Soul-jazz vibraphonist Freddie McCoy was never a hit with the critics, spending most of his time laying down coolly funky grooves and covering contemporary R&B and pop tunes (or doing original material in a similarly accessible vein). However, his albums later became underground collector's items among acid jazz and rare-groove enthusiasts. McCoy started out with Johnny "Hammond" Smith in 1961, then signed with Prestige and cut his first album, Lonely Avenue, in 1963. Over the next five years, McCoy cut seven albums for the label, highlighted by 1965's Spider Man, 1967's Beans and Greens, and 1968's Listen Here. His groups usually featured pianist/organist Joanne Brackeen, in some of her first work after temporarily retiring to raise her family. McCoy later recorded for the small Buddah subsidiary Cobblestone, debuting with Gimme Some!, a circa-1971 jazz-funk session featuring some trippy electric piano work. However, the label was short-lived, and McCoy disappeared from jazz after its demise. ~ Steve Huey, Rovi
