JEAN WELLS, "I FEEL GOOD" C/W "I'M IN YOUR CORNER," CALLA 137 (REL. 11/1967)

 

Jean Wells grew up in West Palm Beach, Florida. Born in 1942, where she had a typical upbringing of a future soul music star. She sang in her family’s church, sang with friends, absorbed all kinds of music and formed a group while in high school. She was a self-taught pianist and once she’d gotten her diploma, she set off to make a name for herself.

First stop: Philadelphia. Three singles happened; they got local but not national attention. Ms. Wells went back home for a spell. After a year, she returned to Philly to give it another go. She made a single for ABC-Paramount in 1965. It failed to chart. She then made a super-rare one-off for the Phila imprint; only a handful of copies exist.

Back to Florida to recoup. Third-time lucky, she reckoned. Again in Philadelphia, she met Clyde Otis, whose partnership with singer/songwriter/producer Brook Benton resulted in some rather tepid recordings for Mercury Records in the earlier 1960s. Otis was more inclined to contemporary sounds in 1967, and, impressed with Wells’ voice, he got her signed to Calla Records, a soul-inclined imprint that launched in 1965 and is loaded with Northern Soul favorites. At last she got some r&b chart hits—not huge ones, but sufficient for the label to issue an LP titled World, Here Comes Jean Wells!

Wells’ eight singles for Calla, released from 1967 to ’69, capture soul music as it tended towards overstatement (as did much vernacular music of its day). Today’s selections, from her second Calla release, are perfect to these ears.

“I Feel Good,” written by Wells, was the intended B-side but got into the r&b Top 40. Within a few seconds, it’s easy to see its appeal. Well’s full-bodied vocal is surrounded by solid vocal backup, pungent brass and the de rigueur of a soul record—a solid bass line. For her choice of a song title that was a recent hit—James Brown’s 1965 classic—she does well. It’s a different and exciting song with the Philly soul vibe (part Motown, part gospel, with clean, well-defined elements in accord) and it has none of the hubris that had already begun to creep into soul music. How was this not a crossover pop hit? It sounds like a smash to me!

Wells’ prior single got reviewed in all the magazines; they gave this one a hard pass—it’s possible the label forgot to mail out review copies. Their bad. The A side makes a better B. Sometimes B-sides capture a mood that isn’t as commercial; more personal or confessional. That’s what makes so many of them haunting. “I’m In Your Corner” is, truth told, another A-side. Had the single been touted as having two As, a promotional angle might have gotten it noticed and made for a bigger hit.

It reminds of the Muscle Shoals recordings of Ruby Johnson. Penned by Clyde Otis and Norbert DeCoteaux, it has that lazier rhythm, with a stronger gospel vibe. Oh, man, what a great vocalist Ms. Wells was! Her command of the listener’s attention is magical for the three minutes of this loving, supportive and embracing song. This is as good piece of deep soul as anyone achieved in ’67 and is a triumph for its performer.

While Jean Wells won the accolades of her peers, and was a vibrant performer live or on record, she couldn’t crack the glass ceiling of mainstream stardom. She had a final hit during the disco era—a revival-point for many ‘60s soul divas—and retired from music sometime in the 1980s.

The last years of her life were bedeviled with health issues. She passed on in 2012 from complications from the aggravations of these ailments. Though she wasn’t a household name, she’s revered by fans of soul music. Recommended is the 1994 Kent Records CD Soul on Soul—which doesn’t include “I’m In Your Corner;” it’s only available via the 1967 single.

Tomorrow: UK pop singer Billy J. Kramer didn’t peak as a performer until he was yesterday’s news. A 1966 single, produced by George Martin, shows that he’d found his voice and confidence. Too bad the world had moved on. Two exciting songs with solid backup by his band The Dakotas. From a UK Parlophone 45.