JellyNYC hosted their second free McCarren Park Pool Party this Sunday- presenting Ronnie Spector and The Rabbit Factory Soul Revue. And, despite the weather cooperating, this show drew a much smaller and considerably older crowd than the last Pool Party.
Rabbit Factory Inc., the Chicago-based soul label, has undertaken the task of reintroducing old Southern soul singers to a popular audience, much like Fat Possum did with bluesmen in the early 1990's. These men may not be household names, many having only regional hits with small independent labels 40+ years ago, but that makes their reemergence no less spectacular.
Click the picture for more snapshots of the show
Mississippian Herbert Wiley took the stage first, dressed to the nines in a red satin vest and fedora, and performed his songs with enthusiasm for the small crowd at the front of the stage. His inspired chicken dance during songs and his rough, yet soulful singing brought out some scattered dancing from the reserved Brooklyn crowd.
Next up was Herman Hitson from Atlanta, GA. After some initial problems with his guitar, and some election advice ("If you love your mama, vote for Obama!"), Hitson hit the crowd with a mix of smooth, funky soul and "Shout"-style dance numbers. He told stories of Jimi Hendrix and had people shaking to the "Georgia Grind", before wrapping up his set.
Probably the best known of the Soul Revue-ers, Roscoe Robinson, came out next. Having played with The Blind Boys of Alabama, The Blind Boys of Mississippi, and the Highway QC's, his music is loved and collected by record dorks, who were definitely in attendance. His set consisted mostly of smooth soul ballads, ending with a medley that included snippets of famous songs including "Try Me" by James Brown.
The final act of the Soul Revue was Ralph "Soul" Jackson, who came out rockin'. Although he mentioned his "arthur-itus" and his "gouch," he had no problem screaming, stomping, and shouting the growing crowd into a dancing mess. He brought out audience members and had them dancing with him, as he covered songs like "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream, and "Jambalaya" by Hank Williams.
Unfortunately, most of the crowd stayed seated towards the back of the pool for much of the Rabbit Factory singers. After the band, who had been playing in the heat for over an hour and a half, finally hit their last note, Roscoe Robinson came back out to plea with the audience to purchase his CD, which included all of his solo sides recorded throughout his career. The crowd reacted positively, and hopefully he sold a good amount of CDs, but these men deserve a lot more recognition and praise for their contributions to music, as well as the joy that they've brought to people with little or no financial compensation.
After a very short break, Ronnie Spector played to an extremely enthusiastic (and now much larger) crowd. She covered each of the hits made famous by her 1960's group The Ronettes, including "I Wonder," "Be My Baby," and "Baby I Love You." She also performed "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory" by Johnny Thunders, dedicating the song to Joey Ramone, who had produced her cover before he died.
Click the picture for more snapshots of the show
Although she looked absolutely fabulous, Ms. Spector sat on a bench in between songs and mentioned that the heat was getting to her. It was, however, a truly inspired performance, and her backing band, led by the fabulous Mr. Daniel Rey, managed to capture the energy and wall of sound made famous on her records by her ex-husband Phil Spector. She blew kisses to the crowd and mentioned on multiple occasions how much returning to play in Brooklyn, where she had gotten her start, was an important occasion for her.
She returned to the stage for a short one song encore, and although she left the crowd wanting more, Ms. Spector, as well as the Rabbit Factory Soul Revue, helped prove to Brooklyn that music can be legendary and historical without it's artists belonging in a museum.
