''Strange Fruit'' is an instrumental album by the Family Vibes. The album was released on

United Artists Records United Artists Records was an American record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 to issue movie soundtracks. The label expanded into other genres, such as easy listening, jazz, pop, and R&B. History Genres In 1958 ...

in January 1972. Led by

Ike Turner Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and ...

, the Family Vibes, best known as the

Kings of Rhythm Kings of Rhythm are an American music group formed in the late 1940s in Clarksdale, Mississippi and led by Ike Turner through to his death in 2007. Turner would retain the name of the band throughout his career, although the group has undergone c ...

, were the backing band for

Ike & Tina Turner Ike & Tina Turner was an American musical duo consisting of husband-and-wife Ike Turner and Tina Turner. From 1960 to 1976, they performed live as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, supported by the Kings of Rhythm and backing vocalists, the Ikettes. ...

Recording and release

''Strange Fruit'' was recorded at Ike Turner's Bolic Sound Studios in

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city had a population of 107,762. ...

in October 1971. Turner arranged and produced the album. His sister-in-law

Alline Bullock Ruby Alline Bullock Selico (December 1, 1936 – September 4, 2010) was an American songwriter. She was the older full sister of singer Tina Turner. Bullock once served as the manager of the girl group the Ikettes. She wrote songs for Ike & Tina ...

wrote two songs on the album, "Happy But Lonely" and "Bootie Lip." The latter was released as a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

single to "Soppin' Molasses" in 1972.

Critical reception

The album received positive reviews. ''

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detro ...

'' (March 26, 1972):

Students of soul artists like
Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...
,
James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...
and Ike and Tina Turner have always known a healthy share of the success of these giants can be directly attributed to the brilliance of the backing bands. Today's No. 1 back-up band is Ike Turner's Family Vibes, which had it all covered. You thought Sly's Family Stone had energy?
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
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Blood, Sweat & Tears Blood, Sweat & Tears (also known as "BS&T") is an American jazz rock music group founded in New York City in 1967, noted for a combination of brass with rock instrumentation. BS&T has gone through numerous iterations with varying personnel and ...
? .. Family Vibes is without a question the funkiest, most forceful and rock-it-to-you band in the country. This album is a killer.

Dayton Daily News The ''Dayton Daily News'' (''DDN'') is a daily newspaper published in Dayton, Ohio. It is owned by Cox Enterprises, Inc., a privately held global conglomerate headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, with approximately 55,000 employee ...

'' (April 2, 1972):

It's all sound, baby. There is no Tina Turner on this album ... But back to this showcase of talent by Ike and the boys in the band doing a little jammin'—on their instruments, of course. Formerly, the group was called the Kings of Rhythm. They changed their name to the Family Vibes and will continue as the backup band for Ike and Tina's show."

Track listing

Personnel

* Arranger – Ike Turner * Bass – Warren Dawson * Baritone Saxophone – J. D. Reed * Drums –

Soko Richardson Eulis Soko Richardson (December 8, 1939 – January 29, 2004) was an American rhythm and blues drummer. His career spanned almost fifty years, during which he performed and recorded with seminal groups including John Mayall's Bluesbreakers and ...

* Engineer – Steve Waldman * Guitar – Jackie Clark * Organ – Ike Turner * Producer – Ike Turner * Tenor Saxophone – Jimmy Smith * Tenor Saxophone – Larry Reed * Trombone – Edward Burks * Trumpet – Claude Williams, Mack Johnson

References

{{Authority control 1972 albums Ike Turner albums Albums produced by Ike Turner United Artists Records albums 1970s instrumental albums Albums recorded at Bolic Sound