Valorie Jones (April 17, 1956 – December 2, 2001) – Hey Lucinda (1975)
This rare early ultra-funky single by the Jones Girls on Curtom Records was co-written by Quinton Joseph, drummer for Curtis Mayfield and a member of MFSB.
Watch full video on YouTube.
The late singer Valorie Jones and her sisters Brenda and Shirley made up the vocal trio the Jones Girls.
Originally from Detroit, the sisters started out as backup singers for Lou Rawls and Aretha Franklin while releasing a string of singles in the early 70s that did not chart for labels including GM, Music Merchant (the least known of Holland-Dozier-Holland's post-Motown record labels), Paramount, and Curtis Mayfield’s Curtom Records.
From 1975-78 they sang backup for Diana Ross. In 1979, they signed with Philadelphia International Records and released their self-titled debut LP on PIR. It reached #8 on the R&B album charts propelled by its second single, the Gamble and Huff-penned “You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else,” which peaked at #5 R&B.
Their later hit “Nights Over Egypt” (1981) was not nearly as successful, peaking at #23 R&B. But it was a masterpiece for the ages, co-written, arranged and produced by Dexter Wansel, and should have done better on the charts.
One of the Jones Girls’ singles on Curtom was the ultra-funky jam “Hey Lucinda.” It was co-written by Quinton Joseph, drummer for Mayfield who also was a member of MFSB, along with Chicago-based soul songwriter Daniel Reed and Tony Green who was the Dramatics' bassist from 1974-1992. The track sounded amazingly like a lost Mayfield composition in the vein of “Madame Mary” off Check Out Your Mind! (1970).
“Hey Lucinda” was produced by Right Step Productions. This unknown production team was also credited on “Misteri,” the B-side to another of their singles on Curtom, the Tony Camillo-produced “I Turn To You.”
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