Whilst never perhaps achieving the commercial success that his
talent so richly deserved, Tony Drake will forever hold a very
special place in the hearts of soul fans throughout the world.
He first burst onto the music scene as a solo-artist in 1969 with a
stunning ballad on Musicor Records entitled “Let‘s Play House” that
featured The Diplomats on backing vocals. Despite being heralded at
the time by critics and disc jockeys alike, the record never got
close to reaching the peaks that highly respected publications such
as Billboard had so confidently forecast and it quietly disappeared
from the play lists of those radio stations who had so
enthusiastically got behind the record on its release. Over the
intervening years however, not only has this 2.57 minute masterpiece
been rediscovered by classic soul fans from back-in-the day, but it
has also found even greater acceptance with a whole new generation
of soul lovers and as a result the original 45 is now highly sought
after by collectors who will happily part with $150 to secure a mint
copy.
Disappointed at the lack of success on Musicor, the native of
Philadelphia and one-time member of The Flamingoes as a replacement
for Tommy Hunt, was released by the label and moved to Chicago. It
was there in the windy city that he signed a contract with Brunswick
Records and in so doing gained a friend and mentor in label-mate
Jackie Wilson.
His first and sadly only release on Brunswick was an up tempo Eugene
Record and Barbara Acklin composition called “Suddenly” that
featured The Chi-lites on backing vocals. As with the aforementioned
“Let’s Play House”, whilst once again critically acclaimed, lack of
promotion by the label meant that the record failed to achieve the
much deserved breakthrough and before long it too faded into
obscurity. “Suddenly” has also become a highly desirable 45 many
years later, mainly as a result of many spins on the Northern Soul
Scene in the United Kingdom.
Although frustrated at the lack of commercial success as a
performer, in 1971 under his given name of Samuel Garner, the young
Tony Drake decided to try is hand at song writing and his first
attempt was a song born out of personal experience through being in
a relationship with a woman who had fathered a son by another man.
When Eugene Record heard Tony’s first song, “Living in the Footsteps
of Another Man,“ he decided that it would be the perfect song to
take back to Brunswick Records for Barbara Acklin to record, with of
course the required gender references made to the title. After some
consideration however the label decided that the song would however
be recorded by The Chi-lites themselves on what would subsequently
become a gold selling album in “A Lonely Man".
So popular did the song become as an album cut, that in 1972
Brunswick also decided to release the song as a Chi-lites single and
as a result it became known around the world. This has since helped
spawn numerous cover versions by artistes in the United States,
Italy, Jamaica and the United Kingdom, where it became a hit all
over again in the 80’s for The Pasadenas.
 Tony Drake continued to write and record throughout the 1970’s but
another release was not forthcoming until 1982 when “Human” was
released a single on the short-lived New York based Rhissa-Crissa
Records.
Many of the recordings from that period had never been released
until 2003 when Tony Drake released his first and to date only album
release, the well-received CD Collectors Choice Volume 1, on his own
SAGAR Records label.
The CD contained a version of “Living In The Footsteps” but this was
not the same version that London based disc-jockey Steve Guanori had
championed so successfully on his weekly radio show broadcast via
the internet on the now sadly defunct Soul 24-7. Steve had in fact
owned the rare acetate for years without knowing who the vocalist
was, although so different was the styling from that of Tony Drake’s
other recordings that many thought it was perhaps an un-released
version by Jerry Butler or even Jackie Wilson.
Well we’re pleased to tell you that this original master recording
of “Living In The Footsteps” was recently found on 1.5” tape, hidden
away in a box with a number other tracks and that these hitherto
un-released gems will be included on a new, soon-to-be-released Tony
Drake CD which is provisionally titled Collectors Choice Volume 2.
The master recording has recently been cleaned-up and beautifully
re-mastered here in New Jersey by Grammy nominated producer and
recording engineer Dennis Drake, and so for the very first time this
“lost” version of the classic “Living In The Footsteps Of Another
Man” is now available on a limited-edition 45 on It’s Soul Time!
Records.
The flip side, “Hey World”, was included on the Collectors Choice
Volume 1 CD, but many will be unaware that this Samuel Garner
composition was first recorded by Gwen McCrae on her 1982 Atlantic
LP “Own My Way” that included the hit “Keep The Fire Burnin’”.
For a preview of "Hey
World" click here for a video clip, created by
PJ.
“Living In The Footsteps Of Another Man” is the second vinyl only
release on It’s Soul Time! Records. In 2004, It's Soul Time! Records
also released "Mama" b/w "Hypnotized" by The Persuaders...Click
here for more information.
_______________________________________________ |
