Brenton Wood

S/D, anyone?

Old time L.A. deejay Art Laboe has this syndicated show where he plays soul oldies and he's got this ad for a 2CD Brenton Wood collection that I think he's put out. Snippets of the songs in the ad and I'm wondering if B.W. has a cool, not-so-well-known catalog of old songs maybe?

OK, Brenton Wood was on Original Sound, which was Laboe's label. The 2CD set is all '60s material.

Gimme Little Sign is my all time favorite karaoke song; it's barely over two minutes, so people don't have time to get bored with you when you're up there!

Saw Big Sandy fronting Los Straitjackets Saturday night and they did a cover of "Gimme Little Sign" en espanol. Totally rocked.

Yeah, "Gimme Little Sign" is great. Don't know if I've ever heard "Oogum Boogum". Other than that, all I know is that he was on Double Shot records along with Count Five. And he got namechecked in both The Aesthetics of Rock and Psychotic Reactions and Carburetor Dung.

Tim I think I have that brenton wood collection on tape! I know Laboe had a hand in it back when he was on (late much lamented)KRLA, it was 18 songs but it fit on one tape so maybe the cd has more. I don't remember all of it but there's some GREAT singles beyond the two hits('Me and you' is probably my favorite, then 'Baby, you Got It' and then 'oogum'), i'll have to dig it up.

xpost BS and los straitjackets played a bunch of those hits in espanol on NPR last week, i think it was terry gross. Pretty fascinating, they're actually covering spanish speaking artists covering the american stuff I guess, they said they lucked into that particular translation of 'gimme a little sign' at a mexican flea market and they were glad they hadn't heard the 'official' mexican version first which was translated more stiffly.

oh i missed the line about him being on laboe's label. He did a disproportionate number of KRLA promos come to think of it haha. old school payola >>>>>> nu school payola.

Yeah, I figured there were a bunch of good singles.

Off topic, but I keep having my mind blown recently by the relationship between the California Latino community and soul music. There seems to be a deep knowledge there that's not just among fanatics and spans generations. I was listening to the Laboe program a couple of weeks ago and some woman called up and says, "Can you play 'Forever'?" Laboe says, "You mean the Marvelettes?" and she says yes. I mean, "Forever" was not a huge hit and has never been a regular oldies staple among the general public. Stuff like that happens all the time on this local soul oldies show in San Diego, too.

heh I actually take it for granted but but yeah ever since I can remember latinos have held it down as far as the sweet spot of oldies/doo wop/latin soul/early rock that get bypassed by lazy boomer circle jerks like K-Earth and the like; they're at least 90% of the callers for sure. and I think Laboe himself was a major factor via production, parties, and airplay. I posted a laboe bio before for some reason that covers that stuff in detail but I can't find it.

I own the Double Shot LP that has "The Oogum Boogum Song" and "Gimme Little Sign" on it. It's really good. Brenton Wood also lends the name of his "Better Believe It" to this great UK soul comp on Warner Music called You Better Believe It that also has fine stuff from Archie Bell, Aretha, Mary Wells, Major Lance, Barbara Lynn and Wood. It's "rare and modern soul gems" from Atlantic/Atco/Cotillion/Reprise/Warner Bros., '67-'78. There's also a volume 2, equally as good.

I was about to search for a thread on him. Classic!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDTFxK-ssnk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqQjZhWo4TA&playnext=1&list=PL0246980A0F10D733&index=5

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lWtgjwGyuo

ftw

The two Double Shot albums, Brenton Wood's 18 Best, and a rarities comp all licensed by Bicycle Music Company now and all on Spotify.

Cool. Thanks. I only know "The Oogum Boogum Song" and "Gimme a Little Sign"

RIP Brenton Wood
I have the 18 Best CD and love love love it
https://variety.com/2025/music/news/brenton-wood-dead-the-oogum-boogum-song-soul-singer-1236265160/

A buddy of mine saw him perform at the Ponderosa Stomp in New Orleans one year and Alex Chilton played in backing band that night.

Was also reading about how much love he got from East Los Angeles Chicano soul fans .

Just also read up thread comments on Southern Cal Latino support for soul artists like him

random but oogum boogum feels proto migos lol

Aw, shit, RIP! I have “Oogum” lined up for a DJ set on the 25th; didn’t expect it to be timely. :(

I sometimes wonder if it was a mistake to get rid of his monetary system back in 1971.

Heh

My 21 y/o pointed me to Oogum Boogum album, I am not clear on why I’ve never heard it or of him at all. The way some things “fall through” my pop history stream or even “the” pop history stream is often weird. Album is very good as pop rnb/soul in a way that shoulda lasted better imo. I love that he saw a role to do psychotic reaction tbh, tho it’s a little lol.

i think it likely had something to do with BW and Count Five being on the same label, but i've never looked into it

That is actually the original Count Five backing track with Brenton and an organ part overdubbed.

!