Joe Perkins

Joe Perkins

If for some perverse reason you’re looking for the worst record to get a mention on this website Joe Perkins’ “Little Eefin’ Annie” would get my vote. On Sound Stage 7 too. However almost everything else he cut (apart from the rather indifferent Musicor 45) is class southern soul which should be in everybody’s collection – which certainly makes up for this awful lapse.

Both toe-tapping sides of his “screamer” 45 ListenI’m Not Gonna Leave and the bluesy “Until You Were Gone” for Wylie Sappington are a case in point. As is the very fine ListenThing Of The Past– both discs being cut in Memphis as the names of Dan Greer and George Jackson on the 45s testify. From this period came the unissued deep ballad "I Know What You're Up To"  - really one of his best recordings

Think I’ll Go Somewhere And Cry Myself To Sleep” is a splendid 12/8 country soul ballad cut at the Quinvy studios in Muscle Shoals.  Perkins used a noticeable but not unpleasant nasal twinge to his delivery here but the Percy Sledge touch doesn't grate at all..  The Tennessee based producer of the session, Audie Ashworth, is perhaps best known to R&B fans for his work with the soulful country artist J J Cale.

I'm not gonna leave - SAPTON 100In the early 70s he cut two superb discs back in Memphis. ListenWrapped Up In Your Love for Plush is quite outstanding, with great instrumental support from the Memphians who later cut for Hi subsidiary Pawn. The group also recorded for Bluff City which released Joe’s final single, the great double sider ListenTry Love / “Hungry For Your Love”. Joe was a very fine emotive singer in the southern soul tradition.

UPDATE ~ I have found several more releases by Joe - all of them alternative issues of material already shown - which have been added to the discography. Details of the Gule 45 have been kindly sent by Mr Finewine. Onoe the strangest is a UK issue of the very fine Nugget 45 on Sharon 311728 - can anybody help me with details of this label as I've not heard of it before.

The exception to this is the exciting discovery by my friend Red Kelly via his always excellent "Soul Detective" blog that "I Know What You're Up To" was actually issued on the terminally obscure Taurus label, #100, backed with "Your Love Fits Me Like A Glove". You can read more about this here.

UPDATE ~ I have been contacted by Regina Collins who is related to Joe and she confirms that the dreadful SS7 45 isn't the same artist. Thank Heavens for that! I'm very grateful to Regina for getting in touch.

NEW UPDATE ~ Ady Croasdell writes to say that he's pretty sure that the guy on Musicor isn't the fine Memphis singer on this page. It certainly is way out of Joe's usual style. Can anybody confirm?

Think I'll go somewhere and cry myself to sleep - NUGGET 1029 Try love - BLUFF CITY 220

Discography

Time alone will tell / Ain't you glad nature did it ~ KING 5005 (1957)
How much love / A new feeling ~ KING 5030 (1957)
Until you were gone / ListenI'm not gonna leave ~ SAPTON 100 / BERRY 102 / GULE 102 / BRUME 2156 (1961)
Uncle Eeef / Little Eeefin Annie ~ SS7 2511 (1963)
Natalie would / Runaway slave ~ MUSICOR  1064 (1965)
Think I'll go somewhere and cry myself to sleep / Movin' in the groove ~ NUGGET 1029 (1968?)
I know what you’re up to / Your love fits me like a glove ~ TAURUS 100 (60s)
Until you were gone / ListenThing of the past ~ CHRIS 001 (1970)
Looking for a woman / ListenWrapped up in your love ~ PLUSH 100 (early 70s)
Hungry for your love / ListenTry love ~ BLUFF CITY 220 (1974)

 

Notes:-

1. The version of “Until You Were Gone” on Chris 001 is a recut of the Sapton/Berry track.

2. "I'm Not Gonna Leave" and “I Know What You’re Up To” can be found on the Westside UK CD “Soul Jewels Vol 1”. "Your Love Fits Me Like A Glove" is on the Japanese P-Vine CD "A Man In Love".

Thanks to Jeff Beckman for spotting a nonsense in the text - now amended.

 

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