THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,047) Maxine Brown — “Love in Them There Hills”
From “one of the most underrated soul and R&B vocalists of the ’60s” (Stephen Thomas Erlewine, https://www.allmusic.com/artist/maxine-brown-mn0000396154#biography) comes the definitive and killer version of this early Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, Roland Chambers rich/poor love number previously done by the Vibrations and later by the Pointer Sisters.
As to Maxine, Stephen Thomas Erlewine tells us that:
[S]he never had many hits . . . . releas[ing] a series of singles for Nomar and Wand, with only a few . . . — “All in My Mind,” “Funny,” “Something You Got,” “Oh No Not My Baby” — managing to become either pop or R&B hits. Despite this, Brown is acknowledged as one of the finest R&B vocalists of her time, capable of delivering soul, jazz, and pop with equal aplomb. Born in Kingstree, South Carolina, Brown began singing as child, singing with two New York-based gospel groups when she was a teenager. In 1960, she signed with the small Nomar label, who released the smooth soul ballad “All in My Mind” late in the year. The single became a hit, climbing to number two on the R&B charts (number 19 pop), and it was quickly followed by “Funny,” which peaked at number three. Brown was poised to become a star, and she moved to ABC-Paramount in 1962, but left the label within a year without scoring any hits. She signed to the New York-based, uptown soul label Wand in 1963. Brown recorded her best work at Wand, having a string of moderate hits for the label over the next three years. Among these were the Carole King/Gerry Goffin song “Oh No Not My Baby,” which reached number 24 on the pop charts; “It’s Gonna Be Alright”; and the Chuck Jackson duets “Something You Got,” “Hold On I’m Coming,” and “Daddy’s Home.” Part of the reason Brown didn’t receive much exposure is that the label focused much of their attention on Dionne Warwick, leaving Maxine Brown to toil in semi-obscurity. In 1969, she left Wand and signed with Commonwealth United, where she had the minor hits “We’ll Cry Together” and “I Can’t Get Along Without You.” In 1971, she moved to Avco Records, but all of her recordings for the label were ignored and she faded away over the course of the decade.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/maxine-brown-mn0000396154#biography
Michael Jack Kirby goes deep:
Brown established herself quite easily through a right place-right time set of events, only to discover how challenging it would be to maintain anything close to the level of what she achieved in 1961, her first full year in music’s major leagues. Though “All in My Mind” and “Funny,” both of which she had a hand in writing, made for a high-profile introduction to music fans, subsequent single releases were usually composed by more seasoned songwriters but were oddly more of a hard sell. The end result was a full decade of performing for sizeable audiences . . . while occasionally showing up on the national charts. . . . [B]y the age of nine she and her mother had moved to Queens, New York . . . fle[eing] from her father, who was abusive past the point of tolerance) . . . . She had already begun singing gospel music with three close friends . . . . At 18 Maxine moved to Manhattan and . . . managed to talk her way into a job as a medical stenographer . . . . She joined a Manhattan-based gospel group . . . . [L]ater, the act went secular and with only two male singers and Maxine, they became The Treys. Leader Fred Johnson suggested a lyric, “Maybe it’s all in my mind,” which Maxine expanded into a full song; after some time had passed, she made a demonstration recording and Fred sent it around, hoping someone might make a “real” recording of it. In the fall of 1960, Tony Bruno, who’d started the Nomar label with financial help from mob members, heard the demo and released it as-is. . . . By early 1961, “All in My Mind” . . . was going strong nationally, reached the top 20 on the pop charts and got as high as number two R&B . . . . The surprise hit forced Maxine to decide between the security of a job . . . and a career in the . . . music business. . . . [S]he chose the latter. . . . “Funny” . . . made her two-for-two in the hit department when it climbed into the pop top 30 in April 1961 and R&B top ten in May. . . . [S]he . . . accepted an offer from ABC-Paramount . . . releasing eight singles there over the next year and a half. . . . [but] nothing made much impact. . . . . Florence Greenberg and Luther Dixon of New York’s Scepter Records had been fans . . . and, in the wake of Dionne Warwick’s . . . breakthrough, figured they could work a similar spell . . . . She signed with the company and appeared on its Wand subsidiary, hitting the charts right off with “Ask Me,” a well-produced vocal tour-de-force. Yet where sales and airplay were concerned, she seemed to hit a barrier not unlike the one that plagued her at ABC. . . . . . . “Oh No Not My Baby[]” . . . by Gerry Goffin and Carole King. . . . returned her to the top 40 . . . and sent her back to number two R&B . . . . Flo G. matched Maxine with Wand star Chuck Jackson on . . . Something You Got[]” . . . . land[ing] in the R&B top ten, which jump-started a three-year partnership between Chuck and Maxine. . . . 1967 found Miss Brown at the end of her association with Scepter/Wand; when Marvin Gaye’s most popular duet partner Tammi Terrell collapsed onstage in October, Maxine filled in for her during a week’s engagement with Gaye at Harlem’s Apollo Theater. Several sessions that year under Otis Redding’s direction . . . seemed to be leading her towards a contract with Stax/Volt . . . but with Redding’s tragic death in December, those recordings were shelved. . . . “I Can Get Along Without You” was her chart swan song in April 1970. . . . [S]he decided to expand her skillset by taking acting and dance lessons . . . . [and joined] the Broadway musical Don’t Bother Me, I Can’t Cope . . . . Eventually Maxine left the business . . . . [but then f]ans in England discovered her brilliance as a vocalist and that interest spread to other parts of the world. Maxine Brown resumed performing and just kept on going.
https://www.waybackattack.com/brownmaxine.html
The Vibrations reached #93 with the song (#38 R&B). Ron Wynn writes:
Though never major hitmakers, the Los Angeles-based Vibrations were consistent performers through the ’60s. . . . They began recording as the Jayhawks, then scored a couple of novelty hits performing as the Marathons. Neither “The Watusi” nor “Peanut Butter” were particularly triumphant, but each managed to chart in both the R&B and pop markets. When they became the Vibrations in 1964, they gradually turned to more romantic material, although their first hit, “My Girl Sloopy,” was closer to their previous cuts. They had their last brush with glory in 1968 with the Okeh song “Love in Them There Hills.”
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-vibrations-mn0000922013#biography
Here are the Vibrations:
Here are the Pointer Sisters in 1974:
Here is the Pointer Sisters’ long version:
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