Athens of the North
Early this year, fans of off-the-beaten-path Southern soul were presented with a funky little gem in the form of
William Stuckeyâs âLove Of Mine.â The 1979 record, laid down on tape for an Arkansas label called Symplex Records, was re-released in late January on Athens of the North, an Edinburgh, Scotland-based record label that specializes, its website reads, âin reissuing and officially licensing long lost, rare â and, above all, amazing â soul, disco, funk records.â
Stuckey, who is blind, is a multi-instrumentalist who got his start at the Arkansas School for the Blind â first, as a trumpet player, then a clarinetist, saxophonist, pianist and bandleader whoâd end up eschewing a scholarship to the Music Conservatory of the Chicago College of Performing Arts in favor of playing professionally with a Little Rock outfit and then crafting a life as a performer and session musician through the â70s and â80s. Though heâs been quiet on the musical front since releasing âThis Night Belongs To Usâ in 2015 at age 67, his early disco funk-infused work is enjoying a revival, thanks to some diligent vinyl-culture-keepers at Athens of the North and elsewhere.