🎧 Kim Tolliver – The Overheard One with the Voice for Eternity

Jerry's Choice at Wentworth Audio Forge

Kim Tolliver was never a star in the classic sense. No chart hits. No glamorous fame. But for those who are into real soul, she is one of thegreat, unjustly overlooked voices of the 1970s.

Born in North Carolina and musically influenced in Cleveland, she combined the raw emotionality of deep soul with narrative flair and a penchant for drama. Her singing is not just expression—it isExperience,Battle,Resistance. And that is precisely why it is more important today than ever.

💿

Come and Get Me I'm Ready

(1973) – A manifesto on vinyl

The album was released onChess Records(CH 50041) – a label originally known for blues greats like Muddy Waters. But with this LP, they ventured into new territory: Southern soul, deeply and intensely produced by Fred Bolden, her then-husband. Tracks like:

• The Other Side of Town
• Let Them Talk
• Driving Me to the Arms of a Stranger

tell stories that are so honest that they seem almost radical today.

The original Chess pressing is among collectorshighly sought after.

It offers:

• heavy vinyl with rich sound
• powerful mids and excellent channel separation
• handwritten matrix number (“CH 50041”) in runout
• the iconic yellow and blue label design

From an audiophile perspective, this album is one of soul's hidden treasures – a masterpiece that was never optimized for mass production. It shines all the more in itsnatural dynamic range, especially with analog playback on a high-quality setup.

🎙 Soul historical meaning

Kim Tolliver was a cross-border artist. She moved between gospel, blues, funk, and soul – but she didn't fit into any category. That was a career obstacle in the 1970s; today, it's her greatest asset.

She was related to artists like Ann Peebles, Mavis Staples and Millie Jackson – but at the same time she was in a league of her own.Honest, uncomfortable, powerful.

No wonder that their early singles on Reynolds or Rojac are now consideredDeep Soul PearlsTheir music wasn't produced for airplay, but for people who listen – and feel.

🐾 Jerry's Choice

Wentworth Audio Forge is awarded“Jerry’s Choice”those artists whose workhas significance beyond the mainstream– musically and sonically.

Kim Tolliver is just such a voice.

Unforgettable once you've heard it.

Indispensable if you want to not only listen to soul, butunderstandwants.