Jerry Rankin

The little known Jerry Rankin had three 45s out that I know about – and it is perfectly possible that there were others I’ve yet to discover. Dating them is a tricky business to put it mildly but I would think the Soul-Po-Tion 45 may well have been the initial release. The two part “You’re Expecting Too Much Of Me” is gentle Georgia ballad on which Rankin’s rather nasal delivery is complemented by some tasty falsetto passages. The background vocalists and the rhythm section work well together and there are some horns too which add weight to the arrangement.

Later on in the decade he recorded a single side for Mobile, AL’s Milton Smith, the dead slow ListenI Am Willing To Change which shows that traditional southern soul was still alive in the disco era, even if you had to look pretty hard for it. The song has a 12/8 time signature and a classic southern soul arrangement of arpeggio guitar, rhythm and a small horn section. It’s a real grower – a throwback sound. The other side is a funk collector’s piece credited to the Soulfadelics which to my ears is tedious beyond belief. Rankin’s uptempo third 45 came from Pensacola, FL.

UPDATE ~ Marc Demuynck has written with info on another Rankin 45 on Double J from Pensecola, FL - now in the discography. As always I'm grateful to Marc.


Discography

You’re expecting too much from me / Pt 2 ~ SOUL-PO-TION 145 (mid 70s?)
ListenI am willing to change (just for you) / The big chase MIL-SMI 108 (1976/7?) (Note – reverse by THE SOULFADELICS)
Nobody knows / Same ~ JET 505 (late 70s?)
Eagle fly dance / Same ~ DOUBLE J 504 (late 70s?)

 

Back to artist index | Top of Page