Don Covay
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 - Don Covay (aka Donald Randolph) (RIP 2015) -- vocals
as The Jefferson Lemon Blues Band (1969) - John P. Hammond -- vocals, harmonica, rhythm guitar - Gerald Jemmott -- bass - Daniel Jones -- drums, percussion - Charles "Honeyman" Otis -- drums, percussion - Joe Richardson -- lead guitar, backing vocals - Butch Valentine -- bass, keyboards - Margaret Williams -- vocals, guitar
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- Don Covay and the Goodtimers - Pretty Boy - The Rainbows - Donald Randolph - The Soldier Boys - The Soul Clan
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Genre: blues Rating: 4 stars **** Title: The House of Blue Lights Company: Atlantic Catalog:
SD 8237 Country/State: Orangeburg, South Carolina Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: small punch hole lower right Available: 1 Catalog ID: -- Price: $70.00
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In my humble opinion the late Don Covay deserves the same credit and recognition as contemporaries such as Solomon Burke, Arthur Conley, Ben E. King and Joe Tex. I particularly mentioned those four artists given, along with Covay, they were featured on one of my favorite '60s soul albums - "Soul Clan" (ATCO catalog number SD 33-21).
Self-produced,
1969's "The House of Blue Lights" was quite
different from Covay's first two studio albums. Both 1965's "Mercy!"
and 1966's "See-Saw" had featured first-rate
collections of Southern soul. In contrast, credited to "Don Covay
& the Jefferson Lemon Blues Band", this set found Covay and company
turning their attention to Chicago-styled electric blues. Featuring a
mixture of classic blues covers (Big Bill Broonzy,
Johnnie Johnson and
Tampa Red) and
Covay originals, it was definitely a change in direction: probably a shock
for anyone expecting to hear soul tunes like "
"The House of Blue Lights" track listing: (side 1) 1.) Key To The Highway (Big Bill Broonzy - Charles Segar) - 2:23 rating: *** stars The album opened up with a nice electric blues cover of Big Bill Broonzy's "Key To The Highway". Nice guitar solo from Joe Richardson. Admittedly the effects on Covay's voice were odd, sounding like he was recording the track over a long distance phone line. The song also appeared as the "B" side on Covay's 1970 "Everything I Do Goin' Be Funky" 45. 2.) Mad Dog Blues (Don Covay - Joe Richardson) - 3:29 rating: *** stars The first of six Covay originals, "Mad Dog Blues" added a funky edge to this blues number. Energetic and funny, the dog sound effects always make me smile. 3.) The Blues Don't Knock (Sidney Wyche - John Denioa) - 3:11 rating: *** stars I guess most folks think of the late Johnnie Johnson when they hear "The Blues Don't Knock". Compete with lots of flute, Covay's jazzy arrangement certainly wasn't going to make you forget Johnson's version, but it wasn't bad. 4.) Blues Ain't Nothin' But a Good Woman on Your Mind (Don Covay - Joe Richardson) - 3:13 rating: **** stars Powered by Danny Jones' gunshot drums the rollicking "Blues Ain't Nothin' But a Good Woman on Your Mind" was one of my favorite performances. The lyrics were hysterical. 5.) The House Of Blue Lights (Part 1) (Don Covay) - 7:33 rating: **** stars The Hammond B-3 and harmonica opening has always reminded me of something Eric Burdon and the Animals might have recorded. The subject matter certain recalled "House of the Rising Sun" and Covay's growl underscored the Burdon comparison. I've always wondered about the instrumentation - was someone playing a Coral electric sitar? Admittedly I'm not a big blues fan, but this was an exception.
