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
Hey all you vinyl collectors! The fine folks at Flea Market Funk and Dust & Grooves are throwing a contest with some cool prizes. To enter you need to take vinyl related photos and submit them to here. The deadline is March 15, so don’t miss out!
Typically NPR does not chose old music for their Song of the Day. However, today seems to be the exception to the rule. The (somewhat tragic) story behind Mickey Murray’s People Are Together seems to have broken that barrier as it is today’s Song of the Day.
The Perlich Post has put together a list of their top 100 reissues of 2011. There are a couple Secret Stash mentions, but moreover it’s a really great resource for music enthusiasts looking for some new (old) music!
