By acooolcat (61.222.95.58 - 61.222.95.58) on Saturday, April 20, 2002 - 10:00 am:

Hi Dennis, I spoke to Kingfish, a guitarist you sometimes worked with in Detroit at Golden World etc.' He mentioned playing with you on the sessions with The Buena Vistas for Tom Shannon. I think you used you 12 string on some of those tracks? Do you remember "Here Come's The Judge"?
Graham

By Dennis Coffey (206.47.172.178 - 206.47.172.178) on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 - 12:34 am:

Hi Graham. I do remember those sessions. I had a Guild 12 sting that I used on sessions in Detroit and LA. Tom Shannon also had a TV show. Mike Theodore and I had the band. We also did the arrangements. Mike conducted and I played guitar. Bob Babbit and Pistol were in the band. I think Johnny Griffith played piano. The horn players were from Windsor, Canada.

Dennis Coffey

By acooolcat (211.72.121.66 - 211.72.121.66) on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 - 02:29 am:

Thanks Dennis - Kingfish told me that Ed Wingate was at the session too - was he funding it? I think Popcorn Wylie was the piano player.
Graham

By john lester (213.1.131.91 - 213.1.131.91) on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 - 05:35 am:

Is this Joey Kingfish!

I dont know much about Joey...Graham can you oblige please?

By acooolcat (61.222.95.58 - 61.222.95.58) on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 - 10:00 am:

John, from memory....Kingfish was signed to Motown for a while, in the very early 60s - but he couldn't read and felt isolated so asked Ester to release him from his contract.
He played for Johnnie Mae Matthews and recorded a 45 for Checkmate Records - Come Back Summertime - credited as Joey King - Popcorn Wylie is playing piano on it.
In the early 60s he gigged around Detroit and in north Michigan with James Jamerson, Melvin Davis, David Ruffin; and also Earl Van Dyke for a while (at Phelps) - until Earl joined Motown.
Don Davis asked him to join Thelma Records and he wrote a few songs there. He was also manager of Diamond Jim Riley's set up and wrote a few of those songs too.
He played on the dubs of all those the Groovesville - Ric-Tic tracks with Steve mancha and Melvin Davis.
He's a great guy.
Graham

By john lester (213.122.200.65 - 213.122.200.65) on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 - 11:17 am:

thanks for that Graham

Did he actually record at Hitsville USA? find out his recording name if you can?

By david, glasgow, scotland (213.107.27.25 - 213.107.27.25) on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 - 03:34 pm:

graham

thanks for some great detail.

By Eli (170.115.179.106 - 170.115.179.106) on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 - 06:04 pm:

There was an interesting 12 stringed instrument called the Belzouki which was designed by Vinnie Bell the designe of the Coral electric sitar. We had one at Sigma but someone nicked it!!

By Steve Litos (209.100.86.4 - 209.100.86.4) on Tuesday, April 23, 2002 - 10:05 pm:

Speaking of Coral Belzoukis...Park Ave Music in Lombard, Illinois,USA used to collect them obessively. They used to have 5 or 6 in the shop a couple of years ago. Last time I checked I think they still have one or two. Maybe the owners of the shop snagged the one from Sigma.
-Steve Litos

By Dennis Coffey (206.47.172.178 - 206.47.172.178) on Wednesday, April 24, 2002 - 12:05 am:

Hi Graham. I never saw Ed Wingate at a session he wasn't funding or involved in. I did a lot of work for Ed at Golden World. I enjoyed working for him.

Dennis Coffey

By acooolcat (61.222.95.58 - 61.222.95.58) on Wednesday, April 24, 2002 - 03:36 am:

John - I'm sure Kingfish (Joseph Stribling) never recorded at Motown. He was going to go on the road (with Mary Wells) but as he couldn't read music it never happened; I think he fell out with Sonny Sanders at the time.
I'm sure there's a clip on Ritchie's site showing him with David Ruffin and Melvin Davis - gigging at a place on Puritan. David and Melvin took turns playing drums and singing.
In the 50s he sang on street corners with Lamont Dozier, Ty Hunter and Leon Ware.
Graham