Brothers of Soul was an American soul trio composed of Fred Bridges, Richard Knight, and Robert Eaton, who were also a songwriting team involved with around 50 singles.[1] Based in Detroit in the 1960s and 1970s, they recorded a number of songs, mainly with producer Ric Williams for the Zodiac and Boo labels. Their biggest hit was "I Guess That Don't Make Me a Loser,"[2] which peaked at 32 on the U.S. R&B chart in May 1968.[3]
Brothers of Soul | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Genres | Soul |
| Years active | 1967–1975 |
| Labels | Zodiac, Boo |
| Past members |
|
History
editBridges and Knight, who had met at the Dodge Assembly Plant, did some writing for La Beat Records, where they began working with Eaton. The first song the three are credited on together is James Shorter's "Modern Day Woman".[1][4] They then got together to write a song named "Dream." While doing some freelance work for Drew Records, writing for The Precisions, they met Chicago based producer Williams, who became interested in showcasing them as a group. They chose to record under the name Brothers of Soul, a name inspired by the Detroit riots of '67.[citation needed] Under the coordination of Williams, they wrote for Zodiac, producing many Ruby Andrews hits.[5] Their most successful period was from 1968 to 1969,[6] with their last recordings in 1971.[5] Sometime during this period, Ben Knights replaced Richard Knight, who was serving time in New York.[7] They continued to work together, providing vocal accompaniment for a few years, eventually splitting apart. A hits compilation named I Guess That Don't Make Me a Loser was released on CD in 1995 by Collectables Records and digitally in 2008 by S.D.E.G. Records.
Partial discography
editChart singles
edit| Year | A-side | Chart Positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US R&B[3] | |||
| 1968 | "I Guess That Don't Make Me a Loser" | 32 | |
Compilation album
edit- I Guess That Don't Make Me a Loser
References
edit- ^ a b Meikle, David. "The Fred Bridges Story". SoulfulDetroit.com. Bridges, Knight and Eaton. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
- ^ Huey, Steve. "Artist Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
- ^ a b "Billboard Best Selling Rhythm & Blues Singles". Billboard. Vol. 80, no. 19. Nielsen Business Media. 1968. p. 30. Retrieved 7 August 2013.
- ^ "MODERN DAY WOMAN (Legal Title)". Repertoire.bmi.com. Archived from the original on 8 August 2013. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
- ^ a b Larkin, Colin. "Brothers Of Soul Biography". Oldies.com. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
- ^ Meikle, David. "The Fred Bridges Story". SoulfulDetroit.com. Playing the Circuit. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
- ^ Meikle, David. "The Fred Bridges Story". SoulfulDetroit.com. Don Davis. Retrieved 8 August 2013.
External links
edit- The Fred Bridges Story
- Brothers of Soul discography at Discogs