Ollie & The Nightingales - Ollie & The Nightingales (1969) [Reissue 1992]

Being one of Stax’s greatest vocal groups did not necessarily make you one of the most famous. Ollie And The Nightingales started as a Memphis gospel group, The Dixie Nightingales, their name styled after The Dixie Hummingbirds, though their musical approach was somewhat different. They began recording in the late 50s and turned up on Stax’s gospel subsidiary, Chalice, in the mid-60s, notably recording the beautiful lament ‘Assassination’ in tribute to John F Kennedy.

The group had already seen one early member find secular fame when David Ruffin became one of The Temptations’ two lead singers, so the call to sing about more earthly matters would have been strong. Plus, Stax was seeking new artists in the wake of the 1968 collapse of its distribution deal with Atlantic, and who better to help rebuild their catalogue than this brilliant group already working at the company?

Rebranded as Ollie And The Nightingales and with one change in personnel, the quintet cut several singles, in which the hoarse, amiable voice of Ollie Hoskins sold the songs perfectly. Their self-titled album followed in 1969, wrapped in a whimsical artwork typical of its era – but one which also had a slightly heavenly look to it, as if the group were seeking to bring their gospel audience with them. Produced by Booker T Jones, Isaac Hayes and his writing partner, David Porter, it was a fine record, full of soul and songs of love, desire and downright common sense that anyone could identify with. It wasn’t, however, packed with hits, though three singles were drawn from it.

The chunky, steady ʻYou’ll Never Do Wrong’, which kicks proceedings off, is in the advisory mode of soul: look after your baby and you won’t regret it. ʻDon’t Make The Good Suffer’ opens like it’s heading for ʻI Can’t Help Myself’ territory in its intro, but once the song proper kicks in, you can feel a touch of the church in this tale of relationship troubles. The first of four Hayes/Porter compositions, ʻDon’t Do What I Did’ sounds like the sort of song they would have given to Sam And Dave before Atlantic snatched the duo from the Stax stable, though The Nightingales’ approach is less sock-it-to-’em and more melodic: the high harmonies are utterly delicious.