When it comes to female soul singers, It’s no exaggeration to say that Millie Jackson was one of the most talented and charismatic female vocalists of the seventies and eighties. Millie Jackson was born in Thomson, Georgia, but when her mother died, she moved to Newark, New Jersey with her father. Then when Millie was a teenager, she moved to Brooklyn to live with an aunt. It was in New York that Millie Jackson’s career began in 1964. One of Millie’s friends dared her to enter a talent contest in Harlem nightclub. Having entered the talent competition, Millie won it. This proved to be the start of Millie’s nascent musical career. Six years later, in 1970, Millie recorded her first single for MGM Records. A year later, in 1971, Millie signed to the record company where she would establish her reputation as one the most talented, versatile and charismatic female vocalists of her generation.

Having started her career at MGM Records in 1970, a year later Millie signed for Spring Records. Working with Spring Records’ in-house producer Raeford Gerald, her 1971 singe A Child Of God gave Millie the first hit single of her career. It reached number 102 in the US Billboard 100 and number twenty-two in the US R&B Charts. This proved to the start of the most successful period of Millie Jackson’s long career. During her time at Spring Records, she released what’s undoubtably, the best music of her career. Millie was a truly prolific artist, who released sixteen studio albums for Spring Records between 1972 and 1983. Three of these albums, 1974s Caught Up, 1977s Feelin’ Bitchy and 1978s Get It Out’cha System were certified gold. Each of these albums feature a truly versatile artist. However, some of the best music Millie Jackson recorded at Spring Records were ballads.

When it comes to ballads, Millie Jackson breathes life, meaning, emotion and often, hurt and heartache into them. Whether Millie is laying bare her soul or is delivering heartfelt, impassioned performances, her ballads are peerless, and truly breathtaking. Now twenty of the ballads Millie Jackson recorded at Spring Records feature on a new compilation entitled The Moods Of Millie Jackson. Compiled by Sean Hampsey and was released by Kent, The Moods Of Millie Jackson is a reminder of one of the most talented, versatile and charismatic female vocalists of the seventies and eighties. You’ll realize why, when I tell you about The Moods Of Millie Jackson.

1971s A Child Of God (It’s Hard To Believe) was Millie’s first hit single for Spring Records. Written by Millie and Don French, it was produced by Spring Records’ in-house producer Raeford Gerald. It reached number 102 in the US Billboard 100 and number twenty-two in the US R&B Charts. Millie’s vocal is filled with frustration and anger at people’s double standards and hypocrisy. Here, Millie brings the lyrics to life, so much so, you can sense her frustration and anger. When Millie’s released her debut album Millie Jackson in 1972, it featured A Child Of God (It’s Hard To Believe) and I Just Can’t Stand It, penned by Millie and Billy Nichols. Laden with heartache, hurt and emotion, I Just Can’t Stand It shows how Millie could breath life and meaning into a song.

Millie Jackson’s sophomore album was 1973s It Hurts So Good, which reached number 175 in the US Billboard 200 and number thirteen in the US R&B Charts. There are two tracks from It Hurts So Good on The Moods Of Millie Jackson-Her Best Ballads. These are I Just Can’t Stand It and Good To The Last Drop. Of these two tracks, the best is I Just Can’t Stand It, written by Phillip Mitchell. It reached number twenty-four in the US Billboard 100 and number three in the US R&B Charts. That’s no surprise given the quality of the track. Here, Millie unleashes a Magnus Opus of a vocal. It’s sultry, sensual, needy and dripping in emotion. The arrangement compliments the vocal perfectly, with blazing horns, strings and dramatic harmonies. Quite simply, soul doesn’t get much better than this.

Back in the seventies, artists would often release two albums a year. In 1974, Millie released the classic Caught Up and I Got To Try It One Time. Opening I Got To Try It One Time. was How Do You Feel The Morning After, written by Raeford Gerald and Luther Lynch. It reached number seventy-seven in the US Billboard 100 and number eleven in the US R&B Charts. Millie’s vocal is a heartfelt mixture of power, passion and emotion. With backing vocalists adding dramatic, soaring harmonies, the result is a stunning slice of heartachingly beautiful soul.

