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Carl 'maxx Kidd's-Washington Lost Soul Singles

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Before go-go music became a signature sound in Washington, D.C., the local soul music scene in the 1960's began with the efforts of Carl Maxx Kidd, Keni St. Lewis, Van McCoy, Sir Joe Quarterman and a host of many others, who crafted the still largely unknown D.C. sound. Kidd started his music career as a writer, producer, band mate and session arranger for Shrine Records founders Raynoma Gordy and Eddie Singleton, the former was co-founder of Motown with her husband Barry Gordy. Just as he did with Shrine, on Washington Lost Soul Volume 1 released by Stride/07-01/Melmax Carl Kidd is producer, writer, musician, and vocalist with most of groups on this CD including The Stridell's (released also by Curtis Mayfield's Curtom Label), Four Miles High, Elvans Road, Five Miles High, and Face Value - who enjoyed brief careers and minimal success outside of D.C. The exception being the Young Senators and their signature tune "The Jungle" (recorded 4 years before Kool & The Gang). He co-engineered an array of ballads, mid-tempo arrangements and furious funk workouts that rivaled and matched what far more popular groups released during the same era, but sadly, without any of the same recognition.
Most of these singles were released on 7" 45s only on Cherry Blossom, Kidd's D.C. imprint distributed largely to local radio and show promoters. Just as with Shrine, a lack of regional and national distribution for Cherry Blossom sealed the label's fate after a brief four year run.

Listen to "Plane Down Over Mobile" and you will hear beat-boxing twenty years before Doug E Fresh and the Fat Boys delivered it to hip-hop fans. "Summer Free Fo' All" by Elvans Road could have been the local instrumental answer to Sly & The Family Stone's hit "Hot Fun In The Summertime" , and "Don't Go And Leave Me Blue" by Face Value is an honest plea for any "twosome on the through some". Other funk standouts worth checking out are "Jungle", "Come On Fall In Line" (should have been a dance for this song or the other way around), and "So Frustrated". "Together" by Cool Water, Cherry Blossom's equivalent to Rare Earth, "I Like What Your Doing" by girl group "The Fawns" and "Say That You Need Me" by Four Miles High add variety and zeal to the aura of regional soul music. If you like a slice of new history and a heavy dose of pure soul this collection is for you.


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