VERNON BURCH-WHEN I GET BACK HOME.

dereksmusicblog ♦ September 25, 2013 ♦ 2 Comments

VERNON BURCH-WHEN I GET BACK HOME.

There aren’t many artists who release their debut album when they’re just eighteen. Vernon Burch did. I’ll Be Your Sunshine was released on United Artists in 1975. That however, wasn’t the start of Vernon Burch’s career. No. By 1975, he was already a seasoned musician. 

Before embarking on a solo career, Vernon had already spent four years as The Bar-Kays’ guitarist. For Vernon, this was a dream come true. The Bar-Kays were one of his favorite groups. So finding The Bar-Kays tour bus outside his home, when he returned from school must have been surreal. The Bar Kays hadn’t had a hit since 1967, when they lost four members in a plane crash, that also claimed Otis Redding’s life. So a rebuilding process was underway. Vernon who’d established a reputation as a talented guitarist, was brought onboard. He played on their 1972 single Son Of Shaft, their first hit since 1967. Vernon was also a member of The Bar-Kays when they appeared at Stax’s legendary Wattstax festival. Having spent four years as a member of The Bar-Kays, Vernon Burch decided to pursue a solo career. He went on to release seven albums between 1975 and 1982.

The followup to Vernon Burch’s 1975 debut album I’ll Be Your Sunshine, was When I Get Back Home. It was recently rereleased by BBR Records. When I Get Back Home wasn’t released by United Artists. No. There had been a change in the management structure. Vernon’s management wanted to renegotiate his contract. United Artists didn’t. So United Artist and Vernon Burch parted company. Next stop for the Washington born singer was Columbia, who’d released his sophomore album When I Get Back Home. This was just the next chapter in the remarkable rise of Vernon Burch, which began in Washington, in 1955.

For Vernon Burch, his life had been something of a whirlwind. Born in Washington in July 1955, he was introduced to music via the church. This is a familiar story. Vernon was a member of The Flying Clouds, a gospel group cofounded by his uncle Leroy. Then when he was eight, Vernon received his first guitar. 

It quickly became apparent that Vernon was a natural guitarist. He soon had established a reputation as one of the hottest guitarist playing Chocolate City’s clubs. This resulted in Vernon heading to New York, where he worked with a girl group The Fuzz. During his time in New York, Vernon met soul royalty. Stevie Wonder, Eddie Holman, The Chi-Lites and The Impressions, Vernon met them all. Then playing alongside Hi Records’ two biggest names, Al Green and Anne Peebles resulted in Vernon joining The Bar-Kays. 

In 1967, The Bar-Kays were chosen as Otis Redding’s backing band. On December 10th 1967, Otis Redding was playing in Wisconsin, so the six Bar-Kays headed off on what was a fateful journey. The plane carrying Otis, his manager and five of the six Bar-Kays crashed. This tragic crash in December 1967, robbed the group of four of its members. Only trumpeter Ben Cauley survived the crash. Fortunately, bassist James Alexander was on another plane. Following the crash, Ben and James rebuilt the group. 

As part of the rebuilding process, Vernon joined The Bar-Kays. He spent four years as a member of the group. Not only did Vernon play on their 1972 single Son Of Shaft, which was their first hit in five years, but he appeared at the Wattstax Festival. Then having spent four years as a member of The Bar-Kays, Vernon Burch decided to launch his solo career. This proved to be a shrewd move.

Stax Records became insolvent in 1975. So while Stax folded, Vernon’s career flourished. He signed to United Artists and aged eighteen, released I’ll Be Your Sunshine. It reached number forty-six in the US R&B Charts. The music on I’ll Be Your Sunshine was very different to The Bar-Kays. Gone was the hard funk of The Bar-Keys. Replacing it was a much more soulful side of Vernon Burch. While I’ll Be Your Sunshine proved relatively successful, United Artists didn’t seem to agree.

After the release of I’ll Be Your Sunshine, changes were taking place at United Artists. There was a shakeup in the management setup. When Vernon’s management brought up extending his contract, United Artists didn’t want to. Luckily, another record company were interested in Vernon…Columbia Records, who released his sophomore album When I Get Back Home.

For his sophomore album, When I Get Back Home, Vernon wrote five tracks and cowrote the other five tracks. He penned Paradise, Good To Me, To Make You Stay, Leaving You Is Killing Me and Leave Your Spirit Behind. Mr. Sin, When I Get Back Home and Bye, Bye, Baby were written by Vernon and Susaye Greene. The tracks that bookended When I Get Back Home, Sexasonic and Ghetto Penthouse were written by Vernon and H. Redmon. These ten tracks became When I Get Back Home.

