The Hundred Year Hunger. Reflecting on a Work in Progress

The paradox is that the tale of Palestine from the beginning until today is a simple story of colonialism and dispossession, yet the world treats it as a multifaceted and complex story—hard to understand and even harder to solve.

Ilan Pappé, On Palestine

E. Mark Windle    17 December 2024

When I started out on the current book project that maps the history of Gaza’s nutritional plight, it was obvious that capturing political context would be critical. Like so many other Middle Eastern regions over the centuries, Palestine has been shaped and reshaped by religious conflict, military invasion and occupation. Since the Bronze Age, the Canaanites, Israelites, Romans, Philistines, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks and the Ottoman Empire have all occupied Palestine directly, or wielded their power from afar.

That said, I see where Pappé is coming from. In my area of investigation, the episodes of food insecurity, malnutrition and famine experienced by Gazans have occurred at various points since the 1900s. But almost always, they have been the consequence of actions by an aggressor.

Why the 100-year timeline? Prior to the 1900s, Arab, Jewish, Bedouin and other communities in the Levant led fragile but self-sufficient existences, largely through subsistence farming. Large-scale enforced food insecurity has been a more recent phenomenon. To explore it, we have to consider latter-day Ottoman rule over Palestine in the early 20th century; the British mandate; Israel’s proclamation of independence; the Egyptian / United Arab Republic and Israeli occupation of Gaza; and the subsequent series of critical incidents that have perpetuated Jewish and Arab tensions. A perfect storm doesn’t quite describe the Palestinian struggle. Rather, a cumulative assault through political upheaval, war, and mass displacement followed by population containment.

The personal motivation to explore nutritional welfare in the Gaza Strip arose from my earlier background as an NHS dietitian. Much of my 25 years in the profession was spent as a specialist on an ICU and Regional Burns Unit in a West Yorkshire hospital. From the relative comfort of that First World clinical setting, I witnessed how an optimised nutritional status can improve recovery from surgery and trauma and survival from critical illness, when adequate medical resources, a skilled multidisciplinary team and advanced nutrition support technologies are at hand. The post-October 2023 Israeli offensive resonated, not only because of the brutal and protracted nature of violence being waged on the people of Gaza, but because they were already off to a poor start nutritionally. Yes, there has been long term input from international food aid agencies and medical organisations, but they are there for a reason. For decades now Gazans have endured a neglected healthcare infrastructure, and unpredictable levels of access to essentials including food and water, whether due to poverty, conflict or blockade.

Information-sifting for historical accuracy has proven to be a major challenge for this project so far. Unbiased attempts have been made to review data from Israeli, Palestinian and NGO sources regarding food supply, nutritional adequacy and malnutrition rates. Inevitably, low thresholds must be set for the suspicion of statistical massage, false information and half-truths when it comes to government and media reports. Even academic and scientific journals appear to play a part in propaganda-mongering. Publication bias—the selection of studies for print which support a particular editorial or institutional viewpoint, over those which don’t—is evident on both sides, and at various points in the timeline. None of this is unusual during political tensions. It is what it is, and only reinforces the need for diligence during the search for objectivity.

But on polarised viewpoints, consider the fact that Amnesty International, the International Criminal Court, the US Center for Constitutional Rights, South Africa and others view Israel’s actions over the last year as genocide. Meanwhile Israel continues with its mantra of a right to self-defence, and countries that supply its arms concur (to do anything else would admit complicity). The fact remains that over 45,000 people in Gaza have died in the latest conflict, with women and children contributing to over 70% of that figure. And while the decision over a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is still being dragged out, much of the surviving population in Gaza remains unable to access basic essentials, including food and water. Starvation and malnutrition may well now be the end game.

The book “The Hundred Year Hunger” by E. Mark Windle is scheduled for publication in June 2025.

(Copyright 2024) E. Mark Windle is a freelance writer, with a former career as a clinical dietitian specialising in burn injury and critical care nutrition. He has also worked as a senior writer for Story Terrace (London, UK), and as a ghostwriter for Sheridan Hill / Real Life Stories LLC (North Carolina, USA). Full portfolio of work is available at https://windlefreelance.com/portfolio

Troubling the Water: The Power of Song, from the Underground Railroad to Rhythm and Blues

Wade in the water
Wade in the water children
Wade in the water
God said He’s gonna trouble the water

We are the sons and the daughters
We gotta stand up and make it loud
Just like our God told the Pharaoh
Let my people go

We are a new generation
From the ones who have gone before
He’s calling us out of bondage
Let my pеople go

“Every tone was a testimony against slavery, and a prayer to God for deliverance from chains. Those songs still follow me, to deepen my hatred of slavery and quicken my sympathies for my brethren in bonds.” Frederick Douglass (1845).

E. Mark Windle 22 March 2024.

For over forty years now I’ve been immersed in a community that celebrates and explores Black music; placing emphasis on a history that remains largely unfamiliar to mainstream society. If there’s any common ground, it’s the assumption that the advent of jazz, R&B and soul represented a release from the constraints of the Church. Irony then, that Ramsey Lewis’ 1966 take on the spiritual Wade in the Water was among the first of countless vinyl record acquisitions as I set out on my journey of musical enlightenment. Wasn’t this stuff supposed to be all about the Devil’s music?

Don’t be fooled by the popular misconception that Black America has always had a strong connection with the Church. Much to the frustration of white antebellum society, the reality was that Christianity was a slow burner. It took at least a hundred years and multiple institutional influences before any significant religious transition was evident. Scholars suggest that even then, the attraction lay in the Old and New Testament tales of struggle, hope and freedom – themes that paralleled the African American plight.

There should also be no surprise that when this ‘new’ religion was ultimately embraced, bible teachings and prayer were heavily complemented by music and song. Of course, these elements had always been an integral part of ritual celebration and worship of spirits and gods back in the homeland. And pre-emancipation, countless original Christian spirituals were composed by enslaved communities, or existing hymns modified to speak to a different audience. Wade in the Water, one of the most recognisable of spirituals, was first recorded by the Sunset Four Jubilee Singers. At least a dozen other versions followed in what could be described as the golden age of Black gospel between 1925 and 1960. To date, well over 300 published versions of the song sit on the of register of BMI.

But let’s backtrack. Nashville’s Fisk Jubilee Singers were the first to rescue slave songs from obscurity. In the late 1800s, and with direct access to oral history from free and formerly enslaved individuals, the student choir built a repertoire of around 40 spirituals and work songs, including Wade in the Water. The purpose was to perform these across the US and overseas as a means of raising money for their financially struggling school. The upshot? Nashville got its Music City moniker from Queen Victoria (so the story goes), and its first historically Black university. Brothers John and Frederick Work brought things further into public consciousness in the early 20th century, when the lyrics appeared in New Songs as Sung by the Fisk Jubilee Singers of Fisk University. If it wasn’t for the efforts of Fisk University, these spirituals may well not have been preserved in their original form, if at all.

