The Mysterious Mr. Mason

Talk about one-hit wonders: the above tune, famously sampled in a couple of hip-hop gems, appears to be the only single ever churned out by Lee Mason & His Orchestra. The group is so obscure, in fact, that it's often not even credited with "Shady Blues"; the song was apparently re-released in the U.K. under the name Pete Moore, and it's Moore who usually receives the credit on soul compilations. But the genius here is actually all Mason's, right down to the flute solo.

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