from Roy Lee Johnson & the Villagers, released in 1973 on Stax records.
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While the self-titled, 1973 Roy Lee Johnson album that this month's feature is from is full of mostly hard soul and funk, "Midnight at Riley's, will remind you more of of The Blackbyrds' mellow groovers.
"Midnight at Riley's" is a mid-tempo instrumental with plenty of flute and percussion. It's also a good introduction to this obscure band who, as far as I know, only released this one album for Stax. The band consisted of Johnson on guitar and lead vocals, Michael James on bass, Hosea Burch on organ, Ronald Williams on drums, and a guest appearance from the Memphis Horns on this particular song.
You'll find other songs from this group on different Stax compilations like the Box Set or Son of Stax Funk. But if you can find this out-of-print album, you'll find a rare groove treasure and a rare glimpse at the last years of one of soul music's grandest labels.
