By Pogo (66.129.43.61) on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 07:58 pm:

Looking for the name of an old soul tune gang. All I got are a few lyrics. The cat is singing about his ride:

Diamond in the back.

Makin' the scene with a gangster lean.

Anybody remember?

By STUBASS (205.188.209.109) on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 08:16 pm:

OK POGO...I'M ON THE "STICK" HERE!!!..."BE THANKFUL FOR WHAT YOU GOT"...BY WILLIAM DEVAUGHN!!!..."DIAMOND IN THE BACK...SUNROOF TOP...DIGGIN THE SCENE WITH A GANSTER LEAN"!!!...I BELIEVE THAT THIS WAS A "PHILLY" CONCOCTION!!!...SINCE WE HAVE A RESIDENT "PHILLY SOUND" EXPERT ON BOARD...I'M SURE WE CAN GET MORE DETAILS!!!...STUBASS

By Pogo (66.129.43.61) on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 08:48 pm:

Stubass,
Yu da man! Been a long time since I heard the jam. Could not for the life of me remember the name, and nobody plays it anymore. I've been putting a compilation of 60s/70s soul tunes together and I thought that would be a nice touch. Thanks brother!
Pogo

By douglasm (68.113.13.31) on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 10:15 pm:

So I was listening to "Superfly" the other day, and a song basically slamming the "70's "Ganster" look came to mind. The only line I can remember refers to "Ganster Whitewalls". Curtis Mayfield? HELP!

By STUBASS (152.163.252.68) on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 10:35 pm:

HEY POGO: NO PROBLEM...GLAD TO HELP...ENJOY THE TUNE...AFTER ALL..."YOU MAY NOT HAVE A CAR AT ALL"!!!... DOUG: I REMEMBER THAT LINE BY CURTIS MAYFIELD!!!...YOU COULD ASK FREDDIE...OHH...BUT "FREDDIE'S DEAD"!!!...SORRY!!!...STUBASS

By Karyl (206.134.248.42) on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 10:36 pm:

I LOVE this song!! It's called "Be Thankful For What You Got"

William Devaughn did it in 1974 backed up by Chocolate Milk. You can listen to the sample here....

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000001QW3/qid=1054780466/sr=2-2/ref=sr_2_2/102-0928415-9142560

By Pogo (66.129.43.61) on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 10:53 pm:

Stubass,
Ok I got one more you. The lines went:

What it was, what it is, what is it gonna be.

Any idea on that bad boy?

By Eli (141.151.1.101) on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 11:02 pm:

Karyl,
You have your info wrong.
The backing musicians on Be thankful were:
Earl Young, Ronnie Baker, Norman Harris, Bobby Eli, Vince Montana, Larry Washington and John Davis.

By stephanie (64.63.221.169) on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 11:07 pm:

Eli
I didnt know you were on that song!!! Its an alltime classic it was played in the neighborhood
all of the time....how do you remember all of these sessions you have been on so much of this
stuff..
Stephanie

By Eli (141.151.1.101) on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 11:15 pm:

Its easy Steph cause I played on ALL of the Philly hits and then some plus I have somewhat of a photographic memory or so I have been told.
Also, I probably was an Elephant in a former lifetime!!!

I was truly blessed to be at the right place at the right time along with all of my great musical friends who were right there with me every step of the way from the beginning to the end.

By STUBASS (152.163.252.68) on Wednesday, June 04, 2003 - 11:54 pm:

SEE THERE POGO!!!...AROUND HERE...YOU NOT ONLY GET THE TITLE AND ARTIST...BUT THE HISTORY BEHIND THE RECORDING...AND IF YOU WAIT LONG ENOUGH...SOMEONE WILL TELL YOU WHAT WILLIAM HAD FOR LUNCH THE DAY OF THE SESSION!!!...AS FOR YOUR NEXT QUESTION???..."WHAT IT IS...WHAT IT WAS...WHAT IT'S GONNA BE"...THAT'S JUST THE WAY I GREET PEOPLE IN THE STREET!!!...ACTUALLY...CULTURAL PHRASIOLOGY LIKE THAT OFTEN FINDS IT'S WAY INTO THE MUSIC OF THE DAY...OR VICE-VERSA...JUST ASK THE DRAMATICS!!!...BUT I CAN'T QUITE COME UP WITH THE ONE TO WHICH YOU'RE REFERRING!!!...SORRY...BUT I'M SURE THAT SOMEONE WILL HELP!!!...STUBASS

By Eli (141.151.1.101) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 12:01 am:

I think that William had a Tuna Hoagie and a Coke!!

