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A new discovery earlier this year, Ray Agee is something of a lost (but not forgotten) hero. Struck by polio at a young age, his condition left him handicapped, but this didn’t hold him back and his extensive musical career is testament to that!
Despite recording over a hundred tracks between the early 1950’s and mid 1970’s, however, Ray Agee never really gained mass recognition outside his local area. As a writer his songs have been performed by the likes of Bobby Bland, Johnny “Guitar” Watson and the Cowboy Junkies and yet, despite all of this, he remains relatively undiscovered! For anyone lucky enough to stumble upon Agee’s impressive back-catalogue, a fine treat is in store, there’s not doubt about that!
Agee’s vocals are souful and sleek with a subtle trace of gravel just about detectable in places and its easy to see why his songs were perfect for Bobby Bland. Mr Clean was released as a 45 in 1968 on the Highland Record label. A swanky, smooth, bluesy affair, this track traces a reformed character who has changed his “dirty ways“; aptly naming his new persona “Mr Clean“……and what do you do when “somebody treats you dirty”….you just call Mr Clean of course!..Check it out above and if you like a bit of this, go listen to another Ray Agee track from 1956 on my page here.
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