The 1st ever Tommy Stewart Productions Compilation, with many rare tracks including Italian DJ Baldelli recurrent favorite track- “Cosmic Funk” and the track that gave a name to several record labels- “Disco Strut”. There are PLENTY of Rare Grooves on this, even more FUNK and early Classic Disco, Now available for Preorder, all Preorders shipped on the release date on the 27/28th July. We are proud to present to you, our CD liner notes written by Music Historian and Producer Kevin Goins. Read and learn about the tremendous music on this compilation, then go back to our main sales page and listen to the sound samples and do not hesitate to purchase several copies as collectables.
Make Happy Music
This Tommy Stewart Collection brings together the rare dance grooves of the 1970s & early 1980s created by arranger/conductor/composer Tommy Stewart including tunes that were done with the guidance & input of record executive Marlin McNichols. This fine body of work is a reflection of the musical influences that inspired not only Stewart but arrangers Gene Page & Charles Stepney as well as songwriters August Darnell & Stony Browder (the co-founders of Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band) – the late 1940s big band movement that dove-tailed into the rise of West Coast Rhythm & Blues. Yet, while Page, Stepney & the Dr. Buzzard gang were successful in their efforts, the gold & platinum records seemed to elude Tommy Stewart for a myriad of reasons.
TOMMY STEWART
Born in Birmingham. Alabama in 1940, Tommy Stewart credits his mother for supporting his early interest in music. “My mom would carry me into the clubs when I was a child, “ explained Tommy. “She’d sit me on the bandstand & the club owners let me sing. I sang with Buddy & Ella Johnson’s band – they had Arthur Prysock with them along with his brother, Red. The Prysock brothers & I became good friends as I was growing up. Also, my mother collected records by Charles Brown & the Three Blazers, Amos Milburn & Louis Jordan – the early R&B guys doing the ‘jump blues’ tunes.” While attending Industrial/Parker High School, Tommy studied the trumpet under the direction of Fess Whatley (who also trained Paul Bascombe & Herman Blount a/k/a Sun Ra).
After graduation from high school, Tommy entered Alabama State University & joined their prestigious dance band, the Bama State Collegians. Tommy – “The Collegians traveled across the country doing gigs to help raise money for the school. Our efforts helped cover the scholarships and the payroll for those who worked at the University, from the janitors to the professors. Our touring was limited to the weekends and we had the choir with us as well. The school did this because other editions of the Collegians were hired by singing groups such as the Treniers and never returned to the college! I was grateful for being in the Collegians as a trumpet player as well as director because it helped cover my tuition bill.”
In 1961, Tommy graduated from Alabama State and taught music within the state’s public school system. Four years later, he migrated to Rochester NY’s Eastman School of Music to study arranging & composition – and play a little jazz at night. “The Eastman didn’t have a jazz studies program when I was there but I did have a gig at the Pythod Club – the city’s top jazz spot. I played with Charles Earland & Lou Donaldson when they came to town. Chuck Mangione & his brother Gap had their combo there as well (Rochester was their hometown). I earned my master’s degree at the Eastman in 1967 – months before Chuck was hired by the school to launch a jazz studies program.”
From the Eastman, it was onward to Atlanta, GA for Tommy – where he worked at Morris Brown College doing band arrangements and later on Morehouse College, teaching jazz. However, teaching was the “day job” for Tommy – during this time (late 1960s-early 1970s) he was working at the Gold Lounge as an accompanist for Gladys Knight & the Pips and the Tams, among others. In addition, he was part of Johnnie Taylor’s touring band in 1971 and served as chief arranger for a local TV show called “Nightlife South” in ’72.
During this time, Tommy was also employed as an in-house producer/arranger at a four-track recording studio owned by Herb Lance & Calvin Arnold. It was there that he met Ed Walker & Bill Stokes. Tommy – “Stokes had a script of a proposed movie called ‘The Burning Of Atlanta’. After presenting the idea for the film, I agreed to compose the soundtrack score. Since I was also working part time at Cleopus Johnson’s music store, he let me use the band he was managing – which consisted of T.C. Jason (keyboards), Stevo Milner (drums), J.D. Morris (guitar) and Charles Terrell (bass). After rehearsals and the string/horn arrangements were completed, we were ready to record when Ed Walker invited Johnny Lloyd to our first recording session at the Sound Pit. Johnny was the regional promotion man for Buddah Records & was really tight with label president Neil Bogart. The session was doing fine until Bill Stokes had a disagreement with the group & the band walked out. Also, I had to write two more tunes for the project. So, I composed ‘Vine City’ as well as ‘Down Underground’ for the movie and recorded ‘Buttermilk Bottom’ with Clarence Carter (of “Patches” fame) and G. C. Coleman’s band (G.C. was a member of the Winstons and the drummer on their legendary ‘break-beat’ single “Amen, Brother!”). After we were done recording the soundtrack, I decided to call the band ‘The Spirit of Atlanta’”. The album would’ve been successful if two obstacles weren’t in the way – the movie “Burning Of Atlanta” was never made and Buddah’s Neil Bogart (along with label VP Cecil Holmes) left the company to form Casablanca Records – which forced Buddah chairman/owner Art Kass to focus promotion efforts on the label’s already established acts.