By STUBASS (152.163.252.68) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 12:03 am:

SEE WHAT I MEAN???...HAAAAAAAAAA

By Larry (69.3.129.93) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 12:10 am:

Geezus Eli. What a discography you've got. Wow!

..."just remember, brutha's and sistuh's, you can still stand Tall".

By Eli (141.151.1.101) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 12:15 am:

All I can say is I am blessed to have been there!!
Sometimes I find it hard to believe myself!!

By Karyl (63.189.144.251) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 06:48 am:

Eli, thanks for correcting me..just goes to show you that you can't believe everything you read!

It's still a great song tho! :-)

By KevGo (64.115.26.80) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 02:49 pm:

Great...now y'all are gonna make me pull out my old 45 on the Roxbury label!

"Be Thankful" was one of Philly's finest records & I love the album version where Bobby, Norman, Vince & company get to groove on for another few minutes. Great tune for dancing.

Kevin Goins - KevGo

By Handsome (170.118.157.134) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 03:14 pm:

Or for those who don't have the 45, like KevGo, it's available on Stepping Out, part of the Smooth Grooves compilations on Rhino/Atlantic.

By Pogo (66.129.43.61) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 05:30 pm:

Stubass,
Got a hold of the song. Man I forgot how good it sounds. Haven't heard it for some 25 years. They just don't play all the good jams on the radio. I mean when was the last time you heard "Why Not Start All Over Again" by the Counts? You've got to find some bad a-- internet show to find these tunes. Thanks again brother! And yea those lyrics, the only ones I remember in the song was:
What it is, what it was, and what is it gonna be.
Pogo

By jan (217.8.173.20) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 05:41 pm:

'be thankful' was also a hit for a ( once good ) british group - massive attack, seen them do some mighty live versions in warsaw

love the fabulous counts mentioned above, long jam with 'play it again' in it ? sure the vinyl version was superior to the one i got on cd later

By Sly fan (63.207.60.92) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 05:42 pm:

Why Not Start All Over is the jam!! That whole Counts album is a monster...The best internet radio station that plays some of those songs and artist such as The Counts is Radio VH1 (gotta go under the Funk catergory).

"Be Thankful" can be also found on some down tempo loft compilations..WAX records in LA or NYC can be able to order it.

I am lucky to have the original LP, "Little Man" is the sure shot..

Peace.

By STUBASS (205.188.209.109) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 06:01 pm:

HEY POGO!!!...YEAH...IT'S REALLY COOL WHEN A SONG YOU'VE VIRTUALLY FORGOTTEN ABOUT GETS PLAYED AND IT'S LIKE...YEAHHHHHH!!!...REGARDING THE "COUNTS"...I KNEW THEM BACK WHEN...EVEN PLAYED IN A DIFFERENT BAND WITH SAX PLAYER DEMO CATES...AND USED TO GO HEAR AND HANG WITH THE COUNTS THREE MAN JAZZ/FUNK CONJUNCTION!!!...I REMEMBER WHEN THEY CUT "JAN JAN"...BUT "START ALL OVER AGAIN" IS ONE THAT I'VE HEARD OF...BUT THE TUNE DOESN'T LEAP RIGHT INTO MY MIND!!!...I'LL CHECK IT OUT WHEN I GET A CHANCE...AND PROBABLY WILL...OH YEAH...I REMEMBER THAT ONE!!!...STU

By RD (63.188.33.124) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 06:08 pm:

Interesting. On the Chocolate Milk website. It says that they backed William DeVaughn on "Be Thankful For What You Got." Maybe you should email them Bobby and set 'em straight. What do they know. Didn't John Davis conduct/produce that session?

http://t-mad.com/Chocolate_Milk/Other_Work.html

By douglasm (68.113.13.31) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 06:36 pm:

Stu...
You may not have
A big Cadillac
Gangster whitewalls
TV antenna on the back....

