Fellas, Don't Let The Girls Take Over - Soul Junction 45 Release

J.B. Bingham whilst in session under H.B. Barnum and Steve Binder laid down seven tracks.  Four were issued by United Artist.  The 70’s anthem “All Alone By The Telephone” b/w “Live and Learn” and a second 45 “She’s Gone” b/w “Keep On Walking” saw the light of day.  Three other were canned.

Fast forward to 2013 and under it’s licensing deal with H.B. Barnum, Soul Junction Records released two of the three.  The excellent mover “People On An Ego Trip” and the more laid back “She’s On Strike” were finally released to eager collectors and DJ’s alike.  Almost two years further down the line the final track, the excellent 70’s mid tempo moover “Fellas, Don’t Let The Girls Take Over” is finally released.  It has already been well received by collectors and dancers after play on various radio shows and at various events.  The 70’s classic, “All Alone By The Telephone” makes up the flip side.

J.B.Bingham Biography

James Bingham Jr was born on the 1st of September I945 in Chicago. He was the second eldest child of four raised by Thelma and James Bingham Sr. As a teenager JB cut his teeth  singing lead vocals and playing guitar with several neighbourhood groups. One group in particular under the unlikely name of “The Vermacharms” also featured Walter (Simtec ) Simmons, his brother Ronnie Simmons, Mathew Whitfield  and J.B

James’s first Guitar was loaned to him by the mother of Tom Jamerson, while Tom was away serving in Vietnam. Upon Tom’s return from the service James had to return the guitar. Tom later played bass guitar for Bettye Everette before eventually becoming her husband.

When James reached the age of 20 his family moved to Los Angeles but after a short time there they decided to return home to Chicago. James though decided to stay and try his luck in the music business. His first job came in 1966 when he signed to Johnny Rivers Soul City label as a staff songwriter and singer.  He worked under the auspice of former Motown West Coast President Mark Gordon. Gordon who by then had left Motown to become an independent producer also managed James. The most successful artists under Gordon’s management was the pop/soul  group, The 5th Dimension. Although during his time with Soul City James often toured and performed as one half of a singing duo with fellow Soul City stable mate Willie Hutch, no JB Bingham  recordings where ever made. Incidentally  it was while at Soul City that James was advised by Johnny Rivers to add the initial B to his name this was a decision influenced by one of hottest recording artists of the time, one B.J. Thomas (of  ‘Rain Drops Keep Fallin’ On My Head’ fame) and so J.B. Bingham he became.

 JB later moved  onto Marlu Records where as a A&R man he managed a girl group known as” The Voices”. JB along with Jack Brown co-wrote and arranged two songs on the Voices  the “Soul Clinic” and An Imitation Of Life” with both songs gained a release on Marlu 1004 under the artist name of The Voices and Thee Counts”. The Voices line up included former Friends Of Distinction lead vocalist Barbara Love,  Geneva Crawford and Patrice Brown.

In September 1969 JB formed  his own  and most successful group the “Five Flights Up” the groups line up featured former “Voices” member Geneva Crawford, Blanton McFarlin, Carlnetta Kelly, Charles Termell and  JB as the lead singer.  JB was fortuitously introduced by Harry Elston of “The Friend Of Distinction” to their producer John Florez who had recently produced the “Friends Of Distinction’s million seller “Grazing In The Grass”( RCA 74-0107). Florez by now had left RCA to go as a independent producer and liking what he heard decided to sign the “Five Flights Up” to a production contract and signed them to the Bell distributed T.A. label.

In 1970 the Five Flights Up hit pay dirt with their first T.A. release which featured two J.B. Bingham compositions “Do What You Wanna Do” b/w “Black Cat” (T.A, 202). “Do What You Wanna Do” became a hit reaching number 37 on Billboard’s pop single chart. Their follow up release “ After The Feeling Is Gone” B/w “Where Are You Going Girl “ (T.A. 207) peaked at number 89 on Billboard’s pop chart. A third T.A. release followed in 1971 “Like Monday Follows Sunday” b/w “California Girl” (T.A. 212) but this did not achieve the success of the previous two releases.

A forth “Five Flights Up” release appeared on the independent Oak label “Day Before Yesterday” b/w “There’s Nothing Wrong (With Loving A Stranger) (Oak 113). A reputed Five Flights Up album project entitled “After The Feeling Is Gone” was planned but believed to have been shelved by the powers that be at Columbia records. John Florez later went on to continue his midas touch producing a string of hits on the 5th Dimension as well as the Hues Corporation.

