|
Back Row:
David Hood, Spooner Oldham, Otis Redding, Otis's minder
Front Row: Eddie Hinton, Roger
Hawkins,
Arthur Conley
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As
well as writing and producing Eddie played guitar on sessions by southern
producers such as Quinton Claunch of the Memphis Goldwax label and Stan
Lewis's Shreveport La, Jewel operation. These included those for Lowell
Fulsom,Charles Brown and Ted Taylor, some recorded at Rick Hall's Fame
studio where Eddie would get to meet Otis Redding during an Arthur Conley
session. Eddie soon fell in with fellow 'Shoals' session players and
writers, Donnie Fritts, Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham, Jimmy Johnson, David
Hood and Roger Hawkins .In May of 1968 Messrs. Greene and Hinton received
a letter from Atlantic Records Jerry Wexler informing them that he had
signed Dusty Springfield and he would like them singularly, or collectively
to write a song especially for her.
The challenge was accomplished with the song 'Breakfast In Bed', written
by Eddie and Donnie Fritts. The song became part of the 'Dusty In Memphis'
album, and later would become an International hit for 'UB 40' featuring
The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde. |
It
was while playing in Nashville with the Minutes that Eddie met friend
and music publisher Paul Ballinger who persuaded him to quit the road
and move to Sheffield Alabama with the promise of session work in Muscle
Shoals. Producer and writer Marlin Greene was the third member of this
trio determined to carve a niche for themselves during these early days
of the Muscle Shoals 'Soul' sound. Eddie wrote and produced with Marlin
at Quinvy Studios many of the songs recorded by a small group of little
known but great 'country soul singers' , such as Don Varner and Tony
Borders . These recordings would be released regionally on the Quinvy
and South Camp labels . The Hinton Greene partnership hit pay-dirt when
Percy Sledge recorded among other Hinton/Green gems 'Cover Me' and It's
All Wrong But It's Alright". 
