"Secret Doors To Secret Places", was put out as a seven inch in 2001, at the same time as the Sidney Barnes record, and it amazes and horrifies me that such a great and authentic sounding piece of classic Northern Soul has been so ridiculously overlooked, when it should have been every bit as big as the Sidney Barnes record. I have known Jimmy Thomas for over thirty five years. I used to visit him when I first visited London, at his home in Chepstow Road, Notting Hill Gate, and even have my picture in Kev Roberts' book, taken with him in The Torch in Stoke On Trent in 1972, when I DJ'd there as a teenager. Jimmy was born in Osceola, Arkansas, USA. He called his first band "The Trays" and he formed this whilst still in school. Albert King, the late eminent blues guitarist/singer, a family friend, arrived in the early hours of one morning, shortly after Jimmy left school, and took him to St Louis to meet Ike Turner. Having enjoyed the meeting, Jimmy stayed in St Louis as one of the male vocalists in Ike's "Kings of Rhythm". Jimmy was there when the Ike and Tina Turner Revue was formed. He was the main male vocalist with his own spot in the show. He travelled and recorded extensively with them, touring Britain twice and the USA many times. It wasn't long before Ike recognised Jimmy's song writing talent. "You can Go" was released on Sue Records the label owned by Juggy Murray of New York. "Just Trying to Please You" c/w "Where There's a Will (There's a Way)", as well as "He's Alright With Me" and " Your Kind (is no good)" (Jimmy's songs) were released on Mirwood Records. All of these releases did well. During the second UK tour with the Ike and Tina Turner Review, the late Denny Cordell, who produced many artists such as Joe Cocker, J.J Cale, Procul Harum and others, and Tony Visconti, who produced T-Rex, David Bowie and others for Straight Ahead Productions, invited Jimmy to return to London to learn record production under their auspices. One of Jimmy's early productions and songs was a massive Northern Soul hit. "The Beautiful Night"/"Above a Whisper" single was the first of Jimmy's productions and "Where There's a Will (There's a Way)" also became a Northern Soul classic. "The Beautiful Night" was re-recorded for 20th Century Records. Jimmy produced an album of his own work, called "Abyss", on Contempo International, a London label owned by John Abbey. Since arriving in England, Jimmy has made several singles and has worked vocally with many, many artists - John Lennon, The Rolling Stones, Madness, Lloyd Cole and the Commotions - and the list goes on. Jimmy has his own label, Osceola Records as an outlet for his work. I filmed him for "The Strange World Of Northern Soul" doing "The Beautiful Night", and "Where There's A Will There's A Way", and wrote this song, along with "We Got Togetherness", with my old friend, and released them back to back on the Smoke City label in 2001.
