Edwin Starr



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JANICE'S BLUES ALLEY PRESENTS

Edwin Starr



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Edwin Starr



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25 Miles to Go [Live}
War [Live 2001]


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Rightly revered for the storming protest classic "War," Edwin Starr didn't really need another hit to achieve legendary status in soul circles, so electrifying was that single performance. Starr first made his name as "Agent Double-O-Soul," and when his contract was transferred to Motown, he instantly became one of the roughest, toughest vocalists on the crossover-friendly label, with his debt to James Brown and the Stax soul shouters. Even if nothing else ever matched the phenomenon of "War," Starr had several Top Ten hits on the R&B charts over the late '60s and early '70s, and also enjoyed a brief renaissance during the disco era.

Starr was born Charles Hatcher in Nashville, TN, on January 21, 1942. He died April 2. 2003, in Nottingham, England (his cousin was deep soul singer and songwriter Roger Hatcher). He grew up in Cleveland and formed a doo wop quintet called the FutureTones while still in high school. They won numerous local talent competitions and even recorded a single for a small label, but Starr was drafted into the military in 1960, stalling the group's momentum. When he returned in 1962, he tried to get things going again, but to no avail; instead, he wound up joining Bill Doggett's group as a featured vocalist in 1963. Two years later, Starr wrote what he felt was a surefire hit in the spy-themed "Agent Double-O-Soul," and left Doggett's band to sign with Ric Tic Records and settle in Detroit. "Agent Double-O-Soul" hit the R&B Top Ten later in 1965, and just missed the pop Top 20. Starr capitalized on the song's novelty appeal by appearing on-stage in a spy costume complete with toy gun, but proved he was no one-trick pony by returning to the Top Ten a year later with "Stop Her on Sight (S.O.S.)."

Motown head Berry Gordy subsequently bought out Ric Tic and took over its artist roster, with Starr the crown jewel. Contract negotiations took some time, but Starr rebounded with his biggest hit yet in 1969's "25 Miles," which reached the Top Ten on both the pop and R&B charts. The follow-up, "I'm Still a Struggling Man," wasn't as successful, and Starr was something of a forgotten man for several months. When he returned to the studio, it was with producer Norman Whitfield, who'd been reinventing the Temptations as a psychedelic soul act. Whitfield had co-written a strident anti-war protest song, "War," for the Temps' Psychedelic Shack LP, and in spite of growing demand for a single release, Motown didn't want the group to take such an aggressive stance. Whitfield recut "War" with Starr, and the resulting version was arguably the most incendiary song Motown ever released. It zoomed to the top of the pop charts in 1970, and its chorus � powered by Starr's guttural delivery � remains a catch phrase even today.

The follow-up single, "Stop the War Now," was blatantly derivative, but made the R&B Top Five anyway, and Starr went on to land another significant hit with "Funky Music Sho' Nuff Turns Me On." In 1974, he handled the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Hell Up in Harlem, a sequel to the James Brown-scored Black Caesar (Brown had originally been slated to do the follow-up as well). The lack of promotion signaled that Starr's days with Motown were likely numbered; he charted again in 1975 with "Pain," and bade farewell to the label with "Who's Right or Wrong." He recorded albums for small labels, including 1975's Free to Be Myself on Granite and 1977's Afternoon Sunshine on GTO, before finding a new home on 20th Century in 1978. Here he briefly reinvented himself as a disco singer, scoring his biggest hits in years with 1979's "Contact" and "H.A.P.P.Y. Radio"; his final release with the label came in 1980.

Starr moved to the U.K. during the '80s, recording a Marvin Gaye tribute album for Streetwave and a handful of singles for Hippodrome over 1985-1986. His participation in the Ferry Aid charity project led to a deal with Virgin and a session with the hot production team of Stock, Aitken & Waterman, but he didn't take to their high-tech dance-pop style and instead moved to Ian Levine's Motown revival label Motorcity from 1989-1991. Later he guested on dance remakes of his past hits by Utah Saints ("Funky Music") and Three Amigos ("25 Miles"), but otherwise recorded little until his death in 2003.

