Otis Leavil - Let Her Love Me

[Alamo]

Hi All,

Been listening all day to the B side of 'When The Music Grooves', (Blue Rock) one 'LET HER LOVE ME' Its growing on me something rotten (not literally) but I would love to know who the male harmonies in the background are?

Could it be the Impressions? The reason I ask is because Otis was allegedly good friends with Curtis Mayfield, both living in Chicago so putting 2+2 together. Sounds awfully like them but stand to be corrected if anyone knows!?

Apart from the dodgy 10 second intro, the rest is absolute magic in my book. What do you think?

Have attached an MP3 (i think) to listen to.

regards - Al

Otis_Leavill___Let_Her_Love_Me.mp3

Edited March 5, 2008 by Simon T

[Simon T]

Hi All,

Been listening all day to the B side of 'When The Music Grooves', (Blue Rock) one 'LET HER LOVE ME' Its growing on me something rotten (not literally) but I would love to know who the male harmonies in the background are?

Could it be the Impressions? The reason I ask is because Otis was allegedly good friends with Curtis Mayfield, both living in Chicago so putting 2+2 together. Sounds awfully like them but stand to be corrected if anyone knows!?

Apart from the dodgy 10 second intro, the rest is absolute magic in my book. What do you think?

Have attached an MP3 (i think) to listen to.

regards - Al

Otis Leavil, Curtis Mayfield and Major Lance were friends and I think they grew up together in Chicago. On songs that Mayfield wrote and Lance recorded, the Impressions did the background singing; so perhaps they 

did the same for Leavil's recording too, at 'friends' rates?

[Guest TONY ROUNCE]

Hi All,

Been listening all day to the B side of 'When The Music Grooves', (Blue Rock) one 'LET HER LOVE ME' Its growing on me something rotten (not literally) but I would love to know who the male harmonies in the background are?

Could it be the Impressions? The reason I ask is because Otis was allegedly good friends with Curtis Mayfield, both living in Chicago so putting 2+2 together. Sounds awfully like them but stand to be corrected if anyone knows!?

Apart from the dodgy 10 second intro, the rest is absolute magic in my book. What do you think?

Have attached an MP3 (i think) to listen to.

regards - Al

It's actually Billy Butler who's singing the harmony on all of Otis Leavill's Blue Rock records (he also co-wrote many of them). On some of them he's so far up in the mix that they could almost be considered duets.

Billy also sings the harmony on a lot of Okeh Chicago records, Walter Jackson's "That's What Mama Say" being a particularly striking example.

Basically Billy took over from Curtis Mayfield as producer Carl Davis' all-round studio guy when Curtis started to get too busy with the Impressions to have time to play sessions...

...mystery solved, then!

[Alamo]

It's actually Billy Butler who's singing the harmony on all of Otis Leavill's Blue Rock records (he also co-wrote many of them). On some of them he's so far up in the mix that they could almost be considered duets.

Billy also sings the harmony on a lot of Okeh Chicago records, Walter Jackson's "That's What Mama Say" being a particularly striking example.

Basically Billy took over from Curtis Mayfield as producer Carl Davis' all-round studio guy when Curtis started to get too busy with the Impressions to have time to play sessions...

...mystery solved, then!

Tony,

Thats a superb piece of information and I feel much happier now! Funny you should say about the duet scenario as I did think this when I was listening to it!

Thankyou very much indeed - appreciated.

regards - Al