Soul City Los Angeles

Soul City Los Angeles presents recordings which served to establish the musical direction of LA and neighbouring West Coast conurbations in the late 1950s and early 1960s when R&B was evolving into the style that became known as soul.

Compiled and annotated by soul music authority Clive Richardson, Soul City Los Angeles is the latest in a series that has previously explored the nascent soul scenes in Detroit, New York and Chicago. This instalment presents a selection from key independent labels of the area, including Sam Cooke s SAR and Richard Vaughn s Arvee, as well as choice items from Aladdin, Liberty, Imperial and Ebb, and collectable releases from more obscure imprints.

Famous names on CD1 of this 60-track 2CD set include the Olympics, the Valentinos (aka the Womack Brothers) with Lookin For A Love , the Rivingtons with Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow , and Johnnie Morisette with Meet Me At The Twistin Place , while CD2 features Ko Ko Mo hitmakers Gene & Eunice, sides of a 1962 single on Rush by Don & Dewey, early recordings by future stars Johnnie Taylor and Johnny Guitar Watson, and a young Sly Stone as a member of the Viscaynes.

Soul fans of the early 1960s could often figure out the geographic origins of new singles as much by the sound as by any knowledge of sometimes obscure artists and labels, with the output of West Coast studios tending to have a harder sound in comparison with some more sophisticated (for the era) productions from the opposite coast or the regions of the Great Lakes. Here we have music from the formative period of the soul era in Los Angeles. 

Tracklist

1-1.   Simms Twins - Soothe Me
1-2.   Simms Twins - Right To Love
1-3.   Simms Twins - The Smile
1-4.   Simms Twins - You’re Pickin’ In The Right Cotton Patch
1-5.   Olympics - Stay Where You Are
1-6.   Olympics - Baby, It’s Hot
1-7.   Earl Nelson - Come On
1-8.   Earl Nelson - No Time To Cry
1-9.   Valentinos - Lookin’ For A Love
1-10.   Valentinos - Somewhere There’s A Girl
1-11.   Johnnie Morisette - Damper
1-12.   Johnnie Morisette - Meet Me At The Twistin’ Place
1-13.   Johnnie Morisette - Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere
1-14.   Jimmy Norman - Here Comes The Night (Part 1)
1-15.   Willie "The Moon Man" Echols - Here Comes The Night (Part 2)
1-16.   Wally Cox - The Heebee Jeebees
1-17.   Wally Cox - I Can’t Help It
1-18.   Rivingtons - Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow
1-19.   Rivingtons - Deep Water
1-20.   Rivingtons - My Reward
1-21.   Rivingtons - Waiting
1-22.   Beamon Young - The Love I Just Lost
1-23.   Beamon Young - Some Day
1-24.   Donald Woods - That Much Of Your Love
1-25.   Donald Woods - Memories Of An Angel
1-26.   Zeke Strong & His Queen Tones - All By Myself
1-27.   Zeke Strong & His Queen Tones - Your Heart Must Be Made Of Stone
1-28.   Valiants - This Is The Nite
1-29.   Valiants - Love Game
1-30.   Valiants - Frieda Frieda

2-1.   Don And Dewey - Soul Motion
2-2.   Don And Dewey - Stretchin’ Out
2-3.   Johnnie Taylor - A Whole Lotta Woman
2-4.   Johnnie Taylor - Why, Why, Why
2-5.   Johnnie Taylor - Never, Never
2-6.   Johnnie Taylor - Rome (Wasn’t Built In A Day)
2-7.   Johnny Guitar Watson - Looking Back
2-8.   Johnny Guitar Watson - The Eagle Is Back
2-9.   Johnny Guitar Watson - Johnny Guitar
2-10.   Johnny Guitar Watson - Cuttin’ In
2-11.   Johnny Guitar Watson - Sweet Lovin’ Mama
2-12.   Gene & Eunice - The Angels Gave You To Me
2-13.   Gene & Eunice - I Mean Love
2-14.   Crawford Brothers - I Ain’t Guilty
2-15.   Crawford Brothers - It Feels Good
2-16.   Robins - Just Like That
2-17.   Robins - Oh No
2-18.   Velvetones - Glory Of Love
2-19.   Velvetones - I Love Her So
2-20.   Jennell Hawkins - I Pity You Fool
2-21.   Jennell Hawkins - Don’t Worry Bout Me
2-22.   Viscaynes - Heavenly Angel
2-23.   Viscaynes - Yellow Moon
2-24.   Viscaynes - Uncle Sam Needs You
2-25.   Tommy Knight - That’s All I Ask
2-26.   Tommy Knight - There’s No Pain
2-27.   Lloyd George - Lucy Lee
2-28.   Lloyd George - Sing Real Loud
2-29.   Troy Walker - She’s All Right
2-30.   Troy Walker - I’m Gettin’ Hip