Tag Archives: Barbara Mason

Dee Dee Bridgewater: Memphis…Yes, I’m Ready

On September 15, 2017, “Okeh” label released “Memphis… Yes, I’m Ready”, the 19th Dee Dee Bridgewater album. It was recorded in September 2016, at “Royal Studios” in  Memphis, TN, and was produced by Dee Dee Bridgewater, Tulani Bridgewater Kowalski, Kirk Whalum and Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell.

Personnel:

  • Dee Dee Bridgewater – vocals, linear notes
  • Kirk Whalum– tenor and baritone saxophone
  • Lannie McMillan, Kirk Smothers – tenor saxophone
  • Marc Franklin – trumpet
  • Kameron Whalum – trombone
  • John Stoddart– keyboards, vocal arrangements
  • Charles Hodges– Hammond organ
  • Garry Goin – guitar
  • Jackie Clark – bass
  • James Sexton – drums
  • Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell– cymbals, electric bongos, tambourine
  • Sharisse Norman, Candise Rayborn-Marshall, Kevin Whalum – backing vocals
  • Stax Music Academy– backing vocals
  • Ted Jensen– engineer
  • Tulani Bridgewater Kowalski – art direction, cover art, photography
  • Thomas Brodin – design
  • John Stoddart – associate producer

Track listing:

  1. Yes, I’m Ready – Barbara Mason
  2. Giving Up – Van McCoy
  3. I Can’t Get Next to You – Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield
  4. Going Down Slow – Louis Jimmy Oden
  5. Why (Am I Treated So Bad) – Roebuck Staples
  6. B-A-B-Y – Isaac Hayes, David Porter
  7. The Thrill Is Gone – Rick Ravon Darnell, Roy Hawkins
  8. The Sweeter He Is – Isaac Hayes, David Porter
  9. I Can’t Stand the Rain – Donald Maurice Bryant, Bernard Miller, Ann Peebles
  10. Don’t Be Cruel – Otis Blackwell, Elvis Presley
  11. Hound Dog – Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
  12. Try a Little Tenderness – James Campbell, Reginald Connelly, Harry Woods
  13. Take My Hand, Precious Lord – Thomas A. Dorsey, Sobie Frank Frazier, Jeff Majors

Gladys Knight & the Pips: Everybody Needs Love

In September 1967, “Soul Imprint” label released “Everybody Needs Love”, the debut Gladys Knight & the Pips album. It was recorded 1966 – 1967, at “Hitsville U.S.A.” in Detroit, and was produced by Norman  Whitfield, Harvey Fuqua, Johnny Bristol and Smokey Robinson.

Personnel:

  • Gladys Knight – lead vocals
  • Merald “Bubba” Knight, William Guest, Edward Patten – backing vocals
  • The Funk Brothers: instrumentation

Track listing:

  1. Everybody Needs Love – Norman Whitfield, Edward Holland, Jr.
  2. I’ll Be Standing By – Valerie Simpson, Nickolas Ashford
  3. Since I’ve Lost You – Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong
  4. I Heard It Through the Grapevine – Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong
  5. You Don’t Love Me No More – Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong, Roger Penzabene
  6. Ain’t No Sun Since You’ve Been Gone – Norman Whitfield, Sylvia Moy, Cornelius Grant
  7. Take Me in Your Arms and Love Me – Barrett Strong, Roger Penzabene, Cornelius Grant
  8. He’s My Kind of Fella – Harvey Fuqua, Johnny Bristol
  9. Yes, I’m Ready – Barbara Mason
  10. My Bed of Thorns – William “Smokey” Robinson
  11. Do You Love Me Just a Little, Honey – Harvey Fuqua, Johnny Bristol, Vernon Bullock, Gladys Knight
  12. Just Walk in My Shoes – Helen Lewis Mastor, Kay Lewis Miller