swan records

Get down on this! This is a nice little toe-tapper by a sweet soul singer named Eddie Carlton. I just discovered this song the other day when I was grading papers. I always put my iTunes on the Classic Soul Network radio station when I'm just working in the classroom, and I sometimes find gems like this one. Super tight. This is some classic soul right here. A poor chum crying about losing his baby! Loves it.

Eddie recorded on Swan Records. This was a tiny label based in Philly. Get this: they were the first to release "She Loves You" by the Beatles via their manager Brian Epstein in 1964. Of course, that song went nowhere. Kidding! It shot to #1 and Swan was able to stay afloat (GET IT?) through the British craze of the sixties. They kept recording soul artists during this period, but finally had to shut down in 1967. All you need to really know is that one of the more successful Swan artists was a band called Dickie Doo and the Don'ts, pictured above. Oh lawd! So perfecto.

Eddie Carlton - Misery