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Tommy Stewart Collection - Make Happy Music

Various Artists (CD)

Funky Town Grooves (UK) / 2009 / FTG-181
CD in jewel case with liner notes

Producer: Tommy Stewart, Marlin McNichols, Mose Davis...
Executive Producer: Marlin McNichols

Compact Disc Compilation credits:
Executive producers: Tony Calvert and Matt Murphy
Remastering and restoration: Donald Cleveland
Liner notes: Kevin Goins for FTG Records (2009)
Special Limited Edition

1. Disco Strut 7:57 Cream De Coco 1976


2. Disco Hop 3:44 3rd World Band 1975


3. Pay The Price 3:20 Stevo 1979


4. Fulton County Line 4:51 Tommy Stewart 1976


5. Something About You 5:05 Moses 1978


6. Let's Boogie at the Disco 4:53 3rd World Band 1975


7. Big Fat Juicy Fun 5:01 Hambone 1981


8. Que Pasa 6:13 The Final Approach 1976


9. Messin' Around 9:33 The Spirit of Atlanta 1973


10. Cosmic Funk 6:21 Mad Dog Fire Department 1979


11. Bump and Hustle Music 5:06 Tommy Stewart 1976


12. Party Night 3:45 Stevo 1979


13. Dancing Down the Avenue 4:23 Sherman Hunter 1979


14. Make Happy Music 3:51 Tommy Stewart 1976

If one has to describe the sound of Tommy Stewart, it would be a polished Patrick Adams style with tight musicians playing horns and guitars along with a great funky bassline. In a way, almost a British Jazz-Funk kind of sound that is laid back and meandering along just waiting to grab you. Perhaps that's why it took a British label by the name of Funky Town Grooves to release this American musician/songwriter's under-appreciated work onto compact disc.

The Tommy Stewart Collection - Make Happy Music oozes class throughout and gives Tommy Stewart fans a nice cross-section of his output ranging from his own material to his work for others such as Third World Band and the late Stevo.

The Tommy Stewart Collection - Make Happy Music brings together the rare dance grooves of the 1970s and early 1980s created by arranger, conductor and composer Tommy Stewart (Thomas Stewart) including tunes that were done with the guidance and input of record executive Marlin McNichols. This fine body of work is a reflection of the musical influences that inspired not only Stewart, but arrangers Gene Page and Charles Stepney as well as songwriters August Darnell and Stony Browder (the co-founders of Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band) - the late 1940s big band movement that dovetailed into the rise of West Cost rhythm and blues. Yet while Page, Stepney and the Dr. Buzzard gang were successful in their efforts, the gold and platinum records seemed to elude Tommy Stewart for a myriad of reasons.

The dynamic Tommy Stewart (Thomas Stewart) along with Marlin McNichols are finally given a proper compilation on compact disc with careful attention to track selection, liner notes and mastering. A real treat for fans of this under-rated Southern artist and song writer.

In 2006 Marlin McNichols was kind enough to give DiscoMusic.com some background info regarding his 1970s output especially with Tommy Stewart.

Great to hear back from you. We produced all the Tommy Stewart rhythm tracks in Atlanta, GA. Tommy and myself then took a plane into Detroit and put the horns and strings on using the same string and horn sections that played a major role in making Motown Records.

When Motown Records left Detroit and went to LA in the early seventies although I had major success working with Motown artist Edwin Starr, I did not move to LA at that time. A new label was in the makings in Atlanta called GRC and I was asked to join their team. I took my groups the Fabulous Counts, and Deep Velvet and moved to Atlanta.

My good friend Floyd Smith from Chicago also made the jump to Atlanta bringing with him his female artist Loletta Holloway, male artist John Edwards. I wrote John's first hit "Exercise My Love". After GRC Records went out of business I started the production company along with Tommy Stewart that produced Tommy Stewart, Cream De CoCo, Final Approach, Mose Davis, Tamiko Jones, etc.

Although I brought Motown's Funk Brothers into Atlanta from Detroit using them on many recordings, but all the recordings done on Tommy, Cream De CoCo, Tamiko Jones, Mose Davis, Sid Austin, Third World Band, SOS Band, ect were home grown Atlanta musicians

All these sessions were engineed by Milan Bodgan and mixed by Milan and myself at the Sound Pit recording studios.

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Submitted by DiscoMusic.com (3698)