James Vanleer (September 24, 1939 – May 8, 1996) – Save The World (1974)

This incredibly funky, powerful message song by Southside Movement was written and produced by unsung Chicago producer and label owner Vanleer.

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James Vanleer was an unsung Chicago songwriter/producer and label owner. He founded and ran several Chicago record labels, managed and produced the great singer Jackie Ross, and produced records for Southside Movement and several other Chicago-based artists.

During his career, Vanleer founded Sedgrick Records, Cedric Records, SAC and Golden Ear Records.  See our post from January on Jackie Ross for more on their collaborations during his long stint as her producer and manager. Besides Ross, he also managed and produced Barbara and the Uniques.  Other artists who recorded his songs in the early 70s included Freda Payne and Junior Parker.

Vanleer produced records for artists including the funk group Southside Movement, Bobby McClure (for whom he wrote and produced the magnificent 1970 jam “Love's Coming Down On Me”), Don Gardner, Bobby Rush, the Enchanters, and Seeds Of Life, whose ultra-rare funk bomb single “The Whole Thing” (1974) came out on Sedgrick.

Southside Movement started out as the backing band to the Chicago R&B duo Simtec & Wylie.  Their first 45 was their most successful song, “I’ Been Watching You,” co-written by Vanleer and Bobby Rush, who lived and performed in Chicago at the time.  The single made it to #14 on the R&B charts for two weeks in May, 1973.  It just missed the Billboard Hot 100, bubbling under at #103 for one week.  They released their self-titled debut LP on Wand (a division of Scepter Records) later that year.

Vanleer wrote and produced nearly all of the tracks on Southside Movement’s three albums that dropped in the early 70s, including the incredibly funky message song “Save The World” (1974).  It featured vocals arranged by the band’s trombonist Bill McFarland, and was included on their second LP Movin’, released on 20th Century Records.

“You say don’t cop out…the Establishment’s gonna win!  Doncha know we wish we had somethin’ to believe in…then we might have a chance…to save the world!”

This track has been sampled by the Beastie Boys and Beck, among others, and appeared on Vol. 22 of the influential Ultimate Breaks and Beats LP series.

Jackie Ross’ long-delayed second solo LP A New Beginning for Jackie Ross was released in 1980 on Vanleer’s Golden Ear Records.  A highlight was the beautiful message song “The World Needs More People Like You,“ written by Prince Phillip Mitchell.

The following year in 1981, Vanleer produced an ultra-rare album that paired her with Southside Movement. “You Are The One That I Need” was the LP's masterpiece, a beautiful funky love anthem for the ages. It was written by Chicago trumpet player Kenny Anderson, who later played on several albums by Slave, Leroy Hutson and Syl Johnson in the 80s and 90s. The untitled album (sometimes listed as Cold Hearted Woman, the title of its opening cut) was never officially released, and original promo and test pressing copies today sell for hundreds of dollars on Discogs.

#soul #funk #SouthsideMovement #JackieRoss #JamesVanleer