Terri Bryant

[KevH]

Hi, "GENIE" on Verve by Terri Bryant.Don't know anything about her,but she sounds luvverly.probably in her 60's now but age is just a number right .

One line of GENIE she sings.." if you're arrsking to much " or similar ,with emphasis on the "arsking". Sounds like a suvverner or AUSSIE .

Any info on Miss Bryant??

[Godzilla]

She's American.

She was in an incarnation of 5th Dimension in 1978 and later sang on cruise ships, where, by all accounts, she was a prone to be bit shirty if she didn't get the applause she thought she deserved.

She was also on album called New Directions with Jazz singer Bobby Wade. Not sure where she was born but if it was North Carolina, the girl second from left could be her around 1965/66.

Godz

[Guest TONY ROUNCE]

Here's what she looked like around the time of "Geni". Nice, huh?

[Godzilla]

Great pic Tony!

Anyone know if the Neptune Lp is any cop?

[Guest TONY ROUNCE]

Great pic Tony!

I've got another, even better one from the same photo shoot, which I seem to have temporarily mislaid. Will post it up if it resurfaces (which it invariably will, when I'm not looking for it....)

[chrissie]

Hi, "GENIE" on Verve by Terri Bryant.Don't know anything about her,but she sounds luvverly.probably in her 60's now but age is just a number right .

One line of GENIE she sings.." if you're arrsking to much " or similar ,with emphasis on the "arsking". Sounds like a suvverner or AUSSIE .

Any info on Miss Bryant??

One of my favourite records at the moment, even managed to persuade Steve G to play it a Letchowrth on firday night

QoFxx

[Guest TONY ROUNCE]

...Knew I'd find it eventually!

[KevH]

...Knew I'd find it eventually!

certainly does it for me......might start a new thread....

LOVELIEST LADIES IN NORTHERN.

Thanks for the info and pics Tony n Godz

[Soul Shrews]

Love her "Straighten Up And Fly Right/ Everythings Wonderful" also on Verve

Godz whats this about a Neptune LP ? Not the Philly Neptune surely?

Cheers Paul

[Guest vinylvixen]

...Knew I'd find it eventually!

What a babe and pipes to match. 'Genie' was a TOS favourite spin....and vocals to drool for... Thanks for the pics, Tony - utterly fabulous Jo

[Steve G]

One of my favourite records at the moment, even managed to persuade Steve G to play it a Letchowrth on firday night

QoFxx

Yes and very little persuasion needed as I've always quite liked it - got that Detroit feel to it....it's on a revival path for me now so will play it again.....

but then again so is Connie Laverne Tony!

[KevH]

Yes and very little persuasion needed as I've always quite liked it - got that Detroit feel to it....it's on a revival path for me now so will play it again.....

but then again so is Connie Laverne Tony!

groovesville stuff!!

[Guest vinylvixen]

Love her "Straighten Up And Fly Right/ Everythings Wonderful" also on Verve

Godz whats this about a Neptune LP ? Not the Philly Neptune surely?

Cheers Paul

Found this about Terri taken from a Bobby Wade biography written by Andrew Hamilton:

He (Bobby Wade) joined Terri Bryant and New Direction, their gigs took them to Las Vegas in 1974 and Wade met Richard Barrett, founder of Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, singer with the Valentines, and manager of the Three Degrees.

Also, Terri sang on the 'Enchantment of the Seas' cruise liner and was reported to be 'very good' along with the comedian. Jo

[Guest vinylvixen]

Here's what she looked like around the time of "Geni". Nice, huh?

Boots to die for.... Jo

[KevH]

Boots to die for.... Jo

or under

[Godzilla]

Love her "Straighten Up And Fly Right/ Everythings Wonderful" also on Verve

Godz whats this about a Neptune LP ? Not the Philly Neptune surely?

Cheers Paul

Yeah, same Neptune Paul. In fact there's one on eBay at the moment - which is where I've just nicked these pics from. Item 170094415366 and Buy it Now for $39.99 if anyone's interested.

I've answered my own question though. There was a Neptune thread on here and although Bryant wasn't mentioned, the LP was described as 5th Dimension type soul/pop (which figures) and not very interesting.

Godz

Godz

[Soul Shrews]

Thanks Godz

I might just go for that being a sad Neptune completist !

Cheers Paul

[Craig W]

Pat Lewis also did a great version of Genie.

Can post a soundfile if anyone wants

[Hitsville Chalky]

Pat Lewis also did a great version of Genie.

Can post a soundfile if anyone wants

YES FANTASTIC VERSION AND I PREFER PATS . I BELIEVE PAT RECORDED HER VERSION FIRST, ANYONE KNOWS ?

[Epic]

The epitome of quality sixties soul - utterly utterly wonderful. What's not to like?

[Guest vinylvixen]

The epitome of quality sixties soul - utterly utterly wonderful. What's not to like?

