Song of the Week: Bobby Freeman - C'mon and Swim

Bobby Freeman was a San Francisco soul singer who scored a hit right out of the gate in 1958 with his oft-covered Do You Want To Dance? Freeman jumped around on various labels and worked the San Francisco club circuits as he settled into a standing residency at San Francisco's The Condor Night Club where he performed in support of the infamous topless dancer, Carol Doda, known affectionately as "The Twin Peaks of San Francisco."

In 1963 some well played publicity by Doda brought new clients into The Condor Night Club. That also brought Bobby Freeman a plethora of new fans as patrons took notice of the guy that sang the songs to which Ms. Doda would dance. One of those new admirers was a young musician and producer whom had recently been tasked to help start a local record label. That label was the brief lived Autumn Records and the producer was a 20 year old kid named Sylvester Stewart. He would eventually change his name to Sly Stone and, well, you know the rest.

Bobby Freeman became both Sly Stone's and Autumn's first recording artist. Today we spin the June 1964 release from Bobby Freeman, the regional hit, C'mon And Swim. It was Autumn's second release and it features Sly Stone as composer, producer and, on this single release version, grooving it on organ.