The Lovelites - With Love From The Lovelites

Not to be confused with the Brooklyn girl group of the same name, the Lovelites were a Chicago-based vocal group composed of sisters Patti Hamilton, Rozena Petty and friend, Barbara Peterman. In 1967, the trio recorded for local Chicago label, Bandera Records. In 1968, Peterman left the group and was replaced by Ardell McDaniel.

One year after the change in lineup, the single, "How Can I Tell My Mom & Dad" was released on Lock records. The tune, written by lead vocalist Patti Hamilton & producer Clarence Johnson, boldly addressed the then taboo subject of teen pregnancy and went on to sell 55,000 copies locally and 400,000 nationally, peaking at number 15 on Billboard's Soul chart and landing the group a deal with MCA-owned, Uni Records. By this time, the group had also undergone yet another personnel change, as Joni Berlman stepped in for Rozena Petty.

The girls continued working with Johnson as well as producer Johnny Cameron and went on to release their only full-length LP, With Love From The Lovelites. Unfortunately, the album wasn't nearly as well received as the group's previous single and subsequently flopped. After leaving Uni, Johnson started up Lovelites records and the group released a handful of singles.

By 1972, the girls had signed to Atlantic subsidiary, Cotillion records, where they released 2 singles as "Patti & The Lovelites." By 1973, the group disbanded.

Sadly, as so many of these stories go, due to shady dealings and being too young and unaware of the ins and outs of the recording industry, Patti, the group's leader, holds no portions of the publishing rights for any of the songs she wrote and recorded with the group. Clarence Johnson took advantage of Hamilton's inexperience and claimed all the rights and accompanying royalties for himself. Johnson also copyrighted the Lovelites name without notifying the group or their manager. Today, Patti Hamilton resides in Chicago where, as of 2000, she makes her living as a CTA bus driver while trying to launch a career as a gospel singer.

If you're interested in finding an original copy of With Love From The Lovelites, you wont have too much trouble finding it on ebay but be prepared to dig deep in those pockets cuz this is one of those albums that routinely sell for $120 and up. On the other hand, if hundred dollar vinyl isn't quite your bag you still have some options. Click over to Amazon where you can buy 11 of the 12 tracks from the original LP as digital downloads.
Still not happy? Well if you head over here you can cop the CD version of the same songs offered on Amazon plus get yourself a few bonus tracks from long lost female soul trio The Fuzz to boot.

Featured cut: "Oh My Love"

Listen to the complete LP here.

Betty Everett - There'll Come A Time

Most folks remember Betty Everett primarily for one huge pop hit in the 60's, but she was also a phenomenal soul singer who, like so many others, has amassed a huge catalog of excellent sides that have been ignored by the general public.

Betty, born in Greenwood, Mississippi in 1939, started playing the piano and singing in church at the age of nine. She continued singing in gospel choirs as she grew up, finally moving to Chicago in 1957.

She recorded songs on some of the local Chicago labels such as C.J., Cobra and OneDerful in the late 50s and early 60s, scoring local hits such as "I'll Be There" and "I've Got A Claim On You." In the early sixties she signed with Vee-Jay records. One of her first releases for the label was "You're No Good," a midtempo number that stalled just short of the Top 50 late in 1963.

[Sidebar: In 1974, cover queen Linda Ronstadt's rendition of "You're No Good" skyrocketed to number one in the United States.]

Everett finally hit pay dirt when she recorded the Top 10 smash, "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)" in the Spring of 1964.

[Sidebar: "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)" was covered by Linda Lewis and made it to the Top 10 in the UK. Cher took a turn at covering "The Shoop Shoop Song" in 1990 and reached #33 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart in the U.S., #3 in Germany and France, #5 in Australia and #1 in the UK making it her most successful single to date, selling more than six million copies worldwide.]

Her follow-up Vee-Jay releases,including "I Can't Hear You" and "Getting Mighty Crowded" didn't fare as well, however.

Later in 1964, Betty performed a duet with another prominent Chicago-area singer, Jerry Butler, that landed her her second Top 10 hit. Other Everett/Butler singles followed, as well an entire album of duets entitled Delicious Together.

After Vee Jay folded in 1966, Betty signed to ABC records but found no commercial success. Finally, in 1969, Everett signed with Uni records, where she released her 1969 LP, There'll Come A Time. The title track would wind up being both her last top forty hit as well as her first entry in the soul charts, climbing to the number two spot.

In the following years, Betty continued recording and managed to place five more records onto the soul charts among her releases for Uni, Fantasy, and Sound Stage 7 labels between 1970 and 1977.

From the 1980s until her death, Everett resided in Beloit, Wisconsin, where she was involved in the Rhythm & Blues Foundation and the churches of the Fountain of Life and New Covenant. In 2000, she made her last public appearance on the PBS special Doo Wop 51.

Everett died in her home in Beloit on August 19, 2001; she was 61 years old.

For this week's post, I've pulled out Betty Everett's 1969 Uni LP, "There'll Come a Time". AllMusic.com reviewer Richie Unterberger gives his $.02 about the album. [There'll Come a Time] ...has much more of a sweet soul flavor than her Vee-Jay sides, at times blending the trademarks of her brassy native Chicago scene with a Philadelphia influence. It's far from too sweet, though, with strong material, punchy arrangements, and Everett's always dependably energetic and warm vocals. It also contains the R&B hit "I Can't Say No to You."

If you can find it, the now out of print 1995 Varese Sarabande CD reissue includes three hard-to-find singles released between 1969 and 1970 that were previously unavailable on any album, including the Top 20 R&B hit "It's Been a Long Time," penned by Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and Jerry Butler with arrangements handled masterfully by Donny Hathaway.

If you're looking for the CD reissue, the last time I checked there was a pricey copy still up for grabs on Amazon.com but you can always try your luck here instead.

You could also try to snag an original vinyl copy on the 'bay or maybe even GEMM.

Featured cut: "1900 Yesterday"


Listen to the full album here

Quickie: Joyce Hopson - This Time

Unfortunately, I don't know anything about the voice behind this quickie post. I only know that I grew up with this 45 as part of my Pop's collection and I always dug it. I'm guessing it was a one-off single circa 1968 recorded for Revue (a division of MCA) as I haven't come across any other records by her so far. I ripped it for my SOUL4Life.com 60s page about 5 years ago and the 45 is now far out of reach, else I would've ripped the flipside, "I Surrender To You" too. If anyone has any info about Joyce Hopson, drop a line.

While this single is a kinda on the rare side, you can still track down your own copy here or if you're lucky, here.