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Black Is Beautiful (Della Reese album)

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Black Is Beautiful
Studio album by
Della Reese
ReleasedJanuary 1970 (1970-01)
Studio
GenrePop[1]
LabelAvco Embassy
ProducerHugo & Luigi
Della Reese chronology
I Gotta Be Me...This Trip Out
(1968) 		Black Is Beautiful
(1970) 		Right Now
(1970)
Singles from Black Is Beautiful
  1. "Games People Play"
    Released: November 1969

Black Is Beautiful is an album by the American singer, Della Reese, released in January 1970 by Avco Embassy Records as her first album with the label. The "soul-inspired"[2] LP was a collection of ten tracks, all of which were covers of popular songs from the era, including "Proud Mary" and "Compared to What". The album reunited Reese with her former producers, Hugo & Luigi, who aimed to market her towards a younger audience. The LP received a positive reaction fro music publications and reached the US R&B albums chart in 1970. One single was included: Reese's cover of "Games People Play".

Background

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Later known for her acting career, Della Reese was first known as a singer who recorded in the styles of blues, gospel, jazz and pop. She had her greatest commercial success in the late 1950s and early 1960s with the commercially-successful singles, "And That Reminds Me" (1957) and "Don't You Know?" (1959). Her most popular recordings were produced by Hugo & Luigi, a production pair who worked with Reese while she was at the RCA Victor label. Reese's television career was beginning to gain momentum in the late 1960s and she hosted her own talk show during this period titled Della.[3] It was during this period, she reunited with Hugo & Luigi, who signed her to their new label called Avco Embassy.[4] In an interview with Record World explained that with Reese's new television exposure that they would craft an album to target an "under-25 audience".[5]

Recording and content

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Black Is Beautiful was produced by Hugo & Luigi at two separate studios in two separate locations: Mira Sound Studios (located in New York City) and RCA Studios (located in Los Angeles, California). Peter Myers conducted and arranged the album's string instrumentation. The LP was a collection of ten songs[6] that contained cover tunes of the era.[7] Covers included on the album were "Games People Play", a song written and first made popular by Joe South.[8] Other cover tunes included "Proud Mary", "Compared to What" and "With Pen in Hand".[6][1]

Release and critical reception

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Black Is Beautiful was released by Avco Embassy Records in January 1970[7] and was distributed as a vinyl LP. It featured five recordings on each side of the disc.[6] The LP was given a positive critical reception following its release. Billboard magazine wrote, "The popular TV star has a winner in this debut package for the label. She's right in today's selling bag with all the power, drive and soul feel needed to carry her right up the chart."[1] Canada's RPM magazine also praised the album, writing, "Display this set in window. Miss Reese very powerful with 'Cycles', 'Games People Play' and 'Get Together!' Her first LP for label should attract good sales."[9]

Promotion, chart performance and singles

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Black Is Beautiful received a positive response and prompted a further dive into album promotion, according to an article from Cash Box magazine. Reese promoted the album by appearing in stores and record shops where the album was sold. Reese also promoted the album on The Merv Griffin Show where she sang "Games People Play".[10] Black Is Beautiful was Reese's first and only album to reach the US R&B albums chart, rising to the number 44 position in April 1970.[11][2] The only single included on the LP was Reese's cover of "Games People Play", which Avco Embassy first issued in November 1969.[12] The song rose to number 21 on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart in 1970. The single's B-side ("Compared to What") also made the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 28.[13]

Track listing

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Side one[6]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Games People Play"Joe South5:12
2."Compared to What"Gene McDaniels2:49
3."Choice of Colors"Curtis Mayfield3:09
4."Get Together"Chester Powers3:40
5."With Pen in Hand"Bobby Goldsboro4:38
Side two[6]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Comment"
3:11
2."Proud Mary"John C. Fogerty3:35
3."You Know How Love Is"June Jackson4:24
4."Cycles"Gayle Caldwell3:14
5."If Everybody in the World Loved Everybody in the World"Bobby Worth3:05

Personnel

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All credits are adapted from the liner notes of Black is Beautiful.[6]

  • Bobby Bryant – Track arrangements
  • Mickey Crofford – Engineer
  • Hugo & Luigi – Liner notes, producer
  • Sammy Lowe – Sweetening arrangements
  • The Mixed Media – Liner and cover design
  • Peter Myers – Arranger, conductor, orchestra, track arrangements
  • Bill Raddice – Engineer
  • Paul Slaughter – Liner photos
  • Joe Wasacz – Illustrator

Charts

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Weekly charts

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Chart (1970) Peak
position
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[14] 44

Release history

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Release history and formats for Black Is Beautiful
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various January 1970 Vinyl LP Avco Embassy Records [6][15]
Circa 2020
  • Music download
  • streaming
 Unidisc Music [16]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Album Reviews: Pop" (PDF). Billboard. February 14, 1970. p. 62. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  2. ^ a b Friedwald, Will (2017). The Great Jazz and Pop Vocal Albums. Knopf Doubleday. p. 535. ISBN 9781101871751.
  3. ^ Will Friedwald (2010). A Biographical Guide to the Great Jazz and Pop Singers. Knopf Doubleday. pp. 385–388. ISBN 9780307379894.
  4. ^ "Talent: Signings" (PDF). Billboard. October 18, 1969. p. 28. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  5. ^ Finkle, Dave (December 6, 1969). "New Label with 45 Years Experience" (PDF). Record World. p. 12. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Reese, Della (January 1970). "Black Is Beautiful (Disc Information)". Avco Embassy Records. AVE-33004 (LP).
  7. ^ a b Moore Merlis, Bob. "Avco Embassy Grows with February Release: One of the Top: Della" (PDF). Record World. p. 23. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  8. ^ "Della Reese: Black is Beautiful". Stereo Review. Vol. 24. CBS Magazines. 1970. p. 110.
  9. ^ "Album Review" (PDF). RPM. February 21, 1970. p. 14. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  10. ^ "Della Reese Promo Underway" (PDF). Cash Box. February 28, 1970. p. 40. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
  11. ^ "Della Reese – Billboard R&B Albums". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
  12. ^ Reese, Della (November 1969). ""Games People Play"/"Compared to What" (7" vinyl single)". Avco Embassy Records. AVE-4515.
  13. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Joel Whitburn Presents Across the Charts, the 1960s. Record Research Inc. p. 264. ISBN 978-0898201758.
  14. ^ "Della Reese Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
  15. ^ Reese, Della (January 1970). "Black Is Beautiful (Liner Notes) (Spain)". Avco Embassy Records. CPS-9081 (LP) (Spain); 6466004 (LP) (UK); SLAE-41-002 (LP) (Italy); AVLP-7-004 (LP) (Brazil); SAVL-033740 (Australia and New Zealand).
  16. ^ "Black Is Beautiful - Album by Della Reese". Apple Music. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
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