Georgie Woods - Potato Salad Pt1

I found out yesterday that the great Georgie Woods had passed away. Woods was one of the the pillars of R&B/soul radio in Philadelphia for decades. Known as Georgie Woods “The Guy With the Goods”, he came to Philly in 1953 and for the next twenty years, on WDAS and WHAT, and from the stage of the Uptown Theater, he was the main man. In addition to his work on the air, Woods was also involved in the Civil Rights movement, marching in Selma with Dr. King and serving as an officer in the local chapter of the NAACP. ‘Potato Salad Pt1’ is one of the best entries in a long line of records laid down by soul djs in the 60’s (a list that included the great John R. , E. Rodney Jones, Sonny Hopson, Bernie Hayes, Magnificent Montague and others). Though the record is credited to “Broadway Eddie’ and Woods, the tune is lifted 100% from Lionel Hampton’s ‘Greasy Greens’. The record was arranged by Philly legend Vince Montana, who’s vibes are featured prominently in the mix. The essence of the tune is Georgie rapping about the wonders of soul food, warning the listener – “Don’t eat chicken on Sunday. It’ll put a hole in your soul! Is that black enough for you? Write that down! Potato Salad, ha HAAAAAA! WHOOOO! Lawd have mercy! Philadelphia PA, that’s where I stay! Big leg girls walking up and down Broad Street, South Street, High Street, All you Philadelphia girls don’t forget to put your girdles on!” …and on, and on in the same funky, fun vein. The drums are funky, and there a crazy sound effect through the song that sounds like someone making choo-choo Charlie noises with a full box of Good’n’Plenty. At the end of the day, it’s a great funky side (I play it out whenever possible), and rises above the level of most “novelty” deejay sides. Woods was one of the last of the great AM radio giants, in that he spanned the R&B and soul eras, standing as an institution in the Philly radio market (along with the "Mighty Burner" Sonny Hopson and Jerry ‘The Geater’ Blavat). Thanks to the ongoing encroachment of blandness and homogeneity in commercial radio, it’s unlikely that we’ll ever see his like again. Sad days indeed.