It could have been an almighty mess and for years critics asserted that it had been but the rock-meets-soul experiment that was the Rotary Connection became a sonic tour-de-force. Don't take my word for it, judge for yourself as BGP bring you their two most sought-after albums in a single package.
The brainchild of Marshall Chess, and the musical result of the arranging and production skills of Charles Stepney, Rotary Connection was the perfect showcase for the awesome voice of Minnie Riperton. On SONGS she is teamed up with Sydney Barnes and some local rock musicians, they take on an array of recent pop hits and blues classics that emerge as a funk rock amalgam which can in the case of their version of Cream's Tales Of Brave Ulysses or Otis' Respect still rock a dance-floor 30 years later.
On 1971's HEY LOVE Barnes had left and the band was made up of the cream of Chicago's soul session players such as Phil Upchurch and Master Henry Gibson, yet the music was no less radical. The sound was built around what had become Stepney's trademark strings, drums and bass arrangements so far ahead of their time that it still sounds fresh today. Songs such as Love Has Fallen On Me and I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun are epic pieces that shouldn't fail to touch your soul, while Song For Everyman showcases the songwriting talent of Stepney's then latest prodigy Terry Callier.
It was Rotary Connection's last stand-.-Riperton went off to live in California with her husband Richard Rudolph, scoring a massive hit in 1975 with Loving You, only a few years before she died. Stepney also died in the 70s, leaving an incredible legacy of production work from both his days at Cadet and his later work with soul mega group Earth Wind and Fire. Today, this music is as in-demand and relevant as way back then. House production legends Masters At Work slotted a cover version of I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun on their Nu-Yorican Soul project and took it into the UK charts earlier this year. Talk about staying power.
by Dean Rudland
1. Respect (Otis Redding) - 3:08
2. The Weight (Robbie Robertson) - 3:27
3. Sunshine Of Your Love (Pete Brown, Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton) - 5:08
4. I Got My Mojo Working (Preston Foster, Muddy Waters) - 2:35
5. The Burning Of The Midnight Lamp (Jimi Hendrix) - 4:42
6. Tales Of Brave Ulysses (Eric Clapton, Martin Sharp) - 4:33
7. This Town (Don Hunter, Stevie Wonder) - 3:28
8. We're Going Wrong (Jack Bruce) - 3:24
9. The Salt Of The Earth (Mick Jagger, Keith Richards) - 5:00
10.If I Sing My Song (Charles Stepney, Richard Rudolph) - 3:42
11.The Sea & She (Richard Rudolph) - 3:32
12.I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun (Charles Stepney, Richard Rudolph) - 5:47
13.Hangin' Round The Bee Tree (Richard Rudolph) - 3:42
14.Hey, Love (Charles Stepney, Richard Rudolph) - 4:12
15.Love Has Fallen On Me (Charles Stepney, Richard Rudolph) - 4:20
16.Song For Everyman (Terry Callier) - 5:34
17.Love Is (Charles Stepney, Richard Rudolph) - 5:21
18.Vine Of Happiness (Charles Stepney, Richard Rudolph) - 4:04
Tracks 1-9 from "Songs" 1969
Tracks 10-18 from "Hey, Love" 1971
The Rotary Connection
1969 Songs
*Bobby Simms - Vocals, Guitar
*John Jeremiah - Keyboards
*Minnie Riperton - Vocals
*Mitch Aliota - Vocals, Bass
*Sidney Barnes - Vocals
*Kenny Venegas - Vocals, Drums, Percussion
*John Stocklin - Guitar
1971 Hey Love
*Minnie Riperton - Vocals
*Charles Stepney - Piano, Harpsichord, Organ, Electric Piano
*Master Henry Gibson - Congas
*Pat Ferreri - Guitar
*Donny Simmons - Drums
*Sydney Simms - Bass
*Phil Upchurch - Guitar
*Dave Scott - Tenor Vocals
*Kitty Haywood - Soprano, Alto Vocals
*Shirley Wahls - Contralto Vocals
1967 Rotary Connection - Rotary Connection
1967-71 Rotary Connection - Black Gold, The Best of Rotary Connection (2006 remaster)
1968 Rotary Connection - Peace
1969 Aorta - Aorta
1970 Aorta - Aorta 2
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