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Brenda (Lee) Jones (Including - "big Mistake")

Roburt

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Roburt

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As there's another current thread about a Brenda Lee Jones 45 & that 'style setter' Cliff Steele recently featured the Brenda Jones & Coconut Love track on his radio show, thought I'd bring her up ...

This topic may well have been 'done to death' on here in the past ......if so, please feel free to point me in the direction of the best original thread ......

....... BUT JUST IN CASE IT AIN'T ........

.... here are a few 45's by a / the Brenda (Lee) Jones .......

Brenda was recording from quite an early stage (1962/63?) as half of Ohio duo Dean & Jean (45's on Rust) ...... solo wise there was also .....

RU-JAC #08: BRENDA JONES -- Let's Go Back To School / Can't You See (1963; US)

RUST # 5112; BRENDA LEE JONES -- Thread Your Needle / You're The Love Of My Life (1966; US)

IMPERIAL # 66440: LONDON FOGG & THE CONTINENTALS FEAT. BRENDA LEE JONES -- Easy Mover/ Trippin' (1969; US)

MERCURY # 73482; BRENDA JONES -- Super Stroke / Big Mistake (1974; US)

MERCURY # 73645: BRENDA JONES WITH COCONUT LOVE -- I Am The Other Woman / Good Thing (What It Is) (1974; US)

USA # 8 BRENDA LEE JONES --You're The Love Of My Life / Thread Your Needle (1975; UK)

FLYING DUTCHMAN # 10671: BRENDA JONES WITH GROOVE HOLMES -- This Is The Me Me (Not The You You) / This Is The Me Me (Not The You You) (1976 US)

The 1st 45 above, on Baltimore label Ru-jac, is by a lady who was a regular on the Baltimore club scene around 1963/64/65 & 'locals' there think of her as being Baltimore based but as she originally came from Ohio & seemed to end up in New York, I'm not to sure how everything fits together & if there was actually more than one Brenda Jones singing soul back then.

As she recorded with Groove Holmes in 1976, you would have thought that there would be some info out there on her as jazz music people seem to research / document everything of interest.

I have some club ad photos of the Ru-Jac / Baltimore Brenda Jones from around 1964 & she does seem to resemble the Brenda Lee Jones who started out in Dean & Jean.

Anyone know for sure if all the above recordings are by the same lady ?

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NEV
NEV

Only ever seen it for sale once Bob ,and it was a poor copy Jean Lee - unwed mother ( Cedric) from Chicago Illinois Bob Lovely version too ,but did

Sean Hampsey
Sean Hampsey

Tell you what, I'd pay big bucks for Jean Lee "Unwed Mother" on Cedric. It's stunning. Sean

NEV
NEV

As if by magic ,here is the original quote from Jim Maddox :- " I was a personal friend of Brenda Melson's for the last 13 years of her life. There seems to be some misunde

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boba Veteran

boba

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I don't know much about her (I like the deep side on that coconut love 45 even though there's no group...) but I have a 45 by some new york funk group where someone pencilled in "vocals by the late great brenda jones", I will try to find it and scan it.

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With regard to the Buckeye Politicians (who had earlier gone by the name of the Soul Partners) ...... they very nearly made it big ......

They were spotted in New York by a guy from EMI. He smooth talked them & flew em over to the UK.

Sent em into Abbey Rd & a whole album was cut; tipped for the top.

The group headed back to New York to promote the new stuff and a 45 was released here on EMI.

The group's US management wanted the album master tapes so they were put on a plane to New York ...

..... ........ AND DISAPPEARED COMPLETELY.

No backup tapes had been kept & so all their hard work in the London studio went to waste. The group got fed up & their career tailed off and the guys ended up heading home to Ohio for normal day jobs. .......... SAD TALE

post-22122-0-05713900-1339580852_thumb.j

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that london fogg record you have listed above also came out on a local label before being picked up nationally. I don't remember the name right now, I have it, it's a gold label with some stars on it.

golden stars dayton

ricky.

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Roburt Veteran

Roburt

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So London Fogg were also an Ohio group .... seems to fit in well with the other stuff she did that was Ohio related.

Info (off the net) on them ....

