Lea Roberts (born April 15, 1946) – Find A Place (1973)
This superb funky jam by the unsung singer whose life remains a mystery was an LP-only cut, written by Edward Clay and arranged and produced by Wade Marcus.
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Lea Roberts was an unsung soul singer whose recording career was the most active during the early 1970s.
Born Leatha Roberta Hicks in Dayton, Ohio, not much is known about this mysterious singer’s early life. She released her first single in 1969 on the New Orleans label Minit Records, the Isaac Hayes and David Porter-penned “When Something Is Wrong With My Baby.” Its B-side was the heartfelt jam “Prove It,” co-written by Horace Ott and Randie Evretts. Both sides were arranged by Ott and produced by George Butler.
Her next single came out on Minit the following year, “Love On My Mind” b/w “Stay With Me,” the latter co-written by George David Weiss and Jerry Ragovoy. “Love On My Mind” was a superb funky, upbeat jam written by the unknown songwriters “A. Lundy (possibly Al Lundy) and Lewis.” Like her first single, both tracks were again produced by Butler and arranged by Ott.
Roberts signed with United Artists in 1970 and released nearly a dozen singles for the label over the next five years. Her debut album Excuse Me, I Want To Talk To You dropped in 1973, arranged and produced by the prolific Wade Marcus.
The LP included many of her previous singles like “Coming Back Home,” a powerful look at what the soldiers returning from Vietnam were going through, written by songwriter Edward Clay. It was originally issued as the B-side to her cover of the Bobby Womack-penned slow jam “(If You Don't Want My Love) Give It Back.”
The album’s best tracks were LP-only cuts, and most of them were written by Clay. These included the funky “I’m Losing My Mind,” the gospel-soul cut “I Take My Fire With Me,” and the very funky jam “Find A Place,” which featured Chuck Rainey playing amazing bass.
Other highlights were the superb jam “Jeremy,” written by vibraphonist George Devens, the upbeat gospel-flavored cut “I Know” penned by Barbara George aka Barbara Ann Smith, and the inspirational closing cut “Let It Shine” that Clay also wrote, which was released as a promo-only single.
Roberts released her second album Lady Lea on United Artists in 1975, with a few tracks arranged by the great Gene Page, including a cover of Jerry Butler’s 1960 hit “She Will Break Your Heart” and the upbeat jam “All Over Again.” In 1982 she put out one last LP, My Silent Place, on the obscure label Skies Unlimited Records, then left the music industry behind. She returned to her hometown of Dayton, where she is believed to still be living today.
Happy Birthday to the great Lea Roberts.
#soul #funk #unsung #LeaRoberts