JOE JEFFREY – My Pledge of Love – (Scepter) – 1969

This is another one of those records I’ve had sitting around for many years. I recall listening to it a long time ago and thinking it’s patchy but there is something there.

Accordingly it was relegated to the “maybe” pile.

I’ve now revisited it and what I like and dislike about it haven’t really changed.

Not much is known about Joe Jeffrey or “The Joe Jeffrey Group”. The members are Joe Jeffrey (lead vocals and guitar — born Joseph Stafford Jr. in Cleveland, Ohio though there is some suggestion he was actually from and based in Buffalo, New York), Al Russ (bass), Charles Perry (percussion) and Ron Browning (drums)).

Their total recorded output is this album and 5 singles.

“My Pledge of Love” went to #14 in the Hot 100 ! Joe Jeffrey is as mysterious as B. Traven.

Joe Jeffrey is an Afro-American playing white black music. Hey, American whites have been influenced by their black countrymen so why can’t blacks be influenced by whites? In fact it’s not that unusual, both Chuck Berry and Ray Charles were enamoured with country sounds, Jackie Wilson and the young Jimi Hendrix expressed admiration for Elvis, and Nat King Cole saw the worth in Bing Crosby.

Joe Jeffrey’s music is very white but in saying that it’s quite “hip” white. At times there is a touch of Johnny Rivers crossed with Jackie Wilson in there, especially on “My Pledge of Love”. But perhaps the best comparison is a less southern Elvis Presley in his country soul period of “From Elvis in Memphis” from 1969. This is perhaps intentional as “Hey Hey Woman” and “Dreamin till Then” were produced by Chips Moman (Elvis’ producer for the 69 Memphis sessions) and recorded at American Sound Studios in Memphis. Interestingly, Roy Hamilton (an Elvis idol) was recording at American Sound Studios at the same time as Elvis and his sound is not dissimilar to Joe Jeffrey. Also, those same songs were arranged by American Sound Studio staffer Glen Spreen who also arranged Elvis’ sessions. Not surprisingly, the songs were by local men: “Dreamin’ till Then” was written by Mark James who wrote “Suspicious Minds” for Elvis, whilst “Hey Hey Woman” was written by Elvis body guard Red West and Johnny Christopher (who wrote quite a few tunes, some recorded by Elvis).

Whether Jeffrey used his band or the American Sound Studio musicians I don’t know but the rest of the tracks were recorded in Jeffrey’s hometown (?) of Cleveland, Ohio and have a small groovy rock (andf soul) combo sound. The good news is that those songs stand up well next to the American Sound songs.

This is certainly “groovy” music with a little sunshine pop and country soul thrown in and would be perfect for cocktail hour upstairs in the swingin’ lounge. You never know it may even work a treat on the (retro) ladies.

Tracks (best in italics)

• Dreamin’ Till Then – (James) – sweet and pure white pop with a touch of black country soul. Excellent.
• Kind Of A Drag  – (Holvay) – a #1 for The Buckinghams in 1967. This is a nice mid tempo ballad  that’s extremely catchy
• Melodee – (Fuller)   – again: catchy, but I’m starting to think that everything on this album is.
• Margie  – (Conrad, Robinson, Davis) – Ray Charles did the song in 1961 but it dates back to the 1920s.
• My Pledge Of Love – (Stafford Jr)  – a great slab of rock n soul … nearly perfect in it’s genre …this is the albums only original.
• Sunny-Up, Up And Way  – (Hebb) (Webb) – a nice merging of ywo late 60s black (white) classics …Sunny was a #2 hit for Bobby Hebb whilst The 5th Dimension hit #7 with Jimmy Webb’s “Up and Away”. The two songs work perfectly together.
• In The Still Of The Night – (Porter) –   a Cole Porter song done by everyone.
• It’s All Right  – (Mayfield) – not as good as the soul original by Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions from 1963.
• The Chance Of Loving You  -(Weinstrein, Russ) – a slight retread of “Pledge of Love”
• Hey Hey Woman – (West, Christopher) –  persuasive southern bubblegum pop.

And …

The first side is certainly stronger than the second side …but there enough good tracks to make this a keeper so, I’m keeping it.

Groovy.

Chart Action

US

Singles

My Pledge Of Love #14

Album

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England

Singles

Album

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Sounds

My Pledge Of Love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEHwddjrhS8

and attached

Joe Jeffrey – Pledge of Love

Hey Hey Woman

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChiHvcd6YSE

Others

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHFdbFyI44k

Review

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Bio

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/joe-jeffrey-group-mn0000090894

Website

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Trivia

• Some background: As promised, here is the email I received from researcher Diana Reid Haig – she was the producer of the SCEPTER RECORDS STORY boxed set amd interviewed label founder Florence Greenberg (among others) for the collection –

Here’s my info on the track "My Pledge of Love" — Myers brought the track to Scepter. Jerry Myers was then working for the indie distributor handling Scepter product in Buffalo. In early 1969, former Liberty Records salesman Alan Klein discovered the group and subsequently produced this single in a four track studio in Cleveland. Myers was added as coproducer later. it was the group’s only hit. I remember raising my eyebrows a bit at the addition of the 2nd producer, but (as you know), that’s the way it works sometimes. No doubt, Jerry Myers worked hard to break the record.

The original studio used was Audio Recording Studios in Cleveland, Ohio. The arranger was A. Russ. http://faac.us/adf/messages/178308/176409.html?1216890050