... London Fogg and the Continentals appears to be two groups - the band London Fogg and the vocal group the Contintentals. They were a 'Salt and Pepper' band (black singers, white band). In 1969 the band released their one and only 45 on a local label, Gold Stars. The A-side, "Easy Mover", was written by Dayton's Brenda Lee Jones (Jean of Dean and Jean, of course), and it's possible she sings it, but that is unconfirmed. The song was a local hit and picked up by Imperial for national release, with the band name shortened to London Fogg.

..... MORE INFO .....

.... London Fog (one "G", the band) and the Continentals (the singers).

These groups came together during high school in Dayton (unusual in that they were a racially integrated band), and recorded their single in 1969.

The Continentals were Quinn Moorman, Bozie Black, Loretta Reid (lead vocal on 'Easy Mover') and John Mortimer. The London Fog were Gary Kaiser (organ), Bud Kraft and Ed Toll (gtr), Vince DiSalvo (dr), Dan Connaughton (bass), Tony Giambrone and Gary Moon (tenor sax), Robert Pennington (trombone) and Mike Riley (alto sax).

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John Benson Long Time

John Benson

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FLYING DUTCHMAN # 10671: BRENDA JONES WITH GROOVE HOLMES -- This Is The Me Me (Not The You You) / This Is The Me Me (Not The You You) (1976 US)

This one also got a UK release on RCA

This was supposed to be only mentioning the fact it was also a UK release but somehow the 'quote' bit didn't show up!

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NEV Veteran

NEV

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actually finding one in mint condition could prove quite tricky, quite a few used copies about and some with reversed labels

Looking at the post ,I would wager Gary already has one ?

Red issues are hard to find though and I've been told there is also a silver mercury copy ?

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NEV Veteran

NEV

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there is a rare chicago record that is brenda jones doing this song under her real name (she was from Dayton, OH)... it's totally different, it's not DJable but a really nice mellow sound, maybe recorded live

Only ever seen it for sale once Bob ,and it was a poor copy :(

Jean Lee - unwed mother ( Cedric) from Chicago Illinois Bob :thumbsup:

Lovely version too ,but did'nt know it was Brenda Jones :g:

https://www.midwest45s.org/IllinoisSoul/JeanLee_UnwedMother_Cedric_C3306b_clip.mp3

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NEV Veteran

NEV

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That's really nice!!

Not as floor friendly as "Big Mistake " but sublime listening and heart tugging eh Jordi :thumbsup:

"Big Mistake" got a mention (& play) in a post started about 6 weeks ago in 'All About The Soul'.

There was also a post in wants a while back from a guy who knew Brenda personally ,and without checking the thread in all about soul ,he did clarify that Brenda never wrote the song about a child she gave away ...she wrote it about a girl she knew who once gave up her child for adoption :yes:

But listening to the Jean Lee on Cedric ,she changed the lyrics to the original song when she sang B.M on Mercury :thumbsup:

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NEV Veteran

NEV

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Not as floor friendly as "Big Mistake " but sublime listening and heart tugging eh Jordi :thumbsup:

There was also a post in wants a while back from a guy who knew Brenda personally ,and without checking the thread in all about soul ,he did clarify that Brenda never wrote the song about a child she gave away ...she wrote it about a girl she knew who once gave up her child for adoption :yes:

But listening to the Jean Lee on Cedric ,she changed the lyrics to the original song when she sang B.M on Mercury :thumbsup:

As if by magic ,here is the original quote from Jim Maddox :-

" I was a personal friend of Brenda Melson's for the last 13 years of her life. There seems to be some misunderstandings about some of the info I have posted about Brenda on "Youtube". She did not have a child out of wedlock nor give him up for adoption. Brenda was married from 1956 on until her husband died, which was about 1997. She couldn't conceive, so she and her husband adopted an infant boy in 1968. Brenda was not the Brenda Jones who recorded for SSI. Brenda never recorded for them. Nor was she the Jean Lee who recorded for Cedric. Brenda took a leave of absence from the music business from 1968-1971 to raise her son. She started a touring band called Jean Lee and the 71' Now. The next year, she renamed it the 72' Now. She realised the futility of that, so she renamed it Coconut Love. Nor did Brenda neglect her son. When she toured, she would bring Chuck with her during summer vacations and school breaks. Chuck aways felt unwanted, and Brenda said it was the rejection he felt over the adoption. She wanted to sympathise with him, so she wrote "Big Mistake" in 1974 for him. Fuzzy guitars were the sound of the day, so I feel the guitars were part of the original mix. Brenda wrote the lyrics through the viewpoint of Chuck's biological mother. The person who is speaking in the song is not Brenda. This is a very touching song, but alas, it didn't meet its intention. Her son had a troubled growing-up."

