The author of several hit R&B records of the '60s, including "That's How Strong My Love Is" (recorded by Otis Redding and the Rolling Stones, among others), Memphis-born Roosevelt Jamison was a key player in the history of the Goldwax label. As a high school student, Jamison won an art scholarship to a nearby university, but had to forego college, working as a hospital orderly to support his wife and child. Always interested in music, while moving through the ranks of the hospital, Jamison began managing local gospel groups and rehearsing them in the back of the blood bank he ran. One of those groups, the Harmony Echoes, counted among its members two of Goldwax's biggest future acts, O.V. Wright and James Carr. Roosevelt and Wright began writing songs and one of the results, "That's How Strong My Love Is" became a hit for both Wright and Otis Redding.
After a dispute over contractual obligations ignited between Peacock and Goldwax, Jamison spent less time guiding Wright's career and more time dedicated to his other protege, James Carr. One of the most naturally gifted soul belters ever, Carr never really possessed the temperament to become the big star his talent suggested. Yet, with Jamison pushing the naturally withdrawn Carr, the singer managed to score several hits for Goldwax, including the legendary "Dark End of The Street." Jamison remained committed to Carr long after Goldwax folded, even going so far as to mortgage his house to finance a Carr comeback. Presently no such return to glory has taken place for either Carr or Jamison.
