Song:I'm Your Puppet
Album:The Muscle Shoals Sound
The 1966 top ten hit I'm Your Puppet was the biggest hit for soul duo James & Bobby Purify. It was also a song that helped establish The Muscle Shoals Sound of Alabama. James & Bobby Purify are cousins from Pensacola, FL. James Purify was born May 12, 1944. Bobby Purify was born Robert Lee Dickey Sept. 2, 1939. Producer Papa Don Schroeder took them to Rick Hall's FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals in 1966. Hall opened the studio as a home for musicians who wanted an alternative to working in Memphis. I'm Your Puppet was one of the earliest songs produced there. It was written by Spooner Oldham and Dan Penn and produced by Penn. The song reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Though James & Bobby Purify were never able to duplicate the success of I'm Your Puppet, FAME Studios would soon become a major destination for soul hits including Percy Sledge's When A Man Loves A Woman. Oldham & Penn would work on several hits together, most notably The Box Tops' The Letter. The two continue to work together occasionally today. This Rhino various artists comp is an excellent intro to the Muscle Shoals Sound. Robert Lee Dickey left the duo in 1971 and was replaced by Ben Moore. James & Bobby Purify continued to tour and recorded for Casablanca Records in 1978. Ben Moore had success as a gospel artist in the 80s. But this 1966 classic still sounds pretty good. Here's James & Bobby Purify performing I'm Your Puppet 1966.
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