By LarryRott (216.23.183.2) on Thursday, April 24, 2003 - 04:43 pm:

As per the invitation by one solid SD member who knows his Soul music as hard as I pray for mine, here's the very rare 45 of Richard Drapkin, aka Ricky Dee, aka Rick Martell. You'd think the man was runnin' from the law with all those aliaseses.

By David Meikle (62.252.128.6) on Thursday, April 24, 2003 - 05:42 pm:

Great images Larry!

Thanks

By John Lester (81.132.11.104) on Thursday, April 24, 2003 - 06:45 pm:

Is this the man who also wrote Together We Can Make Such Sweet Music

By dvdmike (12.84.141.146) on Thursday, April 24, 2003 - 08:15 pm:

He also wrote "Devil In Her Heart"

By MEL&THEN SOME (212.159.48.53) on Thursday, April 24, 2003 - 08:17 pm:

Great stuff Larry.
mel.

By Larry (216.23.183.2) on Thursday, April 24, 2003 - 09:08 pm:

Mel and folks,

I won't comment on the song quality except to say that Joe Moorehouse expressed it well on the Mah's and the great Mike A. Hanks thread "Teener stuff, very white, but pretty good quality of its type". I will add that, few people on this earth have ever seen this 45. It's been sitting in my TWA vinyl travel bag with other 45's since 1969 when my Uncle Sheldon gave it to me!

He also gave me these stickers when he worked at Capitol records as an A&R guy:


If I can get the photo of 'Sheldon with the Beatles' before he drove them to Olympia Stadium in '63...

By Davie Gordon (193.122.21.42) on Friday, April 25, 2003 - 09:19 am:

Larry,

Thanks for the scan

The ZTSC numbers are 104247 and 104248
The nearest numbers I have logged
are
104234 THe Reflections - Out Of The Picture
104258 The Marvelettes - I'll Keep On Holding On

Both of these are from July 1965 so we've got an
approximate release date for it.

Here's a listing , in rough chronological order,
of records Richard was involved in as a writer

1962 The DONAYS (Brent 7033, UK Oriole 1760)
DEVIL IN HIS HEART (Drapkin)
BAD BOY (Drapkin)

1963 THE DARLINGS (Kay-Ko 1000)
NOW YOU'VE GONE AND DONE IT(Drapkin,Coleman,Cutler)
BIG WHEEL (Drapkin, Coleman)

1967 KRIS PETERSON (Pelikin 102, Capitol 2014)
MAMA'S LITTLE BABY IS A BIG GIRL NOW
(Drapkin, Clay McMurray)
MAMA'S LITTLE BABY - INSTRUMENTAL

1967 SPYDER TURNER (MGM LP.... , MGM 14263)
I'M ALIVE WITH A LOVIN' FEELING (Drapkin, Rott)

196? CONNIE GRAHAM (N.O.E. 2010)
THAT'S ALL BEHIND YOU (Drapkin, Coleman,McMurray)
I NEED YOU NOW MORE THAN EVER (same)

1968 JOE TOWNS (Top Dog 105)
TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE SUCH SWEET MUSIC (Drapkin, Coleman)
DOWN AND OUT WORLD (Drapkin, Coleman)

1968 JOE TOWNS (Top Dog 107)
YOU CAN'T HOLD ME BACK (Drapkin, Coleman)
BUSY SIGNAL (Drapkin, Coleman)

1968 JOE TOWNS (Top Dog 108)
LOOK AROUND AND YOU'LL FIND ME (Drapkin, Coleman)
DOWN AND OUT WORLD (Drapkin, Coleman)

1968 THE PUSHCART (Top Dog 109)
I'VE GOT A TICKET TO THE WORLD (Drapkin, Mike Valvano)
YO TE AMO ( D Kovarik, D Kovarik)

1968 THE CAMEL DRIVERS (Buddah 85 )
DON'T THROW STONES AT ME (Drapkin)

1970 THE SPINNERS (VIP , 7/70)
IT'S A SHAME
TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE SUCH SWEET MUSIC (RD,Coleman)

1971 THE SUPREMES AND FOUR TOPS
RIVER DEEP, MOUNTAIN HIGH
TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE SUCH SWEET MUSIC (RD,Coleman)

