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Best remembered for her number one R & B hit "Rockin' Chair" from 1975, Gwen McCrae was a gutsy Southern soul diva with a particular affinity for dance tracks. Along with her husband George ("Rock Your Baby"), Gwen was part of the Miami-based T.K. Records stable, which laid a great deal of groundwork for the disco explosion. Born Gwen Mosley in Pensacola, FL, in 1943, she grew up singing in her Pentecostal church and later discovered secular singers like Sam Cooke and Aretha Franklin. She began performing in local clubs as a teenager, also singing with local groups like the Lafayettes and the Independents. In 1963, she met a young Navy sailor named George McCrae, whom she married within a week. When George was discharged, he re-formed an earlier group he'd sung with called the Jivin' Jets, and invited Gwen to join as well. Soon, however, George and Gwen split off to form a duo -- aptly dubbed George & Gwen -- and moved to West Palm Beach to perform in clubs all over South Florida. George & Gwen were discovered in 1967 by singer Betty Wright, who helped get them signed to Henry Stone's Alston label. Their debut single, "Three Hearts in a Tangle," was released in 1969; the follow-up, "Like Yesterday Our Love Is Gone," marked the first time they worked with the writing team of Clarence Reid (who would later morph into the bawdy comic Blowfly) and Willie Clarke. Both were regional hits, as was third single, "No One Left to Come Home," although none of those records broke nationally; meanwhile, the McCraes and Wright were collectively earning a reputation as stellar session vocalists. In 1970, one of Gwen's solo recordings, the Bobby "Blue" Bland cover "Lead Me On," was picked up by Columbia and became her first Top 40 hit on the R & B charts. In the wake of that breakthrough, George temporarily retired from singing to become her manager, and Alston leased her contract to Columbia; she recorded several more singles over the next few years, but without comparable chart success. Columbia declined to renew McCrae's contract in 1973, and she was signed to a different Henry Stone label, the T.K. subsidiary Cat. She had a regional hit with "He Keeps Something Groovy Goin' On" that year, and then her second national hit with the R & B Top 20 "For Your Love" (originally recorded by Ed Townsend). However, her minor 1974 hit "It's Worth the Hurt" was overshadowed by George's across-the-board smash "Rock Your Baby," a song originally intended for Gwen that heralded disco's arrival on the pop charts. It was Gwen's turn in the spotlight the following year, when she took the sexy Reid/Clarke composition "Rockin' Chair" all the way to the top of the R & B charts, not to mention the pop Top Ten. In the wake of its success, McCrae released her first-ever album (also called Rockin' Chair) and scored further R & B hits with "Love Insurance" and "Cradle of Love." Gwen McCrae By this time, the separate successes were taking their toll on the McCraes' marriage (Gwen has since alleged that her husband beat her frequently). A 1976 duet single, "Winners Together, Losers Apart," fell short of the R & B Top 40, and a full album of duets failed to assuage matters. The couple split later that year, and Gwen scored what turned out to be her last chart hit for Cat, "Damn Right It's Good." Despite a fine effort with the 1978 LP Let's Straighten It Out, McCrae's commercial momentum was stalled, and although 1979's "All This Love That I'm Giving" later became a favorite on Britain's Northern soul scene, it didn't attract much attention upon its release. With the T.K. label family in serious financial trouble, McCrae moved to New Jersey and signed with Atlantic in 1980, a stint that produced two albums (Gwen McCrae and On My Way) and several chart singles still prized by collectors: "Funky Sensation," "Poyson," and "Keep the Fire Burning." Feeling underpromoted, McCrae moved back to Florida, cut a one-off single for the small Black Jack label in 1984 called "Do You Know What I Mean," and retired from the music business. McCrae was rediscovered by the British