1974 saw Millie release of one of Millie Jackson’s classic albums, Caught Up. It became the most successful album of Millie’s career, reaching number twenty-one in the US Billboard 200 and number four in the US R&B Charts. This resulted in Caught Up being certified gold. Caught Up featured a track that’s become synonymous with Mille, a cover of (If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want To Be Right. Millie’s interpretation of Homer Banks, Carl Hampton and Raymond Jackson’s classic is peerless. She delivers the lyrics with meaning, feeling and a sense of hurt that seems almost real. Quite simply, it’s a deeply powerful and moving track. The other tracks from Caught Up are the despairing I’m Through Trying To Prove My Love To You and the Phillip Mitchell and Billy Clements penned I’m Tired Of Hiding. In the hands of Millie Jackson, it’s transformed into a deep soul classic.

1975s Still Caught Up didn’t replicate the commercial success and critical acclaim of Caught Up. It stalled at number 112 in the US Billboard 200 and number twenty-seven in the US R&B Charts. Since its release, Still Caught Up has remained an underrated album. However, it certainly wasn’t short of quality, soulful music. Proof of this are the inclusion of three tracks from Still Caught Up. These are Making The Best Of A Bad Situation, I Still Love You (You Still Love Me) and Loving Arms, written by Tom. Although both feature heartfelt, impassioned performances, her version of Loving Arms is stunning, absolutely peerless. Laden in emotion, heartache and hurt, Millie’s version of Loving Arms is the definitive version of soul classic.

During 1976, Millie released two albums, Free and In Love and Lovingly Yours. The Moods Of Millie Jackson-Her Best Ballads features six tracks from these albums. Solitary Love Affair and There You Are from Free and In Love. Of these two tracks, the Gus McKinney and Billy Kennedy penned Solitary Love Affair features Millie at her best. Her vocal is tender and seductive, but grows in power. Sometimes, her vocal is tinged with sadness and regret. Again, she delivers the lyrics with passion and feeling, as if she’s lived and experienced them. Millie’s other album from 1976 was Lovingly Yours. It featured the hurt-filled I Can’t Say Goodbye, I’ll Be Rolling (With the Punches), A Love Of Your Own and From Her Arms To Mine, a stunning slice of deep soul written by Homer Banks and Carl Hampton.

When Millie released 1977s Feelin’ Bitchy, it gave her the second gold disc of her career. It reached number thirty-four in the US Billboard 200 and number four in the US R&B Charts. One of the best tracks on Feelin’ Bitchy was the ballad Angel In Your Arms. What makes this such a stunning track are the lyrics. They’ve a strong narrative and paint pictures that unfold before your eyes. You can visualize the scenes unfolding before your eyes as Millie’s vocal grows in power, frustration and anger at her two-timing partner. The result is one of the highlights of the The Moods Of Millie Jackson-Her Best Ballads

It’s Gonna Take Some Time This Time is a track from Millie’s 1980 album I Had To Say It. It reached number 137 in the US Billboard 200 and number twenty-five in the US R&B Charts. Written by Millie and Alfred Brevard, It’s Gonna Take Some Time This Time demonstrates just how versatile a vocalist Millie Jackson is. She delivers a spellbinding and captivating vocal against a mostly understated arrangement. This allows Millie’s vocal to take centre-stage. When gospel-tinged harmonies and rasping horns enter, they add to the emotion of Millie’s bewitching vocal.

Ten years after Millie released her debut album on Spring Records, she released Hard Times in 1982. It stalled at number 201 in the US Billboard 200, but reached number twenty-nine in the US R&B Charts. One of the highlights of Hard Times, was the Sam Dees’ penned Special Occasion. Here, Millie’s vocal veers between heartfelt and impassioned to expressive and dramatic. The piano-lead arrangement compliments Millie’s vocal, while the soaring harmonies drive Millie to greater heights of soulfulness. This is what Millie does so well, breathing life, meaning, beauty and emotion into ballads.

For anyone yet to discover Millie Jackson’s music, it’ll only take one listen to The Moods Of Millie Jackson to realize that Millie was one of the most talented, versatile and charismatic soul singer of her generation. She enjoyed commercial success and critical acclaim during the twelve years she spent at Spring Records. During that time, three of her albums were certified gold. However, there’s much more to Millie Jackson’s time at Spring Records than 1974s Caught Up, 1977s Feelin’ Bitchy and 1978s Get It Out’cha System. 

