Sometime in the 1960s Hank Mullen’s friend and fellow Buffaolian Carl LaRue, an organ player, traveled with his group (Carl LaRue and His Crew) all the way to Phoenix, Arizona, where he’d secured a steady gig as the house band at the local Zanzibar club. Soon after starting the job, he would invite a young (16yr & 19yr old) vocal duo to perform some of their original songs in front of his band during shows.
Ernest Johnson Jr. and Eddie (Edgar) William Campbell were eager to make it in music and for the next 10 odd years would attempt to do so.
They managed to record and release a handful of singles across varied imprints spread throughout the United States, from South Carolina to Chicago, from New York to Phoenix. One of their singles, “Time Waits for No One” hit #1 on New York’s WWRL, which subsequently landed on the bill at the Apollo, appearing alongside soul heavyweight’s Gene Chandler, Wilson Pickett, and the Temptations. Through ups and downs, none of their pair’s recordings ever served to catapult them to greater fame and sadly in the early 70’s, Eddie’s premature death would close the door on their partnership.
One of the duo’s last recordings, “Bullets Don’t Have Eyes” was never released at the time of its creation in 1972. The 45 was eventually released on Daptone imprint Ever-Soul in 2009.
Exclusive to the Super Soul Super Store, this 45 features a different b-side, “You Make My Life A Sunny Day,” a staff favorite here at House of Soul, and recently sampled by Jay Z & Beyoncé for The Carters’ “Lovehappy” on Everything Is Love (2018).
