Harry M. And The Marvels, "You Are My Sunshine" c/w "I Won't Come Back," ABC-Paramount 45-10321 (rel. 4/1962)

Harry Middlebrooks' three singles for ABC-Paramount are a musical treasure. This gifted Georgia-born singer-songwriter was part of the Atlanta, Georgia talent-pool; he placed several songs with Black vocal group The Tams, who are in the orbit of the area's most famous creator, Joe South.
    Middlebrooks pursued a solo career that bridged Black and white music with the same emotional impact as the work of Charlie Rich. He possessed a voice of immense beauty and ability. This wasn't enough to make him a mainstream star, and at some point, he seems to have waved the white flag and done what record companies asked him to, rather than what his passions were as a performer and composer.

    Three splendid releases on ABC-Paramount as Harry M and The Marvels show a promise unfulfilled. On this, his second release, he tackles one of the most covered songs of the 20th century.
    Why did the world need yet another version of "You Are My Sunshine," Jimmie Davis' universally known country ballad? It's a song, like "Jingle Bells" and "Amazing Grace," that is known by heart to most of the Western world.
    Yet this version achieves something radical with its tired material. With a bluesy guitar riff, harmonica wailin' and a harmony duet with an uncredited high voice (woman? man?) Middlebrook makes a common song into something new and unusual. A rockin' bluesy treatment is just was this old warhorse needs, and a hot guitar-harmonica instrumental break seals the deal. File under Surprises, Pleasant.

     Fun Factoid: one of The Marvels was Cliff Thomas, former Sun Records artist and another major contributor to the Southeastern songwriting scene; he and brother Ed had a penchant for penning future Northern Soul classics.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/5jn1lymfn67szyhd5wogb/2092a.mp3?rlkey=crrbac5qw9i60r7dtwfut0q9r&st=vxbgdr43&dl=0

I don't rewrite history but I made an exception for the exquisite ballad "I Won't Come Back," which ABC-Paramount mis-titled. I repaired it on this ebullient Cash Box review.
I didn't fix the bizarre gaffe of the group name; someone was asleep
at the typesetting machine.

Even better is Middlebrooks' original ballad "I Won't Come Back," mis-titled "I Won't Love Back" on the record label. Here, Harry unleashes his eerie, breathtaking falsetto on a moody, entrancing and beautiful song and performance. The harmonica and guitar remain, but Middlebrooks' powerful, emotional voice is the focus. What a performance!
      The last 20 seconds of this side are stunning. The listener is left transformed by what they've heard. Not enough songs do that to me, but after several spins of this platter I'm more and more convinced that this man was a huge talent who deserved fame and recognition. 

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/o0jxnvb5f21ova6iutvbc/2092b.mp3?rlkey=wmv7z9f91rccet7hg2vlbq1ro&st=tmpa0hht&dl=0

After a third single for ABC--his masterpiece and a record played on the Jukebox in the past--Harry Middlebrooks let his recording career go for a few years. He wrote "Spooky," a major hit for regional band The Classics IV and a much-covered pop standard ever since. Royalties from that one song kept a roof over his head and his other songwriting efforts helped.
     He returned to recording with a one-shot single for Reprise Records in 1965; neither side was his work. Capitol Records signed him as a country performer in 1968. His output was, again, more other people's hits than his own songwriting. His LP, seen in today's marquee, is a huge disappointment in that regard. 
Middlebrooks found a friend in Elvis Presley, who was impressed with his talent and had him as an opening act for his live show and among the background voices during his sets.
      A classically-trained pianist, Middlebrooks exploited his keyboard skills on later releases, but never approached the mainstream again. He kept busy and seemed content to do paying work without the fame part. His website, copyrighted 2005, makes it unclear if he's still with us.
    Said site lists a tantalizing number of tracks recorded by Harry M and The Marvels, which suggests an album was planned, then scrapped. I wonder if those tapes still exist? The high quality of their six released sides suggests there may be unheard gold there.

Tomorrow: Cliff Richard & The Shadows deliver a Beatle-tastic 1964 winner, coupled with a pre-Beatle-era track, on a flop US single for Epic Records.