Tommy Tate

Hailing from Florida, Tommy Tate has long functioned as a reliable yet understated Southern soul singer. His first recordings appeared on the Rise label in 1964, after which he moved on to sessions for Okeh, Verve, and Big Ten before linking up with the Nightingales on Stax in 1970. A few years afterward he resumed solo work, this time issuing material on Koko. The 1972 single “School of Love” climbed to the Top 30 of the R&B charts and remains his sole notable success. Tate nonetheless maintained a steady presence, performing regularly in Mississippi clubs and cutting sides for independents including Juana and Sundance. His most recent project, the album Love Me Now, surfaced in 1992 on Urgent, an Ichiban subsidiary.