Fringe Factory brings Hot Damn! Southern Soul revue to the Earl Sat., Oct. 18
Thursday, October 16th, 2008
This Saturday the Fringe Factory in conjunction with the Chicago-based soul label Rabbit Factory, Inc. will set up shop at The Earl. This Fringe Factory installment has been dubbed “Hot Damn!: A Southern Soul Revue.” The evening will feature a marathon of old school Southern soul men taking the stage to do what they do best.
In 1960 Oxford, Mississippi’s Herbert Wiley formed the band, the Checkmates who went on to perform as the backing band for too many super soul legends to name.
After several successful years spent on the road, Wiley decided to quit music altogether to start a family. But in 2002 he came out retirement to reform the Checkmates as a six-piece soul monster churning out real deal gospel, jazz, funk and rock and roll. This second coming of the Checkmates fashions a modern take on the original Checkmates’s sound.
Since then Wiley and Co. have been touring the Southeast playing everywhere from Alabama frat bars to the annual Ponderosa Stomp festival.
Wiley and the Checkmates CD, We Call It Soul is out now on Rabbit Factory, Inc.
The Checkmates aren’t the only star attraction lined-up for the evening.
Old school Atlanta funk maestro Hermon Hitson also performs. Hitson is best known for his collaboration with Jimi Hendrix on the production of Hendrix’s album, Free Spirit. Since the ’60s he has performed with alongside Bobby Womack, Wilson Pickett, Major Lance, Jackie Wilson, The Drifters, The Shirelles, Joe Tex and The Midnighters.
Here’s a montage set to Hitson’s song, “Ain’t No Other Way.”
Also on hand will be Ralph “Soul” Jackson. Hailing from Southern Alabama, Jackson recorded six rare soul 45s that are now highly sought after artifacts. Jackson began his recording career in the ’60s when he received a call from Rick Hall at FAME Studios who wanted to record his song, “Don’t Tear Yourself Down.”
Here’s some footage of Jackson performing at The Bottletree in Birmingham, AL in 2006.
The “Down in the Basement” DJs Agent 45 and Tim Lawrence will also be on hand spinning records between sets. And as per usual there will be an array of multimedia visuals provided by Fringe Factory hosts Vikki V. and Suzy Q.
