Song of the Day: Pervis Lee “You Don’t Care”

Pervis Lee was a popular singer and performer from Charlotte, NC. Lee got his start in the early 60s playing country clubs and private parties, eventually recording two albums, the self-released Himself in 1970 and LEEWAY some time later (exact release date is unknown) for the Snyder Album Co. out of Winston Salem, NC. Both albums are showcases for the wide range of musical styles Lee performed (folk, rock, R&B, gospel, standards, and even calypso) and his choice of material gives a strong sense that Lee was as much an entertainer as he was a recording artist.

A clear standout from LEEWAY’s song list of traditional folk, blues, and calypso is the surprisingly groove-oriented soul tune, “You Don’t Care.” A chugging baseline and in-the-pocket drumming propel Pervis’s plaintive vocal and hypnotic, jazz-inflected horn section in what was clearly the ‘dance number’ in his live set. The saxophone solo is tight and soulful. I can imagine this tune set the country club alight in 1970, getting everyone out on the dance floor. While it is too melodically sparse to have ever been a bonafide national chart hit, “You Don’t Care” is still an infectious burner of a track that deserves a wider audience.

Largely because of “You Don’t Care,” LEEWAY—with its terrific psychedelic folk cover art—is a highly sought after rarity that commands hundreds when it turns up. “You Don’t Care” was re-released in 2014 as a limited edition bootleg 7″ single with “long” and “short” versions (which are just the original album track and an edit that simply cuts the sax solo), that’s been going up in value itself.

Sadly, Lee never gained much fame outside of Charlotte, largely because he never left his hometown for more than a day at a time (according to his July 9, 2015, obituary in The Charlotte Observer, he refused to take his show on the road), pretty much guaranteeing local celebrity status only. A reported 1968 performance on The Tonight Show was recorded but never aired.

Pervis Lee continued to perform around Charlotte in the decades that followed. He retired from his day job as a chauffeur in 1994 and performed live music as late as 2001. He passed away in 2015 at the age of 81.