Other than providing a means of religious expression, spirituals were associated with escape from slavery. Opportunities for escape from plantations and farms which followed Native American raids or spontaneous internal uprisings were invariably ill-fated. The Underground Railroad provided a much more organised option for flight, by employing coordinated systems of passage. The Appalachian Mountains offered indirect access to the northern free states and Canada. Mexico was a more logical destination for the enslaved on Texan or Louisiana soil. In any direction, journeys remained extremely perilous – especially for women and children, the weak and the elderly – but by the time of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, some 100,000 slaves sought passage through the Underground Railroad.

Part of its success was the use of code. ‘Passengers’ (escapees) rode the Underground Railroad under the instruction of guides, known as conductors. ‘Stations’ were safe places for rest between each run, taking the form of cellars, churches and rendezvous points in marshland or woods. For communication, the use of code within song was also key; folk songs and spirituals could regularly be heard by slave owners on the plantations and fields, so would give no cause to raise suspicion. Some biblical lyrics doubled as warnings to potential passengers. Others were instructions from guides or co-conspirators to prepare for flight: being “bound for the land of Canaan” referenced a flee attempt to Canada. In Sweet Chariot, “Swing low to carry me home” indicated the imminent use of escape routes to the south. Steal Away meant, well, just that. As far as Wade in the Water is concerned, the literal biblical narrative is the story of the Israelites crossing the River Jordan to enter the Promised Land. For Mama Moses, one of the Underground Railroad’s most notable conductors, it was also code for escapees to enter the streams and rivers, thereby minimising scent and diverting the slave hunter’s bloodhounds from the trail.

With the origins of Wade in the Water in slavery, and the uprising of the civil rights movement of the early 1960s, it was a given that there would be a cross-over to a secular setting. Call-and-response has a way of unifying people, whether for religious or political purposes. The Chambers Brothers frequently included Wade in the Water in their performances at music festivals and freedom marches. Prior to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, gospel groups including Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers, and The Pilgrim Travellers featuring Lou Rawls fuelled the cause with their versions. The Staple Singers secured its status as a song of solidarity with their take towards the end of the decade, as racial tensions were coming to a head in the urban areas of the North. Outside of the political arena, the musical transition of Wade in the Water to popular music featured folk, jazz, and R&B interpretations. Instrumental versions were popular, doubtless a hang-over from gospel church renditions, and the song was easily adapted for the organ. Ramsey Lewis’ infectious piano and horn-driven jazz / R&B version for the Chess label subsidiary, Cadet, took it to new heights. Political timeliness, shrewd marketing techniques and not least dancefloor appeal ensured it reached peak positions in the US R&B and pop charts and across Europe.

Marlena Shaw’s 1966 vocal version for the same record label was also popular at the time. Lyrical content was swapped from the spiritual narrative to one of an intense, seductive and stormy relationship. As Fiona McQuarrie noted in Shindig magazine, this wasn’t well received in some parts: “(The Ramsey Lewis version) inspired vocalist Marlena Shaw to adapt the song’s lyrics for her ‘66 single… an updating which, she said, was put down by the church people in the South who felt that some of the lyrics were a little risqué “. Two years later, Big Mama Thornton presented another alternative lyrical take – and a dramatic switch in tempo – on her rousing recording for Arhoolie, the Californian blues and R&B specialist label.

Thanks then to the unknown composer and the conductors of the Underground Railroad; to the Fisk Singers and the Work brothers of Nashville; and to the activists who adopted Wade in the Water as a civil rights anthem. Let’s not forget the record-buying public either. Perhaps the ultimate recognition of the song’s lasting significance is inclusion in Celebrating Fisk! The 150th Anniversary Album. The Fisk Jubilee Singers picked up the 2021 Best Roots Gospel Album Grammy Award for that one. Messages of hope and freedom from oppression clearly still resonate. Two centuries on, the enduring legacy of Wade in the Water is assured.

(Copyright 2024) E. Mark Windle is an independent freelance writer and biographer. He has also worked on multiple book projects as a senior writer for Story Terrace (London, UK), and as a ghostwriter with Sheridan Hill / Real Life Stories LLC (North Carolina, USA).

Follow Mark at https://www.facebook.com/windlefreelance

Malnutrition and Mortality in Gaza, One Year Later. Who’s Counting the Dead?

E. Mark Windle 1 November 2024.

It’s a tragic sign of the times when little introductory narrative is needed to set the near-apocalyptic scene that exists in Gaza today. The world watches from a distance as Israel’s onslaught continues and the civilian death toll escalates to unimaginable levels. Now, the nightmare that Palestinian survivors are currently enduring is about to take on another dimension.

The prediction made one year ago of a man-made famine is about to be realised, though in truth, Gazans have suffered food insecurity for decades. Despite a heavy dependency on international agencies for humanitarian assistance, access to food and safe water supplies has repeatedly been denied due to blockades imposed by Israel. As is the trend in such crises, women and children are particularly affected by malnutrition. Anaemia and other manifestations of nutrient deficiency have led to adverse effects on maternal and foetal health. Miscarriage and birth defect rates are high. Suboptimal nutritional status also impairs immune function and the ability of mother and child to recover from disease.

This dire baseline has only amplified the number of civilian losses caused by violence. The proportion of deaths in Gaza attributed to trauma-related injury versus that from malnutrition is hard to define; in many cases, it’s part of the same story. Malnutrition significantly affects the ability to recover from internal injuries, limb loss, and surgery, thereby increasing the risk of infection, sepsis and death.

Obtaining accurate quantitative information on injury, disease and deaths is essential. It draws global attention, and allows humanitarian organisations to focus their resources. The tricky bit of course is that over- or under-inflation of rates can occur for political gain. Regardless, even Israeli officials admit that the Palestinian Ministry of Health are the only governmental body actively collating decent morbidity and mortality data. There are pro-Israel lobbyists who are still quick to dismiss those figures, citing that a third of the 38,000 deaths declared earlier this summer were unverifiable. However, the reality of real-time assessment in this war zone is that many of the dead are still buried under rubble. Formal ID is impossible: collected statistics unavoidably include household losses reported by family members. Any remaining deniers of data coming out of Gaza should consider satellite image analysis performed by the City University of New York and Oregon State University. Almost 100,000 buildings had been destroyed in the first two months of the current crisis, most of which were in densely populated residential areas. The World Health Organisation and United Nations have also found mortality rates quoted by the Palestinian Ministry of Health to be reliable during earlier critical periods in Gaza’s history.

