Taken in part from my recent post in the private sector, comes another songbook collection ...
Even for many seasoned aficionados, Frederick Knight is often considered a mere one-hit-wonder and still remains to be one of Alabama's best kept secrets. In reality Knight is a wonderful performer, producer and singer/songwriter with a number of hits to his credit. Knight often collaborated with Neal Hemphill, Aaron Varnell, Bettye Crutcher and the mighty Sam Dees in the early portion of his career; wracking up a great number of co-compositions for various artists at Sound Of Birmingham Studios, the Stax stable and others under the Atlanta-based Ginn Music Group's umbrella. Knight launched several publishing firms and his own label, Juana Records in the mid 70s. In addition to his own recordings, Knight wrote, produced and published records by The Controllers, Tommy Tate, Anita Ward, C.L. Blast, and others through the label. He also wrote (or co-wrote) material for artists such as KC & The Sunshine Band, Lloyd Price, Major Lance, as well as Malaco artists Dorothy Moore, King Floyd and Z.Z. Hill. Marlena Shaw’s song, “Be For Real”, was written by Knight; in the 90s it would be covered by alt rockers The Afghan Whigs, and by Leonard Cohen for his critically-acclaimed album, The Future. Knight’s most successful songwriting venture was Anita Ward’s "Ring My Bell". Also recorded by Knight, but it was a monster hit for Ward in 1979, soaring to #1 on all the major charts -- Pop, Dance, R&B as well as the UK Singles charts. It has since become a disco/dance classic.
Some of the above artists, among others, are featured in this two-part collection that contains a wide array of Knight's compositions and co-compositions. The sets here stray away from Knight's most successful endeavors and focus more towards his unheralded treasures and a few of my personal faves. All tracks remastered, cleanly tagged and mp3 @ 320kbs. Enjoy.
Various Artists - I Know Where I've Been (Selections From The Songbook Of Frederick Knight)
VOLUME ONE:
01 - Wes Lewis - 1977 - Best Of My Years (Black Kat KAT-8925677)
02 - Sam Dees - 197? - Only Lonely People (Unissued Moonsong Production)
03 - Rozetta Johnson - 1975 - It's Been So Nice (Columbia 3-10247)
04 - The Mighty Pope - 1977 - Tower Of Strength (Private Stock 45,176)
05 - Lloyd Price - 1973 - Trying To Slip (Away) (GSF 6904)
06 - Frederick Knight - 1977 - You Make My Life Complete (Juana LP 200,000)
07 - Shirley Brown - 1974 - I Can’t Give You Up (Stax LP STX-4135) (Truth LP TRS-4206)
08 - Brenton Wood - 1977 - Love Is Free (Cream LP CR-1006)
09 - Ben E. King - 1975 - Drop My Heart Off (Atlantic LP SD-18132)
10 - King Floyd - 1977 - Trouble (Chimneyville 10218)
11 - Sweet Berry [featuring L.C. Jackson] - 1977 - You Need A Friend Like Mine (Rhetta's 001)
12 - Lee Mitchell - 1977 - Best Shot (Full Speed Ahead TDR-7711-10)
13 - Ruby Wilson & The Blue Chips - 1975 - Number One In My Heart (Glades 1725)
14 - Bill Brandon - 197? - I'll Be Your Puppet (Unissued Gin Production) [mono]
15 - Little Lois Barber - 197? - Thank You Baby (Unissued Sound Of Birmingham)
16 - The Fiestas - 1975 - Sometimes Storm (Respect TAA-2509)
17 - The Controllers - 1979 - Gunning For Love (Juana LP 200,005)
18 - Frederick Knight - 1973 - Your Love's All Over Me (Stax LP STS-3011)
19 - Latimore - 1985 - Too Thin (Malaco LP MAL-7423)
20 - C.L. Blast - 1984 - Lay Another Log On The Fire (Park Place LP PPR-416)
VOLUME TWO:
01 - Barbara Hall - 1975 - Drop My Heart Off At The Door (Innovation II IV-9162)
02 - Corey Blake - 1975 - Your Love Is Like A Boomerang (Capitol 4057)
03 - Marlena Shaw - 1976 - Be For Real (Blue Note XW790-Y) (Blue Note LP BN-LA606-G)
04 - The Facts Of Life - 1977 - Uphill Peace Of Mind [aka Uphill Places Of Mind] (Kayvette LPK-802)
05 - Bo Diddley - 1972 - Husband-In-Law (Chess 2134)
06 - Frederick Knight - 1979 - If You Love Your Baby (Juana 3423)
07 - Major Lance - 1975 - You're Everything I Need (Osiris 001)
08 - Ted Taylor - 1976 - I'm Gonna Hate Myself In The Morning (Alarm LP 1000)
09 - Shirley Brown - 1974 - Between You And Me (Stax LP STX-4135) (Truth LP TRS-4206)
10 - Lorraine Johnson - 197? - The Best Of My Years (Unissued Moonsong Production)
11 - Sam Dees - 197? - Win Or Lose (Unissued Moonsong Production)
12 - Ben E. King - 1976 - Tower Of Strength (Atlantic LP SD-18169)
13 - Frederick Knight - 1971 - I Know Where I've Been (Dial 1006) [mono]
14 - C.L. Blast - 1970 - Two Time One Is Two (Crestown 1000) [mono]
15 - The Artistics - 1971 - Sugar Cane (Brunswick 55444)
16 - James Bradley - 1979 - I Can't Get Enough Of Your Love (Malaco 1056)
17 - John Edwards - 1974 - I´ll Be Your Puppet (Aware 045)
18 - Frederick Knight - 197? - Time (Unissued Moonsong Production) [mono]
19 - Latimore - 1983 - You (Malaco LP MAL-7414)
20 - Dorothy Moore - 1976 - For Old Time's Sake (Malaco 1037)