While Tommy was busy with the soundtrack’s creation, he did meet a man who would help him bring together his musical vision. His name was Marlin McNichols.
MARLIN MCNICHOLS
A native of Battle Creek, MI, Marlin fell into the music biz thanks to helping out his father – even though a career in the field was the furthest thing from his mind as a youth. Marlin - “My dad booked music gigs & I helped him put up posters around town for various shows but I was more interested in sports. I had varsity letters in basketball and golf. But I did attend many club dates at places like the El Grotto, where Jr. Walker & the All-Stars hung their hats. I was underage & not supposed to be inside these clubs but I got in anyway! I heard Jr. Walker play tunes like ‘Shotgun’ & ‘Cleo’s Mood’ in the 1950s – long before he went to Detroit with Harvey Fuqua in the 1960s.”
Fast-forward to the mid 1960s – Marlin was a Job Corp employee & was managing a band that auditioned for Motown in 1966. “We were hanging out on the steps of Hitsville when out came Edwin Starr, “ explained Marlin. “He asked us if the band was any good & would we be interested in being his touring group. After one rehearsal, the band was hired & became Edwin’s road manager.” It was during this time that Marlin realized that he was a good “ideas man” when it came to composing. Marlin – “We had just completed a gig in St. Louis & was on our way to Chicago. I was driving and as we traveled, I saw highway sign that read ‘Chicago – 25 miles’. I said to Edwin, “twenty five miles to go – I’d better get to steppin’’. Edwin jumped up and said, ‘that’s a great idea for a song!’ By the time we hit Chicago, Edwin & I had written ’25 Miles’ – a tune that he performed in his live act for two years before Motown showed any interest in recording it” (writer’s note – that is true, Motown execs ignored “25 Miles” until 1968, when sales manager Barney Ales heard Edwin sing the tune at the 20 Grand & told the label brass that it was a hit).
In 1970, Marlin was hired by Atlantic Records to work promotions in the Detroit area. “I worked all genres of music with Atlantic”, explained Marlin. “Pop, country, R&B, rock – you name it. I got WCHD radio (R&B station) to break Led Zepplin’s ‘Whole Lotta Love’ before the pop stations got a hold of the record.” At the same time, Marlin was asked to help manage the Fabulous Counts, one of Detroit’s premiere soul/funk bands. “The Counts were signed to Westbound Records but weren’t getting anywhere with the label,” explained Marlin. “At Christmas time of 1972, the group (which featured keyboardist Mose Davis) had no money to buy presents for their families. So, I had them cut ‘Mr. Penguin’ and I flew to New York City where I sold the master to Bell Records. The label released it under the name ‘Lunar Funk’. Not only did the Counts have enough money for Christmas, they had a hit on the charts as well! It was a Top 20 R&B hit across the country and even some pop stations picked it up.”
By 1973, after a couple of raises, Marlin was offered a key position with a then-new record label in Atlanta. Marlin – “A businessman named Mike Thevis launched GRC Records in Georgia and offered me a job as a national promotion director. So, I moved down there & brought the Counts with me. Within two years, GRC had a Top Ten hit with Sammy Johns’ ‘Chevy Van’. Producer Floyd Smith in Chicago wanted to bring Loletta Holloway to the label and we needed an arranger for her sessions. Floyd had heard of Tommy Stewart through his session work in the area so he came on board to work on Loletta’s sessions”.
By this time, disco was popular on the dance floors around the world and the mainstream public wanted more, more, more (sorry, Andrea True!). Marlin – “GRC had staff meetings where we’d listen to what folks such as MFSB, Barry White & TK Records had released. Then, the execs told us that if we couldn’t come up with something as good, don’t bother going into the studio! So, that’s when I teamed up with Tommy.”
STEWART & MCNICHOLS COLLABORATE
Tommy & Marlin’s team-up couldn’t have happened at a better time – no sooner than they got together in 1976, GRC’S Thevis was jailed for distribution of obscene material (he was one of the biggest producers of pornography in the USA at the time), among other charges too numerous to mention. That meant Marlin had to seek out other labels to carry Tommy’s releases.
