In July 1966, “Columbia” label released “It’s Uptown”, album by George Benson Quartet (second George Benson studio album overall). It was recorded February – March 1966, and was produced by John Hammond.
Personnel:
George Benson – vocals, guitar
Ronnie Cuber – baritone saxophone
Bennie Green – trombone
Lonnie Smith – organ
Jimmy Lovelace – drums
Ray Lucas – drums
Blue Mitchell – trumpet
Charlie Persip – drums
Don Hunstein – photography
Track listing:
All tracks by George Benson, except where noted.
Clockwise
Summertime – DuBose Heyward, George Gershwin
Ain’t That Peculiar – Mary Tarplin, Bobby Rogers, Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore
In January 1968, “Prestige” label released “Beans & Greens”, the fifth Freddie McCoy album. It was recorded in May 1967, at “Van Gelder Studio” in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and was produced by Cal Lampley.
Personnel:
Freddie McCoy – vibraphone
Wilbur “Dud” Buscomb, Edward David Williams – trumpet
JoAnne Brackeen – piano
Wally Richardson – guitar
Dave Blume – organ
Joseph Macho, Don Payne – electric bass
Ray Lucas – drums
Rudy Van Gelder – recording
Don Schlitten – design, photography
Chris Albertson – liner notes
Track listing:
All tracks by Freddie McCoy, except where noted.
Beans & Greens
Tony’s Pony
A Whiter Shade of Pale – Gary Brooker, Keith Reid, Matthew Fisher
I Was Made To Love Her – Stevie Wonder, Lula Mae Hardaway, Henry Cosby, Sylvia Moy
You Keep Me Hangin’ On – Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland, Eddie Holland
On August 12, 1970, “Atlantic” label released “Chapter Two”, the second Roberta Flack studio album. It was recorded December 1969 – March 1970, at “Atlantic Studios” in New York City, and was produced by Joel Dorn and King Curtis.
Marshall Hawkins, Terry Plumeri, Chuck Rainey – bass guitar
Ray Lucas, Bernard Sweetney – drums
Warren Smith – percussion
Chauncey Welsch, Ernie Royal, Frank Wess, Garnett Brown, George Marge, John Frosk, John Glasel, Trevor Lawrence – horns
Hubert Laws, Joe Gentle – alto and bass flute
Corky Hale – harp
John Swallow – euphonium
Alfred Brown, Arnold Black, Emanuel Green, Gene Orloff, Harry Lookofsky, Joe Malin, Kermit Moore, Leo Kahn, Lewis Eley, Max Kahn, Max Pollikoff, Noel Dacosta, Peter Buonconsiglio, Peter Dimitriades, Raoul Poliakin, Sanford Allen, Selwart Clarke, Seymour Myroff, Tosha Samaroff – strings
Eumir Deodato – conductor, horn and string arrangements
Joel Dorn – arrangements
King Curtis – arrangements, backing vocals
Gene McDaniels – backing vocals
Lew Hahn – recording, remix
Ira Friedlander – design
Jack Robinson – photography
Track listing:
Reverend Lee – Gene McDaniels
Do What You Gotta Do – Jimmy Webb
Just Like a Woman – Bob Dylan
Let It Be Me – Gilbert Bécaud, Mann Curtis, Pierre Delanoë
On June 20, 1969, “Atlantic” label released “First Take”, the debut Roberta Flack studio album. It was recorded in February 1969, at “Atlantic” in New York City, and was produced by Joel Dorn. In 2020, “Rolling Stone” magazine ranked “First Take” at number 451 on its list of “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.
