| Wheedle's Groove: Uncovering Seattle's Soul-Funk Past | ||
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Evil Bunny Films Presents. . .
While Quincy Jones, Jimi Hendrix, and Ray Charles left Seattle to make it, they left behind a thriving scene with a unique Seattle sound. In the late 1960’s, groups like Black on White Affair, The Soul Swingers, and Cold, Bold & Together filled local airwaves as radio station KYAC provided a structure for the community to flourish. Many of the groups started to receive widespread attention with invitations to perform on national television and to collaborate with mainstream acts. Just as many of the groups were on the verge of breaking out, the fickle public turned its ear from funk to disco, and Seattle's soul and funk scene slipped into obscurity. Thirty years later and half way around the world in London, England, the music came to life again. English collectors purchased a defunct record distribution warehouse in San Francisco. One of the records was a 45 rpm vinyl single called "I Let a Good Man Go" by Patrinell Staten, a young Seattle soul singer who printed 500 copies of her 45 in 1969 and traveled up and down the West Coast performing and selling records out of the trunk of her car. The collectors took the record back to England, and it quickly became a huge hit. In 2000, Patrinell Staten Wright, who had gone on to form Seattle's phenomenally successful Total Experience Gospel Choir, was sitting at home when an English woman knocked on her door and offered to buy her copy of the 45 for $3500. Meanwhile, local collector DJ Mr. Supreme started uncovering Seattle’s soulful past after finding a dusty Black on White Affair 45 called "Bold Soul Sister" in a 99 cent bin at a Seattle Center record show. By 2003 he had a sketchy idea of a once-thriving scene and a hefty collection of Seattle soul and funk 45s, some of which were beginning to fetch upwards of $2000 on eBay. Supreme approached local record label Light In The Attic with the idea of releasing a Seattle soul and funk compilation. Light In The Attic spent twelve months tracking down the artists and fleshing out the story of Seattle's funky past, and the result was a CD compilation entitled Wheedle's Groove. At the Wheedle's Groove CD release party in August of 2004, a line of nostalgic 60-somethings and funk-hungry 20-somethings wrapped around the building as the musicians inside, who had traveled from all over the world, prepared to perform together for the first time in 30 years. This is their story. Click here to watch the trailer now! And please visit the get involved page to find out how you can help with this project. Any memorabilia or stories are always welcome, and we are still raising capital! Contact richard@evilbunnyfilms.com for more info. |