Hard to find southern Soul, 40 A- & B-Sides from 20 Minaret Records R&B singles!

For decades, Memphis and Muscle Shoals have been praised to the skies as premier Southern soul recording capitals, and rightly so. But any comprehensive list of important R&B studio destinations should also include Valparaiso, located on Florida’s Panhandle, not far from the Alabama state line. That’s where Finley Duncan established Playground Recording Studio in 1969, producing a series of stunning singles for his Minaret Records label that inexplicably avoided the charts but stand treetop-tall with a legion of R&B aficionados.

—Bill Dahl
(Excerpt from The South Side Of Soul Street: The Minaret Soul Singles 1967-19776 liner notes.)

Having explored the West Coast with the 3-volume Music City Sessions, Omnivore Recordings has set its sights on Southern R&B with The South Side Of Soul Street: The Minaret Soul Singles 1967-1976. This 2 CD, 40-track collection gathers all of the A-s and B-s of Minaret’s soulful sides for the very first time. Many of these tracks have been out of print for decades, commanding top dollar on the collector’s market.

While the music is enticing enough, the package features a full-color booklet with extensive liner notes by Bill Dahl detailing not only the history of the label and studio, but of the the stories of the artists whose work is showcased on these 20 singles as well. Featuring photographs and commentary from Playground staff past and present, The South Side Of Soul Street: The Minaret Soul Singles 1967-1976 adds to Omnivore’s reputation as “the Smithsonian of record labels, finding, preserving and championing some of the greatest (and most endangered) music of the past 50 years.” (Cait Brennan, Popshifter)

If you’re wondering which side of the street has the best music, it’s The South Side Of Soul Street: The Minaret Soul Singles 1967-1976.

2-CD / Digital Track List:

Disc 1:

1. The Train – Big John Hamilton
2. Big Bad John – Big John Hamilton
3. I Have No One – Big John Hamilton
4. I Just Want To Thank You – Big John Hamilton
5. Fine Time – Genie Brooks
6. Juanita – Genie Brooks
7. Blue Diamonds – The Double Soul
8. I Can’t Use You – The Double Soul
9. Big Fanny – Big John Hamilton
10. How Much Can A Man Take – Big John Hamilton
11. Pretty Girls – Big John Hamilton
12. Before The Next Teardrop Falls – Big John Hamilton
13. The Night The Angels Cried – Johnny Dynamite
14. Everybody’s Clown – Johnny Dynamite
15. Helping Hand – Genie Brooks
16. South Side Of Soul Street – Genie Brooks
17. Breaking Up Is Hard To Do – Big John Hamilton
18. Love Comes And It Goes – Big John Hamilton
19. Suwannee Strut – Leroy Lloyd and The Dukes
20. A Taste Of The Blues – Leroy Lloyd and The Dukes

Disc 2:

1. I’ll Love Only You – Willie Cobbs
2. Don’t Worry About Me – Willie Cobbs
3. If You’re Looking For A Fool – Big John Hamilton
4. Take This Hurt Off Me Fool – Big John Hamilton
5. A Shell Of A Woman – Doris Allen
6. Kiss Yourself For Me – Doris Allen
7. I’m Your Man – Gable Reed
8. Who’s Been Warming My Oven – Gable Reed
9. A Place In My Heart – Big John Hamilton & Doris Allen
10. Let A Little Love In – Big John Hamilton & Doris Allen
11. Row, Row, Row – Willie Gable
12. Eternally – Willie Gable
13. Them Cahnges – Big John Hamilton & Doris Allen
14. Bright Star – Big John Hamilton & Doris Allen
15. Lift Me Up – Big John Hamilton
16. Just Seeing You Again – Big John Hamilton
17. I’ve Got To Tell You – Count Willie with LRL and The Dukes
18. Double Funk – LRL and The Dukes
19. I Got To Get Myself Somebody – Big John Hamilton
20. Free Me – Big John Hamilton