Capture The Art Blog's

Greg Presmanes formed his first high school band The Echoes in Atlanta, Georgia. Drummer Doug Freedman was the other stable member ; others came and went until Presmanes secured the services of his cousin Bob Levinson, who renamed the group The Fly By Nights.

They recorded their sole 45 in the Summer of 1967. Just 300 copies were pressed with the band’s name spelt « Fly-Bi-Nites ». The top side is a fine cover of the Young Rascals Come On Up, with a danceable beat and great guitar bass. The nugget here, however, is the fabulous original Found Love, a dramatic pop-punker with hypnotic keyboards, dynamic bursts of guitar and dreamy vocals.

Presmanes recounts the band’s story in Psychedelic States : Georgia Vol. 1 liner notes. He left them in the Spring of 1969 ; the band continued, changed their names to the Solid Soul and shifted into funky RnB territory. They released a 45 on the local Lovett label which was picked up by the Capitol subsidiary 123.

From "Fuzz Acid and Flowers revisited", ed. Vernon Joynson.

.

Eddy Raven (born Edward Garvin Futch, August 19, 1944 in Lafayette, Louisiana) charted a string of hit singles on the country music charts between 1974 and 1991.

Influenced by Cajun music, the country music sounds from popular radio broadcasts such as the Louisiana Hayride, New Orleans blues, and the new sounds of rock and roll, Raven developed his own unique sound. His songwriting abilities led to him being signed by Don Gant to a publishing deal with Acuff-Rose Music that eventually led to him moving to Nashville, Tennessee where he started recording for himself in 1974.

In the 1980s, had a string of top ten songs, including 6 that went to No. 1 on the country music charts. Those songs include "I Got Mexico" (1984); "Shine, Shine, Shine" (1987); "I'm Gonna Get You" and "Joe Knows How to Live" (both 1988); and "In a Letter to You" and "Bayou Boys" (both 1989). He also wrote The Oak Ridge Boys' 1982 single "Thank God for Kids".

For three of his teenage years, Eddy Raven lived in Southeast Georgia, in Cobbtown, Metter and Baxley. He attended Metter High School and started his musical career while living in this area. That's where he recorded the Cosmo single, in a radio studio.

It was in the school auditorium of Cobbtown, in the middle of the Georgia Tobbacco Belt halfway between Metter and Reidsville, that Eddy made his first stage appearance in 1961. He decided then and there that he would rather write and sing songs than work for Uncle Troy making flues for tobacco-curing barns in Metter.

Check out the 30 minute interview with the singer on Y-101, a local Georgia radio :


.

Johnny Jones was born in 1936, and by the early 1950’s was living in the hotbed of urban blues, Chicago. Over the years he would play with both Junior Wells and Freddy King. Jones would move to Nashville, Tennessee in the early 60’s. There he worked as a studio guitarist and formed the band the Imperial Seven.

The King Casuals (some references list ‘Kasuals’) were formed in Nashville in the early 60’s. Early members included Jimi Hendrix on guitar and Billy Cox on bass. It’s not clear when Johnny Jones joined the group on guitar and vocals, but there are references to Jones and Hendrix having played together (possibly as the house band on a Nashville TV show).

Sometime after 1965 Hendrix and Cox both left the King Casuals. Cox would reunite with Hendrix a few years later in the Band of Gypsies. Read more HERE

Johnny Jones died in 2009. His obituary - with numerous comments - can be found HERE.

Listen to "You Got To Move" HERE.

Possibly a Waymon " Gusman" Jones label.

A 71 recordings three-CD set of gospel recorded by Waymon Jones will be available next month:

Waymon "Gusman" Jones loved gospel music. Especially, he loved the rich stirring sounds of the quartets he heard as a farm boy in rural Georgia, then in his adopted hometown of Savannah, Georgia, where he set up his Gusman Record Shop. From his passion came an indispensible legacy of gospel song.


Between 1961 and 1978, Waymon Jones recorded and issued a stream of essential recordings by the Golden Stars of Greenwood, SC, the White Family Singers of Savannah, GA, the Six Voices of Zion of Columbia, SC, the Flying Clouds of Augusta, GA, and many others.

This three- CD set captures on 71 rare recordings the sounds Jones wanted everyone to hear, giving 21st century listeners a unique opportunity to roll back the years and hear the vital and vibrant sounds of a southern community's gospel music world in a simpler age. The enclosed booklet features historic group and label photographs and extensive notes by gospel music researcher and writer Alan Young.

.

The Pitch label was a product of the Gusman Records Co., owned by W. Jones.

Waymon Jones abandoned his studies and opened the Gusman Co record shop at 1210 East Broad Street in Savannah. “Gusman” was his nickname since childhood, derived from his middle name. From the outset the Gusman Co was a gathering place for local gospel singers, and Jones built a recording studio attached to the shop. Read more HERE.

Pitch 110 come with two different label variations : one has the mention "Distributed by Triway Sales Co. Savannah, Georgia" and an additional (release?) number 366-1126. The other don't.

"Primarily known as a beach music band, these two tracks are more psychedelic; b-side reminiscent of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young."

Information about the early sides recorded by Tommy Roe before he was signed to ABC-Paramount is somewhat inconsistent.

For example, his first record on Mark IV is not always listed in his discography. As to his second on the Mark IV label (above picture), it's not listed at all. That's this second release that has the picture sleeve (pictures below), NOT the first release. Release number is 1018 (I Got A Girl) on a side and 1022 on the "Pretty Girl" side. ANOTHER TOMMY ROE HIT is stamped in red ink on the label.

My guess is that Cleve Warnock (owner of Mark IV Records and Tommy Roe's manager) re-issued "I Got A Girl" and "Pretty Girl" at some point after the two releases of Judd Records (1018 and 1022), and added a picture sleeve. (#1022 was the last release on Judd, just before the bankrupt of its owner, NRC Records).

Despite the "CP-2622" mention printed on label (just like it was on the first Judd release), I don't think that it was pressed by Rite Records.

That's just speculation, Dear Reader, and (Notice) a picture of the flip side ("Pretty Girl") of this record would be the most welcome!

Atlanta, Georgia gospel on a label likely owned by Harrison Smith.

Ziontone Records discography :

Southern Gospel Singers of Atlanta, GA
17851 – One Day I Got To Go Home
17852 - Last Mile Of the Way

Spiritual Knights
20135 ~ Send Down Power
20136 ~ Glad I'm Saved


The Soul Searchers :
Nobody Knows/Strengthen Me (NRC 377)

The Gospel Keys :
Jesus My Friend/I Got The Holy Ghost (NRC 524)

Echoes of Zion Singers :
Lord I Come To Thee/ A Prayer (NRC 612)

Side One : [35029]

1. Intro – Soul Train –Love Train
2. I Got The Fever
3. If I Were Your Woman
4. Our Day Will Come
5. Sing A Simple Song
6. Rock The Boat
7. Wild Flower

Side Two : [35030]

1.Intro
2. Chameleon
3. California
4. Leroy Brown
5. Little Green Apples
6. Thanks For Saving My Life
7. Got To Use My Imagination
8. Let’s Stay Together
9. Dance To The Music

Billy Scott, his wife Barbara and Janet Helm were members of the Georgia Prophets. When the group broke up in 1971, they had to come up with another name for the three of them. They decided to call themselves the “THREE PROPHETS.” In 1974, Billy produced the only album for the “THREE PROPHETS.” It was a live album, recorded in many of the popular nightclubs in which the group performed.