If this info is correct ..it throws a spanner into the theory that she wrote and sang the record Bob was talkin about ????

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Guest Brett F

Guest Brett F

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didnt she do a version of--"my heart needs a break " the linda jones song ?

its on SSI

Well a Brenda Jones did release the 45' (not sure if it's the same person ), and that version (for me ) lacks totally everything that makes Linda Jones version one of the truly great records, it proves just how strong a vocal talent Linda Jones was, and don't get me wrong i have 'Big Mistake' and love that tune, but the SSI is very poor in my opinion.

Brett

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NEV Veteran

NEV

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Well a Brenda Jones did release the 45' (not sure if it's the same person ), and that version (for me ) lacks totally everything that makes Linda Jones version one of the truly great records, it proves just how strong a vocal talent Linda Jones was, and don't get me wrong i have 'Big Mistake' and love that tune, but the SSI is very poor in my opinion.

Brett

Hi Brett et al ,here is a quote that ive just posted in "LOOK AT YOUR BOX " regarding Brenda Jones on Mercury ,wrote by Jim Maddox

" I was a personal friend of Brenda Melson's for the last 13 years of her life. There seems to be some misunderstandings about some of the info I have posted about Brenda on "Youtube". She did not have a child out of wedlock nor give him up for adoption. Brenda was married from 1956 on until her husband died, which was about 1997. She couldn't conceive, so she and her husband adopted an infant boy in 1968. Brenda was not the Brenda Jones who recorded for SSI. Brenda never recorded for them. Nor was she the Jean Lee who recorded for Cedric. Brenda took a leave of absence from the music business from 1968-1971 to raise her son. She started a touring band called Jean Lee and the 71' Now. The next year, she renamed it the 72' Now. She realised the futility of that, so she renamed it Coconut Love. Nor did Brenda neglect her son. When she toured, she would bring Chuck with her during summer vacations and school breaks. Chuck aways felt unwanted, and Brenda said it was the rejection he felt over the adoption. She wanted to sympathise with him, so she wrote "Big Mistake" in 1974 for him. Fuzzy guitars were the sound of the day, so I feel the guitars were part of the original mix. Brenda wrote the lyrics through the viewpoint of Chuck's biological mother. The person who is speaking in the song is not Brenda. This is a very touching song, but alas, it didn't meet its intention. Her son had a troubled growing-up."

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Looking at the post ,I would wager Gary already has one ?

Red issues are hard to find though and I've been told there is also a silver mercury copy ?

Nev

You're right. the copy I have is actually unplayed, which I guess is pretty unusual. I see there is M- copy for sale on ebay at the moment,will be interesting to see how it fares.

gary

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boba Veteran

boba

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Hi Brett et al ,here is a quote that ive just posted in "LOOK AT YOUR BOX " regarding Brenda Jones on Mercury ,wrote by Jim Maddox

" I was a personal friend of Brenda Melson's for the last 13 years of her life. There seems to be some misunderstandings about some of the info I have posted about Brenda on "Youtube". She did not have a child out of wedlock nor give him up for adoption. Brenda was married from 1956 on until her husband died, which was about 1997. She couldn't conceive, so she and her husband adopted an infant boy in 1968. Brenda was not the Brenda Jones who recorded for SSI. Brenda never recorded for them. Nor was she the Jean Lee who recorded for Cedric. Brenda took a leave of absence from the music business from 1968-1971 to raise her son. She started a touring band called Jean Lee and the 71' Now. The next year, she renamed it the 72' Now. She realised the futility of that, so she renamed it Coconut Love. Nor did Brenda neglect her son. When she toured, she would bring Chuck with her during summer vacations and school breaks. Chuck aways felt unwanted, and Brenda said it was the rejection he felt over the adoption. She wanted to sympathise with him, so she wrote "Big Mistake" in 1974 for him. Fuzzy guitars were the sound of the day, so I feel the guitars were part of the original mix. Brenda wrote the lyrics through the viewpoint of Chuck's biological mother. The person who is speaking in the song is not Brenda. This is a very touching song, but alas, it didn't meet its intention. Her son had a troubled growing-up."

