Arthur Conley

Arthur Lee Conley (January 4 1946 – November 17 2003) was an American soul singer, best known for the 1967 hit, "Sweet Soul Music". It shot to the number two spot on both the pop and R&B charts, earning Conley the number eleven male artist ranking for 1967. The song paid homage to other soul singers like Lou Rawls, Wilson Pickett, James Brown and Otis Redding.

Career

Conley was born in McIntosh County, Georgia and grew up in Atlanta. He first recorded in 1959 as the lead singer of Arthur & the Corvets. With this group, he released three singles in 1963 and 1964 ("Poor Girl", "I Believe", and "Flossie Mae") on the Atlanta based record label, National Recording Company.

In 1964, he moved to a new label (Ru-Jac Records) and released "I'm a Lonely Stranger". When Otis Redding heard this, he asked Conley to record a new version, which was released on Redding's own fledgling label Jotis Records, as only its second release.

Conley met Redding in 1967, but after this meeting Redding took Conley under his care, and taught him the finer points of the music industry. Together they re-wrote the Sam Cooke song "Yeah Man" into "Sweet Soul Music", which, at Redding's insistence, was released on the Atco-distributed label Fame Records, and was recorded at FAME studios in Muscle Shoals Alabama. It proved to be a massive hit, going to the number two position on the U.S. charts and the Top Ten across much of Europe.

After several years of singles in the early 1970s, he relocated to England in 1975, and spent several years in Belgium, then settled in Amsterdam, The Netherlands in spring 1977. In the beginning of 1980 he had some major performances as Lee Roberts and the Sweaters in the Ganzenhoef, Paradiso, De Melkweg and the Concertgebouw, and was highly successful. At the end of 1980 he moved to the Dutch village of Ruurlo and legally changed his name to Lee Roberts (his middle name and his mother's maiden name). There he occupied himself with promoting new music by means of his Art-Con Productions company. He was also active as a designer of specialized tapestries and furniture.

A live performance on January 8, 1980, featuring Lee Roberts & the Sweaters, was released as an album entitled "Soulin"' in 1988.

Arthur Conley died after a long battle with intestinal cancer in Ruurlo, The Netherlands at the age of 57 in November 2003.

Recordings

*"Aunt Dora's Soul Love Shack", 1968, which may have inspired The Temptations "Psychedelic Shack"
*"Burning Fire"
*"Baby, What You Want Me To Do"
*"Day-O", 1969, written by Harry Belafonte
*"Flossie Mae", 1963, as Arthur & the Corvets
*"Funky Street", 1968, #5 R&B, #14 pop
*"God Bless", 1970, Top 40 R&B
*"Ha Ha Ha"
*"I Believe", 1963, as Arthur & the Corvets
*"I Can't Stop (No, No, No)", 1966, written by Dan Penn
*"I Got A Feeling"
*"I'm a Lonely Stranger", 1964, solo, re-recorded in 1965
*"I'm Living Good", 1971-1974
*"It's So Nice [When It's Someone Else's Wife] ", 1971-1974
*"Is That You Love"
*"Let's Go Steady", B-side of "Sweet Soul Music", later covered by The Rolling Stones on Claudine(album)
*"Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da", 1968, #51 pop, #41 R&B, featured guitar of Duane Allman
*"One Night Is All I Need"
*"Otis Sleep On", 1968
*"People Sure Act Funny", 1968, Top 20 R&B
*"Poor Girl", 1963, as Arthur & the Corvets
*"Rita", 1971-1974
*"Run On", 1968
*"Shake, Rattle and Roll", 1967, Top 40 pop, Top 20 R&B
*"Shing-A-Ling"
*"Something You Got"
*"Speak Her Name", featured guitar of Duane Allman.
*"Star Review", 1969, with Tom Dowd, written by Allen Toussaint
*"Stuff You Gotta Watch", featured guitar of Duane Allman.
*"Sweet Soul Music", 1967, co-written with Otis Redding, #2 R&B, #2 pop
*"Take A Step"
*"Take Me (Just as I Am)", 1966-1967(?)
*"That Can't Be My Baby"
*"Walking on Eggs", 1971-1974
*"Who's Foolin' Who", 1966
*"Whole Lotta Woman", 1967, #73 pop
*"Wholesale Love"

References

* [http://www.otisredding.com/biography.html Otis Redding's biography contains history of Jotis Records]
* [http://www.answers.com/topic/arthur-conley Answers.com article on Arthur Conley]
* [http://www.contactmusic.com/new/xmlfeed.nsf/mndwebpages/arthur%20conley%20dies Arthur Conley Dies]

External links

* [http://www.achterhoekpromotie.nl/arthur_conley/ Memorial website] (in Dutch) Photos from Arthur's last live performance, 9 June2002 in Netherlands.
* [http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Palladium/9229/conley.htm Arthur Conley Sweet Soul Music Home Page w/ CD Liner Notes, Discography and Latest Releases]
* [http://www.melingo.com/thesoulnet/conley.htm Yoni's Home of Soul Music page on Conley, w/ info about unreleased tracks]
* [http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8103740 Find-A-Grave profile for Arthur Conley]