Personnel:
Roberta Flack – vocals, piano
Bucky Pizzarelli – guitars
Ron Carter – bass
Ray Lucas – drums, percussion
Seldon Powell, Frank Wess – saxophone
Jimmy Nottingham, Joe Newman – trumpet
Benny Powell – trombone
Emanuel Green, Gene Orloff – violin
Alfred Brown, Selwart Clarke, Theodore Israel – viola
Charles McCracken, George Ricci – cello
William S. Fischer – horn and string arrangements, string conducting
William Arlt – recording
Bob Liftin – remix
Stanislaw Zagorski – design
Ken Heinen – photography
Track listing:
Compared to What – Gene McDaniels
Angelitos Negros – Andrés Eloy Blanco, Manuel Álvarez Maciste
Our Ages or Our Hearts – Robert Ayers, Donny Hathaway
I Told Jesus – traditional, arranged by Roberta Flack
Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye – Leonard Cohen
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face – Ewan MacColl
Tryin’ Times – Donny Hathaway, Leroy Hutson
Ballad of the Sad Young Men – Fran Landesman, Tommy Wolf
On June 18, 1973, “Atco” label released “Extension of a Man”, the fourth and final Donny Hathaway studio album. It was recorded October – November 1972, at “A&R”, “Bell Sound”, “Regent Sound” and “Atlantic” in New York City, “Universal” in Chicago, and was produced by Arif Mardin.
Personnel:
Donny Hathaway – lead vocals, Fender Rhodes electric piano, all pianos, Hammond organ, keyboards, bass, arrangements
Cornell Dupree – acoustic and electric guitar
Hugh McCracken – banjo, guitar
Willie Weeks, Russ Savakus, Stanley Clarke, Gordon Edwards – bass
Grady Tate, Fred White, Rick Marotta, Ray Lucas – drums
Ralph MacDonald – percussion
Emanuel Green, Harry Lookofsky, Julien Barber, Noel DaCosta, Sanford Allen, Theodore Israel – violin
Charles McCracken, George Ricci, Kermit Moore – cello
Gloria Agostini – harp
David Newman – saxophone
Marvin Stamm, Joe Newman, Ernie Royal – trumpet
Dominick Gravine, Garnett Brown, Paul Faulise, Wayne Andre, Tony Studd, Garnett Brown – trombone
Hubert Laws – flute
Don Butterfield – tuba
Phil Bodner – clarinet, alto saxophone
Seldon Powell – clarinet, reeds, tenor saxophone
Vincent Abato – clarinet
Romeo Penque, William Slapin – reeds
Jim Buffington, Julius Watkins, Tony Miranda – French horn
Henry Schuman – oboe
Myrna Summers & The Interdenominational Singers – choir
Cissy Houston, Myrna Smith, Sylvia Shemwell, Jimmy Douglass, Mario “Big M” Medious, Richard Wells, William “Mac” McCollum – backing vocals
Track listing:
All tracks by Donny Hathaway, except where noted.
I Love the Lord; He Heard My Cry (Parts I & II)
Someday We’ll All Be Free – Donny Hathaway, Edward Howard
In February 1968, “Atlantic” label released “I Believe to My Soul”, the twelve Junior Mance album. It was recorded in September 1966 – August 1967, in New York City, and was produced by Joel Dorn.
Personnel:
Junior Mance – piano
David Newman, Frank Wess – tenor saxophone
Hubert Laws – tenor saxophone, flute
Bobby Capers, Haywood Henry – baritone saxophone
Melvin Lastie, Joe Newman, Jimmy Owens – trumpet
Bob Cunningham, Richard Davis – bass
Jimmy Tyrell – electric bass
Alan Dawson, Ray Lucas, Freddie Waits – drums
Ray Barretto – congas
Sylvia Shemwell – vocals
Arif Mardin – arrangements
Gene Orloff – strings conductor
Bruce Tergesen – engineer
Phil Lehle – engineer
Rob Grenell – mastering
Marvin Israel – front cover design
Lee Friedlander – photography
Ray Spaulding – liner notes
Track listing:
All tracks by Junior Mance, except where noted.
I Believe to My Soul – Ray Charles
A Time and a Place – Jimmy Heath
Sweet Georgia Brown – Ben Bernie, Maceo Pinkard, Kenneth Casey
In February 1968, “Blue Note” label released “Easy Walker”, the 17th Stanley Turrentine album. It was recorded in July 1966 and July 1967, at “Van Gelder Studio” in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and was produced by Francis Wolff and Alfred Lion.
