Maxine Weldon

[Roburt]

Thought about posting this in the LATE 70's JAZZ FUNK SCENE thread but it also has ties with info in some of posts in Kegsy's ROYALTIES ON 2ND PRESSES thread ... so I decided to start a new thread.

Maxine had a strange recording career ... born in Oklahoma, she moved to California where she finished her education. But it was performing that most interested her, so she headed off to Hawaii, the Philippines, Hong Kong (1963), Korea & Japan. Moving back to San Fran, she got some high profile club gigs there & then in LA. She also performed quite a few concerts with her sisters, some of these being quite political events. She hit the ground running with her recording career in 1970, cutting 2 decent albums for Mainstream Records (with members of the Crusaders backing her up instrumentally).

Columbia Records liked what they were hearing & so signed her to a contract & started to showcase her to the music press. At the same time, they started cutting her on tracks but nothing emerged on record. She was kept busy on the live front by the label, doing club gigs & industry showcase shows. In fact, they had so much faith in her, that she was brought over to London to perform at CBS's big annual Convention in summer 72. They had her work with Jimmy Bowen (more famous for his stuff with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Nancy Sinatra, Kenny Rogers, Glen Campbell, etc). Eventually, a 45 escaped by her on CBS ("Maggie's Farm / Looking For The Answer" Feb 73) but the company only seemed to make promo copies available. Anyway, the 45 didn't take off (but with the A side being a Dylan cover, can't say I'm surprised the cut didn't get much R&B radio airtime). Seems CBS then lost interest in her (after having her on their books for over a year).

She next turned up on Monument Records (who signed her in 73), with a 45 escaping in January 74 (her 2nd Monument 45 again featured "Looking For The Answer", her CBS 45 cut) and these were followed by a further 45 ("I Want Sunday Back Again") & 2 albums (released in 74 & 75) ...    

... then everything went quiet (on the recording front) before she turned up on a Japanese Atlantic 45 release in 82 doing a vocal to a track which had featured on Jap TV in a Toyota car advert. That was pretty much it, though some later stuff did escape.

For me, she cut too many standards / pop song covers and didn't really mine the main soul or jazz funk veins but everyone to their own I guess. She was certainly badly served by CBS, especially having been shown off as a 'star of the future' at their big 72 Convention in London (where incidentally the likes of Earth, Wind & Fire, Ramsey Lewis & Azteca also performed -- would certainly have liked to have been there to witness those shows).

ANYWAY, anyone here have a fave from Maxine ??

 

Edited October 8, 2018 by Roburt

[Roburt]

The record company people who organised CBS's 1972 convention in London must have been a bit parochial ... seems they initially shipped in (from back in the US) just about all the sound & visual equipment for the event .... but obviously didn't seem to know that US equipment voltages / TV equipment were totally different here so their stuff couldn't be used.

I bet there was a whole lot of scrambling about to get the right gear needed before the event kicked off at the Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane. The Great Room at the hotel (where the convention was staged) has also been used (down the years) for many of the top UK award ceremonies ... it must have seemed a bit different for the black musicians who got to perform in the room back then.