THE GREATEST SONGS OF THE 1960s THAT NO ONE HAS EVER HEARD
1,419) Barbara Acklin — “Seven Days of Night”
A soulful Chicago strut with a “fingersnappin’, infectious groove . . . perfectly suited to [the] soft, whispering vocal”. (Soulmakossa, https://www.funkmysoul.gr/barbara-acklin-seven-days-of-night/)
Jason Ankeny tells us about the album:
Brunswick rarely did right by Barbara Acklin. With her remarkable “Am I the Same Girl” poised for chart triumph, the label stripped away her potent vocals, added a piano, and released the track as the Young-Holt Unlimited [see #1,132] instrumental “Soulful Strut,” which proved a massive hit in its own right. The original . . . is the centerpiece of Acklin’s sophomore LP, Seven Days of Night, and while it remains a high-water mark of Chicago soul, much of the album maintains a similar level of excellence. The over-production and reliance on ill-suited and clichéd cover material that hampers her later work Brunswick efforts is absent here. Most of the songs instead originate from the pen of the Chi-Lites’ Eugene Record, whose nuanced melodies and sublime arrangements . . . fit Acklin’s soulful vocals like a glove.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/seven-days-of-night-mw0000383765
About Barbara Acklin, Ed Hogan writes:
A pop-soul vocalist in the vein of Dionne Warwick or Brenda Holloway [see #1,313], Barbara Acklin is best known for her R&B/pop hit “Love Makes a Woman” from the summer of 1968. . . . [I]n 1948, [her] family moved to Chicago, IL. Like many great soul singers, Acklin honed her vocal skills in the church choir (in her case, at Big Zion Baptist Church) at an early age. As a teenager, she began singing in nightclubs while attending Dunbar Vocational High School. Upon graduation, she was hired as a secretary for local label St. Lawrence Records by her cousin, producer/saxophonist Monk Higggins . . . . Higgins recorded an Acklin single . . . [and] used Acklin as a background singer on his Chess Records sessions. In 1966, Acklin began working as a receptionist for producer Carl Davis (Chi-Lites, Gene Chandler) at the Chicago branch office of Brunswick Records. Acklin hadn’t forgotten her dream of becoming a recording star and persistently asked Davis to record her. Davis said that he would, but in the meantime he encouraged her to keep writing songs. Cornering Brunswick Records star Jackie Wilson, Acklin had him listen to a tune that she co-wrote with David Scott . . . . Wilson liked it and passed it on to Davis. . . . “Whispers (Gettin Louder)” went to number six R&B and number 11 pop in the fall of 1966. . . . setting the stage for Wilson’s mid-’60s comeback . . . . To return the favor, Wilson helped Acklin secure a recording contract with Brunswick. Acklin’s first chart success came from “Show Me the Way to Go,” a duet with Chandler, reaching number 30 R&B in the spring of 1968. In July 1968, Acklin earned her signature song with the extremely catchy “Love Makes a Woman,” which went to number three R&B and number 15 pop in August 1968. . . . Acklin was writing songs with fellow Brunswick signee Eugene Record of the Chi-Lites. The collaboration was fruitful. The sparse melancholy ballad “Have You Seen Her” settled at number one R&B and number three pop, earning the Chi-Lites their first gold record. . . . In 1974, Acklin departed Brunswick for Capitol Records. Her first single, “Raindrops,” was a R&B hit in June of that year. . . . Despite a promising start and critical acclaim, Capitol dropped Acklin from their artist roster. She continued to tour as both a solo artist and as a background singer with the Chi-Lites and other acts.
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/barbara-acklin-mn0000145669#biography
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