Apparently POGO's original question proded a different line of the same song for me.

By STUBASS (205.188.209.109) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 06:39 pm:

DOUG: HAVE YOU EVER SEEN *MY* CAR???...YOU'RE RIGHT!!!...THE GANGSTER WHITEWALLS WERE FROM THAT SONG!!!...QUESTION...JUST WHAT *ARE* GANSTER WHITEWALLS!!!...THOSE BIG THICK ONES...OR THE THIN DOUBLE RINGS ONES!!!...REMEMBER WHEN DETROIT WENT TO THE THIN WHITE WALL FROM THE BIG THICK ONES!!!...BY THE WAY...I HAVEN'T SEEN A WHITEWALL (OUTSIDE OF MY HOUSE) IN YEARS AND YEARS!!!...STU

By douglasm (68.113.13.31) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 06:46 pm:

The big wide ones like you used to see on your daddy's '54 Plymouth. Or at least on MY daddy's '54 Plymouth.
Yes, I remember. Performance tires sometimes used colored rings--either Tiger Paws or Firestone 500's at one time had double red rings. Sidewall stripes, I mean. Not General Dual 80's.

By Funkyone D J Dollar BILL (216.221.81.96) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 06:48 pm:

Never knew it was you on that track Mr.Eli,but should have known!A great song and nothing makes a thread better for me than mention of The (Fabulous)Counts.Wonder B knows of my weakness for The Fatback Band and The Counts.LOL
I have heard at least one other cover version of Be Thankful from the 80's(Not Massive Attack),but the original stands the test of time and I can't keep count of the number of times people ask about that song with"Diamond in the back"

By Eli (151.197.207.181) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 07:47 pm:

Hi RD..I tried to email them but it does not take me to the propper page.
Why would they want to lie when they have their own legacy to deal with.
Yes John Davis produced the record with direction from Allen Felder.
It was done in one take, mistakes and all and no one imagined aat the time that it would become the hit that it was as the session was produced for Melomega/Omega/Sound Gems who were known song sharks as in send us your money and we will cut your song!!

By Pogo (66.129.43.61) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 07:51 pm:

Gangster whitewalls are the "WIDE" whites as Doug pointed out. I believe the trend at the time this song was out, early '70s, was the big chromed Caddies, Lincolns, etc. with the wide whites. I do believe they were referred to as pimp mobiles.

By Tony B. (212.56.114.168) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 08:01 pm:

William DeVaughn had to pay for the studio time himself, apparently.

---

Keepin' up with Mr. Jones
You don't need a loan
Keepin' up with Mr. Jones
You don't need a loan
Thankful, thankful, thankful
We should be thankful

That'll fool some of you! :-)

By Eli (151.197.207.181) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 08:04 pm:

Stan Watson, owner of Philly Groove records was THE template for everything about that song and when I would see him in his Caddy with the diamond in the back I would chuckle to myself.

By RD (63.188.32.39) on Thursday, June 05, 2003 - 10:07 pm:

Reading that Chocolate Milk bio again I think whoever wrote it misunderstood what somebody in Chocolate Milk told them. CM probably told the writer that they backed William Devaughn on the road and the writer made the leap to CM also recording on the session.

Bobby, if you go to their feedback page you can send whoever a message and set 'em straight (or "get 'em told" as my grandma use to say): http://t-mad.com/Chocolate_Milk/Feedback.html

The Black Music and Soul Review Magazine had a detailed account about William Devaughn and "Be Thankful for What You Got" in the seventies. And what you're saying about the setup is true.