6 Degrees of Soul: Before he became a legend with Parliament Funkadelic of Day 3, Bootsy Collins was in a Cincinnati based funk group, The Pacemakers. The band was comprised of Bootsy, his brother Phelps “Catfish” Collins, Kash Waddy & Philippe Wynne. After some success the band was picked up by James Brown as his backing band. Philippe Wynne would later leave the band and eventually land the role of lead singer for Day 4’s The Spinners. (This exercise could have been made simpler… Philippe Wynne was a featured vocalist on Funkadelic’s “(Not Just) Knee Deep”.)
If I had to choose a favorite “B-Side” group, it would be The Spinners. Rarely are they mentioned in the Top 5 of Soul groups. However, there’s no denying their impact, style and songbook. After a few years with meager success on Motown, The Spinners found in spark with “It’s A Shame” in 1970 penned by Stevie Wonder & Syreeta Wright. In 1972, they left Motown for Atlantic Records with Philippe Wynne installed as lead singer. The group was paired with extraordinary producer Thom Bell who had just finished molding both The Delfonics and The Stylistics. During the 5 years of Wynnes tenure The Spinners took off into the soul-stratosphere. Let’s get to it!
…“It’s A Shame”… that they don’t make music like this anymore…
…before Joe was making songs about how much better he was than your man… The Spinners simply said… hey, if you need a brother… just call… “I’ll Be Around”…with soul music like this… they’ll be around for a mighty long time…
…taken from the movie Soul Power (highly recommended)… they performed “One of a Kind (Love Affair)” live in Zaire…
…one of the most beautiful songs about growing up in the city… “Ghetto Child”…
…“How Could I Let You Get Away”… (it was hard as hell to find this song… guess the title says it all…)
Editors Note: due to legal mumbo jumbo this song could not be posted…
…I need to give more love to Bobbie Smith… he is dynamic as well… check him on lead with “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love”…
…“Love Don’t Love Nobody” …but itself…
Editors Note: due to legal mumbo jumbo this song could not be posted…
…and it sure is skrong… “Mighty Love”…
…“Games People Play”… just be on.us…
Editors Note: due to legal mumbo jumbo this song could not be posted…
…too many hits to count… “Then Came You”, “Living a Little, Laughing a Little” and “Sadie”… were all off their album New and Improved…
Editors Note: due to legal mumbo jumbo this song could not be posted…
…this last song… my all-time fave Spinners song… and it’s impossible for me just to play once… it must be run back at least 3 times… the original “Rubberband Man”…
Hopefully now you’re reconsidering your Top 5 soul groups of all-time…
😉
Catch you tomorrow for Day 5…
– dre’ of onustees.com
Glad you highlighted the Spinners. Definitely an underrated group. Too bad they couldn't recapture the magic after Philippé left the group.