Recording of When I Get Back Home took place at two studios, Crystal Sound and Sun West, in Los Angeles. Columbia it seemed, weren’t skimping on their latest signing. Proof of this was the band that accompanied him. It included a rhythm section bassists Ed Brown and Nathan Watts plus drummer and percussionist Joe Blocker. They were joined by pianists John Jarvis and Greg Phillinganes, trumpeter Ray Maldonaldo and Ray Brown, saxophonist Hank Redd. Adding keyboards on Mr. Sin and Paradise was Stevie Wonder, who Vernon met earlier in his career. Vernon, played guitar, synths and with Susaye Greene, Kathy Collier and Shirley Brewer, sang backing vocals. Arranging and producing When I Get Back Home was Vernon Burch. After When I Get Back Home was recorded, it was mixed at Village Sound and Hollywood Recorders. When I Get Back Home was ready for release in June 1977.

When I Get Back Home was released in June 1977, reaching just number seventy-four in the US R&B Charts. This was disappointing for Vernon. He’d not built on the momentum of I’ll Be Your Sunshine, which had reached number forty-six in the US R&B Charts. Leaving You Is Killing Me was released in July 1977, stalling at number ninety-five in the US R&B Charts. Worse was to come. Sexasonic was released as a single in September 1977, but failed to chart. For Vernon Burch, who everything seemed to have gone his way, this was a difficult time for him. What did the future hold for him? That’s what I’ll tell you, once I’ve told you about his sophomore album When I Get Back Home.

Sexasonic opens When I Get Back Home. It’s a heavy duty slice of funky soul, celebrating sexual equality. Wah-wah guitars strut their way across the arrangement. They’re joined by a booming drum and crystalline guitars that accompany Vernon. Feisty and sassy describes his vocal, which is accompanied by cooing harmonies. Then there’s blazing horns and some mesmeric guitar solos from Vernon on this fusion of funk and soul.

There’s a change of style on Mr. Sin. Vernon’s joined by Stevie Wonder on keyboards. He proves an inspiration on this understated, dreamy ballad. Vernon’s heartfelt vocal is reminiscent of Stevie Wonder. Having said that, he breathes life into the lyrics, whose roots seem to be the church. Just mellow keyboards, percussion and the rhythm section join tender harmonies and rasping horns. They provide the backdrop as Vernon visits his soulful side.

Paradise is another track where Vernon sounds not unlike Stevie Wonder. Indeed, Paradise sounds like it belongs on a Stevie Wonder album. It’s an upbeat fusion of soul, jazz and funk, blessed with a real summery sound. From it’s understated opening, Vernon’s vocal is impassioned and sensual. Bursts of braying horns add drama, before the track takes on a much more mellow sound. That’s thanks to the keyboards. The arrangement breezes along, allowing Vernon’s vocal to take centre-stage on this, jazz-tinged slice of soulful music.

Good To Me is a return to the funk of Sexasonic. Here, Vernon’s main influences seems to be Sly and The Family Stone and Stevie Wonder. Soul, funk, jazz, psychedelia and rocky guitars combine as Vernon’s vocal takes on a tougher, edgier sound. He vamps his way through the lyrics. Searing guitars reminiscent of David Bowie’s Fame, join blazing horns and what sounds like The Family Stone providing the heartbeat. As musical genres and influences melt into one, what’s one of the highlights of When I Get Home reveals its secrets.

The title-track When I Get Back Home tells the story of a musician on the road. Back home, he’s a partner whose suspicious. Rightly so. He’s a player, whose been unfaithful. Ironically, he longs to get home to her. This track Vernon cowrote with Susaye Greene is a glorious uptempo slice of soul. Accompanied by soaring harmonies, braying horns and keyboards, Vernon’s vocal is joyous, needy and full of longing. Soul, funk and jazzy keyboards combine as Vernon delivers one of his best and most effective vocals.

Leaving You Is Killing Me is something of a stomper, with drummer Joe Blocker laying down a thunderous beat. Ed Brown’s bass matches him every step of the way. Banks of synths provide the backdrop for Vernon’s vocal. His emotive, hurt-filled vocal is accompanied by sweet harmonies and braying horns as the song swings along. Infectiously catchy and full of poppy hooks, it’s a breakup song that puts a smile on your face.

