I must admit first hand that I’m more known among my peers for Soul Music between 1958 or so til about 1972. My knowledge of that isn’t strong when it comes to post-war Blues & Jazz informing what would become Soul Music. Nor is my knowledge the strongest in the Shaft – Good Times and glory days of Soul Train era of Soul Music.

I like a good challenge though. And I do have a beloved affinity for the soul music my Mother listened to in High School, my Dad as a twenty-something. Growing up in the glow of these gems shortly before my birth, I thought, it was about time that I uncovered gems and jams that reflect a different part of me.

This collection is me asking the question of where did some of my favorite female voices voices of the 1960’s go during the 1970’s. With full irony we start off with teenage Stephanie Mills catching wind under the guidance of Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Although not all of the women on this list kept the hit making prowess that they had during the 1960’s and early 1970’s, they still kept up with the times, providing great, and perhaps their most diverse work during the 1970’s.

We span funk, throwbacks to earlier sounds and early dabbles in disco from approximately 1973 through 1978. In these 5 years, roughly the timeline we see Rhoda Morgenstern become a bankable sitcom character in her own right (you should recognize that skyline!) I’ve made a mini movie soundtrack to correspond with what it might have been like to be a Black Female solo lead on an equivalent sitcom.

I sincerely hope you enjoy this hour and a half trip!

1) Stephanie Mills – Living On Plastic (1975)
2) Doris Troy – Stretching Out (1974)
3) Delores Hall – The Sha-La Bandit (1973)
4) Dionne Warwick – Once You Hit The Road (1975)
5) Ruby Andrews – I’ve Got A Bone To Pick With You (1976)
6) Barbara Acklin – Raindrops (1974)
7) Freda Payne – I Get Carried Away (1974)
8) Betty Everett – Bedroom Eyes (1974)
9) Maxine Brown – Bella Mia (1973)
10) Edna Wright – Oops! Here I Go Again  (1977)
11) Kim Weston – Goodness Gracious (1974)
12) Hodges, James & Smith – Rusty Old Halo (1975)
13) Gerri Granger – Hot Ta Trot (1975)
14) Martha Reeves – Thank You (1976)
15) Herbie Mann & Cissy Houston – Cajun Moon (1976)
16) Fontella Bass – Homewrecker (1973)
17) LaBelle – Who’s Watching The Watcher? (1976)
18) Diana Ross – I Heard A Love Song (1973)
19) Bettye LaVette – Man Of Words, Woman of Action (1975)
20) Pat Lundy – Let’s Get Down To Business (1976)
21) Mary Wells – Cancel My Subscription (1974)
22) Dee Dee Warwick – Get Out Of My Life (1975)
23) Jackie Ross – Take The Weight Off Of Me (1973)
24) Jean Terrell – The Rising Cost Of Love (1978)
25) Bettye Swann – Doing For The One I Love (1975)
26) The Supremes – You Can’t Stop A Girl In Love (1975)