Thank you to everyone who came out Saturday, January 21 to The Cedar to help celebrate the reissue of Mickey Murray's People Are Together LP! It was a really special night for all of us at SSR and Mickey really enjoyed being on stage and couldn't get over how nice everyone was and how happy he was to perform again. Here are some photos, courtesy of Ben Clark, showcasing the night that was.
Thanks to Chris Riemenschneider at the Star Tribune for coming to an assembly party and writing a great article for the Star Tribune. I know the article meant a lot to Mickey. To check out the article, click here.
The City Pages is running a feature on Secret Stash Records and the Mickey Murray reissue and concert/release party. Thanks to Erik Thompson from the City Pages for taking the time to put together this nice article. To read the piece, click here.
On Sunday, January 15, 89.3 The Current aired a program dedicated to Mickey Murray. On the show, Bill DeVille interviewed Mickey and helped tell his story with some of Mickey's music, as well as music that helped paint the picture of the time and place that Mickey grew up. If you have an hour, it's time well spent!
This is a big announcement for us here at Secret Stash...
To celebrate the reissue of his 1970 album, People Are Together, we are flying Mickey Murray from his home in North Augusta, SC up to Minneapolis for a live performance on Saturday, January 21 at the Cedar Cultural Center. We'll start off the night with the a crack team of DJs. Beginning at 8:00, Bill Deville and Jim McGuinn from 89.3 The Current will share some of their favorite Northern Soul tunes. At 9:00, Hipshaker DJs Brian Engel and Greg Waletski will keep us groovin' by spinning rare soul and funk 45s. At 10:00, there will be a live performance from the man himself, Micky Murray! This is an all ages show, Beer and Wine will be served all night, and tickets are $13 in advance/$15 at the door. To let us know you are attending via facebook, click here.
The Mickey Murray jackets have arrived! This is our first LP with a gatefold jacket, so we were eager to see how they'd turn out. Check out the photos below to get a sneak peek at never before seen photos and liner notes drawn from our conversations with the man himself, Mickey Murray.
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The parts for the new Mickey Murray reissue are trickling into our offices. Everything will be here by the end of this week. That can only mean one thing... ASSEMBLY PARTY TIME! That's right, it's that time once again when we invite all our fellow vinyl addicts to the SSR offices to help assemble a new release. You may possibly be asking yourself, "what the hell are they talking about?" Let me explain...
We order all the different parts for our releases (jacket, vinyl, download card, etc) from different vendors. Rather than ship all the parts to the vinyl manufacturer and have them assemble it, we bring the assembly in house. This allows us a level of quality control that could never be achieved via 3rd party assembly. It's also a great way to open our doors to the local community to come in and check out our operation from the inside.
Here is how it works. Come on by our offices in uptown and help assemble Mickey Murray records. There will be FREE local pizza and beer. There will also be a FREE copy of the limited edition version of the album (includes bonus 45) for those who help out. It's a great way to meet other record enthusiasts in the Twin Cities. We've got a set of turn tables in the office, so feel free to bring a few records to share with the group. Check out the details below. We hope to see you there.
Where: Secret Stash Records World Headquarters
711 W Lake St
STE 211
Minneapolis, MN 55408
When: 6:30 PM 'till we're done (usually take 2-3 hours)
Contact: 612-466-2224 or will@secretstashrecords.com
We got a nice little Christmas present late last week. Our Mickey Murray 45s arrived from the plant. They look and sound great. We'll hand number the labels this week.
Remember, the only way to get one of these super limited edition records (only 250 exist) is by pre-ordering Mickey Murray's People Are Together LP from our web-store.
Originally pressed by King's Federal Records imprint in 1970, People Are Together by Mickey Murray is truly a lost gem. King knew that they were going to lose James Brown and didn't have the capital to sign another act of Brown's stature, so they decided to build another star. King groomed Mickey Murray to be their next James Brown. Unfortunately, several important things happened that prevented this. The title track, and first radio single, from Mickey Murray's People Are Together LP was racially progressive and controversial for its time and place, so much so that DJs throughout the south refused to play it for fear of losing their jobs. At the same time, King had been sold to new owners with little interest in supporting front line releases with tours or extensive promotions. As a result, King put the album aside. According to Mickey, the album may not have formally been released.
We are proud to present the first ever reissue of this incredible record in any format. Each track has been carefully remastered from the original master tapes. We have worked closely with Mickey Murray to help tell his story with a gatefold jacket containing never before seen photos and extensive liner notes. As always, each unit is hand numbered, comes in a resalable dust bag, and includes a free download of the entire LP.Click HERE to pre-order the limited edition version with bonus 7".
Check out the video below to hear a sample from the bonus 45:
