Thursday 11 December 2014

Benny Spellman born 11 December 1931


Benny Spellman (December 11, 1931 – June 3, 2011) was an American R&B singer, best known for his 1961 hits "LipstickTraces (On A Cigarette)," and the original version of "Fortune Teller", written by Allen Toussaint (as Naomi Neville). 

 Mr. Spellman was born in Pensacola, Fla. He attended Southern University in Baton Rouge on a football scholarship; at Southern, he also began singing.
Back in Pensacola in 1959, Mr. Spellman encountered New Orleans R&B band Huey Smith & the Clowns. The band’s vehicle had broken down; Mr. Spellman offered to drive them back to New Orleans. He elected to remain there after falling in with the burgeoning rhythm & blues community cantered around the Dew Drop Inn. 

He became one of the many artists to give voice to producer/songwriter Allen Toussaint’s voluminous 1960s output. In 1962, Minit Records released a 45 rpm single with Mr. Spellman singing “Lipstick Traces” on the A-side and “Fortune Teller” on the B-side. Both songs were written by Toussaint under the pseudonym “Naomi Neville.” “Lipstick Traces,” with Irma Thomas on backing vocals, proved to be Mr. Spellman’s most significant national hit, reaching No. 28 on Billboard’s R&B chart. He also contributed backing vocals to Ernie K-Doe’s smash recording of another Toussaint song, “Mother-in-Law.”


                    

Given his limited national exposure, Mr. Spellman worked the Gulf Coast and local circuit, performing at parties, dances and whatever gigs came up. “I wasn’t making that big money like K-Doe,” Mr. Spellman once said. “I’d play three gigs (in one night) to make more money.” Indicative of the enduring nature of his recordings, many artists would later cover songs originally recorded by Mr. Spellman. The O’Jays, Ringo Starr and Alex Chilton all later did “Lipstick Traces.” 

The Rolling Stones and The Who each did versions of “Fortune Teller.” “Raising Sand,” the Grammy-winning, million-selling 2007 collaboration between Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, contained a spooky version of “Fortune Teller.” After the market for New Orleans rhythm & blues dried up in the late 1960s, Mr. Spellman largely retired from the music business. He worked for many years at a beer distributorship. 


He suffered a stroke some years ago and was unable to attend an August 2009 ceremony at Ernie K-Doe’s Mother-in-Law Lounge inducting him into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. At the time, he resided in an assisted living facility in Pensacola. Spellman died of respiratory failure in June 2011, at the age of 79.   (Info mainly edited from an article by Keith Spira @ nola.com)

16 comments:

boppinbob said...

For Benny Spellman – Selected Titles go here:

http://www76.zippyshare.com/v/20783754/file.html

1. benny-spellman-fortune-teller
2. benny-spellman-lipstick-traces-on-a-cigarette
3. ernie-k-doe-mother-in-law
4. benny-spellman-ammerette
5. benny-spellman-life-is-too-short
6. benny-spellman-i-didn-t-know
7. benny-spellman-darling-no-matter-where
8. benny-spellman-that-s-all-i-ask-of-you.
9. benny-spellman-roll-on-big-wheel
10. benny-spellman-every-now-and-then
11. benny-spellman-i-m-in-love
12. benny-spellman-stickin-whicha-baby
13. benny-spellman-you-got-to-get-it
14. benny-spellman-talk-about-love
15. bennie-spellman-walk-on-don-t-cry
16. bennie-spellman-please-mr-genie
17. bennie-spellman-slow-down-baby
18. bennie-spellman-someday-they-ll-understand
19. benny-spellman-t-ain-t-it-the-truth
20. benny-spellman-the-word-game.
21. benny-spellman-its-for-you- my-love
22. benny-spellman-sinner-girl-original

Werner said...

Hello!
This link is dead...
Could you please reupload?
Thanks for the good music!

boppinbob said...

Hello Werner, This is not my rip but a home made compilation I found many moons ago on Multiply.
Hope it's up to your expectations.
https://krakenfiles.com/view/v7bv5uPDEy/file.html

Werner said...

Fantastic!
Thank you very much!

Eltoro said...

Hello boppinbob,
The first picture is not Benny Spellman but Lee Dorsey.
Thanks for the good music.
Vince

boppinbob said...

Thanks Eltoro, Hopefully corrected now.

Eltoro said...

Now I'm pretty sure, it’s Lloyd Price.
Sorry about that.

Eltoro said...

Lloyd Price for sure
https://images.app.goo.gl/v3f5au7gG1GmjTEF9

Thanks for the M
music.

Eltoro said...

Incredible, all those pics of Lloyd Price on line pretending he’s Benny Spellman.
Just try this one. Here is the real Benny Spellman :
https://images.app.goo.gl/L9aGztUSz7zFhaNV8

Eltoro said...

If you want to be sure, here is a reliable information :
https://www.discogs.com/artist/389744-Benny-Spellman
Thanks

Eltoro said...

Same reliable information about Lloyd Price
https://www.discogs.com/artist/116703-Lloyd-Price
which shows the picture (second picture when you click on the first one) often used on line pretending he's Benny Spellman...

boppinbob said...

Hello Eltoro, I have opted for the album cover as posted. Thanks again for your invaluable help. The Spellman / Lloyd Price CD cover I previously used came from Spotify! Also same photo used on many a web page. I am 100% sure this one is OK .....(fingers crossed)
This is not the first or possibly the last time I may use the wrong photo. Talk about fake news there's an epidemic of FAKE VIEWS too... (LOL) Regards, Bob.

Eltoro said...

Spotify and so on, most of sound websites, they really don't know what they are talking about and they make record covers !!! Real bullshit ! Thank you boppinbob.
Regards,
Vince

D said...

BB, sure would like a copy of this hard to find artist.
Would you mine another re-up?
Thanks mate,

boppinbob said...

Hello Denis, Here's Benny....

https://www.imagenetz.de/doufq

D said...

much obliged BB...thanks once more