Darondo – Didn't I
I've always wanted to be one of those bearded guys that wear fedoras and have encyclopedic knowledge of soul and funk. You know, the guys that can name everyone who recorded for Stax in 1962 and have a room devoted to the thousands of long-lost soul LPs they've found after spending countless hours in dank record stores searching through those dusty stacks that pile up underneath the nicely organized vinyl.
That's what I want to be when I grow up. Fuck astronauts. Reality is, though, that I'm a long, long way from being that guy and as much as I love the soul, funk, and Motown genres, I've never been good at finding lost gems unless someone gives them to me.
Today is different. I discovered Darondo all by my myself (well after Gilles Peterson discovered him a few years ago). His story is the stuff of legend: allegedly a San Francisco pimp who recorded 3 singles and played 4 shows (including one with James Brown) in the 1970's before becoming an artifact collector, local cable star, and physical therapist. No man with that great of a story can make anything but great music. And he does. Groove this one.