(side 2) 1.) Four Women (Don Covay) - 3:35 rating: **** stars Love the raucous guitar sound Richardson produced on this one ... Interestingly Covay's growling vocals have always reminded me of a young Mick Jagger. I might have given it a fifth star were it not for the irritating flute, 2.) Steady Roller (Don Covay - John Hammond, Jr.) - 3:17 rating: ** stars Given it was co-written with folkie John Hammond Jr., it shouldn't come as a surprise to discover 'Steady Roller' was a slice of acoustic country-blues. Authentic, but hardly original, or engaging. 3.) Homemade Love (Don Covay) - 6:26 rating: **** stars Opening with some un-credited barrelhouse piano and Steve Cropper-styled licks, 'Homemade Love' unexpectedly morphed into a steaming slice of Southern soul. Sharing lead vocals with Margaret Williams and Richardson, this was the album's most atypical performance and also the best song. 4.) But I Forgive You Blues (Hudson Whittaker) - 2:31 rating: *** stars Covay's cover of Tampa Red's 'But I Forgive You Blues' found him returning to classic blues territory. Some of the funnier blues lyrics I've heard and nice guitar solo. Guessing it was Richardson on backing vocals. 5. ) Shut Your Mouth (Dave Clowney) - 3:24 rating: *** stars Powered by Butch Valentine's thundering bass and John Hammond's harmonica, Covay turned in a spirited cover of the Dave "Baby" Cortez tune. My only complaint is that just as "Shut Your Mouth" was really starting to get steamy it faded out 6.) The House of Blue Lights (Part 2) (Don Covay) - 4:04 rating: **** stars I'm sure Covay and engineer Herb Abramson had a reason for dividing the title track into two parts, though the logic was lost on me. "Part 2" opened up with Covay backed by sitar. When the Hammond B-3 and John Hammond's harmonica kicked in the tune exploding into Solomon Burke territory. The sitar coupled with Covay's increasingly disturbing vocals pushed the performance to the edge of lysergic territory. His manic laugh pushed it over the edge. Like the first part, the arrangement and lyrical content reminded me of The Animals cover "House of the Rising Sun".
Credited to "Don Covay & The Jefferson Lemon Blues Band" and far more soul oriented than anything on the album,, there's also a non-LP single:
- 1969's "Sweet Pea (Don't Love Nobody But Herself)" b/w "C.C. Rider Blues" (Atlantic catalog number 45-2609)
Neither the album or the follow-on single did anything commercially and Covay quickly returned to a more soul oriented sound for 1972's "Different Strokes for Different Folks" and follow-up albums.
© Scott R. Blackerby June 2024
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Genre: soul Rating: 4 stars **** Title: Different Strokes for Different Folks Company: Janus Catalog:
JLS 3038 Country/State: Orangeburg, South Carolina Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: 2 Catalog ID: 2818 Price: $50.00
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Ending his long term relationship with Atlantic Records (the label seemed happy to see him move on), 1971's "Different Strokes for Different Folks" found Don Covay signed to the small Janus label. Credited as his second collaboration with the Jefferson Lemon Blues Band (thoughthe the liner notes didn't bother to provide performance credits), the album was largely recorded in Muscle Shoals. Covay sounded in great form throughout, but musically the set was seriously eclectic - literally all over the genre roadmap. Varied certainly necessarily a bad thing, but this time around it was hard to figure out what Covay was trying to prove. Song-for-song the album was quite impressive with the man showing he was equally comfortable with funky, Gospel, conventional soul. and even rock oriented numbers. By my count eight of the ten tracks were keepers. Hard to pick favorites, but my top three would be the ballad 'In the Sweet Bye and Bye', the raw closer 'If There's a Will, There's a Way'; the Stax-flavored single 'Sweet Thang'
"Different
Strokes for Different Folks" track listing: 1.) Sweet Thang (Don Covay) - 3:32 rating; **** stars His relationship with Stax may have ended, but the bubbly 'Sweet Thing' made it clear Covay had learned his lessons well, taking that label's instantly recognizable sound with him to Janus. All the ingredients were present on this tune - Steve Cropper styled guitar; killer rhythm section, and the punchy horns. Add in the fact this was one of Covay's most commercial tunes and it wasn't a surprise the song was tapped as a single:
1972's 'Sweet Thing' b/w 'Standing in the Grits Line' (Janus catalog number J 164)
2.) Daddy, Please Don't Go Out Tonight(Eva Darby) - 4:20 rating: *** stars Normally I hate songs which open with a spoken word vamp ... Accordingly 'Daddy, Please Don't Go Out Tonight' got off to a bad start with Covay's introduction going on for almost a third of the song. Once you got past the stereotyped intro (scared war veteran comes home and does bad things to his wife and family), the song morphed into a Clarence Carter-styled tale of heartbreak and country-soul philosophy. Exceedingly sad. Not sure why it was released as a single when there were so many better choices on the album.
