435. Ray Algere “In My Corner” (Tou-Sea, 1967)

NY Night Tain Soul Clap & Dance-Off Top 500 ripped from the original 45s! This one’s about when life keeps knocking you down every time you try to get back up and the only thing cushioning you from the final crash is the unwavering love of a special someone who sticks by your side no matter what. While a lot of folks will tell you that only you can save yourself, this extraordinary but unknown singer, delivering a perfect Allen Toussaint song over a masterful arrangement with miles of style and virtuosity, is here to convince us that love can also save the day. While most soul singers across the USA came directly out of gospel, New Orleans is an anomaly in that, despite a number of strong exceptions, many of its vocal stars instead emerged from the city’s omnipresent secular music culture. Algere possesses both the local vernacular and phrasing but at points slides effortlessly into effortless falsettos with southern gospel intensity on both of these stirring sides. One of the many exquisite features of Toussaint’s arrangements from this period are the surprises that pop out as the composition progresses and my favorite musical event of “In My Corner” occurs during the economical instrumental bridge of sorts over half-way through where he pulls the guitarist up to the top of the mix for a couple of electrifying “Barefootin'” style dissonant high-string up-the fretboard figures. Unless its a spot-on execution of one of influential guitar hero George Davis’ signature licks, I think its gotta be the maestro himself. Also who is Ray Algere? I’m so curious as to why this stratospheric vocal talent only had one known release to his name. Riding high on the pony of their Lee Dorsey success, Toussaint and business partner Marshall Sehorn started their own labels Sansu then Deesu then Tou-Sea then Kansu. Sehorn explained the nomenclature to Jonas Bernholm in his “Soul Music Odyssey USA 1968”: “the names of their record labels came from Gumbo French; Sansu meant 5 cents (san = cinq) and Deesu meant 10 cents (Dee =Dix) and Kansu meant 15 cents (Can = quinze) and su= cents.” An April 1, 1967 both “Record World” and “Cashbox” announced the formation of the Tou-Sea imprint for the “sole purpose of giving other independent producers in New Orleans and the South a wider scope of exposure for the new product.” While six of the ten releases were credited to outside producers – including three to “Big Q,” the immortal Wardell Quezergue, the other two more were Toussaint/Sehorn production credits, I’m curious as to why my two favorite Tou-Sea releases, this one and Zilla Mayes’ “All I Want Is You,” written, arranged, and produced by Toussaint, appeared on this label dedicated to outside productions. Judging by the fact that a number of these were debuts and Warren Lee’s “Underground Backstreet” is the only one by an artists that ever released under the Sansu label again, maybe both of these spins were experimental shots testing the waters for artists they didn’t have big plans for? A Raymond Algere Jr who appears to still be residing in New Orleans is the right age to be Ray Algere. I’d love to learn the story of this uncommon voice. go to NYNT for the complete illustrated stories about each song and artist from the NYNT Soul Clap 500 list https://www.newyorknighttrain.com/2021/04/13/421-440/ go to the SoundCloud playlist to hear the NYNT Soul Clap 500 mixed DJ style w/banter https://soundcloud.com/nynt/sets/ny-night-train-soul-clap-dance go to the YouTube NYNT Soul Clap 500 playlist https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeR4fPqwIhnCqg7SdAbbv9M-Spv5QCkKm

Added 20 Jul 2026