Doris Troy - In The UK

[Blackpoolsoul]

I have just come across this LP by Max Handley (originally from Blackpool) and when I looked on the credits.....there she was .... harmony vocals on 2 of the tracks from 1974 and a folk rock LP 

It's around the same time as she recorded her LP Stretchin' Out at Chalk Farm Studios in London

Born as Doris Elaine Higginsen, in The Bronx, Doris Troy was working as an usherette at the Apollo where she was discovered by James Brown.

She took her stage name from Helen of Troy. Troy worked with Solomon Burke, The Drifters, Cissy Houston, and Dionne Warwick, before she co-wrote and recorded Just One Look, which hit #10 in the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1963.

As her solo career peaked, she sang back-up for The Rolling Stones, Humble Pie, Kevin Ayers, Edgar Broughton, Pink Floyd (on their album The Dark Side of the Moon), George Harrison, Johnny Hallyday, Vivian Stanshall, Dusty Springfield, Nick Drake, Junior Campbell and Carly Simon.

She was also signed by The Beatles to their Apple Records label in 1969.

Did she perform around this time in the UK or was she just here for these projects ?

[Michael V]

Doris moved to London in 1969 and lived and performed here for a few years.She recorded a live LP of a concert she did at the Rainbow Theatre in North London with her choir & band 'The Gospel Truth' .It was  called 'The Rainbow Testament' which came out on Mojo in 1972.I  had the LP many years ago  but did'nt think that much of it at the time(not a huge fan of 'Live' LP's  on the whole)  I would'nt mind hearing it again though, to give it another go,but it does'nt seem to turn up that often these days

 

[Tomangoes]

RIP Doris Troy...

I noticed Mr Levine had her re record some tunes. Maybe that was in the UK?

Probably toured the world as a backing singer?

Ed

[Rictic66]

I met DT a couple,of times once in Vegas where she was singing nightly with a three piece band in one of the Casino lounges. She joined me for a drink and chat at an interval and was very friendly and mentioned her time in the UK including her one release on Apple. 

Ady C then brought her over for a Cleethorpes weekender and she came with Barry St John who she knew from her previous time here. 

Lovely lady. 

Paul T

[Daved]

I gather she did a gig in a pub in Chatham at some point.

[skiinspain]

Saw her at the Cats Whiskers in Oldham about 72-74ish for sure. She was great from what I can remember.

Edited July 4, 2019 by skiinspain

[Mick Boyle]

She appeared at the Meadow Lane club - Notts County Football Club about 22 years ago. Event was put on by a Notts guy John Wilkinson (Wilko) a few months later Linda Griner was on. 

[Petedillon]

She spent time at Contempo I believe. Although she didn’t record for them? Dave Godin told me she would hang around the office. So maybe she was resident in London at some point. 

Edited July 4, 2019 by PeteDillon

[Thinksmart]

Doris did live in London in the 1990s for a while, recording with James Hunter on his first album.  The song is on the Kent CD collection of Doris's music I think.

[Blackpoolsoul]

I did some googling and this appeared

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2004/feb/20/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries1

[Petedillon]

Yes if she left around 74, that would tie in with the time Dave told me about her at Contempo 73-ish.

[Amsterdam Russ]

On 04/07/2019 at 13:29, daved said:

I gather she did a gig in a pub in Chatham at some point.

In the early 80s, at an alldayer at Bogarts in Strood (just down the road from Chatham), the organisers - Keith Rylatt and Graham Sage - held a competition. One of the prizes was a large banner promoting a gig by Doris. I wonder if that was for the event you mention. 

[Amsterdam Russ]

I asked Graham Sage's wife about the banner. Neither can recall it and intend to ask around. But, she did say Graham did see Doris at a pub in Rochester - that was 1996, though. She sent me an image of the flyer. It's rather small, but you can still make out the details.

[Daved]

1 hour ago, Amsterdam Russ said:

I asked Graham Sage's wife about the banner. Neither can recall it and intend to ask around. But, she did say Graham did see Doris at a pub in Rochester - that was 1996, though. She sent me an image of the flyer. It's rather small, but you can still make out the details.

Yeah I think this was it, thanks Russ. Jo Wallace was there but we lost contact for a while so I didn't know about it despite being local. I was gutted when I found out about it a few years later.  She probably helped to arrange it.

Glad you know Mr & Mrs Sage too. I've bought quite a few records from them over the years. I was a bit too young for Bogarts but remember the Sunday nights dos in Churchills in Chatham he used to play in. 

 

[Amsterdam Russ]

29 minutes ago, daved said:

Yeah I think this was it, thanks Russ. Jo Wallace was there but we lost contact for a while so I didn't know about it despite being local. I was gutted when I found out about it a few years later.  She probably helped to arrange it.

Glad you know Mr & Mrs Sage too. I've bought quite a few records from them over the years. I was a bit too young for Bogarts but remember the Sunday nights dos in Churchills in Chatham he used to play in. 

 

I'm friends with Liz on Facebook (as I am with Jo Wallace), so we're able to keep in touch. Graham and Liz moved from the Medway down to Whitstable a few years back and Graham's semi-retired (he was 70 last year), although they both still organise occasional record fairs around the Kent area.

I used to go to Graham's record shop every Friday when I lived in Maidstone - it was my day off when I worked in John Colliers soon after leaving school. That would have been 83-84, before I moved to London.

Bogarts was the first regular soul club I ever went to - jumping the trains from Maidstone Barracks to Strood and doing the same on the way back every Sunday. Happy days!

Back to Doris Troy, I saw her perform in her musical "Mama, I want to sing' in London's West End. Chaka Khan played the young Doris, and Doris took the role of her own mother. Got her autograph on the theatre programme that night.

[Vinylvixen]

Evening all - I was the resident DJ at the Ship in Chatham for 9 years on Sunday nights. One of the regulars was a dresser for Doris Troy in 'Mama I want to sing'. He asked if she'd come down and perform at the Ship for World Aids Day and she said 'yes'. A gracious lady and the pub was so packed, that you couldn't pass a Rizla paper between people. I DJ'd at both events and I have photos

[Eddie Hubbard]

I went to see Doris Troy live in Cheltenham about 1973 .It was supposed to be Major Lance ,but he didn’t turn up .Also spent a day with Dave Godin in 1974 in London ,and he had arranged for us to go and visit her in London ,but it fell through at the last minute .Rest in peace Doris ,and thank you for some great Soul music .