Kashmere Stage Band - Texas Thunder Soul (1968-1974)

Conrad O. Johnson

As a follow up to the last post, here's another great group of student musicians, this time hailing from Kashmere Gardens in North Texas. Under the leadership of Conrad O. Johnson, the band grew from being imitators of funk greats like the J.B's to actually having the chops to rival them. Listen to their rendition of Shaft and you'll agree.

Kashmere High School c. 1972

The program began when Conrad O. Johnson (known as 'Prof) decided to follow the principle (and fellow jazz drummer) George Haines, from Booker T. High School to Kashmere High. Once at Kashmere, Haines gave Conrad carte blanche with the program: "Listen, I want everybody to know what you're doing here. So I'm going to let you take off and do jobs with the stage band, whether it's school hours or not."Thus a legacy was born.

Fashioned after the big-band's (i. Benny Goodman) that came before them, the Kashmere Stage Band used this structure as the foundation from which they would venture into the realm of funk. Conrad took advantage of local independent and user friendly record production companies such as the California based Century Records to produce a total of 12 releases - each one rarer than the next. This album was compiled by Now-Again records serves as a compilation of the group's rare and highly sought-after collection of records in a uniquely tight and funky package.

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Ramsey Lewis Trio - Bach To The Blues (1964)

Not quite classical yet not straight-ahead jazz, Bach to the Blues occupies a precarious spot on the 'soul' music spectrum. Frustrated with the rigidity of classical performance pieces, Lewis decided to take his trio in a new direction and incorporated elements of Jazz into their interpretation of Bach, Brams and Tchaikovsky. The result was an easy listening album ripe with deep cultural nuances. Listen for the balance between classical and blues.

Recorded at Ter Mar Recording Studio, Chicago 1/31/64

Ramsey Lewis, piano; Eldee Young, bass & cello; Richard Evans, bass; Red Holt, drums.

Cadet 732 - 70's re-iussue.

Vinyl ripped @320 kbps

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Bruce Cloud - California Soul (1969)

This fantastic album by West-coaster Bruce Cloud is not for everyone, but, it's a smooth-gem for those who enjoy his distinctive voice. Cloud originally reached stardom as second tenor with the group "Billy Ward and the Dominoes". After leaving the group in 1962, Cloud tried to make it on his own and in 1969 released California Soul. Cloud is an interesting character as much for his music as he is for his tragic personal life story. After failing to realize commercial success with his solo career, Cloud was forced to take a job at a drug store. Things were not going well for Cloud and his family and after nearly divorcing his wife, Cloud killed her and their two year old child before committing suicide.


Personal issues aside, this album resonates with the archetypal laid-backness common to Californian soul. It's surprising to hear such an easy going album come from a man who clearly had a lot on his mind. I remember reading somewhere a rebuttal from his sister, who claims that his death was actually a staged murder. She claims that the killer left a message by ransacking the house and only leaving the shoes - evocative of the tune "Walk In My Shoes". If I can track down the link to her comments, I'll be sure to post them. They have eluded me thus far but they provide an interesting counter-point to the amazing story of the life of Bruce Cloud.

"Your Papa may have, and your Momma may have, But God's gonna bless the child that's got his own"

Vinyl ripped @ 320


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Otis Redding - In Person At The Whisky A Gogo (1968)

There's a reason they call him Mr. Pitiful. Following in the tradition of James Brown's Live at the Apollo ('63), Sam Cooke's Live at the Harlem Square Club ('63), and Ray Charles' Live in Concert ('64), Otis Redding recorded this performance live from the Sunset Strip LA at the Whiskey A Go Go club on March 30, 1966. Like the R&B giants who preceded him, Redding was looking to make the switch from the Rhythm & Blues Scene to the more popular 'crash pop scene' (think Sinatra and the Beatles), and this recording proves such. Redding belts out the classics: "Mr. Pitiful", "Papa's Got A Brand New Bag", "Respect" and the Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" with a heart that's clearly been broken and mended many times over.


Redding died in a plane crash in 1967 and is most commonly known for his sedentary "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay" - which was written and recorded less than a week before his untimely death and proved to be his post popular song. This album is of note because it shows Otis trying to appeal to the pop audience before his performance at the Monterey Pop Festival (organized by Jerry Wexler) in June 1967 - which is commonly acknowledged as signifying Redding's switch from R&B to Pop. That being said, the album was released a year after his performance at Monterey which shows it may have taken a while for the record execs to catch on to the fact that Redding appealed to all audiences.

Redding drops some of his R&B swagger but doesn't sacrifice intensity. Listen to the ferocity of his band. The album reached #7 on the US R&B charts and is soaked in soul, blues and pure emotion.

Vinyl ripped @ 320

On loan from J.M - many thanks!

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