The Fabulous Baby Huey & The Babysitters

400 pound Chicago soul man Baby Huey never quite expanded his popularity beyond his hometown but that does not diminish his power and undeniable soulfulness. Baby Huey's debut on Curtis Mayfield's Curtom label featured many Mayfield compositions. Unfortunately Huey didn't live to see its release after suffering a drug related heart attack in 1970. The Babysitters would carry on with a teen aged Chaka Kahn as the lone Baby Huey LP became the stuff of legend. Here are just a couple tracks from that classic album.

Baby Huey & The Babysitters: Mighty Mighty Children

Here's a first hand account of how great Baby Huey was as a live act.

Baby Huey & The Babysitters: Mama Get Yourself Together

I dare you to sit still with this one.

Soul Power Trailer....Hell Yeah!

Thank a Vet

Tiny Watkins: Soldier's Sad Story

get it on the compilation Excello Story : Vol. 4-1961-75.

Funkadelic: Foot Soldiers (Star-Spangled Funky)

get it on 1979's Uncle Jam Wants You.

Steel Pulse: Soldiers (live)

get it on1992's Rastafari Centennial Live In Paris.

Check Out Mayer Hawthorne

Sounds pretty cool...or is this guy a poser? What do you think?

Let's Strut

The Nite-Liters: Afro Strut

It's hard not to strut to this 1971 jam by Harvey Fuqua & Tony Churchill's Nite-Liters. Dig the solid wah wah. Get it on Flying Funk.

Mandrill: Fat City Strut

Straight forward strut takes a sudden turn towards Brooklyn salsa. Fine Latin soul and back to funk again. Get it on 1973's Just Outside of Town.

Kashmere Stage Band: Super Strut Pt.1 (Kenny Dope Remix)

Powerful horns launch this strut. A bit Vegas but funky nonetheless. Get this remix on 2007's Now-Again Re:Sounds Vol. 1.

The Meters: Cissy Strut

It's a classic. You all know it but I had to include the greatest strut of them all. Get it on The Meters' 1969 debut.

Mama's Got a Brand New Bag

The Sweet Vandals: Mama's Got A Brand New Bag

JB cover from Spanish retro funk band The Sweet Vandals. Get it on their self titled 2007 debut.

Queen Esther Marrow: Mama

Heart wrenching soul from the late '60's. Get it on Flying Funk.

Etta James: Tell Mama

We all know it but it never gets old. The 1968 Chess classic. Get Tell Mama.

Big Ups to Big Youth

It's getting warmer here at Buffalo West so my tastes take their yearly turn towards reggae. And who better than legendary 70's dance hall DJ Big Youth to get you ready for the weekend. Three gems today folks. Respect.

Big Youth: S.90 Skank

Easy does it on this dub. Just smile and nod. Get it on The History of Jamaican Music.

Big Youth: Ride On

A little Al Green at the top. Relentless. Get it on Soul Jazz records' Jamaica Funk.

Big Youth: Dread In Babylon

A killer live track. Get it on the Trojan Roots Box.

Back In the Saddle Again...

Sorry for that hiatus folks. I hope you're still out there. I just needed a bit of a break. After a trip to New Orleans for Jazzfest and a dynamite Sharon Jones show at the House of Blues I'm re-energized. I have but one song today but it's a killer.
"Tenor saxophonist Cedric "Im" Brooks is one of Jamaica's most adventuresome musicians. Born in 1943 in Kingston, Brooks has the heart of a bop jazzman beating to a reggae rhythm, and his experiments with ancient rasta nyahbinghi drum patterns has led him to fuse elements of calypso, rhumba, jazz, Afro-beat, funk, Latin, and soul into a totally unique Sun Ra-like synthesis." This unique blend is exemplified on the track Blackness Of Darkness. It starts straight ahead jazz but it transforms midway and suddenly goes full force reggae. Very cool stuff and the perfect song for the changing season. You can find this late '70's track on the Strut Records 2008 compilation Calypsoul 70. Enjoy!

Cedric Im Brooks: Blackness Of Darkness