Northern soul and rare groove scenes during the '80s, and she traveled to England to record a couple of singles for Rhythm King in 1987. Pleased with her enduring popularity in the U.K., McCrae eventually recorded an entire album for the British Homegrown label in 1996, titled Girlfriend's Boyfriend. Upon returning to America, she signed with the revived Goldwax label, distributed by Ichiban, and recorded another album later that year, Psychic Hot Line. In 1998, Ichiban reissued Girlfriend's Boyfriend in the U.S. McCrae returned in 1999 with Still Rockin', which received favorable reviews in blues and classic soul circles. -- Steve Huey of All Music Guide. |
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01. Rockin' Chair 02. Move Me, Baby 03. He Keeps Something Groovy Going On 04. Let Them Talk 05. For Your Love |
06. It's Worth the Hurt 07. 90% of Me Is You 08. It Keeps on Raining 09. He Doesn't Ever Lose His Groove 10. Your Love Is Worse Than a Cold Love |
01. I'll Do the Rockin' 02. You and I Were Made for Each Other 03. Mechanical Body 04. I'm Comin' at You 05. Let's Dance Dance Dance 06. Winners Together or Losers Apart 07. Homesick, Lovesick 08. The Rub |
09. Let Your Love Do the Talkin' 10. I Ain't Lyin' 11. You Got to Know 12. Take This Love of Mine 13. Do Something 14. Every Time You Say Goodbye 15. How I Feel |
01. Something So Right 02. Tears on My Pillow 03. Love Without Sex 04. Mr. Everything |
05. Iron Woman 06. Damn Right It's Good 07. Let Nature Take Its Course 08. I've Got Nothing to Lose But the Blues |
01. Early Morning Love 02. Starting All Over Again 03. Tonight's The Night 04. Signed Sealed Delivered (I'm Yours) |
05. Let's Straighten It Out 06. Love Insurance 07. Cradle of Love 08. At Bedtime |
01. All This Love That I'm Giving 02. I Can Only Think Of You 03. Maybe I'll Find Somebody New 04. I Found A New Love |
05. The Joy 06. Ease The Pain 07. The Melody Of Life |
01. Funky Sensation 02. Poyson 03. Feel So Good 04. All My Love 05. Stood The Test |
06. Do You Wanna Be Mine 07. No Deposit/No Return 08. Have A Good Time 09. Movement |
01. Hang In 02. Make Believe 03. Keep The Fire Burning 04. I Need To Be With You |
05. Be For Real 06. Hey World 07. I Didn't Take Your Man 08. Doin' It |
01. Cry To Me 02. Loving Peter To Pay Back Paul 03. Standing Room Only 04. Do That To Me One More Time 05. Rocking Chair 06. Psychic Hot Line |
07. Your Love Keeps Turning Me Around 08. The Soul Of A Man 09. Today I Sing The Blues 10. Your Kinda Loving Ain't Good Enough 11. The Snake That Hisses 12. Love And Affection |
01. Keep The Fire Burning (re-recording) 02. Funky Sensation (re-recording) 03. Pass It On 04. You Gotta Get Tough 05. Only Takes One Touch 06. We Have The Power 07. Does It Matter 08. Girlfriends Boyfriend |
09. Lost In Love 10. Natural Woman 11. All This Love 12. Anything You Want 13. Keep The Fire Burning (Stonebridge Mix Edit) 14. Keep The Fire Burning (Stonebridge Mix) 15. Keep The Fire Burning (Jjs Mix) |
01. Still Rockin' 02. Show Me The Sun 03. Long Way Home 04. Don't Wanna Lose Your Love 05. Hurts Too Much To Talk About It |
06. Loving Peter To Pay Back Paul 07. Psychic Hot Line 08. Your Love Keeps Turning Me Around 09. Your Kinda Loving Ain't Good Enough 10. Heal The Land |
01. Waiting on You Lord 02. I'm Not Worried 03. Back to Church (Trust in the Lord, Pass Me Not, What a Fellowship) 04. At the River 05. Will You Meet Me 06. Last Days |
07. Move on Up 08. Highest Praise 09. We Need Him 10. Walk Around Heaven 11. Hold My Hand |
01. 90 Percent Of Me Is You 02. It's Been Raining 03. Cradle Of Love 04. All This Love That I'm Givin' 05. For Your Love |
06. Lead Me On 07. Keep The Fire Burning 08. Make Me Yours 09. Funky Sensation 10. Rockin' Chair/Rock Your Baby |
01. Rockin' Chair (W/ a Little Taste of Latimore) 02. Rock Your Baby 03. What You Won't Do for Love 04. Jazz Freak Gwen McCrae 05. Please Don't Go 06. Let's Straighten It Out 07. Keep It Comin' Love 08. Why Can't We Live Together |
09. 90% of Me Is You 10. Clean Up Woman 11. Party Down 12. Misty Blue 13. Honey Honey 14. You Gotta Love Me (Like I Love Me) 15. Rockin' Chair |