I didn't say that Jean Lee is Brenda based on just speculation (even though it is the same song and the voices match, so it's not out-of-nowhere speculation). I never even noticed it was the same song until someone pointed it out to me like a week ago and had some inside info, I will ask him more details. I think the poster may not have heard the cedric record and just said it wasn't her.

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boba

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Bob ,for what it's worth ,I am a bit confused at how Jim says she is /was not Jean Lee ,yet performed as Jean Lee 71 now ??

Very odd ??

he says she wasn't "the jean lee that recorded for cedric". Even though her name is Jean Lee, the song is the same song as she does (although titled differently), and the voice is identical. I think he just wasn't aware of the cedric record because it is very obscure.

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Roburt Veteran

Roburt

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Pure speculation .... but could she have cut an early demo of the song & then forgotten about the fact that a 'rudimentary master tape' might be 'floating about' out there when she re-recorded the song (with full backing & production effort) for the 45 that was released on Mercury.

If that was what happened, someone could easily have shopped the original master tape to that little Chicago label without her even knowing.

Maybe that's why the 'little label' effort has a different title .... that might have been the song's 'early' working title OR the guys shopping the tape to the people who put out that 45 could have used a different song title in an effort to ensure they weren't found out.

These happenings bring to mind the situation surrounding the Tobi Lark / Tobi Legend tale.

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Jimmy Vanleer's cedric is already known for putting out material that at least one artist (don gardner) doesn't remember. who knows what actually went down.

I agree Bob. I had a couple of long chats with Don Gardner about his 'rare 45's' out of non-East Coast locations. He had no idea that they ever existed but did say that he had sent copies of those tracks to Jimmy to keep him 'up to date' on Don's work (with a view to Jimmy getting Don some live gigs in Chicago & the like) ....... part of the story ......... Don's existing profile in Chicago resulted in him sending copies of his new cuts to his friend, local booking agent, Jimmy Vanleer. Jimmy had just started his Sedgrick / Cedric Record label & so, without Don's knowledge or consent he put some of Don's tracks out on 45. Jimmy's record company was just finding its feet, so although Don's releases, "Cheating Kind" and "Is This Really Love" were top quality outings, they didn't enjoy any commercial success. It is believed Jimmy Vanleer was also the linkman in the process that resulted in Don having a release on Monk Higgin's Chicago based Sack label as Don didn't even know of Monk, never mind send / lease tracks to him.

At Xmas 69, Don decided to give up touring. Her got into construction & was hired by Curtis Mayfield to build him a pool at his Atlanta house. The pair got on so well, Don was hired to be Curtis's road manager, a job he retained for much of the 70's.

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Don was still 'sharp' & was totally amazed when shown copies of his Cedric & Sack 45's .....

He genuinely hadn't realised they had ever been released (& if they had been they should have escaped on Tru-Glo-Town, Botanic or Mr. G in his opinion.)

"my baby like to boogaloo" was popular in a lot of US cities, which I guess is why the Emperors cover was made.

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Roburt Veteran

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The guys involved on that Wand 45 were John Bennings, Frank Augustus, John Bowden & Michael Wright.

John Bennings & Frank Augustus wrote the song & both have a good body of work registered with BMI (writing 10+ songs together).

John Bennings has 59 songs listed in all (most solo efforts with no co-writers).

Frank Augustus has 57 songs listed, some under the name of George Butcher. He wrote in conjunction with the likes of Clyde Otis, Freddy Briggs, Johnny Northern, Doris Troy, J J Jackson, Brook Benton, Don Covay, Wes Farrell, etc. He co-wrote "Come Tomorrow" that Manfred Mann had a hit with.

John Bowden (producer on the session) also has numerous songs registered with BMI (182) including ones written with Mattie Moultrie & Clarence Fountain). Many are gospel songs.

Edited by Roburt
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