Oliver Cheatham (February 24, 1948 – November 29, 2013) – Don't Take Your Love Away (1982)
This superb boogie funk jam was the closing cut off the debut solo LP by the singer/songwriter behind "Get Down Saturday Night."
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Oliver Cheatham was an R&B singer who fronted several Detroit-based groups in the 1970s before going solo and releasing the 1983 boogie funk classic “Get Down Saturday Night.”
Born and raised in Detroit, his mother had a gospel background and encouraged him to sing, although he was shy as a child and at first would only sing to others from behind a couch. One of the earliest vocal groups he joined was the Young Sirs. His sister recommended him to her then-boyfriend and later husband Alan Coker, a member of the group along with Ronald Noel and brothers Mike and Van Johnson.
The Young Sirs released one single in 1969 on Magic City, a local label owned by Ernest Burt, the sweet soul “There's Something The Matter (With Your Heart)” b/w the Funkadelic-esque jam “African Love.” The B-side was co-written by Cheatham and Burt with Mike Johnson.
Cheatham next hooked up with Marvin Higgins, the owner of Black Rock and Grand Junction Records. Using his nickname “Butch” he released one single on Black Rock in 1970 as leader of Butch and the Newports, the haunting heartbreak tale “Out Of My Hands” b/w the upbeat jam “I’m Only A Man.” Other members of the Newports included Coker, Curtis “Kippy” Henderson, and Tony Mitchell.
They soon changed their name to The Gaslight and released several more singles on Grand Junction. The first was “Here’s Missing You” (1970) with the superb slow jam “I Can’t Tell A Lie” on the flip. They followed it up in 1972 with “Drifting Away” b/w the stellar funky jam “If You See Her.”
Next came “I’m Gonna Get You” (1973), which they memorably performed on a local music TV show, b/w a re-release of “I’m Only A Man.”
In 1974, Cheatham and his cousin Bill Miller rented studio time at United Sounds Studio and recorded a pair of tracks they co-wrote and produced, intending to start Cheatham’s solo career. The songs instead remained unreleased until 2012, when the UK label Soul Junction Records put out the stellar funky “Don't Pop The Question (If You Can't Take The Answer)” b/w the slow jam “Good Guys Don't Make Good Lovers.”
The Gaslight’s final release was picked up for national distribution in 1975 by Polydor, a double dose of slow jams with “Just Because Of You” on the A-side, co-written by Cheatham and producer George McGregor, b/w “It's Just Like Magic,” co-written by group member Michael Eatmon along with Cheatham and McGregor. This single helped break up the group (although Cheatham left after becoming fed up with other members’ alleged drug use), because Eatmon was unhappy with the finished version of “It's Just Like Magic.” As he recalled years later:
“I wrote this song, and Butch showed it to George McGregor. He changed it from my original version to what it is now. I was shocked when I saw Oliver Cheatham, and George McGregor’s names as writers. They messed up my song.”
In the late 70s, Cheatham was invited by a friend, guitarist Jerome Barnes, to join the Detroit soul/funk group Sins of Satan as their new lead singer. They changed their name to Round Trip and released their self-titled debut album on MCA Records in 1981, produced by Detroit radio DJ Al Perkins (aka The Perker) who also produced Al Hudson & The Partners and One Way.
Cheatham, Perkins, and Barnes co-wrote two of the album’s songs, its funky opening cut “Woman” and the superb disco-funk jam “Nothing Wrong With Dancing.”
One of the album’s singles was the stellar “Higher Consciousness,” written by guitarist Lester Williams, b/w the slow jam “Lost Inside Of You.” Other highlights included the mellow cut “Not In The Cards,” co-written by Barnes, and the love anthem “You And Me.”
The group then became Cheatham’s backing band on his first two solo albums. Oliver was released in 1982 on MCA, with the production team known as A.D.K. behind most of its tracks, consisting of One Way members Al Hudson, Dave Roberson, and Kevin McCord.
Cheatham co-wrote the funky jam “Boogie Stomp” with Barnes, and produced it himself.
Dave Roberson wrote the album’s superb boogie funk closing cut “Don’t Take Your Love Away,” produced by A.D.K.
In 1983, Cheatham finally hit the charts with the lead single from his second solo album Saturday Night, produced by A.D.K. He co-wrote “Get Down Saturday Night” with Kevin McCord, and although it only hit #37 R&B and #38 on the UK singles chart was nonetheless a huge club hit. After being featured on the soundtrack to the groundbreaking PlayStation 2 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City in 2002, it has enjoyed a second life in the EDM era, being sampled numerous times in other dance tracks.
Happy Heavenly Birthday to the great Oliver Cheatham.
Further info:
“Forever Saturday Night: The Oliver Cheatham Story,” by Louise, SoulSource, October 13, 2012.
“80s R&B singer Oliver Cheatham dies at age 65,” obituary, SoulTracks.com, December, 2013.
#soul #funk #disco #boogie #Detroit #TheGaslight #RoundTrip #OliverCheatham