“Twitchie Feet” by The Soul Machine

Leon Haywood

Funk/R&B band the Soul Machine dropped this wicked groove back in 1968. The talented players perform this smooth instrumental with funky flair and finesse. The track features a cold guitar riff, a treacherous beat, and some soulful organ. It also boasts a superb horn arrangement and a smokin’ sax solo. This cut is thoroughly satisfying, like a succulent sirloin steak served with all the trimmings. It has kind of an early New Orleans funk flavor, similar to the Meters but with horns.

Soul/funk artist Leon Haywood wrote, produced, and arranged this old-school gem. It was released on the independent Los Angeles-based label Pzazz Records in 1968. The track’s B-side was “Bag of Goodies,” which Haywood also wrote, arranged, and produced.

Twitchie Feet” has been sampled on eight songs, including “The Joker” (Fatboy Slim, featuring Bootsy Collins) and "Freedom Band" (Deliquent Habits).  The band, the Incredible Say Whats!, released a great cover of “Twitchie Feet” in 2012. 

Leon Haywood was a renowned singer, songwriter, and producer and enjoyed an impressive three-decades-long music career. Born in Houston, Texas, on February 11, 1942, he developed a love for music at a very young age and began playing piano at three. He was a keyboardist in soul legend Sam Cooke’s band from the early 1960s until Cooke’s death in 1964. Haywood is best known for his risqué 1975 hit “I Want'a Do Something Freaky to You,” which has been sampled on many songs, most notably Dr. Dre’s hip-hop classic “Nuthin’ But a G Thang.” In 1980, he released the irresistible dance track “Don’t Push It Don’t Force It,” which reached #2 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart. And he wrote and produced Carl Carlton’s Grammy-nominated hit “She's a Bad Mama Jama (She's Built, She's Stacked)," released in 1981. Haywood was also responsible for many other great recordings. He passed away on April 5, 2016, at age 74 and will forever be remembered for his significant contributions to soul and funk music.

I was unable to find any additional information about the Soul Machine, such as the names of the members and the exact year that the band was formed, or any of their other releases.