Not to be confused with Tommy Hunter (a staple of Canadian TV in the 70s), Tommy Hunt was a decent R & B singer, at least the equal of the likes of James Carr or labelmate Chuck Jackson, who didn’t really seem to have gotten a break. My collection comes from
The Scepter Records Story.
Tommy Hunt:
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Human – One of those R&B slow dances; if you aren’t paying attention you might think that you’re listening to Hurt. The lyrics state the obvious, maybe too obvious – this was Hunt’s biggest hit and it only made #48 on Billboard. That was in the fall of 1961.
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I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself – A heartbreak song, and a good heartbreak song at that. This isn’t bad – it was the title track of Hunt’s only Scepter LP, but Hunt’s record company didn’t put it out as a single. They waited two more years, and released Dionne Warwick’s version. It was also a hit by Dusty Springfield. Written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David
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I Am A Witness – She was with me, now she’s with you. You’re boned. Maybe. I don’t know if his warning is valid or if he’s just blowing smoke, but he recruites The Shirelles, The Sweet Inspirations, Dee Dee Warwick, Mickey Baker, and Bernard Purdie to help him get the message across. No arguing with that. From the fall of 1963.
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Oh Lord What Are You Doing To Me – A bit maudlin, though the execution is decent.