I Feel It Just A Little Bit
the Story of

Otis Goodwin & The Castanets

The story is an old and familiar one: a hot band gets the chance to lay down a couple of high quality 45's but never really breaks through to the next level. Thirty years later collectors dig these sides up and they get a new life. This is the story of  a thousand groups, but specifically Otis Goodwin and the Castanets.

I can remember finding my first copy of  'I feel It Just A Little Bit' while digging outside of Philadelphia. On first spin I was blown away by the hard, James Brown style grooves therein. I checked around with some collectors and was assured that it was a Philadelphia-based 45.

Earlier this year I was contacted by Otis Goodwin Jr., and through him I had a chance to ask the original Otis Goodwin (his dad) some questions.

Formed in the late 60's in their hometown of Columbia, South Carolina, the band was composed of five high school friends  - Dewey Scott (tenor sax) Woodrow Portee (guitar), Jimmie McKie (bass), Danny Boozer (drums) and led by Otis Goodwin (lead vocals, organ) - and originally went by the name The Pontiacs. Goodwin had moved to the organ after playing trumpet in high school.

The Pontiacs were the house band at the Green Door in Columbia, and backed traveling soul acts like Eddie Floyd, Laura Lee and William Bell among others.

They also toured around the Carolinas, Virginia and Georgia.

In 1969 they made the three hour trip to Charlotte, NC and entered Arthur Smith Studios. They recorded the four tracks that made up their two 45s, with Goodwin on Hammond B3 (outside the studio he played a Vox Intercontinental through a Leslie).

So, how did these Carolinians get their records released in Philadelphia? Goodwin sent the tapes to his cousin in Philly, Jazz Stroman. Stroman got the group's first 45 'I Feel It Just A Little Bit' b/w 'Sometimes' released on his own Jazz-EE label later in 1969(with the group's name spelled incorrectly). The second 45 (listing only Otis Goodwin) 'Mini Skirt' b/w 'Real Thing' on the Walker-Reeder label (both Jazz-EE and Walker-Reeder were arms of Philly's Road Records). Goodwin says that the records got airplay in Philly (by Georgie Woods), New York City, and in Nashville on WLAC (where listeners would have been able to hear it almost anywhere in the country by virtue of the station's incredibly strong signal).

'I Feel It Just A Little Bit' is a classic example of James Brown inspired funk (Goodwin cites Brown as his biggest influence). The band chugs along at high speed with a raspy, soulful vocal and some pulsing Hammond by Goodwin. Jimmie McKie's bass playing is also amazing. The flip-side 'Sometimes' is a strong ballad with Goodwin sounding a little like Wilson Pickett.

The rarer 'Mini Skirt' is a hard driving funker with some outstanding drumming by Boozer, tight, chicken-scratch guitar by Portee and Goodwin switching to piano. 'Real Thing' is a deep soul ballad with a touch of doowop.

Goodwin says that Stroman arranged an audition for him with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, but he says  "I had a family to take care of, so I didn't take the chance.'

These days Otis Goodwin makes his music singing and playing with a church choir in Columbia, SC.