Showing posts with label Tiny Topsy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tiny Topsy. Show all posts

Friday, September 11, 2026

Tiny Topsy & Lula Reed • Just A Little Bit Federal's Queens Of New Breed R&B



Compilado de estas dos reinas exponentes del sonido de Chicago de la década del 60, R&B, blues y soul sin desperdicio.

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Compiled exponents of these two queens Chicago sound of the 60s, R & B, blues and soul without waste.


Tiny Topsy


Lula Reed







Monday, July 29, 2024

Tiny Topsy • Tiny Topsy & Friends



Born Otha Lee Moore, 22 May 1930, Chicago, Illinois
Died 16 August 1964, Chicago, Illinois.
Active from the mid-40s, when she sang with the Al Smith band in Chicago, Tiny Topsy also made a number of well-received R&B records under her own name during the late 50s and early 60s. Among her recording sessions are some for Federal Records, from one of which came ‘Aw! Shucks, Baby’/‘Miss You So’, billed as by Tiny Topsy And The Five Chances, and which featured tenor saxophonist Ray Felder and vocal group the Charms. Also for Federal she made ‘Come On, Come On, Come On’/‘Ring Around My Finger’, ‘Waterproof Eyes’/‘You Shocked Me’, ‘Western Rock’n Roll’/‘Cha Cha Sue’ and ‘Just A Little Bit’/‘Everybody Needs Some Loving’. Of these, ‘Just A Little Bit’ was later covered very successfully by several artists, including Rosco Gordon and Jerry Lee Lewis. She also released ‘After Marriage Blues’ and ‘Working On Me, Baby’, recorded in 1961 for Argo Records. For some years ‘Tiny Topsy’ was believed to be a pseudonym used by singer-songwriter Bernice Williams (who wrote ‘Western Rock’n Roll’) although this is now largely discounted. Just who Tiny Topsy was remains unknown.

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Nacido Otha Lee Moore, 22 de mayo de 1930, Chicago, Illinois
Murió el 16 de agosto de 1964, en Chicago, Illinois.
Activo desde mediados de los 40, cuando cantó con la banda de Al Smith en Chicago, Tiny Topsy también hizo varios discos de R&B bien recibidos bajo su propio nombre a finales de los 50 y principios de los 60. Entre sus sesiones de grabación hay algunas para Federal Records, de una de las cuales salió 'Aw! Shucks, Baby'/'Miss You So', facturado por Tiny Topsy And The Five Chances, y que contó con el saxofonista tenor Ray Felder y el grupo vocal The Charms. También para Federal hizo 'Come On, Come On, Come On'/'Ring Around My Finger', 'Waterproof Eyes'/'You Shocked Me', 'Western Rock'n Roll'/'Cha Cha Sue' y 'Just A Little Bit'/'Everybody Needs Some Loving'. De estos, 'Just A Little Bit' fue cubierto más tarde con mucho éxito por varios artistas, incluyendo Rosco Gordon y Jerry Lee Lewis. También publicó 'After Marriage Blues' y 'Working On Me, Baby', grabado en 1961 para Argo Records. Durante algunos años se creyó que "Tiny Topsy" era un seudónimo utilizado por la cantautora Bernice Williams (que escribió "Western Rock'n Roll"), aunque ahora se lo descuenta en gran medida. No se sabe quién fue Tiny Topsy.