WADE COOPER, "OH ME, OH MY" C/W "I'M GONNA LOVE YOU SO," EMBER E-1059 (REL. 12/1959)

Here’s another no-photo-available, no-info-exists performer. Wade Cooper made two singles in 1959 and ’60 for Ember and Herald, two labels run by Al Silver and Fred Mendelsohn. Both labels contain a wealth of rare and obscure Black performers; flops outnumbered the hits on both labels, though Herald racked up a decent list of chart successes.

It was possible, in 1959, for a young performer to walk into the offices of a record label and ask to audition. Who could say “no, we’re too busy?” This was a windfall if the kid turned out to have a great voice or had written some sure-fire hit songs. 99 times out of 100, nothing came of these try-outs except for records undeserving of failure, if they were judged by quality alone.

Wade Cooper was one of hundreds of able-bodied young Black vocalists who arrived at a time when the music began to change. Spurred on by the success of Jackie Wilson, Sam Cooke and Ben E. King, the solo male vocalist became a major figure in New York-made r&b singles of 1960-64. These performers helped reshape the 1950s sound of Black music towards a more intense, emotional style soon called soul. Record by record, through trial and error, this new approach made a gradual appearance. More of the flavor of gospel music came into the mix; attempts to blend mainstream pop styles with Black music waned.

We’ll hear the first of Cooper’s two singles today. Ignored by the music press, it came and went without notice at the end of 1959. Its odd, colorful label is an eye-catcher, and though this often means one of The Five Satins’ common hits, I always check the credits in the hope of scoring another little-known r&b item.

“Oh Me Oh My” became popular amongst the Belgian “popcorn” movement, which has been discussed here in the past. It’s yet another great song co-penned by Leroy Kirkland. This gospel-tinged mover features Cooper’s impressive voice—he goes from a coo to a roar and has an impressive falsetto wail. A femme gospel-style choir abets his performance on this easy-rockin’ nugget that sounds better than similar songs which are much better-known. There were a lot of records with this sound in the early 1960s and it’s easy to take them for granted. Each has something special to offer and they’re all worth hearing and enjoying!

>>>Hear it HERE!!!<<<

My copy of this single has THIS SIDE PLEASE! rubber-stamped on the label of “I’m Gonna Love You So,” which is peculiar because both songs shared a publisher; to them, it didn’t matter which side got airplay. This ballad is more conventional; it sounds as “1950s” as the A-side suggests Black music’s future approach.

Cooper co-wrote this side with Kirkland, and it’s pleasant listening in the Sam Cooke mode, and seems produced with an aim on the pop charts. Perhaps this was the intended A; it does have more of a focused production. It takes none of the risks of the other side and, thus, was more radio-friendly. DJs played “Oh Me” instead and the resultant confusion doomed a good record to obscurity.

>>>Hear it HERE!!!<<<

Cooper’s second and last 45 preceded one of Herald Records’ biggest hits, “Stay” by Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs, in their catalog. All the label’s attention went to the push for that single—one of the shortest songs to become a major it—and Wade’s sophomore effort fell by the wayside, despite some initial promotion and a good review in Cash Box.

“I’m Gonna Love You So” received a 1962 cover version by white “teener” Dick Rogers, who also went by Dick Tosti. His guitar-based, reverb-laden version works perfectly as a white pop item, but it, too, died upon release. And this was the last the music world heard of Wade Cooper, whomever he was, wherever he ended up.

Tomorrow: a return visit by UK band The Applejacks, with a Lennon-McCartney toss-off coupled with a garage-y beat pounder, via a 1964 London Records platter.