Now I doubt you’ve ever pondered this but can you imagine what Johnny Cash would’ve sounded like had he dabbled in a little bit of soul? Well, perhaps today’s song will give you some idea, it’s funky and soulful, yet vocally it has a country twist and makes for a really interesting listen.
Wanderin’ Soul was originally released in 1975 and performed by an artist called Gary Atkinson, but was written by an eccentric songwriter called Marlin Wallace. As well as writing songs, Wallace also established the Independent US record label, Corrillions in 1972 which at different times doubled up as his singing group, recording label and home recording studio. Consisting mostly of (also guitarist) Marlin Wallace, the Corillions’ records are an odd mix of rockabilly, rural gospel, country and garage-rock.
Wanderin’ Soul is the closest Wallace has come to being discovered by a mainstream audience. In 1975 late Arkansas vocalist Gary Atkinson sang Wanderin’ Soul on the Corillion label and in 2006 the track was re-released by U.K. based, Fat City Records in the compilation 45 Kings III. That compilation wandered into the House Music scene where the gospel bass break that leads into the lyric “…Oh Satan, I hear you callin’ became a popular sample. Check out the country-soul sounds of Wanderin’ Soul above.
Whilst trying to find out more about today’s song, I found this interesting article on Marlin Wallace titled, The Musical Journey of Marlin Wallace. It’s well worth a read if you want to discover more, check this out here.
thelisteningpostblog.wordpress.com 
i believe that the late Bobby Lloyd Hicks may be providing that drum beat (and Maurice Rock on bass) When asked, Mr Wallace explained that the gospel funk sound was the result of having the pedal steel player sit that take out (witness the pedal steel on the flip side KB2) Many of the top deejays and producers have purchased the original 45 after Mr Wallace made the available again, DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist, Diplo, Quest Love and Biz Markie to name a few. The comments from Mr Atkinson’s family on a you tube version are revealing, he never shared info about his session fot yje Corillion label, had recorded several of his own songs on singles and albums. I think Wanderin’ Soul is by far his bets, thanks for sharing !
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for sharing and commenting on my page too! I enjoyed reading your words and very much appreciate thoughts, info and messages!
LikeLike