Jimmy Sloggett - Crossfire (1964)

( T.J. Fowler & Tom King)
 New Zealand
#14 NZ*

*NZ chart position calculated by Warwick Freeman.

Single on Zodiac by Australian saxophonist-arranger-producer-musical director active in the New Zealand music scene 1963-1977. His name is spelt Jimmie on nearly all his records.

Jimmie Sloggett (b. 1940) was from Coonamble NSW where, as an eight-year-old, he joined the brass band conducted by his father Harry. From his late teens Jimmie became a professional saxophonist, building a CV packed with the notable names he played for in sessions, on stage, or as a band member. These included Johnny Rebb’s Rebels and Johnny O’Keefe’s Dee Jays in Australia, and The Keil Isles and Max Merritt & The Meteors in New Zealand (Jimmie famously influenced Max’s musical direction by introducing him to Otis Redding’s Try A Little Tenderness).

In 1963 Jimmie and his wife, Auckland singer Carol Davies, moved to New Zealand where he continued to be in demand as a session and touring musician. He worked as a musical director and arranger at Viking Records and produced many notable NZ artists after co-founding an A&R and production company in 1966. Back in Sydney from 1977, Jimmie established a recording studio and continued performing live and in sessions.

Main source: Jimmie Sloggett biography at Bruce Sergent’s NZ Music site.

Other essential reading:
1. Jimmie Sloggett profile by Chris Bourke at AudioCulture.
2. Jimmie Sloggett on the Sax: detailed profile from ABC Radio’s RareCollections series.

Recommended viewing: Wendy Stapleton’s Wrokdown interview with Jimmie Sloggett (embedded below)

The Gisha Brothers - Crossfire (1964)

( T.J. Fowler & Tom King)
 Germany

Track on album Slop Train by initially jazz-oriented West German band formed in Frankfurt 1953/54 by brothers Hans and Klaus Kisha. In the late 50s they moved into rock’n’roll, the twist, and a variation of the twist called the slop, popular in Germany during the beat era.

Sources: 1. Liner notes to Slop Train. 2. Gisha Brothers page at laut.de.

The Phantoms [Toronto] - Crossfire (1962)

( T.J. Fowler & Tom King)
 Canada

Track on the ARC album of covers Wheels And Other Guitar Hits by Toronto studio musicians.

The album was also released for a French Canadian audience as Dans Le Coeur De Ma Blonde (Wheels retitled) with the artist name as Les Fantômes. The tracks are all instrumentals, so no adaptation was involved apart from some of the titles. (Crossfire is still Crossfire.)

Jaimie Vernon at The Canadian Pop Music Encyclopedia suggests that the musicians could be from Doug Rankine’s bands The Secrets or The Quiet Jungle.

Disambiguation: This band is not, for example, Ottawa band The Phantoms, formed 1987, nor is it 1960s Melbourne band The Phantoms or 1960s French band Les Fantômes.

More: Discogs.com search results for artist name The Phantoms.

Rocky Curtiss And The Harmony Flames - Crossfire (1959)

( T.J. Fowler & Tom King)
 USA

Track on album The Big Ten on Columbia’s budget label Harmony.

Band led by Roscoe Joseph III (1937-2015), pianist and key exponent of the Tulsa Sound, better known as Rocky Frisco, also as Rocky Curtiss, a longtime associate and sideman of J.J. Cale on tour and in the studio.

Further biographical details: Wikipedia and 45cat.com.