Sunday 10 June 2012

THE AGP SINGLES

"Whatever the original intentions for the label may have been, it quickly became the experimental laboratory for Tommy Cogbill, and acquiring the singles he produced is essential to an understanding of his talent."  -  ROBEN JONES

A brief history...


(Billboard News - 9th November 1968)


Via the wall of his Facebook group dedicated to the legendary American Sound Studio in Memphis, Erick Crews recently voiced his hopes to see an online database that would serve to catalogue the impressive series of singles as originally released on the AGP label between 1968 and 1970.

Online discographies exist, as do several videos on YouTube. As such a wealth of material is now available on the internet, I decided to to try and put together a comprehensive record of what is out there. Huge thanks go out to the good folks who have created YouTube videos featuring this material - some of which are linked to this blog - and additional thanks are directed towards Roben Jones and Erick Crews who kindly provided me with several elusive audio files and label scans. Without their invaluable contributions this blog would not exist!

At this moment in time a few pieces of the puzzle still remain to be missing, namely some label scans and track information relating to the (withdrawn?) Dee & Don single. I intend to update this blog and include any missing pieces if and when they present themselves to me. If anyone reading this has the material required to fill the gaps, please contact me via Erick Crews' Facebook group devoted to this revered studio's body of work. In the meantime, enjoy the wonderful music contained within this very special collection of seven inch singles...

*** Please note that no information regarding AGP single releases prior to AGP 105 is available. The AGP 101 release documented within several online discographies is almost certainly an error addition as The Ad Libs record neither sounds like it was recorded at American Sound nor does the label artwork correspond with the familiar AGP brand.  Therefore, it is likely that no other single releases were issued prior to AGP 105 ***

AGP 105

'ENCHILLADA SOUL' / 'THE HIGH TIMES' ~ THE AMERICAN GROUP


AGP 106

'DANG ME' / 'I'M TIRED OF PRETENDING' ~ SAM HUTCHINS


AGP 107

'REACH OUT' / 'LOVE STREET' ~ MERRILEE RUSH


AGP 108

'I AIN'T GONNA STOP' / 'I'M JUST AN AVERAGE GUY' ~ THE MASQUERADERS


AGP 109

'RING AROUND THE WORLD' / 'BAD NEWS' ~ ROOSEVELT GRIER



AGP 110

'(SHE'S A) GIRL OF MANY COLORS / THE TEACHER AND THE PET ~ 
JOHNNY CHRISTOPHER


AGP 111

'HIGH PLACES' / 'CAN I BORROW SOME TIME' ~ BUTTERSCOTCH CABOOSE

 

AGP 112

'EVERYDAY LIVIN' DAYS' / 'YOUR LOVING EYES ARE BLIND' ~ MERRILEE RUSH


AGP 113

'100 YEARS' / 'THE DARK END OF THE STREET' ~ ROY HAMILTON


AGP 114

'SAY IT' / 'THE GRASS WAS GREEN' ~ THE MASQUERADERS


AGP 115

'I'VE GOT TO GET MYSELF TOGETHER' / 'BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP' ~ CHUCK BROOKS


AGP 116

'ANGELICA' / 'HANG UPS' ~ ROY HAMILTON


AGP 117

'WORLD OF HURT' / 'SUN DOWN SALLY' ~ BUTTERSCOTCH CABOOSE


AGP 118

'AQUARIUS - LET THE SUNSHINE IN' / 'STAY OFF THE GRASS' ~ THE AMERICAN GROUP


*** To hear 'Stay Off The Grass' go to AGP 124***

AGP 119

'BACK HOME AGAIN' / 'DON'T YOU WORRY 'BOUT ME' ~ GENE SIMMONS


AGP 120

'BIG "D" BREAKDOWN' / 'I'M THE ONE FOR YOU' ~ SAM HUTCHINS


AGP 121

'SIGN ON FOR THE GOOD TIMES' / 'ROBIN McCARVER' ~ MERRILEE RUSH


AGP 122

'LOVE, PEACE AND UNDERSTANDING' / 'TELL ME YOU LOVE ME' ~ THE MASQUERADERS


AGP 123

'MR FORTUNE TELLER' / ????? ~ DEE & DON


***No information regarding the flipside available, nor a label scan. Was this single withdrawn as stated on some sources?***

AGP 124

'STAY OFF THE GRASS' / 'ROOM 222' ~ THE AMERICAN GROUP


AGP 125

'IT'S ONLY MAKE BELIEVE' / '100 YEARS' ~ ROY HAMILTON


*** To hear '100 Years' go to AGP 113***

AGP 126

'ANGEL ON MY SHOULDER' / 'IT'S WORTH IT ALL' ~ MERRILEE RUSH