Is it time to get your funk on? We think so and our friends at Craft Recordings have just announced two new Dyke & The Blazers funk vinyl collections that will be available on June 25th.
Craft Recordings have announced the release of two new collections celebrating the music of pioneering funk band Dyke & The Blazers. Available June 25th on digital platforms and vinyl, the titles include the 20-track Down on Funky Broadway: Phoenix (1966–1967) and the 21-track I Got a Message: Hollywood (1968–1970).
Together, they span the group’s short but impactful career with new stereo mixes of old favorites, a trove of previously unreleased material (including demos, radio spots, and unearthed songs), and freshly remastered audio by acclaimed engineer Dave Cooley.
Additionally, booklets for both LPs feature rare imagery of the band and ephemera, plus new liner notes from the compilations’ producer, Alec Palao. Accompanying oral histories also provide deep insight, thanks to new and archival interviews with band members and other key players, including manager Art Barrett, and legendary radio personality Art Laboe, who released Dyke & The Blazers’ music on his Original Sounds label.
Long coveted by cratediggers and beatmakers, Dyke & The Blazers was one of the earliest funk acts to emerge in the mid-’60s soul scene, alongside artists like James Brown and The Meters. Hailing from Phoenix, AZ, the band was known for their tight guitar riffs, grooving jazz organs, upbeat horns, and frontman Arlester “Dyke” Christian’s coarse yet commanding vocals.
The group was formed in 1965 when Christian and two former bandmates—guitarist Alvester “Pig” Jacobs and saxophonist J.V. Hunt—joined forces with a local trio called The Three Blazers (consisting of tenor saxophonist Bernard Williams, organ player Rich Cason, and drummer Rodney Brown).
Both albums are currently available for pre-order today, while two instant grat tracks (“Funky Broadway (Part 1)” and “Let a Woman Be a Woman – Let a Man Be a Man”) can be streamed or downloaded now (listen here).
