Garnet Mimms & the Enchanters - "A Quiet Place"

Recently I sent in a list of my top 10 songs to a podcast, and when I heard them read back, I immediately knew I'd left off something important. Today, while looking up some videos of Northern Soul songs (which is a whole different can of worms) Garnett Mimms popped up, and I knew what I had missed. The likelyhood is that even if you've never heard Garnet Mimms sing, you've heard one of his songs. First released in 1963, "Cry Baby" was a hit for Mimms and the Enchanters, but it's more common to hear the Janis Joplin version of the song when it pops up in commercials and such. "Cry Baby" is a great song, but it's not the song I'm going to talk about.

I'm not going to run down all of Mr. Mimms biographical stats, but if anyone is interested, there is a great article on Blackcat Rockabilly Europe, and you know that's for real because I couldn't have made up the name of that site if I wanted to. Anyhow, "A Quiet Place" is another song that came off a Carolina Beach music compilation that I got. I've always loved the vibe of the song, and it kicks right off with a lady crying out for, "Johnny, Johnny Dollar". Mimms captures the forlorn spirit of his long suffering and sleepless character, and for me, it always hits the spot when I feel like I want to get away.

It Will Stand by The Showmen

After a recent trip to Memphis, my love of R&B and Soul music has been opened up again, and so I wanted to start this blog in an attempt to spread the word about some of these great songs and groups. I named the site after a song by The Showmen, and so how could I not start out with their hit single from 1961, It Will Stand.

The Showmen were a New Orleans based group that hailed from Norfolk, Virgina, but I know them because of their connection to Carolina Beach music. Both It Will Stand and their single 39-21-40 Shape are classics of the sub-genre. It Will Stand is an anthemic song with a great beat, and I think it about covers the kind and style of music that I'll be talking about here. Of course, anyone who knows my movie blog can tell you that I like a wide variety of films, and my love of music is no different. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy the first track.