Sterling Harrison - Rainbow 65

I've justed posted a Dreamtime article on the late Sterling Harrison, the best soul singer you never heard of. Here's Mr. Electrifying at his home base, M&M Soul Food, way down deep in South Central L.A., singing the Gene Chandler classic, Rainbow 65. The 9-minute+ clip will probably have you - like me - desperate to see and hear Harrison in a better quality video, but we have to take what we have.

One of the delightful things about this clip is the interaction between Harrison and the audience, with one person providing backing vocals to Harrison's mock annoyance. Outside of soul and rhythm and blues, Harrison entertained his audience with jokes so blue they would have made Redd Foxx blush, and impressions of celebrities ranging from Moms Mabley, Al Green and Ray Charles to Ed Sullivan, Paul Lynde and Richard Nixon. And all the while he milked the room for dollar tips, giving the crowd their money's worth.