LOU JOHNSON: Soul Legend – Digital Album Of All His Big Top/Big Hill Recordings
Renowned for his original recordings of songs written by Burt Bacharach & Hal David (a number of which were arranged and produced by Bacharach and featured background vocals from the likes of Doris Troy, Dee Dee Warwick and Cissy Houston) – such as “Reach Out For Me,” “(There’s) Always Something There To Remind Me” and “Message To Martha (Kentucky Bluebird)” – before they became hits for artists such as Dionne Warwick and British singers, Sandie Shaw and Adam Faith – Brooklyn-born Lou Johnson (1941-2019) did not achieve the mainstream recognition his soulful vocals may have warranted. Nonetheless, he was much revered in particular by UK soul music aficionados and a complete set of his 1962-1966 (including tracks for an album that never saw the light of the day) was issued by Ace Records in 2010, with (21) of the (24) tracks available digitally on “Soul Legend,” a 2011 digital album. “Sweet Southern Soul,” an album on Cotillion Records from 1969 is also available digitally and physically.
