Even though it isn’t featured in the movie itself, the new version of the Stax classic “Private Number” is one of the prime cuts on the new “Soul Men” soundtrack CD. The movie, by the way, is worth seeing: it’s not likely to win any Academy Academy awards but it is very funny! Anyway, back to “Private Number,” performed on the CD by neo-soul artists Leela James & Chris Pierce.

The original version, as Stax-ologists know, was recorded by the late Judy Clay and William Bell in 1968 and went on to become the first Stax single to hit the No. 1 spot on the U.K. pop charts. It fared less well in the U.S. although in recent years, it’s been sampled a few times. It remains one of my absolute favorite singles of all time, due in no small measure to my personal deep admiration and appreciation for Judy. I first heard her when ‘blue’ Stax – distributed by Atlantic – released a single, “You Can’t Run Away From Your Heart” and the story of Judy’s ‘arrival’ at Stax is an epic until itself.

A former teen gospel singer with The Drinkard Singers (whose line-up included Emily “Cissy” Houston), Judy Guions moved to New York in the ‘50s and was ‘adopted’ by the Drinkards, specifically by the Warrick family, namely Lee - sister of Cissy and mother of future recording artists Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick – and her husband Mancel. Inevitably, the deep-voiced Judy began her own secular journey recording for a couple of small indie labels before joining the roster of Scepter Records (home to Dionne). She cut some fine sides there, a number of which (including “You Busted My Mind”) have gone on to become Northern Soul classics in the UK. With no success at Scepter, Judy – who did her share of background vocal work – was asked by Atlantic executive to do a duet with Billy Vera on a song entitled “Storybook Children.” Originally, Nona Hendryx of Patti Labelle & The Bluebelles had been slated to do the female vocal role but when that didn’t happen, Judy was drafted in. As part of the first ever interracial duo, Judy found herself with her first taste of national success even though she and Vera were not allowed to perform the song on U.S. TV! The sight of an black woman and a white man was still considered ‘sensitive’ and although Apollo Theater audiences in New York cheered the pair on when they made an appearance there.

An entire album followed and essentially, Judy was now an Atlantic artist. Wexler didn’t quite know what to do with his new signing who had already developed something of a reputation for not being the easiest of artists to work with. As Vera has noted in liner notes in recent years, she could sometimes be just a tad confrontational! As he had done with Sam & Dave, Wexler elected to send Judy to Stax – on loan. The first session – produced by Isaac Hayes & David Porter – went well resulting in the afore-mentioned 45.

Then, when Atlantic and Stax split in terms of distribution, Judy remained at Stax although the contractual circumstances remained somewhat unclear (a matter of great contention for her since she was told at various times that she was an ‘Atlantic’ artist and at other times, a ‘Stax’ artist, most often when she inquired about royalty statements!). It was at her second Stax session that “Private Number” was cut. The story has varied over the years but as best we can tell, Judy had cut a couple of tracks with Booker T. Jones and had some time left over before she was due to fly back to New York from Memphis. Legend has it that William Bell had worked on a song with Jones that he planned to record as a soloist – the song being “Private Number.” Since Bell happened to be in the studio at the time, Jones asked him to finish writing the lyrics and with Judy right there, it became a duet. Another version of the story has it that Judy was supposed to cut it as a soloist but was struggling with it so Bell helped her out by turning it into a duet. Bell himself has proffered a couple of takes on what originally happened but what’s important is that with some great string parts and Judy’s friends The Sweet Inspirations (including Cissy and Judy’s sister Sylvia Shemwell) on background vocals, Stax ended up with a glorious single with “Private Number.”

William and Judy did a couple of dates together and in spite of pleading and begging from the UK Stax office, they didn’t make it across the Atlantic to promote their No. 1 pop hit. There was no talk of an album but there was a follow up single: “My Baby Specializes” was in fact originally a Judy Clay solo cut and (as Judy related in the one interview we did back in the ‘90s) apparently, William’s voice was added to turn it into a duet! Ms. Clay was, as I recall, a little miffed about the whole thing and after cutting a few more sides with Stax (including a glorious track called “It’s Me,” written and produced by Hayes & Porter, and “Children Don’t Get Weary” for Booker T.’s “Uptight” soundtrack), she returned to Atlantic to have her biggest solo success with Allen Toussaint’s “Greatest Love.”

In the UK, Ace Records recently issued a compilation of Judy’s Stax work and it’s worth checking out at www.soulmusicstore.com. Meanwhile, you can keep playing the original “Private Number” and bask in the soulful glory of Bell and Clay!

David Nathan
A/k/a the British Ambassador Of Soul
Owner, www.soulmusic.com,
www.soulmusicstore.com

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