Newsletter No. 14 February 2002 An Editor is only as good as his editorial team (which makes Keith really, really good) you liked, you could normally catch up on past SOUL KITCHEN records, apprenticeship bakery wages allowing. It was there I remember buying my first Tams Forty Five, 'What Kind Of Fool (Do You Think I Am)' on HMV and was immediately captured by Joseph Pope's distinctive ragged hoarse lead vocals, and the group’s rough, but tight harmonies. The original members, Joseph Pope, Charles Pope, Robert Lee Smith, and Horace Kay got together in 1952 whilst still at high school in their hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. Their formative years as The Four Dots were spent gigging around the local club/dances/high school circuit. In the late fifties Floyd 'Little Floyd' Ashton was Hello and welcome once added to the line-up. It was again to my steaming Soul around this time that the Kitchen. group changed its name to The Tams, apparently the Well, dreary January's out of name being derived from the way. There's lots of live music around the them wearing multicoloured corner, so I guess it's time to get the soulmobile tam o'shanter hats, (a high out, and get grooving. The remaining half of Sam entry to our soul hat top ten and Dave, Sam Moore. The Delicious Jean chart), for performances. Carne. The dangerously big soul sound of Tower Of Power. The legend Ike Turner. The urban 1961 saw one release on the Heritage label sound of New York blues, Michael Hill's Blues 'Vacation time'/'If Love Were Like Rivers' which Mob. Motown supergroups, Four Tops and The sank without trace. The group’s break came in Temptations, what's left of them, are just a few 1962, when they came to the attention of Atlanta popping in to thrill us. It goes on, Lonnie Liston song publisher and entrepreneur, Bill 'King Smith, The Blackbyrds, it's warming up, a busy William' Lowery, with whom they signed a couple of months. Anyway before enjoying any of management deal, resulting in their debut that I must get my scribble to Editor Woods, so recording for the Philadelphia based Arlen label, lets get down to business. 'Untie Me'/'Disillusioned' 711. The catchy 'Untie Me', from the pen of Joe South, and recorded at THE TAMS Rick Hall’s new established Fame studios, (where Buying records blind is something we all do, else), Muscle Shoals, was their first chart hit, top especially way back in those good ole days, as 20 R&B, even sneaking into the pop hundred. there was really nowhere to hear real music, This was one of the first hits to come out of Fame maybe a club, certainly not on mainstream radio, studios. It was rare for vocal groups to record Radio Luxemburg maybe. Mostly, reviews for soul down South, as most vocal groups went north, to records would have been found in Record Mirror, Motown, VeeJay and Chess to seek their fortune. Blues And Soul Magazine was still a couple of Recording at Fame, where the majority of The years away. Tasty reviews had one scampering Tams earlier material was cut, resulted in that raw down to the market. Yes the market, the edge that could only be captured down South. Broadway Market Tooting, to a small record stall, They lacked the sweet smoothness of other vocal sandwiched between hardware and haberdasher. groups hitting big around that time, which is no Here you could order any record, and normally it bad thing, adding to their soulful quality. would be in your hands in a day or two. Record Follow up releases on Arlen, 'Here I Am'/'My Baby companies never deleted records from their Loves Me' Arlen 716. 'Deep Inside Me'/'If You’re catalogue in those days so, if you hit on someone Smart' Arlen 717, although equally as good as 'Untie Me' failed to make any impression chart 1 wise. A one off diversion to General American caught them on October 28th at the Orchid, Records for the sole release of, in late 1962, 'Find Purley. A wonderful venue for touring soul acts in Another Love'/'My Baby Loves Me' 714, which is them early days. I remember little - they had their credited to The Tams with Little Floyd. Little Floyd own backing band, and a female? takes the lead on the re-cut up-tempo, 'My Baby Loves Me', which I believe would be the only Next stop in 1972 was Apt Records for another release that didn't featured Joseph Pope on lead one off, 'Numbers'/'Long Distance Operator' vocals, up until his death in March 1996. (As 26010, Then in 1973 back to ABC for, 'Don't You always I wait to stand corrected). Just Know