Wordpress Banner 11 29

The Second Disc

Expanded and Remastered Music News

  • Home
  • Holiday Gift Guide
  • News
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Features
    • Release Round-Up
    • Giveaways!
    • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Classic Rock
    • Rock
    • Pop
    • Jazz
    • Popular Standards/Vocal
    • R&B/Soul
    • Country
    • Folk
    • Cast Recordings
    • Soundtracks
    • Everything Else
      • Classical/Opera
      • Disco/Dance
      • Funk
      • Gospel
      • Rap/Hip-Hop
  • Release Calendar
    • Coming Soon
    • Now Available
  • About
  • Second Disc Records
    • Full Catalog
  • Contact

/ News

And I Never Knew: Ace Collects Rare, Unreleased Tommy Hunt on "The Complete Man"

April 9, 2019 By Joe Marchese Leave a Comment

BUY NOW FROM AMAZON.COM

One of the brightest stars in the uptown soul firmament, Tommy Hunt, has just been celebrated by Ace's Kent Records on a new collection filled with rare and previously unheard material.  The Complete Man: 60s NYC Soul Songs follows up the label's The Biggest Man with a second dip into his recordings for New York indie Scepter Records as well as Capitol, Atlantic, and Dynamo.

Born in 1933 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Tommy Hunt's family settled in Chicago during his formative years.  But difficulties plagued him.  He served in the U.S. Air Force but went AWOL after receiving the news of his mother's terminal illness.  He spent time in jail for his desertion, but returned to Chicago with hopes of a brighter future.  There, he first pursued singing as a career.  With his group The Five Echoes, Hunt recorded for the Chance, Sabre and Chess labels; soon, he was deputized to fill in for a recently-drafted member of The Flamingos.  Hunt was with the group for their biggest hit, the 1959 revival of "I Only Have Eyes for You," and its success gave him the ammunition to seek a solo career.  Luther Dixon signed Hunt to Florence Greenberg's Scepter label in 1960, and "Human," the original B-side of his very first 45, went Top 5 R&B.  Hunt worked with Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller as well as Ed Townsend, Dixon, Bacharach and David at Scepter; for the latter team, he introduced the supremely sad "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself."  Hunt moved to Atlantic in 1965, and the next year went to Capitol before reuniting with Dixon at Dynamo.  He also recorded with Jimmy "Wiz" Wisner and Jerry "Swamp Dogg" Williams there.

Hunt's deep, resonant voice could hold its own against the plush orchestral backdrops of strings and horns which so frequently enhanced his records - quintessential slices of "uptown soul."  The Complete Man begins with his one-off singles for Atlantic and Capitol.  At the former label, he teamed with writer Van McCoy and producer Carl Davis in Chicago for two dramatic, sublime slow-burners, "I Don't Want to Lose You" and "Hold On."  At Capitol, Al Cleveland and Jimmy Radcliffe supplied him with the insistent promise "I'll Make You Happy," while Cleveland also penned the funky, brassy flip "The Clown" with Dorothy Campbell, Arthur Crier, and Gerald Perkins.  Another A-list team, arranger Bert DeCoteaux and producer Marvin Holtzman, helmed the session - but like the Atlantic tracks, the single inexplicably went nowhere.

A clutch of newly-discovered Scepter recordings are at the heart of this collection including ballads (Dixon and McCoy's insinuating, impassioned "Lonely for You," the breezy, Sam Cooke-esque "One of These Days" and lightly Latin "Who You Gonna Thrill Tonight"), uptempo stompers ("Never Love a Robin," also recorded at Dynamo by Barbara and Brenda), and everything in between (the spare "What's the Matter Baby," also by Dixon and McCoy, the doo wop-influenced "Girls Are Sentimental").

Another upbeat dancer, "The Pretty Part of You," has previously appeared on an Ace/Kent anthology but never before on a Tommy Hunt CD.  Some lesser-known Scepter recordings are also reprised here, such as the swinging "Work Song" and other tracks which veer from the classy soul/R&B template like the boisterously jazzy R&B of "You're So Fine," jumpy "I'm with You" (with its barrelhouse piano) and the majestic, string-drenched pop ballad "The Door Is Open" from the team of Helen Miller and Freddie Scott.  "Son, My Son" is another unusual, decidedly non-commercial cut, with Hunt taking on a gentle tone for the earnest ballad of paternal concern.  Tony Bruno's "How Young Is Young" veers from quiet to bombastic, with Hunt navigating each turn with aplomb.

For Dynamo, Jimmy "Wiz" Wisner arranged the booming title track "A Complete Man" and Hunt's fine 1968 remake of his signature "Human," a bit looser than the original (dropping its prominent choir and adding an up-front organ) but no less moving.  At Dynamo, Hunt's versatility was fully tapped on tracks like the torrid "Searchin' for Love" and Jerry Williams' raucous "Searchin' for My Baby (Lookin' Everywhere)," not to mention an R&B-inflected cover of John Barry and Don Black's Academy Award-winning film theme "Born Free" and Ervin Drake's inspirational "I Believe," a most fitting conclusion to this collection.

The accompanying 20-page booklet features biographical liner notes by compiler Ady Croasdell, and Nick Robbins has done a customarily fine job remastering.  The Complete Man is available now at the links below!

