Ignored           Obscured            Restored

Mid-sixties Chicago was home to a healthy group of bands that were purveyors of “blue-eyed soul.”  Several of them — The Buckinghams, The Ides of March, The American Breed, and Shadows of the Night – had major Top 40 hits, many with daring horn arrangements, and solid careers in the music biz.  But others weren’t so lucky.

Case in point – The Mauds.  The band was able to secure a contract with Dunwich Records (distributed by Mercury) and released their first single – a cover of Sam and Dave’s “Hold On (I’m Comin’) – in 1967.  It was a regional hit in and around Chicago. 

Today’s SotW came from a later visit to a recording studio.  “Soul Drippin’” was released in 1968.

“Soul Drippin’” was enhanced by a group of horn players that included Bob Lamm, Walt Parazaider, James Pankow, and Lee Loughnane, most of whom would go on to join Chicago.  But the track was only able to attain the same level of success as prior releases – a pretty big hit locally (top 10 in Chicago), but barely breaking into the top 100 (#85) nationally.  It deserved better and I’m sure you will agree when you hear it!

The Mauds’ soul credentials were solid.  According to an article by Guy Arnston, re-published on the Forgotten Hits website, “Curtis Mayfield was so happy with the way they did his ‘You Must Believe Me,’ complete with Impressions-styled harmonies, that he promised to write several songs just for them.”

The band continued to perform well into the 2000s until lead singer Jimy Rogers’ untimely death from cancer in 2010.

Enjoy… until next week.