An innovator of the funk style of drumming in the 1970s, Bernard "Pretty" Purdie recorded for Prestige during the same years as Houston Person. Purdie had previously played a whole range of session work - he was the drummer on James Brown's It's A Man's Man's World and he'd also participated in several rock dates during the CBS Rock Machine Turns You On era.
 
He became musical director for Aretha Franklin from 1970-75 (his love of her music comes over in the heartfelt Soul Sister Number One from his Flying Dutchman album Soul Is. ..Pretty Purdie. Shaft and Purdie Good (available on a 2-on-l CD or on two separate vinyl albums) come from 1971 - the latter features one of our favourite guitarists Ted Dunbar, the former (on the title track) none other than Houston Person!