Malnutrition prevalence from (neutral) aid agency field and clinic data also paints a progressively disturbing picture. In March, nutrition monitoring by UNICEF and others highlighted that around 1 in 20 children attending health centres and in shelters were at a life-threatening stage of severe wasting. In addition, over 30 percent of children under 2 years of age were classified as acutely malnourished; double that of three months earlier. By June, major nutritional concerns were no longer primarily restricted to the north. Almost 3,000 children in southern Gaza were in need of intervention to manage the effects of moderate to severe malnutrition, yet were prevented from attending clinics due to ongoing conflict. Spring and late summer saw some alleviation of food insecurity, as more convoys were able to cross the border and distribute supplies. Then September marked the month with the lowest cross-border transfer and distribution of food and bottled water.

The UN continues to monitor the situation closely. Is Gaza now ‘officially’ in famine? To meet the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) definition, at least 20 percent of the population should have significant lack of access to food; acute malnutrition prevalence should be at least 30 percent; and mortality should be at or above 2 deaths per 10,000 people daily. At the time of writing, forty-three thousand are dead. The vast majority of the surviving population are now displaced, and one in five are facing “catastrophic levels of denied access to nutrition” (another IPC classification). Three-quarters of all crop fields have been destroyed. Access to food and safe water supplies, medical care and the availability of proper sanitation continues to be impossible in most situations. As the UN have stressed, Gaza sits on the very brink of famine. Without an immediate ceasefire, this will be a forgone conclusion.

(Copyright 2024) E. Mark Windle is a freelance writer, with a former 25-year career as a clinical dietitian specialising in burn injury and critical care nutrition. He has also worked as a senior writer for Story Terrace (London, UK), and as a ghostwriter for Sheridan Hill / Real Life Stories LLC (North Carolina, USA).

Follow Mark at https://www.facebook.com/windlefreelance

October Book Release: In Other Words. Commentaries on Writing Craft, Life and Music

E. Mark Windle 4 October 2024.

In Other Words. Commentaries on Writing Craft, Life and Music is a collection of short articles, opinion pieces, and industry press releases originally published in print and online between 2021 and 2024.

The aim of this project is to present a sample of works on a variety of themes that fall outside of my usual book writing activities, but which should appeal to readers with similar interests as mine. Some pieces were published while the world was in the midst of dealing with a global pandemic and war. Covid, or rather the political mishandling of it, is addressed here. As is the ongoing crisis in Gaza. A year ago, at the beginning of the latest escalation in conflict, I highlighted concern over the development of a man-made famine in Gaza. Tragically, that has now been realised.

Lighter themes are also represented. ‘Writing about writing’ is a natural peripheral activity for authors. My motivation to do so comes from the frustration shared with other freelance ghostwriters: non-disclosure agreements and living in the shadows are major barriers to providing prospective clients with full resumes. Having the opportunity to reflect on the profession and provide a little guidance from personal experience provides some relief in that regard. Ghostwriting is only one element of the day job though. Self-publishing, non-fiction commissions and indie book selling present their own unique challenges, and none of these themes escape comment.

Inevitably, music also features, given that soul music has pretty much been a life-long passion of mine. Interest in exploring the history that surrounds it started, oddly enough, with a former 25-year career in health care. After producing a number of clinical papers and a commission from the British Dietetic Association to write part of their core reference book, I was hooked on scientific inquiry. By extension, that notion of objective curiosity and systematic research skills obtained along the way proved invaluable when applied to uncovering and documenting US music history. Relevant projects presented in this latest book include articles written for the soul music community, as well as biographies, press releases and liner notes for the record industry.

In Other Words. Commentaries on Writing Craft, Life and Music is available to order via A Nickel And a Nail, at https://a-nickel-and-a-nail.myshopify.com/collections/books/products/in-other-words-commentaries-on-writing-craft-life-and-music-e-mark-windle

(Copyright 2024) E. Mark Windle is a freelance writer and biographer. He has also worked as a senior writer for Story Terrace (London, UK), and as a ghostwriter for Sheridan Hill / Real Life Stories LLC (North Carolina, USA).

Follow Mark at https://www.facebook.com/windlefreelance

Maurice Williams, R&B Vocal Group Frontman, Passes

E. Mark Windle 6 August 2024.

The passing of Maurice Williams, frontman for the R&B vocal group Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs, has just been confirmed by North Carolina sources.

Williams was originally from Lancaster, SC. His group involvement was a long one, commencing with the Royal Charms in the early fifties, then the Junior Harmonizers and the Gladiolas. The Gladiolas hit pay dirt in 1957 with “Little Darlin’ ” for Excello. An important milestone for Maurice Williams and The Zodiacs was “Stay”, released in 1960 on Al Silver’s New York Herald Records. “Stay” went straight to #1, was a huge early beach music hit and is now an established doo-wop classic, and has since been covered by The Four Seasons, Jackson Browne and others. Decades later the original was given a further lease of life via the Dirty Dancing movie soundtrack. Another couple of Herald releases followed in the early sixties with variable degrees of success, until “May I” became their second local radio and beach hit. The Zodiacs also released two LPs in the sixties, namely “Stay” on Herald in 1960/61, and a live LP recorded at Myrtle Beach in 1965.

Marshall Sehorn was a student at North Carolina State University before working for Bobby Robinson as the southern promotion man for Fire and Fury labels from the late 1950s onwards.  When these labels folded Sehorn and partner Allen Toussaint founded the Sansu, Deesu and Tou-Sea labels and the Sea-Saint Recording Studios in New Orleans, between 1963 and 1966. Sehorn and Toussaint released Williams on their Deesu label, producing a few fine northern soul winners in the mid sixties with the group and as a solo artist; “Being Without You” (Deesu 302), “Don’t Ever Leave Me” (Deesu 309) and “How to Pick a Winner” (Deesu 311). Another soul track on yet another related label from around this time was “Return” (Sea-horn 503), a sparse recording sounding much earlier than its release date (circa 1964). Gladys Knight and the Pips reportedly appeared on backing. The flip, “My Baby’s Gone”, is a dramatic beat ballad and an admirable demonstration of Williams’ vocal quality. A later release, given the big city soul production treatment, was “Nobody Knows” on Scepter (SCE 12113), yet another Sehorn production. A second track destined for a Scepter release, but one which never actually materialised, was the mid tempo “Look My Way”. Nat Speir, co-founder of The Rivieras, remembers playing baritone sax on this one, recorded at Arthur Smith’s Studios in Charlotte in 1966 or 1967. “Look my way” eventually surfaced in the UK more than 20 years later via the various artists compilation LP “Soul Cities” (Kent 089) and on the Kent CD “Living the Nightlife” (CDKEND 104).