- 1972's 'Daddy, Please Don't Go Out Tonight ' b/w 'Why Did You Put Your Shoes Under My Bed' (Janus catalog number J-181) 3. Why Did You Put Your Shoes Under My Bed (Don Covay) - 3:42rating; **** stars The driving arrangement and Covay's snarling, spiteful delivery made this an out and out rock song ... This is what Mick Jagger always wanted to sound like. John Hammond provided the frenzied harmonica solo. 4.) Stop By (Don Covay - Jimmy Norman) - 3:20 rating; **** stars Another tune where Covay's delivery reminds me of Jagger trying to sound soulful ... Kicked along by a nice piano, the bluesy ballad 'Stop By' had a distinctive old-school feel. Very nice. "All you have to do is remember his name - Don Covay ..." 5.) Bad Luck (Don Covay) - 4:15 rating; **** stars Covay at his slinkiest and most ominous ... Covay went ahead and bleeped out what I'm guessing was a not-ready-for-the-radio lyric. Again, Jagger could only dream about sounding this authentic. 6.) Hitching a Ride (Peter Callander - Mitch Murray) - 3:50 rating: ** stars So the English studio group Vanity Fare had a big hit with their version of 'Hitching a Ride'. Covay didn't really mess with the arrangement but injecting a frantic soul edge really didn't do anything to improve the song. The result was the album's first disappointment.
(side 1) 1.) Standing in the Grits Line (Don Covay) - 4:15 rating; **** stars The opening lyrics were guaranteed to make you smile ... Hardcore, bluesy funk tune with a nice hook. 2.) In the Sweet Bye and Bye (Don Covay) - 7:15 rating; **** stars Opening up with some stark "church" piano, 'In the Sweet Bye and Bye" was one of the prettiest ballads Covay ever wrote. It was also one of the most in-your-face slices of social commentary. With a multi-tracked lead vocal that went from angelic to manic, it was interesting to hear him singing in a higher than normal register. Joe Richardson on lead guitar ? Wonderful performance. 3.) Ain't Nothing a Young Girl Can Do (Don Covay) - 3:05 rating; **** stars With a breezy and easy going melody 'Ain't Nothing a Young Girl Can Do' sounded like a track that had been recorded earlier in Covay's career. Not sure if it was Covay being multi-tracked, of Covay and Hammond sharing vocals. 4.) What's In the Headlines Today? (Don Covay) - 4:45 rating: *** stars Opening with some kazoo, 'What's In the Headlines Today?' was a sweet acoustic folk tune wrapped in social commentary ... 5.) If There's a Will, There's a Way (Don Covay) - 3:33 rating; **** stars Sounded like it was recorded live-in--the-studio, warts and all. It was certainly a bit raw, but made for one of the album's most impressive performances.
© Scott R. Blackerby June 2024
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Genre: soul Rating: 4 stars **** Title: Super Dude 1 Company: Mercury Catalog:
SRM-1-653 Country/State: Orangeburg, South Carolina Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: -- Available: 2 Catalog ID: 2340 Price: $25.00 |
1972 saw Don Covay hired by Mercury Records as an A&R executive. In addition to helping discover talent for the label, the position gave Covay an opportunity to record an album for Mercury and boy was it a doozy.
Self-produced, 1973's "Super Dude 1" marked Covay's first album in four years and made it perfectly clear he hadn't lost any of musical edge over that timeframe. Popular tastes may have been moving to disco and funk, but regardless of whether they wanted it or not, Covay was going to feed his audience a much-needed collection of old-school soul. Tracks like 'Overtime Man', 'I Stayed Away Too Long', 'I was Checkin' In When She was Checkin' In', and 'Somebody's Been Enjoying My House' made it clear Covay remained the king of the "cheating heart" song. In addition to having a great voice, Covay's keen sense of humor (check out the detailed list of cheating evidence in 'Somebody's Been Enjoying My House'), and his innate sense of justice (cheaters seemingly always got their just rewards). The album was a complete success. For some odd reason Mercury decided to split the Gospel-tinged ballad 'Leave Him' into two parts and scatter them across both sides of the album. That essentially destroyed the song's integrity. Elsewhere, Covay's reggaefied cover of Chuck Berry's 'Memphis' was just odd, sounding like a Johnny Nash tune. Still, all-in-all it was a nice comeback.
"Super
Dude 1" track listing: 1.) Overtime Man (Don Covay) - 3:04 rating: **** stars Released as the lead-off single, 'Overtime Man' was a classic slice of Covay's never-too-subtle style of cheatin' heart man. Powered by a playful little guitar riff and some nice Muscle Shoals horns, this a great showcase for Covay's slinky, but ominous voice. If you saw this guy wandering around your home, get your baseball bat out. LOL.
