Eddie Floyd

Eddie Floyd - Raise Your Hand (1967)
7th April in Oslo, Norway. I love the way guiraist Steve Cropper keeps the groove rolling in the extened bit wher Eddie goes into the crowd. Born 25 June 1935, Montgomery, Alabama, USA. A founder-member of the Detroit-based Falcons, Floyd was present on both their major hits, "You're So Fine" (1959) and "I Found A Love" (1962).

He then recorded solo for Lupine in Detroit and Safice in Washington, DC, before moving to Memphis in 1965 to join the Stax Records organization. He first made his mark there as a composer, penning Wilson Pickett's "634-5789", among others. During Floyd's recording tenure at Stax, he enjoyed the use of the session bands Booker T. And The MGs and the Mar-Keys.

He opened his account with "Things Get Better" (1965), followed by the anthem-like "Knock On Wood" (1966), one of soul's enduring moments, and probably the only time "lightning" and "frightening" have been coupled without sounding trite. Although subsequent releases failed to match its success, a series of powerful singles, including "Love Is A Doggone Good Thing" (1967) and "Big Bird" (1968), confirmed Floyd's stature both as a performer and songwriter. Although his compositions were recorded by several acts, his next US Top 20 pop hit came with Sam Cooke's "Bring It On Home To Me" in 1968.

Floyd stayed with Stax until its bankruptcy in 1975, whereupon he moved to Malaco Records. His spell there was thwarted by commercial indifference and he left the label for Mercury Records in 1977, but met with no better results. Briefly relocated to London, he recorded under the aegis of Mod resurrectionists Secret Affair. In 1988, Floyd linked up with William Bell's Wilbe venture to release the Flashback album. In 1990 Floyd appeared live with a re-formed Booker T. And The MGs and continues to gig consistently up to the present day, although new recordings are rare. - music.us