Cicero Blake – Here Comes The Heartache – The Soul Years CD (Grapevine)

Code: GVCD3020

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01 Should I Go

02 Could This Be Love

03 See What Tomorrow Brings

04 Don’t Do This to Me

05 Take It from Me

06 Soul of Pain

07 Sad Feeling

08 You’re Gonna Be Sorry

09 Step by Step

10 If I Had My Way

11 Loving You Woman Is Everything

12 Shing-A-Ling

13 Here Comes the Heartache

14 Face the Case

15 Don’t Wait Until Tomorrow

16 Bad But Beautiful Bag

17 A Woman Needs to Be Loved

18 You Got Me Walking

19 Your Love Is Like a Boomerang

20 How Can I Go on Without You

21 Doin’ What Comes Naturally

22 Dip My Dipper

23 Be Good to Me

24 Don’t Wanna Blow My Chance with You

1. Should I Go
2. Could This Be Love
3. See What Tomorrow Brings
4. Don’t Do This To Me
5. Take It From Me
6. Soul Of Pain
7. Sad Feeling
8. You’re Gonna Be Sorry
9. Step By Step
10. If I Had My Way
11. Loving You Woman Is Everything
12. Shing-A-Ling
13. Here Comes The Heartache
14. Face The Case
15. Don’t Wait Until Tomorrow
16. Bad But Beautiful Bag
17. A Woman Needs To Be Loved
18. You Got Me Walking
19. Your Love Is Like A Boomerang
20. How Can I Go On Without You
21. Doin’ What Comes Naturally
22. Dip My Dipper
23. Be Good To Me
24. Don’t Wanna Blow My Chance With You
Weight 120 g
Title

Here Comes The Heartache – The Soul Years

Artist

Cicero Blake

Label

Format

Genre

,

Release Year

Condition

Here Comes The Heartache is a tribute to legendary Chicago singer Cicero Blake. Concentrating on his soul years, compiler Dave Box has selected 24 tracks originally issued on Success, Renee, Brainstorm, Tower, Capitol and Sound Plus etc.

Included are all the favourites such as “How Can I Go On Without You”, “Sad Feeling”, “Here Comes The Heartache” and “You Got Me Walking”. Although major success has always eluded him, Cicero Blake is much-admired by soul and blues fans worldwide.

Much of his earlier work is typical of the ‘hard soul’ style often associated with Chicago, but Cicero is quite a versatile singer and many of his 1970s tracks were quite polished and sophisticated. Sadly, he wasn’t a very prolific recording artist during the golden period of soul music; in fact, he only had ten singles issued in a sixteen-year period. By the late 1970s, the soul boom was over and his style became much more downhome and bluesy.

Like so many soul singers did, Cicero reinvented himself as a ‘modern blues’ artist, building up a strong following, particularly on Chicago’s north side where he regularly performs to capacity crowds. Ironically, in this later period he has been far more prolific, recording a handful of albums aimed primarily at the modern blues market. Cicero’s early history has similarities to that of many other Chicago soul singers, and these roots perhaps explain why that down-to-earth southern feeling was so often evident in Chicago soul music. It isn’t surprising that many ‘southern soul’ fans rate some of Chicago’s soul labels almost as highly as they rate Stax, Goldwax, Fame and Hi. Cicero Blake’s 45s on Success, Renee, Brainstorm, Tower and Capitol are cherished by soul fans and record collectors all over the world.

Born on February 20th, 1938, in Jackson, Mississippi, Cicero moved to Chicago with his family in the early 1950s and settled on the west side. At that time, Chicago was the ‘promised land’ for many southern blacks, mostly former sharecroppers who made the pilgrimage north in search of a better life. In Chicago, he attended Marshall High school where he joined the football team and formed a vocal group called The Goldentones with school friends in 1952. Cicero left school to join the Air Force in 1954 and was replaced in The Goldentones by Dee Clark. The group hooked up with WGES DJ Herb Kent, changed their name to The Kool Gents and signed with Vee-Jay Records in 1955. Dee Clark of course went on to enjoy a successful solo career and is best known for his 1961 hit, ‘Raindrops’. Blake, meanwhile, gained valuable experience touring with Sonny Thompson’s band which also featured Thompson’s wife, Lulu Reed. Blake came to the attention of entrepreneur Leo Austell who operated the Renee label, named after his daughter.

Also signed to Renee were Eddie Sullivan, The Cascades, Wales Wallace, James Bryant and Betty Everett whose records were issued on Vee-Jay. At one point, Austell ran Renee from the Vee-Jay offices at 1448 South Michigan Avenue. Blake’s initial Renee 45 was issued in 1962, coupling ‘Should I Go’ with the self-penned ‘Could This Be Love’ (Renee 506)… >>>>>>>>>>> Read the full story in the sleeve booklet GVCD 3020, this page was adapted from the liner notes

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