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Funky 45's
View My Guestbook Sign My Guestbook All Contents Copyright 2005 Funky16corners
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One hit wonder is one of the most
misused terms in music history. Often enough, while the designation may be
literally true (i.e. a single appearance on the pop charts), many of the
performers saddled with that title have stories that run much deeper. One
such band was Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's Emperors. For a brief time in early 1967 they rode the R&B (#30) and pop charts (#55) with their wild 45 'Karate'. Formed in the early 60's by James Jackson, Donald Brantley, Bobby Fulton, Edgar Moore and David Peterson, the Emperors were discovered by Philadelphia producer Phil Gaber, who also produced the Agents fantastic harmony track 'You Were Meant for Me'. Along with George Wilson (of Philly soul radio giant WHAT) he took them into his Impact Sound studios on Castor Ave. in Northeast Philly to record their first 45, 'Karate' b/w 'I've Got to Have Her'. 'Karate' was one in a long line of karate-themed dance tunes in 66 - 67, like Jerry-O's 'Karate Boogaloo', and Chubby Checker's 'Karate Monkey'. Written by Bobby Fulton's cousin Milton Brown and Tirone Moss (who would co-write all but one of the Emperor's original tunes), 'Karate' was a rocking dance craze number featuring a wailing lead vocal, hard drums and garage-y combo organ (played by Brown, and a major part of the Emperors 'sound' on all of their 45s). The record would be released on Mala, with the ballad 'I've Got to Have Her' on the flip. It first hit the charts in December of 1966,staying there for almost two months. The Emperor's next two 45's would also be recorded at Impact, produced by Gaber and Wilson. By far, their finest moment was their cover of Don Gardner's 'My Baby Likes to Boogaloo'. While Garner's version is a ferocious soul-shout, the Emperors give the tune a slightly sinister edge with a dark electric guitar riff, rolling combo organ and bongo drums. Like fellow Pennsylvanian Chuck 'Downtown Soulville' Edwards, the Emperors records had a sound like a soul singer fronting a garage punk band. The flip side 'You Got Me Where You Want Me' is a pop-soul number with great falsetto backing vocals. The Emperor's last (and hardest to find) Mala 45 was 'Searchin' b/w 'Looking for My Baby'. The a-side is a cool cover of the Coaster's tune. The flip, another Brown/Moss original is soulful dance number taken at a fast pace. The Emperors last 45 (with a catalog number that places it in the early summer of 1967) had them moved to Brunswick (though as Wilson is still producing it seems as if it was recorded in Philly). 'Karate Boogaloo' (not the Jerry-O song) b/w 'Mumble Shing-A-Ling' both have a looser sound than the Mala 45's. 'Karate Boogaloo' is marked by surreal, looped crowd noise in the background, wild percussion and a falsetto chorus. 'Mumble Shing-A-Ling' is a funky, mostly instrumental number. Not too long after the Brunswick 45, Bobby Fulton left the Emperors to co-found Soulville records. Aside from his own 45's for the label, Soulville also released a number of fantastic 45's by Cha Cha Hogan, Watson & The Sherlocks and the Soulville All-Stars among others. The rest of the group would go on to release the funky 'Bring Out Yourself' 45 as Emperors Soul 69 on the Harrisburg Futura label. Philly Music Archives has just released an album length compilation of the Emperors recordings entitled 'Karate' (left). |
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