Exactly....this has got the lot - heartache and misery, drama, pleading vocals, huge production, cheesy lyrics, big hair, slingbacks, chiffon, spot on backing vocals, vibes....sorry, I'm beginning to dribble Always been a monster tune with me Jo

[Guest vinylvixen]

or under

bad man Do you like the feel of a kitten heel on your solid centre, sir....oooh, suits you Jo

[chrissie]

Can everyone stop bigging this "awful Awful terrible" record up, have been trying for ages to be able to afford to buy it and if everyone keeps going on about how great it is it will push the price up

QoFxx

[Citizen P]

just have to say that the other side "When I'm In Your Arms" is simply wonderful.

Tony

[Guest martinsbox]

Can everyone stop bigging this "awful Awful terrible" record up, have been trying for ages to be able to afford to buy it and if everyone keeps going on about how great it is it will push the price up

QoFxx

This awful 45 can be heard not far from Kempston Mill

Martin

[chrissie]

This awful 45 can be heard not far from Kempston Mill

Martin

THink there are a few places in the area, at least 3 I can think of, where it can be heard , but unfortunatley not in my house Perhaps if you played it loud enough I could hear it here in La La Land

QoFxx

[Guest vinylvixen]

just have to say that the other side "When I'm In Your Arms" is simply wonderful.

Tony

There's the genius touch of Mike Terry either on writing or production credits isn't there?? Jo

[Guest vinylvixen]

Can everyone stop bigging this "awful Awful terrible" record up, have been trying for ages to be able to afford to buy it and if everyone keeps going on about how great it is it will push the price up

QoFxx

Chrissie, I take back everything I previously said about 'Genie' - dreadful record, pile of poo....did that work probably not Jo

[chrissie]

Chrissie, I take back everything I previously said about 'Genie' - dreadful record, pile of poo....did that work probably not Jo

Fingers crossed, it may work or I may just have to sell my collection of "fine art" If you know what I mean

QoFxx

[George G]

In case this is still relevant......

As I continue my deep dig into Ohio music history, I can settle the Terri Bryant issue...she was from Youngstown, Ohio, but made her career in Cleveland. She was a featured singer for Sammy Bryant's (no relation) band, along with Sonny 'the Vibration" Harris, in 1964-5. 

I don't know how she recorded the 45s. 

In May 1968, while playing the Highlander Restaurant and Lounge in Cleveland, she was paired with Dick Morgan. The pair became the New Direction and after developing their act in Cleveland clubs, took the show on the national nightclub circuit which led to the LP on Neptune. 

[Tricky]

The New Direction album.

Teardrops and heartache. Lovely piece of soul but I don’t know if it’s Terri on lead as I need to dig it out.

Colin Law put another version out on his North broad st records.

[Davey S]

Thanks for putting the info up Geni is a prize record love it has a slight Karmello Brooks feel to it.

Thanks again.

[Mal C]

Doesn't Richard Searling have an acetate, or demo of some type of 'Genie' that he plays where you hear the the studio intro, count in etc, then at the end the tape winds all the way back... no idea whether that particular cut was used in the Verve 45, but obviously from the same session.  Love 'Genie'

[Robbk]

I've read and heard that Don Davis used Pat Lewis to sing the demo for Terri to use as the guide for her version, as Terri was the singer originally chosen for the commercial version.  So, as her first Verve Solid Hitbound-related release was leased to MGM's subsidiary, Verve Records, I wondered why it wasn't just released on Revilot, Solid Hit, or Groovesville Records, as the 2 cuts were clearly Solid Hitbound productions, arranged by Mike Terry, using Solid Hitbound's usual studio and musicians in Detroit, and with George McGregor and Leon Ware as the producers.  It was a similar situation to Solid Hitbound producing The O'Jay's 1966 Detroit-recorded songs (except that The O'Jays' contracted label, Imperial, was the partner in that case).

I assumed that that was because this entire project with Ms. Bryant occurred AFTER Don Davis and LeBaron Taylor had shut down Solid Hitbound Productions, and their Revilot, Solid Hit, and Don's Groovesville Records, and before they ended their partnership, and also well before Davis started up Groove City Records.  But, then in seeing that Bryant's second single on Verve's cuts were produced by George Kerr, and arranged by New York's Richard Tee(and thus, seemingly in New York), with no involvement with Davis and Taylor, it is obvious that the financier and instigator of the project were the people behind Sussex Productions. 

One might think the use of the name Sussex (even at this early year) might have been used because Clarence Avant was the "discoverer" of Terri Bryant, and instigator of the project, and that's why the record was issued by an L.A.-based label.  But, this was some years before Avant started Sussex Records, and, I doubted that he could have raised the money, himself at that early time in his career.   So, I believed this Sussex Productions was completely unrelated to the later Sussex Records.  I never knew the EXACT time frame of these MGM releases (I figured the first in 1967, and the second's run trickling into early 1968). 

