; (1964), and "Rhythm" (1964). Davis (1968}, and "Stay in My Corner" and at Constellation, he hit with also discovered Billy Butler, brother (1968). "Come Closer" (1964), "Warm Sum­ of Jerry Butler. Working with his The Radiants were one of the earli­ mer Breezes" (1964}, and "Heart­ neighborhood pals in a vocal group, est pacesetters in the emerging Chi­ break" (1964). For a time in the the Chanters, Butler hit with "Found cago soul sound. At Chess they cre­ 1960s, another Vee Jay star, Betty Ev­ True Love" (1963), "I Can't Work No ated a spirited and highly melodic, erett, was one of the hottest female Longer" (1965), and "Right Track" yet sophisticated form of soul. Their vocalists in the soul field, with such (1966). Another Okeh artist was De­ best work was done when the group classics to her credit as "You're No troit native Walter Jackson, the mas­ consisted of a trio-Maurice Mc­ Good" (1%3), '1t's in His Kiss" ter of the love ballad, whose best re­ Alister, Leonard Caston, Jr., and Wal­ (1964}, and "Let It Be Me" (1964), the cords include '1t's All Over" (1964}, lace Sampson-which used marvel­ latter a duet with Jerry Butler. "Welcome Home" (1965), and "Speak ous switch-off lead work to create Gene Chandler's one claim to rock Her Name" (1967}. durable hits in "Voice Your Choice" 'n' roll fame is "Duke of Earl" (1962); After a dispute with Columbia ex­ (1964} and '1t Ain't No Big Thing" but as a soul star Chandler was a ecutive Len Levy, Davis left Okeh in (1965}. giant, having had more than twenty­ late 1965. Following several years of Chess picked up a number of acts five national pop hits during the futile attempts to maintain the label, from St. Louis, all associated with the 1960s and 1970s. His best records Columbia shut it down in 1970. Oliver Sain Band. Teaming the acts with Vee Jay besides the "Duke" When the 1960s began, Chess Re­ with Chess writers, arrangers, and were "Rainbow" (1963} and "Man's cords, owned by Leonard and Phil producers resulted in a load of hits, Temptation" (1963).