Gwen McCrae - On My Way (2013)

Best remembered for her number one R&B hit "Rockin' Chair" from
1975, Gwen McCrae was a gutsy Southern soul diva with a particular
affinity for dance tracks. Along with her husband George ("Rock Your
Baby"), Gwen was part of the Miami-based T.K. Records stable, which
laid a great deal of groundwork for the disco explosion. Born Gwen
Mosley in Pensacola, FL, in 1943, she grew up singing in her
Pentecostal church and later discovered secular singers like Sam
Cooke and Aretha Franklin.

She began performing in local clubs as a teenager, also singing with
local groups like the Lafayettes and the Independents. In 1963, she
met a young Navy sailor named George McCrae, whom she married within
a week. When George was discharged, he re-formed an earlier group
he'd sung with called the Jivin' Jets, and invited Gwen to join as
well. Soon, however, George and Gwen split off to form a duo - aptly
dubbed George & Gwen - and moved to West Palm Beach to perform in
clubs all over South Florida.

George & Gwen were discovered in 1967 by singer Betty Wright, who
helped get them signed to Henry Stone's Alston label. Their debut
single, "Three Hearts in a Tangle," was released in 1969; the
follow-up, "Like Yesterday Our Love Is Gone," marked the first time
they worked with the writing team of Clarence Reid (who would later
morph into the bawdy comic Blowfly) and Willie Clarke. Both were
regional hits, as was third single, "No One Left to Come Home,"
although none of those records broke nationally; meanwhile, the
McCraes and Wright were collectively earning a reputation as stellar
session vocalists.

In 1970, one of Gwen's solo recordings, the Bobby "Blue" Bland cover
"Lead Me On," was picked up by Columbia and became her first Top 40
hit on the R&B charts. In the wake of that breakthrough, George
temporarily retired from singing to become her manager, and Alston
leased her contract to Columbia; she recorded several more singles
over the next few years, but without comparable chart success.

Columbia declined to renew McCrae's contract in 1973, and she was
signed to a different Henry Stone label, the T.K. subsidiary Cat.
She had a regional hit with "He Keeps Something Groovy Goin' On"
that year, and then her second national hit with the R&B Top 20 "For
Your Love" (originally recorded by Ed Townsend). However, her minor
1974 hit "It's Worth the Hurt" was overshadowed by George's
across-the-board smash "Rock Your Baby," a song originally intended
for Gwen that heralded disco's arrival on the pop charts.

It was Gwen's turn in the spotlight the following year, when she
took the sexy Reid/Clarke composition "Rockin' Chair" all the way to
the top of the R&B charts, not to mention the pop Top Ten. In the
wake of its success, McCrae released her first-ever album (also
called Rockin' Chair) and scored further R&B hits with "Love
Insurance" and "Cradle of Love." By this time, the separate
successes were taking their toll on the McCraes' marriage (Gwen has
since alleged that her husband beat her frequently).

A 1976 duet single, "Winners Together, Losers Apart," fell short of
the R&B Top 40, and a full album of duets failed to assuage matters.
The couple split later that year, and Gwen scored what turned out to
be her last chart hit for Cat, "Damn Right It's Good." Despite a
fine effort with the 1978 LP Let's Straighten It Out, McCrae's
commercial momentum was stalled, and although 1979's "All This Love
That I'm Giving" later became a favorite on Britain's Northern soul
scene, it didn't attract much attention upon its release.

With the T.K. label family in serious financial trouble, McCrae
moved to New Jersey and signed with Atlantic in 1980, a stint that
produced two albums (Gwen McCrae and On My Way) and several chart
singles still prized by collectors: "Funky Sensation," "Poyson," and
"Keep the Fire Burning." Feeling underpromoted, McCrae moved back to
Florida, cut a one-off single for the small Black Jack label in 1984
called "Do You Know What I Mean," and retired from the music
business.

McCrae was rediscovered by the British Northern soul and rare groove
scenes during the '80s, and she traveled to England to record a
couple of singles for Rhythm King in 1987. Pleased with her enduring
popularity in the U.K., McCrae eventually recorded an entire album
for the British Homegrown label in 1996, titled Girlfriend's
Boyfriend. Upon returning to America, she signed with the revived
Goldwax label, distributed by Ichiban, and recorded another album
later that year, Psychic Hot Line. In 1998, Ichiban reissued
Girlfriend's Boyfriend in the U.S. McCrae returned in 1999 with
Still Rockin', which received favorable reviews in blues and classic
soul circles.