Welcome to another edition of relatively unknown 7″ singles from Texas. I thought I’d bring it on back home this week and bring some funky soul fury from the southeasterly quarters of Houston, TX. To be precise, The Insight cut their single “Out Of Sight” out of Pasadena, TX at Pasadena Sound Studios, but I tend to lump artists and labels from this area within the Houston circuit because of its proximity to the city limits. That being so, this is the only known documented single from this Texas group, and the only record I know of from this label. It’s as ‘one-off’ as you can get, all told. Though facts of this record are few and far between, I do know that this is one of the first known recordings from Texas’ legendary albino bluesman, Johnny Winter. Johnny Winter was active throughout the Houston and Beaumont area (now known to music historians to be within ‘The Golden Triangle’ in Texas) throughout the 1960s, and subsequently released various singles under an arrangement of groups and recording names. If I was to estimate, I’d put this record somewhere around ‘65 or ‘66 due to its near-matched arrangement qualities shared with James Brown’s “Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag”, originally released in 1965. Just as The Beatles inspired a generation of garage rock kids to create rock and roll movements across the world, James Brown’s widely credited introduction of funk and soul rhythm in pop music inspired soulers across the world to ‘do the James Brown’ their own way.
Now, to add to the obscurity of this recording, we have a cover of this single from San Antonio’s Gilbert and his Blue Notes, recorded and distributed out of San Marcos, TX. I personally find it fascinating because of the scale of obscurity and relative unknown original version to then be covered by a chicano soul group out of San Antonio, TX. Gilbert’s rendition of the original has a decidedly rougher recording element to the original version, with a loose horn section and gritty lo-fi guitar and bass arrangement. Overall, the recording lacks the luster of The Insight’s original, but it’s a noteworthy cover, especially for Texas latin soul. Nevertheless, hope these tracks get you through the day, these are some of my favorite recent additions to my collection and I am more than happy to share!
LISTEN: The Insight-Out Of Sight
LISTEN: Gilbert and his Blue Notes-Out of Sight
Comments (6) »
I love all these Texas gemstones you are finding in places like Corpus Christy and Pasenda. Both wonderful places to raise kids in.
Cascade was one of the many labels owned by Huey Meaux.
At least a second record on the label was issued : Cascade 365 – The Great Believers – Comin’ Up Fast (part I) (Winter-Boynton-Russell, Clarity Music, Crazy Cajun Music).
Hey Bob, thanks, I wasn’t familiar with The Great Believers single, I tried to find some info on Cascade but came up shorthanded. Thank you for the information. I assumed Cascade was a Meaux label but I didn’t have any solid evidence to solidify my assumption. Again, many thanks for the help!
Hi Alex, the Insight isn’t the original of
“Out Of Sight” – there are quite a few versions of the song but the original was
by James Brown and his version made it to
# 24 on Billboard in 1964. It’s more likely that Gilbert and his Blue Notes knew it from James Brown’s version than from the Insight’s. I haven’t checked but I’m pretty sure that “Ted Wright” the credited writer of the song is a pseudonym for James Brown used for contractual reasons as he was was trying to get out of
his contract with King at the time he did his original version.
The Insight’s version was reissued years later, in 1970, on Buddah 170 but this time it was credited as by Johnny Winter.
Buddah had picked up the rights to a bunch of old tapes from Richard Ames which were issued as an album “First Winter” (Buddah
BDS-7513).
There’s at least one earlier single on Cascade, by Jim Straiton
363 Jim Straiton
Guilty One (Jim Straiton,Clyde Masters)
Without Your Love (Clyde Masters)
Prod : not credited
Like the Insight single it’s from 1966 and I’d guess, not having heard it, that it’s
a country record.
any idea if “the insight” are the same group as “insight out,” also from the same area of southeast TX? the latter is featured on numero’s lone star lowlands comp of SE TX groups.
@Davie Gordon, yes, seems Ted Wright was one of JB’s pseudonyms: http://www.discogs.com/artist/Ted+Wright?sort=format%2Casc
nice post, by the way! i stumbled across this site while looking for info on insight out and am curious now to read more.
“Insight Out” was a studio group consisting of Junior Boudreaux guitar, Coy Fuller drums and Mickey Rouse bass, background vocals by Bill and Patti Swicegood recording at Mickey’s Lowland Studio in Port Neches, TX in summer ‘71.