The Five Royales - 1960-66 (White Trash Soul R&B Series No.3)

There's no need to introduce the sheer brilliance and the importance of The 5 Royales to anyone who's visiting this space. What could I possibly write for a band that is hugely influential and successful and hadn't been written before my attempt? There's no bad period on the Royales journey over the years. Every era (Apollo, King, Home of the Blues etc.) had something new to offer. All these sides are true classics of a group whose early singles predated the birth of rock & roll and withdrawn as R&B was making its way for what became better known as soul. 

This time my home-made offering is concentrated on the 1960s age of this black music/heritage monsters as they slide from one record company to another (Home of the Blues, Vee-Jay, Smash, Todd, King among others). Soul music exploded at this point and a young Stax Records guitarist under the name of Steve Cropper was using Pauling’s licks all the time to form a whole new tributary of Memphis R&B, but the group inexplicably failed to catch on. The production of James Brown and Willie Mitchell came up bare. Ironically enough their songs became hits by other artists' recordings (The Shirelles, Ray Charles, James Brown, Mamas & The Papas).  

I know most people would probably prefer their 50s King sides, but I strongly believe these are underrated jewels.