James K-Nine
The interestingly named James
K-Nine was thought to be a pseudonym for the prolific New Orleans artist
Eddie Bo, given that he is the artist on the highly sought after flip to
this, “Live
It Up”. However Larry Grogan has recently confirmed that James was
a real singer. The terminally obscure label on which this cut originally
appeared, Hot Hit, was one of the large numbers that Eddie Bo was involved
in one way or another. Despite the popularity of the funk side, for me this
ballad Counting
Teardrops is the one to go for. A simple, almost sparse production
gives the song a rather charming air. How it eventually appeared on Federal
is anybody’s
guess!
UPDATE ~ This great track was first recorded by Doug Anderson for USA (with completey different writer's credits) in 1965. You can find and hear this track here.