Joe Tex discography

This page contains comprehensive discography information related to Joe Tex.

Contents

Albums[1]

Singles[32]

Year Title Chart positions
U.S. Hot 100 U.S. R&B UK Singles Chart[33]
1955 "Come In This House"
1956 "My Biggest Mistake"
1956 "She's Mine"
1956 "Get Way Back"
1957 "I Want To Have A Talk With You"
1958 "Cut It Out"
1958 "Open The Door"
Little Booker, featuring Joe Tex, vocals[34][35]
1958 "You Little Baby Face Thing"
1959 "Don't Hold It Against Me"
1959 "Charlie Brown Got Expelled"
Joe Tex and His X Class Mates
1960 "Boys Will Be Boys"
1960 "I'll Never Break Your Heart (Part 1)"
Joe Tex and The Vibrators
1960 "All I Could Do Was Cry (Part 1)" #102
1960 "Goodbye My Love"
1961 "Baby You're Right"[36]
1961 "What Should I Do"
1961 "One Giant Step"
1962 "Popeye Johnny"
1962 "I Met Her In Church"
1963 "I Let Her Get Away"
1963 "Someone To Take Your Place"
1963 "You Keep Her"[37]
1963[38] "I've Got A Song"
1963[38] "I Should Have Kissed Her More"
1963 "I Wanna Be Free"
1964 "Looking For My Pig"
1964 "I Had A Good Thing But I Left (Part 1)"
1964 "Sit Yourself Down"
1964 "I'd Rather Have You" #44
1964 "Hold What You've Got" #5 #1
1965 "You Got What It Takes" (A-Side) #51 #10
1965 → "You Better Get It" (B-Side) #46 #15
1965 "A Woman Can Change A Man" (A-Side) #56 #12
1965 → "Don't Let Your Left Hand Know" (B-Side) #95
1965 "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show" #65 #20
1965 "I Want To (Do Everything For You)" #23 #1
1966 "A Sweet Woman Like You" #29 #1
1966 "The Love You Save (May Be Your Own)" #56 #2
1966 "S.Y.S.L.J.F.M.(The Letter Song)" #39 #9
1966 "I Believe I'm Gonna Make It" #67 #8
1966 "I've Got To Do A Little Bit Better" #64 #20
1966 "Papa Was, Too" #44 #15
1967 "Show Me" #35 #24
1967 "Woman Like That, Yeah" #54 #24
1967 "A Woman's Hands" #63 #24
1967 "Skinny Legs And All" #10 #2
1967 "I'll Make Every Day Christmas (For My Woman)"
1968 "Men Are Gettin' Scarce" #33 #7
1968 "I'll Never Do You Wrong" #59 #26
1968 "Soul Meeting"
The Soul Clan
(Joe Tex, Solomon Burke, Arthur Conley, Don Covay and Ben E. King) [39]		 #91 #34
1968 "Chocolate Cherry"
1968 "Keep The One You Got" #52 #13
1968 "You Need Me, Baby" #81 #29
1968 "That's Your Baby"
1969 "Buying A Book" #47 #10
1969 "Say Thank You"
1969 "That's The Way" #94 #46
1969 "It Ain't Sanitary" #117
1969 "I Can't See You No More (When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again)" #105
1970 "Everything Happens On Time"
1970 "I'll Never Fall In Love Again"
1971 "Bad Feet"
1971 "Papa's Dream"
1971 "Give The Baby Anything The Baby Wants" #102 #20
1972 "I Gotcha" #2 #1
1972 → "A Mother's Prayer" (B-Side) #41
1972 "You Said A Bad Word" #41 #12
1973 "Rain Go Away"
1973 "Woman Stealer" #103 #41
1973 "All The Heaven A Man Really Needs"
1973 "Trying To Win Your Love"
1975 "Under Your Powerful Love" #27
1975 "I'm Going Back Again"
1975 "Have You Ever" #74
1975 "Mama Red"
1976 "Ain't Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman)" #12 #7 #2[40]
1977 "Hungry For Your Love" #84
1977 "Rub Down" #70
1978 "Get Back, Leroy"
1979 "Loose Caboose" #48
1979 "Who Gave Birth To The Funk"
1979 "Discomania"
1980 "Stick Your Key In (And Start Your Car)"
1981 "Don't Do Da Do"
(released three times in one year)[41]

