Double Shot Records was an independent label based at 6515 Sunset Boulevard in
Hollywood. It was run, and presumably owned, by Hal Winn and Joe Hooven. The label name
apparently came from the fact that Winn and Hooven had two publishing companies before the label
started, Hot Shot Music (BMI) and Big Shot Music (ASCAP). The promotion man for Double Shot was
Irwin Zucker of Promotion in Motion, and their album cover design company was Bernard Yeszin
Graphics. For engineering, they used Nashville West engineers Sy Mitchell and Charles Underwood.
The first single on Double Shot was Mark Devlin's "Right About Midnight"/"Midnight" [Double Shot 101],
released in 1966. A few singles later, Double Shot hit it big with "Psychotic Reaction" by the Count Five
[Double Shot 104], which soared to #5 on the national charts in the fall of 1966. The group (formerly the
"Count V"), were five teens who got together in San Jose, California. Most were attending college at the
time. Kenn Ellner (Brooklyn, NY) was the lead singer and played harmonica. Others in the group were
John "Mouse" Michalski (lead guitar, Cleveland, OH), Sean Byrne (rhythm guitar, vocals, Dublin,
Ireland), Roy Chaney (bass, Indianapolis, IN), and Craig "Butch" Atkinson (drums, Springfield, MO). The
group formed in late 1964, and by the time they auditioned for Hal Winn at Double Shot in the summer of
1966, they had been turned down by numerous record companies. The sound of their hit was most
Yardbirds-like, but alas, they turned out to be the classic one-hit-wonders, as their followup, "Peace of
Mind" [Double Shot 106], made a quick appearance at #125 on the "Bubbling Under" charts before the
group disappeared forever.
Smooth soul singer Brenton Wood (nee Alfred
Smith) fared somewhat better on the charts. Wood was born in Louisiana, but his family moved to
California when he was a child. He was a track star in high school, and later worked in an aluminum
plant. He dabbled in songwriting as a "challenge," and soon was signed to Hal Winn's publishing
companies as a contract songwriter, but this was only a part-time job. Looking for a better future than
working in a metal shop, he finally recorded "The Oogum Boogum Song" [Double Shot 111], which went
to #34 on the pop charts and #19 on the R&B charts. His followup single, "Gimme Little Sign" [Double
Shot 116], did even better, making the top-10 on the national pop charts (although still #19 on the R&B
side). The next single, "Baby You Got It" [Double Shot 121], did about equally well on the pop and R&B
charts (#34 and #30, respectively). From there, however, Wood's chart career lost some steam, as his
next single, "Lovey Dovey Kinda Lovin'" [Double Shot 126] only made #99 on the pop charts and missed
the R&B charts altogether. The next single [Double Shot 130] split, with one side "Some Got It, Some
Don't" reaching #42 on the R&B charts, while the flip side, "Me and You," reached #121 on the pop side.
Finally, a remake of the Sam Cooke hit "A Change Is Gonna Come" [Double Shot 137] reached #131 on
the "Bubbling Under" charts. Wood later scored one more R&B hit with "Come Softly to Me" for the
Cream label in 1977.
Double Shot also issued two albums by a Los Angeles-based instrumental funk/soul group called
Señor Soul. The group consisted of Willie Briggs, J.T. Crump, Charles Miller, Ed Stevenson, and
Howard Talley. Charles Miller eventually joined the band War. Señor Soul managed to get a top-
40 R&B single with "It's Your Thing" on Whiz 611, a Double Shot subsidiary. Bobby Freeman, a veteran
of the music business, also made #122 on the pop charts with "Everybody's Got a Hang Up" [Double
Shot 139] in July, 1969.
Other acts on Double Shot included Bill Dorsey, the Fantastic Zoo, the Youngfolk, Four Below Zero, the
Human Jungle, Kent & the Candidates, Floyd & Jerry, Joannie Camp, the Doo-Rights, the Bagdads, the
Invincibles, Valerie Keys, the Recitations, the Georgia Prophets, Maurice Rogers, Foxy,
Freddie Barker, and the Adams Brothers.
Double Shot released records until 1972. Eventually, they apparently sold the company to Original
Sound Records.
