HE'S A SOUL MAN

Friday, December 6, 1996

By JIM McGUINNESS
Staff Writer

MUSIC PREVIEW JOHNNY RAWLS REVUE: 10 P.M. WEDNESDAY. TERRA BLUES, 149 BLEECKER ST., MANHATTAN. (212) 777-7776.

The music of Johnny Rawls harkens back to the gospel-derived deep soul style of such stalwarts as James Carr and the late O.V. Wright.

Like good rock-and-roll, exemplary soul music runs in short supply these days.

The evidence can be found by tuning into any modern "rhythm-and-blues" radio station.

So along comes "Here We Go," the solo debut album by Mississippi-born singer-guitarist Johnny Rawls. Genuine in feel and soul-drenched in its presentation, the 11-song collection is proof-positive that the genre is alive and well (even if not on the radio).

"This is a good time for soul music to be making a comeback," Rawls said. "When I play live, people are always coming up to me and saying they like this music, but don't know where to find it. So there's still soul fans out there."

Milwaukee resident, Rawls is speaking on the telephone from Nature Friend and Farm in Bloomingdale, where he is unwinding for a few days in the midst of a tour that lasts until January.

Harkening back to the gospel-derived deep soul style of such stalwarts as James Carr and the late O.V. Wright,"Here We Go" ranks as one of the decade's more impressive soul albums. The key is Rawls sincere soul pedigree. Born in Pervis, Miss., Rawls was introduced to music by his grandfather, Paul Newson, a blind guitarist who entertained at local parties. First playing clarinet and saxophone in the school band, he inherited his grandfather's guitar at age 12 when Newson died. He formed his own band in high school, backing such touring acts as Lynn White and Slim Harpo.

His most important gig came in 1974 when he began a six-year stint as band leader and guitarist for Wright, best-known for such songs as "Nickle and a Nail," "I'd Rather Be Blind, Crippled and Crazy," and "I Don't Do Windows." The two had met several years earlier when Rawls high school band had backed Wright during a pair of shows in Gulfport, Miss.

"He just called and asked me to be his band leader," Rawls said. "I was excited because he was one of my idols."

After Wright's death in 1980, Rawls formed a duo with L.C. Luckett, a friend from Milwaukee.

Forming their own label, Touch Records, they recorded a single, "I Wouldn't Mind," followed by an album, "You're The One." But their busy road schedule forced them to shelve any further recording for nearly a decade.

"We were always traveling," Rawls said. "Recording was the furthest thing from our minds."

The pair finally returned to the studio late in 1994 to assemble "Can't Sleep at Night" for the Rooster Blues label. Rawls had become familiar with label owner Jim O'Neil after producing a Rooster album for Willie Cobb.

A stirring Southern soul collection that conjured up images of Sam & Dave, "Can't Sleep at Night"was the 1995 runner-up in the Living Blues Awards New Soul/Blues category.

"That was real good, man," Rawls said of the acclaim. "I was real proud because it was my first major release."

Despite the accolades, Rawls elected to split with Luckett last year for a solo deal with England's JSP Records.

"It was the best thing I ever did," Rawls said. "I needed the solitude so my ideas wouldn't be tampered with. JSP gives me total freedom."

One thing that distinguishes "Here We Go" from most contemporary soul efforts is the crisp production. Because the music is not in vogue, most soul albums wind up on small Southern labels with limited recording budgets. The usual result is a hollow sound that fails to give the music the required oomph. Rawls, who produced "Here We Go" himself, safeguarded against that happening to his album.

"The key is the drums," Rawls said. "Most engineers don't take the time to get them right. But I'll spend a whole day on nothing but drums."

Set to record another album in April, Rawls also plans to further his career as a producer. He manned the board on the new Lonnie Shields album, and is scheduled to produce an album for Percy Smothers. He also has begun his own gospel label, Church House Records. The label's first release, "The Power of God" by The Rev. Noland Homes, features Rawls daughter, Destiny, on backing vocals.

Despite his busy production schedule, the 45-year-old entertainer has no plans to slow down his performance schedule. Much of what he does live stems from the lessons he learned from Wright.

"He taught me a lot about stage presense," Rawls said. "He taught me how to get emotional about a song. I learned a lot from him just by observing."

Copyright © 1996 Bergen Record Corp. All rights reserved.