Eddy Giles

Throughout his life, Eddy Giles stayed in the Shreveport, Louisiana area, where he sang in local gospel groups. He wasn't by design a secular singer, but his soul, R&B, and pop sides for Dee Marais' revival of the Murco Records imprint in the 1960s are vintage collectable Southern soul gems. Giles preferred the cleaner, sharper Memphis R&B feel, but he had plenty of deep funk in his musical soul, and produced some popular regional hits for Marais, and eventually cut enough sides to make an LP. After a last secular session in 1977 for Custom Sound, Giles returned to sacred music, becoming a pastor in Shreveport, where he also served as a gospel DJ on the local KOKA station. ~ Steve Leggett