Sandra Richardson (May 14, 1947 – June 26, 2020) – Don't Let Me Down (1974)
The singer also known as Sandra Feva recorded this funky masterpiece, co-written by Motown Funk Brother Jack Ashford and his musical partner Lorraine Chandler.
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Sandra Richardson (aka Sandra Dance) was a soul singer/songwriter who released several singles during the 1970s. Late that decade, she changed her name to Sandra Feva and became a backing vocalist for Aretha Franklin, Prince, and George Clinton while also finding success as a solo artist.
Born in Los Angeles but raised in Detroit, Sandra Arnold started singing at a young age.
She recorded her first single for Buddah Records in 1971, billed as Sandra Richardson. The A-side was “I Feel A Song (In My Heart Again),” co-written, produced, arranged and conducted by the great Tony Camillo. Two years later, he went on to produce Gladys Knight’s all-time classic “Midnight Train To Georgia.” Its B-side was the heartfelt love song “The Ring,” co-written by Motown Funk Brother Jack Ashford and his songwriting/production partner Lorraine Chandler. It was arranged and conducted by Ashford, and produced by Chandler for Just Productions.
In 1974, Ashford and Chandler again collaborated with Richardson. Ashford produced both sides of a single for her on the short-lived Detroit label Inter/Soul Records. The phenomenal upbeat jam “Stay Here With Me” was co-written by Chandler and the Four Tops’ longtime musical director George Rountree.
On the flip was the funky masterpiece “Don’t Let Me Down,” co-written by Ashford, Chandler, and Juanita Weatherby, which may have been a pseudonym since it was the only song ever credited to that name. Ashford arranged the rhythm section on both sides, and Rountree arranged the horns.
See our earlier post on Lorraine Chandler for more on her songwriting and production work with Ashford.
In the late seventies, Richardson continued working with Camillo, who wrote, produced, arranged, and conducted her superb 1978 disco single “Love To Be Your Woman” on Dellwood Records. He also co-wrote its slow jam B-side “Waiting For The Last Goodbye” with Mary Sawyer.
Then she changed her name to Sandra Feva. The first single she put out as Feva was “Choking Kind” (1978). It was also one of the first singles released on Venture Records, a label co-founded by Camillo and entrepreneur Cecile Barker, who was married to Francine Barker aka the original “Peaches” of Peaches & Herb. Its B-side was the superb disco jam “If You Want It, You Got It” which Camillo wrote and co-produced with Barker.
In addition to releasing her own solo albums in the late seventies and early eighties, she worked as a backing vocalist for Aretha Franklin, Prince, and George Clinton. At the 1986 UNCF Banquet, Richardson honored Aretha with a stirring cover of Anita Baker's "You Bring Me Joy."
Happy Heavenly Birthday to the great Sandra Richardson.
#soul #funk #disco #JackAshford #LorraineChandler #TonyCamillo #SandraRichardson