These three albums just scratch the surface of Millie’s time at Spring Records. During her time at Spring Records, Millie Jackson recorded sixteen albums. While some of these albums didn’t replicate the success of Caught Up, Feelin’ Bitchy or Get It Out’cha System they all had one thing in common..they featured some stunning ballads. These ballads feature Millie Jackson at her very best. She brings lyrics to life, breathing life, meaning and emotion into them. Whether it’s heartbreak and hurt, sensuality and sass, or anger and frustration, Millie Jackson brings all these things and more to a song. Quite simply, Millie Jackson voice is like a musical palette, painting pictures before your eyes. One minute you’re empathizing with Millie’s hurt and plight, the next her vocal is filled with joy and happiness and then she’s delivering a sensuous and seductive Magnus Opus. Not many vocalists are as versatile and talented as Millie Jackson. Proof of this are the twenty songs on the lovingly compiled The Moods Of Millie Jackson. It was compiled by Sean Hampsey and released on Kent. Compiler Sean Hampsey has chosen a compelling collection of well known tracks and hidden gems for The Moods Of Millie Jackson. The result is The Moods Of Millie Jackson, a stunning collection of deep soul ballads from one of the most talented soul singers of her generation, Millie Jackson. There’s neither faux pax nor filler, just quality soul music all the way. Standout Tracks: (If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want To Be Right, Loving Arms, Angel In Your Arms and It’s Gonna Take Some Time This Time.

MILLIE JACKSON-THE MOODS OF MILLIE JACKSON.

A young Millie Jackson in the early 1970′s

Her first time in a recording studio produced two single sides on MGM that were released in 1969; “A little bit of something” and “My heart took a licking (But kept on ticking)” – none of which was successful. Another 2 years passed before she was offered a contract with Spring records, and then started the truly golden decade of Millie Jackson, as all of her best albums were made for this label into the early 1980′s.

Her first three albums 1972-74 projects Millie as a deepvoiced soul singer, singing a lot about love, but also sees her in the role of social commentator. Hit songs like “My man, a sweet man” and “Ask me what you want” are both good pop/soul tracks, but it’s on songs like “A child of God (It’s hard to believe)” and “I cry” from her first and second albums respectively, that she really shines! Singing about two-faced hypocrites and socio-ecological problems, Millie placed herself in a new position; the urban, black woman seeing the need for a change, desperate with her own situation and wanting equality and better circumstances for herself and those around her. No other black singer had even remotely approached this theme in the way Millie did, and she makes it all believable with her soulful, sometimes hoarse vocals. Millie might look glamorous on the record covers, but the music was anything but!

The title track from her second album “It Hurts So Good” reached number 3 on the charts, and was featured in the movie “Cleopatra Jones”. Here, for the first time, Millie gets into the sexual stuff that she’s so famous for. Only this time around, she seems to put up with absolutely anything, whatever “he” does is fine by her - she loves the way “it hurts so good”. Later on, Millie would take the complete opposite role, she wouldn’t take no gruff from no man, being utterly in control in any situation involving a man, and calling the cards at all times. She’d take her man by the collar and shake him, and if he had a wife or girlfriend, Millie would deal with her along the way as well – to make sure she’d get him to do whatever needed to be done!

Tama Dobson looks awesome as Cleopatra J, but so was Millie’s 2 songs on the 1974 soundtrack, “It Hurts So Good” and “Love Doctor”!

1975 was the year that Millie really came into her own, and made the first of her truly classic albums, “Caught Up”. Topped by the hit single “If loving you is wrong”, this album marks the first time Millie did one of her famous raps. A rap in Millie’s world is a long spoken passage, that weaves the songs together, and fills out whatever story the song might be telling. So Millie is not a rapper, as we know them today, but no doubt Lil’ Kim, Foxy Brown, Shawnna and Trina were all influenced by Millie’s way with words! Other notable tracks from “Caught Up”: the stunning “It’s all over but the shouting” and her version of Bobby Goldsboro’s “Summer (The First Time)”. This last song was also done quite raucously by Bette Midler some years later – and both versions are far removed from Bobby’s way of doing the song! She quickly followed with a sequel to the album, called “Still Caught Up”. It includes her fabulous take on Tom Jans’ “Loving Arms” and basically deals with love problems and love triangles much in the same way.

Stuck in the cobweb; Millie’s 1975 albums “Caught Up” & “Still Caught Up” was also released as a 2on1 CD…

After these two albums, she tried out different things on her next 2 albums; “Free & In Love” (1976) contains “A house for sale”, one of her best songs ever, as well as a very good cover of Bad Company’s “Bad risk” and her take on “Feel like makin’ love”. Next year’s “Feelin’ Bitchy” found Millie doing a country-influenced “If you’re not back in love by Monday”, an extended 10-minute “All the way lover” and a cover of the recent hit song by long forgotten girl group Hot’s “Angel in your arms”.