In 1974 JB released his own first solo outing on Warner Brothers records, the John Florez produced “Peek A Boo” b/w “Sunshine”  the song was arranged by D’Arneill Pershing, under the management of Steve Binder. It was Steve Binder who was responsible for JB signing with United Artists records. At U.A, JB was produced by both Steve Binder and H.B Barnum.

Binder and Barnum recorded several songs on JB which they offered to United Artists. The powers that be at U.A decided to pick up four of the songs for two 45 releases. The H.B Barnum/ Joyce Clay penned “All Alone By The Telephone” b/w the J.B Bingham penned “Live And You Learn” (U.A-XW816-Y) followed by two Bingham compositions “She’s Gone” b/w “Keep On Walking” (UA-XW872-Y). Both releases never really achieved the sales that they duly deserved, partially due to the fact that around 1976 United Artists had begun to disband their records division and thus never really put the full weight of their promotional machine behind J.B’s output. This was also coupled with the fact that H.B Barnum had also recorded “All Alone By The Telephone” on another West Coast group the “Checkmates” which was released on their rival major Polydor label at virtually the same time. Salvation did eventually arrive for JB releases when some twenty years after their release they where championed by the Dj’s and collectors alike of the UK Modern Soul Scene with “All Alone By The Telephone” now being regarded as a all time classic of this genre.

Following the demise of United Artists, JB briefly return to Warner Brothers as a staff writer. JB’s writing talent’s eventually led him to become a music and artist reviewer at the” Los Angeles Sentinel”, the west coasts oldest and largest African-American newspaper a position he held for circa fifteen years. JB worked closely with his wife Carolyn who was also employed by the Sentinel as the Entertainment section Editor. James and Carolyn have two children, their daughter Anzantique and their son James Bingham the 3rd an aspiring young singer hoping to follow in his father’s footsteps

Moving forward to the present JB is still involved in the music business following the formation of his own record label TSOC (The Sound Of Chicago) with his lifelong friend and business partner Charles Lewis in 2012. They are producing new material on a new group called the Voices (no connection at all with the Marlu outfit).  J.B also performs his own one man act at several of the more notable steak houses throughout Los Angeles and Pasadena area.

In late 2011 we at Soul Junction records contacted JB asking the inevitable question regarding the availability of any unissued material. During the ensuing conversation JB mentioned three unissued tracks that he cut with Barnum and Binder that United Artists hadn’t picked up. So we made contact with legendary record producer H.B Barnum and struck a deal. The result of which, led to the release of two of the unissued JB Bingham tracks as a belated 45 single “People On A Ego Trip b/w  “She’s On Strike” (SJ525) in 2013 a popular, but now long deleted release.

The remaining unissued track “Fellas, Don’t Let The Girls Take Over” will be released on September 28th 2015 backed with J.B’s classic modern soul anthem “Al Alone By The Telephone” (SJ532).

Words by: David Welding.

Acknowledgements to: James Bingham , Carolyn Bingham and H.B. Barnum

Photograph’s courtesy of James Bingham.

Press Release: J.B. Bingham   “Fellas, Don’t Let The Girls Take Over/All Alone By The Telephone”   SJ532

Release Date:   Monday September 28th 2015

In 1976, James B. Bingham the former lead singer of the group Five Flight’s Up recorded 7 songs under the auspices of H.B. Barnum and Steve Binder. Binder then offered the fruits of this session to the United Artists label. Out of the 7 songs presented to them the powers that be only chose to pick up 4 songs  which they released on two 45 singles “All Alone By The Telephone/Live And You Learn” (UA- XW1059)and “She’s Gone/Keep On Walking” (UA-XW872-Y)which subsequently left three tracks sitting unused in the can. A situation later rectified when in 2013 we at Soul Junction contacted firstly J.B. Bingham and then H.B. Barnum which lead to the  final release of two of the U.A rejects “People On A Ego Trip/She’s On Strike” on a popular and now long deleted 45 single.

Therefore we had one track left at our disposal “Fellas, Don’t Let The Girls Take Over”

J.B’s upbeat and light hearted warning song to the men of the world to shape and not be swept aside by the growing women’s liberation movement!

That left us with the dilemma of what to use for a b-side, this situation thus being solved by the inclusion of J.B’s timeless modern soul anthem “All Alone By The Telephone” as the flipside.

 SJ532-J.B.Binham Promo.mp3

For further information please contact Soul Junction at:

Tel: +44 (0)121 602 8115 or E-mail sales @ souljunctionrecords.co.uk

Or visit the site to buy: http://www.souljunctionrecords.co.uk/SJ532.html