Saturday, July 21, 2007

Papa Joe and the Rest [1970?] Many Moods of Papa Joe

Super obscure looking private press circa 1970 opens with a fab version of the Ides Of March hit "Vehicle" with tuff wah-wah guitar and groovin' organ. They have the right lounge rock vocal sound, organ, and do also classic lounge versions of "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is" and "Color My World" Chicago songs that so many lounge acts covered back then. One song I'm surprised more lounge private presses don't have is the Casinos hit "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" with that great organ sound, here they do it but title it "If It Don't Work Out" by mistake. Also a "Leroy Brown", "Most Beautiful Girl", "Natural Man" and others. Solid lounge rock act recorded at Echo Sound Studio from Florida. Cool cover pic of them on a locomotive. [PM]

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

That lp was cut in 1974 while we were playing at the Sheraton Inn in Pensacola, Florida. You can't imagine my shock at finding it on the web... I didn't think anyone had ever heard of it or had a copy. A great R&B singer joined us a few months later (Peggy Scott) and worked with us for about a year. She and JoJo Benson had had many top hits in the late '60's and we were very fortunate to have had her join our group.
The band members were: Papa Joe Crosby on organ, Dusty Justice on bass and vocals, Jerry Miller on trumpet, valve trombone and vocals, Bobby Sexton on saxes, flute and some keyboards, and yours truly Patrick Sweeney on drums, vocals and some valve 'bone. It was great working with those guys.

Rayster444{at}gmail.com said...

Mike Henderson, who I believe was from Valdosta, later played with Papa Joe and the Rest. He was extremely talented and could play the trumpet and the organ at the same time. Mike also had a great voice. He also recorded with Herb Albert and toured with Orion.

Anonymous said...

Good memories of my childhood with my daddy, Dusty...awesome music and sprite w/cherries in it. Papa Joe and the Rest are part of who I am today. Still have the album and listen to it often.

Anonymous said...

I played my 33 album just yesterday after discovering it tucked away,obviously for years! I frequented the Sheraton in Pensacola along with several of my siblings and treasure those memories. You were all great! Linda Bradner Jones

michelle said...

I just purchased the album online and I can't wait to hear it again! Papa Joe is my great uncle. His sister Margaret is my grandmother.

Unknown said...

Don Gregory sang and played guitar for awhile when Peggy was there. Great rhythm guitar and a Otis Redding voice. James Graham was a badass drummer and singer about the same time.