"Bobby Purify" of the duo James and Bobby Purify who recorded the soul classic "I'm Your Puppet" written by Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham.

Rest in Peace


[www.latimes.com]

PASSINGS: Robert Dickey
Robert Dickey, a guitarist and singer in the 1960s soul duo James and Bobby Purify, dies at 72

January 5, 2012
Robert Dickey

Member of soul duo James and Bobby Purify

Robert Dickey, 72, a guitarist and singer in the soul duo James and Bobby Purify, which recorded the 1960s hit song "I'm Your Puppet," died Dec. 29 in his hometown of Tallahassee, Fla. No cause was given for his death, which was confirmed by a Tallahassee funeral home.

Dickey began his musical career during the 1960s and toured with the Dothan Sextet on the rhythm and blues circuit before joining James Purify in a harmonizing duo.

The James and Bobby Purify duo had its biggest hit in the fall of 1966 when "I'm Your Puppet" made the top 10. They also had hits with a rendition of "Shake Your Tail Feather" and "Let Love Come Between Us."

Dickey told the Tallahassee Democrat in 2000 that he never liked "I'm Your Puppet," which was written by Spooner Oldham and Dan Penn, who also penned other hits from the same time period.

"I sang it for 23 hours straight" in the studio, he said. "That's why I hate it."

Dickey quit his professional music career and returned to Tallahassee in 1972. He became a city maintenance supervisor but also sang and played guitar with his church.

-- Los Angeles Times wire reports

Good song – LOVE them horns! RiP.

Oh No !

I have the last album he did: it was produced by Dan Penn

Arghhh ! There are 2 Bobby Purify's; Robert Dickey and a guy called Ben Moore.

The last album I have is by the Ben Moore Bobby Purify.

Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa !

A very charming song with an innocense long lost in soul music.

Their producer Dan Penn has an impressive track record:
Dan Penn (born Wallace Daniel Pennington, 16 November 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and sometime guitar player who co-wrote many soul hits of the 1960s including "Dark End of the Street" and "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man" (with Chips Moman) and "Out of Left Field" & "Cry Like A Baby" (with Spooner Oldham). Penn has also produced hits such as "The Letter" by The Box Tops, amongst others.

Dan Penn is a genius.

He wrote a tune called 'A Woman Left Lonely" which Charlie Rich covered, and Janis Joplin.

He also wrote 'I Hate You', a tune sung by both Bobby Bland and Jerry Lee Lewis.

There's an amazing album by Irma Thomas, entitled 'My Heart's In Memphis", which is all Dan Penn. Furthermore, Penn did an album with Spooner Oldham called "Moments From This Theatre" which is one of the best live albums ever !!

The more I learn about Memphis, the more I realize it's vital to visit there ASAP. Gotta pay my respects for all the great music and hopefully absorb any leftover super-mojo that may be wafting in the air.

P.S. Thanks for the Penn recommendations, I'm currently listening to Charlie Rich's version of "A Woman Left Lonely." I can imagine how Janis is gonna tear this thang up (in a good way).

Sorry to digress; I believe the Purify cousins recorded at Muscle Shoals.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-01-05 23:04 by Claire_M.

Claire M,

Check out Sweet Inspiration: The Songs of Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham on Ace records.

Also Do Right Man by Dan Penn.

Sweet Inspiration is a compilation of covers of their stuff : Do Right Man is an album of Dan Penn classics by Dan Penn. It predates Moments by about a year. Dan Penn also produced a Hacienda Bros album that I have.

I shall check those out, Tom!

Correction/clarification: Papa Don Schroeder was the producer of the Purifys' early stuff, according to AllMusic. He "brought the soulful Floridians to Muscle Shoals in 1966 to record at Rick Hall's Fame studios, and the result was the gorgeous mid-tempo I'm Your Puppet."

I friggin' love their freewheeling cover of "You Left the Water Running" too.

Everyone who loves the Rolling Stones needs to read Peter Guralnick's essential book Sweet Soul Music. Lots of material about Dan Penn in there.

RIP Bobby



................................................................... James and Bobby Purify



ROCKMAN

I'm Your Puppet was first recorded by Dan Penn and released on
MGM records in '65.....Penn's version used the line....I'm the puppet.

Hit wise Penn's version went nowhere and Penn and Spooner Oldham submitted
the song with chorus changed to I'm your puppet as a possible single for James and
Bobby Purify...They cut it with changed chorus and it went to the top of charts in 1966



ROCKMAN

Dionne Warwick also did a cover of Puppet: it's on Sweet Inspiration.

At some stage Ace are thinking of issuing a second volume of Dan Penn songs.

There's an album entitled Nobody's Fool, long deleted, by Dan Penn that I long to own.

In 2003 I met a guy at a Richard Thompson concert called Jeb Loy Nicholls, who was a musician in his own write. He compiled 2 albums entitled Country Got Soul, and Dan Penn was a prime artist on them. Nicholls even went as far as recording fresh sessions with Penn, Funky Donnie Fritts, Bonnie Bramlett, Spooner Oldham, et al. The fresh sessions were called Country Soul Meeting