Nat Speir described his musical involvement with Maurice Williams:

“Maurice and his group covered the typical territory of North and South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Virginia, West Virginia, Florida and parts of Kentucky. I played baritone sax and guitar with the Zodiacs in the early to mid sixties, and did some sessions with Maurice in Charlotte and New York. He and I got together a number of times to write some songs, though I don’t think anything came of that. My friend (Bob Meyer) and I worked on the side with the Zodiacs. We went with Maurice to New York to record possible follow-ups for “Stay”. Bob sang three songs written by Maurice, and I played sax. Recording in New York at Beltone Studios, in the same room in which Ray Charles, The Drifters and many others recorded, was a once-in-a-lifetime thrill for a 17-year-old white boy. We rehearsed above Small’s Paradise in Harlem, and rubbed elbows with the likes of Gladys Knight and King Curtis. Horace Ott was to be the arranger, and Jimi Hendrix was the rhythm guitarist, added to beef-up the bass. He was an unknown at that time. One never knows about these things, but nothing came of all this work.”

Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs continued to perform on the beach music oldies circuit throughout the seventies and eighties, while living in Charlotte, NC. On the back of the popularity of Dirty Dancing (which provided another eight million in sales of “Stay”) he remained active touring the south east states, and had a number of appearances on Pittsburg PBS TV specials.

(Copyright 2024) E. Mark Windle is an independent freelance writer and biographer. He has also worked on multiple book projects as a senior writer for Story Terrace (London, UK), and as a ghostwriter with Sheridan Hill / Real Life Stories LLC (North Carolina, USA).

Hidden Histories of the Mississippi Delta: Po’ Monkey’s Juke Joint

E. Mark Windle 25 February 2024.

“We had to ask the owner of Abe’s BBQ in Clarksdale how to get there. His hand-written directions on the back of a napkin was our GPS for this shack at the edge of a cornfield. Don’t expect signs to point you there. Heck, don’t even expect signs with road names. It opens around eight and gets going at about nine or ten. There was a $5 cover charge. Give the lady at the door a $20 and tell her to keep it. It will be worth double that. The place is a tiny two room shack that has a ceiling so low in the middle that you have to bend down to get from one side to the other. If it is hot outside, it will be hot inside Po’ Monkey’s. The tables are covered in sticky shelf liner that is peeling. The chairs range from school cafeteria rejects to bench seats from an old pickup truck. A whole army of stuffed and dusty monkeys intertwined with Christmas lights cover the ceiling. This isn’t meant to be retro cool decor. This is years of careful collecting by Po’ Monkey himself. Mr. Seaberry made us feel more welcome than we have ever felt any place in my life. It felt like he was sincerely glad we came. We stayed for hours and loved every minute of it.”

TB, North Carolina. Trip Advisor (Summer, 2016).

When he shuffled off this mortal coil in 2016, the blues world mourned. Po’ Monkey wasn’t a musician, or a singer, though he loved the blues. And he didn’t go out of his way to make himself—or his shack—an international name, let alone a local one. It kind of just happened that way. Po’ Monkey, alias Willie Seaberry, was a simple country guy who loved the concept of family in its broadest sense and making sure y’all had a good time. It didn’t matter if you were Black, or white, or any colour for that matter. Po’ Monkey had seen and entertained them all, and he was just glad you came by. But now with Bolivar County’s iconic figure gone, it was the end of an era in this part of the delta, and another nail in the coffin for the juke joint as an authentic institution.

A DYING BREED

OK, so they do still exist, at least in a fashion. Urban juke joints were a thing for a while, appearing in places like St. Louis, Kansas City and Chicago after the Black Migration headed north up the Mississippi and its tributaries. But eventually those establishments disappeared. Same thing happened on the east coast. Today there are still reminders in the big cities of the importance of juke joints as social hubs. Consider the House of Blues, modelled loosely on the Hard Rock Café concept. These are highly commercialised chains of course. Homage is paid to Deep South history but with all the modern comforts, slick merchandising and air conditioning expected by its patrons. No three-dollar beers to be found here.

Meanwhile back on the Mississippi Delta, there are still a few juke joints left, dotted around for music enthusiasts and Blues Trail road trippers to discover, but be quick as they won’t be here forever. Each joint has, or did have, their own unique charm; the Blue Front Café in Bentonia is one survivor that has been operating since the 1940s, and remains a favourite with road trippers who like their experiences a bit off the beaten track.

Po’ Monkey’s had a particular local and historical significance though. Even when word got out and it was in danger of becoming overrun by tourists, the little country shack lost none of its rustic simplicity, or its soul. That was the core of its appeal.

ORIGINS

The origins of the juke joint go back as you’d care to explore. These informal establishments of social necessity provided a welcome respite to the searing heat, sweat and humidity of the day. They were essentially an extension of the one-room jookhouse dwellings, where field workers and sharecroppers could wind down after a hard day in the rice and cotton fields. Going back further to the days of slavery and early emancipation, plantation community rooms and barrelhouses of farms performed a similar function. The provision of these facilities were less an expression of the slavemasters’ or employers’ concern for the social welfare of their workers, than a way to make sure that everybody was accounted for and present on site. When the 20th century arrived, the juke joint served as a Jim Crow-free shelter for drinking, gambling and dancing. It was also here in the Delta where the blues was born of course, with the likes of Robert Johnson, Son House and other great early musicians and singers cutting their teeth in these dens of iniquity.

PO’ MONKEY’S JUKE JOINT

Po’ Monkey’s place sat in an isolated position on the edge of a flat cornfield, at least a mile from the nearest town of Merigold, population 379. Originally this was Choctaw land before it was appropriated by white farmers. Bolivar County records indicate that just under 1000 people lived here in 1840, featuring a high ratio of Blacks to whites—and only one freed Black man.

Twenty years later, around 90% of the population had been assigned to one of the 47 slave owners in the county. Post emancipation, sharecroppers settled in the area, working the same fields they or their ancestors had done during captivity.

