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It's Sunday - Music
It's Sunday by The Friends Of Distinction
The Friends Of Distinction
Artist Biography For The Friends Of Distinction
One Of The Most Likeable And Vocally Cohesive Singing Groups Of The Late 60s And Early 70s The Friends Of Distinction Are Too Often Forgotten In Retrospectives Of That Era But Their Music Has Continued To Live On. Formed By Harry Elston Floyd Butler Jessica Cleaves And Barbara Love In 1968 The Group Had A Relatively Short Life In Its Original Incarnation But Made Some Of The Most Memorable Pop/soul Music Of All Time. Elston Had Been Singing With The Hi-Fi's In The Mid-60s Warming Up For Ray Charles In Tours Across The Country. When That Group Split In 1966 Members Marilyn McCoo And Lamont McLemore Went On To Co-Found The Enormously Successful Fifth Dimension And Elston Started The Friends Whose Sound Was Similar To And Often Confused With The Fifth Dimension -- Both Included Tightly Harmonizing Men And Women Dressed In Late 60s "hip" Clothing -- Though The Friends' Music Was Generally More Soulful. The Newly Formed Friends Of Distinction Was Managed By Football Great Jim Brown And Signed With RCA Records. Hitting The Popular Music Scene When Motown And Stax Were Dominating The Friends Arrived With A Breezy California Pop/soul Sound. Great Harmonies And Crossover Arrangements Backed The Individually Strong Lead Vocals Of The Group Members. Combined With Top Notch Material Both Originals And Covers The Group Like The Fifth Dimension Sounded Like A Breath Of Fresh Air On Pop Radio In 1969. Their First Single "Grazin' In The Grass " Was A Elston-Sung Vocal Remake Of A Hugh Masekela Instrumental Cut And Hit The Top 5 On Both Pop And Soul Charts In 1969. The Group's Follow-Up "Going In Circles " Was A Brilliant Ballad That Also Charted High. Love Took Some Time Off To Have A Baby And Charlene Gibson Stepped In And Sang Lead On The Group's Third Big Hit "Love Or Let Me Be Lonely." She Also Sang On The Wonderful Album Cut "Crazy Mary." The Friends Were Quite Prolific From 1969-71 Releasing 5 Albums A Sixth Appeared In 1973 . They Also Released A Number Of Great Singles Including "Check It Out" Later Remade By Tavares And A Terrific Cover Of Neil Sedaka's "Time Waits For No One." Their Best Cuts Are Excellently Compiled In The Best Of The Friends Of Distinction Which Was Released In 1996. As Popular Music Changed In The Mid-70s The Friends' Fortunes Declined. Jessica Cleaves Was Featured With Earth Wind And Fire First Appearance On The"Last Days And Time" Release. A Grueling Touring Schedule And The Lack Of A Hit For Several Years Led The Group To Call It Quits In 1975. Elston And Butler Continued To Write And Perform For A Few Years Then Ultimately Went Their Separate Ways Taking Jobs Outside Of Music. Over The Next Two Decades There Was A Rediscovery Of The Great Music That The Friends Had Made Together And Their Biggest Hits Were Remade By Several Artists With "Going In Circles" Charting For The Gap Band And Luther Vandross And "Love Or Let Me Be Lonely" For Pop Artist Paul Davis. Most Recently "Grazin In The Grass" Was Released By Disney Star Raven. In 1990 Elston And Butler Decided To Bring The Friends Back Together. Tragically Butler Died At Elston's Side Before The Group Reunion Could Be Realized. After Butler's Death Elston Spent Several Years Forming A New Friends Group Ultimately Bringing Together Geno Henderson Wendy Bruné And Berlando Drake To Sing With Elston. That Lineup Currently Tours And Continues To Entertain Audiences Nearly 40 Years After The World First Heard The Friends Of Distinction.
50 Similar Tracks:
The Friends Of Distinction - Let Yourself Go
The Friends Of Distinction - Check It Out
Archie Bell And The Drells - Giving Up Dancing
The 5th Dimension - One Less Bell To Answer
Tony Orlando & Dawn - Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Ole Oak Tree feat. Tony Orlando
Archie Bell And The Drells - Girls Grow Up Faster Than Boys
The Marvelettes - He Was Really Sayin' Something
Major Harris - What's The Use In The Truth
The Manhattans - Wish That You Were Mine
The Chi-Lites - Give It Away
The Dramatics - Hey You! Get Off My Mountain
Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose - Treat Her Like A Lady
The New Birth - God's Children, Pt. 1
The Moments - So This Is Our Goodbye
The Moments - I've Got To Keep On Loving You
Syl Johnson - Could I Be Falling In Love
The Temprees - Girl I Love You
The Spinners - It's A Shame - Remastered
The Whispers - The Dip
Al Green - Full Of Fire
The Delfonics - Break Your Promise - Remastered
The Emotions - I Could Never Be Happy
Brook Benton - Rainy Night In Georgia
Helen Reddy - You're My World
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes - Hope That We Can Be Together Soon feat. Sharon Paige
Diana Ross - Touch Me In The Morning
The Sylvers - Cry Of A Dreamer
Maxine Nightingale - Love Enough
The Emotions - I Wanna Come Back
Al Green - Have You Been Making Out OK
Marvin Gaye - I Met A Little Girl
Maxine Nightingale - One Last Ride
The Intruders - Together
The Isley Brothers - The Highways Of My Life
The Sylvers - Hot Line
Marvin Gaye - We Can Make It Baby
Carl Carlton - Drop By My Place
Stevie Wonder - If You Really Love Me
Stevie Wonder - Hey Love
The Originals - Baby, I'm For Real
The Jackson 5 - Zip A Dee Doo Dah
The Staple Singers - Let's Do It Again
Jackie Wilson - It Only Happens When I Look At You
The Impressions - We're A Winner
The Main Ingredient - Superwoman
Barbara Mason - Don't Ever Go Away
Tavares - More Than A Woman
The New Birth - I Want To Make It With You
The O'Jays - Use Ta Be My Girl - Single Version
Roberta Flack - The Closer I Get To You
Music Tags for It's Sunday:
Pop
Soul
70s
Favouritestreamable
Songs About Sunday
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