Dear Nick
HERE IS HOW THE JAMES BOUNTY THING HAPPENED.
ONE DAY AS I WAS LEAVING SOUND PLUS STUDIOS WHICH LATER BECAME SIGMA. I MET TWO ASPIRING SINGERS NAMED JEFF PRUSAN AND ERWIN GRIPMAN, WHO HAD A GROUP THEY WERE TRYING TO RECORD. THEY ALSO SAID THAT THEY WROTE SONGS. THEY HAD ANOTHER BLOKE NAMED ROSS MATICO (BUD ROSS) WHO OWNED A USED CAR LOT WHERE THEY WOULD GATHER TO REHEARSE IN THE TINY OFFICE.

I KNEW A GROUP CALLED THE THREE STRANGERS WHO HAD CUT SOME SIDES FOR MERCURY.I TOOK THEM TO MEET THE GUYS AND WE TAUGHT THEM SOME SONGS AND PUT UP $500 A PIECE AND TOOK THEM INTO 919 STUDIOS AND RECORDED FOUR SIDES ON THEM. WE TOOK THE STUFF TO NYC AND AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS AT GETTING INTEREST, FINALLY JUGGY MURRAY AT SUE RECORDS LIKED WHAT HE HEARD AND CHANGED THEIR NAME TO THE THIEVES AND RELEASED THEM ON BROADWAY RECORDS. THE SINGLE WAS "WHY DID YOU DO IT TO ME"

ONE DAY WHILE WE WERE AT THE CAR LOT WE OVER HEARD SOME GUY THAT WAS SINGING ALONG TO AN OTIS READING SONG THAT WAS BEING PLAYED ON THE OUTSIDE RADIO. HE WAS THERE WITH HIS GIRLFRIEND LOOKING FOR A CAR. AS HE WAS SINGING WE TOOK A CLOSER LISTEN AND ASKED HIM WHAT HIM NAME WAS. HE SAID THAT IT WAS JAMES "BUNTING" BUT WITH HIS DRAWL IT CAME OUT AS SOUNDING MORE LIKE"BOUNTY". SO WE INVITED HIM IN AND SHOWED HIM SOME TUNES THAT WE WERE DABBLING WITH AND WE ALL LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND SAID "WHAT HAVE WE GOT HERE". SO WE WROTE "PROVE YOURSELF A LADY" AND THE FLIP, "LIFE WILL BEGIN AGAIN" ESPECIALLY FOR HIM. WE THEN TOOK OUR ADVANCE MONEY FROM THE THIEVES SESSION AND WENT INTO CAMEO-PARKWAY STUDIOS TO RECORDS THEM, USING THE UNIVERSALS AND THE SWANS ON BACKING VOCALS. WE THEN WENT TO NYC AND UPON RECOMMENDATION FROM JIMMY WISNER, WENT TO SEE MICKEY KAPP AT COMPASS RECORDS.IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT I HAS A SONG ON THE U.S.R&B CHARTS!!!!

NOW FORWARD TO 1986. I WA OVER AT LILLIEYARD STUDIOS IN FULHAM, AND I HEARD A VOICE SCREAMING AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS""  WHERE IS BOBBY ELI, I MUST MEET HIM"". HE SAID THAT I HAD A SMASH CALLED PROVE YOURSELF A LADY. I THOUGHT
THAT HE WAS MAD OR THAT I WAS IN A TIME WARP.  ANYWAY, IT WAS IAN LEVINE AND HE WAS IN THE DOWNSTAIRS STUDIO AND HE THEN EXPLAINED THE NORTHERN SOUL THING TO ME.
IN 1999, I HELPED ANDY RIX FIND ALL THE ARTIST FOR THE PHILLY SEGMENT OF "THE STRANGE WORLD OF NORTHERN SOUL". UNFORTUNATELY I COULD NOT FIND JAMES BOUNTY.
I WILL TALK TO YOU SOON. 
SOULFULLY YOURS,  BOBBY  ELI