Love So Strong/(c/w mono) 7' demo TC-2068
Yes It's my first 7' single up-load, I've done it! what a track it is indeed. Produced by Star-Vue Productions for 'our hero' the independent producer Clarence Johnson in 1973 who we have talked about in previous Blogs. I do believe it also came out on Lovelite Records. The song Love So Strong was written by the lead singer here Patti Hamilton and Byron Gregory.
Patti had been the main vocalist for some years for the group, but on some tracks on a recently released CD, a 17-year-old Denise Williams (aka Denise Chandler) can clearly be heard. If you listen to Love Is Pretty this is classic Denise Williams' later style. Johnson said that he had a whole album on her at the time but nobody else liked her. Did she learn her vocal techniques from Patti Hamilton? they are very similar if you listen carefully.
Johnson had used her (Niecy) on the Lock label founded in 1968 by himself and Johnny Cameron, Eddie Sullivan and Eddie O'Kelly in Chicago, the first single being Love Is Tears (shown). Lock collapsed in 1970 but just before the company had a national hit with How Can I Tell Mom & Dad by the Lovelites in 1969, a song that delt with teen-age pregnancy, similar to the Diana Ross & the Supremes' Love Child that had delt with this in 1968. During the 70's Eddie Sullivan would join his two sisters in the Classic Sullivan's, with the hit Put Yourself In A Corner on the Kwanza label.
The Lovelites were from the Altgeld Gardens projects on Chicago's South Side, actually the first public housing built in the United States in the 1940's for returning WWII soldiers & families. The original group consisted of Patti Hamilton, Patti's sister Rozena Petty & Barbara Peterman and were formed when the girls were at Carvers High. They first recorded for a local label, Bandera, two sides. After this Pearman left and was replaced by Ardell McDaniel and that's when they joined the Lock label in 1969. After the Mom & Dad single Petty left to be replaced by Joni Berlmon. Bill Watkiss part owner of the Love Lite label played bass on all their records. [info: Chicago Soul - R. Pruter]Lovelites Discography:
Bandera 2515 - I Found A Lover/You Better Stop It - 1967
Lock 723 - How Can I Tell My Mom & Dad/Hey! Stars Of Tomorrow (Inst.) 1969
Uni 55181 - How Can I Tell My Mom & Dad (Part 1) / (Part 2) 1969
Uni 55222 - Oh My Love/Who You Gonna Hurt Now 1970
Uni 55242 - Oh My Love/This Love Is Real 1970
Uni 73081 - (LP) 'With Love From The Lovelites' 1970
Nitia 100 - How Can I Tell My Mom & Dad/I'm Still Here *Flip By The Notations
Love Lite 01 - My Conscience/Man In My Life - 1970
Love Lite 02 - Bumpy Road Ahead/Love Is Pretty 1971
Love Lite 03 - The Way That You Treat Me Baby/My Baby Loves Me 1972
Cotillion 44145 - I'm The One That You Need/Love Bandit 1972
Cotillion 44161 - Is That Lovin' In Your Heart/We've Got The Real Thing 1972
Velvet 300 - Give It Up/It's The Right Thing To Do 1972
Love Lite 1008 - Oh My Love/Love So Strong 1973
20th Century Fox 2068 - Oh My Love/Love Is So Strong 1973
Lovelite 1508 - (Get It Off) My Conscience/Oh, What A Day - 1975
Lovelite 28 - Bumpy Road Ahead/Love Is Pretty - ?
Wow, very informative post. Patti Hamilton is a great vocalist and songwriter. I had never heard here before and it is very, very obvious that Deniece Williams "borrowed" her singing style completely.
ReplyDeleteHmm -- wonder if Niecy has ever give her the credit? Also what ever happened to Patti Hamilton? I would love to hear more of her music? I like her singing style.
I came from Altgeld Gardens and I remember as a very little girl (1st grade) me and my friends would go to their house to see Patti. The projects back then were nothing like what we see and hear about today and Altgeld Gardens was a tight community. They lived on the corner unit directly across from my school. If I'm not mistaken "Chaka Kahn" lived somewhere close to Altgeld before she got started.
ReplyDeleteI think Chaka Khan was a child on a US Forces Base somewhere.
ReplyDelete