DBeng21

By David Madrid
In the age of satellite radio, ipods and mp3 downloads, it’s almost
hard to believe there’s still folks that long for the touch and crackling
sound of spinning vinyl. That’s right; with a current generation
that can’t even conceive the use of a walk man, there’s a steady
growing movement of classic soul record collectors here in the Bay
Area.
American funk and classic soul by far is one of the most loved
and popular genres of music to be collected worldwide crossing generations,
borders and all color lines. I myself am a soul lover and host
of a radio show by the name of San Jo Soul on 91.5 fm KKUP. (Bay
Area/Central Coast) My show specializes in rare classic soul and
serves as an outlet for Bay Area collectors to showcase their music.
I was able to catch up with San Jo native Art Cordova a.k.a.
“The Duke of Soul”. The Duke has been collecting for about 15 years
now, not bad for a 32 year old. Although considered young by most in
the game, his deep love and extensive knowledge for the music has
earned him the “Duke” title and much respect from older and serious
collectors nation wide. World known collector Tommy Siqueiro gives
the Duke his props, stating that within a short amount of time he has
already passed up many seasoned collectors that have been in the
game twice as long.
The Duke got started collecting back in his teens, like many
young Chicanos he grew up listening to oldies. But it wasn’t till he
heard the jam “Gotta try to get you back” by Mike Kirkland that inspired
him to look beyond the common stuff and start digging deeper.
“I was intrigued by the rawness and depth of that song, ” says Duke.
He wasn’t satisfied with a C.D. copy he wanted to see the original
record spin.
“Soul music comes straight from the heart”, explains Duke. It’s
the melodies and lyrics the pleasure and pain that is captured on that
little 7inch record that gets people hooked. Collectors could spend
any where from fifty to a few hundred bucks on a single piece of vinyl
serious collectors could drop thousands. “It’s not about the money,”
says Duke “It’s about the individuals connection to that Rola (song).”
Collectors could spend years searching for a particular record, and
coming across it could happen once in a lifetime. So if it turns up you
better not sleep on it.
Soul collectors all tend to have their own style and flavor. Some
seek the slow paced ballard’s and group soul harmonies known as
“tearjerkers” and others prefer the up-tempo Northern Soul sound
known as “movers and groovers”.
There are also different eras and national regions that have their
own distinctive sound, like Philadelphia, Detroit and even Ohio for example.
The Duke say’s that we are fortunate to be in the Bay Area because
it’s one of the most musically sought after regions in the world.
“We had some of the baddest groups come out of the Bay” says
Duke, like the E.14th St. Band, The Fuller Brothers, Jesse James and
The San Francisco T.K.O’s to name a few.
I asked the Duke what makes a good collector? He says it’s all
about being educated in the music, knowing artist, dates and record
labels are the fundamentals. Good collectors are constantly studying
their soul bibles (Record catalogs) knowing what’s out there along
with its value and how to hunt for it. The Duke’s gone far as contacting
the family of old band members while on the hunt for records.
Having the knowledge is one thing but knowing what to do with it is
the key.
Being connected to the web is also crucial for any soul seeker,
“The scene has gone from hitting the local record shops to hitting the
Internet” explains Duke. Competing for bids on sites like E-Bay are
now commonplace for collectors, it’s now a globally connected community.
Duke laughs, “Them boy’s out in England swooped up on all
our soul” stating that the collectors from the U.K currently have some
of the most rare soul 45’s in existence, and with contacts made on the
web he is now able to track them down.
And currently because of the bad economy it’s an exciting time
to be on the record hunt says Duke, ”Theirs a lot of big collectors right
now hurting for cash.” And as a result there’s a lot of exclusive 45’s
starting to pop up on the scene. On top of that there’s also an
underground soul movement in full swing right now making
it interesting. Contemporary soul artist like “Lee Fields” and
musical groups such as the “Kings go Fourth” are recording
new music in true tradition of the 60’s soul era. I’m talking
deep lyrics, live instruments and recording on analog tapes,
they’re even pressing up their singles out on vinyl.
Over all, The Duke of Soul is a humble
and modest homeboy with straight passion
for that sweet soul sound. And although he
posse’s a soul collection any heavy collector
would kill for, he would never claim to
have them all. “There’s just so much music out
there,” claims Duke, and for that reason he will
continue to stay on the hunt. ◊
19 Summer 09 siliconvalleydebug.com