Tommy Hunt, The Complete Man: 60s NYC Soul Songs (Kent CDKEND 480, 2019) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

  1. I Don't Want to Lose You (Atlantic 2278, 1965)
  2. Hold On (Atlantic 2278, 1965)
  3. I'll Make You Happy (Capitol 5621, 1966)
  4. The Clown (Capitol 5621, 1966)
  5. Lonely For You (rec. 1964, previously unreleased on CD)
  6. The Pretty Part of You (rec. 1964, rel. Kent LP 069. 1987)
  7. Never Love a Robin (Dynamo 101, 1967)
  8. The Work Song (Scepter 1231, 1962) (*)
  9. What's the Matter Baby (rec. 1962, previously unreleased)
  10. One of These Days (rec. 1962, previously unreleased) (*)
  11. Who You Gonna Thrill Tonight (rec. 1962, previously unreleased)
  12. And I Never Knew (Scepter 1236, 1961) (*)
  13. Human (from Dynamo LP DS 8001, 1968) (*)
  14. Searchin' for Love (Dynamo 110, 1967)
  15. The Complete Man (Dynamo 110, 1967)
  16. Searchin' for My Baby (Lookin' Everywhere) (Dynamo 113, 1967)
  17. I Need a Woman of My Own (Dynamo 113, 1967)
  18. You're So Fine (from Scepter LP SLP 506, 1962)
  19. I'm with You (Scepter 1261, 1963)
  20. The Door Is Open (Scepter 1226, 1961)
  21. How Young Is Young (Scepter 1275, 1964)
  22. Girls are Sentimental (rec. 1962, previously unreleased)
  23. Son, My Son (Scepter 1252, 1963)
  24. Born Free (Dynamo 124, 1968)
  25. I Believe (from Dynamo LP DS 8001, 1968)

Categories: News, Reviews Formats: CD Genre: R&B/Soul Tags: Tommy Hunt

Avatar photo

Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

Connect With Joe: FacebookTwitter

You Might Also Like

  • Tom Petty The Best of EverythingRelease Round-Up: Week of March 1
  • Manhattan Soul 3Ooh Baby: Ace Collects Third Volume of Rare "Manhattan Soul"
  • Scepter Records SquareSundazed's Black Friday Line-Up Boasts Scepter Soul, Spacey Jazz From Sun Ra, and an "Adult" Classic
  • Casino ClassicsNew "Casino Classics" Box Features Northern Soul From Jackie Trent, Tommy Hunt, Gloria Jones, Len Barry

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Upcoming Releases

  • Neil Young Before and After
    Before and After
    Neil Young
    December 08, 2023
  • Dan Hartman It Hurts to Be in Love
    It Hurts to Be in Love: Expanded Edition
    Dan Hartman
    December 08, 2023
  • Rosanne Cash The Wheel
    The Wheel: 30th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
    Rosanne Cash
    December 15, 2023
See Full Calendar

Connect

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 4,652 other subscribers

Popular

  • The Sound of Music Super Deluxe
    Release Round-Up: Week of December 1 posted on December 1, 2023 | under Release Round-Up
  • Stream 2023
    The Weekend Stream: December 2, 2023 posted on December 2, 2023 | under The Weekend Stream
  • Garth Brooks Limited Series Cover
    Only Country Music: Garth Brooks Boxes 2014-2020 Albums, Premieres "Time Traveler," On New Box Set posted on November 30, 2023 | under News

Comments

  • small faces here come the nice2
    Return To Itchycoo Park: Small Faces' "Here Come The Nice" Deluxe Box Set Arrives In January [UPDATED 12/3] 84 comments | by Joe Marchese | posted on December 3, 2013 | under News
  • the beatles u s albums box2
    British Invasion! The Beatles Unveil "The U.S. Albums" Box Set in January 69 comments | by Joe Marchese | posted on December 12, 2013 | under News
  • Rolling Stones in Mono
    Out of Their Heads: Stones Plan Mono Box Set 47 comments | by Mike Duquette | posted on August 10, 2016 | under News

Music Resources

  • Addicted to Vinyl
  • Crap from the Past
  • Discogs
  • Film Score Monthly
  • IMWAN Forum – From the Vaults
  • MusicTAP
  • Musoscribe
  • Pause & Play
  • Popblerd
  • Popdose
  • Record Racks
  • Slicing Up Eyeballs
  • Steve Hoffman Music Forums
  • Ultimate Classic Rock
  • Vintage Vinyl News
  • Viva La Mainstream
  • Wolfgang's Vault

Labels of Note

  • Ace Records
  • Analog Spark
  • Bear Family
  • BGO Records
  • Big Break Records
  • Blixa Sounds
  • Cherry Red Label Group
  • Craft Recordings
  • Demon Music Group
  • Friday Music
  • Funky Town Grooves
  • Iconoclassic Records
  • Intervention Records
  • Intrada
  • Kritzerland
  • La La Land Records
  • Legacy Recordings
  • Light in the Attic
  • Masterworks Broadway
  • Now Sounds
  • Omnivore Recordings
  • Real Gone Music
  • Resonance Records
  • Rhino Entertainment
  • Rock Candy Records
  • SoulMusic Records
  • Sunset Blvd. Records
  • Supermegabot
  • Varese Sarabande
  • Vinyl Me, Please
  • Wounded Bird
Copyright © 2023 The Second Disc. All rights reserved. · Site by Metaglyphics

The Second Disc is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.ca and amazon.co.uk.

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy