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Just Thinkin’
January 12, 2006
Memories Are Made Of This
There was so much more to Bill Moss
The Columbus community will never be quite the same following the loss of Bill Moss, who died 8/2/05 at the age of 69. His impact on the culture of this community was profound and he will be remembered for many years to come for his passion, his dedication to the community and his courage.
Much was written about Bill Moss in the days following his untimely death, with most of it focused on his school board service persona. True, he was a dedicated 5-term school board member (1977-2003) and even planned to run for a 6th term this fall, but there was so much more to Bill Moss than most eulogies touched upon. In the early years he was an extraordinary DJ at local radio station WVKO. ‘The Boss with the Sauce’, with an immediately recognizable voice and style that was always focused on looking out for the Columbus community. In later years he was also a candidate for the offices of U.S. House, Ohio House and Columbus Mayor; a military veteran; a minister; a business owner; a record producer and a recording artist.
Bill Moss’s tireless work as a school board member is well known to everyone in the Columbus area, but those in the world of music remember Bill Moss most for his beloved Capsoul record label, which came very close to putting Columbus on the map as the ‘next Motown’. Over the years, the handful of 70’s Capsoul releases have taken on a life of their own, a testament to the quality of the material and the exceptional performances by the artists. Collectors and club DJ’s around the world have always recognized and treasured the Capsoul material and there continues to be a very active market for Capsoul records, with some often selling as much as $250 to $300.
Bill Moss said himself in an NPR interview with Ken Shipley 8/1/2004 about his Capsoul years, "It was quite an exciting time. As a matter of fact, that period of time, those four years that I operated that record company, I was more alive in those four years than I have ever been in my life, and I'm a pretty lively person."
The history of the Capsoul label is a classic story: one man’s vision and determination combined with an arsenal of local musical talent that resulted in quick success – until the financing collapsed, shutting down Capsoul forever. (The full story was captured by the Numero Group’s 2004 CD release of Eccentric Soul, a compilation of the best of the Capsoul recordings that includes very detailed liner notes summarizing the rise and fall of Capsoul.)
In the early to mid-70’s Bill Moss formed the Capsoul label and gathered the best of the best soul and R&B artists in central Ohio and released a string of superb singles by the Four Mints, Kool Blues, Elijah & The Ebonies (aka Ebonites), Marion Black, Ronnie Taylor, and Johnson, Hawkins, Tatum & Durr. The first releases created a stir locally and quickly made noise on a regional and national scale.
In addition to his Capsoul productions, Moss was also involved in the production and development of a number of other local artists including the Vondors, Soul Partners and Billy Graham and the Escalators. Many of these recordings were picked up for national release by major labels including Atlantic, Holiday, Bell and Revilot and some even found their way overseas on the Pama label. Few people know that Bill Moss also sang on a number records himself, among them Memories are Made of This/Please Accept My Love [Nassau-257], Number One/Number One (ins) [Bell-826] and Sock It To 'Em Soul Brother/Sock It To 'Em Soul Brother [Bell-771]. The last two songs, Number One and Sock It To ‘Em Soul Brother were both ‘message' songs written by Bill Moss himself, which, in retrospect, seem to reflect his positive outlook, his passion and his approach to everything he did.
Number One was a hit on WVKO and crossed over to WCOL-AM, reach ing the number 5 spot on 11/3/1969:
"You got to go in the world and prove yourself a man,
Cause you've been put down here to be number one.
You've got to rise in the morning and meet the sun.
You've got to sit at the table and break the bread.
And if the blood in your veins is running red,
Then you ought to be a man or you might as well be dead."
Sock It To ‘Em Soul Brother also was a local hit on both WVKO and WCOL:
"Now when you see some of the brothers doin' good,
What do you say? 'Sock it to 'em, soul brother'.
When they're trying to work their way out of that old ghetto neighborhood,
Do it again. 'Sock it to 'em, soul brother'.
Now when they fight their way to the top and make it through,
They ain't doin' nothin', baby, but makin' things a little bit easier for you.
So I'm gonna tell you right now what you're supposed to do,
Let me hear it. 'Sock it to 'em, soul brother'
Now when you're trying to get your feet in the door and they're keeping you out,
What do you say? 'Sock it to 'em, soul brother'
Make sure you keep on pushin' and stick it out
Do it again. 'Sock it to 'em, soul brother'
And if a job is worth doing, never leave it until it's done
Be the label great or small, do it well or not at all
And when they hand off to you, don't fumble that ball
Give me that call. 'Sock it to 'em, soul brother".
Yes, Bill Moss was a school board member. But he was so much more and for that I will always be grateful whenever I hear the music that he brought to Columbus.
Discography of records performed, produced and/or written by Bill Moss
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Artist
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Song
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Label
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Notes
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Year
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Elijah and The Ebonies
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Hot Grits!!!/Sock It To ‘Em Soul Brother
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Capsoul-31
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“Sock It To ‘Em” written by Bill Moss.
Both sides produced by Bill Moss.
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1974
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Bill Moss
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Memories Are Made Of This/Please Accept My Love
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Nassau-257
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Bill Moss
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Number One/Number One (Instr.)
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Bell-826
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Both sides written, arranged and produced by Bill Moss.
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1969
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Bill Moss
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Sock It To’Em Soul Brother/Sock It To ‘Em Soul Brother (Instr.)
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Bell-771
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Both sides written, arranged and produced by Bill Moss.
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1969
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Billy Graham & The Escalators
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Ooo-Poo-Pa-Doo/East 24th Ave.
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Atlantic-2372
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“East 24th Ave.” co-written by Bill Moss.
Both sides produced by Bill Moss.
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1966
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Billy Graham & The Escalators
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Ooo-Poo-Pa-Doo/East 24th Ave
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Nassau-100
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“East 24th Ave.” co-written by Bill Moss.
Both sides produced by Bill Moss.
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1966
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Elijah * The Ebonites
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Pure Soul/Sock It To ‘Em Soul Brother
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Loren-106231
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“Sock It To ‘Em” written by Bill Moss.
Both sides produced by Bill Moss.
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1974
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Marion Black
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Who Knows/Go On Fool
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Avco Embassy-4559
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Produced by Bill Moss.
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1971
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Ronnie Taylor
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Without Love/I Can’t Take It
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Nassau-1145
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Both sides arranged and produced by Bill Moss.
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1967
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Ronnie Taylor
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Without Love/I Can’t Take It
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Nassau-1145
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Both sides arranged and produced by Bill Moss.
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1967
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Soul Pafrtners
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Spead/Boo Boo
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Bell-792
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Produced by Bill Moss.
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1969
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Soul Partners
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Walk On Judge/Lose The One You Love
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Bell-758
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Co-produced by Bill Moss.
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1969
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Soul Partners
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Walk On Judge/Lose The One You Love
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Pama-766
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Co-produced by Bill Moss.
U.K. release.
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1969
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Vondors
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Look In The Mirror/Lose The One You Love
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Holiday-125
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Co-produced by Bill Moss.
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