Thomas Bailey

A cult figure in deep soul circles, THOMAS BAILEY only seems to have released a tiny number of 45s. But they are all considered “Holy Grails” by fans of the deep genre. Bailey was active in the Macon area with his group the Flintstones around the turn of the 70s and was involved with local record entrpreneur Bobby Smith. He wrote material for Mickey Murray among others as well as making his own discs. His first Federal 45 coupled the ballad “Fran” with the strutting southern funk of “Just Won’t Move” but his killer release for the label was the next one. “Wish I was Back” is a version of the George Jackson/Raymond Moore song “Back In Your Arms Again” which Wilson Pickett cut at Muscle Shoals a couple of years previously in 1969. While Pickett’s is the more polished performance Bailey’s is the one for the connoisseur. The power and conviction of his gruff, compelling vocal leave listeners breathless. A great 45. His other rarity is the brilliant deep “I Need You” for the tiny local Stone label. This features another powerhouse vocal over a dead slow backing, this time with a fine horn section offering the occasional punchy phrase. Apparently Bailey still lives in the area but is no longer involved in secular music.

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