Frierson, Johnnie
Have You Been Good To Yourself
Beautiful mix of spoken word and gospel songs, originally only put out on cassette! Followers of Light in the Attic output might have a pang of recognition on reading the name Frierson. That was the surname of Wendy Rene, whose work was collected into the 2012 LITA anthology After Laughter Comes Tears, and indeed, Johnnie Frierson is Wendy's brother - a fellow member of her mid-'60s Stax four-piece The Drapels. But Have You Been Good To Yourself will come as a surprise to anyone expecting more of the beat-driven R&B Johnnie and his sibling produced - including that compilation's much-sampled title track. A mix of spoken word and gospel songs laid down direct to cassette, these ultra-rare home recordings draw from Johnnie's religious upbringing and his history in the music business, which was interrupted in 1970 when he was sent to fight in Vietnam.