Margie Hendrix - Packin' Up/Baby

Last month we wrote about Margie Hendrix and her 1965 release of Now The Hurts On You and the sultry Flip-Side of I Found My Love. You can listen/read about it here.

We just can't get enough of this former Raelette so we are back with the 1965 single on Mercury Records which preceded the above mentioned single. The song is the blistering Packin' Up and it's damn near perfect. Guitar, drums, vocals. And it's written by Margie Hendrix to boot! We're including the fab Flip-Side too, Baby.

We usually hate it when people write on records, but we think whoever wrote on this one nailed it in one succinct word and one very appropriate punctuation mark. No need to say more than that.

Until next time, we'll see you On The Flip-Side!

Margie Hendrix - Now The Hurts On You/I Found My Love

Now The Hurts On You

I Found My Love

It's a shame that such a talented person is largely unknown to the public. But you've heard her voice before. 

Born Marjorie Hendricks outside of Statesboro, Georgia in 1935, our hero today performed under the stage name Margie Hendrix and is best known for being Ray Charles' lead Raelette starting around 1955. (we wrote about a post-Margie Raelettes single a few weeks ago, here). It's Margie who goes toe to toe with Ray on such hits as Hit The Road Jack and Drown In My Own Tears. In 1964 she was released as a Raelette not too long after giving birth to Ray's love child. At this time she embarked on a solo career that garnered little to no attention. Her second single for Mercury Records, released sometime in 1965, shows what a powerful voice she possessed. 

The A-Side of the single, Now The Hurts On You, is a wonderful big production number that demonstrates Margie's smoldering voice as it rises from a cool demeanor to her infamous blues growl. 

The Flip-Side, I Found My Love, was co-written by Margie and comes across like a great lost Ray Charles single, replete with Raelette like backing vocals. Ms. Hendrix holds nothing back. 

Margie died in July of 1973. It is very unclear how she died. Substance abuse, cancer and car accident are all rumored to be the cause of her demise. 

Until next time, we'll see you On The Flip-Side!

The Raelettes - That Goes To Show You

The Raelettes were a revolving door of singers assembled to provide Ray Charles with a solid-to-the-core vocal back up. Who is singing on this 1970 release on Ray Charles' Tangerine Records label, I can not tell you. It's not the incomparable Margie Hendrix (pictured below), that's for sure. But I'm pretty sure that is Ray giving the occasional "hey" in the background of the charming That Goes To Show You. May also be him on piano too. But I don't really know.

Until next time, we'll see you On The Flip-Side!

Song of the Week: "I Don't Need No Doctor", Ray Charles

Listen - Ray Charles performs I Don't Need No Doctor

We don't need to explain who Ray Charles is. We don't need to create a schematic to prove his importance on the American and European music landscape. We don't need to give you a backstory to make you more interested in his output. We don't need to because he is simply, one of, if not thee most respected and beloved musicians in the last 100 years. That's all Ray Charles is.

Today's SoTW, I Don't Need No Doctor, is from 1966. A commercial flop that only reached #72, the song often gets left off of compilations. But with the strong back beat and the great Raelettes kicking it harder than a sexually frustrated mule, the song is one of Ray's better numbers. Enjoy.