Good start, Amos... keep working on it... it should be a fine song.

Yes, Ron: It is amazing to sing with some of the old rhythm and blues legends. Jimmy, who sang lead with the Ink Soots for so many years was my first choice to replace our tenor. He sang with us once, and it was very exciting! He stepped in and sang with us for the first time when we were performing. He immediately found his harmony and we blended together beautifully. He's also a verey sweet man. Unfortunately, he doesn't have the freedom to join the group because he has heavy demands on his life because of health problems in his family. Family has to come first, and I understand that. Doug also sang with us three or four times... the one who not only sang tenor for so many years with the Flamingos, but was also on the Five Satins recording of In The Still Of The Night, which was recorded in the basement of a house in New Haven. Doug didn't work out because he has a much more contemporary approach to harmony and doesn't really enjoy the straightforward four-part harmony that we love. It was a difference in style and we couldn't make it work. Maybe I should see if Fred Paris would like to join us.

One thing I've seen in my life is how certain cities become a hotbed for particular styles of music. That's always been true from Nashville to Detroit with the Motown sound, Philly, Seattle, Minneapolis in the era of the artist formerly known as Prince, New York, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco for the folk revival.. New Haven has always been a hotbed for groups, and many of the great rhythm and blues groups came from there. I spent most of my adult life in Stamford, Ct. which is only 45 miles at most from New Haven.
I started my gospel quartet there, and we were the only old-styyle gospel quartet in Stamford and the surrounding towns. In New Haven when they put a program together, they invite more than twenty different groups to come and with each group doing tow songs, the programs can last four or five hours. Now that we are no longer in Stamford, there isn't a single old-style gospel quartet singing there, while there are probably thirty or 40 in New Haven and the neighboring communities.

I also wanted to comment about sharing music. But, I think I'll start another post for that. I think I've pretty much used up a screen's worth with this one.

Jerry