“It’s midnight….. lights off….. clothes off…… candles glowing….. incense is fading away……. don’t need no electricity, baby- I’ll be your amplifier, because we can boogie in the dark'”
So San Francisco disc jockey Voco introduced himself every Saturday night at midnight.
it is 1971 (give or take a few years)- and you tune into KSAN San Francisco on a weekend night to hear the midnight show with Voco and Dusty Street. They played mostly R and B of the day from both the black and white ends of the spectrum and often featured the local Bay Area artists such as Sylvester, Tower of Power and Stoneground.
Though called it Lights Out it was anything but sleepy. So my attempt at recreating the mood.
Vol 15 Country Joe, Cold Blood, Santana, Tracy Nelson, Paul Butterfield etc
Vol 14 Junior Parker start the show followed by The Rev Al Green giving his eulogy to Junior-
Vol 13 starts with that organ piece from Ray Manzarek of the Doors isolated from the other players.
Vol 12- Bobby Humphries plays some funky flute followed by Donny Hathaway, Nina Simone, Marvin Gaye, Tower of Power etc
Vol 11-The Temptations, Donny Hathaway Oscar Brown Jnr, Bobbi Humphrey , Ann Peebles, Undisputed Truth etc
Vol 10-White wall tires taking you the River along Harlem River Drive with Bobby Humphrey, William De Vaughan,Al Green, Bill Withers, Boz Scaggs, Quincey Jones et al
Vol 9-This show kicks off with the great Harvey Mandel playing the gospel tune Take Me To The River backwards (and forwards) on guitar.
Vol 8- Isaac Hayes, The 5th Dimension, Laura Nyro, Marvin Gaye,The Dramatics,Bobby Bland, Dusty Springfield, Curtis Mayfield, Paul Butterfield, Brian Auger, Cold Blood et al
Vol 7- Van Morrison, Ben Sidran, Boz Scaggs, Africa, Herbie Hancock,Bonnie Raitt, Mose allison, Leon Russell, Maria Muldaur, Booker T, Herbie Mann, et al
Vol 6- Electric Flag,Country Joe,Janis Joplin,Tracy Nelso, Tower of Power, Santana,Cold Blood, Ben Sidran, Van Morrison, Loading Zone, Al Kooper et al