Po’ Monkey’s shack was originally a one-room sharecropper’s dwelling, possibly built in the 1920s, before some minimal extensions were added. The wooden panelled construction was propped on stilts, and consisted of a short stoop, tin roof, and corrugated sheet skirting to keep vermin out. Signs on the outside walls had a double purpose: to congratulate visitors on their success of actually being able to find the place, and to provide a few clear ground rules from management:

Welcome to the Poor Monkey Lounge…

No beer brought inside

No rap music

No drugs… by order of Poor Monkey

As to be expected, the inside was open-plan and cramped. Still, divisions and alcoves managed to house a pool table, some chequered cloth-covered tables, and a juke box (later replaced by a DJ stereo system). Walls were adorned with yet more posters, old photographs and other ephemera. Stuffed monkey toys and Christmas lights were suspended from the ceiling. The fans hung so low that you were in danger of being decapitated. The dim lighting and randomness only added to the atmosphere, providing endless sources of curiosity for first timers.

WILLIE SEABERRY

Mr Po’ Monkey was as much a part of the juke joint’s experience as the place itself. Willie Seaberry had been a farmer for the Hiter family for more than fifty years, and the shack had been handed to him in 1961 by them to occupy on a lifetime lease basis. Within a couple of years he had the notion of opening it up as a juke joint after he came back from a day of working in the fields, something which continued until his final days. Other than for facilitating private events, Po’ Monkey’s only opened once a week to the public. After all it was his home.

But Thursday night was Blues Night, and that’s when the place really came alive. Without fail the shack was rammed, with partying continuing well into the small hours. By the early 1980s, blues music may have been in danger of becoming a forgotten genre by the American mainstream – but not in these parts, as locals will attest. Po’ Monkey had a passion for the Delta blues, and made sure it was always in the ether, whether playing on the juke box, provided by a live band, or by a DJ.

The 1990s had brought about a renaissance in the blues, partly stoked by a long-running underground interest in Europe and Japan, and with book authors, newspaper columnists and CNN documenting the tough but nostalgic times of the African American South. Before long, nearby Delta State University students, blues fans, and international tourists were making the pilgrimage to the tiny shack beyond the bayou to check it out for some old-time music, booze and fun.

COME AS A STRANGER, LEAVE AS A FRIEND

Willie Seaberry was a genuine bearer of that adage. The dutiful host could always be found going around each table, checking in on his guests to make sure they had a warm welcome and a beer in their hands, dancing with ALL the ladies, and disappearing periodically to reappear each time with a different suit on. Nobody really knew what the quick-change thing was all about, but it would always be an integral part the evening’s activities.

Po’ Monkey wasn’t really in it for the money. At least it wasn’t what drove him to open up every week. He made a little on the $5 cover, but hardly anything on the alcohol he’d bought in bulk from the grocery store in Merigold. His guests were like family, and this was his social time as much as anyone else’s.

After everyone had had their fun and stumbled out into the pitch black Mississippi night to try and find their way home, he’d retire alone. The bedroom, not much bigger than the bedstead itself, was located in another corner of the shack; the walls lined with suits and hats on hangers, and junk scattered on the floor. There was only space for one piece of furniture – a dilapidated paint-flaked green dressing table, probably as old as Po’ Monkey himself.

TIME WAITS FOR NO-ONE

Over time, the expectations of the modern cultural tourist were changing. Folks were now after everything on a plate. The fun, blues, beer, and tamales sold from a cart out front were always appreciated, but a few complaints were also broadcasted online, usually over the lack of plumbing and hygiene (…the rest room is grim. Bring your own hand sanitizer… The toilet paper has to go in the waste bin…), overcrowding (though didn’t that used to be called atmosphere?), and the fact that the shack generally felt like a death trap. Thankfully Willie didn’t care much for social media. Besides, this was his home.

Old Willie Seaberry was found dead in his bedroom on Thursday July 14, 2016. Nobody, not even the coroner, knew the exact story, though it sounds like he just died of a heart attack. Willie had been spotted going about his usual business earlier in the week. His body was only discovered when someone checked in on him to see if he was opening up as usual for Blues night.

With Po’ Monkey no more, the vibrant social hub for locals and visitors to Bolivar County disappeared overnight. Every few months or so a journalist might come by Merigold enquire about the shack, trying to gauge what the Hiters’ long term intentions might be. There was hope held by many for some kind of preservation to honour Willie Seaberry. The farm owner initially seemed interested in maintaining Po’ Monkey’s as an iconic piece of Americana. But year on year, for whatever reason, nothing was happening, and the shack was left to rot. It’s still standing, though only just. Occasionally, passing tourists turn off Highway 61 and take the dirt road to have one last look at Po’ Monkey’s, reminisce about the old days and maybe take a couple of photos to post on Facebook. But the field’s quiet now. The posters, stuffed monkeys, Christmas lights and the old sound system were auctioned off a long time ago. The outside signs have all gone too. Only the old Blues Trail marker on the post out front provides a reminder that this pile of wood and metal once meant something to a lot of folks, and for a long time.

(Copyright 2024) E. Mark Windle is an independent freelance writer and biographer. He has also worked on multiple book projects as a senior writer for Story Terrace (London, UK), and as a ghostwriter with Sheridan Hill / Real Life Stories LLC (North Carolina, USA).

Follow Mark at https://www.facebook.com/windlefreelance

A Toast to Childhood, Spielberg, and Spanish Ladies

E. Mark Windle     15 February 2024.

Reflecting on Jaws, the iconic movie that defined an era. Its literary inspiration, why today’s kids don’t get it, and what they are missing.

Society has a habit of compartmentalising history. It occurs all the time where the arts are concerned. Some creative masterpieces maintain permanent legendary status, while changes in societal norms and the general passage of time erode the relative importance of others.

Movies suffer this fate, though admittedly Steven Spielberg’s 1975 blockbuster Jaws is a bit of an anomaly. Film critics continue to applaud the film as an industry milestone. In the eyes of so many 50- and 60-somethings, its godly status has never been questioned. On the other hand, our younger generations struggle to comprehend the appeal. Maybe it’s something to do with contemporary relevance (what? Horror movies are no longer in vogue?). Or the awful sequels. Or perhaps the disinterest is a reflection of our now technologically advanced society. I honestly can’t remember what my thoughts were of Bruce the Rubber Shark back in the mid-seventies, but it clearly didn’t matter. Jaws scared the bejesus out of me and my pals: a giddy rollercoaster of anticipation, tension, and shock. The film may be a dead dog to most millennials, Gen Zs and probably Gen Alphas if they ever get around to checking it out, but we must forgive their inability to empathise with the oldies.

I’m a non-fiction writer by trade. My failing—as my family constantly remind me—is that I don’t read enough fiction. I’m inclined to agree, but the day job just gets in the way. Too much of my time is spent dipping into books on civil rights, history, culture or being immersed in online research. Admittedly I prefer my fiction on the big screen, though I did love reading it as a kid. At one point Saturday mornings routinely consisted of Mum dragging me along with her for the weekly shop, invariably including a visit to Woolworths. While Mum disappeared off to the clothes and household goods aisles, I’d head for the bookracks. It was here where I came across a copy of Peter Benchley’s book, actually the one before the movie adaptation. To this day my mother still loves telling everyone that I’d read little chunks, then stash the book at the back of the shelf with the page corner folded, ready for my return the following week.

