When I think of successful songwriter/singer partnerships, Dionne Warwick, Burt Bacharach, and Hal David come to mind. Brothers Brian and Eddie Holland, joined by Lamont Dozier, who penned countless hits for the Supremes and the Four Tops, also make the list. However, during the mid-1970s, a musical alliance was formed in Chicago that launched singer Natalie Cole into R&B superstardom. A daughter of the legendary jazz singer pianist, Nat “King” Cole, Cole began working with the songwriting/ production team of Marvin Yancy and Chuck Jackson in 1974.
According to Robert Pruter in the book, Chicago Soul, Jackson was a commercial art major who minored in music at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. He moved to Chicago in 1968 to work as an art director for Playboy magazine. Jackson’s brother, Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, was the national director of Operation Breadbasket, the forerunner of Operation PUSH.
Yancy graduated from Cooley High School and attended Moody Bible Institute as well as the Chicago Bible Institute. A gifted musician and minister, he played keyboards for gospel legends including Rev. James Cleveland, Jessy Dixon, Inez Andrews, and Albertina Walker during the late 1960s. Yancy eventually succeeded his father as pastor of Fountain of Life Baptist Church on Chicago’s south side.
In 1971, Operation Breadbasket hosted Black Expo at the International Amphitheater. The annual economic empowerment exposition included a concert that featured music from the renowned gospel group, The Caravans. Yancy accompanied the group and Chuck was in the audience. Impressed with Yancy’s musicianship, he invited him to co-write some songs for Aretha Franklin. While nothing happened with those compositions, Yancy and Jackson formed a partnership and founded a musical group, the Independents.
They scored their first R&B hit in 1972 with the single “Just as Long as You Need Me.” The following year, the ballad “Leaving Me” claimed the number one spot on that same chart, earning a gold record. Although the Independents broke up in 1974, Jackson and Yancy continued writing and producing songs together.
According to a Chicago Reader article, in late 1974, Cole began working with Jackson and Yancy at Curtis Mayfield’s Curtom studios in Chicago. After being rejected by several record labels, she was signed to Capitol Records in 1975 by Larkin Arnold, a vice president who created and led the label’s Black Music Division.
Arnold requested some demo recordings and a certain Jackson/Yancy composition grabbed his attention, “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love).” The record was the first song released from Cole’s debut album, Inseparable. It eventually skyrocketed to number one on the R&B charts and number six on the Billboard Hot 100. Additionally, the title track was the album’s second #1 single.
I remember hearing This Will Be as a child, thinking it was Aretha Franklin—so did many others. Cole often cited the Queen of Soul’s influence and frequently performed her songs while playing the lounge circuit. Ironically, it was this recording which earned Cole a 1976 Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance–Female, ending Franklin’s eight-year winning streak in that category. Cole also received the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Another Jackson/Yancy composition, Sophisticated Lady (She’s a Different Lady), earned Cole a 1977 Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance–Female.
My two favorite Yancy/Jackson/Cole songs are I’ve Got Love on My Mind (Unpredictable LP, 1977, Capitol) and Our Love (Thankful LP, 1977, Capitol). I invite you to enjoy the music that’s included in the blog. Take care and stay soulful!
Source: Steve Krakow, “The Reverend Marvin Yancy’s solo career lasted just one great album,” Chicago Reader, September 22, 2021, https://chicagoreader.com/music/the-reverend-marvin-yancys-solo-career-lasted-just-one-great-album/