Soundtrack Inclusions (Joe Tex performances)[42]

References

  1. ^ Primarily from Rolling Stone Joe Tex Discography; www.rollingstone.com, Allmusic Joe Tex Discography; www.allmusic.com, Yahoo Music Joe Tex Discography; www.new.music.yahoo.com and James Porter with John Battles and Waymon Timbsdayle, Joe Tex Album Guide, 2003; www.roctober.com.
  2. ^ This was Tex's first album release, despite having released over thirty singles during the previous decade.
  3. ^ Early recordings, released to capitalize on the success of Hold On To What You've Got. Includes "Baby, You're Right", written by Joe Tex and a hit for James Brown in 1962. Also includes "You Keep Her", written by Joe Tex in relation to wife leaving Tex for James Brown. See James Porter et al., Joe Tex Album Guide, 2003; www.roctober.com.
  4. ^ Also early recordings, released to capitalize on the success of Hold On To What You've Got. Also in 1965, a record containing no more than four Joe Tex songs and filled with other recordings represented to be Tex was released by Pickwick Records as Joe Tex. See James Porter et al., Joe Tex Album Guide, 2003; www.roctober.com; commentary by Greg Burgess.
  5. ^ More early recordings. Includes "Meet Me In Church", later recorded by Solomon Burke.
  6. ^ Another release of early Joe Tex material, most songs being previously unreleased, intended to capitalize on Tex's newfound national success.
  7. ^ "No filler, no fat. Can't argue with this one, as it has all of his hits up to then. No B-sides, no album cuts. However, Atlantic should have put together a "Vol. 2," because his biggest hit of the sixties was right around the corner." James Porter with John Battles and Waymon Timbsdayle, Joe Tex Album Guide, 2003; www.roctober.com.
  8. ^ Containing previously unreleased material of varying quality, released after Tex had left the label. See James Porter et al., Joe Tex Album Guide, 2003, commentary by Waymon Timbsdayle; www.roctober.com.
  9. ^ Containing early, pre-"Hold On" material, without disclaimer, though the collection is considered to be quite worthwhile. According to John Battles, "These tracks were largely recorded during Joe's "Little Richard" phase, which wielded some wild, unruly rockers, of which some of the best are included here. ...All that screamin' and beamin' and steamin' makes me wanna wreck a room, just like Richard's most frantic sides (i.e. "Keep A Knockin'" or "Bama Lama Bama Loo," which hadn't been recorded yet). ...make no mistake, Tex wasn't just copying pre-established artists, he was getting his own thing together, and learning from the best. That said, Tex was already a highly respected performer without a hit when he was doing opening spots for Brown and Richard in the late Fifties. Little Richard himself went so far as to say that James Brown got much of his stage act from watching Joe Tex on stage. All in all, this is a cool compilation, but there's enough material from this period for a nice CD (Or maybe even a double CD) retrospective." Joe Tex Album Guide, commentary by John Battles; www.roctober.com.
  10. ^ Being a direct re-release of the 1965 release of The Best of Joe Tex on Parrot Records.
  11. ^ Rerelease of pre-1965 King Records material, previously released in 1965 as The Best of Joe Tex.
  12. ^ Criticised as being another re-release of Tex's pre-Dial material, but again excluding the "lost 45, 'Looking For My Pig'". Released as part of the London Records Collectors' Series, which also included releases of London material by Thin Lizzy, Genesis and David Bowie. See James Porter with John Battles and Waymon Timbsdayle, Joe Tex Album Guide, 2003; www.roctober.com.
  13. ^ Another release of pre-1965 material.
  14. ^ Being primarily a re-release of Hold On! It's Joe Tex (1965), though with detailed liner notes by legendary DJ Bill "Hoss" Allen.
  15. ^ Printed for release in 1984, but actually released in 1985. The album is similar to the original Atlantic 1967 release of The Best of Joe Tex, except that Tex's No. 1 R & B chart hit in 1965, "I Want To Do Everything For You", is inexplicably replaced with the non-single, "Build Your Love On A Solid Foundation". Also criticised for not including other Joe Tex hits, such as "Skinny Legs and All". See James Porter with John Battles and Waymon Timbsdayle, Joe Tex Album Guide, 2003; www.roctober.com.
