TOMMY HUNT "A Sign Of The Times" '76 + "Human" - His Golden Classics '91 + "I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself" '62

From The Northern Madman’s collection of Northern and Soul…Tommy Hunt is one of my all time favorite singers - a legend in our time and still giving his all. Real Name - Charles James HuntUS Soul singer Born on the 18th June 1933 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. He was a member of The Flamingos until 1960 when he started his solo career in New York. He had a string of releases throughout the 60s and was a regular at the famous Apollo. He came to the UK in the early 70s and played at the 2nd Anniversary of the Wigan Casino. This led to his connection with Russ Winstanly & Mike Walker and his rise as a Northern Soul star.

trax:
01 loving on the losing side 02 upon my soul 03 get out 04 a miracle like you 05 you got me where you want me 06 a sign of the times 07 sign on the dotted line 08 loving you is 09 crackin' up 10 help me make it thru' the night 11 sunshine girl 12 never can say goodbye
…Thanks To Northern Madman! served by Gyro1966...Tommy Hunt was a Pittsburgh-born journeyman R&B singer who had enjoyed success as a member of the Flamingos and scored a modest hit single with "Human," but his most lasting impact came in Europe and the United Kingdom, where Hunt found a loyal audience for his gruff but polished vocals on the cabaret circuit and later among British Northern soul fans, who hailed him as a neglected hero. During his time in England, Hunt cut a pair of albums for Spark Records, a specialist label that catered to Northern soul fans, and A Sign of the Times: The Spark Recordings 1975-1976 pairs them on a single CD. The 1976 studio album A Sign of the Times kicks off the set, dominated by tunes from the songwriting team of Eddie Adamberry and Tony Craig, though covers of Roy Hamilton's "Crackin' Up" and Kris Kristofferson's "Help Me Make It Through the Night" are also on board. The arrangements surprisingly don't lean especially strongly to the conventions of Northern soul, with many of the numbers leaning to early disco (complete with crisp string and horn charts) and others embracing a contemporary R&B ballad sound rather than mimicking classic soul dusties. But Hunt handles the material well, sounding passionate without pushing the histrionics, and if his voice is good rather than great, he's a showman who knows how to make the most of the emotional range of these tunes. Hunt the Showman is front and center on the second album, 1975's Live at Wigan Casino, recorded during a performance at the fabled Northern soul mecca; if Hunt seems a bit reserved in the studio, he comes to life in front of an audience, and though this set of covers only gives him so much to work with compared to the originals, Hunt sounds spirited and he clearly knows how to work a crowd, with this performance generating plenty of heat despite the flaws in the audio. A Sign of the Times isn't likely to convince anyone that Tommy Hunt was one of the great forgotten men of soul, but based on this material he certainly deserved a longer run in the spotlight than he received, and this is well worth a listen for soul and R&B completists. (Mark Deming, Allmusic) (Thanks To Northern Madman)

trax:
01 human 02 i am a witness 03 lover 04 she'll hurt you too 05 didn't i tell you 06 this & only this 07 it's all a bad dream 08 make the night a little longer 09 oh lord, what are you doing to me 10 your man 11 don't make me over 12 promised land
…Thanks To Northern Madman! served by Gyro1966...Pittsburgh-born Tommy (Charles) Hunt sang alongside Johnnie Taylor in The Five Echoes during the early '50s and then joined The Flamingos in 1956 and sang with them on Chess and End Records. In 1961 he signed with Wand/Scepter, where he recorded two best sellers, "Human" and "I Am a Witness" (both included). Of the remaining ten songs on this CD, "Your Man" and "Don't Make Me Over" are the two which stand out. (Allmusic) (Thanks To Northern Madman)

trax:

01 i just don't know what to do with myself 02 the work song 03 parade of broken hearts 04 you're so fine 05 she'll hurt you too 06 and i never knew 07 human 08 didn't i tell you 09 the door is open 10 poor millionaire 11 so lonely 12 i'm wondering

…Thanks To Northern Madman! served by Gyro1966...