Chuck Barksdale (January 11, 1935 – May 15, 2019) – It's All Up to You (1971)
This little known Dells gem was co-produced by Barksdale and Charles Stepney and featured Phil Upchurch on guitar.
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Chuck Barksdale was the bass vocalist for The Dells, the legendary R&B group that remained together for nearly six decades, from 1952-2012 (with a brief hiatus from 1958-1961), and had a total of 46 hits on the Billboard charts.
Born in Chicago, Barksdale was a student at Thornton High School in Harvey, Illinois when the Dells formed in 1952. Originally known as the El-Rays, the band’s original members were Barksdale and his fellow classmates Marvin Junior, Verne Allison, Johnny Funches and Michael McGill.
Their first hit record was “Oh What A Night,” released in 1956. It cracked the top 5 on the R&B charts and went gold. But in 1958, a car accident badly injured Michael McGill and put the band on hold. Johnny Funches left the group and never returned.
After reuniting in 1961, the Dells toured the country for two years as Dinah Washington’s opening act. In 1966 they became the opening act for Ray Charles.
That same year, they began working with producers Bobby Miller and Charles Stepney. Their 1968 LP There Is returned them to the top of the R&B charts with “Stay In My Corner,” which stayed at #1 for three weeks and crossed over to #10 on the pop charts. The album’s superb title track was also a #11 R&B and #20 pop hit.
Barksdale and Stepney co-produced the Dells’ Freedom Means… LP in 1971. Its hit was “The Love We Had (Stays on My Mind),” a #8 R&B classic, but the album’s second single “It’s All Up To You” was a beautiful, overlooked gem. The song was co-written by Al Wade and Terry Callier, and arranged by Stepney, featuring Phil Upchurch on guitar. Sadly, it only made it to #23 R&B and #94 on the pop charts.
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