|
***The compositions of R&B and soul songwriting great Don Covay have been recorded by everyone from the Rolling Stones to Jimi Hendrix, Gladys Knight to Wilson Pickett, and many others. Mick Jagger has even cited Covay as his all time favorite singer! Covay was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina, and grew up in Washington, DC, the son of a Baptist preacher. As a youngster he sang in his family's gospel group, the Cherry-Keys, and joined The Rainbows alongside Marvin Gaye, John Berry, and Billy Stewart in the '50s. He also performed as a solo singer with Little Richard (who recorded Covay as Pretty Boy on the Atlantic release "Bip Bop Bip"). Covay had moderate success with the single "Pony Time," which he co-wrote with Berry, for the Arnold label in 1960. He began to hit his stride in 1964. Besides fronting Don Covay and the Goodtimers, he wrote "Mercy Mercy," "Sookie Sookie," and "See Saw," and had tunes recorded by Gene Chandler and Aretha Franklin. Covay did both blues and soul numbers for various labels in the late '60s and '70s. His biggest hit as a performer was "See Saw," which made it to number five on the R&B charts in 1965. Covay was also part of the short-lived Soul Clan, with Solomon Burke, Arthur Conley, Ben E. King, and Joe Tex in 1968. During his period at Atlantic in the late '60s and early '70s, Covay's tunes were continually cut by other artists (most notably "See Saw" and "Chain Of Fools" by Aretha Franklin; "Watch Dog" and "I'm Gonna Take What He's Got" by Etta James; and "Think About It" and "Demonstration" by Otis Redding). But Covay's own recording career had reached an impasse, so he began trying different approaches to reach a new audience. One such attempt was the Jefferson Lemon Blues Band, featuring former Shirelles guitarist Joe Richardson and John Hammond, a favorite of the Greenwich Village coffee house folk / blues crowd. Recorded at Herb Abramson's A-1 Studio, the album was aimed at what was then called the "underground" audience. What may have seemed like an odd direction at the time produced one very raw and potent marriage of soul, blues and rock. Out of print for years, The House of Blue Lights has become a desired album by record collectors everywhere. Track listing: 1. Key to the Highway
2. Mad Dog Blues
3. The Blues Don't Knock
4. Blues Ain't Nothing But a Good Woman on Your Mind
5. The House of Blue Lights - Part 1
6. Four Women
7. Steady Roller
8. Homemade Love
9. But I Forgive You Blues
10. Shut Your Mouth
11. The House of Blue Lights - Part 2 |
