Moving and grooving right along here at Secret Stash Records HQ the Twin Cities Funk & Soul All-Stars have begun rehearsals and we thought we’d give you a little sneak peek. We’ve moved out our office chairs to make room for extra funkiness in the make-shift practice space to get the tunes down right and tight for the big release show in September.
our friend, the excellent photographer Ben Clark snapped some sweet pics for us as well.
Everyone is super pumped to play this music again and all the liner notes and packaging are looking incredible for the big record to be released next month. We have more big news for you next week that we know will blow your minds as much as it is ours. We can’t wait to let you know just how funky it’s going to get around here.
Just in from our friends at Burlesque of North America here’s a sneak preview of the limited edition screen printed jackets for the upcoming reissue of Pazy and the Black Hippies Wa Ho Ha.
Soon to be die-cut and hand assembled this pre-sale only pressing on green vinyl are almost sold out.
Place your order for the limited edition vinyl and order a limited run of the special Pazy and the Black Hippies t-shirt. Once they are gone they are gone!
It’s finally time to break the news here at Secret Stash Records about something we’ve been working on for nearly a year. We have been freaking out about finally being able to unveil the cover and give you the lowdown on our biggest release to date!
Tuesday, September 25 marks the official release of Twin Cities Funk & Soul: Lost R&B Grooves from Minneapolis/St. Paul 1964-1979, a 2xLP/CD Compilation of sweet-soul and raw funk from a long line of singers and musicians that defined Twin Cities funkiness pre-Prince.
Twin Cities Funk and Soul: Lost R&B Grooves from Minneapolis/Saint Paul 1964-1979 is the first of its kind and uncovers the music that laid the ground work for the “Minneapolis Sound”. The soulful voices of Maurice McKinnies, Wanda Davis and Jackie Harris, who’s singles have been long sought after on the collector’s market, are gathered in one place along with breakworthy R&B and psychedelic funk from Twin Cities bands including Prophets of Peace, Willie and the Bumblebees and The Lewis Connection. Plus the sweet soul of Wee Willie Walker, The Valdons and Dave Brady and the Stars make for an incredible package of music and original photos from that era.
To celebrate on Saturday, September 22, we will be hosting an album release party at the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis featuring the Twin Cities Funk & Soul All-Stars. Amazingly we’ve got Willie Walker, Maurice Jacox, members of Prophets of Peace, Willie and the Bees, Band of Thieves, The Exciters, The Champions and for the first time in decades, Wanda Davis and the reunited Valdons all on one stage! This promises to be a landmark event for deep soul enthusiasts and Minnesota music fans.
The Spring 2012 St Paul Art Crawl Record Sale featuring: Let It Be, Go Johnny Go, and Riffs-Ahoy! is fast approaching. There will be many records available for your digging pleasure, plus a ton of $1 LPs and 25 cent 7″ singles! Don’t miss out!
Friday, April 27th 6 pm – 10 pm
Saturday, April 28th 12 pm – 8 pm
Sunday, April 29th 12 pm – 5 pm
There will be free admission and free parking across the street in the Wright Building parking lot. For directions, check below:
Johnny’s Lounge
The Lyric at Carleton Place
765 Hampden Ave
St Paul MN 55114
On the corner of Hampden and University – two blocks west of University and Vandalia, just north of I-94, and just east of Hwy 280. Also accessible by the #16 bus from both downtown Minneapolis and St Paul.
We’ve been hard at work for well over a year on a compilation of Twin Cities funk, soul, and R&B. Though the actual release won’t be ready until September of this year, we’ve been hipped to a pair of tracks that we just can’t keep to ourselves anymore.
On Record Store Day (4/21/12) we are going release a hand numbered 250 unit 45 rpm pressing of Rufus Lunley’s “Minneap’lis, Minnesota” / Jackie Harris’ “Do It, To It.” This release will only be available at The Electric Fetus in Minneapolis. See below to learn a bit more about these tracks and hear samples.
This track was recorded in a bowling alley in Detroit in ’68. At the end of the song you can hear the background vocalists singing “We Got The Pennant,” an attempt to make a hit song based on the possibility of the Twins winning the Pennant that year (which didn’t happen). Perhaps this track is just what Mauer and the boys need this year?
This track was licensed from the estate of Rufus Lumley. It’s been a pleasure working with Rufus’ family. It’s clear that beyond leaving a musical legacy that is still celebrated by Northern Soul collectors the world over, he was also an incredible family man.
-It should be noted that although Lumley lived in many towns during the course of his life, he never resided in the Twin Cities.
SIDE B “Do It, To It” by Jackie Harris
Jackie Harris ran what is believed to be the first ever black owned label in the Twin Cities, Black and Proud Records. They only put out a small handful of singles, including this one performed by Harris himself. Running this label was not Jackie’s full time job. He was a radio DJ at KUXL as well. He went on to own a couple radio stations, a night club, and a newspaper. Harris is still alive and well and has been very helpful in our research for the Twin Cities funk, soul, and R&B compilation. This track was licensed directly from Jackie Harris (who now goes by Jack).
The fine folks at Record Racks are giving away an autograped copy of Mickey Murray’s “People Are Together.” Check out their website for details: Record Racks
