Country Songs recorded as Soul Songs / Soul Songs recorded as Country Songs

[remicks]

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The two crossed paths occasionally ... especially if there was a good story therein to be told ....


These come to mind this evening :


Gladys Knight and the Pips took BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME to #1 on the Soul Chart in 1974:



But Ray Price had already done the same with it on the Country Chart in the fall of 1973:




______________________


Pointer Sisters (#7 Soul - Nov. 1981)

SLOW HAND



not one to shy away from controversy , Conway Twitty took it to #1 Country - 1982):




there are others: .........



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[Cory Ander]

if this subject interests you then you'd probably be interested in a CD from a few years back called "Rhythm, Country and Blues", a set of duets between R & B and country performers. The duets I recall are Al Green and Conway Twitty, the Pointer Sisters and Clint Black, Natalie Cole and Reba McEntire, Aaron Neville and Trisha Yearwood to name just a few.

[Disco Funk]

Here are some tracks that straddle both genres

Bad Bascomb - led by bassist Wilbur 'Bad' Bascomb, who frequently played alongside Bernard Purdie, put out an LP of soul/country crossovers called Black Grass Music. Here's one tune from it



George Clinton also crossed over with this track he recorded with Parliament



This tune became the theme tune to the UK show Grey Whistle Test



These guys I think were rooted in Country but they crossed over in '77 when they put out the music from this session which also yielded Kiss You All Over. This track Never Gonna Stop was also covered by Linda Clifford



Disco Funk

[remicks]

if this subject interests you then you'd probably be interested in a CD from a few years back called "Rhythm, Country and Blues", a set of duets between R & B and country performers. The duets I recall are Al Green and Conway Twitty, the Pointer Sisters and Clint Black, Natalie Cole and Reba McEntire, Aaron Neville and Trisha Yearwood to name just a few.

thanks Cory ..I will definitely keep my eyes open for that


DF .. ..nice input ... but I think you and I are doing two different threads....(eye-rollin' smiley)

HERE's what I'm talking about :

In 1971, Sammi Smith took this song to #1 on the Country Chart and it would then become the top country song of the year :

HELP ME MAKE IT THROUGH THE NIGHT

then Gladys ( sans any Pips) did it her way (and how !!) ....incredibly the song, written by Kris
Kristofferson, goes all the way to #13 on the Soul Chart in 1973



Kris's version:





*****

and it's sad to be alone

[eddie]

JP Pennington from Exile also appears as a credit on a Rockie Robbins album. By the mid 80's, Exile's style was really a blending of soul and country. Artists like the Oak Ridge Boys always added a gospel tinge to their country style so it gave a soulful feel. Speaking of the Oak Ridge Boys, the covered the Staple singers "Touch a hand, make a friend."

Isaac Hayes routinely remade country songs yielding his most famous song "By the time I get to Phoenix" which was originally done by Glen Campbell.

Benny Latimore covered Alabama's "Take me down" (penned by JP Pennington) and Dan Seals "You still move me."

Luther Ingrams' big hit "If loving you is wrong, I don't want to be right" also was a major hit for Barbara Mandrel.

Authur Alexander and Percy Sledge mad careers out of blending country with their take on southernn soul.

Bobby Womack, Joe Tex, and Joe Simon devoted entire albums to their country side. Heck even Natalie Cole through a few country ballads on her early 80's albums.

[discokicks]

I love hearing a soul interpretation of a pop or country tune...there just seems to be a bit more depth and passion. I had always hoped that Patti Labelle would record a full album of covers.

A longtime favourite song of mine is Funny How Time Slips Away written by Willie Nelson. It charted on pop, country and soul charts depending on who the artist was. My sisters bought the Johnny Tillotson version so that's the version I had always known (only made it to #50 in 1963 on the pop chart and it hit the country chart as well) but Joe Hinton's soul version fared better in '64 hitting #13.





And then there's the gorgeous, oh-so-soulful Dorothy Moore version from '76...



Another song that I still enjoy is Millie Jackson's cover of Rose Colored Glasses...originally a major country hit by John Conlee in '78. Millie's version was on her "A Little Bit Country" album from 1981 which was her attempt at mashing soul and country. Some of it was great and some of it missed the mark but Rose Colored Glasses is the big winner.

Unfortunately there's no videoclip of it but you can check out a snippet of it on this Discogs listing...
http://www.discogs.com/Millie-Jackso...elease/1705466

Although it wasn't released as a single, Gladys Knight's cover of the Hank Locklin 1960 hit Please Help Me I'm Falling is pure, soulful brilliance...on her At Last album from 2001. No videoclip of it either but a snippet of it here...
http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/stor...074590,00.html

[Scientist]

Ray Charles must get a mention here. Perhaps a Ray Charles fan can post some examples ?

I bought this cd a few years ago

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...SIN=B00009WNAU