The studio recordings of some of her eternal concert favourites appeared on 1978′s “Get It Outcha System”: “Keep the home fires burning”, “Logs & Thangs”, “Put something down on it” (often performed as a long medley in concerts), as well as another cover, Dolly Parton’s recent hit “Here you come again” (also covered by Patti LaBelle three years later).

The proper attire for getting things outcha system!

1979 was a very productive year for Millie; the studio album “A Moment’s Pleasure” came out, quickly followed by the double disc “Live & Uncensored”. The studio album contain a great version of Exile’s recent no. 1 hit “Kiss you all over”, and another cover in Boney M’s “Never change lovers in the middle of the night”. The live album finds Miss J doing a lot her hits, while also putting her personal stamp on other people’s hit of the day like “Hold the line”, “Just when I needed you most”, “Da ya think I’m sexy”. Added to all this the quite infamous “classical” piece “Phuck U Symphony” which is just hilarious! On top of this she made a duet album with Isaac Hayes, “Royal Rappin’s”. Teaming them might seem like a natural thing, but unfortunately the album doesn’t show the best of neither one of them….

The first half of the 1980′s saw Millie release no less than 6 albums in three years. She kept up her combination of long rap passages with soulful ballads on both “For Men Only” (1980) and “I Had To Say It” (1981). She did more country tinged material on the obviously titled “Just A Lil’ Bit of Country” (1982), and the same year another live disc came out, this time (appropriately) titled “Live & Outrageous”. “Hard Times” followed in 1983, with Millie doing a not-so-subtle “Mess on your hands/Shit on your fingers” medley! Her last album for Spring was E.S.P. which in Millie’s universe has nothing to do with extrasensory perception, but rather Extra Sexual Persuasion! Equipped with a crystal ball on the cover, strategically placed to magnify her ample cleavage! “E.S.P.” does contain great music though, with the ballad “Feel like walkin’ in the rain” being a highlight.

Clairvoyance & cleavage! Beware the fortune teller – this gal ain’t interested in your future!

Signing with the Jive label, Millie’s 1986 album “An Imitation of Love” saw her dressed in a blue and white suit, looking as she came straight from an office job. It produced two big hit singles, “Hot! Wild! Unrestricted! Crazy Love” and “Love’s a dangerous game” in addition to maybe the best song she ever recorded, “Mind over matter”. This song is a dance track with great lyrics, and it perfectly melts together text, voice, singer and image into a masterpiece! With her tongue firmly placed in her cheek, she declares” “You call me dirty, I say I’m not too clean/I’m not a nymphomaniac – just a bad sex machine/It’s mind over matter….”

Also for Jive, she made the rather overlooked “The Tide Is Turning” (1988), and then in 1989 she made an album that certainly wasn’t overlooked – “Back To The Sh*#t!” – an all-time contestant for worst record cover ever! Millie went way out on this one, and I never understood why she allowed the cover to be made. Sitting on the toilet, with her undies around her ankles – and an expression on her face that signals severe pain (maybe she’s gassy?) – it’s just plain bad! The cover got so much attention that nobody paid any mind to the music inside, which contains a great version of “Will you love me tomorrow”… Another not-too-smart career move was done the next year, when she made the duet “Act of War” with Elton John. It’s the most mismatched duet ever, on a noisy over-arranged song that wipes out any trace of their personal styles, and is something that might have been a good idea at the start, but turned out to be best forgotten! (Shezwae Powell also made a record called “Act of War” that same year, but this is not the same song)

The decade 1991-2001 produced albums “Young Man, Older Woman” and a cast album with the same music after Millie had turned it into a show starring herself. Then there was “It’s Over” (1995) and its sequel “The Sequel; It ain’t over” (1997). In between these there was a rather straight album called “Rock ‘N’ Soul” (1994) which is exactly what the title indicates. Her last album, called “Not For Church Folks”, came out 2001 and the title is good advice, as Millie proves once again that she’s not holding back anything.

A fairly recent photo of Millie Jackson

Millie Jackson had her own radio show in Dallas, Texas for thirteen years, up to January 2012. A documentary about this legendary singer, called  ”Unsung – The Story of Mildred “Millie” Jackson” was aired on the TV One Network in February 2012.

There isn’t much that’s left unsung by Miss Jackson, she took it all in stride and her records show that she dared where others feared to tread. She might not have collected a lot of Grammies, and never was a regular at the top of the charts. But still she has left behind a legacy of music that stands out above the rest – and that’s what makes Millie Jackson unique!

