In 1968, drummer Isaac 'Redd' Holt and bassist Eldee Young — both alumni of the Ramsey Lewis Trio — scored the biggest hit of their careers almost by accident. 'Soulful Strut' was the instrumental backing track from Barbara Acklin's 'Am I the Same Girl,' repurposed and released under the Young-Holt Unlimited name. It struck a nerve: a number-three Hot 100 smash that sold a million copies, earning a gold record by January 1969, barely three months after release. That irresistible piano hook and clipped, dancing rhythm section became a Northern Soul and rare-groove staple, sampled and spun for decades since. Pure Chicago soul-jazz — economical, elegant, and impossible to sit still through.
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