1971 THE SUPREMES "New Ways But Love Stays" LP
TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE SUCH SWEET MUSIC (RD,Coleman

1971 BARBARA LEWIS (Enterprise 9029)
THAT'S THE WAY I LIKE IT (Drapkin, Valvano)

1971 LARRY SANTOS (Evolution 1029)
NOW THAT I HAVE FOUND YOU (Drapkin, Valvano)
WANDERING MAN (Drapkin, Santos)

1971 LARRY SANTOS (Evolution 1039)
LITTLE BIT OF YOU (Drapkin, Santos)
?

1972 SPANKY WILSON
I THINK I'M GONNA CRY (Drapkin, Artie Fields)
?

There's another half dozen or so songs listed at
BMI that I haven't been able to trace

THE DOWNER I GET (Drapkin, Fields)

GIRL (Drapkin, Sheldon Rott)

HOW DID IT FEEL (Drapkin, Sheldon Rott)

IN LOVE AM I (Drapkin, Rott)

LET HER WALK AWAY (Drapkin)

SHE'S GONE IN MY DREAMS (Drapkin)

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR (Drapkin)

Maybe your Uncle Sheldon can tell you if some of these were actually recorded.

I forgot to check for the details of which album the Beatles' cover's on - will post details later
just to tidy things up.

Addirions welcome, as usual

Davie

By Clay (66.73.216.153) on Saturday, April 26, 2003 - 06:08 am:

Hi Davie G,
That was a graet lineup of Rick Drapkin songs. I had the pleasure of working with Rick and he's really a great writing partner. There are 3 songs that happen to be favorites of mine and if you have them...? I would like to know if I can get a copy for my listening pleasure by the fireplace....#1 I think I'm gonna Cry-Spanky Wilson 1972 #2 That's all behind you
-Connie Graham N.O.E.2010 along with the Flipside.
Let me know if you have them.......Peace

By Davie Gordon (193.122.21.42) on Saturday, April 26, 2003 - 10:58 am:

Hi Clay,

Sorry I can't help you with those records - I don't have all the records I mention in posts,
just the information about them.

Hopefully somebody reading this has one or more them and can get MP3s of them to you.

Good luck !

Davie

By Davie Gordon (193.122.21.42) on Saturday, April 26, 2003 - 11:02 am:

I managed to omit the label for the Spanky Wilson
track. It was issued twice by Westbound, as Westbound 207 in 10/72 then reissued (?) as
Westbound 5012 in 9/75.

Davie

By Larry (12.141.160.25) on Saturday, April 26, 2003 - 11:46 am:

PASTE IN FROM "Mah's and the great Mike A. Hanks"

By David Meikle
Richard Drapkin co-wrote "I'm alive with the loving feeling" for Spyder Turner.
The other writer on that song a Melvin Sheldon Rott. Is Mr Rott a relation Larry?
It's a great song.

By Larry
My father's brother. Excerpt from a letter to me from Sheldon re: Spyder Turner

"...I didn't mention it, but I recorded several sessions at Terra Sherma on Livernois at Fenkell. At one midnight session, I over dubbed all 3 three trumpet parts on a recording. I also remember Spyder Turner recording his album with one of my songs on it called "I'm alive with a lovin' feeling" which was what developed from the original song that Ricky Dee and I wrote at Motown studios called "Standing in the Shadows of Love" which was released under Holland Dozier and Holland.

By acooolcat
The ztsc matrix number shows it was pressed at Columbia's plant and Vicky Music was/is Harry Balk's publishing company. Barney Browner was also known as Duke Brownser and did some writing etc' for Harry Balk's Impact label around 1966 - 67.
I've obviously never heard of the Big Sounds record label - and this 45. The question of its value doesn't rest with its rarity though - it has to sound good to command big bucks. What's it like and what year do you think it was recorded?
Graham
PS: What's the ztsc # on the flip side?

By Larry
The flipside ztsc #104248.

By Joe Moorehouse
Based on the ZTSC number, it looks like this Ricky Dee record is from '65. He cut some other 45s between '63 and '65, including one or two on Patlow. Teener stuff, very white, but pretty good quality of its type. I can't remember whether Duke Browner and Harry Balk had any input on his other sides or not. One of the records is in the room with me somewhere--I'll see if I can dig it out and report.