My record collection is full of albums and 45s by artists that most of my friends have never heard of before... Linda Jones, Margie Joseph, Zulema, Dee Dee Warwick, Blue Magic, and Doris Duke, to name just a few. It's always a thrill for me to discover a new artist that seems to be forgotten by the music world... But few blew me away as much as an incredible singer that went by the name of "Misty Bloo" (and I do assume that this was not her real name). I only own four 45s by this artist, that I found in different record shops in London, Amsterdam, and Paris.
Obviously the oldest (though the label
does not tell us anything on when it was recorded or who the writers of
the songs were), must be this: "How Could You Choose Her" (Brig Records
051166). A true tear-jerker in the tradition of Gladys Knight's "It Should
Have Been Me" and Etta James' "All I Could Do Was Cry", it tells the story
of a woman who leaves a wedding in tears as she cannot bear the sight of
her one true love marrying another... The b-side is a nice mid-tempo song
called "(You Got Me) Steppin' Up". Great horn section.
Possibly a few years later, and a
little less lavishly produced, is "Not The One You Love" (Rose Records
190336) by an outfit called "The Violin Moodswings featuring Misty Bloo".
The Theme is similar to the last song, yet this time there is an angry
edge to her voice that makes her delivery of the lyrics almost threatening:
You told me that here is
Were you wanted to be
But when you treat me like this
Your words just ain't enough
And now you're telling me
That I'm not the one you love
The flip side is a pensive ballad
with a long, spoken intro, "What If I called You?"
Like many other soul artists, lack of success seems to have driven Misty to doing some records she would later regret... And this next one certainly is one of those. Falling victim to the disco craze, she recorded a stomper that came complete with the sounds of people scratching themselves vehemently during the intro... My friend Chris in England says he bought this back in the day, with which he (a) is showing his age, and (b) proves that the English always loved novelty records... Soul fans, you better stay away from this one - "That Disco Itch"(Preema Funk Records 150271). Comes with a torturous extended mix and an instrumental.
Thankfully, she returned to classier music with a band called "Changing Weather" in 1978, when she recorded the song "Walking Away (From This)". Clearly going for a new image, less the deceived wife and more the proud, liberated woman.
And though there are things
About you that I'll miss
I'm walking away
Walking away from this...
The song on the b-side has a slight resemblance to Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" - it's called "A Night That We'll Look Back On".
And these are the only records I know about... Did lack of success make Misty Bloo "walk away" from the music business? Is she still alive? Did she maybe do more recordings that I'm unaware of? If anyone has more information on this forgotten genius, please e-mail me at
the4thpip@yahoo.com