Tommy – “Marlin asked if I could write songs for his group, the Third World Band. Since I had already composed tunes with Bill Wright for other artists, I wanted him in on the deal as well. After coming up with the idea of the bass & guitar playing in unison with other rhythm instruments around it, I taught the band the song as well as the lyrics. The result was ‘Disco Hop’ and ‘Let’s Boogie At The Disco’.”
Marlin – “Since GRC was in trouble, I shopped the masters to labels in the major cities. I got on the plane, flew to Chicago and met with John Salstone of Abraxas Records, who purchased the single masters of the Third World Band.”
Tommy – “’Disco Hop’/’Boogie…” was so successful in the dance clubs, Marlin asked if I could come up with more tunes. This time, I assembled a rhythm section that included Stevenson “Stevo” Milner (drums), Charles Terrell (bass), Richard Marks (guitar), Kenny Mims (guitar) and Mose Davis (organ/piano) to cut the rhythm tracks.”
Marlin – “I gave Tommy the idea of making an album that would rival anything that came out of Philadelphia, New York, Chicago and even Europe. Since disco was indeed based on late 1940s R&B and big band music (and I knew Tommy was influenced by that), I wanted to see him create danceable tunes with strong melodies and simple lyrics.”
Tommy – “Since the songs I grew up with stayed within a certain happy theme, I based the lyrics on that premise. Whether it’s being with your girl or guy, going dancing, having a good time – I stayed within those parameters. No big story-telling, just easy to remember lyrics.”
Marlin – “After Tommy recorded the rhythm tracks, we decided to cut the vocals, strings & horns in Memphis. Tommy loved the way the orchestra sounded on the Stax releases Isaac Hayes did at the time. So, we booked Ardent Studios, hired the Memphis Horns & members of the Memphis Orchestra for the overdubs. We also brought in Isaac’s background singers – Hot Buttered Soul – to cut the vocals.”
Tommy – “The tunes were ‘Bump & Hustle Music’, ‘Fulton County Line’ & ‘Make Happy Music’, among others that came from the ‘Bump & Hustle Music’ album. Abraxas Records agreed to release the disc & the Peaches Record Store chain in Atlanta advertised the record on billboards all over the city. At the same time, we did the Crème De Coco record ‘Disco Strut’, which was making some noise as well. Crème De Coco was a female quartet that attended Spellman College”
WHAT HAPPENED?
Tommy’s “Bump & Hustle Music” album had the goods and the promising release start when it all of a sudden came to a grinding halt. Tommy & Marlin each had their own perspectives as to why that occurred.
Marlin – “Shortly after we released ‘Bump & Hustle Music’, I was hired by MCA Records to work in their West Coast office, which restricted me from doing any promotion jobs outside of the label. Since I worked the business end of things, there wasn’t much more Tommy could’ve done since he was the creative person in the partnership. No one picked up the project after I left so it languished.”
Tommy – “Even with the album being out, I still had to take on other work to support my wife & children. Johnnie Taylor was riding high with ‘Disco Lady’ in ‘76 and asked me if I wanted to tour with him. Then after that was done, Millie Jackson hired me to go out on the road. By the time I was done traveling in 1979, the record was three years old. I did return to the studio to work with Sherman Hunter as well as the Mad Dog Fire Department. Then, I got together with Stevo Milner on a project called ‘Musica Negra’. He had a singing style similar to Eddie Kendricks but with an older edge. Sadly, Stevo was murdered in 1980 and I shelved the album.”
EPILOGUE
Marlin continued his work in the promotions arena until he formed his own companies Angel Dove Music and Mar-Tel Entertainment Worldwide. Tommy returned to teaching full-time after producing Martha High’s album for Salsoul Records in 1979 and thirteen years later he moved back to Birmingham. During the 1980s, DJs in the UK were spinning Tommy’s classic works and by 1996, Ubiquity Records did reissue the entire “Bump & Grind Music” album on CD. Today, both men are still involved in music – Tommy with conducting orchestras and working with young people on developing their performing skills and Marlin in the Gospel field, writing songs with his wife, Joyce.
After listening to this disc, this writer thinks you’ll agree that Tommy Stewart indeed belongs in the same class of musical giants responsible for the great dance music sounds of the 1970s. His time – and Marlin’s – has been long overdue.
Kevin Goins
June 26, 2009
Amery, Wisconsin
Sources – interviews with Tommy Stewart and Dr. Marlin McNichols, conducted June 23 & 24, 2009.
We would also like you to consider purchasing the companion CD of this collection:
MOSE DAVIS- “The Coming Of Moses”.
It is a superb slice of FUNK, JAZZ and SWEET DISCO-SOUL all wrapped up in a heady Southern stew of uncompromising musical quality.
The Coming Of Moses (with Bonus Extended Tracks)