Interesting that Spotify lists Sly as the writer for “Re-Rockin’ of a Rock Star”.
Searching online I didn’t find anything on Junie in Blues & Soul magazine in 1987 (so searching physical copies or scans search would be the next step), but there’s an article on “Walter “Junie” Morrison Jr” in the 27 January 1981 edition.
I think your right it could have been Black echoes another uk music magazine. I remember I offered the seller £8 and he wanted £12 for it, so I didn’t buy it. I’m 100% it was from 1987.
It is the Black Echoes issue. I have it in my archive will make a copy.
Hi Guys, more junie on vinyl and stream coming this october…stay tuned…more info soon
gr
Arno
It looks like there is overlap with Junie and OP when they moved to Mercury. They said Junie continued to work with OP uncredited and you can clearly hear him singing on Jive Turkey and Runnin From The Devil and other songs. Armen Boladian just released Junie Live from Dooley’s with the Scoon Boogie Band and Fopp is on there. I’m assuming Junie (co)wrote and (co)produced Fopp with OP uncredited to not violate his Westbound contract
I don’t think that is Junie on “Jive Turkey” or “Runnin From the Devil”. Billy Beck did a great Junie impersonation. Check out his interview on “Truth In Rhythm.” He talks about how he came into the band, he says that when Junie left, he was expected to do all of his parts, keyboards and vocals, “Granny” voice, etc. At that point, they would have been performing songs from the Westbound records, but I think he continued to sing in a Junie-like way on the new material. I would not presume that Junie performing ”Fopp” in his set suggests he had anything to do with it, as curious as it is. He most likely wanted to leverage his association with O.P. to his benefit and at that point they were much more successful than he was. Junie stated in his Red Bull interview that he continued to work with them, but he seems to suggest some of that material was not released. I don’t think Junie played much of a role in the Ohio Players after they left Westbound. That must have been heartbreaking for him to see them ascend the way they did once he left. I hope that the physical release for the live record has good liner notes which might explore some of this.
Agreed on the Billy Beck parts. Similar skill set as Junie when it comes to performance (only!).
As for “continuing to work with” the Ohio Players – that’s always been a mystery to me as far as what that meant. My best guess is that it might’ve been some kind of “coaching / consulting” role shortly after he left. Seeing that he was so heavily involved as performer / musical director / arranger etc. and this would be their first time on the road or in the studio without him in years. “Continued to work with” probably fits that scenario. Else he woulda probably been more explicit… We’ll likely never know for sure.
Yeah, I think it probably did cause some kinda feelings for him when OP had so much success when he left 'em. He might have just been too singularly talented (or too eccentric) if that makes sense. But at the end of it all, he ended up in the RRHOF
“Eccentric” is a perfect adjective here, I totally agree. Ohio Players should be in the RRHOF as well, but I feel like things ultimately worked out the right way otherwise. I haven’t followed the Ohio Players in the same way I have P-Funk, but I get the sense that the changes in the band’s personnel, including the loss of Junie, cleared the way for the more commercial, but still very funky sound that made them successful. Junie’s solo albums on Westbound, while not hits commercially, turned out to be influential in their own right. And of course, Junie fit right into the crazy universe of P-Funk, and was instrumental to their success with “One Nation” and subsequent hits. I’m not sure how the Ohio Players sound would have unfolded if he had stayed, but I think he was hungry for success after his solo records lingered in bargain bins and that came at just the right time for P-Funk as Glen Goins, Jerome Brailey and others made their exits. Billy Beck was classically trained, so though he did not have the quirky personality and some other skillsets that Junie had, he seems to have been a key ingredient in putting together the Ohio Players more refined sound that we hear on their Mercury records.
That’s Junie singing. I can distinguish his voice from anything. I’ve been a fan since I was in diapers. That means he also helped with production. Since Armen is greedy and likes to sue everybody he would have took everybody to court
In regard to Junie’s ‘eccentric’ nature - I suppose this thread is as good as any to ask - do you know the context to Junie’s cult-esque outfit when he gave his acceptance speech at the 1997 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
I just figured he was wearing something similar to what he always wore back in the day with the Mob.
Yeah, he always had the hood/cape thing going on while on stage. He preached some spiritual / mystic things that showed up in his music from time to time (e.g. Triune, Superspirit, the Apple Song). That particular symbol on his outfit is the symbol for the zodiac sign Cancer (which I believe was his sign).
I was listening to Soul II Soul this morning and Lo and behold, one of my favourite tracks by them, I Care, is composed, written and produced by Junie. I knew someone on the forum had mentioned Soul II Soul.
Here ‘tis.
