Tag Archives: Hi Records

CULT CLASSIC: AL GREEN-GREEN IS BLUES.

Cult Classic: Al Green-Green Is Blues. The day that Al Green met Willie Mitchell in 1969 was, without doubt, the most important day in the twenty-two year old singer’s career. His career had stalled and he someone who could get it back on track. Willie Mitchell was the man to do that and when he …

Continue reading

GEORGE JACKSON IN MEMPHIS.

George Jackson In Memphis. Label: Kent Soul. Format: LP. Just like Sam Dees, George Jackson was a prolific songwriter but an occasional recording artist. During his career, he penned over 300 songs which were recorded by everyone from James Carr, Wilson Pickett, Eddie Floyd, Clarence Carter, Z.Z. Hill, Candi Staton, Bettye Swann, Ann Peebles, Bobby …

Continue reading

AL GREEN-GREEN IS BLUES.

Al Green-Green Is Blues. Label: Fat Possum Records Format: LP. The day that Al Green met Willie Mitchell in 1969 was, without doubt, the most important day in the twenty-two year old singer’s career. His career had stalled and he someone who could get it back on track. Willie Mitchell was the man to do …

Continue reading

SYL JOHNSON-DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH.

SYL JOHNSON-DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH. For much of the seventies, Hi Records was one of the most successful Southern Soul labels. This success was only derailed by the increase in disco’s popularity. Before that, Hi Records had gained a reputation as a label who released innovative Southern Soul. The man behind the Hi Records’ success …

Continue reading

O.V. WRIGHT-WE’RE STILL TOGETHER.

O.V. WRIGHT-WE’RE STILL TOGETHER. I’ve always thought that O.V. Wright was one of the most underrated Southern Soul singers of his generation. That’s why I’ve always championed O.V. Wright’s music. In some ways, O.V. Wright was overshadowed by the commercial success and critical acclaim Al Green was enjoying. They were both n the same label, …

Continue reading

ANN PEEBLES-I CAN’T STAND THE RAIN.

ANN PEEBLES-I CAN’T STAND THE RAIN. Back in the early seventies, Al Green was King of Hi Records. He was Southern Soul’s superstar. His Queen was Ann Peebles. She released seven albums on Hi Records between 1969 and 1978. Her third album for Hi Records was I Can’t Stand The Rain, which was recently released …

Continue reading

AL GREEN-THE BELLE ALBUM.

AL GREEN-THE BELLE ALBUM. When Al Green released The Belle Album, it was a very different album to those that preceded it for several reasons. Belle reflected the changes that were happening in Al’s personal life. For several years, religion had played an important part in his life. During that period, he’d struggled to come …

Continue reading

GEORGE JACKSON-OLD FRIEND-THE FAME RECORDINGS VOLUME 3.

GEORGE JACKSON-OLD FRIEND-THE FAME RECORDINGS VOLUME 3. Prolific. That’s the best way to describe George Jackson. As a songwriter, he wrote over three-hundred songs. This includes penning tracks for James Carr, Wilson Pickett, Eddie Floyd, Clarence Carter, Z.Z. Hill, Candi Staton, Bettye Swann, Ann Peebles, The Osmonds, Bobby Womack and Bob Seger. George first started …

Continue reading

SYL JOHNSON-BACK FOR A TASTE OF YOUR LOVE.

SYL JOHNSON-BACK FOR A TASTE OF YOUR LOVE. During the early to mid-seventies, Hi Records were producing some of the best Southern Soul of that time. With Willie Mitchell producing, The Memphis Rhythm Section, Memphis Horns and legendary backing vocalists Rhodes, Chalmers and Rhodes, one great record after another was recorded at the famous Royal …

Continue reading

ANN PEEBLES-I CAN’T STAND THE RAIN.

ANN PEEBLES-I CAN’T STAND THE RAIN. During the first half of the seventies, Al Green enjoyed unmatched critical acclaim and commercial success. There’s no doubt about it, Al was the King of Hi Records. While Al was King, Ann Peebles was Queen of Hi Records. Ann Peebles released seven albums on Hi Records and nearly twenty singles. She …

Continue reading

AL GREEN-LET’S STAY TOGETHER.

