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James Brown Productions, Part Two

This King Recordsspecial will feature interviews with Waddell Falland & Jimmy Railey who were both members of The Solars, Bobby and the Expressions, & The Famous Flames, two of the Sisters of Righteous, Dr. Kay Robinson, and two of The Dapps.  Waddell Falland and Jimmy Railey spoke with me in 2007.  Geneva L. Kinard Woode & Denise Kennard Crowley from the Sisters of Righteous talked with Brian Powers about their careers at King Records as teenagers and backing up numerous King musicians including Hank Ballard.  Dr. Kay Robinson shared her thoughts on recording a gospel album for JBP.  Dave Parkinson, saxophonist, & Eddie Setser, guitarist, from The Dapps, also share their memories of working for James Brown Productions.  

Jimmy Railey holding his street sign

Waddell Falland, who recorded at King Records with The Famous Flames, The Solars, and Bobby and the Expressions, dropped by the studio on October 10, 2007, to share some of his memories about his time at King Records.  He talks about the groups he was in and also recording with Hank Ballard.  Falland passed away a couple of weeks before we were going to speak with him again on May 29, 2018.

Jimmy Railey, who also recorded at King Records with Waddell Falland as The Famous Flames, The Solars, and Bobby and the Expressions, talked about his King Records experiences in a conversation with me the summer of 2007.  He received a plaque as one of The Famous Flames from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  He also had a Cincinnati street named after him in 2017.

Dr. Kay Robinson currently lives in Columbus, Ohio, and spoke by phone with Brian Powers on July 14, 2018, about her relationship with King Records and James Brown Productions.  As a vocalist with a 3 1/2 octave range above middle C, she remembers James Brown flying her down to Cincinnati from Dayton (she was living in Springfield) for recording sessions and how her career with JBP ended when she wouldn't record r&b songs.

Credit musicismysanctuary.com

Sisters of Righteous

The Sisters of Righteous were sisters from the East End of Cincinnati who not only did background vocals with King Records musicians, but also recorded their own music for James Brown Productions.  Two of the sisters, Geneva L. Kinard Woode & Denise Kennard Crowley, came into WVXU's studio on July 14, 2018, to talk with Brian Powers about their song, "That's How I Feel," signing with James Brown, airplay on WCIN, and Brown's offices at King Records on Brewster Avenue. 

The Dapps & James Brown

Dave Parkinson, saxophonist with The Dapps, spoke by phone with Brian Powers on July 19, 2018 about the group the Cincinnati Kids, playing at the Inner Circle, signing with James Brown who renamed them The Dapps, and playing with Hank Ballard, too.  Brian Powers spoke by phone with Eddie Setser at his home in Corbin, Kentucky, on September 10, 2018.  Setser shares the backstory of playing with the Cincinnati Kids and The Dapps's signing with James Brown Productions.