L.J. Reynolds (born January 27, 1952) – Never Let You Go (1975)
The first song the Dramatics' lead singer ever produced for the group was this stellar soul/funk jam, which he co-wrote with Ron Banks and Willie Ford.
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L.J. Reynolds is the longtime lead singer of the Dramatics, and a producer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist.
Larry James Reynolds was born in Saginaw, Michigan. He took tap dance lessons as a child, and sang a solo at one performance, at which point people began throwing money on the stage. He decided then and there he wanted to be a singer. At age 17 he moved to New York City and soon joined the soul group Chocolate Syrup. They released their first singles in 1971 on Law-Ton Records (“Let One Hurt Do”) and Avco Embassy. After setting out on his own, he met Ron Banks of the Dramatics backstage at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem during 1972, and a year later got a call inviting him to join the group.
The Dramatics’ origins date back to 1964, when Detroit friends Ron Banks, Larry Demps, Rod Davis, Elbert Wilkins, and Larry Reed formed a vocal group called the Sensations. The following year they changed their name to the Dramatics.
During the 1967 Detroit Riot, Reed and Davis (19 and 21 years old at the time) were victims of a notorious episode of police brutality. They were staying at the city’s Algiers Motel when it was raided by a Detroit police task force who mistakenly believed there were snipers inside the building. The racist white cops killed three Black teenagers, including the Dramatics’ 18-year-old valet Fred Temple, and viciously beat and tortured nine other mostly Black guests inside the motel’s annex over the course of several hours. Reed and Davis survived the ordeal, but subsequently left the group. They were replaced by Willie Ford and lead singer William “Wee Gee” Howard.
After several years of recording singles with little or no chart success, the Dramatics finally broke through with their first song written and produced by Tony Hester, “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get.” Released in June, 1971, it went to #3 R&B and crossed over to #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. It became the title track to their 1971 debut album, their signature song, and a staple of their live shows.
They later performed it as part of the historic Wattstax concert in 1972 at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, in a set recorded at L.A.’s Summit Club. The song also opened the Wattstax documentary film, and they sang it when they appeared as themselves in the infamous 1975 Blaxploitation comedy Darktown Strutters.
The album’s opening cut and second single was the soul/funk masterpiece “Get Up and Get Down.” It peaked at #16 R&B and #78 on the Hot 100 in early 1972.
Soon after their debut album blew up at #5 on the Billboard R&B charts and #20 on the Billboard 200, William Howard and original member Elbert Wilkins left the group. They were replaced by Reynolds and Leonard “Lenny” Mayes who both joined in 1973.
Howard and Wilkins formed a new group, and toured for several years calling themselves the Dramatics before losing a legal battle. They were forced to sell the rights to the name back to its remaining members, who had changed their name to “Ron Banks and the Dramatics” in the interim.
Reynolds began writing and producing songs for the Dramatics on their fourth album, The Dramatic Jackpot (1975), which was their first LP after switching labels from Stax/Volt to ABC Records. Together with Ron Banks and Willie Ford, he co-wrote the stellar upbeat jam “Never Let You Go,” which he co-arranged and solely produced, sharing lead vocals with Lenny Mayes. Shockingly, it was not released as a single.
However, the album’s lead single was another song he co-produced with Banks and Don Davis. Their excellent cover of Billy Paul’s “Me and Mrs. Jones” hit #4 R&B.
For their next album Drama V (1975), Reynolds produced, wrote, and co-arranged the upbeat jam “Things Are Changing.” The LP’s phenomenal opening cut “You’re Fooling You” was also its lead single, and went to #10 R&B. It was written and produced by Tony Hester, who co-arranged it with Johnny Allen.
Together with Ron Banks, Allen also co-arranged another of Drama V’s best cuts, the superb jam “I'm Gonna Love You To The Max.” It was produced by Banks, who co-wrote it with guitarist and songwriter Paul Clark.
The group began working with producer Michael Henderson in 1975, who knew Banks from growing up in Detroit. He wrote and produced two tracks on Drama V. For their next album Joy Ride (1976), Henderson wrote and produced another two, including its second single, the slow jam “Be My Girl,” which was a major hit for them and reached #3 R&B. Its B-side was the upbeat love anthem “Richest Man Alive.” Written by unsung songwriter Eddie Robinson, and produced by Don Davis, it featured Funk Brother Dennis Coffey on guitar,
Following Ron Banks’ death in 2010, two competing groups of Dramatics once again emerged. One was led by remaining original member Willie Ford, and the other by Reynolds. In 2018, Reynolds assumed sole control of the group’s name, and the next year Ford died at age 68 after complications from a surgery. Reynolds continues performing today as the leader of the Dramatics.
Happy 72nd Birthday to the last Dramatic standing, L.J. Reynolds.
Further info:
“Joy Riding With Detroit's Dramatics,” by Steve Holsey, Ann Arbor Sun, October 15, 1976.
“A Dramatic legal dispute finally ends for classic soul group,” SoulTracks.com, December 22, 2016.
“Legendary singer L.J. Reynolds ...'Top That!',” by L.J. Reynolds, Musicians Corner, September 17, 2018.
#soul #funk #Dramatics #LJReynolds