Posted on

Little Richard — 361


ALBUMS: Precious Lord (1985)

This is an interesting record from one of the founders of rock ‘n roll.

MVC Rating: 3.5/$$$$

Son of a church deacon, who severely punished Little Richard after catching his son wearing women’s clothes , Little Richard aka Richard Wayne Penniman clearly had some personal issues in his life — sexuality conflicts and substance abuse.

According to various sources including an autobiography, Little Richard’s father’s church duties in Macon, Ga., were augmented by a moonshine and nightclub business. So somewhere therein lies a reason or two why Little Richard bounced back and forth between being ‘born again,’ singing gospel and secular music that pushed the bounds that society had laid down for sexually explicit content at the time.

Long Tall Sally, Tutti Frutti, and Good Golly Miss Molly are three of his bigger hits whose vocal stylings influenced everyone from Paul McCartney to Wilson Picket.

The record company had to hire someone to clean up the lyrics forTutti Frutti, for example. This 1985 gospel record is not listed on Wikipedia’s discography although you can buy it on vinyl on Amazon for about $17. I bought this new back in 1985 after wandering into a store in one of Birmingham’s mostly black neighborhoods. That’s where I also found a Birmingham Community Choir record, which I feature earlier in my countdown.

This album is not well recorded and that’s why I give it a 3.5, rather than a 4 or better. It sounds like it was recorded in a cavernous empty church with one microphone dangling from the ceiling. An echo-ey and distant feel.

That said, the singer shows off an amazing voice and range. Glad I got it

ALABAMA NOTE: In one of his bounce backs to religion in the late 60s, he attended Oakwood College (now University) in Huntsville. It is a historically Black Seventh-day Adventist institution,

Posted on

John Hurley — 412

NOTE: This was updated July, 2020, to reflect that when I did the original post I did not know about his other two albums. I began to do a litte research on this native of Pittsburgh and session musician in Nashville, and some in Muscle Shoals as well. Since I wrote the original column, I launched an unsuccessful search for a friend or relative. He died too early in his 1950s  (It appears that he also had a Birmingham link in that he did some recording here as well.) I’ve not found family or friends but I quit pursuing because I felt like I would leave them alone and if they wanted to talk, they would contact me). Any way bottom line. I liked the other two albums better than One More Hallelujah. I have upgraded Hallelujah from 3.5 to 4.0; and the other two I’m grading to 4.5’s each. He was not only a great songwriter but also a great country-blues singer. I mean great.

ALBUM: John Hurley Delivers One More Hallelujah (1971)

MVC Rating: 3.5/$$

Not exactly a household name, John Hurley finishes up my “H’s” as I countdown my collection of 678 records.’

This gospel-soul singer is probably best known for co-writing the classic ‘Son of a Preacher Man’ with the famous line: ‘The only man who could ever reach me was the son of a preacher man.’

The song was originally written for Aretha Franklin but when there were some delays in getting the Aretha version done and published,  Wikipedia says the song was considered too gospel for the particular album Aretha was working on.

Dusty Springfield recorded it, and it became a massive hit.

Hurley was a fine singer as well as a songwriter but he only put out three albums. He died at 45 from liver failure and cerebral hemorrhage, according to his Wikipedia page.

He wrote songs with Ronnie Wilkins, for a while in Nashville. Some who have covered his songs include The Everly Brothers, Waylon Jennings and Wayne Newton.

The much-covered “Song of the Common People” was written by the two (see video below, a poignant tribute put together by his family).

The title song on the album  I have is a full-throated gospel number that almost crosses over the gospel- secular divide with its chorus-backed soul belting of Hurley.

If you like soul or gospel, this is a  strong consistent album, top to bottom by an artist who deserves a little more recognition. As oneYouTuber put it: “Another buried treasure. What an amazing, unjustly forgotten career.”

Footnote: I picked this from a used record bin thinking I was buying something from Michael Hurley and  the Holy Modal  Rounders which I had read about and was looking for the name ‘Hurley’ and just snagged it without remembering that it was the wrong first name.  Glad I did snag it.

But still looking for that Michael Hurley record.

PPS: Larry Carlton plays guitar on this  Hurley record.

A tidbit came to me before I could close out: In the 90’s, the reggae-American group Cypress Hill, sampled “Son of a Preacher Man,’ put it in a song called “Hits from the Bong.”

That  added even more to a growing audience for that song, contributing royalties for the songwriters.

Click for story I did about Love of the Common People.

Posted on

The Blackwood Brothers — 630

ALBUM: The Blackwood Brothers in Concert (1960)

MVC Rating: 3.5/$

I went through a period where I was really into gospel music. Earlier here I reviewed the Birmingham Community Choir and I probably bought  this in the same early 1980s time period in Birmingham.

I have further down on the alphabetical list  some vinyl by Rev. Al Green and some vinyl gospel by Little Richard.

Unfortunately my favorite gospel music is on digital: The Blind Boys From Alabama, the Dixie Hummingbirds and, especially, the Soul Stirrers featuring Sam Cooke. (See video below).

This album is rousing old school gospel.  Yes, and of course, it has How Great Thou Art.

And on Hide Me, Rock of Ages, basso singer J.D. Summer gets low,  slows it down and gets really low. Sounds like a purring tiger.

The back cover shown here has an ad for a high quality stereophonic Victrola. Looking at it. I want it.

Counting down my 678 vinyl records before I die of brain disease.