Sunday Rock and Blues Celebrating the 2021 Birthdays of Russ Ballard of Argent and Texas Blues Producer Don Robey

by Robert Wilkinson

Today we have Argent, Texas Blues, and more!

Russ Ballard (31 October 1945) is a singer-songwriter who has given us some great music across the decades. Brought into the Unit 4+2 by Bob Henret, they had one great big hit before Russ and Bob split and joined Rod Argent to create the awesome rock group Argent. Many of his songs went on to be hits by other bands, including "New York Groove", "You Can Do Magic", "Since You Been Gone", "Liar" , "Winning", "I Know There's Something Going On", "So You Win Again" and "God Gave Rock and Roll to You." Today’s celebration will feature his work through Argent with a section for the hits he's written for others. We have some great videos!

Here’s the Unit 4+2's biggest! From 1965, the Unit 4+2 lip synching the very bouncy “Concrete and Clay.”

From 1965, a ridiculous “live in the music instrument store” video of a song that isn’t quite ready for prime time, “Never Been in Love Like This Before”

From 1964, their first hit, which is clearly Brit proto-folk. "The Green Fields"Their second record, “Sorrow and Pain”

Here’s their version of the Bob Dylan standard “You Ain’t Going Nowhere”

And now for his time with Argent! We’ll begin with a live performance of their biggest hit! From 1973 at the Palace Theater in NY, a great live video performance of “Hold Your Head Up”

Even though he left in the mid-70s, he reunited with Argent’s original lineup at this show! From 2010 at the High Voltage Festival, a great live performance by Argent of “Liar” (Yes, 3 Dog Night also had a hit with it!). From the same show, here they are doing “Since You’ve Been Gone,” with yet another tune from that Festival, “It’s Only Money”

Russ wrote one of the great rock and roll anthems of all time! Written by Russ, produced by Rod and his bandmate from the Zombies Chris White, an amazing live performance by Argent on The Old Grey Whistle Test of one of my faves, “God Gave Rock and Roll To You”

And since it's such a great tune, here's a newer live performance from 2013 at Aylesbury of "God Gave Rock and Roll To You." (Russ also joined them for this one.)

He’s written more than a few made into hits by other bands!

In 1971 Three Dog Night took this all the way to #7 US, #4 Canada! This is a great performance video of "Liar."

The band Hello took this Russ Ballard tune all the way to #7 and #9 in Germany and the UK respectively! From 1975, here's Hello performing “New York Groove,” while Ace Frehley took it to #13 on the US charts in 1978! “New York Groove”

He wrote this great one which Santana took all the way to #17 in 1981! “Winning”

America took this one all the way to #8 in 1982! “You Can Do Magic”

We’ll finish these with one he wrote for Frida which she took to #13 in 1982! Produced by Phil Collins, who also played the drums on “I Know There’s Something Going On”

For our closers, we have some albums! Here’s Argent’s first album Argent (1970)

Their breakthrough third album All Together Now (1972)

And here’s their brilliant fourth album, worth every minute of your time! It’s one of my favorite Argent creations, and has some of the best Russ Ballard, Rod Argent, and Chris White tunes ever released. In Deep (1973)

For the encores, here are two versions of the Argent tune that had us all rocking! First, the original studio long version of “Hold Your Head Up,” which we’ll contrast with a live performance in 1973 on The Midnight Special tv show, Argent cranking out “Hold Your Head Up”

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Don Robey (November 1, 1903 – June 16, 1975) was an American record label executive, songwriter and record producer in Houston. From Wikipedia, “As the founder of Peacock Records and the eventual owner of Duke Records, he was responsible for developing the careers of many rhythm and blues artists in the 1950s and 1960s.”

”He was notorious for his controversial business practices; he reputedly used criminal means, including violence and intimidation, as part of his business model, though he was held in high regard by some of the musicians who worked for him. He was credited with writing or co-writing many of the songs recorded by Duke/Peacock artists, either under his real name, or under the pseudonym of Deadric Malone. However in many cases, he was merely a publisher and was not involved in the writing. Many other label owners paid little for songs and controlled the publishing, but Robey was one of the few to disguise the real writers, making it nearly impossible to assess who wrote what on Duke, Peacock, Backbeat and his other labels.”

Still, he brought us tunes and acts we’d never have had otherwise. For your enjoyment, Texas blues!

Our first act was ripped off by Don in a big way! As I offered back in June at his birthday celebration, Joe Medwick wrote two huge hits. He’s generally known for “Further Up the Road,” though it is generally accepted that he also wrote “I Pity the Fool,” “Turn on Your Love Light,” and many more which he sold to Don Robey, who put his own name on them. It is believed that all but one or two of the songs I have here were written by Joe but appropriated by Don Robey.

The original recording from 1957, Bobby “Blue” Bland offering up “Further On Up The Road”

From 1957, "I Don't Want No Woman"

From 1960, Bobby “Blue” Bland going smooth with Joe's “Cry Cry Cry”

From 1961, Bobby’s version of one of the most danceable tunes in history, covered by some of the best! We’ll begin with his studio version of “Turn on Your Love Light”

From 1961, here’s his version of one of the most famous songs in blues history, “I Pity the Fool”

From 1962, Bobby’s version of "Call On Me"

Here’s a great live performance video by Bobby “Blue” Bland in St. Louis where he gives up several of his biggest. Intro, “That's The Way Love Is,” “Further On Up The Road,” “I Pity The Fool,” and “As Soon As The Weather Breaks.”

Joe also wrote this 1961 hit for Little Junior Parker, "Driving Wheel"

Joe did this one himself, and it smokes! “Second Time Around”

Don Robey also gave us Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown on the Peacock label. This was a unique style synthesizing “old blues, country, jazz, Cajun music and R&B," and what came out was pioneering rock and roll and electric Texas blues.

Here’s a collection of 11 tunes from his Peacock years! The Original Peacock Recordings 1949-59 (“Midnight Hour,” “Sad Hour,” “Ain’t That Dandy,” “It’s Your Daddy Yaddy Yo,” “Dirty Work at the Crossroad,” “Hurry Back Good News,” “Okie Dokie Stomp,” “Good Lookin’ Woman,” “Gate’s Salty Blues,” “Just Before Dawn,” “Depression Blues,” “For Now So Long”)

Some great singles, some of which are in the compilation, some of which aren’t!

“Baby Take It Easy”

“September Song”

“Gates Salty Blues”

From 1950, “Boogie Rambler”

From 1951, “Pale Dry Boogie Pt. 1”

From 1953, “Boogie Uproar”

From 1954, “Okie Dokie Stomp”

From 1959, the original 45 studio version of “Depression Blues”

For our closer, we have several versions of one of the saddest blues classics ever written. It was penned by Peppermint for Fenton Robinson when Fenton was on Duke Records (owned by Robey), and it's been covered by some of the greatest. Here's Fenton Robinson's Duke Records version of “As the Years Go Passing By”

Here’s the 1969 version by Santana of “As the Years Go Passing By”

Here's a great audio version by Boz Scaggs and Booker T Jones of this classic! "As The Years Go Passing By."

We'll complete this eclectic group of performances with the archetype! I saw Albert King do this live in Dallas years ago, and it cuts to the quick! From the album Born Under A Bad Sign, “As the Years Go Passing By,” and for a bone chilling live version by Albert and Rory Gallagher, “As the Years Go Passing By”

© Copyright 2021 Robert Wilkinson

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