Archie James Cavanaugh - Black And White Raven (1980) [Reissue 2016]

Archie James Cavanaugh can certainly claim to have had a major label release on A&M in 1980 with an album entitled Black and White Raven. The fine print is that the label released the record only in Alaska. Cavanaugh is a member of the South Alaskan Tlingit tribe and his superb performances have survived the tests of time, one of which always seems to require emerging from the shroud of obscurity known as "non-promotion." A&M no doubt signed the artist in the first place because of the unexpected success of saxophonist and songwriter Jim Pepper with "Witchi-Tai-To". (Pepper himself was one of the session players on the Cavanaugh album.) The album was produced by Tony Bellamy, and has reminded some listeners of Boz Scaggs' material from the '70s. Black and White Raven eventually developed a reputation for high quality among fans of so-called "white" rhythm & blues or blue-eyed soul. In 2000, the Japanese Vivid Sound reissued Cavanaugh's masterwork on CD in 2000, plugging into a new market for rare groove material. ~ Eugene Chadbourne