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BOB RELF |
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BOB RELF passed away on November 21st 2007 at his home in Bakersfield, California. |
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He had been ill for several years and received loving care from his mother Idabelle Craft whose remarkable strength comes from her strong faith. |
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Robert Nelson Relf was born on January 10th, 1937, in Los Angeles. He is best known for his hits with Earl Nelson as Bob & Earl (most notably "Harlem Shuffle" which has been covered by many artists including The Rolling Stones) but he was also a prolific writer and was a staff producer for Randy Wood's Mirwood label, headed by A&R executive Fred Smith. In their attempts to emulate the Motown sound, they unwittingly created their very own Mirwood sound which was enhanced by the dramatic arrangements of James Carmichael. |
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Although Relf's solo career wasn't a huge commercial success, he is much loved by soul fans who treasure his work, particularly "Blowing My Mind To Pieces" which is one of the most popular 'northern soul' soul hits of all time. |
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He used the pseudonym 'Bobby Garrett' for two singles released on Mirwood in 1966. The catchy "I Can't Get Away" became a 'northern soul' favourite in the UK and was used to advertise Kentucky Fried Chicken on national TV. Almost as popular is "My Little Girl" which originally appeared as the flip side of the soulful ballad "Big Brother". |
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In the early '70s Relf worked with Barry White who was then on the verge of major stardom. As youngsters they had sung in groups together and White had played piano on “Harlem Shuffle” back in 1963. Relf wrote and produced for White and for several of his acts including Love Unlimited, Gloria Scott and White Heat. One of Relf's finest songs, the ballad “Bring Back My Yesterday”, was recorded by Barry White in 1973 on his ground-breaking album I’ve Got So Much To Give. |
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Relf's most popular solo track, "Blowing My Mind To Pieces", was recorded at Ray Charles' RPM studios in Los Angeles. The uplifting song was written by Lou Barreto (who also wrote the wonderful "Gone With The Wind Is My Love") and it was issued by Trans-American in 1968 on the flip side of "Girl You're My Kind Of Wonderful". The disc sank without trace but after a few years "Blowing My Mind To Pieces" became so popular in the UK that it was reissued (and bootlegged) to satisfy the huge underground demand. |
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A bizarre thing happened in 1975 when a 'new' version of "Blowing My Mind To Pieces" was recorded in Los Angeles by an unknown impostor masquerading as 'Bob Relf'. The man behind the scam was a notorious bootlegger turned record produced called Simon Soussan. |
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The fake version was popular for a while but Relf's original version has stood the test of time and appears on dozens of compilation albums which have collectively sold hundreds of thousands of copies. "Blowing My Mind To Pieces" has also been used in videos, DVDs and TV broadcasts and is featured in the acclaimed new film Clubbed, directed by Neil Thompson and co-produced by Martin Carr, which was released in UK cinemas on January 16th, 2009. |
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Sadly, Relf passed way just weeks after the film deal was made. The soundtrack album is due for release on January 26th and will be dedicated to his memory. |
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Millbrand Music acquired the publishing rights and master rights to "Blowing My Mind To Pieces" in 2004 and took actions to recover income from unauthorised uses of the master. The master has since been licensed to companies including Demon, Sanctuary, Grapevine, Formosa and Selecta Records Ltd who plan to release a 7" single on their Shotgun label subsidiary to coincide with the cinema launch of Clubbed. |
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Millbrand Copyright Management Ltd. |
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