About this item

Edwin Starr and JJ Barnes were two of the main stars at Ric-Tic, the legendary 1960s Detroit Soul label that ended up being purchased by Motown to take out the competition.

JJ Barnes "Real Humdinger" Ric-Tic 45 is a standout gem from the Motor City’s soul heyday years and an all time northern soul classic. Edwin’s Ric-Tic 45s and subsequent gems for Motown made him such a northern soul icon that he moved to live in England.

What Anglophile Edwin never revealed is that he actually recorded the first version of "Real Humdinger" for Ric-Tic. It never got released and its’ very existence was unknown. After painstaking detective work West Grand found about the recording and have now managed to license it from Universal Music / Motown for its debut worldwide release. News of the discovery has created huge interest amongst soul fans globally. As a bonus the flip side is another wow find that had been stuck, also unknown and unloved, in the tape vaults for nearly 60 years. It is a preciously unused alternative take on "Scott's On Swingers".

The track is in effect an extended jingle for Detroit’s back-in-the-day star radio DJ Scott Regan and is based on Edwin’s smash "S.O.S (Stop Her On Sight)". The released take came out on a limited edition RIC-Tic giveaway single that now commands a £400 price tag.

TRACK LISTING

A. Real Humdinger
B. Scott's On Swingers