After recording the first three songs together as a group, the newly formed Soul Children performed seven other Isaac Hayes and David Porter penned tunes and put out an album. I feel it was the combination of these four singers and the Hayes /Porter tunes that made the magic. Once Hayes left the stable to concentrate on his own legendary solo career, I feel the group never recovered. This first CD is a classic and IMHO nothing else the group did came close.
[audio http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/1128624_fmabr/03.WhenTomorrowComes.mp3] When Tomorrow Comes – Soul Children (1968)
[audio http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/1128625_gkrtx/10.MyBabySpecializes.mp3] My Baby Specializes – Soul Children (1968)
These are a few more of those wonderful Hayes/Porter tunes penned to complete the “Soul Children” debut album. It was so very hard not to share the entire LP because there is not a single bad song included — guaranteed! (Please go out and make this purchase.) But I have included in this post one ballad and one up-tempo funkster so that you can hear how the “Soul Children” were adept at singing both and Hayes/Porter were Masters at composing both types of songs.
I hope you enjoyed the music.
Thanks for stopping by.
Filed under: Co-ed Vocal Groups, Isaac Hayes & David Porter, My Baby Specializes, R&B/Soul, Sixties, Soul Children, Stax/Volt, The Soul Children, When Tomorrow Comes
[audio http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/1128626_tbi6v/04.TheSweeterHeIs_Parts1_2_.mp3]
Soul Children – The Sweeter He Is Parts 1 & 2 (1968)
A 17 year old Anita Louis sings the first verse as if she was a veteran of love, romance and hurt. Then Shelbra Bennett takes the second verse on this fourth Soul Children release that *finally* charted decently at #7 R&B, but just missed the Pop Top 50. This six minute classic was played over and over again in the high school student lounge when we played bid whist on our “free” period back in the day! 
Originally released in August 1968 as a two part single — that is the way it plays out on my beloved “Soul Children” cassette tape. But here you can hear both parts together continuously in all their glory. A classic love song if their ever was one. Even if you have never heard anything else by the Soul Children I am sure that you are bound to have heard this cut. And if you haven’t then I suppose you just don’t get out much, do you? (GRIN)
Hope you enjoy the music and I will see you soon.
Source: “Soul Children/Best of Two Worlds-Two albums on one CD” – Liner notes by Rob Bowman, 1995
Filed under: Co-ed Vocal Groups, Isaac Hayes & David Porter, R&B/Soul, Sixties, Soul Children, Stax/Volt, The Soul Children, The Sweeter He Is (Parts 1 & 2)
I just couldn’t pick one song to start off with for this vocal group so I just decided to go with three! And there will be more. I just hope the music police don’t get me. But I know that you will love the soulful sounds of this group so much that you will rush out and buy the cd — and when you do please tell ‘em I sent you. 
This is another purchase I made back when music cassette tapes first came out along with my The Young Holt Unlimited’s “Soulful Strut” LP. I still have this tape today and I still play it on a regular basis in my care on my commute to work. Obviously they don’t make stuff now like they used to. Both the tape and the music have held up almost forty years.
As you may know, this group was the brainchild of Stax songwriters Isaac Hayes and Dave Porter. Hayes and Porter wrote all of those great hits for Sam & Dave. But when the Stax label lost Sam and Dave they needed a new outlet for their songwriting skills. One of the artists they had been working with was John Colbert, who went by the stage name of J. Blackfoot. Since his recordings weren’t exactly what Hayes and Porter wanted, they decided to use their successful Sam & Dave duet format and made Blackfoot part of a group with two male and two female vocalists.
The group made of J.Blackfoot Norman West, Anita Louis and Shelbra Bennett went in the studio and the three songs below were their first recordings and first singles released. What dynamite music these four made for just meeting and recording together. Listen and tell me what you think. Instant genius or what?
[audio http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/1129333_wyoh0/06.Give_emLove.mp3] Soul Children – Give ‘Em Love 1968 Peaked at #40 R&B.
[audio http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/1128627_elzd5/01.I_llUnderstand.mp3] Soul Children – I’ll Understand 1968 Broke the top 30 R&B
These first two had been tried as solo efforts on Blackfoot, but the group is what made these cuts! The ballad “I’ll Understand” was a favorite at all of the high school parties I attended in that era. And it is one of my personal favorite ballads of all time.
[audio http://www.hotlinkfiles.com/files/1128623_tqnx0/07.Doin_OurThang.mp3] Soul Children – Tighten Up Our Thang 1968 Peaked at #49 R&B.
Modeled after Sam & Dave’s “Hold on I’m Coming”, I just can’t understand why this and the two earlier releases charted so low. “Tighten Up Our Thang” has got to be one of the funkiest songs ever!
Stay tuned for part 2 of 3 on the making of this classic debut LP by The Soul Children.
Sincerely,
Source: “Soul Children/Best of Two Worlds-Two albums on one CD” – Liner notes by Rob Bowman, 1995
Filed under: Co-ed Vocal Groups, Give 'Em Love, I'll Understand, Isaac Hayes & David Porter, R&B/Soul, Sixties, Soul Children, Stax/Volt, The Soul Children, Tighten Up Our Thang