-- Steve Huey of All Music Guide.
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LINKSYEARTITLE
1968 Soul Master
1969 25 Miles
1969 Just We Two
1970 War & Peace
1971 Involved
1974 Hell Up In Harlem (movie soundtrack)
1975 Free To Be Myself
1977 Afternoon Sunshine
1978 Clean
1979 H. A. P. P. Y. Radio
1980 Ear Candy
1980 Stronger Than You Think I Am
1983 For Sale
2001 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection
2002 Agent 00 Soul: The Ultimate Live Performance


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1968 Soul Master

01. Agent Double 0 Soul
02. I Am The Man For You Baby
03. (SOS) Stop Her On Sight
04. Oh How Happy
05. Way Over There
06. My Weakness Is You
07. Headline News
08. Soul Master
09. I Want My Baby Back
10. Love Is My Destination
11. I Am Your Man
12. Time Is Passin' By


1969 25 Miles

01. Twenty-Five Miles
02. I'm Still A Strugglin' Man
03. Backyard Lovin' Man
04. He Picks A Rose
05. Soul City(open your arms to me)
06. You Beat Me To The Punch
07. Gonna Keep On Tryin' Till I Win Your Love
08. Pretty Little Angel
09. If My Heart Could Tell The Story
10. Who Cares If We're Happy Or Not(I do)
11. 24 Hours(to find my baby)
12. Mighty Good Lovin'


1969 Just We Two

01. You've Made Me So Very Happy
02. I'm So Thankful
03. Oh How Happy
04. Let It Be Me
05. I'm Glad You Belong To Me
06. I'll Understand
07. We'll Find A Way
08. Sweet Joy Of Life
09. Can't We Be Strangers Again
10. I See A Rainbow
11. Ooo Baby Baby



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1970 War & Peace

01. War
02. Running Back And Forth
03. Adios Senorita
04. All Around The world
05. I Can't Escape Your Memory
06. At Last(I found a love)
07. I Just Wanted To Cry
08. Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head
09. Time
10. California Soul
11. I Can't Replace My Old Love
12. She Should Have Been Home


1971 Involved

01. War
02. Ball Of Confusion
03. Funky Music Sho' Nuff Turns Me On
04. Stop The War
05. Cloud Nine
06. Stand
07. Way Over There
08. My Sweet Lord


1974 Hell Up In Harlem (movie soundtrack)

01. Ain't It Hell Up In Harlem
02. Easin' In
03. Big Papa
04. Love Never Dies(Helen's love theme)
05. Don't It Feel Good To Be Free
06. Runnin'
07. Jennifer's Love Theme
08. Airport Chase
09. Mama Should Be Here Too
10. Like We Used To Do
11. Ain't It Hell Up In Harlem(instrumental)



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1975 Free To Be Myself

01. Stay With Me
02. Abyssinia
03. Toys
04. Drink Annie
05. Rainbow
06. Another Song For You
07. Best Of My Past
08. Beginning
09. Pain
10. Party


1977 Afternoon Sunshine

01. Overture: Afternoon Sunshine
02. Afternoon Sunshine
03. Pretty Girl
04. Ruby Begonia
05. Eavesdropper
06. I Just Wanna Do My Thing
07. Mr. Davenport And Mr. James
08. Not Having You
09. Accident
10. Everybody Needs Love
11. Edge Of Insanity



1978 Clean

01. I'm So Into You
02. Jealous
03. Contact
04. Storm Clouds On The Way
05. Don't Waste Your Time
06. Drown My Heart
07. My Friend
08. Patiently


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1979 H. A. P. P. Y. Radio

01. H. A. P. P. Y. Radio
02. Rip Me Off
03. It's Called The Rock
04. I'd Rather Fight Than Switch
05. Drown My Heart
06. My Friend
07. Patiently



1980 Ear Candy



1980 Stronger Than You Think I Am



1983 For Sale



2001 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection

01. Agent Double 0 Soul
02. Stop Her On Sight (sos)
03. Twenty-Five Miles
04. I Am The Man For You Baby
05. Oh How Happy
06. War
07. Stop The War, Now!
08. Time
09. Funky Music Sho' Nuff Turns Me On
10. There You Go
11. Contact!



2002 Agent 00 Soul: The Ultimate Live Performance

01. Intro
02. Twenty-Five Miles
03. Stop Her On Sight (sos)
04. War
05. My Girl
06. Let's Stay Together
07. Contact!
08. H. A. P. P. Y Radio
09. Agent 00 Soul
10. Headline News
11. Back Street
12. Time
13. I Have Faith In You
14. Smooth
15. Patch Up
16. Darling Darling Baby


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