Tommy Tate's cover of the William Bell classic I Forgot To Be Your Lover
"The greatest singer you've never heard," as the ever growing community of Deep Soul Fans claims. Before he became lead singer for Ollie Hoskin's Nightingales, he was singing for Tim Whitsett's The Imperial Show Band. They released a handful of records, which nowadays are highly sought after and sell for big bucks.
After the Imperial Show had disbanded, he and Tim joined Stax as songwriters, and Tommy later took Ollie Hoskins' spot with The Nightingales. His School of Life reached the top 30 in 1972. Things looked good for Tommy. But then a new star stole the show: Luther Ingram's If Loving You is Wrong, one of today's classic R&B songs, became a #1 hit on Billboard's R&B charts.
Tommy's contract with Koko Records/Stax had tied him to the label for years, and Johnny Baylor, the label's CEO would not let him leave.
Tommy's second chance came in the 80's when he joined Malaco Records. Johnny Taylor, Bobby Blue Bland, and Little Milton were singing his songs.
He kept recording throughout the 90's, but eventually retired after suffering a stroke.
Today's pick is less gospel-influenced than most of his material, showing a bit of his funky side. You'll find I Ain't Gonna Worry on I'm So Satisfied (The Complete Koko Recordings.)
No comments:
Post a Comment