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1. MOJOBA:
SAY YOU WILL
(Robert Johnson-Sam Moseley)
Although Mojoba, as named, was a short lived group, its members
had a long history of working together. Sam Mosley and Bob
Johnson met in their hometown of New Albany, MS and formed a
band. They initially cut tracks in Tupelo, MS as Bobby Johnson and
the Messengers which were probably unreleased. The band went to
work clubs in Memphis, and in the late ‘60s cut some tracks at Hi
Records. Two of the sides were released as crediting Sam Mosley
on Hi subsidiary MOC
You’ve Got It
/
Charlie Tuttle
, and then two
more sides,
Is It Over
/
Gimme Some Lovin’
were released on Hi
Records proper, strangely crediting David Duke.
Soon after recording at Hi, female singer Doris Badie joined the
band. In 1971, the band released an entire LP and a single on their
own SABO label under the name Sam and Bob and the Soulmen.
The group continued to play around Memphis and by the mid-70s
changed their named to Mojoba (the Mosley Johnson Band).
Mojoba got a deal with Polydor Records to release two singles. The
first single,
Keep The Funk A Flowin’
/
Disco Music
, was released
on Polydor 14359 in 1976.
Keep The Funk A Flowin’
was a relatively
generic sounding disco funk track with Mosley singing lead and the
band on backup. Strangely,
Disco Music
was an excellent midtempo
track that did not have a stereotypical disco sound.
The group’s second 45,
I Know
/
Say You Will
, was released on
Polydor 14400 in 1977.
I Know
is a decent midtempo southern soul
track, with a
Clean Up Woman
style backing and Mosley and John-
son doing nice Sam and Dave style harmonies. However, the flipside
(only available on the rare stock copy of an already rare single),
Say
You Will
, has become a collectible rare groove classic; the track has
a groovy southern but fragile backing track, with Mosley singing lead
and the band providing excellent background harmonies.
MOJOBA
MOJOBA
