General Crook - General Crook (1974)

Soulful and innately funky, like James Brown or Dyke of Dyke & the Blazers fame, General Crook made groovy records with feeling and never cut anything mundane; unfortunately, hits just weren't in his chart. Crook was born on February 28, 1945, in Mound Bayou, MS, and raised in nearby Greenville. A country boy with a city boy's heart, he relocated to Chicago (like many Mississippians) after high school at the age of 17.

Seven years later, he honed his talents enough to get a recording deal with Capitol Records, armed with material by the Salty Peppers (who evolved into Earth, Wind & Fire). Maurice White, Wade Flemons, and Donald Whitehead wrote Crook's first single, "In the Warmth of My Arms" (1969), but it did nothing to establish Crook anywhere except the Chicago lounges where he was already a legend. A second single, "When Love Leaves You Crying" (1970), written by Crook and John Jones, never took off, and the association with Capitol ended on a sour note.