1966
HOW TO PICK A WINNER * DIAMOND JOE * SANSU 454 * USA
Many British Soul music fans got their recording of How To Pick A Winner two years after its release in 1968 on the Bell Records compilation Bell's Cellar Of Soul Vol.1. It was the only track by Diamond Joe on the excellent comp., which also featured tracks by James Carr, mighty Sam, Betty Harris, The Ovations, Gladys Knight, Curly Moor, Clifford Curry and Barbara Perry. Compilations like these were eagerly awaited and sought out by collectors in the UK as it was often the only way they were likely to not only to hear and obtain records by obscure and some not so obscure artists, but also the only way they would could know their names in the first place! Only a fraction of such compilations of Soul music were available in the early and mid 1960s compared to the amount issued today, in fact it was around the time that the Bell's Cellar Of Soul series were issued that things started to pick up momentum, not only in the amount released, which grew steadily throughout the 1970s until the likes of Charley Records came on the scene followed by the explosion of Soul comps which came with the advent of cd's, but also there was an increase in the quality and depth of discographical information which accompanied these releases, both a source of pleasure and despair for the collector.