Genie's real name was Eugene Brooks from Wrens GA - mentions of him in the Augusta Chronicle can be found here.

Genie’s first record The James Brown Bougeloo was very much as the title says without in any way setting the house on fire. The instrumentation was provided by the excellent Leroy Lloyd and the home made low fi sound was no doubt due to the fact that it was recorded in a community centre rather than a professional studio. Nevertheless it got a release on Carol, which was distributed by Russell Sim’s eponymous concern.

Lloyd went to Finley Duncan’s Minaret label a little later on in the decade, as did Brooks, but the latter didn’t record with the former. Instead Genie had sessions at Muscle Shoals which produced his two Minaret singles. The first coupled the loping beat of Fine Time with the more restrained Juanita – great to see Big John Hamilton’s name as co-writer of this one. Both sides of this 45 are prime southern soul with Brooks’ hoarse tone and easy delivery proving very attractive.

South Side Of Soul Street was even funkier than Fine Time but lacked the horn support of the first release. As indeed did the down beat Helping Hand but the hard times lyric, excellent chord structure of the song and Brooks’ really heartfelt delivery make this one the track to treasure.