Personnel:
Stanley Turrentine – tenor saxophone
McCoy Tyner – piano, electric piano
Bob Cranshaw – bass
Gene Taylor – bass
Mickey Roker – drums
Ray Lucas – drums
Billy Cobham – drums
Track listing:
Meat Wave – Hank Johnson
They All Say I’m the Biggest Fool – Buddy Johnson
Yours Is My Heart Alone – Franz Lehár
Easy Walker – Billy Taylor
What the World Needs Now – Burt Bacharach, Hal David
On November 7, 1972, “Atlantic” label released “The Divine Miss M”, the debut Bette Midler studio album. It was recorded 1971 – 1972, at “Atlantic Recording Studios” in New York City, and was produced by Ahmet Ertegun, Barry Manilow. Geoffrey Haslam and Joel Dorn. The album was certified Platinum in US and Canada.
On August 24, 1970, “Atlantic” label released “Spirit in the Dark”, the seventeenth Aretha Franklin studio album. It was recorded May – October 1969, March 1970, and was produced by Tom Dowd, Arif Mardin and Jerry Wexler.
Personnel:
Aretha Franklin – lead vocals, piano
Dave Crawford– organ
Buzz Feiten– guitar
Jimmy Johnson– guitar
Jimmy O’Rourke – guitar
Charlie Freeman – guitar
Duane Allman– guitar
Cornell Dupree– guitar
Eddie Hinton– guitar
Tommy McClure – bass guitar
Harold “Hog” Cowart – bass guitar
David Hood– bass guitar
Sammy Creason– drums
Ron Ziegler – drums
Roger Hawkins– drums
Ray Lucas – drums
Jim Dickinson– additional keyboards
Michael Utley– additional keyboards
Barry Beckett– additional keyboards
The Sweet Inspirations– backing vocals
Wylene Ivy – backing vocals
Margaret Branch – backing vocals
Almeda Lattimore – backing vocals
Pat Lewis– backing vocals
Evelyn Green – backing vocals
Brenda Bryant – backing vocals
Track listing:
Don’t Play That Song – Ahmet Ertegün, Betty Nelson
The Thrill Is Gone (From Yesterday’s Kiss) – Rick Darnell, Roy Hawkins
On January 24, 1972, “Atlantic” label released “Young, Gifted and Black”, the nineteenth Aretha Franklin studio album. It was recorded August 1970 – February 1971, and was produced by Tom Dowd, Arif Mardin and Jerry Wexler. In 1972, the album won Aretha Franklin “Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance”. In 2003, the TV network “VH1” ranked it the 76th greatest album of all time.
Personnel:
Aretha Franklin – lead vocals, acoustic piano, celesta, electric piano
Don Arnone – acoustic guitar
Cornell Dupree- guitar
Hugh McCracken- guitar
Donny Hathaway- organ, electric piano
Billy Preston- organ
Eric Gale- bass
Chuck Rainey- bass
Robert Popwell- bass, percussion
Bernard “Pretty” Purdie- drums
Al Jackson, Jr.- drums
Ray Lucas – drums
The Memphis Horns- horn section
Andrew Love (of the Memphis Horns) – tenor saxophone
Neal Rosengarden – trumpet, vibraphone
Wayne Jackson (of the Memphis Horns) – trumpet
Hubert Laws- flute
Tom Dowd- horn arrangements
Pat Smith – backing vocals
Ronald Bright – backing vocals
R. Bailey – backing vocals
Carolyn Franklin- backing vocals
Erma Franklin- backing vocals
Margaret Branch – backing vocals
Ann S. Clark – backing vocals
The Sweet Inspirations- backing vocals
Sammy Turner – backing vocals
Stanislaw Zagorski – cover design
David Nathan – liner notes
Track listing:
Oh Me Oh My (I’m a Fool for You Baby) – Jim Doris
Day Dreaming – Aretha Franklin
Rock Steady – Aretha Franklin
Young, Gifted and Black – Weldon Irvine, Nina Simone
All the King’s Horses – Aretha Franklin
A Brand New Me – Theresa Bell, Jerry Butler, Kenny Gamble
April Fools – Burt Bacharach, Hal David
I’ve Been Loving You Too Long – Jerry Butler, Otis Redding
First Snow in Kokomo – Aretha Franklin
The Long and Winding Road – John Lennon, Paul McCartney
Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time) – Thom Bell, William Hart
Border Song (Holy Moses) – Bernie Taupin, Elton John
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