To Make You Stay is a track that’s dramatic, dance-floor friendly and soulful. Blazing horns, piano and synths set the scene for Vernon’s vocal. Full of emotion and heartbreak, he lays bare his soul. Stabs of horns reflect the drama in his vocal, while Vernon’s vocal belies his youthfulness. Hank Redd’s saxophone and bursts of thundering drums match Vernon all the way, as his vocal becomes a needy and emotive plea. Soulful, dramatic and dance-floor friendly, we hear another side of Vernon Burch.

Hank Redd’s rasping, wistful saxophone produces a late-night, jazzy sound as Leave Your Spirit Behind unfolds. Vernon’s is slow, impassioned and laden with emotion and hurt. He leaves space in his vocal. This is really potent. It adds to the emotion and drama. Sometimes, there’s almost silence. This proves really effective. Just keyboards and cymbals accompany Vernon before Hank unleashes another peerless saxophone solo. It’s almost a show-stealer. This seems to spur the band on. After that, they produce a truly compelling performance on this soul-baring, spacious, jazzy tale of love gone wrong.

Bye, Bye, Baby is another track where genres melt into one. Soul and samba joins jazz and funk. It’s another slice of summery, sunshine music. Driven along by the rhythm section, keyboards and a myriad of percussion, Vernon delivers a tender vocal. He’s accompanied by cascading, tender female harmonies. Adding bursts of drama to this minor hidden gem are braying horns. 

Ghetto Penthouse closes When I Get Back Home. Briefly, the track sounds like a party in the studio. That’s fitting. After all, the track is about someone living a champagne lifestyle he can’t afford. Not only is this music with a message, but is a heavy duty slice of funky music. As the rhythm section provide a funky heartbeat, horns blaze and harmonies scat. Banks of keyboards add a P-Funk backdrop. Vernon’s vocal takes on a tougher, much more grizzled sound. This is in keeping with the rest of the arrangement, and bookends When I Get Back Home perfectly.

Aged just eighteen, Vernon Burch had released his second solo album When I Get Back Home. A fusion of soul, jazz, funk, psychedelia and rock, When I Get Back Home saw Vernon switch between musical genres. Some songs were a fusion of several genres. They were also influenced by a number of artists. One of the most obvious influences in Stevie Wonder. Vernon’s vocal sounds not unlike Stevie. So does his delivery, especially on some of the funkier tracks. Some of the songs sound as if they belong on a Stevie Wonder album. Other artists to have influenced Vernon are Sly and The Family Stone, Parliament, Donny Hathaway and David Bowie. All these artists influence Vernon Burch’s sophomore album When I Get Back Home. 

Sadly, When I Get Back Home wasn’t a commercial success. No. When I Get Back Home stalled at a disappointing number seventy-four in the US R&B Charts. Considering Vernon’s debut album I’ll Be Your Sunshine reached just number forty-six in the US R&B Charts, Vernon Burch’s career didn’t seem to be going forward. Instead, it had stalled. Columbia Records dropped Vernon and it would be three years before he released another album.

It was 1978 when Vernon signed to Chocolate City, a subsidiary of Casablanca Records. he released a trio of albums. 1978s Love-A-Tron failed to chart. It did feature two minor US R&B hits, Brighter Days and Love Is. Then 1979s Get Up also failed to chart. A small crumb of comfort was the title-track, it reached number thirty-five in the US R&B Charts. 1980s Steppin’ Out was Vernon’s final release for Chocolate City. Following a similar pattern, Steppin’ Out failed to chart, but did spawn a minor US R&B hit single, Fun City. After leaving Chocolate City, Vernon’s final album Playing Hard To Get, released in 1982, recaptured his earlier success. Playing Hard To Get reached number fifty in the US R&B Charts. This was Vernon Burch’s third and final album to chart. The best of these three albums is When I Get Back Home, which was recently rereleased by BBR Records.

Best described as a genre-melting album, When I Get Back Home, was the best album of Vernon Burch’s career. Released when Vernon was just eighteen, Vernon Burch was already an experienced and practiced musicians and vocalist. Listening to When I Get Back Home, it’s hard to credit that Vernon Burch was just eighteen. Not only did he write or cowrite each of the ten songs on When I Get Back Home, but Vernon Burch played synths, guitar and sang backing vocals. He also arranged and produced each of the ten tracks. That’s quite remarkable. What’s even more remarkable, is that Vernon Burch didn’t enjoy a much more successful career. Sadly, that wasn’t to be. Instead, When I Get Back Home is the best album of Vernon Burch’s six album career. Standout Tracks: Mr. Sin, Good To Me, When I Get Back Home and To Make You Stay.

VERNON BURCH-WHEN I GET BACK HOME.