6/25/2023 0 Comments Tac inspireme sweet inspirations![]() Bert Berns, a master of desperation in song, co-wrote "I Don't Want to Go on Without You" with Wexler, first recorded by The Drifters and also by Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles. Wexler, Dowd, and the producers who followed them consistently supplied the Sweet Inspirations with songs they could plumb for raw emotion. They knew how to use their voices in the manner of a gospel choir. What's most immediately evident on these 66 tracks is the unusually supple sound for a foursome. At Atlantic, they would transform songs from Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman, The Bee Gees, Carole King, and Burt Bacharach and Hal David from pure pop into deep soul. All of those genres would figure prominently in the Sweet Inspirations' discography. ![]() Tellingly, the three songs included one pop classic ("Let It Be Me"), a wrenching blues from a gospel legend (Pops Staples' "Why Am I Treated So Bad," inspired by the brave students of the Little Rock 9 who fought against segregation), and a romantic R&B staple (Roosevelt Jamison's "That's How Strong My Love Is," best known in its Atlantic recording by Otis Redding). The label's Jerry Wexler ushered the quartet into Atlantic's New York studios in April 1967 with producers Tom Dowd and Tommy Cogbill for their debut session. The classic, pre-"Elvis years" Sweet Inspirations recording line-up of Cissy Houston, Sylvia Shemwell, Myrna Smith, and Estelle Brown evolved from the Drinkard Singers/Gospelaires families that also famously included Dionne and Dee Dee Warwick (Houston's nieces) and Atlantic vocalist Judy Clay (Shemwell's sister). Let It Be Me: The Atlantic Recordings (1967-1970) brings together 66 recordings, encompassing five albums ( The Sweet Inspirations Songs of Faith and Inspiration What the World Needs Now Is Love Sweets for My Sweet and Sweet, Sweet Soul), non-LP singles, and outtakes. The Sweet Inspirations' journey with the label has just been collected on a new 3-CD anthology from Cherry Red's SoulMusic Records imprint. But Atlantic rightfully believed that these talented singers didn't have to remain ten feet from stardom. Today, the vocal quartet might be best-remembered as Elvis Presley's preferred onstage backup group, but The King was just one of a staggering number of artists they supported - including the aforementioned artists and even Jimi Hendrix. Lesser-known but no less significant were The Sweet Inspirations. Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, Solomon Burke, and Wilson Pickett were just a handful of the artists there who defined the sound of soul music.
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