An Alphabetical Look @ Some of Chuck Prophets All Time Faves.
Some Info On Legendary Musical Artists : Steve Cropper and Lee Dorsey
Cropper, Steve.
Born : Oct 21 1941 in Willow Springs Missouri.
Great Memphis Soul Music Guitarist.
One of the creators of The Stax Memphis Sound, Cropper emerged out of the suburban Messick Tennessee High School Band as a teen to form the Royal Spades. The seven members including Donald Dunn on Bass and Wayne Jackson on trumpet added a fella named Packy Axton , probably due to the fact his mother co-owned a record company undergoing a name change from Satellite to Stax. They were christened the Mar-Keys as a pun referring to the movie theater used as a label office/ recording studio on McLemore in Memphis. In 1961 Chips Moman recorded an instrumental called "Last Night" by the band which soared to #2 R&B, and #3 on the Pop charts. It was the first official Stax single and begat an era of Southern Fried Soul. The lower end of the harmonic spectrum emanating from Cropper's guitar was figured prominently in the mix and augmented by soulful horns and electric organ. Cropper claims it was the first instrumental you could "twist" to. One evening a late night jam session in 1962 resulted in "Green Onions," and Booker T & the MG's were formed.
Cropper wove an inventive subdued playing style around the B-3 played by Booker T. Jones and a very special sound was created. They were in demand constantly as the Stax house band and featured prominently in live shows. He spent most of the sixties writing, recording and performing some of the greatest hits of the Stax and Atlantic label with the likes of Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Eddie Floyd, Sam & Dave,
Currently residing in Nashville, he occasionally makes appearances for charity and television.
multiple credits include:
Some Key Cropper Solo Albums To Own:
With a Little Help From My Friends - a 1971 set of Memphis musical mayhem
Jammed Together - produced by Cropper with help from maestro Isaac Hayes and featuring Albert King and Pops Staples this discus is a serious soul stew. Here a couple samples from this collaboration...
| 1. | What'd
I Say Origianlly by Ray Charles |
| 2. | Tupelo Originally by John Lee Hooker |
As a record producer he has worked with acts including Rod Stewart, George Strait, Wyonna Judd, Jeff Beck, Jose Feliciano, Poco ,Mitch Ryder, and Trisha Yearwood.
Steves' list of musical awards includes 17 platinum albums, 6 CMA awards, 4 ACM awards, 2 Grammy Awards, 5 Gold albums, and many more...
Seminal 50's and 60's New Orleans R&B singer
"If a smile had a sound, it would be the sound of Lee Dorsey's voice." Allen Toussaint
While hanging out at the garage, a local record producer arranged to book him some time at Cosimo Matassa's recording studio. His early Instant and Rex label efforts went unnoticed, but boosted by an appearance on American Bandstand, his 1st ABC single "Lottie Mo" moved up the charts.
Dorsey soon was backed by the A.F.O. (All For One) band featuring Allen Toussaint on piano; Roy Montrell, guitar; Chuck Badie, bass; Alvin "Red" Tyler on sax; and John Boudreaux on drums. They recorded the nonsense hit "Ya Ya" for the Fury label and it entered the charts in August of '61. During a nineteen-week chart run the whimsical tune reprtedly written in a bar after watching some kids playing outside peaked at Number 1 R&B and Number 7 Pop. A few follow-ups were attempted on Fury, Smash and Constellation, some denting the lower echelons of the R&B charts but the fertile Lee Dorsey had 11 mouths to feed and went back to working on cars.
By 1965 Lee Dorsey had taken two years away from the music biz, yet Allen Toussaint, (fresh from a stint in the Army) and Marshall Sehorn made Dorsey a priority. "Ride Your Pony," an funky dance number augmented with real gunshot sounds was released on the Amy label and quickly rose to # 7 R&B and # 28 Pop. The infectiously groovy tune had a thirteen-week chart run in the spring of '65, giving Dorsey's career its second wind. Over the course of the next four years Dorsey released several successful tracks including "Working In A Coal Mine" which hit #5 R&B, and #8 Pop. Other hits came and went including "Holy Cow" and "Get Out Of My Life Woman" which was covered by at least 40 other artists. Toussaint was providing excellent studio guidance at was using players like Deacon John Moore on Guitar during these mid 60's sessions before switching to the Meters in the latter part of the decade.
"Everything I Do Gonh Be Funky (From Now On)" and "Candy Yam" were proplelled by funky drummer Zigaboo Modeliste and the rest of the The Meters into minor chart hits circa 1969. Dorsey scored a deal with Polygram in early 1970 and the title track "Yes We Can" composed by Toussainit hit #46 , but was actually big hit a few years later for the Pointer Sisters. He guested on the 1976 debut album by Southside Johnny And The Asbury Dukes. His last album "Night People" produced by Toussaint was released in 1977 for ABC, the label that also ironically started his career . Lee wowed 'em @ 1979 Jazz Fest in a wheelchair after a motorcycle accident and kept performing whenever money and occasion combined. His last major tour was supporting The Clash on their 1980 North American campaign. His goodtime songs were also covered in the early 80's by new wave acts Devo and Trio. He died of Emphysema in 1986.
Recommended Choices:
Wheelin' and Dealin' - This BMG collection compiles material from Ya Ya to Candy Yam
-a great look back at 24 of the the 1966-1970 Amy recordings including Working In A Coal Mine and never released bonus cuts and versions backed by The Meters. only $12.49
Great Googa Mooga - A 40 track Dbl CD Import from the U.K on sale for $18.99
Click Here for a complete list of currently available Lee Dorsey recordings
