4mc
Member
I saw on this thread a question about Fats Theus, the thread is closed for replies, so I figured I'd start over.
Fats Theus, "Black Out"
Fats Theus anyone?
I've spent the last week or so trawling through all the books, websites and archives I have. Discogs had very little, and I've updated and added a lot about the mans recording life, but I still know almost nothing about the man himself.
I'm writing up my CT 508 entry now for Taylors Dozen, hence the interest. I'll add what I know over there, suffice to say the album was recorded after Creed had left A&M, and was produced by Creed. It's not known what his motivation was for recording it, but it wasn't a master that was bought to Creed and he just released, like CT 510, which Creed didn't produce among others. It also wasn't a recording that was bought to him, which he then worked on, like CT 509 and the Dave Frishberg Oklahoma Toad album.
We know it was Arthur "Fats" Theus. We know he'd been recording since the early 50's, and had featured on a number of Johnny Ace recordings, playing Sax, before Johnny died, apparently, from an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound at the age of 25. Fats went on to record with Little Johnny Parker, recorded the 1956 "hit" Be Cool My Heart" as Fatos Theus and the Flairs and possibly another single "Rock 'n' Roll Drive-ln" for Aladdin records in 1956.
Fats re-appeared in 1966 as a regular with Bill Larkin and the Delegates as well as the Jimmy McGriff Band.
Fats also wrote and co-wrote a number of the songs that were on the Black Out CTI album, which were copyright and published by Char-Liz Music, one of Creeds publishing companies. The album received some plus at the time and thats all.
We know from Doug Payne the album was recorded at RVG's on July 16 and 22, 1970. The single CT 508 was released the first week of September and the album released in October 1970.
Fats went on the following year to record with O'Donel Levy on Black Velvet, a stone soul classic, O'Donel was another McGriff regular, and there is lots more. I have a couple of pictures of Fats, obviously one is the picture from the back cover of his album. We know he played with Grant Green both on his album and others, and live.
Other than than that, and the fact he was described on a Billy Larkin album as a cat from LA... who was he? When was he born, is he still alive? etc.
The Black Out album, either of the main pressings is great. Hilton Felder is a champ, especially on Stone Flower, which to my mind is the track of the album.
Anyone? Anything?
Fats Theus, "Black Out"
Fats Theus anyone?
I've spent the last week or so trawling through all the books, websites and archives I have. Discogs had very little, and I've updated and added a lot about the mans recording life, but I still know almost nothing about the man himself.
I'm writing up my CT 508 entry now for Taylors Dozen, hence the interest. I'll add what I know over there, suffice to say the album was recorded after Creed had left A&M, and was produced by Creed. It's not known what his motivation was for recording it, but it wasn't a master that was bought to Creed and he just released, like CT 510, which Creed didn't produce among others. It also wasn't a recording that was bought to him, which he then worked on, like CT 509 and the Dave Frishberg Oklahoma Toad album.
We know it was Arthur "Fats" Theus. We know he'd been recording since the early 50's, and had featured on a number of Johnny Ace recordings, playing Sax, before Johnny died, apparently, from an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound at the age of 25. Fats went on to record with Little Johnny Parker, recorded the 1956 "hit" Be Cool My Heart" as Fatos Theus and the Flairs and possibly another single "Rock 'n' Roll Drive-ln" for Aladdin records in 1956.
Fats re-appeared in 1966 as a regular with Bill Larkin and the Delegates as well as the Jimmy McGriff Band.
Fats also wrote and co-wrote a number of the songs that were on the Black Out CTI album, which were copyright and published by Char-Liz Music, one of Creeds publishing companies. The album received some plus at the time and thats all.
We know from Doug Payne the album was recorded at RVG's on July 16 and 22, 1970. The single CT 508 was released the first week of September and the album released in October 1970.
Fats went on the following year to record with O'Donel Levy on Black Velvet, a stone soul classic, O'Donel was another McGriff regular, and there is lots more. I have a couple of pictures of Fats, obviously one is the picture from the back cover of his album. We know he played with Grant Green both on his album and others, and live.
Other than than that, and the fact he was described on a Billy Larkin album as a cat from LA... who was he? When was he born, is he still alive? etc.
The Black Out album, either of the main pressings is great. Hilton Felder is a champ, especially on Stone Flower, which to my mind is the track of the album.
Anyone? Anything?
