I'm sure no one could have predicted how much record collectors would be willing to pay for hard-to-find soul and R&B singles many years after their release. Original copies of Aaron's "Hercules" single from 1973 often sell for at least $150 in near-mint condition. And, certainly, Art's "My Babe" and "Little Liza Jane" singles on the Cinderella label (1963) are nearly impossible to find. (The former seems a bit easier to find and sells for around $25. The latter seems much rarer - I have only seen one copy ever - so I can't even venture a guess as to its value.) And Cyril's awesome "Gossip"/"Tell Me What's On Your Mind" single from 1970 fetches $25 or $30 as well.

However, for the purpose of this discussion, I would like to ignore solo outings and discuss what is probably the rarest of all GROUP singles… the Brothers' self-produced single from 1979 on their own Cookie imprint!

For those who are unaware of the history behind the 45, let me quote Don Snowden's excellent liner notes (from the equally excellent "Treacherous, Too!" compilation - Rhino Records, 1991) …

As the Neville-ization albums suggest, the Nevilles never exactly sat around waiting for the phone to ring during those fallow periods when major labels didn't have enough smarts to offer them a contract. The late '70s period following the Capitol album was no exception - the Nevilles formed their own Cookie label and released the "Sweet Honey Dripper" / "Dance Your Blues Away" single. It marked the beginning of the period, circa 1980, when Aaron's son Ivan played a key role in the band's fortunes and pushed the sound more toward the dance floor.

I was lucky enough to acquire a copy of this great single in near-mint condition 15 years ago and immediately had it transferred to digital by a local recording studio. I kept watching for additional copies of this rare gem to be available for sale and was unable to find one for at least a dozen years.

In the past few years, copies of the 45 have popped up sporadically on various internet auction sites such as eBay. Of course, the final selling prices have varied depending on condition and on the way the disc was described. I saw one copy (in fair condition, and credited to the Neville Brothers) sell for $30, while copies in mint-minus condition fetch over $200 fairly regularly. Surprisingly, most copies for sale were in the UK and were credited to Ivan, rather than to the Neville Brothers! This always puzzled me, but I never really gave it a lot of thought.

Recently, I have been corresponding with some individuals in the UK and have been learning more about their "Northern Soul" scene.

According to the on-line encyclopedia, Wikipedia ... Northern Soul is a style of music with associated dance styles and fashions that developed in the north of England in the late 1960s. In the beginning the dancing was athletic, featuring spins, flips, and drops. The music originally consisted of obscure American soul recordings with an uptempo beat, very similar to and including Tamla Motown, plus more obscure labels (e.g. Okeh) from northern cities like Detroit and Chicago (in contrast to southern styles like Memphis soul). By 1970 British performers were recording numbers for this market, and the scarcity of soul records with the required beat led to the playing of stompers, or records by any artist which featured the right beat. The phrase 'Northern Soul' was coined by journalist Dave Godin sometime around 1971 when writing his column in Blues and Soul magazine.

Visit the following websites for more detailed definitions of Northern Soul… Site #1... Site #2

According to Northern Soul fan Andy Jackson (from the UK , who happens to own what I believe is one of the rarest copies of the Nevilles' Cookie 45), "In the early 80s, soul DJs announced the record as by Art Neville and this changed a few years later to Ivan Neville. That has been the case ever since. The company sleeve says it's by the Neville Brothers but as you know there's no real info on the record itself."

So, it seems that the source of confusion is DJs relying on the info printed on the 45 (which, in fact, does NOT have the name "The Neville Brothers" printed on it!) Andy mentions the "company sleeve" (pictured at the top of this page) in his statement about the single's history. And that's what I feel makes Andy's copy so ultra rare. Before speaking with Andy, I was unaware that a company sleeve even existed. The only copies I've ever seen have been in plain white sleeves, like my own copy. Very likely, those 80s DJs who erroneously credited the single first to Art (and later to Ivan) never saw the company sleeve either.

On December 6, 2005, I posted a comment on the message board of Ivan's Official website, asking him to clarify the credits on that single: "What a blast from the past...'Dance Your Blues Away' bw/'Sweet Honey Dripper' is definitely a Neville Bros. record....I wrote 'Dance Your Blues Away' along w/ Reggie Cummings( my padna ) & Art wrote 'Sweet Honey Dripper'... on 'Dance' I share the lead vocals w/ Cyril while Art sings 'Honey Dripper'... It was a real family project w/ me coming more up front!!!"

Sadly, I haven't ever found any more info about the 45… How many copies were pressed originally? How many copies went out as promos to radio stations? How many copies were actually sold? Based on the number of copies I've seen change hands in the past fifteen years, I believe that the numbers aren't very high and that few copies remain.

Then again, maybe there are a lot of Neville fans like me who, no matter what the price, aren't willing to part with their copy of this rare gem!

If you find a copy of this little piece of the Nevilles' musical history at a price you feel is reasonable, I highly recommend you grab it (regardless of it's condition.) Not only is it a sought-after collectable, but it's truly excellent music as well.

(Special thanks to Andy Jackson in the UK for record sleeve scans and information!! Thanks to Martin Dixon -also in the UK - for info about the Northern Soul scene there!!!)