Tommy Hunt’s reputation as a major soul artist was built
on his Scepter and Wand sides and augmented in the UK
by his dance tracks, belatedly issued from those labels’
tapes along with his later independent UK waxings in the
70s.
? Recent tape research has revealed five more unissued
Scepter recordings, including a great take on Van McCoy’s
‘What’s The Matter Baby’ – originally cut on the Shirelles.
‘I’m Lonely For You’ and ‘One Of These Days’ are beat
ballads in his popular early 60s style, while ‘Who You
Gonna Thrill Tonight’ and ‘Girls Are Sentimental’ are the
sort of romantic ballads that New York studios specialised
in. All the tracks are fully orchestrated.
? ‘The Pretty Part Of You’ was a 100 Club floor-filler from its
tape discovery in the mid-80s, around the same time his
effervescent version of ‘The Work Song’ became a
favourite. The popularity of ‘Never Love A Robin’ dates
back to the earliest Northern Soul clubs. It is the first time
on CD for most tracks, including the rare alternate B-side
‘How Young Is Young’, the scarce Scepter LP-only ‘You’re
So Fine’ and some hard-to-find Dynamo recordings,
including a later recording of his biggest hit ‘Human’.
? Tommy’s four immediate post-Scepter recordings for
Atlantic and Capitol in 1965 and 1966 are reissued for the
first time and sound magnificent; the Atlantic recordings
were actually cut in Chicago.
? Tommy’s intriguing life story is a read in itself and his
black music history, covering so many eras, is enthralling.