Jaws was Peter Benchley’s first novel. The project was a real slow burner, until his motivation to complete it was sparked by the threat of having to return a $1000 advance. Doubleday Publishing released the book with a to-the-wire decision on the title (Jaws being the only one that came to mind some 20 minutes before it went to press). Critics knocked it for its lightness, unlikeable characters and dubious subplots. All that would be was water off a duck’s back though—Benchley and his publisher knew they were onto a good thing when Jaws spent much of 1974 on the New York Times bestseller list. US book sales hit the stratosphere, and Steven Spielberg and his producers ordered 100 copies to share with film industry acquaintances. By the time the movie appeared the following year and with co-promotion of the book (now with character and plot tweaks), around 20 million copies of the book were sold worldwide.

That book and the film cemented my childhood interest in all things shark. If you needed to know about different species, where they could be found in the world, statistics on countries with the most attacks and annual percentage fatalities, I was your go-to kid. Seriously, lots of us were at it. Its often said that Jaws demonised sharks, and I do get that to an extent. The juxtaposition is that the movie also inspired many to study these magnificent creatures, and in the long term created an awareness that we need to protect them. I didn’t exactly end up an oceanographer or marine biologist, but I did mop up a ton of stuff about biology, ecology and ichthyology. Indirectly, it probably even informed my decision to take up a 25-year science-based career before switching to writing full time.

Fast-forward 35 years. The Windles are on a family holiday in St. Pete’s in Tampa Bay, Florida. After the obligatory aquarium visit on the pier, we move on for some dolphin spotting in the coastal inlet. It’s early season and as we’re the only tourists on the boat hire, there’s plenty of time for leisurely chat with Alan, our friendly captain. Turns out Al’s family emigrated to the US from the UK when he was a small boy. In between his assistant’s calls for the dolphins to come alongside the boat (“Come on baby! Come on baby!”), Al also reminds us that St Pete’s Bay is a major breeding ground for hammerheads. As a naïve young scouser in a new land and unused to the searing summer heat of the South, little Al wouldn’t think twice about jumping in the bay with his pals to cool off. That all stopped in the summer of ‘75 of course. He’s not been in since.

So, what exactly is the magic hold that Jaws has on us? Pigeon-holing it as a movie is tricky. I guess that’s part of the appeal though: it’s a thriller, a psychological drama and ultimately a horror film (the midnight-skinny-dipping-goes-wrong opening scene is hard to beat, no?). Its instant nostalgia-conjuring ability is another reason why it still resonates with my age group. Not just a yearning for a return to flares, skinny tees and hot summers though, or even to a time of childhood innocence. Quite the opposite. Jaws was the first coming-of-age movie for my generation, revealing that life isn’t always so rosy. You never know what’s lurking 50 yards away in the water while you’re messing around on the beach or your mother is picking burnt skin off your shoulders.

Then there’s the cinematography and direction. Jaws is a truly visual feast.  It doesn’t really matter that it was shot in Martha’s Vineyard (where the water was shallow enough to operate Bruce) rather than Montauk, the original inspiration for Benchley’s Amity Island. The picturesque settings, including the golden sands and white and coloured wood-siding houses of Massachusetts’s pretty coastal hamlets, along with John Williams’ iconic film score, was perfect. Spielberg didn’t miss a trick with character diversity either, even if their storylines deviated from the original book. I seem to recall from my Saturday sessions in Woolies that Matt Hooper the marine biologist was less innocent than the amiable portrayal by Richard Dreyfuss. Benchley’s Hooper took a shine to the police chief’s wife, Ellen Brody. They even had an affair in a dodgy motel. But in the movie, we do have Martin Brody, the world-weary small-town cop who cares about his community, and Larry Vaughan, the jerk of a mayor determined to keep the beaches open at all costs.

Most Jaws lovers have their favourite character. Mine is Robert Shaw’s Quint, the drunken modern-day Captain Ahab (after all, Jaws is Moby Dick). Benchley claimed Quint was based on a charter fisherman he once met in Montauk named Frank Mundus. The similarities were certainly there; Mundus was an eccentric, occasionally lovable rogue, and his early practices were not at all shark friendly. For balance, he once assisted in the rescue of guests from a party boat which had capsized in treacherous conditions. Mundus was one of those responsible for bringing the survivors and the dead back to shore. He was hardly a saint though. Neither was Quint.

Quint leads one of the most memorable scenes where he, Brody and Hooper are getting drunk on board the Orca as night-time descends. This is the calm before the storm. The open water is dark and still, as Quint starts the tragic and largely true account of the USS Indianapolis, which was torpedoed in the Philippines during World War II. Nine hundred men jumped in the water to avoid going down with the ship, but rescue was delayed as the boat had been on a secret mission to carry components of the atom bomb that was about to be dropped on Hiroshima. Due to security reasons the ship’s exact location was kept quiet, even to the US Navy. For four days and nights the crew were subjected to dehydration, sun exposure, hypothermia, and relentless attacks by oceanic whitetips and tiger sharks. Quint’s tale has a sobering effect as all three men are left to reflect on the horrific events. He then attempts to lighten the atmosphere with rowdy renditions of Spanish Ladies and Show Me the Way to Go Home… Then THUD! The great white smashes into the hull, returning for another bite and the terror resumes. Pure genius.

Fifty years on, the appeal of Jaws goes beyond mere nostalgia. I reckon its status as one of the greatest movies of all time is assured, at least for people of a certain age. At the next late night re-run, you’ll find me there on the sofa with beer and a bucket of popcorn. Now where’s that remote control…

(Copyright 2024) E. Mark Windle is an independent freelance writer and biographer. He has also written for Story Terrace (London, UK) as a senior writer, and with Sheridan Hill / Real Life Stories LLC (North Carolina, USA) as a ghostwriter.

Follow Mark at https://www.facebook.com/windlefreelance

Big Man Records: The Embers “First Time” b/w “I Wanna Be” (New Vinyl 45rpm Release)

E. Mark Windle 19 December 2023.

Without pausing for breath after Big Man Records’ December launch of “Just Crazy ‘Bout You Baby” (b/w “Aware of Love”), the news is that a second quality double-sider from The Embers is lined up for release early in the new year.

