LOU JOHNSON
INCOMPARABLE SOUL VOCALIST BIG

Lou Johnson cut a CDs worth of great NYC Brill Building and 1650 Broadway soul, mainly ballads, for the rich and successful Big Top label. On this CD we have every known Big Top recording, including five unreleased acetates and a non 45 LP track from an album that was never officially released. There is the original and a great previously unheard vocal take of Lou’s Northern Soul dance classic ‘Unsatisfied’. Plus his stunning original version of Roy Hamilton’s revered 45 ‘The Panic Is On’ which outshines even that great record. Writers Bacharach and David used Lou for the male interpretations of their great 60s soul ballads which were often hits for Dionne Warwick. Lou’s more uncompromising style meant they didn’t sell so spectacularly but they were more than the equal in performance. ‘Reach Out For Me’, ‘The Last One To Be Loved’ and ‘Kentucky Bluebird (Message To Martha)’ are taken to another level of artistry and emotion. Unheralded song-writing team Giant, Baum and Kaye, who had considerable success with Elvis Presley, provide the majority of the songs. Their relationship with Lou was the artistic high point of both participants’ careers. Several years in the making, this compilation is a must for every serious soul fan and every lover of 60s soulful vocals on impeccably crafted songs.