LA MAY & COMPANY Free The Soul Man 7" VINYL SINGLE 45 rpm S.P.Q.R. 4003 Soul

$

50

LA MAY & COMPANY Free The Soul Man 7" VINYL SINGLE 45 rpm S.P.Q.R. 4003 Funk Soul
Vinyl is NM-. Nice gloss and super clean sound overall. Very slight storage warp does not affect play. Generic sleeve is EX. SEE PHOTOS.
Song regarding the arrest & jailing of JAMES BROWN. Calling for his freedom. It was a minor hit on radio stations in the USA circa 1989.
La May – Free The Soul Man Label: SPQR – S.P.Q.R. 4003 Format: Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM  Country: US Released: Probably 1989   Genre: Funk / Soul
Tracklist: A – La May Free The Soul Man 3:40 B – La May & Company Free The Soul Man (Instrumental) 3:40
Recorded At – Guess Studios
Recorded at Guess Studios N.Y. City.
------------------------------------ Some interesting info on this record I found online:
DAILY PRESS JULY 21, 1989:
The voice is unmistakable. It's James Brown, Soul Brother No. 1. He's back to light another fire under the toes of a slumbering America.
But wait. This isn't James Brown, after all. The label on the single says it's La May. Brown is serving time in a South Carolina prison after bursting into a crowded insurance office, firing a gun and then leading police on a high-speed, two-state chase. La May's single, the first for the singer accustomed to backing up others, is called "Free the Soul Man." Already, more than 300 stations nationwide are playing the soul protest song since its early June release, La  May said.
"Help the man who helped us out when we were down and out," the lyrics insist. "Let the people know what this brother is doin' now."
La May, a Chesapeake native and Hampton Roads music veteran of more than 25 years, wants to spring his idol from the slammer. The issue consumes him. La May said he thinks it's brutally unfair that someone who gave so abundantly to music should be treated so rudely.
"This is the man who did so much for his people, gave them so much faith," said La May, dressed for an interview in a dapper suit while hiding behind spangled sunglasses.
"He was able to reach people in a positive way. Now we have to give it back to him."La May said he believes the issue of Brown's incarceration is one that will light a fire under the black community.
Apart from its lyrics, La May's song might be a hit for its novelty value alone. La May can approximate the sounds of a young Brown, from the urgency to the characteristic vocal screeches and wails.The telephones lit up at one local station, urban-contemporary broadcaster WOWI-FM (102.9), when it first played "Free the Soul Man." People thought they were hearing the new Brown record, said Music Director Tony Richards.
"Our listeners were real confused," Richards said. "They kept telling us, `I thought he was in jail. When did he get out?'"
La May hopes the record leads people to a "brand new bag," a campaign that will end with the Soul Man's release. The topic has so clutched the spirit of La May he says he's put thoughts of his own music career aside until his mentor is free.
"I won't stop until we get him out of jail," said La May slowly in determined tones.
La May took a trip last month to Columbia, S.C., where Brown has been incarcerated in the state prison since December. He attempted to meet with the governor but was brushed aside by his aides, he said. He met with Brown's close friends, including disc jockey Lou Sumter, who assured La May that Brown would hear the song.
Then came the magical telephone call, La May said. The Soul Man himself phoned La May in Chesapeake to tell him how much he appreciated the crusade.
"I can't tell you how he managed to call me from prison," said La May in a muffled tone, although it's legal for prisoners to make outgoing calls. "I don't want to cause him any harm."
La May carries his own mysteries. He refuses to tell his real name or age, except to say he's in his 30s. He said he doesn't remember the full names of his band members.Part of the problem could be the dominant influence of his manager, C.S. Parker, an 80-year-old former evangelist. Parker sits in on interviews with La May and shuts up the singer whenever he's about to tell some specifics of his life. Parker tells La May to talk in general terms.
La May's public-relations manager, Vernon Kitabu Turner, quit two weeks ago. Turner said he couldn't work freely under the guiding arm of Parker.Parker might be tough to work with, but he turns soft when asked about James Brown.
"This is a cause I can really put my heart into," said Parker when asked why he offered to manage La May. "I've knocked on a few doors in my time to support the right issue."Parker and La May talk of bringing down busloads of people from Hampton Roads to the South Carolina prison later in the summer to hold a rally. They're even considering going to the White House in an attempt to plead Brown's case.
On the subject of sweet soul music, La May is expansive. At age 14, the young singer made his way to New York, where he backed up records by Norfolk artists Sir Guy and Jimmy Soul. He claims an appearance singing back-up on Jimmy Soul's hit, "If You Wanna Be Happy," a tune about the good points of marrying an ugly woman. It reached No. 1 hit status in 1963."I was sort of a teen-age idol myself," said La May, making the point matter-of-factly. "Music's been my life."
(from DailyPress.com July 21, 1989 By JOSEPH PRYWELLER Staff Writer)
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