Starting out as a doo-wop and rock ‘n’ roll outfit under another name, the group that would become known as The Embers was originally formed by Raleigh, North Carolina high school pals Bobby Tomlinson and Jackie Gore. Since 1958, The Embers have remained an active force within the beach music scene of southeast USA. Inevitably, the group has undergone a number of changes in personnel and musical direction over the years. But for many fans, their 1960s output is of particular interest, representing a time when a number of high quality soul covers and original songs were recorded. With Bobby as the drummer and Jackie on guitar and vocals, they would be the mainstays during this period, though at various points other members included Blair Ellis, Dave Norket, Durwood Martin, Rick Whitfield, and Mark Hammer on keyboards; Doug Harrison, Frank Reich and Don Holloway on sax; Johnny Hopkins on trumpet; and John Thompson on bass and vocals.

Early performances revolved around repeat bookings at frat parties (largely down to Blair Ellis’ status as a Kappa Sigma brother at NC State University), where they would be hired for $75 per show. Recognising their long-term potential, family financial investment enabled the transformation of an old Raleigh warehouse into The Embers Club, a live music venue where the boys could sit in as the resident band. As Winston-Salem’s life-long Embers fan Bob McNair recalls: “I would take dates there back in the sixties. We were underage according to the door policy, but as long as you were well dressed, came with a girl and paid the cover charge, they weren’t too concerned.” Here, and at later locations, The Embers honed their skills alongside soul and R&B stars of the day including Jackie Wilson, Little Anthony, Billy Stewart, Fats Domino, The Drifters and The Clovers.

Jimmy Capps Productions (JCP) was the concept of Jimmy Capps, a WTPF radio broadcaster and DJ who was looking for a platform to promote local bands. Along with his radio station engineer Larry Gardner, a studio was constructed in the basement of an old movie theatre. The Embers would start recording 45s with a group soul flavour for JCP, including “First Time”, co-written by Jackie Gore and released in 1966. There was no regional breakout for this one, though some 20 years later the recording was popularised on the UK rare soul scene by DJ Guy Hennigan, initially under its cover-up artist title of Mill Evans and the Esquires.

“First Time” features on this Big Man Records release along with its original JCP flipside. “I Wanna Be (Your Everything)” is a take on The Manhattans’ hit for Joe Evans’ Carnival label, which had peaked at #12 in the US R&B Charts the previous year. Two covers of the song were released by JCP – the version by The Entertainers was artistically similar, though to these ears The Embers have the edge vocally and on overall production.

The Embers would continue through the 1960s and beyond with a string of other local and national label releases. Many are now established favourites on the UK and European rare soul scenes, including “Crazy ‘Bout You Baby” and “Aware of Love” (both featured on Big Man Records 1017), “What Did I Do Wrong” (Atlantic), and “Watch Out Girl” (MGM). Meanwhile, the group’s significant contribution to beach music in the US has been recognised via multiple accolades at the annual Carolina Beach Music Awards, and induction into the South Carolina Beach Music Hall of Fame and the South Carolina Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame.

The Embers’ “First Time” b/w “I Wanna Be (Your Everything)” (BMR 1018) is available to pre-order from Big Man Records via bicknellmark@aol.com or bigmanrecords1@gmail.com .

(Copyright 2023) E. Mark Windle is an independent freelance writer and biographer. He has previously worked with Story Terrace (London, UK) as a senior writer, and with Sheridan Hill / Real Life Stories LLC (North Carolina, USA) as a ghostwriter. To discuss services for hire please contact Mark at https://windlefreelance.com/contact/

Gaza and the Innocent Casualties of War: From Food Insecurity to Man-Made Famine.

E. Mark Windle   18 November 2023.

The history of the conflict between Israel and Hamas is a complex and protracted one. As the latest escalation continues with airstrikes and ground invasions in Gaza, various political parties, the public and media across the globe debate the definition of Israel’s right to defend itself and the questionable tactics of the Israel Defence Forces. But however the argument plays out, there’s a huge elephant in the room.

Accurate figures are always difficult to quantify in war. But based on data collated by authorities on both sides since October 7th, a best guess indicates a death toll of approximately 11,000 Palestinians and 1,500 Israelis to date. According to the World Health Organisation, the seven-fold increase in Palestinian deaths also reflects a disproportionately high percentage of women and child fatalities. And those who have managed to make the perilous journey south via the evacuation corridor, only 500 or so have been permitted to cross the border at Rafah, largely on the basis of dual nationality, foreign national status or because of significant injury. For those remaining in Gaza, the journey isn’t over by a long shot.

Other than the immediate violent trauma of war, significant daily health challenges are being faced throughout Gaza and are contributing to deaths. Maintaining adequate nutrition and hydration is critical. Access to good nutrition and clean water reduces the risk of disease, and increases the ability to heal wounds. In that respect, Gazans are not off to a good start.  The WHO notes that food insecurity has long been a burden (again carried in particular by women and children), and is related to poverty, food availability and fragile environmental conditions. Given the current obliteration of Gaza this could all be considered a moot point, but prior to the latest peak in conflict, a third of the general Palestinian population had difficulty in accessing nutritious food on a regular basis. When it came to women and children, that figure doubled.

Reasons for malnutrition in Gaza are multifactorial then, though all have political and military conflict at their root. Agricultural opportunities disappeared due to loss of land and no-go areas. Unemployment has significantly affected food affordability, and has been running at 80% or more for at least 20 years. In some areas, the physical availability of food wasn’t in itself a problem; having the financial means to buy staple cereal products, fruit, vegetables and meat was. And then there have been 15 years of blockades by Israel in the name of blunting the movement of arms supply and Hamas attacks, but in the process also severely restricting the supply of food and water to the residents of Gaza. No matter how it’s dressed up, civilian starvation is a clear breach of international humanitarian law.

With a bankrupt Palestinian Authority, Israel’s strangulating hold on Gaza and so much of the population below the poverty line, there is heavy dependency on international aid for food, fuel and general household goods. While the terrorist activities of Hamas are very visible within and outside Gaza, they have also been in a position of government that has had the support of 20% or more of its people. Some Gazans claim to have observed positive social, health and municipal changes in their neighbourhoods since Hamas seized power at the 2006 Palestinian Legislative Election. These include the establishment of food banks, medical clinics, and educational facilities. Most likely these were achieved through collaboration with outside agencies, and restricted to specific locations. Others living in Gaza have experienced little in the way of improved food availability or healthcare.

Earlier this year, major steps were put in place to address the nutritional health of Palestinians. In Gaza and the West Bank, despite limited funding, the World Health Programme provided direct assistance in food provision to 27,000 people over a three-month period during summer. WHP also set up 11 summer camps for children to educate on health issues including better nutrition and food choices, and collaborated with the Ministry of Agriculture to arrange for the transfer of olive oil produced in the West Bank to be transported to vulnerable families within West Bank and Gaza. In all an estimated 200, 000 Palestinians were assisted one way or another by WHP initiatives in August alone.

