Brooks O'Dell

Although he is far from a household name, Brooks O'Dell's impassioned vocals on a series of singles recorded between 1963 and 1972 for various Northern R&B and soul labels have made him sort of a cult figure among deep fans and collectors of those genres. O'Dell practically defines the terms "unsung" and "obscure", and little has been published concerning the details of his life, but he'll forever be remembered for his powerful 1963 hit "Watch Your Step," released on Luther Dixon's New York-based Gold Records imprint. The song itself was written by Dixon, Tommy Bell, and Kenny Gamble, and featured Reggie Obrecht heading up a group of veteran N.Y.C. session players, but it's O'Dell's impassioned singing that holds it all together. Kent U.K. released an anthology of O'Dell's recorded work, I'm Your Man, in 2008, and it contains the master tracks for everything he released as well as a handful of unreleased tracks. ~ Steve Leggett