MICKEY AND THE SOUL GENERATION

Best known for their 1969 paper hit “Iron Leg,” the mixed instrumental combo Mickey & the Soul Generation came to semi-national attention following Nipsey Russell’s performance of the Iron Leg dance on Johnny Carson. Though they shared a label with Ben E. King, they lacked access to the same promotion and marketing resources. A tour with Sam & Dave and opening slots for James Brown, Kool & the Gang, and The Supremes found them performing for thousands nightly, but still sleeping on floors. By the mid-’70s the group had fractured, with members joining the army, bottling Coke, and starting families. Their run would end in 1977 with two members turning in a passing Average White Band impression called “Southern Fired Funk” before their handful of 45s fell completely out of vogue and made their journey to thrift shops and cut-out distributors. from www.numerogroup.com