Spencer Wiggins had the poor fortune of being a great soul singer in a place where and at a time when there were more than enough of those to go around -- namely Memphis, TN, during the mid-'60s when Stax Records was the biggest name in town, Willie Mitchell's Hi Records was on the rise, and Atlantic had practically made the town its second home. While Wiggins had a strong enough voice to have found a home at any of those labels, he was discovered by Quinton Claunch of Goldwax Records, and while Claunch was a talented songwriter and producer, his label didn't have the juice to push many of its acts to stardom (the tragic James Carr being a rare exception). Listening to The Goldwax Years, a collection of 22 numbers Wiggins cut for the label between 1966 and 1969, it's not hard to imagine that with better breaks Wiggins could have become one of the major soul stars of the era; his voice could swing from quiet pleading to full-on soul bellow without seeming excessive either way, his sense of phrasing and working the drama of a song was strong indeed, and the production on his sessions (usually by Claunch and Rudolph V. Russell) was terrific, able to conjure up shades of Big City cool when needed while usually offering a healthy portion of Deep South passion. And though not all the songs he had to work with were great ("He's Too Old" and "Soul City U.S.A." just don't work despite solid performances from Wiggins and the studio players), there are some really fine numbers here, including "Lonely Man," "That's How Much I Love You," "Poor Man's Son," and a gender-switch cover of the Aretha Franklin hit " "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)." Spencer Wiggins never became one of the leading players in Southern soul, but his recorded legacy supports the notion that there were an awful lot of great acts around if someone this good could slip through the cracks, and folks who dig vintage R&B owe it to themselves to give this underappreciated master a listen. ~ Mark Deming
Spencer Wiggins was Goldwax's third most recorded artist after James Carr and The Ovations, and he is considered one of the very best Southern Soul singers. He also had a great blues voice, so several of these tracks will appeal to Ace's blues aficionado
Liner Note Authors: Colin Dilnot; Ady Croasdell.
Arranger: Alana Dante.Uncut (p.106) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[O]n 'Lonely Man' and 'I'm A Poor Man's Son', he pleads convincingly." No Depression (p.100) - "On the tracks here, he can inhabit a deep blues, a churchy soul tune, and even country-tinged material." Mojo (Publisher) (p.124) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[He] dealt in loneliness, unrequited and forbidden love."
Spencer Wiggins - Goldwax Years Album Track Listing
Trk
Song
1
Once in a While (Is Better Than Never at All)
2
Old Friend (You Asked Me If I Miss Her)
3
Kind of Woman That's Got No Heart
4
Lonely Man
5
He's Too Old
6
I'm a Poor Man's Son
7
What Do You Think About My Baby
8
Anything You Do Is All Right
9
I'll Be True to You
10
Take Me Just as I Am
11
That's How Much I Love You
12
I Never Loved a Woman (The Way I Love You)
13
Who's Been Warming My Oven
14
Walking Out on You
15
Soul City U.S.A.
16
Sweet Sixteen
17
Uptight Good Woman
18
Lover's Crime
19
My Love Is Real
20
Power Of A Woman
21
I'm a Poor Man's Son
22
That's How Much I Love You
Goldwax Years Music Review
Customer Goldwax Years Reviews
Average Rating: (4 out of 5 stars)
Old Friend Old Friend(5 stars) is one of my Mother's favorite songs, & best one on the CD, it brings back many old memories. The original 45 was lost during the hurricane of 2005, & it has taken a while to replace it. Submitted by gwalexander (Prairieville, LA) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
IT'SONE OF THE BEST SONGS THAT I HAVE EVER HEARD I HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS SONGS FOR YEARS. Submitted by HWITHERSPOON (BATON ROUGE LA.) Was This Review Helpful? YesNo
Old Friend
IT'SONE OF THE BEST SONGS THAT I HAVE EVER HEARD
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