Miami Sound - Rare Funk & Soul From Miami, Florida 1967-1974

Various Artists

Soul Jazz Records Miami Sound features rare and classic Funk and deep Soul from Miami, Florida from 1968-74. The album features million-selling artists such as Gwen McRae, George McRae and Timmy Thomas alongside artists unknown outside of the Sunshine State such as James Knight and The Butlers, Frank Williams and The Rocketeers and All the People. Miami Funk, Soul and Disco was dominated by TK Records, founded by Henry Stone in the late 1960s. Through a myriad of associated record labels such as Alston, Blue Candle, Dash, Glades, Cat and more, TK Records made international artists out of Gwen McRae and her brother George McRae, Betty Wright and KC and The Sunshine Band in the mid-70s crossover period between Soul and Disco.

The music on this compilation shows the roots of this Miami Sound. All the artists and musicians on this album continued to work together throughout the heyday of TK Records when it produced hit after hit. The house band (that could be said to be equivalent to Motown's Funk Brothers) included songwriters such as Clarence Reid (AKA Blowfly, the adult comedian!), Casey Finch (KC from KC and The Sunshine Band) along with musicians Little Beaver, Frank Williams and Robert Moore. As well as being the in-house band, most of these artists also ran successful solo careers, making Miami one of the most musically creative hot spots in the USA. The artists on this compilation include Helene Smith, Miami’s first lady of Soul, Frank Williams and The Rocketeers (featuring a very young Little Beaver on vocals), George McRae’s rare-groove classic "I Get Lifted" (written by Casey Finch), Timmy Thomas’ truly experimental track "Funky Me", Gwen McRae’s classic "90% of Me" as well as a host of practically unknown Miami artists who never managed to make it outside the city borders!


Tracklisting:

01. All The People — Cramp Your Style
02. Helene Smith — You Got To Be A Man
03. George McCrae — I Get Lifted
04. James Knight And The Butlers — Funky Cat
05. Gwen McCrae — 90% Of Me Is You
06. Little Beaver — Funkadelic Sound
07. James Knight And The Butlers — Save Me
08. Joey Gilmore — Do It To Me One More Time
09. Helene Smith — A Woman Will Do Wrong
10. James Knight And The Butlers — Fantasy World
11. Timmy Thomas — Funky Me
12. The New Clarence Reid — Cadillac Annie
13. Frank Williams & The Rocketeers — The Spanish Flyer
14. Della Humphrey — Don't Make The Good Girls Go Bad
15. Frank Williams & The Rocketeers — You Got To Be A Man
16. Joey Gilmore — Somebody Done Took My Baby
17. Little Beaver — I Love The Way You Love