After 50 years since his debut, veteran Soul singer Sonny Knight continues to leaves a strong impression as a lead vocalist with his new band The Lakers who unite to shed light on the art of Funk and Soul. Joined by in-house Secret Stash Records funky drummer Eric Foss, Sonny Knight and The Lakers rock NPR's World Cafe for a 20 minute set of tunes from their album "I'm Still Here" on Secret Stash Records.

"For almost 45 years a complete album of Vic Pitts & The Cheaters tapes has been forgotten, waiting to be released until now. In the late 1960s, Vic Pitts & The Cheaters were one of Milwaukee’s top R&B bands. They had their own TV show, played some of the city’s biggest clubs, and backed up big name acts. Between 1969 and 1970 they recorded over a dozen songs with producer Andre Williams at Chess’ Ter-Mar Studio. The results show why they were such a popular live act; some tracks reveal their roots as James Brown fanatics, others relate the happening sounds of Sly & The Family Stone and Chicago’s first record. Highlights include an early instrumental version of their sought after “Loose Boodie,” a funked up cover of Herbie Mann’s “Comin’ Home Baby,” and a soulful re-imagining of Neil Young’s “Down By The River,” among many others. As misfortune would have it, the album never saw the light of day.



Van Patterson, guitarist with the Cheaters, recalled the fate of the album. “Andre Williams wanted us to cover ‘River Deep’ and use it as the lead single for the record.” Williams saw an opportunity, as the song was clearly a hit – it had reached #3 in the UK charts – but no one had made noise with it in the US. The Phil Spector produced Ike & Tina Turner single was originally released in 1966 and barely cracked the US top 100. In the months that followed, the “River Deep-Mountain High” album was abandoned and Spector went into retirement. Fortune was not on the Cheater’s side, though. In late 1969, after they recorded “River Deep,” Spector and A&M released the “River Deep-Mountain High” album for the first time in the US. According to Van, the Cheater’s album lost momentum and before long Andre Williams took off for California. Over time, the band forgot the album even existed. To respect the karmic power of “River Deep” – it both derailed Phil Spector’s career and the Cheaters’ album – Secret Stash has omitted the track from the album.

We proudly present the first issue of these previously unreleased soulful and funky tapes. Culled from interviews with Vic Pitts and several members of the band we have put together a LP gatefold filed with photos and liner notes, and a CD with 8 page booklet." - Secret Stash Records

Feast your ears to the soulful sounds of a re-issue of music directed towards ailing problems of society which was recorded back in the early 1970's. "Free Angela" is a rare project designed to promote social awareness in 1971 which follows in the lineage of memorable politically-influenced Soul music of it's era produced by artists such as Curtis Mayfield and Donny Hathaway. Check out the official press release below from Secret Stash Records:

"Amidst the socially and politically tumultuous 1960s and 1970s, Angela Davis emerged as one of the era’s most controversial figures. In the early 1970s, her arrest, incarceration, and trial made international headlines and inspired a movement to free her. In April of 2013 Free Angela & All Political Prisoners, an independent film about Davis was released to much critical acclaim, fetching awards at the Toronto International Film Festival Gala World Premiere, the London International Film Festival, as well as the Stockholm International Film Festival.


Originally released in 1971, the album Free Angela was sold to raise money for the National United Committee to Free Angela Davis. It was put together by Alexander Randolph – a singer, promoter, and record label owner from Virginia. The first half of the album was recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, beginning with the title track by Larry Saunders. On his songs, Saunders’ vocals float above and transcend the ethereal backing of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. His voice can be compared to singers like Donny Hathaway and Curtis Mayfield, but Saunders is his own man, with his own style. His work on this album is essential listening in the realm of socially conscious soul music. The second half of the album continues with solid mid-1960s rarities from Randolph’s Sound of Soul label. Sound of Soul has long been known to record collectors, with singles routinely fetching hundreds of dollars.

Working in coordination with Alexander Randolph, Secret Stash is excited to make available once again this soulful piece of history. Available on CD and vinyl, each contains an insert with detailed liner notes and photos: 8 pages of 11.5″ x 11.5″ for the LP and 32 page booklet for the CD. As always, the LP version includes a free digital download of the entire album and the CD version comes in a premium digipack."

Pre-Order Now! The first 350 copies include a bonus 45 repro of Oscar Wright’s sought after “Leave Me Alone” b/w “Fell in Love”.