TY KARIM / TY カリム / COMPLETE TY KARIM LOS ANGELES' SOUL GODDES / CD

Ty Karim was a stunning looking, tall and elegant LA soul singer with a raw emotive vocal delivery. She recorded from the mid 60s to early 80s, mainly under the auspices of her second husband Kent "Boo-Ga-Loo" Harris.

Her recordings were mainly original dancefloor-inspired numbers, very dynamic and great vehicles for her husky voice. The 60s tracks are Northern Soul at its best and their rarity and excellence has put three of them into the ?1000+ bracket even though one of them came out on three different catalogue numbers. Big beat ballad fans should also look out for the stunning 'All At Once' which may have passed them by as the flips command those high, high prices.

The crossover funk of 'Wear Your Natural' presaged the 70s soul sound that Ty also mastered and she worked through that decade with great acclaim for 'Lightin' Up' and then into the 80s when her 12" collaboration with George Griffin 'Keep On Doin' Whatcha Doin'' gained her new overseas fans.

Sadly Ty died in the late 80s, but there is a fascinating story about how her daughter Karime, inspired by reading a Northern Soul fanzine article on her mother, moved to the UK and has now started singing her mother and father's wonderful music to very appreciative crowds on today's Northern Soul circuit.

Kent Harris has given us complete access to all his master tapes and we have found some great alternative takes on some of Ty's songs, including a great blues version of 'Lighten Up Baby'. The tape clarity is particularly good too, given the dubious sound quality of the previous bootlegs of the music.

DJ Mark Lamarr, being a particular fan of "Boo-Ga-Loo" and his Gallant Crew, has been championing the family's music and with Karime promoting it around the country, Ty and Kent's artistry is going to get a major second lease of life.

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