Johnny Brantley's All Stars - Place / Pot Luck (Mod) [CD]

Johnny Brantley was primarily known as a prominent mover and shaker on the New York Soul music scene of the late 1960s and early 1970s, working with such iconic artists as Lee Moses, Jimi Hendrix, Ohio Players, The Isley Brothers and others - yet, as an arranger, producer and songwriter, his career dates back to the mid-1950s, when he worked with a couple of great R&B singers of the era in Ruth McFadden and Varetta Dillard. One of the only singles released that bears his name as an artist is the 45 "The Place" b/w " Pot Luck" originally released in 1958 as performed by Johnny Brantley's All-Stars. The dual instrumentals are a stirring cross between jump blues and rock n' roll, that feature exceptional playing by the instrumentalists involved, most likely a coterie of New York's top session players. Leroy Kirkland, (who is listed as a co-writer on the B-side) the famed American jazz and R&B guitar player, composer, conductor and arranger, is probably the arranger on the session - the excellent guitar work on both sides of the single could possibly be him as well. Regardless of who plays on the single, these two rockin' instrumentals are as good as it gets and are a fine example of the great R&B being produced during this period. The single was originally released on the Carlton label, started in 1957 by Joe Carlton, a former A&R chief at RCA, who no doubt had access to the cream of the crop of New York session players. The label folded in 1964, but during it's heyday produced some very interesting music, especially the ultra-rare single presented here, which has been lovingly remastered and finally made available in the digital domain.