Sheila Ferguson “Heartbroken Memories” (Swan 4234, 1965) Sheila Ferguson is one of the most heavenly voices of the girl group era. It is to a lot of surprises that she didn’t find her greatest success as a soloist or for the majority of the Classic Girl Group era, but in the 1970’s. However, she had…
Category: Soul Song Of The Day
The Broadways “Are You Telling Me Goodbye” (MGM 13486-B, 1966)
The Broadways “Are You Telling Me Goodbye” (MGM 13486-B, 1966) I‘m a sucker for an elegant break-up ballad. Better yet if the singer has a pensive tone to their voice that heightens the melodrama. It seems that Billy Brown, later of The Moments and Ray, Goodman & Brown decidedly had that voice that lifted him…
Sheila Ferguson “Little Red Riding Hood” (Landa 706-B, 1965)
Sheila Ferguson “Little Red Riding Hood” (Landa 706-B, 1965) Although she would go on to become most famous as one of The Three Degrees, Sheila Ferguson started her career as a soloist. Her solo efforts throughout 1965 were Three Degrees records by proxy, since The Three Degrees handled background duties on most, if not all…
Jackie Ross “You Really Know How To Hurt A Girl” (Chess 1929, 1965)
Jackie Ross “You Really Know How To Hurt A Girl” (Chess 1929, 1965) Jackie Ross is in some weird way, is a tangent in the Mary Wells story. Her big debut record for Chess Records, “Selfish One” sounded more like a sequel to “My Guy” than Wells did herself at 20th Century Fox in the…
Mary Love “Hey Stoney Face” (Modern 1010-B, 1965)
Mary Love “Hey Stoney Face” (Modern 1010-B, 1965) By 1965, the Motown influence reached its arms to both coasts. Not only were the sonic patterns of West Grand Boulevard influential on female soul records, as in the case of Ashford and Simpson in New York, certain songwriters vied for attention from the label. Notable on…
Carolyn Crawford “Lover Boy” (1965, Unreleased, From Finders Keepers – Motown Girls, 2013)
Carolyn Crawford “Lover Boy” (1965, Unreleased, From Finders Keepers – Motown Girls, 2013) Along the lines of my “1965 was a cruel summer” theory for female soul singers: There must have been no worse place to be one than at Motown Records. As The Supremes broke age, race and gender barriers with 5 #1 Pop hits and…
Tina Britt “You’re Absolutely Right” (Eastern 605, 1965)
Tina Britt “You’re Absolutely Right” (Eastern 605, 1965) Speaking of Josephine Armstead’s partnership with Ashford & Simpson, one of the direct benefactors of their efforts was 26 year old Tina Britt. The Florida native found herself in New York recording a version of “The Real Thing.” That effervescent example of how Ashford, Simpson and Armstead…
Deena Johnson (Josephine Armstead) “The Breaking Point” (Wild Deuce 1004, 1965)
Deena Johnson (Josephine Armstead) “The Breaking Point” (Wild Deuce 1004, 1965) I‘ll have you know, I think the pinnacle of 1960’s soul happened in 1965. Following this assertion, I think some of the finest female soul records were released that year too. So as we get to the heart of the Half Century Past that…
Lou Johnson “Park Avenue” (Big Hill 554-B, 1965)
Lou Johnson “Park Avenue” (Big Hill 554-B, 1965) Lou Johnson was perhaps the perfect African American vocalist to hand this chugging and charming aspiring capitalist dream to. Given that he had the vocal capabilities, but not necessarily the chart successes to back up his talents, this soaring ode to unlocking the key to Mainstream American…
The Temptations “Who You Gonna Run To?” (From the LP Gettin’ Ready, 1966)
The Temptations “Who You Gonna Run To?” (From the LP Gettin’ Ready, 1966) I guess I should be ashamed of myself that it’s been so many months I’ve been doing posts and I haven’t tempted y’all with some more Temptations yet. Also, I totally breezed by in a cold medicine stupor that it was the original…
DJ Larsupreme 