AL GREEN-LET’S STAY TOGETHER. There’s a certain irony that just after the release of Al Green’s third album, 1971s Al Green Get’s Next To You, critics thought that his career was in decline. Al Green Get’s Next To You, his second album for Hi Records, stalled at a disappointing number fifty-eight in the US Billboard …

Continue reading

BACKBEATS: SOUL SEARCHIN’-FINDING GOLD IN MEMPHIS 1968-1979.

BACKBEATS: SOUL SEARCHIN’-FINDING GOLD IN MEMPHIS 1968-1979. During the sixties, Southern Soul was at the height of its popularity. Independent labels like Stax, Goldwax and FAME, and majors like Atlantic released some of Southern Soul’s most commercially successful and critically acclaimed music. However, one label’s success lasted from the late sixties, right through the late …

Continue reading

ANN PEEBLES-TELLIN’ IT.

ANN PEEBLES-TELLIN’ IT. It’s been a while since I looked back at the Hi Records back catalogue, so thought that I’d rectify that by doing a review of one of Ann Peebles’ albums. With seven albums to choose from, I’ve plenty of great music to chose from. Previously, I’ve written about Ann’s most successful album, …

Continue reading

LOVE AND JEALOUSY AND BACK TO MY PLACE BABY.

LOVE AND JEALOUSY AND BACK TO MY PLACE BABY. If I was to say the words Southern, Deep, Crossover, Modern and Northern what would you say? Many people would immediately say soul. They would be correct, but they’re also the themes for some of the Backbeats compilations that have been released since 2009. In total, …

Continue reading

O.V. WRIGHT-WE”RE STILL TOGETHER.

O.V. WRIGHT-WE”RE STILL TOGETHER. I’ve always thought that O.V. Wright was one of the most underrated Southern Soul singers of his generation. In some ways, his music was overshadowed by the success of Al Green, who was on the same label as O.V. Hi Records. Whereas, Al Green had numerous critically acclaimed albums, O.V. only …

Continue reading

ANN PEEBLES-IF THIS IS HEAVEN.

ANN PEEBLES-IF THIS IS HEAVEN. Since I first started buying soul music, there are certain labels which have been great favourites of mine. Among them are the obvious ones Stax, Fame, Philadelphia International, Cadet, Motown and of course Hi Records. Hi had been founded in 1957 by a group of people including Ray Harris, a …

Continue reading

AL GREEN-THE BELLE ALBUM.

AL GREEN-THE BELLE ALBUM. When Al Green released The Belle Album, it was a very different album to those that preceded it for several reasons. Belle reflected the changes that were happening in Al’s personal life. For several years, religion had played an important part in his life, and he’s struggled to come to terms …

Continue reading

ANN PEEBLES-I CAN’T STAND THE RAIN.

ANN PEEBLES-I CAN’T STAND THE RAIN. For many years, I’ve loved Southern Soul music, and during that time, discovered a number of great artists and labels. Two of my favorite labels are Stax and Hi Records. Previously, I’ve written about some of the great artists who recorded on Hi Records, including the legendary Al Green, …

Continue reading

SYL JOHNSON-DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH.

SYL JOHNSON-DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH. In previous articles I’ve written about Southern Soul, I’ve focused on one particular label, Hi Records. Previously, I’ve written about three of their most famous artists, the legendary Al Green, O.V. Wright and Otis Clay. These three artists produced some of the most successful and critically acclaimed albums on the …

Continue reading

OTIS CLAY-TRYING TO LIVE MY LIFE WITHOUT YOU.

OTIS CLAY-TRYING TO LIVE MY LIFE WITHOUT YOU. Recently, I was listening to a compilation of Stax Records music, 3000 Volts of Stax, and came across a track by Otis Clay called Come To Me. This set me thinking about how great a soul singer Otis Clay was. I have long been a fan of …

Continue reading