Author: Chi-Lites (Musical group).
Publisher: Los Angeles, Calif. : Universal City, Calif. : LARC Records ; distri. by MCA Distri. Corp., p1983.
Recorded At: Sky Hero Productions, Chicago, Il. Engineered by Sam Gallo
Description: 1 sound disc : 33 1/3 rpm, stereo. ; 12 in.
Contents: Bad motor scooter -- Changing for you -- Touch me -- Making love -- Bottom's up -- I just wanna hold you -- You take the cake -- I love.
The Chi-Lites were from Chicago, a town better known for its gritty urban blues and driving R&B. The Chi-Lites had a lush, creamy sound distinguished by their four-part harmonies and layered productions. Their main creative force was lead singer Eugene Record who also wrote and produced nearly all of the group's successes, as well as creating hits for other Chicago artists. During the early 1970s, they racked up 11 Top Ten R&B singles, ranging from the romantic ballads "Have You Seen Her" and "Oh Girl" to protest songs like "(For God's Sake) Give More Power to the People" and "There Will Never Be Any Peace (Until God Is Seated at the Conference Table)." All the songs featured Record's warm, pleading tenor and falsetto, and some hits written by Record were collaborations with other songwriters such as singer Barbara Acklin.
The Chi-Lites had been around for nearly a decade before they finally had a hit single in the late 1960s. Eugene Record, Robert "Squirrel" Lester, and Clarence Johnson formed the doo wop group, the Chanteurs in the late 1950s, and they released one single on Renee Records in 1959. Shortly afterwards, Creadel "Red" Jones and Marshall Thompson, who had sung with the Desideros, teamed with the trio to form the Hi-Lites. Over the next four years, the Hi-Lites released a number of singles on local labels. In 1964, they changed their name to Marshall & the Chi-Lites, adding the "C" as tribute to their hometown Chicago. By the end of the year, Johnson left the group and the remaining quartet truncated their name to the Chi-Lites. Over the next four years, the group continued to perform and release independent singles, with Record slowly emerging as the group's lead singer, songwriter, and producer.
In 1968, the Chi-Lites signed with Brunswick Records, whose creative side was headed by an established Chicago-based producer Carl Davis. He had been brought in by Brunswick a couple of years earlier to revive the label, including Jackie Wilson's recording career. Davis and Record initially worked together on producing the group and early the following year, "Give It Away" became their first national hit single, reaching number ten on the U.S. R&B chart. Despite the moderate success of "Let Me Be the Man My Daddy Was," the group was not able to deliver another big hit until "Are You My Woman? (Tell Me So)" climbed into the R&B Top Ten in early 1971.
That release began a string of ten Top Ten hits that ran intermittently over the next four years, with Record now handling production alone and Thom (Tom Tom) Washington providing arrangements. The follow-up, "(For God's Sake) Give More Power to the People," was their first pop hit, setting the stage for a pair of slow, soulful ballads, "Have You Seen Her" and "Oh Girl," which both reached number one on the R&B chart; the latter was a number-one pop hit in the spring of 1972.
Shortly after the release of the hit "Stoned Out of My Mind," the Chi-Lites began to splinter in 1973, when Jones left the group and was replaced by Stanley Anderson, who was quickly replaced by Willie Kensey. The revamped lineup had three Top Ten R&B hits — "Homely Girl," "There Will Never Be Any Peace (Until God Is Seated at the Conference Table)," and "Toby". This period also ushered in a significant degree of success in Europe, and most notably the United Kingdom, where the band's smooth soul sound also popularised by acts such as Barry White, and The Stylistics, found favour. Between 1972 and 1976 the band had a number of UK Top 10 pop hit records, including "Have You Seen Her" (1972 & 1975), "Homely Girl" (1974), "Too Good To Be Forgotten" (1974), "It's Time For Love" (1975), and finishing off with "You Don't Have To Go" (1976). Around this time, the band replaced Kensey with Doc Roberson.
Shortly afterwards, Brunswick, now an independent label owned by Jackie Wilson's manager Nat Tarnopol, became involved in serious financial problems, mainly brought on by a Government payola inquiry into record companies. These financial problems prevented the label from properly promoting the group's records.[citation needed] Frustrated, Record left the band to become a solo recording artist for Warner Bros. The remaining trio, augmented by David Scott and Danny Johnson (who was replaced by Vandy Hampton in 1977), signed with Mercury, but none of their singles was a major hit, although their first release "Happy Being Lonely" made the R&B Top 30.
The group totally disbanded at that point, but it was re-formed in 1980 with the original hit-making quartet in the 70s of Record, Thompson, Jones, and Lester back together. The group began recording again with Carl Davis who had set up his own label called Chi-Sound and Record was also offered an executive post. Although their first singles were more successful than their Mercury records, they didn't have a genuine hit until 1982, when "Hot on a Thing (Called Love)" reached #15 R&B. Their stay at Chi-Sound produced two good albums with Sky Hero Productions before the label folded. The following year, they moved to LARC Records, where they had a final Top Ten hit with "Bottoms Up." Late that year, Creadel Jones retired and the group continued to tour as a trio throughout the remainder of the decade.
Record retired from the group in 1988. He was replaced by new lead Frank Reed. This version of the Chi-Lites became a regular on the oldies and soul circuit. Reed left in the early 90s and Anthony Watson joined the group as the new lead vocalist. (It should be noted that Lester took over singing lead on "Oh Girl", while Watson led on their other songs.) The group would also feature a female member. Throughout the 1990s, Watson left twice. Each time Frank Reed returned as lead singer. By the early 2000s, the group was composed of Marshall Thompson, Robert Lester, Anthony Watson, and Tara Henderson. The group was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Hall Of Fame in 2000 when Eugene Record joined the group on stage to perform and accept the award.
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