The Double Shot label was yellow with black print, with the Double Shot logo at the left of the center hole. Around the bottom of the label was written, "DOUBLE-SHOT RECORDS - 6515 SUNSET BLVD - HOLLYWOOD, CALIF - (213) HO 6-9594". The phone number on the back jacket of the albums was given as (213) 466-9594, as the label blanks were printed just as the phone system went to all digits, but the blanks were used anyway. There were variations with the "STEREO" designation, some with regular caps and some with bold italics. |
Cover |
Number - Title - Artist - [Release Date] (Chart) Contents |
LP-DSM-1001/LP-DSS-5001 - Psychotic Reaction - Count Five [1966] (12-66, #122) The
stereo version of this album is rechanneled. Double-Decker Bus/Pretty Big Mouth/The World/My
Generation/She's Fine/Psychotic Reaction//Peace Of Mind/They're Gonna Get You/The Morning
After/Can't Get Your Lovin'/Out In The Street
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LP-DSM-1002/LP-DSS-5002 - Oogum Boogum - Brenton Wood [1967] (7-67, #184) The
stereo versions for the most part are normal wide stereo, unlike many of the reissues. I Think I've Got
Your Fools Mixed Up (S)/A Little Bit Of Love (S)/Best Thing I Ever Had (S)/Runnin' Wild (S)/Take A
Chance (S)/The Oogum Boogum Song (S)//Gimme Little Sign (S)/Psychotic Reaction (M, uses an
unstrumental track from the Count Five hit with Brenton Wood and an organ)/I'm The One Who Knows
(S)/ Come Here Girl (S)/Birdman (S)/I Like The Way You Love Me (S, two-track vocal-instrument
separation)
| |
LP-DSM-1003/LP-DSS-5003 - Baby You Got It - Brenton Wood [1967] Baby You Got It
(S)/Me And You (S)/Ooh La-Da-Dee (S)/Darlin' (S)/Give It Up (S)/Catch You On The Rebound
(S)//Gimme Little Sign (S)/Trouble (S)/Little Happy-Go-Lucky Girl (S)/Need You Girl (S)/Two Time Loser
(S)/Goodnight Baby (S)
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LP-DSS-5004 - Señor Soul Plays Funky Favorites - Señor Soul [1968] Pata
Pata/Lovey Dovey/I Heard It Through The Grapevine/Gimme Little Sign/Psychotic Reaction/Get On
Up//Spooky/Poquito Soul/Sunshine Superman/Mucho Funky/Up Tight
| |
LP-DSS-5005 - It's Your Thing - Señor Soul [1969] It's Your Thing/Love Has Two
Faces/Hypnotizer/Working In The Coalmine/Make The Funk Jump/Soul Sermon//The Mouse/Proud
Mary/Soul Fiesta/By The Time I Get To Phoenix/Some Got It, Some Don't/El Loco
| |
LP-DSS-5006 - Will the Real Howard Hughes Please Stand Up? - Dave Barry &
Company [1972] With Selma Diamond, Norman Bartold, Paul Dubov, Connie Hunter, Eddy Carroll,
and Stanley Ralph Ross. Press Conference/Medical Contributions/Write Me A Letter/Counting
Money/Would You Like To Be President?/Dry Hole/Unemployement Line/Introductory
Remarks/H.H./Testimonial Dinner/Do You Wanna Date?/The Daily Echo/The Swiss Bank/Plastic
Surgery/Poker Game/Publisher's Office
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RELATED CDs: | |
Original Sound OSCD 8886 - Art Laboe Presents Brenton Wood's 18 Best - Brenton
Wood [1991] Gimme Little Sign (S)/Oogum Boogum Song (S, very narrow separation)/Baby You
Got It (S)/I Think You've Got Your Fools Mixed Up (M)/Great Big Bundle Of Love (S)/I'm The One Who
Knows (S)/Lovey Dovey Kind Of Love (M)/Can You Dig It (S)/Whoop It On Me (S)/Take A Chance
(S)/Catch You On The Rebound (S)/Me And You (S)/I Like The Way You Love Me (S)/Darlin' (S)/Where
Were You (S)/Two Time Loser (S)/Sad Little Songs (S)/Good Night Baby (S)
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Big Beat (UK) CDWIKD230 - Psychotic Revelation - Count Five [2003] Psychotic
Reaction (M, 3:12)/Double Decker Bus (M)/Pretty Big Mouth (M)/The World (M)/My Generation (M)/She's
Fine (M)/Peace Of Mind (M)/The Morning After (M)/Out In The Street (M)/Move It Up (M)/So Much
(M)/You Must Believe Me (M)/Teeny Bopper Teeeny Bopper (S)/Contrast (S)/Merry-Go-Round
(M)/Revelation In Slow Motion (M)/Declaration Of Independence (M)/Enchanted Flowers (M)/Mailman
(S)/Contrast (M, demo)/People Hear What I Say (M)/Psychotic Reaction (M, 3:08)
| |
Kent (UK) CDKEND238 - Double Shot of Soul - Various Artists [2004] Trouble -
Foxy/Four Piece Funky, Nitty Gritty Junky Band - Bobby Freeman/Push Me Baby - Bagdads/Loving You
Is Killing Me - Georgia Prophets/Can You Stand The Pressure - Bobby Freeman/Coming In Out Of The
Rain - Maurice Rodgers/The Neck - Kent & The Candidates/Gotta Keep On - Louise Whitney/The
International Love Song - Real Thing/You're My Girl - Doo-Rights/Oughta Be A Law - Bobby
Freeman/Nobody - Invincibles/Sugar Sugar - Shirley/Green Power - Bagdads/It's My Life - Real
Thing/For The First Time - Georgia Prophets/Do It - Bobby Freeman/Trouble - Kent & The
Candidates/Jelly - Bagdads/What Is Soul - Real Thing/Everybody's Got A Hang Up - Bobby
Freeman/Love Has Two Faces - Bagdads/Gotta Keep On Talkin' - Maurice Rodgers/Do You Wanna
Dance 70 - Bobby Freeman/Livin' In Fear - Bagdads/Put Another Dime In The Parking Meter - Bobby
Freeman
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