Johnnie Taylor - Wanted One Soul Singer [Bonus Track] (2026)

Old Days Records has introduced a new reissue concept: CDs packaged in sleeves sized like 7-inch vinyl singles — compact enough to store, yet suited for framing or flat display, and paired with full-sized liner notes that combine CD convenience with analog single-format aesthetics.

One such release is Johnny Taylor's Wanted: One Soul Singer, issued in 1967 on the Stax label and regarded by deep soul collectors as an essential classic of the genre.

Taylor arrived in soul music with serious credentials: he had fronted the gospel group Soul Stirrers, taking over from his predecessor, the legendary Sam Cooke, and reached the top of the gospel world before moving into secular music. After signing with Stax in 1966, he spent time working in the shadow of the label's then-bigger star, Otis Redding, using the period to refine his own sound.

On Wanted: One Soul Singer, Taylor achieves a rare balance: the elegance and grace inherited from Sam Cooke meet the raw, earthy grit of the Memphis music scene. Backing him are the legendary Booker T. & the M.G.'s and the horn section Memphis Horns, with Al Jackson Jr.'s thick, "fatback" drumming driving the album's deep, heavy groove.

Standout tracks include a funk reworking of the labor song "Sixteen Tons" and the mournful, loss-laden "Little Bluebird." The combination of vocal depth, lived experience, and a flawless studio band earned Taylor the nickname "Philosopher of Soul" — a title this record fully lives up to.

Tracklist:
1-1 Johnnie Taylor - I GOT TO LOVE SOMEBODY’S BABY [3:02]
1-2 Johnnie Taylor - JUST THE ONE I’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR [2:37]
1-3 Johnnie Taylor - WATERMELON MAN [3:20]
1-4 Johnnie Taylor - WHERE CAN A MAN GO FROM HERE [3:12]
1-5 Johnnie Taylor - TOE-HOLD [2:51]
1-6 Johnnie Taylor - OUTSIDE LOVE [2:12]
1-7 Johnnie Taylor - AIN’T THAT LOVING YOU FOR MORE REASONS THAN ONE [3:03]
1-8 Johnnie Taylor - BLUES IN THE NIGHT [3:20]
1-9 Johnnie Taylor - I HAD A DREAM [3:18]
1-10 Johnnie Taylor - SIXTEEN TONS [2:33]
1-11 Johnnie Taylor - LITTLE BLUEBIRD [3:02]

Bonus Track
1-12 Johnnie Taylor - CHANGES [2:29]
1-13 Johnnie Taylor - YOU CAN’T GET AWAY FROM IT [2:50]
1-14 Johnnie Taylor - IF I HAD TO DO IT OVER [3:06]
1-15 Johnnie Taylor - SOMEBODY’S SLEEPING IN MY BED [2:49]
1-16 Johnnie Taylor - STRANGE THINGS HAPPENING IN MY HEART [2:17]