8
9
After the release of the single, Doris Badie had her
own solo single released on Polydor 14401; it was
probably recorded at the same session with the
same band but had additional female backing singers.
Mosley and Johnson continued to write music and
record for Malaco Records in the ‘80s and worked
together until Johnson’s death in 1998.
2. THE REASON WHY:
STEP INSIDE MY WORLD
(Hutch-Warren)
In 1977, Polydor released
So Long Letter (In A
Picture Frame)
/
Step Inside My World
by a group
called The Reason Why on catalog number 14382.
Little is known about the group and any clues
about the record mostly come from producer
Willie Hutch.
The Reason Why single was released during a
small window in Hutch’s career when he was
changing labels; he had just left Motown after
many years and was about to sign with Norman
Whitfield’s sub-label of Warner Brothers. Hutch
was not only a prolific artist but a prolific producer
and usually produced and wrote for artists on
labels to which he was signed. The lead singer on
The Reason Why single has a voice very similar to
Hutch’s (especially on the
So Long Letter
side) –
many artist producers tended to favor groups that
had singers with voices similar to theirs, especially
since they knew how to successfully work with
the sound. This similarity probably meant that The
Reason Why was a group that Hutch was mana-
ging / producing (versus contract label production
work for an unknown group) and was able to place
a one-off single of them on Polydor. Hutch almost
exclusively worked in Los Angeles throughout his
career so the group was likely from LA. Both sides
were written by Hutch and a B. Warren; copyright
records reveal the other writer to be Brian Warren,
likely a member of The Reason Why. I was unable
to find another recording group that had a known
member Brian Warren; however, the singing and
harmony on the record is tight enough that the
group or at least some members probably recorded
under a different name.
So Long Letter (In A Picture Frame)
is an excellent
slow-to-midtempo sweet soul ballad about a
breakup.
Step Inside My World
is an excellent
mid-to-uptempo disco soul cut only available on
the stock copy of the single. Both tracks have
excellent harmony.
3. CRYSTAL CLEAR:
STAY WITH ME
(Buddy Turner)
Polydor released two singles on Crystal Clear
in 1980: Polydor 2099
You’re So Unreal / Stay
With Me
and Polydor 2145
Oomph In My Life /
Trademark
. Not much is known about Crystal Clear,
except that they were a female group probably
from Philadelphia, given that both singles were
co-produced by Philadelphia producers. Polydor
2099 was produced by Doug King and Buddy
Turner while 2145 was produced by Doug King and
Morris Bailey.