- 1972's 'The Overtime Man' b/w 'Dungeon Number' (Mercury catalog number 73311)
2.) Leave Him, Part 1 (Don Covay - P. Griffin) - 4:47 rating: **** stars I've never been a big fan of spoken word introductions, but in this case Covay was "driving a Mustang" when he set up his rendezvous. 'Leave Him, Part 1' was a slow, old-school, Gospel-tinged ballad that would have made Solomon Burke proud. Interesting to hear Covay multi-tracked voice handling both the main vocals and the falsetto backing harmonies. 3.) I Stayed Away Too Long (Don Covay) - 3:18 rating: *** stars Another bouncy cheating song - thought this time around he was the victim. 4.) I was Checkin' In When She was Checkin' In (Don Covay) - 4:20 rating: **** stars Having gone through a hideous divorce (I wasn't the cheater), I'd suggest this deserves to be one of the holy (or unholy) trinity of '70s cheatin' songs. Showcasing Covay's pleasing vocal, the tune was simultaneously hysterically funny and heart breaking. Classic example of "what is good for the goose is good for the gander." The song was also tapped as the album's second 45:
- 1973's 'I Was Checkin' Out She Was Checkin' In' b/w 'Money (That's What You Want)' (Mercury catalog number 73385)
5,) Hold You To Your Promise (Don Covay) - 2:32 rating: **** stars The keyboards powered 'Hold You To Your promise' was one of the album's sleepers with a refrain that snuck into the back of your head and wouldn't leave. 6.) Memphis (Chuck Berry) - 3:20 rating; ** stars Frankly I'm not sure what inspired Covay to redo this Chuck Berry classic as a reggae tune. Covay's voice actually sounded pretty good trying to handle the reggae pathos, but the arrangement was kind of pedestrian. This one actually sounds a lot like a Johnny Nash tune. The song was tapped as a 45 in Holland and the UK:
- 1973's 'Memphis' b/w 'Leave Him, Part 1' (Mercury catalog number 6052 258)
(side
2) Hum, sounds like a second-rate take on Betty Wright's 'Clean Up Woman'. 2.) Somebody's Been Enjoying My House (L. Scott - E. Darby) - 6:01 rating; **** stars I always have to smile when I hear this one - one of three cover tunes, 'Somebody's Been Enjoying My House' found Covay providing one of his prettiest vocals over a lovely melody and heartbreaker lyric. The way Covay itemized the bits of cheating evidence was a hoot. Did you really want this guy hanging' around your home ? This was the album's third single:
- 1973's 'Somebody's Been Enjoying My Home' b/w ' Bad Mouthing' (Mercury catalog number 73430) 3.) Bad Mouthing (E. Darby - N. Jean) - 3:26 rating: *** stars Hum, Covay speeding things up with a tune that sounded like it had a touch of disco in the mix. Different, and took awhile to register, but ultimately the take-no-prisoners lyrics were kind of neat. 4.) Leave Him, Part 2 (Don Covay - P. Griffin) - 3:23 rating: *** stars Always wondered why Covay broke the tune into two sections and spread them across the two sides of the LP. While it was as pretty as Part 1, the second section sounded a bit lost and forlorn. 5.) Money (That's What You Want) (Barry Gordy - J. Bradford) - 3:00 rating: **** stars Geez, if like me, you thought this was going to be another faceless cover of the old Motown chestnut .... Wrong ! Covay gave this one a full James Brown funk update. Totally unexpected. 6.) Don't Step On a Man When He's Down (Don Covay - H. Hall) - 2:37 rating: *** stars Covay adding a but of country-Gospel to his repertoire. Interesting change in vocal timbre on this one. Also seemed to a bit of social commentary.
Having suffered a series of strokes Covay died of related complications in January 2015.
© Scott R. Blackerby June 2024
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Mercy Mercy" or
"40 Days - 40 Nights". Surprise was certainly my initial
reaction. I've always wondered about the abrupt change in musical
direction. Sheer speculation on my part, but perhaps seeing the likes
of Cream, Fleetwood Mac, Savoy Brown, The Rolling Stones, Ten Years After,
etc. cashing-in on electric blues Covay decided he could grab a slice
of the pie. About all I can say is that having been born and raised in
Orangeburg South Carolina and having paid his dues as a recording artist for
a decade and a half, Covay certainly deserved a fair share. These eleven
performances were uniformly good, but my biggest issue stemmed from the fact
I simply wasn't a big blues fan. Overlooking that statement I enjoyed found
myself enjoying tracks like the rollicking "Blues Ain't Nothin'
But a Good Woman on Your Mind", "Four Women" and reminding me
of Eric Burdon and the Animals, the two part title track and The Stones-styled
"Four Women". It is hard to teach an old dog new tricks so
it shouldn't come as a surprise to learn my favorite performance was also
the album's lone "soul" song. A Covay original, the blazing
'Homemade Love' featured guitarists
Margaret Williams and Joe
Richardson sharing lead vocals. Awesome performance.
