Wheedle’s Groove Seatle’s Finest in Funk & Soul 1965-1979 Limited Edition 45s Box Set

A couple of yea’s ago I stumbled on Wheedle’s Groove “Kearney Barton” album on emusic.  I had no idea what it was.  It was new, but retro in a Daptones sort of way.

I had no information about this “band” other than I knew it was from Seattle.

That album was amazing.  It had a very solid soul cover of Soundgarden’s Jesus Christ Pose.

Fast forward to 2011’s Black Friday Record Store Day and I see that this set will be available.

Now I know the Wheedle’s Groove story.  Turns out that Seattle was yet another northern destinations for the great Black Diaspora.  Seattle had a vibrant music scene – it was no Motown or Memphis, but remember it is the home of Jimi Hendrix and Quincy Jones.

Wheedle’s Groove is a catch phrase to capture the funk and soul scene in Seattle.  It turns out the mysterious Kearney Barton album was the result of an impresario gathering members of the old scene for a revival.  There was a concert, a documentary film and an album of new material.  There was not a single label like Motown or Stax, but there was a studio, whose producer,  Kearney Barton, who was the glue for the whole scene.

This special box set pulls together some stunning original singles and reissues them as vintage reproductions.  The scene was diverse with James Brown imposters, Meters inspired groups, soul divas, etc. It is literally like stumbling across a lost funk and soul civilization.

And what is Wheedle?  Turns out there was a local children’s book with a Muppet-like character named Wheedle (actually a grumpy Sasquatch).  Wheedle eventually became the mascot for the Seattle Supersonics and came to represent the black music community of Seattle.

Below is a short video that shows off this amazing little box set: