Something Got a Hold on Me: The Ru-Jac Records Story, Vol. 1: 1963-1964

Overview

Named after label founders Rufus Mitchell and Jack Bennett, Ru-Jac was a soul label based in the Baltimore area that operated from 1963 to the mid-'70s. By most measures, it was the definition of a local label, generating no big national hits and no stars. Prior to their release of the multi-volume The Ru-Jac Records Story, Omnivore issued compilations focusing on Winfield Parker and Gene & Eddie, two fine R&B acts whose profiles were not much higher than cult favorites, and the same could be said for the label as a whole: It's the kind of imprint collectors cherish but isn't especially well-known at large. Divided into four individual installments, all The Ru-Jac Records Story should change that narrative somewhat, even if the series winds up revealing that it was indeed a local label following the fashions of the time: As the volumes pass, it's possible to hear uptown rhythms give way to funky grooves, and the whole affair feels anchored to the breezy sounds of the east coast. This is especially true on Something Got a Hold on Me, the first installment in the series. Beginning in 1963, a good half of the record is devoted to sophisticated soul that echoes what was being made in New York City in the early '60s -- Tiny Tim (aka Mr. T, which means he's most assuredly not to be confused with the "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" singer) sounds like a hybrid of Chuck Jackson and Jackie Wilson, for instance, while Celestine is a dead ringer for any number of girl groups. The ease of Winfield Parker stands out in this setting, as does the occasional instrumental dancefloor number (Flattop Bobby & the Soul Twisters' "Cross Track," the unknown group who cut "Trash Can"), since they move Ru-Jac slightly away from the expected, but part of the appeal of Something Got a Hold on Me is that in unearths largely unknown sides that sound vaguely like beloved 45s. Maybe the songs and performers are sometimes a shade generic, but the vibe is right. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	01/19/2018
Label:	Omnivore
UPC:	0816651013128
Rank:	223664

Tracks

1. Fatback [Take 1]  - Lamont Esquires
2. Please Don't Go  - Jessie Crawford  - Roland Holland  -  Kay Keys Band  - James K. Scottland
3. I Love You So  - Jessie Crawford  - Roland Holland  -  Kay Keys Band  - James K. Scottland
4. A Woman Like You  - Little Sonny Daye  - Paul Johns  -  Shyndells Band
5. I'm Through With You  - Little Sonny Daye  - Paul Johns  -  Shyndells Band
6. Every Day I Have the Blues [Take 2]  - Peter Chapman  - Jeanne Dee
7. Saving All My Loving  - Tim Harris  -  Tiny Tim
8. It's Everything to Me  - Tim Harris  -  Tiny Tim
9. I Want to Be Sure  -  Celestine
10. You Won  -  Celestine
11. Cross Track [Take 2]  - Flattop Bobby  -  Soultwisters
12. When I'm Alone  - Wesley Aydlett  - Winfield Parker  - Frederick Robinson
13. Can't You See  - Wesley Aydlett  - Brenda Jones  - Frederick Robinson
14. Let's Go Back to School  - Ethel Ennis  - Brenda Jones
15. That's All You Have to Do  - Ethel Ennis  - Brenda Jones
16. One of These Mornings [Take 3]  - Winfield Parker
17. Put a Light in the Window  - Roland Holland  - Charles Johnson
18. My Father Watches Over Me  -  Fruitland Harmonizers  - Charles H. Gabriel
19. Take Care of Me  -  Fruitland Harmonizers  - James Walker
20. Something Got a Hold On Me
21. All Over Again  - Marie Allen  - Kenneth Carroll  - Roland Holland  -  Teardrops Band
22. Crying Won't Help You  - Marie Allen  - Kenneth Carroll  - Roland Holland  -  Teardrops Band
23. Trash Can
24. Don't Bit Mo  -  Rocking Robin
25. Foolish to Try  - James Hill  - James Hill
26. Meadow of Love  - Carroll Hill  -  Jolly Jax  - Frederick Robinson
27. The Money Cha Cha  - Carroll Hill  -  Jolly Jax  - Frederick Robinson
28. Joe [Take 5]  -  Jolly Jax

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Rockin' Robin   Primary Artist
(Mr. T) Tiny Tim   Primary Artist
Rocking Robin   Primary Artist
Jessie Crawford   Primary Artist
The Jolly Jax   Primary Artist
Ru-Jac Records   Primary Artist
The Teardrops Band   Primary Artist
James Hill   Primary Artist,Primary Artist
Charles Johnson   Primary Artist
Brenda Jones   Primary Artist
Winfield Parker   Primary Artist
Tiny Tim   Primary Artist
Celestine   Primary Artist
The Soultwisters   Primary Artist
Flattop Bobby   Primary Artist
Fruitland Harmonizers   Primary Artist
Jeanne Dee   Primary Artist
Lamont Esquires   Primary Artist
Little Sonny Daye   Primary Artist
Marie Allen   Vocals,Featured Artist
The Shyndells Band   Featured Artist
Kay Keys Band   Featured Artist

Technical Credits

Kay Keys Band   Musician
Little Sonny Daye   Composer
James K. Scottland   Composer
Rockin' Robin   Composer
(Mr. T) Tiny Tim   Composer
Dutch Cramblitt   Project Assistant
Kevin Coombe   Liner Notes,Compilation Producer
Brad Rosenberger   Project Assistant
Laurence Jones   Composer
Jessie Crawford   Composer
Joy Graves   Project Assistant
The Jolly Jax   Composer
The Shyndells Band   Musician
Wesley Aydlett   Composer
Frederick Robinson   Composer
Peter Chapman   Composer
Roland Holland   Composer
James Hill   Composer,Composer
Charles Johnson   Composer
Brenda Jones   Composer
Winfield Parker   Composer,Production Consultant
Marion Jones   Composer
Glenn Schwartz   Licensing
Paul Johns   Composer
Lee Lodyga   Project Assistant
Michael Graves   Mastering,Restoration
Cheryl Pawelski   Compilation Producer
Charles H. Gabriel   Composer
Greg Allen   Design,Art Direction
Ethel Ennis   Composer
Peter Chatman   Composer
Tim Harris   Composer
James Walker   Composer
Celestine   Composer
Kenneth Carroll   Composer
Dorothy Stefanski   Editorial
The Soultwisters   Composer
Flattop Bobby   Composer
Carroll Hill   Composer
Fruitland Harmonizers   Composer
Jeanne Dee   Composer
Lamont Esquires   Composer