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

Maybelle had been a R&B star since the 40s. By the time she did this ballad in 1964 her voice was a bit battered. It has the right feel for this song though.
Scepter records of NYC recorded a few singers on this track.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• soul
• oldies
• blues
• luther
• dixon
• maxine
• brown
• tommy
• hunt
• dionne
• warwick
• bacharach

[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

[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.

[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.

[GayPlaywright]

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

[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

[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.

[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.