I think I’ve covered most of Terry Callier’s debut album on my blog by now, but its such a cracking record, I truly can’t help myself.
Jazz, soul and folk guitarist/singer-songwriter, Terry Callier released his debut album in 1968 and continued recording until 1978 when he disappeared off the radar. Amazingly, the reason for this was that (at this time) his music just wasn’t making him the living he so rightly deserved! For the best part of 20 years he disappeared!
He re-emerged from obscurity in the late 1980’s when a British DJ’s with a love for Acid Jazz discovered his old recordings and began to play his songs in clubs. In the mid 90’s was signed to UK label, Talkin’ Loud Records, sharing the roster with the likes of Roni Size, Shawn Lee, MC Solaar, Urban Species (who sampled Callier’s incredible You Goin’ Miss Your Candy Man in their 1994 track, Listen) and many more.
Callier’s musical career started as a teenager when he auditioned for Chess Records in 1962, but he didn’t release his first album for at another six years. Recorded by Samuel Charters, who persuaded Callier to come to Prestige in 1964, the record was originally due for release in 1965, but was delayed for a further three years after Charters ran off to Mexico with the tapes shortly after the sessions were laid down. The crazy thing about this story is, that Callier didn’t even know that the album was released until his brother saw it for sale in a book shop!!! Craft Recordings later released a 50th anniversary edition on November 2, 2018.
Written by Chicago Poet, Kent Foreman, Spin Spin Spin featured on Callier’s debut album, The New Folk Sound of Terry Callier. This warm, inviting and jazz-tinged delight is simply stunning and Callier’s vocals are sublime and velvety….If you haven’t heard the whole album and like this tune, I can pretty much guarantee you’ll like the whole record! Interestingly, there was another take on this track released very close to Callier’s (also in 1968) and this is also a rather captivating listen – a rendition I can also wholly endorse! H.P Lovecraft’s version is quite a treat too!! Enjoy!
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