  16. ^ a b Both the Rhino and Charly releases are considered to be definitive "best of" releases of Joe Tex material, superior to reissues by his long-time label, Atlantic: "Now this is more like it. All the hits from all the labels, plus comprehensive liner notes that tell you what's what. At the time, Rhino (US) and Charly (UK) were setting the standard for reissue labels, and they gave Joe's legacy the royal treatment it deserved." James Porter with John Battles and Waymon Timbsdayle, Joe Tex Album Guide, 2003; www.roctober.com.
  17. ^ Rare and previously unissued Joe Tex material, including "I Can See Everybody's Baby But Mine".
  18. ^ Reissue of Soul Country (1968), with bonus tracks.
  19. ^ The release of Greatest Hits on Curb Records marked the beginning of a series of reissues of Joe Tex material on various discount record labels. This led to speculation that Buddy Killen, who had formed Dial Records explicitly to record Joe Tex and then licensed the recordings to Atlantic Records, must have regained the rights to his Dial Records masters of Joe Tex recordings. See James Porter with John Battles and Waymon Timbsdayle, Joe Tex Album Guide, 2003; www.roctober.com.
  20. ^ A major collection, containing 44 tracks. Track listing is here.
  21. ^ According to reviewer Richie Unterberger, "If you're set on having the best available Joe Tex CD anthology...this definitely supersedes others as the greatest-hits collection of choice. ...There's no telling if this will remain the definitive Tex compilation if his catalog continues to get passed around, but there's a good chance that it won't be surpassed." Review of Joe Tex, 25 All Time Greatest Hits; www.allmusic.com.
  22. ^ An independent record label started by singer John Prine.
  23. ^ As described by reviewer Dave Marsh, "Fourteen fundamental hits, mainly from the Atlantic soul period, starting with 'Hold What You've Got' and with a brief diversion to the disco-funk of 'I Gotcha.' This is Tex as pared down to his essence as you'll find. Notes are by the great Memphis producer/songwriter Chips Moman, but, unfortunately, they're just one paragraph long." Review of Oh Boy Classics Presents Joe Tex; www.allmusic.com.
  24. ^ As described by reviewer Mark Deming, "Stylistically, both albums were just a bit off the beaten path from the bulk of Tex's mid-1960s work; his sense of humor (always bubbling beneath the surface) came into the forefront on Hold On To What You've Got, while The New Boss focused new emphasis on Tex's obvious fondness for country music." Review of Hold On To What You've Got/The New Boss; www.allmusic.com.
  25. ^ As described by reviewer Mark Deming, "Two of Joe Tex's finest albums from his tenure as the in-house 'advice columnist' of Southern soul are paired up on this superior CD reissue. ...Buddy Killen's production is the ideal match for Tex's often witty, always heartfelt stories about finding and holding on to love." Review of The Love You Save/I've Got to Do a Little Bit Better; www.allmusic.com.
  26. ^ Being the only soul record in the "David Allan Coe Presents" series. As noted by reviewer Wade Kergan, "Tex was among the grittier songwriters of '60s Southern soul, so the fact that the irascible redneck Coe would pick him as the lone soul artist in his mostly traditional country David Allan Coe Presents series isn't a surprise." Review of David Allan Coe Presents Joe Tex; www.allmusic.com.
  27. ^ Criticised by reviewer Tim Sendra as excluding too much "classic" Joe Tex, such as "'One Monkey Don't Stop No Show' and the timeless disco classic 'Ain't Gonna Bump No More With No Big Fat Woman'." Review of Classic Masters; www.allmusic.com.
  28. ^ Being a collection of Dial Records material from the 1960s. As noted by reviewer Steve Leggett, "Whatever else Joe Tex has been in his long career, and that includes being a charismatic showman, singer, and performer, he has always been a fine songwriter, and this generous 20-track set of his key 1960s Dial Records sides has plenty to prove the point." Steve Leggett, Review of Greatest Hits (Neon); www.allmusic.com.
