A Lost Detroit Gem!!!..The Duo were Beverly Wheeler & Duane Williams. In 1977, the Duo were signed by Ariola Capitol EMI Records, with their first album due out in 1978 recorded in Detroit originally & was going to be released by Fee records of Detroit. Detroit Soul Legend & Producer Willie Hatcher (who had some connection to Fee but at this stage is unverified) was “Glad I Gotcha, Baby” and was released with an extended length version (on here). Highlights for me are the stunning love songs/steppers "I Wanna Be With You" & “Living In A World (All By Myself) and the Rare Northern Gem " I Found Love". The album is produced by Will Hatcher, an artist in his own right who met Beverly & Duane through appearing on a Detroit TV show ‘The Scene’ on station WGPR. Having performed ‘You Haven’t Seen Nothing Yet, ‘Till The Love You’re Gonna Get’ he was interviewed about his singing and record company Wheelsville. He told viewers he was looking for outstanding singers to record, and after giving his phone number out on air was contacted immediately by Duane. At the time Duane played piano and organ at his father’s church where Beverly regularly sang. As Beverly & Duane they also performed in and around the Detroit club scene while pursuing a record deal. After hooking up with Will Hatcher they collaborated on the songs for this album which when finished got overheard by Will’s record company executive friend Woody Wilson. Another Detroit act Chapter 8 had landed a deal at Ariola through Woody, so through this connection Will Hatcher leased Beverly & Duane to the same major label and put them on tour with The Floaters. Beverly & Duane had two American hits from this album, ‘We Got To Stick Together’ and ‘Glad I Gotcha Baby’ after which they got married and moved to California and settled down. Beverly toured subsequent to the albums release in expectation of the duo’s first child & she was still working as an administrative assistant at Ford Motor Company at that time & to my knowledge didn't record again after this album. Duane remained active in the record business and singing in and around the Detroit area till their move to L.A. Soul Junction put out an album by duane in 2009 now long deleted from stock of his unreleased recordings that i may have hidden away somewhere. I want to thank USMAN47 for asking me if i had it otherwise it may have stayed hidden in my collection forever thats why i like requests to jog this old memory of mine. Highly Recommended album for Quality Detroit Soul IMHO a Masterpiece!
AMM
The Tasters!
22 comments:
It really is a fantastic album. Just to have it in FLAC.
I'm happy to have reminded you of it and thus to make it known to all Detroit Soul fans!!!
Thanks again AMM.
Yves
Great Detroit Soul AMM, many thanks!
Hakase and AMM, thank you both for solving a family mystery. My wife heard that song 14 years ago on the radio and the DJ never gave the title or group. We tried each year to find it. She would sing the song to collectors but no one knew it. She's dancing as I write! Should have known you guys would know the song. Great blog and great m8s.
Thanks for this rare one ,AMM.
Great stuff, I like it. Thanks, AMM for the review!!
Thanks for this rare review ,AMM.
Thanks for this looking forward to listening cheers AMM
Wonderful sound from Detroit! Thanks for review, P.
Thank you AMM for the review
Glad I gotcha, AMM! 😁
Thanks AMM for the rare gem. Do we know which song exactly BillyMac is referencing his wife singing for 14 years without knowing? Nice.
Two words to grab my attention "Detroit" and "Northern Soul"(THREE WORDS)
THANK YOU Hakase and MM!
Cheers!
Bill(b3will@msn.com)
@RMstorm
yea its Jessie Lee Ferguson And The Outer Limits - New Shoes - Metromedia Records
also came out on UK Pye...on next RNS volume...Hakase got it right also.
Thanks to all for getting this out there!
Interesting review and this looks good. Many thanks AMM.
thanks much for this AMM also Expansion always welcome
@BillyMac glad you and your lovely wife happy!
Many thanks AMM, looks interesting
Great tasters. Keep up the good work.
Thanks AMM this review is tops
Yes indeed MM, another rare soul gem, thank you.
cheers,ELtel
Thank you for giving us this rare soul gem. Thank you AMM.
Thanks for introducing me to new performers as good as this AMM.
thanks for another rare review AMM
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