R. B. Hudmon, Jr. (August 6, 1954 – August 25, 1995) – Hole In Your Soul (1968)

Recorded when Hudmon was only 14, this superb psychedelic-flavored soul/funk jam was written and produced by Joe South.

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R. B. Hudmon, Jr. began his recording career at a young age, released a series of singles in the late 1960s and 70s and put out one full-length album in 1977 on Cotillion Records.

Born in West Point, Georgia, Hudmon began singing as a child and had relocated to Atlanta by the time he was a teenager. There he teamed up with prolific producer Bill Lowery, whose staff songwriter Joe South wrote several of his earliest recorded tracks. However, Hudmon himself wrote both sides of his 1967 debut single, “Send Your Boy A Letter” b/w the upbeat R&B jam “I’m A Roller.”

The following year, South wrote and produced the stellar psychedelic-flavored soul/funk jam “Hole In Your Soul” (1968) for Hudmon. It was released on 123 Records, one of the labels owned by Lowery.

In 1974, Hudmon released the superb, laid back “How Can I Be A Witness” on Tomahawk Records, re-released on Stax subsidiary Truth Records in 1975. It led to a deal with Atlantic Records, who re-released it again in 1976. The next year, he recorded the superb, laid back soul-disco jam “This Could Be The Night” (1977). It was released as a single on Atlantic and appeared on his only full-length album Closer To You, which came out on Atlantic’s subsidiary Cotillion Records the following year in 1978. The track was written by Dan Daley and co-produced by Memphis producers Jeffrey Stewart and Bobby Manuel.

Stewart had worked as an engineer at Sigma Sound Studios and helped record several classic Philly soul albums, including Dexter Wansel’s Life On Mars, Jean Carn’s self-titled debut LP, Get Down With The Philly Jump by Instant Funk, and Double Exposure’s Ten Percent, all released in 1976. He was also the son of Stax Records co-founder Jim Stewart, who was credited as supervising the production of “This Could Be The Night.”

Sadly, Hudmon died in the mid-90s, gone far too soon at age 41.

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