Bobby Williams on Tropical

Bobby Williams & His Mar Kings

23039 ~ Darling, Here Is My Heart
23040 ~ All The Time

Both sides written by Bobby Williams and published by Alison ASCAP

Tropical 130

Deland, Florida

Hear and/or download both sides

Label pictures and sound file above are from a current ebay auction which will be ended very soon. A near mint copy has been sold for the amazing sum of US $ 1575 in November 2010 (see popsike).

This is likely the very first record of Florida's "Soul Godfather #2, the superfunky James Brown clone Bobby Williams."

Both sides were re-issued on vinyl (on a 3 seven-inches set) by Jazzman Records of London, U.K. in 2008 :

[The] album showcases Bobby Williams & the Mar-Kings with their finest and funkiest moments and tells the story of the singer from his impoverished days as a child growing up in Georgia to the sell-out concerts given across the country. The pictures and extensive, original notes tell his story as told by the people who knew him best - his friends, family and fellow band members, and we have put his best songs onto this 3 x 45 7" box set.

The Jazzman reissue is probably the only way to found biographical information on Bobby Williams. Internet research has revealed the Bobby Williams popularity among soul and funk records collectors but ended up at only vague information. Born in Washington D.C., he died in the nineties...

Bobby released singles and 3 LPs for labels such as Duplex ('73) , Nor-Mar (73) , MTVH (74) Rew (74), R&R (74-76) ... His last single was for North Carolina's label "Nickelodeon" in mid 80s.

The MTVH, ReW and R&R family of labels, based in Chicago has attracted the curiosity of Kris Holmes in the course of his search for the mysterious Reginald Hines and his musical empire first based in Greensville, Mississippi.


Update : auction ended at US$ 1,695

.