Is this love   –  Lee Ritenour featuring Will Downing (As we all know, this is a Bob Marley tune however it has gone on a journey via a Jazz arranger and record label with a Soul singer as the vocalist  … from ‘A Twist of Marley’ cd on GRP Records)

Chariot (I will follow him)  –  Lafayette Street (A version of this trak was featured in the movie Sister Act featuring Whoopi Goldberg … picked up a 7″ on U.K.’s Creole Records …  their address was Bank Building, Harlesden High Street, London, i went there once to enquire about a record – but can’t remember the name or if they gave me any ‘freebies’ …. video also includes the U.S. b-side)

Tail Snatcher  –  Garnet Mimms (Never heard of Garnet until i heard a 12″ by Garnet Mimms & The Trucking Company which sounded like Brass Construction – found out later Jeff Lane and Randy Muller were  the writers and heavily involved with Brass Construction also … from the lp ‘Have it all’ … released on Arista Records)

Have i lost you  –  USG featuring Se’vere (Originally known as Urban Sound Gallery … written & produced by Ron Trent and Anthony Nicholson on Prescription Records – a very collectable and influential label)

Dear Prudence – The Five Stairsteps (The Stairsteps were Burke family who pre-dates The Jacksons 5 … they were first assigned to Curtis Mayfield ‘Windy C Records’ … after covering this Beatles number they later signed George Harrison’s Dark Horse Records)

Ticket to ride – Gwen Guthrie (Gwen was a regular performer at the iconic night club Paradise Garage in New York where resident DJ was Larry Levan who also remixed this trak … was not release as an album trak but a stand alone single … produced by ‘Sly & Robbie’ at Compass Point Studio in The Bahamas)

Live and let die – Byron Lee and The Dragonaires (Byron Lee and his band covered all facets of West Indian music … they were also featured in Dr. No – the first James Bond movie … not strictly Funk but it is irresistible)

*** got home earlier and there was a tribute to The Beatles on tv – hence their material ***

Freedom – Keith Nunnally (Formally part of the duo J.M. Silk with Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley … ‘we will never be free until we end racism and hypocrisy’  are some of the lyrics … from an lp which never saw the light of day …. released on Giant Records)

That’s how strong my love is  –  Tommie Young (Like Aretha, this singer started in the church – due to her father was the Bishop  … this trak was also recorded by Otis Redding, O.V. Wright  … most of her recording life she was assigned to Soul Power – a small Southern (U.S.A.) label)

Rio de Janeiro  –  Gary Criss (Written by Billy Terrell – a De-lite Records in-house writer … arranged by John Davis (& the Monster Orchestra) for Amazon Productions)

Johannesburg  –  Pressure Zone (this U.K. band has taken Gil Scott Heron protest anthem and given it a ‘Soul 11 Soul’ feel with added Funk released in 1990 – i guess it was a tribute to the release of Nelson Mandela from prison …. the cover says Respect due : “Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu & The African National Congress”)

Rock steady  –  Dalis (House, like it’s older brother Disco before it – also had lots of cover versions  … in this case Aretha’s own composition  … released on one of the early Chicago labels : Trax …. you can now know where the second part of the blog’s name is from)