My father had Your Mama Don’t Dance on vinyl, when I was a kid. What a terrific album! The above photo is from the same sessions that produced the cover for the aforementioned Mama.
The first recordings I’ve found Kynard playing on are three Pacific jazz releases. He’s a featured side man on two, and as leader on one.
After these Pacific Jazz recordings came a string of releases on the Prestige label, which find Kynard now well established as a leader.
I believe I have a CD that combines Soul Brotherhood with Reelin’ With The Feelin’? And a few others in mp3 only format.
Three more albums as leader would follow, on Bob Shad’s Mainstream imprint.
And this is where I discovered him (thanks, dad!):
I’ve now got several other albums by Kynard, in various formats. I thought it’d be nice to gather together what I could about the man and his music in a single post. Including a complete(-ish?) pictorial discography.
For more info on Charles, check this website, Kynard.com. Another one taken far too soon, aged just 46. The above linked bio’ doesn’t say exactly how he passed, only that ‘The good Lord called Charles E. Kynard home July 8, 1979 as he sat at the organ that day playing the music he loved so much.’
At least he went out swingin’!
It seems that 1973’s Your Mama was his last official solo LP. He appears on just one cut – opener, ‘Smiling Faces Sometimes’ – on another Mainstream release, 1974’s Booty.
Discogs.com lists two more releases, called Nostalgic Trip Vol. I and II. Both of these appear to be all Gospel stuff. These look like they may be ‘private press’ releases by the Kynard family? There are no dates for these. I’d love to hear all of this stuff!
