THE DIG NEVER ENDS

This is how things happen around here. I was so taken with Sunny and the Sunliners' "No One Else Will Do" (posted yesterday) that I thought I'd do some digging. I knew the band's name, but for the life of me, I couldn't remember from where. After I heard the cover of Little Willie John's "Talk To Me" by his earlier band, Sunny and the Sunglows, it came to me. Radio DJ Dick "Huggy Boy" Hugg used to play it all the time, back when he was on XPRS (the station that inspired the Blasters' "Border Radio"). So, if you were around Southern California and listened to Huggy Boy in the early eighties, you'll realize why the original version by Little Willie John never seemed to be the familiar one. (If you're not into ballads, read on.)

Sunny Ozuna, was the leader of both bands, as well as a solo artist. (Today he fronts Sunny Ozuna and the Skyliner Band.) The evolution of his music went from the balladry of "Smile Now, Cry Later" and "Talk To Me," to the swinging Latin soul of' "No One Else Will Do" and "Hip Huggin' Mini," with a detour doing a load of Tex Mex stuff. Somewhere in there, the Sunliners also served as backing band for the early Archie Bell and the Drells. After all of that, they got downright funky (as evidenced by "Get Down" below.) Yesterday I didn't know shit about Sunny Ozuna. Today he's on my "further listening" list. That's how things happen around here.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:
Sunny Ozuna - Smile Now, Cry Later at Sir Shambling's Deep Soul Heaven
Sunny & the Sunglows - Talk To Me mp3 at 4Shared
Sunny & the Sunliners - No One Else Will Do mp3 at Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban
Sunny & the Sunliners - Hip Huggin' Mini mp3 at Rock 'n' Soul Ichiban Highly recommended
Sunny & the Sunlners - Get Down mp3 at NowAgain Highly recommended
Tex Mex:
Sunny And The Sunliners- Triste Y Lastimado (streaming) at YouTube
Sunny Ozuna - Carino Nuevo (streaming) at YouTube
Check this!:
20 Masterpieces of Latin Soul at Sir Shambling's Deep Soul Heaven
Visit:
Sunny Ozuna - Official site
Sunny and the Sunglows, and the Sunliners bio at All Music