« Back to Top Level | Little Johnny Taylor

Little Johnny Taylor - Everybody Knows About My Good Thing (1970)

Track listing:
  1. Baby, Get Hip To Yourself 2:43
  2. How Are You Fixed For Love 2:48
  3. How Can I Broke A Man Survive 2:41
  4. Keep On Keeping On 2:50
  5. Everybody Knows (Part 1) 3:17
  6. Everybody Knows (Part 2) 2:40
  7. There Is Something On Your Mind 2:44
  8. You've Got The Love I Need 3:42
  9. It's My Fault Darling 2:54
  10. Make Love To Me Baby 2:45
  11. Sweet Soul Woman 3:54
  12. When Are You Coming Home [Bonus] 3:02
  13. I Can't See Myself As A One [Bonus] 3:50
  14. Part Time Lover [Bonus] 3:38
  15. I Should Have Known [Bonus] 2:54

Notes


Size: 95.4 MB
Bitrate: 256
mp3
Ripped by: ChrisGoesRock
Artwork Incuded
Source: Japan 24-Bit Remaster

Some folks still get them mixed up, so to get it straight from the outset, Little Johnny Taylor was best known for his scorching slow blues smashes "Part Time Love" (for Bay Area-based Galaxy Records in 1963) and 1971's "Everybody Knows About My Good Thing" for Ronn Records in Shreveport, LA. This Johnny Taylor was definitely not the suave Sam Cooke protégé who blitzed the charts with "Who's Making Love" for Stax in 1968; that's Johnnie Taylor, who added to the confusion by covering "Part Time Love" for Stax. Another similarity between the two Taylors: both hailed from strong gospel backgrounds.

Little Johnny came to Los Angeles in 1950 and did a stint with the Mighty Clouds of Joy before going secular. Influenced by Little Willie John, he debuted as an R&B artist with a pair of 45s for Hunter Hancock's Swingin' logo, but his career didn't soar until he inked a pact with Fantasy's Galaxy subsidiary in 1963 (where he benefited from crisp production by Cliff Goldsmith and Ray Shanklin's arrangements).

The gliding mid-tempo blues "You'll Need Another Favor," firmly in a Bobby Bland mode, was Taylor's first chart item. He followed it up with the tortured R&B chart-topper "Part Time Love," which found him testifying in gospel-fired style over Arthur Wright's biting guitar and a grinding, horn-leavened downbeat groove. The singer also did fairly well with "Since I Found a New Love" in 1964 and "Zig Zag Lightning" in 1966.

Taylor's tenure at Stan Lewis' Ronn imprint elicited the slow blues smash "Everybody Knows About My Good Thing" in 1971, and a similarly witty hit follow-up, "Open House at My House," the next year (both were covered later by Z.Z. Hill for Malaco). While at Ronn, Little Johnny cut some duets with yet another Taylor, this one named Ted (no, they weren't related either). Though he recorded only sparingly during the 1980s and 1990s, he remained an active performer until his death in 2002.

01. Everybody Knows About My Good Thing, Pt. 1
02. How Are You Fixed for Love
03. How Can a Broke Man Survive
04. It's My Fault Darling
05. Sweet Soul Woman
06. You've Got the Love I Need
07. Everybody Knows About My Good Thing, Pt. 2
08. Make Love to Me Baby
09. There's Something on My Mind
10. Keep on Keeping On
11. Baby Get Hip to Yourself
12. I Can't See Myself as a One Woman Man
+ 4 Bonus Tracks