  29. ^ Being the complete recordings Tex completed for King Records (owned by Syd Nathan) during 1955-1957, involving no album release at the time. According to reviewer Steve Leggett, the material is considered to be "derivative...sounding a bit like Tex trying to emulate Sam Cooke. It's pleasant enough, but it wasn't until the next decade that he would find his own voice." Steve Leggett, Review of The Best of Joe Tex (Gusto); www.allmusic.com.
  30. ^ Being exclusively Dial Records material, almost all cut between 1961 and 1964, just before Tex's 1965 breakthrough. According to reviewer Richie Unterberger, the album contains "arrangements similar to those heard in early-'60s 45s by poppy early soul singers like Marv Johnson and Dee Clark; and hints of Clyde McPhatter, Sam Cooke, and doo wop. Yet at the same time, there are also strong pleading ballads much closer to the Southern soul style with which he became identified, all of them written by Tex himself, the slightly James Brown-ish "Blood's Thicker Than Water" being a particular highlight in that regard." See Richie Unterberger, Review of First on the Dial: Early Singles and Rare Gems; www.allmusic.com.
  31. ^ Reviewer Richie Unterberger commented in relation to Get Way Back as follows: "Get Way Back: The 1950s Recordings...collects 27 tracks he recorded between 1955 and 1960 for the King and Ace labels, none of which were hits. It says something for both Tex's talent and perseverance that he was able to issue so much material without making a commercial impact, but it also says something about the derivative nature of that material." See Richie Unterberger, Review of Get Way Back: The 1950s Recordings; www.allmusic.com.
  32. ^ Primarily from a highly detailed singles discography, including particulars of B-sides, by Bosko Asanovic, with additions by Greg Burgess, Joe Tex Singles Discography; www.soulfulkindamusic.net.
  33. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 55. ISBN 1-904994-10-5. 
  34. ^ B-Side to the instrumental "Teenage Rock".
  35. ^ New Orleans pianist Little Booker (1939-1983), not to be confused with jazz trumpeter Booker Little, was generally known professionally by his given names of James Booker. He was a childhood classmate of Allen Toussaint and Art Neville and in his later years worked with Dr. John. Through the introduction of Joe Tex and while still legally a minor, he had been signed to a three year contract with Ace Records. He terminated the arrangement after three songs, when he discovered that Joe Tex's vocals were being dubbed over his own. See Greg Johnson, Biography of James Booker, Cascade Blues Association, Blues Notes, February, 2002; www.cascadeblues.org. See also James Booker.
  36. ^ Recorded by and a hit for James Brown in 1962.
  37. ^ Written and recorded as a message to James Brown, who had commenced a relationship with Joe Tex's wife.
  38. ^ a b Assumed.
  39. ^ Te Soul Clan was a one-off group, consisting of Joe Tex, Solomon Burke, Arthur Conley, Don Covay and Ben E. King, all at the time Atlantic-related artists. An album, Soul Clan was later released, though the only true Soul Clan performances were "Soul Meeting" and its b-side, "That's How I Feel", written by Don Covay and Bobby Womack. The balance of the album was simply a compilation of previous hits of the various artists. Joe Tex was represented by "Skinny Legs and All" and "Hold What You've Got". See Mark Deming,Review of Soul Clan; www.allmusic.com.
  40. ^ The song was also released in Australia in 1977 and reached Number 2. It was ranked Number 22 among the top 25 singles in Australia for that year. See List of Top 25 singles for 1977 in Australia.
  41. ^ Two versions, one on Columbia and the other on Handshake Records, had "Here Comes No. 34 (Do The Earl Campbell)" as the b-side, with reference to Earl Campbell, football star of the University of Texas Longhorns and the Houston Oilers. The third release of the song, on Handshake Records, had "Loose Caboose", a 1979 single, as the b-side. See Bosko Asanovic, with additions by Greg Burgess, Joe Tex Singles Discography; www.soulfulkindamusic.net.
  42. ^ In contrast to Joe Tex songs performed by others. Information primarily from www.allmusic.com and www.imdb.com.