J. Blackfoot (November 20, 1946 – November 30, 2011) – Can't Let You Go (1974)
This superb jam by the Soul Children featured founding member Blackfoot on lead vocals, co-written and produced by Homer Banks and Carl Hampton.
View most updated version of this post on Substack.
J. Blackfoot was a talented singer/songwriter with a powerful, emotional voice and one of the original members of The Soul Children, a group put together by David Porter and Isaac Hayes for Stax Records.
Born John Colbert in Greenville, Mississippi, he got the nickname “Blackfoot” because as a child he would walk barefoot on tar sidewalks. His family moved to Memphis, where he was raised.
In his late teens Blackfoot was convicted of car theft. While serving time in the Tennessee State Penitentiary, in 1965 he became friends with Johnny Bragg, the leader of the Prisonaires doo-wop group, and starting singing himself. Upon his release from prison, he returned to Memphis, where he was discovered by Stax songwriter and A&R executive David Porter while singing in a street-corner group. After four members of the Bar-Kays died along with Otis Redding in a tragic 1967 plane crash, Blackfoot was briefly hired as their new lead singer.
That same year, Stax’s distribution partner Atlantic Records was sold to Warner Bros., and Stax lost ownership of its entire back catalog. As part of the frantic effort to rebuild the label, in 1968 Porter and his songwriting partner Isaac Hayes put together a new vocal group called the Soul Children. Original members were Blackfoot, Norman West, Anita Louis, and Shelbra Bennett.
Their first few singles performed moderately well, with their third single “Tighten' Up My Thang” b/w the superb funky jam “Take Up The Slack” reaching #49 R&B in 1969. Both sides were written, arranged and produced by Hayes and Porter.
The Soul Children released their self-titled debut album that same year, which besides their early singles featured highlights like “When Tomorrow Comes” and “Super Soul.” They hit the top-ten in late 1969 with their fourth single, the gospel-flavored “The Sweeter He Is.” Again co-written, arranged, and produced by Hayes and Porter, it went to #7 R&B.
Their fourth album for Stax was Friction, released in 1974. It was co-written and produced mostly by Homer Banks and Carl Hampton. Two tracks featured legendary Booker T. & the M.G.’s members Donald “Duck” Dunn on bass and Al Jackson, Jr. on drums. One was the heartfelt love song “Just One Moment,” and the other, the cheating anthem “I’ll Be The Other Woman,” which was also co-produced by Jackson. The latter was released as the LP’s advance single in late 1973 and became their biggest-ever hit, peaking at #3 R&B and #36 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The album was all killer, no filler. Other highlights included the epic heartbreak tale “What's Happening Baby” which was released as a single but did not chart, the stellar cut “It's Out Of My Hands” with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, and the superb jam “Can’t Let You Go,” which featured Blackfoot on lead vocals.
In 1975 Stax went bankrupt, leaving them without a record company, and Shelbra Bennett left the group. The remaining trio signed with Epic Records the following year and released another solid album, Finders Keepers (1976), produced by Don Davis. Its upbeat title track was co-written by Blackfoot and West, and the LP also included the slow jam “I'm Just A Shoulder To Cry On,” the LP’s epic closing cut “One Broken Home For Sale,” and the stellar jam “We Got To Get Our Thing Together,” co-written by Motown songwriter James Dean.
Further info:
“The Soul Children - Story and Interview,” Soul Express Magazine.
“J Blackfoot obituary,” The Guardian, December 6, 2011.
#soul #Stax #SoulChildren #JBlackfoot