VA - Darrow Fletcher Presents Jacklyn & Genna Records (2026) [Hi-Res]

Jacklyn records is famed among soul record collectors as the home of three great Darrow Fletcher 45s issued on the label in the mid-60s. The imprint was owned and run by his father, Johnny Haygood, and though it served as a stepping stone in Fletcher’s extensive career, it was launched for a different artist and provided Chicago soul fans with several great discs over its seven-year existence.

A teenage shop assistant who worked in Haygood’s record store called Paul Smith launched the label, following in the footsteps of the young Fletcher who had begun his career a couple of years previously. Though Smith only had two 45 releases, the three sides on them revealed a great voice and writing talent worthy of a much bigger stage. That songwriting aspect has been tantalizingly further revealed in research, making Smith a notable “what might have been”. The group called simply Lovemasters only had one release but both sides are well appreciated and a one-off acetate of another two songs has embellished their reputation. Though the group quit Jacklyn around 1971, their lead singer Ron Murray continued with Haygood, providing two 45s on his new subsidiary Genna label – these featured backing vocals from some Lovemasters too.

As ever with small labels, the virtually unknown artists provide highlights – in this case the solo singers Pam Colquitt and Bobbie Brown who had one-off releases but with two great sides on each.

The vastly better-known blues stalwart, Mighty Joe Young ventured effectively towards soul on his two sides and Chicago studio musician and arranger Joe Savage got his only artist credit on the right-on instrumental (with chants) ‘All Power To The People’.

These tracks add up to a fascinating and entertaining chapter in the rich history of Chicago soul music.