Varetta Dillard, "Good Gravy Baby" c/w "Scorched" (Triumph 608; rel. 6/1959)
I confess: I do not own an original (or, as the youths say, OG) of today's single. An excellent reproduction was issued in 2012 and it'll just have to do for now. I'm not against repros as a way to hear great records, but I'm careful to note repro on any such record's sleeve. I don't want more confusion and hassle for whomever must deal with my collection when I'm a container of ashes in a decorative vase.
This is a $100-$150 record in decent shape; I paid five for this handsome, heavy-vinyl replica, which delivers great sound. It's yet another fine release by Varetta Dillard, talented Black chanteuse of the 1950s and '60s. We've played many of Ms. D's singles here in the past; it has been a while since she last appeared on the J-box.
Triumph Records was a short-lived label (nine releases) out of New York. I've read that Otis Blackwell was involved as producer or talent agent. Every record in Triumph's short list is excellent, but they're tough to find. Distribution didn't go nationwide, and the label failed to get a mainstream hit. Sad but familiar story.
Varetta Dillard, free of the pop constraints of RCA-Victor, where she'd recorded for a few years, lets herself sing free and bold on this grand 1960 release. "Good Gravy Baby" was penned by Joy Kennedy, who wrote a handful of solid r&b/pop items at decade's start and was a collaborator of Robert Mosley, a name longtime readers may recognize. It's a solid 12-bar blues enlivened by Mickey Baker's blazing guitar and a solid backing with zero frills--just a stage for Varetta's voice to inhabit. She gives off the hormonal urge of the song's lyrics with a mix of sincerity and urgency. The results: somewhat steamy!
This is a $100-$150 record in decent shape; I paid five for this handsome, heavy-vinyl replica, which delivers great sound. It's yet another fine release by Varetta Dillard, talented Black chanteuse of the 1950s and '60s. We've played many of Ms. D's singles here in the past; it has been a while since she last appeared on the J-box.
Triumph Records was a short-lived label (nine releases) out of New York. I've read that Otis Blackwell was involved as producer or talent agent. Every record in Triumph's short list is excellent, but they're tough to find. Distribution didn't go nationwide, and the label failed to get a mainstream hit. Sad but familiar story.
Varetta Dillard, free of the pop constraints of RCA-Victor, where she'd recorded for a few years, lets herself sing free and bold on this grand 1960 release. "Good Gravy Baby" was penned by Joy Kennedy, who wrote a handful of solid r&b/pop items at decade's start and was a collaborator of Robert Mosley, a name longtime readers may recognize. It's a solid 12-bar blues enlivened by Mickey Baker's blazing guitar and a solid backing with zero frills--just a stage for Varetta's voice to inhabit. She gives off the hormonal urge of the song's lyrics with a mix of sincerity and urgency. The results: somewhat steamy!
Cash Box-approved recording. Pardon the cut-off right side of review.
Even better is "Scorched," a Dillard original. This is a full-on rocker that its author owns with her fervent performance. She hones in on the anger of a spurned lover who's disgusted with her ex's crap behavior. King Curtis further expresses her ire in a sax break; the band behind Varetta sets a forceful beat and mood.
Dillard might have learned something about songwriting from Otis Blackwell, who gave her several songs in her career. She does a familiar Blackwell trick: the clever use of the VI and V chords (in the key of C, F and G) to create tension at the end of each chorus. It's a time-tested hook, and in concert with her intense performance it makes this one the reason why this record goes for a Benjamin or more. Any soul-night DJ would be pleased to spin this platter for a crowd. Hence this elegant reproduction!
Dillard might have learned something about songwriting from Otis Blackwell, who gave her several songs in her career. She does a familiar Blackwell trick: the clever use of the VI and V chords (in the key of C, F and G) to create tension at the end of each chorus. It's a time-tested hook, and in concert with her intense performance it makes this one the reason why this record goes for a Benjamin or more. Any soul-night DJ would be pleased to spin this platter for a crowd. Hence this elegant reproduction!
Tomorrow: rockin' r&b continues with a wild single by Roy Tann; hot rods and an idealized Mexico are its themes. A Dot Records delight from 1957.
Yessiree 'Gal can sing!' The "Good Gravy Baby" sound is, to me, reminiscent of the 1958 Peggy Lee "Fever" and, who woulda thunk it, Otis Blackwell was co-writer of that song for Little Willie John in 1956. "Scorched" is a great multi-bar rocker. Because of that 12 bar trope, with a little ear squint, it reminds me of my tween years and Neil Hefti's (no slouch in the music department himself) "Batman theme".
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