Theresa Lindsey “Good Idea” (Correc-Tone 1053-B, 1965)

As I count down the short days until I’m DJing at Sugar Town for the annual Sno-Ball this Saturday Night, there’s a number of songs I *wish* I had. This Vinyl collecting habit becomes an expensive one, and I’ve thought it was a good idea to get some more less expensive gems versus some expensive rarities.

I will however be spending the next few days thinking of songs I wish I had gotten, and Theresa Lindsey’s last single for Correc-Tone in the Fall of 1965 is a prime candidate. Like a number of singers that were Motown adjacent, Lindsey auditioned for Motown in 1963, but in a not so normal fate, she turned down working with Motown. In her view, Motown artists were working far too hard for far too little compensation.

Focused on being more than an R&B starlet, Theresa invested in her own training, and signed with Correc-Tone in the middle of 1963. Her brilliant debut “Gotta Find A Way” was a regional hit that was picked up by Atlantic Records for national distribution, and she followed it up with two more singles that unfortunately didn’t take off anywhere besides the Midwest. Lindsey eventually found herself almost in the clutches of Motown a second time in 1967 as one of the artists part of the Golden World acquisition that year. Again, she turned down the labels offer of an extended contract and moved to New York, where she worked as a Jazz singer and Broadway performer.

Taking the path unique to ones calling seems a pretty good idea, right? The same enthusiasm Theresa Lindsey packed into her young life, full of independent choices shines brightly through this lovely B-side. Dream big as the year ends, you never know what surprises may lie in store for you.