
Yusuf Hazziez (born Joseph Arrington Jr.; August 8, 1935 – August 13, 1982), known professionally as Joe Tex, was an American singer and musician who gained success in the 1960s and 1970s with his brand of Southern soul, which mixed the styles of funk, country, gospel, and rhythm and blues. His career started after he was signed to King Records in 1955 following four wins at the Apollo Theater. Between 1955 and 1964, he struggled to find hits, and by the time he finally recorded his first hit, "Hold What You've Got" in 1964, he had recorded 30 previous singles that were deemed failures on the charts. He went on to have four million-selling hits, "Hold What You've Got" (1965), "Skinny Legs and All" (1967), "I Gotcha" (1972), and "Ain't Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman)" (1977). Joe Tex was nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame six times, most recently in 2017.
Links to Peel[]
Peel in his early British radio DJ history seemed to not have played any soul records from Joe Tex during the 60's. In the 70's, as Peel started to get into soul music, Joe Tex started to get airplay on his shows. In 1982, Peel started to play tracks from Joe Tex's 1972 album, Spill The Beans, and on his 16th March show from that year, mentioned that the singer has made over the years dreadful records as well as the best ever made. After Joe's death, Peel continued playing material from the singer, especially from compilation albums.
Shows Played[]
- 05 May 1972: I Gotcha (single) Mercury
- 1974
- 27 August 1974: It Ain't Sanitary (LP - Buying A Book) Atlantic
- 1977
- 12 May 1977: I Mess Up Everything I Get My Hands On (album - Bumps And Bruises) Epic
- 27 June 1977: I Gotcha (7") Mercury
- 1978
- 17 February 1978: Rub Down (7") Epic
- 23 March 1978: You Might Be Digging The Garden (But Somebody's Picking Your Plums) (album - Rub Down) Epic
- 29 March 1978: Get Back, Leroy (LP - Rub Down) Epic
- 1979
- 30 October 1979: Finger Popped Myself Into The Poor House (LP – He Who Is Without Funk Cast The First Stone) Dial
- 05 November 1979: Who Gave Birth To The Funk (LP - He Who Is Without Funk Cast The First Stone) Dial
- 13 November 1979: Discomonia (7") TK
- 21 November 1979: Discomonia (7") TK
- 1980
- 24 March 1980: 'Give The Baby Anything The Baby Wants (LP-I Gotcha)' (Dial)
- 24 March 1980: 'I Gotcha (7 inch)' (Dial)
- 24 March 1980: 'You Said A Bad Word (7 inch-B side of It Ain't Gonna Work Baby)' (Dial) (JP: 'A great man, and shockingly under-rated.')
- 01 April 1980: Show Me (Joint 7" EP with Otis & Carla) Atlantic
- 10 April 1980: Hold What You've Got
- 14 August 1980: Charlie Brown Got Expelled
- 18 September 1980: Another Woman's Man (v/a album - Old King Gold Volume 4) King
- 1981
- 07 July 1981: Batman And Robin (7") Belmont
- 12 July 1981 (BFBS): Batman And Robin (7") Belmont
- 23 July 1981: Batman And Robin (7") Belmont
- 07 September 1981: Oh Me Oh My (I'm A Fool For You Baby) (album - From The Roots Came The Rapper) Atlantic
- 1982
- 07 February 1982 (BFBS): You're Sure Gonna Get It (album - Spills The Beans) Dial
- 15 February 1982: Rain Go Away (LP - Joe Tex Spills The Beans) Dial
- 24 February 1982: A Mother's Prayer (album - Spills The Beans) Dial
- 16 March 1982: Cat's Got Her Tongue (album - Spills The Beans) Dial
- 22 March 1982: Papa's Dream (album - Joe Tex Spills The Beans) Dial
- 1984
- 26 November 1984: Hold What You've Got (LP - The Best Of Joe Tex) Atlantic
- 04 December 1984: 'Hold What You've Got (LP-The Best Of Joe Tex)' (Atlantic)
- 1985
- Peel January February 1985: Hold What You've Got (LP - The Best Of Joe Tex) Atlantic
- 14 August 1985: A Mother's Prayer (LP - Joe Tex Spills The Beans) Dial (JP: 'Well there's another brilliant track you may well never have heard before. What I really need actually is a 24 hour radio station. BBC Radio Peel, that's what I'm after.')
- 1987
- 08 January 1987 (Andy Kershaw): You're Right, Ray Charles
- 14 January 1987: You're Right, Ray Charles
- 1988
- 27 July 1988: 'I Gotcha (LP-I Believe I'm Gonna Make It)' (Rhino)
- 10 August 1988: Hold What You've Got (2xLP - The Very Best Of Joe Tex) Charly R&B
- 23 August 1988: One Monkey Don't Stop No Show (2xLP - The Very Best Of Joe Tex) Charly R&B
- 05 September 1988: I Want To (Do Everything For You) (2xLP - The Very Best Of Joe Tex) Charly R&B
- 06 December 1988: I Believe I'm Gonna Make It (v/a LP - Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die) New Musical Express
- 1989
- 31 January 1989: Davy, You Upset My Home (v/a album - Black Rock 'N' Roll Volume Two) Not On Label
- 1993
- 26 June 1993: Buying A Book
- 1994
- 26 March 1994: ‘I Believe I'm Gonna Make It (Compilation CD - Soul Of Vietnam)’ (Risky Business)
- 1995
- 11 February 1995: The Dark End Of The Street (LP - You're Right) Kent
- 18 February 1995 (BFBS): 'The Dark End Of The Street (CD-You're Right, Joe Tex)' (Kent Soul)
- 24 February 1995: 'You're Right Ray Charles (CD-You're Right Joe Tex)' (Kent)
- 10 March 1995: 'Only Way (CD-You're Right: King Of Downhome Soul)' (Kent Soul)
- 2000
- 06 April 2000: 'Don‘t Make Your Children Pay For Your Mistakes (2xCD-His Greatest Hits)' (Charly)
- 27 April 2000 (Radio Eins): S.Y.S.L.J.F.M. (The Letter Song)
- 2003
- 24 July 2003: Hold What You've Got (Various Artists Compilation LP - The Dial Records Southern Soul Story) Kent
- 19 August 2003: The Love You Save (May Be Your Own) (LP - The Dial Records Southern Soul Story) Kent (JP: 'Now how much of a treat out of ten is that? There's an awful lot of people who made music as good as that who only made one or two singles and when you think that Mick Hucknall has made something like 24 LPs... I don't know why I pick on him. Well I do actually, because he was amazingly rude to me once and I carry a grudge, I'm not ashamed to admit it.')
- 13 November 2003 (Radio Eins): I Believe I'm Gonna Make It (album - A Soldiers Sad Story) Kent
- 18 November 2003: I Believe I'm Gonna Make it (LP - A Soldier's Sad Story) Kent
- 2004
- 30 June 2004: 'Show Me (7") Atlantic