It appears that Bryant's manager got Terri a recording contract with MGM Records first, with options on a second single release.  Which is why her records were both released on subsidiary, Verve.  But, I wonder who the principals of the project were.  Clearly, MGM's project's executive producer first hired Don Davis to record her in Detroit, and then had George Kerr record her in New York.  This points toward the Cleveland connection with The O'Jays.  Apparently, it was The O'Jays or their manager, who wanted to record in Detroit, to get the advantage of the "hot Detroit Sound" in 1967, rather than their Imperial Records' executive producer.  Perhaps Cleveland's Terri Bryant had the same manager as The O'Jays, as they had started operating in their group career, out of Cleveland.  Or, they were friendly with Terri, and persuaded her first to go to Detroit to be recorded by Don Davis; and then, after they left Imperial for New York's Bell Records, to record the cuts for her 2nd single, with THEIR new producer, George Kerr, in New York.  Her production movements mirroring those of The O'Jays over that period, and the group and Terri's both being from Cleveland, are too much of a coincidence.  With producers and cities of recording changing and matching exactly for both, I can only conclude that they had the same manager, or that The O'Jays were her personal advisors, and heavily influenced her executive producer at Verve to follow their advice.

Does anyone here know who was behind Sussex Productions, and who Terri's manager was, and who The O'Jay's manager was at the time.  I know that Eddie O'Jay was their manager for the early part of their career.  I think that it is also interesting that O'Jay was the one who sent The O'Jays to Detroit to record for Don Davis' DACO Records, early in their career in 1961.  Maybe he was also Terri's manager, or, at least a prominent Cleveland DJ, interested in her career, and got her together with The O'Jays' management?

Edited May 29, 2021 by Robbk

[The Yank]

54 minutes ago, Robbk said:

 I never knew the EXACT time frame of these MGM releases (I figured the first in 1967, and the second's run trickling into early 1968). 

 

  Both of Terri's 45's were released in 1967. "Geni"/ "When I'm In Your Arms" was reviewed by Cashbox in their April 22 issue. "When..." was a Best Bet and "Geni" received a B+ rating. "Straighten Up and Fly Right" was another Best Bet and was reviewed in the October 7, 1967 issue. 

[The Yank]

1 hour ago, Robbk said:

 

One might think the use of the name Sussex (even at this early year) might have been used because Clarence Avant was the "discoverer" of Terri Bryant, and instigator of the project, and that's why the record was issued by an L.A.-based label.  But, this was some years before Avant started Sussex Records, and, I doubted that he could have raised the money, himself at that early time in his career.   So, I believe this Sussex Productions is completely unrelated to the later Sussex Records.  

  Sussex Productions was formed in 1966 according to this article from the November 12th issue of Billboard- 

[Robbk]

7 minutes ago, The Yank said:

  Both of Terri's 45's were released in 1967. "Geni"/ "When I'm In Your Arms" was reviewed by Cashbox in their April 22 issue. "When..." was a Best Bet and "Geni" received a B+ rating. "Straighten Up and Fly Right" was another Best Bet and was reviewed in the October 7, 1967 issue. 

Thanks.  I figured her second single was out in Oct/Nov.  and the entire run's sales trickled into January, and maybe February.  In any case, as it appears that Davis' Solid Hit Productions were only a hired production team, and not partners, the time Solid Hitbound shut down their labels doesn't really matter (although I'd like to find out exactly when they shut down.  I believe that they were all still operating in April 1967, when Terri's first release came out.

I would like to find out who Ms. Bryant's manager and The O'Jays' manager were in early 1967, however, so I can understand how this project came about.

[Robbk]

So, it WAS Avant, who was behind all this!  And he used a few "test projects" which would have to be leased to existing record labels, to prove to his financial backers, that his production team could be successful in producing commercially viable records, before they would risk financing a full-blown record company recording, pressing up, and releasing records on its very own record label.

I wonder if Eddie O'Jay played a part in The O'Jays moving to George Kerr in New York for production, despite the group signing with another manager during a period when O'Jay was no longer allowed to manage them, as he was also an acting DJ, and that was considered a conflict of interest.   Later, when O'Jay was determined to be allowed as a DJ to still manage singers because it was determined that radio station program managers (not DJs) would have the actual conflict of interest, it was too late to manage The O'Jays, because they had already signed a contract with a new manager, who was doing well for them.  But, O'Jay still remained in contact with them and a good friend.   So, I think it's more likely that Terri's previous friendship with The O'Jays while coming up through the ranks as young Cleveland singers, OR, having had mutual managers, brought the connection for The O'Jays with George Kerr, to be sought after as producer for her second record.

Edited May 29, 2021 by Robbk

[Paul Capon]

This article is on Discogs

 

[Davey S]

Nice bit of info , thanks.

[Robbk]

On 17/06/2021 at 19:36, Paul Capon said:

This article is on Discogs

 

So, given that Berger was Terri's manager with New Direction, and he was also The O'Jays' manager, it was probably Berger, who was Terri's manager AND The O'Jays' manager who got Terri the contract with MGM, AND the deal with Avant, - and had the connections with Don Davis and George Kerr.   So, as I surmised, the original connection was Terri and The O'Jays coming up through the ranks in the music industry in Cleveland, and one or the other introduced the other to Berger.  They both became managed by him.  And then their career paths were linked through him all during the period he managed both.