Soul fans
have known Eddie Floyd for six decades. Co-founder of The
Falcons, a Detroit vocal group
that paved the way for The Temptations
and The Four Tops, Floyd and the
group recorded what is considered one of the first Soul records,
"You're So Fine". Later, they recruited Wilson Pickett and
scored again with "I Found a Love".
In the early sixties, Floyd moved to Memphis and signed as a
songwriter with Stax Records. He had immediate successes with
artists Carla Thomas, Sam & Dave,
and old mate Pickett, but it was a song he wrote for Otis
Redding that Stax decided to release on Floyd himself that
changed everything for Eddie. "Knock On Wood", co-written
with guitarist Steve Cropper, quickly became one of the biggest
hits of 1966 and has been a Soul staple ever since. It has been
covered by over 150 different artists including
Count Basie,
David Bowie, Eric Clapton, and
Amii Stewart, whose global
mega-smash in 1979 defines the Disco era.
SWEET SOUL contains Eddie's knockout performances of soul
classics "Funky Broadway," “Soul Man,” and "Sweet
Soul Music," plus his own versions of hits he wrote for
others, such as "Ninety Nine and One Half" and
“634-5789” (Wilson Pickett) and "The Breakdown"
(Rufus Thomas). Another treat included on this set is
Eddie's solo remake of "You're So Fine," the song that
launched his career in 1959 when he was a member of The Falcons.
His revisit of “On a Saturday Night” is a particular
standout.
