Psychos - Mack the Knife (single)

Close your eyes while listening to this 1960 single by the Psychos and you'd likely think you were hearing the more famous Bill Black's Combo. Both were from Memphis, with Black's combo recording prolifically for the Hi label while the Psychos' recorded output seems to consist of this one single for the rival Fernwood label.

Future Country Hall of Famer Jack Clement started Fernwood, his first label, with friend Slim Wallace in 1956. Clement didn't stick around for long. He quickly departed for Sun Records where he worked with Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash and other artists at the groundbreaking label before being fired by Sun head Sam Phillips in 1959.

Fernwood, meanwhile, continued on under the leadership of Scotty Moore, famous as Elvis Presley's guitarist. Moore was made vice-president of the company and produced most of the sessions. The company's one significant hit was Thomas Wayne's Tragedy in 1959. In fact the "A" side of the Psychos' single is an instrumental version of Wayne's chart success.

Moore sold his interest in Fernwood in 1960 and he, too, went over to Sun. It's unclear whether he was still at Fernwood when the Psychos recorded Tragedy/Mack the Knife.

Mack the Knife



Mack the Knife by the Psychos has appeared on at least two CD anthologies -- Fernwood Rock 'n' Roll (Stompertime, 1999) and the recently-released Big Shot: The Fernwood Records Story 1957-1962 (One Day Music).

Fernwood Rock 'n' Roll is long out of print on CD but is available via download. New CD copies of Big Shot can be had very cheaply via Amazon. It's not available for download.

You'll probably only want one of these compilations as there is considerable duplication of tracks.

Strangely the "A" side of the Psychos' 45, the instrumental of Tragedy, doesn't appear on either CD. So here it is from YouTube courtesy of VinylNostalgia.

The Kingpins - In the Pocket (45 single)

This 1967 single has saxophonist King Curtis recording under the name of his band, the Kingpins. In the Pocket is the "B" side of yet another cover of Ode to Billie Joe, which actually was a moderate hit for Curtis under the Kingpins name. Apparently some pressings of the single give Curtis top billing, probably after Ode to Billie Joe got a fair amount of airplay.

In the Pocket was one of the few originals recorded at a session on Aug. 24, 1967, at American Studios in Memphis. It's a real "B" side gem. Listen to the MP3 taken from the original Atco single.

In the Pocket



In the Pocket has turned up on several King Curtis compilations and re-releases in the digital age, both on CD and as a download. On CD the one to go for is Instant Soul: The Legendary King Curtis from the well-regarded Razor & Tie label. You can get a used copy on Amazon for about $11.

The "A side of the single sounds like this.

Bill Black's Combo - The Memphis Scene

By the time this album came out on Mega Records in 1971 all the core members of the Bill Black's Combo that scored a number of instrumental hits in the 1960s were long gone. In fact leader Black had died of a brain tumor in 1965, at age 39.

Black, of course, was the bass player on all the early Elvis Presley recordings for Sun and the first sides that Elvis recorded for RCA Victor.

Black formed his own combo in 1959 and scored a number of instrumental hits, among them Smokie, Part 2, White Silver Sands and Don't Be Cruel.

The band heard on The Memphis Scene is under the direction of producer Larry Rogers, who had opened a Memphis recording studio, Lyn Lou Studio, with Black in 1962. Saxophonist Robert Gladney is the only musician identified on the album, although road manager and bassist Bob Tucker, who joined the combo in 1963 and had taken over leadership of the group after Black's death, likely also was part of this recording.

The Memphis Scene retains the basic sound of the classic Bill Black's Combo of the '60s, but adds a few funk elements as well.

Memphis Shuffle



The Memphis Scene is not available in a digital format.

Here's another selection, a funky little thing called Cotton Carnival, that was included on the LP.

Willie Mitchell - Solid Soul

A third slice of Memphis soul from Willie Mitchell. You'll find the previous posts with more information on Mitchell HERE and HERE.

Solid Soul dates from 1968 and consists mainly of cover versions of other people's instrumental hits: Jimmy Smith's Prayer Meetin', Hugh Masekela's Grazing in the Grass and two Freddie King hits, San-Ho-Zay and Hideaway are among them.

Then there's Up-Hard, a driving R&B track from the LP that turned into a minor hit for Mitchell when it was released as a single.

Up-Hard



Solid Soul was packaged with its predecessor On Top on a 2-on-1 CD by Hi Records UK in 1995 and again in 2001. But it's out of print now and commands upwards of $40 for a copy.

Best bet for Willie Mitchell on CD is Soul Serenade: The Best of Willie Mitchell, a 1999 Capitol release. It includes Up-Hard and 19 other tracks. Used copies start at about $10 on Amazon.

There's a ton of Willie Mitchell material to download on iTunes and elsewhere. Stick to the albums on the original Hi label and avoid the compilations put together by companies that use old LPs as their source material.

Here's another track from Solid Soul. Thanks to mrsoul1770, publisher of the first-rate Groove Addict blog, for posting this on YouTube.

Con-Funk-Shun - Bumpsumboody (single)

Con-Funk-Shun, as the name suggests, was a funk band, formed in Memphis in the late 1960s by California high school classmates Michael Cooper and Louis (Tony) McCall.

The group gained major hit-making status after joining Mercury Records in 1976. You can read more about them here.

Before signing with Mercury, the group recorded a bunch of tracks for producer Ted Sturges in Memphis. Among them was the instrumental Bumpsumboody, the "B" side of a forgettable cover of Mr. Tambourine Man released in 1974 on the Fretone label (owned by Estelle Axton, who had earlier co-founded Stax Records). Neither of the tracks appears to have made it on to an LP or CD, so below is link to obtain Bumpsumboody.

Bumpsumboody



Con-Funk-Shun split up after their last Mercury album in 1988, but a reformed group, which now includes original members Cooper and Felton Pilate, has been touring off and on since the mid-1990s. They have a website that indicates they have dates booked through Dec. 1.