Just Brothers
Encyclopedia
Just Brothers was the American
musical duo of the brothers Jimmy and Frank Bryant and several session musician
s. Their song "Sliced Tomatoes" was a dancefloor hit
in 1972, and was sampled in Fatboy Slim
's "The Rockafeller Skank
."
Frank Bryant became a session musician in the mid 1960s in his hometown Detroit, while Jimmy was completing military service. His early credits included the bassline
on Gino Washington
's "Gino Is a Coward" and vocals on J.J. Barnes' "Lonely No More" at Mickay's Records. Frank also co-wrote J.J.'s "Deeper in Love", and Steve Mancha's "Let's Party."
After Jimmy's return, the Bryant Brothers were recruited into a session group for Winifred Terry of the Drifters by the group's drummer Richard Allen. The session was intended to record a song called "Honey" and a B-side
. The musical tracks were completed when the hired vocalist was deemed unfit to record the song. Frank took the opportunity to point out his and Jimmy's vocal talent. Convinced by Bryant, Terry agreed to give them a stab at recording the two songs. At the subsequent session Bryant Brothers sang on "Honey" and their songs "Things Will Get Better" and "She Broke His Heart."
The track recorded to be the B-side was titled "Sliced Tomatoes", and released in 1965 backed with "Things Will Get Better", on the Lupine record label. Later that year a pairing of "She Broke His Heart" and "Things Will Get Better" was released on Terry's Empire Record Label. "Carlena" was released on Terry's Garrison label. None of the tracks were successful and the Bryant Brothers returned to session work.
In 1969, with new member Willie Kendrick, the Just Brothers negotiated a deal at Johnny Nash
's Jomada label. They recorded one unreleased track before being dropped by the label. Terry helped out the group again organizing the re-release of "Sliced Tomatoes" on the Music Merchant label in 1972. The Just Brothers recorded two new tracks, "Tears Ago" and "You've Got The Love To Make Me Over", for the Pied Piper label, originally meant for an uncompleted album. These ended up backing "Sliced Tomatoes" on its single releases. "Sliced Tomatoes" became a Northern soul
staple.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
musical duo of the brothers Jimmy and Frank Bryant and several session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
s. Their song "Sliced Tomatoes" was a dancefloor hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
in 1972, and was sampled in Fatboy Slim
Fatboy Slim
Norman Quentin Cook better known by his former stage name Fatboy Slim, is a British DJ, electronic dance music musician, and record producer. He is a pioneer of the big beat genre that achieved mainstream popularity in the 1990s...
's "The Rockafeller Skank
The Rockafeller Skank
"The Rockafeller Skank" is a song by English big beat musician Fatboy Slim. It was a hit single released from the 1998 album You've Come a Long Way, Baby....
."
Frank Bryant became a session musician in the mid 1960s in his hometown Detroit, while Jimmy was completing military service. His early credits included the bassline
Bassline
A bassline is the term used in many styles of popular music, such as jazz, blues, funk, dub and electronic music for the low-pitched instrumental part or line played by a rhythm section instrument such as the electric bass, double bass, tuba or keyboard...
on Gino Washington
Gino Washington
George "Gino" Washington is an African American R&B and rock singer from Detroit, Michigan who had cross-racial appeal. While he was attending Pershing High School, he achieved local hits in 1963 and 1964 with "Out of This World" and "Gino Is a Coward". In 1964 he was drafted into the U.S. Army...
's "Gino Is a Coward" and vocals on J.J. Barnes' "Lonely No More" at Mickay's Records. Frank also co-wrote J.J.'s "Deeper in Love", and Steve Mancha's "Let's Party."
After Jimmy's return, the Bryant Brothers were recruited into a session group for Winifred Terry of the Drifters by the group's drummer Richard Allen. The session was intended to record a song called "Honey" and a B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
. The musical tracks were completed when the hired vocalist was deemed unfit to record the song. Frank took the opportunity to point out his and Jimmy's vocal talent. Convinced by Bryant, Terry agreed to give them a stab at recording the two songs. At the subsequent session Bryant Brothers sang on "Honey" and their songs "Things Will Get Better" and "She Broke His Heart."
The track recorded to be the B-side was titled "Sliced Tomatoes", and released in 1965 backed with "Things Will Get Better", on the Lupine record label. Later that year a pairing of "She Broke His Heart" and "Things Will Get Better" was released on Terry's Empire Record Label. "Carlena" was released on Terry's Garrison label. None of the tracks were successful and the Bryant Brothers returned to session work.
In 1969, with new member Willie Kendrick, the Just Brothers negotiated a deal at Johnny Nash
Johnny Nash
John Lester "Johnny" Nash, Jr. is an American pop singer-songwriter, best known in the US for his 1972 hit, "I Can See Clearly Now". He was also the first non-Jamaican to record reggae music in Kingston, Jamaica.-Life and career:...
's Jomada label. They recorded one unreleased track before being dropped by the label. Terry helped out the group again organizing the re-release of "Sliced Tomatoes" on the Music Merchant label in 1972. The Just Brothers recorded two new tracks, "Tears Ago" and "You've Got The Love To Make Me Over", for the Pied Piper label, originally meant for an uncompleted album. These ended up backing "Sliced Tomatoes" on its single releases. "Sliced Tomatoes" became a Northern soul
Northern soul
Northern soul is a music and dance movement that emerged from the British mod scene, initially in northern England in the late 1960s. Northern soul mainly consists of a particular style of black American soul music based on the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound...
staple.