Mary Love (July 27, 1946 – June 21, 2013) – Born To Live With Heartache (1971)
The great singer/songwriter Love wrote this superb soul/funk jam, released on the small Elco Records label, and original copies today sell for $500 and up.
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The great singer/songwriter Mary Love was discovered by Sam Cooke’s manager in the 1960s, appeared in Rudy Ray Moore’s classic Blaxploitation film Dolemite in the 70s, and re-emerged as a gospel singer in the 80s.
Born Mary Ann Varney in Sacramento, California, she was discovered by Sam Cooke’s manager J.W. Alexander and became a session singer in Los Angeles.
Her first single, the superb “You Turned My Bitter Into Sweet” was released on Modern Records in 1965, and later became a Northern Soul anthem. She put out several more singles on Modern, and then released the beautiful “The Hurt Is Just Beginning” (1968) for Jubilee Records subsidiary Josie, which went to #46 R&B.
In 1971, she wrote the stellar soul/funk jam “Born To Live With Heartache,” released on the tiny Sacramento-based Elco Records. Original copies have regularly sold for $500 and up on Discogs and eBay.
In 1975, Love appeared as herself in Rudy Ray Moore’s classic independent Blaxploitation film Dolemite.
She performed the beautiful love song “Power Of Your Love” in a nightclub scene, which was written by Clarence Reid, aka Blowfly. Her performance followed an opening set by Revelation Funk, featuring James Ingram on vocals and keyboards.
#soul #funk #Dolemite #MaryLove