Ballin’ Jack – Special Pride (1973)
Artist: Ballin’ Jack
Title: Special Pride
Year: 1973
Format: LP
Label: Mercury
Post courtesy of James Auburn
Ballin’ Jack consisted of Luther Rabb (bass, vocals), Ronnie Hammon (drums), Glenn Thomas (guitar, mandolin), Jim Coile (saxophone, flute, clarinet), Tim McFarland (trombone, piano, backing vocals), Jim Walters (trumpet, flugelhorn, vocals) and Billy McPherson (saxophone).
Ballin’ Jack was an American horn rock group formed in Seattle, Washington in 1969 by Luther Rabb and Ronnie Hammon. They had a minor hit in 1970 with “Super Highway”, which hit #90 on the Billboard Top 100.
Rabb and Hammon were inspired by the success of their childhood friend, Jimi Hendrix. They added Glenn Thomas on guitar and, on the horns, were Jim Coile and Tim McFarland. They moved to Los Angeles, California and lived in a mansion home-studio near the Sunset Strip. Hendrix asked the group to come along with him on his 1970 “Cry Of Love” tour.
During 1969 – 1974 Ballin’ Jack headlined up and down the West Coast. They went on nationwide US tours warming up for many of the bands at venues like the Fillmore East and West. They were on the bill of several large music festivals of the era. They also played in Japan, where they were well received.
By 1975, the band had broken up. Luther Rabb later toured with Santana and, both he and Ronnie Hammon, later joined War.
Their song, “Found a Child” from their first album featured on the Columbia Records sampler album Together! and was prominently sampled on the Grammy-winning 1989 rap hit, “Bust a Move” by Young MC. The Beastie Boys sampled their song, “Never Let Them Say”, in the rap song “Shadrach”, from the 1989 album, Paul’s Boutique. (Wikipedia)
Track Listing
- This Song
- Come Up Front
- Good Feeling
- Sunday Morning
- Big Dealer
- Thunder
- Try To Relax
- Two Years
- Carry Me Back
- Special Pride
Beau, in response to your post. I am mainly a Psych collector, so my expertise is not going to be very much in that field of record collecting.
Whenever I see an album that I have never heard of, I will listen to it first in a record shop and if I can dig it and it just happens to be a Jazz/Horn Rock piece, I buy it, but I really don’t go seeking those out.
Chances are if you have been incessantly been researching this stuff, I highly doubt that there would be anything more that I could tell you that you don’t already know my friend, besides you are talking to a Psych head.
One thing that I must say about the Jazz/Horn Rock genre of music is that I am really surprised that anyone collects that stuff. i don’t really recall how much that stuff is going for, but I cannot imagine it being very much, let alone very collectible. But hey, who am I? Being that I don’t collect this stuff, I really don’t know anything about value concerning the genre you request.
What you need Beau is a Horn/Jazz Rock expert…….
Sorry that I could not be of more assistance. One thing I do know is that nowadays the first Chicago Transit Authority album on the Columbia 360 record label can from anywhere from $40-$80. That is all I know. So, maybe some of this stuff might be a little more collectible than I thought……………..
Beau, my other suggestion to you for cross referencing purposes is to check out this website called BSN Pubs. That site has almost every major label out there, and the labels that you cannot find, you can always try rate your music.com.
It is a painstaking process and it too me some years to get where i am at today in the impressive collection I have got now. Give it time and your research will eventually pay off giving you the pleasure of a lifetime with a room full of gems!!
Beau, like for example. I just re-discovered that Bodine album that originally came out on MGM records from 1969. Now, thanks to Leonerd being able to pull off getting that album posted, that is another album that I needed to hear to see if it would be my next worthwhile purchase on vinyl. It so turns out that album is a classic to my ears. Now, that will be my next purchase as part of my record buying budget next month.
Btw, thank you again Leonerd…….
If I were you, as far as major labels are concerned, Columbia Records is the perfect label to start as that was one of the first record companies that started promoting that particular genre in the first place.
Good luck and if I do come across anything, you will be the first I tell! Regards,
recordfanatic