The reality is that significant under-nutrition persists in Gaza. Recent distressing scenes of rows of critically ill new-born babies taken out of their incubators due to power loss as Israeli forces advance on Al-Shifa Hospital reflect both the current situation and the routine high incidence of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Twenty-three per cent of births in Gaza are pre-term, placing a much higher demand on neonatal intensive care services than is seen in many western countries. This prematurity, again, is largely down to maternal malnutrition. UNICEF previously identified that a quarter of Palestinian mothers are anaemic, which not only compromises respiratory function and increases fatigue but also adversely affects normal foetal development. The anaemia of mothers and children is caused by poor combined iron and B vitamin status, but is also an indicator of generalised malnutrition, with other vitamin, mineral and trace element deficiencies reducing the ability to fight infection, and delaying wound healing from violent trauma. Around 40% of babies are breastfed, though milk quality varies dependent on the mother’s nutritional status. For those babies who are bottle-fed, clean water availability remains a concern in light of the current situation of displacement. For those children who wean successfully to solids, a quarter of children are estimated to have anaemia due to restricted food intake, and a significant number are under weight or have other growth delays related to nutritional deficiency. Malnutrition remains a significant cause of death in the under-5s.

That’s the baseline. Blockade, combined with mass displacement has now placed even greater demands for access to adequate nutrition. Without a ceasefire to facilitate the passage of food supplies and medical support, the latest conflict will only exacerbate this picture of widespread malnutrition among the most vulnerable in Gaza society. Hospitals have been bombed, lost power or have gone without deliveries of food and medicine for weeks now. At the beginning of November, over 50% of Gaza’s population sought refuge in the UN’s Relief and Works Agency facilities, who have been struggling to maintain nutritional supplies and clean water with the on-going blockade.

Gaza has also always been highly dependent on imported or donated bottled water, or desalination for the provision of safe drinking water. Even back in 2001, the Global Institute for Water, Environment and Health and the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor described most of Gaza’s domestic water supply as undrinkable. Earlier this month, the IDF destroyed a reservoir in the north, a public water supply that covered a large neighbourhood in the south, and cut power to their desalination plants. Dehydration, diarrhoea and respiratory infection rates are increasing, adding to the infection-malnutrition cycle that will ultimately will lead to an exponential rise in mortality. An adult survives for a maximum of around 5 days without water. In a critically ill child, it can be hours.

On November 3rd the WHO’s call to action was for an immediate humanitarian pause in the conflict to “alleviate the suffering and prevent a desperate situation from becoming catastrophic”.  Two weeks on there are no signs of that happening. Tragically for so many men, women and children of Gaza, it’s already too late.

(Copyright 2023) E. Mark Windle is a freelance writer and biographer, working independently, as a senior writer with Story Terrace (London, UK), and for Sheridan Hill / Real Life Stories LLC (North Carolina, USA). To discuss services for hire please contact Mark at https://windlefreelance.com/contact/

Big Man Records: The Embers “Just Crazy ‘Bout You Baby” c/w “Aware of Love” (new vinyl release)

E. Mark Windle 14 November 2023.

Continuing the series of quality releases from Mark Bicknell’s Big Man Records, December will be bringing us this quality Carolina double-sider, which is sure to be of interest to rare soul and beach music fans alike. Stalwarts of the Carolina beach music scene, The Embers have enjoyed a prolific performing and recording career for over six decades. Undeniably, their appeal is to a range of audiences and generations; though like other groups of this genre, their 1960s recording output holds particular interest among rare soul collectors – and on both sides of the Atlantic.

The Embers were originally formed in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1958 by high school pals Bobby Tomlinson and Jackie Gore; personnel changes were fluid during the 1960s, though always with the presence of Bobby on drums and Jackie on vocals and guitar. “First time” signified one of the group’s first releases with a soul flavour, appearing on JCP in 1964. As the resident band at their own Embers Club, the venue provided an ideal opportunity to hone skills alongside visiting artists such as Jackie Wilson, Little Anthony, Billy Stewart, The Drifters and others. Inevitably further soul hits followed, including a take on Mamie Galore’s “It Ain’t Necessary”, again for JCP, in 1966. Enough interest was rustled up for a national release the following year via Bell Records.

The focus of this Big Man Records fully licenced release is the infectious “Just Crazy ‘Bout You Baby”, originally recorded on The Embers’ eEe imprint in 1967. Popularised later by DJ Gary Rushbrook during the latter days of Wigan Casino, this track was released twice with different flipsides – one carrying a very competent version of Jerry Butler’s “Aware of Love” (again featured on BMR 1017), which can also be found on their LP “Burn You A New One”.

As the decade closed the group were attracting attention outside the region. Atlantic Records released the up-tempo “Where Did I Go Wrong” in April 1969, but despite the major label status it failed to make much noise. Popularity was largely confined to local North Carolina colleges and frat houses, served by the plugging efforts of Channel 85 WKIX. An entirely different crowd would come to appreciate it a few years later however, when discovered in the UK and played at venues including the Catacombs and Blackpool Mecca.

“Far Away Places” was released in September 1970; a curious spin on a 1940s standard that employed a bass riff and rhythm influenced by “Tighten Up”. The Embers featured on vocals here, while the musicians on the session were from MGM’s in-house team. The song received some airplay but promotion was halted prematurely after their label mentor Bob Crewe left MGM. Regardless, “Far Away Places” has remained a permanent feature in the group’s live repertoire over the years, helping cement the song as a beach music favourite. It’s the flip that stirs the interest of UK soul collectors of course – the dramatic and danceable “Watch Out Girl” is now an undisputed northern soul classic.

Given their longevity, it’s not surprising that there have been further changes in personnel and musical directions over the years. Times and tastes change, but one thing is certain – The Embers’ multiple Carolina Beach Music Awards, induction into the South Carolina Beach Music Hall of Fame, the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame (2014) and South Carolina Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame are a testament to their enduring legacy, as indeed is this vinyl release.

The Embers’ “Just Crazy ‘Bout You Baby” c/w “Aware of Love” (BMR 1017) is available to order from Big Man Records via bicknellmark@aol.com or bigmanrecords1@gmail.com

(Copyright 2023) E. Mark Windle is a freelance writer and biographer, working independently, as a senior writer with Story Terrace (London, UK), and for Sheridan Hill / Real Life Stories LLC (North Carolina, USA). To discuss services for hire please contact Mark at https://windlefreelance.com/contact/