Poppa Willie: Hi Years 1962-74 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Are you looking to buy Poppa Willie: Hi Years 1962-74? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Poppa Willie: Hi Years 1962-74. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Poppa Willie: Hi Years 1962-74 ReviewBefore becoming president of Hi Records, trumpeter/keyboardist Willie Mitchell, who was born on January 3, 1928 in Ashland, Mississippi, but raised in Memphis, led a pretty decent house band at the label. In fact, from late summer 1964 to late 1969 he and his group turned out numerous singles, eight of which did well on the R&B charts and, to varying degrees, also scored on the Billboard Hot 100 Pop charts, where he also registered two more minor hits (which, for some reason, failed to make the R&B listings).
Instrumental soul music was highly popular in that era and his competition came from the likes of Ramsey Lewis and the off-shoot group Young-Holt Unlimited, The Mar-Keys, Booker T. & The MG's, Freddy King and, of course, the great King Curtis, to name a few.
Willie's first hit single came in late summer 1964, and at a time when the R&B charts had been suspended by Billboard, when 20-75, named after the record label number (Hi 2075), made it to # 31 Billboard Hot 100 b/w Secret Home. That December, Percolatin' became his second hit when it levelled off at # 85 Hot 100 b/w Empty Rooms. While both hits are in this collection, the two B-sides are not. In later years, Billboard would assign the same chart performance to the R&B listing for historical purposes.
In the summer of 1965, with the R&B charts re-instated, he had Buster Browne go to # 29 R&B and # 96 Hot 100 with an old Woody Herman tune, Woodchopper's Ball, on the flipside. Almost a full year would then pass before he returned to the singles charts with Bad Eye, a # 23 R&B/# 92 Hot 100 in June 1966 b/w Sugar T. This B-side is also omitted. Then another year went by without a hit until, in July 1967, Slippin' And Slidin' struggled to a # 96 Hot 100 b/w As Shucks, yet another B-side not included.
But then, early in 1968, the fabulous Soul Serenade went to # 10 R&B, # 23 Hot 100, and # 32 Adult Contemporary b/w Mercy, Mercy, Mercy. Later that summer Prayer Meetin' topped out at # 23 R&B and # 46 Hot 100 with Burn Daddy on the reverse, and in October, Up-Hard got to # 91 Hot 100 b/w Beale Street Mood. Neither side is in this collection.
February 1969 saw 30-60-90 go to # 31 R&B and # 69 Hot 100 b/w a cover of the Dave Brubeck Quartet's Take Five, and that fall he had his last hit single when his cover of the old Little Walter hit from 1955, My Babe, finished at # 37 R&B and # 115 on the Hot 100 "bubble under" charts b/w Teenie's Dream.
While the many uncharted covers on Disc 2 are pleasant enough, it would have been much better (and hence 5 full stars) had they included those missing hits and B-sides. Even so, it's a CD set worth having if you loved the Memphis Soul sound.Poppa Willie: Hi Years 1962-74 Overview

Want to learn more information about Poppa Willie: Hi Years 1962-74?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now