My second pick for this week's #SaturdayOnStage is a delightful 1966 performance by Johnnie Taylor:

Johnnie Taylor: Rome Wasn''t Built In A Day (The !!!! Beat, 1966)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qbx3D2e5PM

"Rome (Wasn't Built In A Day)" had been Taylor's first hit (#29 on the Cash Box R&B chart) in 1962, when it had been released on Sam Cooke's SAR record label. The song was credited to the Prudhomme twins (Betty and Beverly) and Cooke, who also recorded his own version of it.

At the time of this performance, Taylor was already recording for the Stax label in Memphis. While his breakthrough to mainstream success was still a couple of years away, he was making excellent records, which were slowly gaining him recognition.

The !!!! Beat was a short-lived syndicated TV show, which was hosted by the influential WLAC DJ Bill "Hoss" Allen and featured black R&B stars of the day. I managed to get a video a copy of the shows in the late 1990s (and even wrote an article about them for our national Blues News magazine), but was glad to replace the videos with a fully-authorized DVD version which was issued by Bear Family in 2005.

#music #johnnietaylor #theBeat #samcooke #sarrecords #hossallen #soulmusic #rhythmandblues

Johnnie Taylor // #JohnnieTaylor //

Just The One (I've Been Looking For)
[album Rare Stamps, 1969]

//via // #CraftRecordings #ConcordMusicGroup //

#buzzingroom #music #bandcamp #JohnnieTaylor #RareStamps #JustTheOne #JustTheOneIHaveBeenLookingFor #AlBell #EddieFloyd #SteveCropper #DonDavis #AlJacksonJr. #DaleWarren #Stax

link bandcamp: https://johnnietaylor.bandcamp.com/track/just-the-one-ive-been-looking-for

🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on #KEXP's #DriveTime

Johnnie Taylor:
🎵 Disco Lady

#JohnnieTaylor

https://thebeatvault1.bandcamp.com/track/johnnie-taylor-disco-lady

https://open.spotify.com/track/1tMyqN7bNCokdg7jWgKPc8

Who's Making Love by Johnnie Taylor, released in 1968 on Stax.

In 1968, Johnnie Taylor’s provocative single, “Who’s Making Love” gave the newly independent Stax Records its first major hit. The song peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and helped to bolster the label’s profile. The album Who’s Making Love was released months later, and not only featured the title track but also an irresistible collection of bluesy songs penned by Booker T. Jones, Bettye Crutcher, Steve Cropper and the inimitable team of Isaac Hayes and David Porter.

Bandcamp

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaDTObaghsE&list=OLAK5uy_lIY-TSrOrJ4i-gOD0wog35-BVZ9Gv4sI0

#johnnietaylor #whosmakinglove #stax #issachayes #davidporter #bookertjones #stevecropper #soul