Go For Yourself / Funky Thang
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Album Summary
Soul Toronados — the brother duo of Bobby Heller and Charles Heller — delivered this tight two-sided funk shot on the small American independent label Burt in 1969, right at that moment when raw, unpolished funk was bubbling up from neighborhood record stores and regional pressings across the country. Released as a single rather than a full-length LP, 'Go For Yourself / Funky Thang' captures the lean, no-frills energy that defined the grassroots funk movement of the late sixties — the kind of record that didn't need a major label machine behind it to speak its truth. Details about the recording studio and production personnel remain scarce, which is itself part of the story of countless regional funk releases from this era that flew under the radar of mainstream music industry documentation.
Reception
- As a regional independent release on the small Burt label, 'Go For Yourself / Funky Thang' left no documented chart footprint in the major trade publications of the era.
- Like many grassroots funk singles of 1969, its reputation has grown primarily through the retrospective appreciation of collectors and crate-diggers rather than contemporary critical review.
Significance
- Soul Toronados represent the vital tradition of small-label, independent funk that flourished across America in the late 1960s, proving that the genre's fire wasn't confined to the big studios or major imprints.
- The brother pairing of Bobby and Charles Heller reflects the deep family-band roots of soul and funk music, a lineage running through the heart of the genre's most beloved acts.
- As a 1969 Burt label release, this single stands as a document of the decentralized, community-driven funk ecosystem that thrived just outside the spotlight of mainstream commercial music.
Tracklist
-
A Go For Yourself —
2:55
-
B Funky Thang —
3:00
Artist Details
The Soul Toronados were a blazing funk and soul outfit who tore through the late 1960s with a raw, horn-driven sound that made dance floors shake from coast to coast. These cats laid down a groove that sat right at the crossroads of gritty Southern soul and the rising funk revolution, earning them a devoted following among serious music lovers who knew the real thing when they heard it. Their music carried that rare kind of fire that only comes from a band playing straight from the gut, leaving behind a legacy that still resonates with anyone who truly feels the music deep in their bones.
