A LONG-FORGOTTEN soul record made almost 50 years ago will go on sale around the world today after a Barnsley man fell in love with its cover in a charity shop.
Music lover Leo Colton picked up the album This is the Beginning by San Francisco psychedelic soul band Leon’s Creation for about £8 in a Stocksbridge charity shop about three years ago.
“I just loved the cover,” said Leo, 47, of Genn Lane, . “I didn’t know anything about it, but I did a bit of research and it turns out only 500 were pressed, and most got destroyed.
“The band had the same manager as Sly and the Family Stone, he decided they were a better proposition and Leon’s Creation just faded into obscurity.”
Leo runs his own record label, GoGoKitty, and also has a friend at Acid Jazz records.
He made contact with his friend, and also tracked down the lead singer of the band, now a preacher living in Las Vegas, and the record is today being released worldwide on both GoGoKitty and Acid Jazz.
A proportion of the profits will be going to two charities - Barnsley dementia charity BIADS, and The Hearing Voices Network.
Leo, who works in mental health, said: “I’ve been out to see the singer, Leon Patillo. He’s a really great bloke and he’s really pleased with what we’ve done.”
The album is on sale digitally through iTunes and other platforms, and is also available on CD and Vinyl, from Vinyl Underground in Barnsley, as well as a string of other record stores around the world including HMV.
