Big Maybelle - Oh Lord What are You Doing to Me?

[01Nightfly]

mmh....,lovely track

[PurpleCorcra]

@BeatBoxingMaster09 Bessie Smith!! :) shes a jazz legend!!

[MsLADYELISE]

LADY MAYBELLE WAS QUITE A SINGER. SHE & MY AUNT WERE FRIENDS.THE LADY COULD SING.WHENEVER SHE WAS IN BROOKLYN SHE WOULD STOP IN MY AUNT'S RESTURANT.

[MsLADYELISE]

LADY MATBELLE WAS QUITE A SINGER. SHE AND MY AUNT WERE FRIENDS

WHEN SHE WAS IN BROOKYLN SHE'D COME AND EAT IN MY AUNT'S RESTURANT. SHE LOVED HER SOUL FOOD

[JamesKPower]

I have to add this because my head is still reeling. I met Maxine Brown this past Wednesday in a club in Harlem called the Creole. I had never met her before. We sat and talked for about 4 hours and Maxine is as down-to-earth and classy as you'd imagine! I asked her about this particular song, and she said after she recorded it, Scepter took the exact backing for Big Maybelle's record. If you wondered why the 2 records sound similar, it's because they're the exact same backings!

[soulboyrochdale]

Pure Soul brillance....and then some

[sdemon64]

Class, pure class

[MRK7421]

Wow. I am quite a Big Maybelle fan and I had never heard this... it is quite obscure. First of all, this is a serious arrangement. And Maybelle is still singing great into the 60's. Jimmy Scott called Maybelle "the voice of the century" in his biography. To me she is among the greatest talents.... and far too obscure still. Perhaps that will change. By the way listen to the last chord in this.... someone was taking chances on this production.

[yaya4now2]

Big Maybelle died in Cleveland, Ohio sometime in the 70s. This lady was a true artist. I would have loved to see her live back in the day in concert. 

[paulpellicci]

i am thrilled I have located Big Maybelle songs. I originally had 78's in the 60's. I actually thought she passed already.

[estosiesmusica]

Magnifica.

[MignonB1]

Having trouble posting here....

@BeatBoxingMaster09: If you want pure, raw EMOTION...

then nothing beats the incomparable TIMI YURO!!

[stickballtwo]

BestBoxinmaster09 I think you might like the pain in a song call small town bring

down by a guy named Tony bruno if you are talking pain this guy wants to get out so bad its kill him I know you will love hope you do Stickballtwo

[Madurocgrz]

yet another sad story of a truly talented voice lost to drugs and booze. By the end of her career, that ended far to soon, she was singing in slippers on stage. Still, her voice and pace was truly haunting. Her version of "Goodnight, wherever you are" amd "That's All" are truly great songs most don't remember.

[ptownfreddy]

She's superb.

[comingout05]

Linda Jones, raw emotion, can feel the heartbreak

[BeatBoxingMaster09]

im looking for more songs simlar to this or with a lot of pain in the voice can any 1 help me?

[bluesoulsound]

So many! These are on Youtube

Go Now - Bessie Banks

Moanin and Screamin by Diamond Joe

Cry Cry Cry - Bobby Bland

The SADDEST voice I think is Arthur Alexander's

[GayPlaywright]

Lorraine Ellison's STAY WITH ME. It will break your heart AND send shivers down your spine.

[MignonB1]

@BeatBoxingMaster09

If you want pure, raw EMOTION.... then nothing beats TIMI YURO!!

[romanyman]

These modern girls cant hold a candle to Big Maybelle. Awesome !

[bazooka93]

Epic

[upthejunction71]

Brings a lump to my throat. Awesome !!!!

[ocmar0415]

Wonderful track.

thanks.

[JamesKPower]

The only version of this I ever heard previously was Maxine Brown's. This is an absolutely breathtaking version. Simply amazing... It's sad because I'm sure in 1965 Scepter Records was pushing Dionne Warwick and the competition was just too much with all the ground-breaking soul music being made to notice what Big Maybelle was doing... This gives me a whole new respect for her... A criminally underrated artist.

[KojiRecords]

There is another version of this song, the missing musical link between the versions by Maxine and Maybelle: check out the stellar version by Brenda & The Tabulations (Dionn/Jamie-Guyden Records) off the now legendary debut album "Dry Your Eyes." Brenda adored Dionne and did no less than 3 of her songs for the Tabulations debut, including a rather spiritual verison of "Oh Lord, What Are You Doing To Me" without The Tabulaitons. Brenda's version is sheer perfection. RIP Brenda, RIP Maybelle

[mojsuksound]

i got this song on a northern soul album, even though it don't have that northern feel to it. good song.

[ocmar0415]

I say no more.

EXELLENT MUSIC!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks a lot.

[DJDJANGO1]

Big Maybelle is easily one of the unsung Sheroes of Jazz, Blues and RnB. This is by far the definitive version of this tune.

Contrary to packard400 this is not the early 60's soul sound at all, this is the classic Rhythm n Blues sound of the time. If it had more prominent backin vocals it would be Doo Wop.

Regardless of the type of Rhythm n Blues, this is a classic!!

[VALLEYOFGWANGI]

Used to end my set with this. Never bettered.

[andyjbb]

Have that! Why ever listen to anything else? Mods Rule!

[packard400]

Outstanding! Its got that "Thats how heartaches are made" by Baby Washington thing going on..Early 60's soul, with all the strings and/or horns just rules in my opinion. Also shows that the singer had the goods to make the transition from gritty 50's blues shouters to the smooth early 60's soul sound...something NOT a lot of those artists could do.

[sarahkleen]

@packard400

its nice but its not soul 

[packard400]

@sarahkleen there is a very cloudy line as to where doo wop/ R&B ended and soul started....in the U.S. up til about 1964, nobody, not even the black kids used the term "soul" unless they were referring to gospel music....1960-64 had a lot of transitionary type stuff......this is one of those (I like these better than the 65-68 " things) but to me it IS 'very early soul......it could be referred to as "very late R&B"...but it doesn't all have to sound like Irma Thomas to be soul.........

[sarahkleen]

@packard400

thanks for your reply

yes i see what you mean but i always think of soul music as "dance hall " music ,

and i just dont see how folks can "get down " to this ,

i guess

this is probably big on the uk mod scene (not a dance scene )

but not on the uk northern soul scene ( a dance scene )

id describe it as more doowop than anything

[packard400]

@sarahkleen ......Thanks for YOUR reply, and be assured whether its "mod' or "dance hall" music.....I have nothing but the highest respect for ALL of you UK folks who keep this music alive! It seems there is a greater love and respect for this music over there than in the country where it originated!

[sarahkleen]

@packard400

thats a lovely thing to say

i guess a lot of us were brought up with it in the late 60s early 70s , with family and nieghbours and such things :-)

atb x x x

[nialldcrowley]

@sarahkleen I think you (packard400) if you think that black american music, and namely soul,  fits only/either into two UK-defined catagories. I was introduced to this record by a friend who was on the northern soul scene from the early 70s. Neither he, nor most other folk I've met share your very narrow definition of soul music. Of course it isn't a northern tune, but it's most certainly a soul record by most people's definition. Try listening to Dave Godin's Deep Soul Treasures.

[fayedunawayfan]

Superb song on all counts..Thank you so for putting this gem up BlueSoulSound.. Dionne Warwick also did a glorious rendition of this.

Both are incredible. This one more gospel tinged