Arthur Alexander & Tony Joe White gems resurface on two EPs

ARTHUR ALEXANDER – RAINBOW ROAD / DOWN THE BACK ROADS / IN THE MIDDLE OF IT ALL / COME ALONG WITH ME (S4R55) 

Arthur Alexander was born in Florence, Alabama in 1940 and in his formative years listened to both Country and R&B radio stations, which influenced both his singing and songwriting style.

Two of his first single releases on the Dot record label in 1962, the self-penned “Anna” and “You Better Move On”, spawned cover versions by The Beatles and The Rolling Stones respectively, which elevated his prominence in the music world.

Further 45 rpm releases on Sound Stage Seven and Monument followed before he was signed to Warner Brothers in 1972. A self-titled album was released in the same year, produced by Tommy Cogbill in Memphis and recorded at American Sound.

Although two singles were released from the album, none of the four tracks featured on this EP were. Here you will find a fabulous take on the much-loved “Rainbow Road” and three other gems.

Arthur died from heart failure in 1993, but his legacy as a unique and individual artist will never be diminished.

Get the Arthur Alexander EP from Soul4Real right here. 

TONY JOE WHITE – THIS GUY´S IN LOVE WITH YOU / JUST LOOK AT YOU / KEEP ON MOVIN´ TRAIN / MISSISSIPPI DELTA (S4R54)

The music of Goodwill, Louisiana’s “Swamp Fox” Tony Joe White always had soul at its core.

A songwriter of timeless classics including “Rainy Night In Georgia” and “Polk Salad Annie”, TJW never shied away from ‘outside material’ that suited his style – as demonstrated by two of the four rarities in this Soul4Real release.

Of the 400+ versions of Bacharach/David’s “This Guy’s In Love With You”, just ten preceded TJW’s upbeat treatment, cut at Memphis’ Lyn-Lou Studio in October 1968 along with his own “Keep A Movin’ Train” during his Continued album sessions.

His gutbucket essay on Bobbie Gentry’s “Mississippi Delta” and another original “Just Look At You” were recorded in Paris during TJW’s 1969 European tour – although audibly they could have been tracked closer to home.

These recordings waited 35+ years for release on a now-deleted CD boxed set. This EP presents their 7-inch vinyl debut.

Between 1968 and his passing in October 2018, TJW released 16 studio albums. These rarities from his 60s Monument sessions are integral to that long-playing legacy. – TONY ROUNCE

Get the Tony Joe White EP from Soul4Real right here. 

R.I.P. Keyboardist/producer David Briggs, 1943-2025

Sadly, keyboardist/producer David Briggs,  a member of Rick Hall's FAME gang, Elvis Presley's TCB band and Area Code 615, has passed away at 82.

Happy Birthday Arthur "June" Alexander!

Remembering the great Arthur Alexander on his day with "Sally Sue Brown" and "Black Night"

Donnie Fritts records tribute to pal Arthur Alexander

Donnie Fritts has called his salute to fellow Florence, Alabama legend "June" which was Arthur Alexander's nickname – short for Junior.

Donnie Fritts writes...
"I'm proud to announce my new record. It's called June, and it's a tribute to my friend, the late, great Muscle Shoals R&B legend, Arthur Alexander.

"Over four evenings in 2017, me and my friends John Paul White, David Hood, Ben Tanner & Reed Watson gathered at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio to lay down basic tracks and bring this vision to life – a tribute to my friend and my hero.

"These ten tracks are mostly Arthur's songs, some we co-wrote, and they chronicle our relationship and songwriting partnership. June opens with the title track, a song I wrote shortly after Arthur's death in 1993. It was such an honor to do this album, and I hope it means as much to you as it does to me and my family.

"June will be released locally on July 27 (with an album release show in Florence, Alabama at 116 E Mobile) and worldwide on August 31. The first single, our version of the 1962 hit "You Better Move On", is available right now on streaming services. If you preorder a copy of the album, I'll sign it for you. Just click right here." It's also available as a download right here.

Check out Donnie's own version of "Rainbow Road" (off 1974's Prone To Lean album) which Arthur Alexander turned into his signature tune.

Happy Birthday Arthur Alexander

Remembering the late soul great Arthur Alexander on his day with the Norman Petty-produced You Don't Care. 

R.I.P. producer/engineer Rick Hall, 1932-2018

The man behind the Muscle Shoals sound and FAME Records, Rick Hall passed away today at his Alabama home. 

Happy Birthday Arthur Alexander

Remembering the late Alabama soul great with two rarely heard demos issued by Guest Star. 

One For The Weekend: Arthur Alexander

More FAME rarities for Record Store Day

Perhaps stung by the criticism of the ho-hum Stars Of Fame EP released for Record Store Day last year, the folks at Ace Records' Kent subsidiary have dug a little deeper through the FAME Studios archive to come up with more tantalizing RSD treats aimed at collectors scrounging for lost treasures on April 21.

First up is Goldwax Presents The Singin' Swingin' Yo Yos – a seven-inch double-pack from the Memphis gararge-soul band The Yo Yos who released two sought-after singles for the label in the mid-60s. This is essentially the Bluff City roots of the Oblivians sound.

Of course, Dean Rudland and his Kent crew aren't the sort to just give you a straight repress. Instead, what you get is the Yo Yos nicely harmonized cover of the Joe South fave Leaning On You accompanied by three unissued tracks recorded at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals in October 1966: Tommy Tucker's Hi-Heel Sneakers, the Allen Toussaint-penned Irma Thomas evergreen Wish Someone Would Care along with what is perhaps the main attraction for soul fans, Destroyed – an obscure Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham composition.

Check the Yo Yos sweet version of Leaning On You:




Next, there's a similarly styled 2x7" Clarence Carter package I Found What I Wanted: Unissued and Rare Fame Masters which features four tracks from the deep soul great's 1971 sessions at FAME cut after Patches somehow became a massive global chart hit.

Clearly Carter was looking to capitalize on his unlikely success by quickly knocking out Johnny Poverty which they wisely decided to shelve at the time. Also saved from a dust-collecting fate by Kent is Say A Little Prayer while I'm The One was the mid-tempo flip of Carter's Scratch My Back (and Mumble In My Ear) single.

The big draw here – well, apart from the snazzy unpublished sleeve photo – is the title track. Already a top spin on the UK crossover soul scene, I Found What I Wanted should be well known to collectors through alternate versions by Mary Wells and the tune's composer, the great George Jackson but it's hard to top Carter's crack at it.

Have a listen to Clarence Carter's I'm The One:



By far the most blathered about of the Kent bunch is the five-record Fame Singles Box bringing together faithful repros of the four rarest Fame sevens of the 60s by Jimmy Hughes (You Might As Well Forget Him b/w Everybody Let's Dance), Art Freeman (Slippin' Around With You b/w I Can't Get You Out Of My Mind), James Barnett (Keep On Talking b/w Take A Good Look) and the label's debut from Jimmy Ray Hunter & The Del Rays (The Girl That Radiates The Charm b/w Hot Toddy).

So what's the other single you're probably wondering, it's a test pressing of two recordings of the same tune I Hope They Get Their Eyes Full with the top side voiced by the incomparable Arthur Alexander (also available on the Fame Studios Story 3CD anthology) and the flip comes courtesy of an uncredited female stylist. If the Kent boys know who it is, they're not saying.

The limited edition collection comes wrapped in a sleeve marked "Educational material" that's a nod to Fame's original mail-out envelopes. Nice yes, but is it essential? Not really but then, the same goes for the vast majority of RSD releases.  Have a listen to Art Freeman's northern classic Slippin' Around With You: