2x LP TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK!

We have pressed up 500 copies of a Willie Parker bonus 45, available through the subscription and a small number of M-Pac! LP pre-orders (We will remove the 45 option when it's sold out).

SSR-7-35.3 Willie Parker Bonus 45
Artist:     Willie Parker I've Got To Fight It Artist:     Willie Parker Let's Start A Thing
TRACK LIST/AUDIO SAMPLES
Side A
Artist:     Willie Parker I Live The Life I Love Artist:     Accents New Girl Artist:     The Ringleaders All of My Life* Artist:     Harold Burrage Bad Situation* Artist:     Dorothy Prince Hey Mister Artist:     Andrew Tibbs Change of Heart*
Side B
Artist:     Bobby Davis Damper Down Artist:     Maurice Dollison & The Turnkeys The Earth Worm PT. I Artist:     Willie Parker Let Me Make It Up To You* Artist:     Harold Burrage Things Ain't What They Used To Be Artist:     The Ringleaders I'd Like to Win You Over* Artist:     Benny Turner Angel*
Side C
Artist:     Harold Burrage Mountain of Soul* Artist:     Stacy Johnson I Stand Alone Artist:     Willie Parker Never In A Million Years* Artist:     The Ringleaders Baby, What Has Happened Artist:     Big Daddy Simpson Lonely Man* Artist:     Accents Do You Need A Good Man
Side D
Artist:     Stacy Johnson Don't Try To Fool Me Artist:     Harold Burrage Got To Find A Way - Extended Ver. Artist:     Willie Parker So Glad* Artist:     Benny Turner Come Back Home Artist:     The Ringleaders Let's Start Over Artist:     Dorothy Prince Every Night
* indicates unreleased

The third installment of the One-derful! Collection focuses on M-Pac!, the blues and hard soul imprint of this legendary R&B label group. M-Pac! is preceded by the One-derful! and Mar-V-Lus compilations and will be followed by releases of the Halo, Midas, and Toddlin' Town sub-labels. This series marks the first in-depth study of what was once one of Chicago’s most prominent African-American run labels.

M-Pac! Records is available in 2xLP and CD formats, and within the grooves of these 24 tracks lie superb group harmonies from The Ringleaders and The Accents, gritty hard soul leads from Willie Parker and Stacy Johnson, and songs from one of Chicago's most under-appreciated soul shouters in Harold Burrage, plus 10 tracks that were never issued!

Central to M-Pac! is the Leaner family. By 1963 when brothers George and Ernie Leaner added M-Pac! as a sub-label to their One-derful! label, they were revered figures on Chicago's Record Row and beyond. They distributed material from labels like Motown and Stax and they attracted top talent. It wasn't uncommon for a WVON DJ to help the Leaners sign their newest discovery, or for their singers, musicians, songwriters, or producers to have Chess or Motown on their resumes.

Nearly 20 years prior, George and Ernie started work at their sister's Groove Record Shop. Before long, George was an assistant to legendary blues producer Lester Melrose, and later the brothers helped run Parkway Records – recording historic 78s featuring Little Walter and Muddy Waters. They did all of this before launching United Record Distributors in 1950 – regarded as the nation's first black owned record distributor. In addition, their uncle Al Benson was the most influential Radio DJ on Chicago's South Side. His on-air support and occasional partnerships with the Chess brothers proved crucial to their early success. He also helped many DJs get their start, including Vivian Carter who later formed Vee-Jay Records. In fact, United Record Distributors hosted her wedding. The Leaner name also turns up in connection with many of the greats in blues and soul: George Leaner produced an early release for Berry Gordy's Tamla label, and in the 1970s Ernie Leaner and Stax's Al Bell partnered to form Ernie's Onestop and a chain of Record World stores. The Leaner family were among the most important black businessmen of music's golden era, yet much of their history has only been superficially documented until now.

Between 1962 and 1971, the One-derful! family of labels released 180+ 45s of stunning soul, funk, and gospel. Over two years of painstaking research and work, including countless hours spent cataloging, transferring, and mastering 250 of the label's tapes, has contributed to an amazingly extensive reissue collection. In addition, some of the world's leading experts have contributed liner notes and interviewed virtually every known surviving artist, producer, and otherwise involved party. In total, the six volumes of the One-derful! Collection include 12 LPs/6 CDs with 147 tracks, 57 which were never issued, and 144 pages of 12” x 12” liner notes stuffed full of rare and never before seen photos and memorabilia. Spanning 1962 to 1971, these compilations bring forth a wealth of overlooked and never before heard recordings and history.