Hi Records producer Willie Mitchell constructed his vaunted house rhythm section around three talented Hodges brothers during the late '60s: guitarist Mabon (nicknamed "Teenie"), bassist Leroy, and organist Charles. With drummer Howard Grimes (and on some of Al Green's sides, MG's trapsman Al Jackson, Jr.) rounding out the lineup, this skin-tight Memphis quartet laid down surging, simmering grooves behind the entire Hi stable during the label's 1970s heyday: Green, Ann Peebles, Otis Clay, Syl Johnson, and Mitchell himself, to name but a few. Mitchell had patiently molded the unit from when the Hodges brothers were in their teens (Grimes was a bit older, having worked as a sideman over at rival Stax during the early '60s).

As the succinctly monickered Hi Rhythm, they recorded the 1976 LP On the Loose and remained a cohesive unit well into the '90s, providing luxurious backing on Syl Johnson's wonderful 1994 comeback set for Delmark, Back in the Game. Meanwhile, as the Hodges Brothers, they released a 1994 disc called Perfect Gentlemen on the tiny Velvet Recordings of America logo that also featured a fourth brother -- Fred -- on keys and veteran soul singer Percy Wiggins on several tracks. ~ Bill Dahl, Rovi