The New Rotary Connection - Hey, Love
WhenĀ Marshall ChessĀ decided to combine a rock group with some of the best voices he could get his hands on he invented a stream of psychedelic rock that was quite different from the one that emerged in Detroit with the help ofĀ George ClintonĀ andĀ Norman Whitfield.
Partly this was Marshallās hippy sensibility, but it was one that fused perfectly with vocalistĀ Minnie Ripertonās own word-view and the musical genius ā āno other word for itā:Ā Marshall ChessĀ ā ofĀ Charles Stepney.
Working across a cleverly arranged mix of originals and cover versions, the recordings featured some of the finest musicians that you could find in Chicago including drummerĀ Morris Jennings, bass playersĀ Louis SatterfieldĀ andĀ Phil Upchurch, and revolutionary guitaristĀ Pete Cosey, who would later joinĀ Miles Davisā group. Coseyās guitar playing on their fourth album āSongsā, released in 1969, is incendiary and unparalleled. The vocals were arranged as a perfect choir with a series of leads most notablyĀ Minnie,Ā Sidney BarnesĀ andĀ Mitch Aliota.
True success ā rather than doing well enough ā eluded them, with some bad decisions being made and bad luck also dogging them. When Chess left the company and Barnes the group it looked as if the writing was on the wall forĀ Rotary Connection, but Charles Stepney wanted one more go.Ā The New Rotary ConnectionĀ came together with a refreshed vocal line up featuringĀ Minnie,Ā Kitty HaywoodĀ andĀ Shirley WahlsĀ and songs byĀ Stepney, Minnieās husbandĀ Richard RudolphĀ andĀ Terry Callier.
Hey LoveĀ was the album that appeared and it is a gem, that features the astounding āI Am The Black Gold Of The Sunā - later a UK hit in 1997 Ā forĀ Nuyorican Soul, āLove Has Fallen On Meā - later recorded as a tribute to Stepney byĀ Chaka Khan, the beautiful title track and Callierās stunning āSong For Everymanā. However the album failed to sell and there was no more records.
As time passed the late 60s and early 70s productions of Charles Stepney became some of the best loved and most influential of the ear, influencing UK groups such as 4 Hero, Radiohead and more recently Jessie Ware, andĀ Hey, LoveĀ has been considered one of the peaks of his work.
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WhenĀ Marshall ChessĀ decided to combine a rock group with some of the best voices he could get his hands on he invented a stream of psychedelic rock that was quite different from the one that emerged in Detroit with the help ofĀ George ClintonĀ andĀ Norman Whitfield.
Partly this was Marshallās hippy sensibility, but it was one that fused perfectly with vocalistĀ Minnie Ripertonās own word-view and the musical genius ā āno other word for itā:Ā Marshall ChessĀ ā ofĀ Charles Stepney.
Working across a cleverly arranged mix of originals and cover versions, the recordings featured some of the finest musicians that you could find in Chicago including drummerĀ Morris Jennings, bass playersĀ Louis SatterfieldĀ andĀ Phil Upchurch, and revolutionary guitaristĀ Pete Cosey, who would later joinĀ Miles Davisā group. Coseyās guitar playing on their fourth album āSongsā, released in 1969, is incendiary and unparalleled. The vocals were arranged as a perfect choir with a series of leads most notablyĀ Minnie,Ā Sidney BarnesĀ andĀ Mitch Aliota.
True success ā rather than doing well enough ā eluded them, with some bad decisions being made and bad luck also dogging them. When Chess left the company and Barnes the group it looked as if the writing was on the wall forĀ Rotary Connection, but Charles Stepney wanted one more go.Ā The New Rotary ConnectionĀ came together with a refreshed vocal line up featuringĀ Minnie,Ā Kitty HaywoodĀ andĀ Shirley WahlsĀ and songs byĀ Stepney, Minnieās husbandĀ Richard RudolphĀ andĀ Terry Callier.
Hey LoveĀ was the album that appeared and it is a gem, that features the astounding āI Am The Black Gold Of The Sunā - later a UK hit in 1997 Ā forĀ Nuyorican Soul, āLove Has Fallen On Meā - later recorded as a tribute to Stepney byĀ Chaka Khan, the beautiful title track and Callierās stunning āSong For Everymanā. However the album failed to sell and there was no more records.
As time passed the late 60s and early 70s productions of Charles Stepney became some of the best loved and most influential of the ear, influencing UK groups such as 4 Hero, Radiohead and more recently Jessie Ware, andĀ Hey, LoveĀ has been considered one of the peaks of his work.