“It seems Like Warner Brothers Music is celebrating a victory, or facing a new crisis every day. After spearheading a campaign that results in over a 100 cover records on, “The Summer Knows”, from “The Summer Of ‘42’, I’m asked to be consultant for a new project and find a Black composer, for another Blaxpoitation film, “Cleopatra Jones”.

Again I agree to act as the “house negro” and do the film for a screen credit and no money, which Warner Brothers Music President Ed Silvers agrees to, as long as the film company picks up my expenses. I just look on it as an opportunity get my foot in the door and work with artists and producers I might not otherwise meet. After seeing the Max Julian film, in my head I keep hearing the intro to the O’Jays, “Backstabbers” which is written and arranged by my Philadelphia pal, Thom Bell. The introduction is good enough to be a movie theme itself!

The writer and director, Max Julian lights up when he hears my suggestion, and when I play the short passage, so does Bill Tenant the producer, and Larry Marks, current head of the film department. They want me to bring Thom Bell to Hollywood; I think it’s going to be a sure thing. By the time he gets out here they’ve already changed their mind.

It doesn’t take me long to find out these people don’t know what they’re doing. I throw my hands up in disgust and walk away from this extremely stressful situation. A few weeks later the producers call me up and apologize for making things difficult and tell me they’d like to hire Thom, after all.

I tell them it’s too late; he has three records in the top 20, and has made other commitments. They beg me to help them find someone fast so the picture can be released on schedule. I tell them I’ll help them out if they listen seriously to my suggestions. They tell me that veteran composer, Dominic Frontiere, has finished the score and all they need now is the title song.

I tell them I can not only get Joe Simon to write the title song to the film film, but also get a few potential hit singles by other hit artists from the label to include in the film and soundtrack. I also propose that WB records get the album rights to the singles, while the artist’s original label gets the rights to the singles, which they will promote as usual..

WB records goes along with this unique marketing concept in an effort to get into the very lucrative, but closed, R&B market.

The next morning I meet with Roy and Julie Riffkind, who own the small successful Spring records, they’re riding high on the R&B charts with Joe Simon (“The Chokin’ Kind”, “Drownin’ In The Sea Of Love”) who would be a perfect candidate to score, “Cleopatra Jones”. While I’m in their office they play me a new single they’re putting out by Millie Jackson, “Hurt So Good”, which I think would be great for the film. I tell them the unique idea I had, that WB Records has already agreed to, and they say that it could work for them as well.

I tell Warner Brothers Films that Joe Simon is able to write, produce and record, “The Theme from Cleopatra Jones”, next week which thrills them. When a letter of intent is drawn, I talk to Joe Simon and tell him about the film and the idea I had for a sweeping theme like the intro to the “Backstabbers”.

Joe gets it completely, and when I go back to NY for the session, I’m totally blown away by the funky, yet majestic track he’s recorded. When he starts to put the vocal on, Joe realizes that he hasn’t written the lyric to the second verse.

He seems stumped as where go with the lyric and for the lack of time says he’ll just repeat the first verse. I tell him he can’t do that the record could be a classic. Then I scratch out a lyric that he loves and records on the spot.

After the session, Joe comes over, thanks me and says he wants me to have a piece of the writers share for my contribution to the song. I thank him and say that it wasn’t my intention to muscle in, but I’ll happily accept his generosity.

It’s another story, however, when I get back to Hollywood. Ed is happy that the recording came out so well, but freaks out on me when he finds out that I’m a co-writer on the song. He says, “I don’t believe you took advantage of the situation and forced your way into a piece of the writers share. Are you a professional manager or a writer?” I don’t say anything, but go back to office and quietly fume.

I should’ve known something was wrong when I’m not invited to screening of, “Cleopatra Jones”. When I go to see the film at a local theater, I hear the theme I played a part in“Theme From Cleopatra Jones” but wasn’t allowed to take credit for, I hear Millie Jackson’s “Hurt So Good”, which is already racing up the charts, but when the film is over, my name is missing as musical consultant!

I’m absolutely livid, but when I confront Ed in my “Superfly” hat, he says he’s sorry, but he can’t do anything about it. I should talk to the producers. He refuses to do anything to help me in my unpaid extra curricular activity as a highly effective musical consultant, and wants me to return to just plugging songs at the company…Yeah…Right!”

(TO BE CONTINUED)

FOR THE STORY BEHIND THE WARNER BROTHERS FILM  “COME BACK CHARLESTON BLUE”,  CHECK OUT “DRIVIN’ AROUND WITH QUINCY JONES” http://artiewayne.wordpress.com/2007/06/14/driving-around-with-quincy-jones/

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