It'/'Making Music''. So this phase of their career ends, with a final release in 1973, on Early 1963 saw a couple more Arlen singles, MGM SOUTH, a re-make of 'Alley Oop' b/w 'What 'Blue Shadows'/'You'll Never Know' 720, and an Did He Do For You'. The group basically excellent re-recording of "Find Another Love' b/w disappeared from recording, there were no more 'Don't Ever Go' 720, but alas these excellent releases until re-emerging in 1978 with 'This recordings also failed to give the group any chart Precious Moment'/'Hey Girl Don't Bother Me' success. In late 1963 Bill Lowery secured a deal (Disco Version), re-mixed, Sounds South 14098. with ABC Paramount. The Tams golden years Than again in 1982 with, it gets better, 'Tams were about to take off. Their first release on ABC, Tune Medley' re-mixed, Wonder Records 1001. was a smash hit, 'What Kind Of Fool (Do You They reappeared in 1983 on Compleat Records Think I Am)'/'Laugh It Off' 10502, no introduction with a wonderful 'Making True Love' b/w, a dip is needed for this well known mid-tempo soul into the emerging beach music scene 'My Baby classic, naturally recorded at Fame, and from the Sure Can Shag'. So after several years in the pen of Ray Whitley. More hits followed in 1964, doldrums their career took a massive turn for the not venturing far from their winning formula, 'You better, when in the eighties along with vintage Lied To Your Daddy'/'It's All Right (You're Just In R&B acts from the fifties, sixties soul stars, the Love)', ABC 10533. 'Hey Girl Don't Bother likes of Roy C, Gene Chandler, The Coasters etc, Me'/'Take Away' ABC 10573. 'Silly Little became huge again on the South East Coast, Girl'/'Weep Little Girl' ABC 10601, were all brilliant North and South Carolina, with what was termed double siders, and worthy of the chart success as the beach music scene, the heart being Myrtle they achieved. Beach. The dance craze associated with it was the Shag. Around this time, a change of personnel took place, with Albert Cottle Jr, replacing Floyd "Little The Tams sixties’ hits had the right shuffle Floyd" Ashton, who drank himself out of the ingredients to Shag to. The Tams along with an group. Also the group’s recording move to entertaining act found themselves in demand Atlanta's Master Sound Studios in preference to once again on the Shag club and oldies circuit. Fame, around this time, although the group Such was their popularity they, as with many continued to have regular releases on ABC, others acts it might be said, recorded deliberately notably two real goodies from 1965. One I rate for this market, having a hot Shag hit in 1989 with highly, one of their finest, the haunting, 'What Do 'There Ain't Nothing Like Shaggin' Ripete 2005 You Do (When Your Lover Leaves You)' b/w and also a hit in the UK reaching 21. (I wonder 'Unlove You' ABC 10635, and 'Concrete why) As with many underground scenes, Jungle'/'Till The End Of Time' ABC 10702. 1966 populated by media exposure, the craze spread saw a real gem, a brilliant heartbreaker, 'Get through the nineties to the East Coast, and most Away (Leave Me Alone)' b/w 'Shelter' ABC 10885. major cities, which opened up even more doors to It was not until 1968 that the group finally broke keep the group functioning. Joseph Pope could into the charts again with, 'Be Young, Be Foolish, take an established soul standard and make it his Be Happy'/'That Same Old Song' ABC 11066, own, just listen to 'Anna', or 'Thank You John' to even making 32 in the UK charts. see what I mean. Unfortunately, Joseph Pope passed away on 16th March 1996. The odd They continued to release material for ABC until hiccup, I would put 'Melancholy Baby' in a “bad late 1969, before being dropped by the label. Ray recording day” chart. This remarkable, under- Whitley and Joe South, who had been with the rated group continue to perform to this day, and group as writers, producers from the onset also their recordings are timeless. moved into other things. Joe South had an international hit on his hands with 'The Games New Feature People Play'. The group moved to Bill Lowery’s CLICKS AND FLUFF: VINYL own label 1-2-3 in 1970 which resulted in a minor SPOTLIGHT hit with a soulful 'Too Much Foolin' Around' b/w Soul 45 revisited 'How Long Love'. Incredibly from nowhere, The KIM TOLLIVER Tams found themselves at the top of the UK 'Standing Room Only' charts in July 1971, with a massive summer hit (Charles Silver & Susan with, 'HGDBM' but a re-issue in the States failed.