Jackie Moore (May 19, 1946 – November 8, 2019) – Time (1971)

This lyrically profound, funky message song was written and co-produced by Moore's cousin Dave Crawford and went to #39 R&B.

Watch full video on Twitter.

View most updated version of this post on Substack.

The great singer/songwriter Jackie Moore released her first singles in the late 1960s and went to #1 on dance charts in 1979 with her disco classic “This Time Baby.”

Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Moore entered talent contests when she was young and in high school formed a vocal group called Jackie and the Jackettes. She decided to pursue a singing career like her idols Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight, and moved to Philadelphia while she was still in her teens. Influential Philly producer Bobby Martin was impressed by one of her demo tapes and got her signed to New York City-based Shout Records.

Another legendary Philly producer, the radio DJ Jimmy Bishop of WDAS-FM and Arctic Records, produced her first single “Dear John.” Moore co-wrote it with Louise Bishop, b/w the upbeat jam “Here I Am,” written by her cousin Dave Crawford. It was released in June, 1968.

After one more single on Shout, the gospel-flavored “Why Don’t You Call On Me” (1968) arranged by Martin and solely written by Louise Bishop, Moore wrote a pair of songs for her 1969 release on Wand Records. “Loser Again” b/w the superb workout “Who Told You” were both arranged by Martin and produced by Jimmy Bishop.

When her cousin Dave joined Atlantic Records as a producer later in 1969 along with his production partner Brad Shapiro, Moore was signed to the label. Crawford produced her 1970 debut single on Atlantic “Precious, Precious” and co-wrote the song with Moore. It was a #12 R&B hit and crossed over to #30 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early March, 1971 on its way to going gold. He also wrote and produced the single’s stellar B-side “Willpower.” Both sides featured New Orleans session musician Dr. John on keyboards.

Moore released several follow-up singles with Crawford and Shapiro, including the funky jam “They Tell Me Of An Uncloudy Day,” released as the B-side to “It Ain't Who You Know” in 1972. None came close to the success of “Precious, Precious.” In late 1971, single-sided promo copies were issued of the lyrically profound message song “Time,” which Crawford wrote and co-produced with Shapiro.

It was released as the B-side to “Cover Me” in 1972 and hit #39 R&B. “Time” was also issued as an A-side in the UK but did not chart there.

The single was recorded at Criteria Studios in North Miami Beach, Florida, aka Atlantic Studios South. It was backed by the studio’s house band the Dixie Flyers, a group of Memphis musicians hired by Atlantic executive Jerry Wexler who played on many sessions there in the early seventies.

In November, 1978, Moore recorded I’m On My Way, her third studio album and debut LP for Columbia Records, at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia. It was produced by the great guitarist and songwriter Bobby Eli, one of the core original members of Philadelphia International Records' backing band MFSB.

I’m On My Way came out in 1979, and its opening cut “This Time Baby” was released as the LP’s lead single that May. The track covered an original Thom Bell had produced for the O’Jays the previous year, co-written by LeRoy Bell and Casey James.

Arranged by Philly soul veteran Jack Faith, it was brilliantly mixed by remix pioneer John Luongo and his studio partner at the time Michael Barbiero. In an interview years later, Luongo recalled the mixing process:

“When I mixed “This Time Baby” (I) decided to do something never done in dance music before. You always started with percussion or rhythm and built to the first verse entry. On “This Time Baby” I did that but when the first verse was to come in I edited in a breakdown with Jackie Moore's vocals over it. I was told by my engineer and others there that this was wrong, (but) fought to keep it in. I eventually put my foot down and took a stand saying I would not change it at all! I just knew in my heart that the audience would love it.

The final result premiered at the Paradise Garage under the talented hands of Larry Levan and was played back and forth with two copies for over 45 minutes straight after which it went on the air of WBLS in NYC and became their number one request and also went to number one in every club in the US and on the Billboard Dance Charts. Very gratifying for me!”

“This Time Baby” was the #1 disco song in the country by August, 1979, and peaked at #24 R&B, helping the album reach #45 on the R&B album charts.

I’m On My Way had other highlights like the superb disco jam “Can You Tell Me Why,” and its funky closing cut “Do Ya’ Got What It Takes,” both co-written by Eli, Bruce Gray and Jeff Prusan. One of Moore’s follow-up singles to “This Time Baby” was “How's Your Love Life Baby” (1979) with an extended 12” version remixed by Luongo and Barbiero.

Eli produced Moore’s next album With Your Love (1980), with the superb upbeat disco anthem “Take A Stand,” co-written by Eli and Prusan. It also included the slow jam “Love Won’t Let Me Wait,” featuring Winfred “Blue” Lovett on male vocals, originally co-written by Eli and his longtime songwriting partner Vinnie Barrett for Major Harris in 1974. A promotional video was shot for the track with Moore and Lovett sharing a slow dance, and remains her only filmed performance during the disco era. Neither the album nor its singles charted, and before long Moore was dropped by Columbia, becoming one of the many artists whose careers were negatively impacted by the racist, homophobic anti-disco backlash that emerged at the end of the seventies.

In 1983, Eli produced and arranged another single for Moore, the stellar boogie disco-funk jam “Holding Back.” It was written by Gregg Diamond (the former member of Jobriath’s backing band the Creatures turned disco producer) and Steve Love, remixed by John Morales and Sergio Munzibai for M+M Productions.

Eli recalled his work with Moore in a 2002 post on the SoulfulDetroit.com forum:

“I have known Jackie Moore and her first cousin the late and great producer/writer Dave Crawford since the “Precious, Precious” days. She came to Philly in '73 to work with Phil Hurtt and Bunny Sigler at which time we became fast friends. Fast forward to 1978 when she got signed to Columbia after losing 150 pounds. She did a fine recording of the song “Personally” with Phillip Mitchell which should have been a smash.

Then she specifically requested to work with me as she felt that we would work well together and it was a match made in musical heaven! The #1 club smash This Time Baby resulted from those sessions. She loved the O'Jays’ version and thought that it should be remade. I was also producing Atlantic Starr at the same time and that is them playing on the rhythm tracks.

Unfortunately Bruce Gray passed away from an asthma attack. Jeff Prusan is a guy who I have known from the James Bounty days and we got back in touch in '77 starting with a Harold Melvin project.

Crawford set up his own Los Angeles-based label in 1974, L.A. Records, but it was a commercial failure and he lost a substantial amount of money on the venture. In 1975 he wrote the classic #1 R&B song “Young Hearts Run Free” and its even fiercer B-side “I Know” for Candi Staton. He returned to Miami and worked as a gospel DJ for years, until he was tragically murdered in Brooklyn in June, 1988.

One of Moore’s last singles was the well-intentioned message song “Love Is The Answer” (1985), which was written and produced by Crawford and released on Sunnyview Records, executive produced by Henry Stone. Its lyrics reminded us that “when hate is spreading like a cancer, love is the answer.” She had largely retired from the music industry by the end of the eighties to raise her children, releasing one final duet with Timmy Thomas in 1991, “What Do You Say To A Lady.” Moore sadly passed in 2019, gone too soon at age 73.

Rest in Power, Jackie Moore.

Further info:

“New Release Brings Overdue Recognition For Soul Singer Jackie Moore,” by Ed Ward, Fresh Air, NPR, June 8, 2015.

“R.I.P. ‘Precious Precious’ singer Jackie Moore,” SoulTracks.com, November 8, 2019.

#soul #funk #disco #DaveCrawford #BobbyEli #JohnLuongo #JackieMoore