Garland Green
Garland Green, born Garfield Green Jr. on June 14, 1942, in Dunleith, Mississippi, is an American soul singer and pianist known for his emotive R&B hits in the late 1960s and 1970s.
Green grew up as the tenth of eleven children in a Mississippi family before moving to Chicago in 1958 at age 16. While attending Englewood High School and working, he performed weekends in local venues, including pool rooms and bars. Local businessman Argia B. Collins sponsored his studies at the Chicago Conservatory of Music, where he honed his voice and piano skills.
In 1967, Green won a talent contest that led to an opening slot for Lou Rawls and Earl Hines, catching the attention of songwriter Joshie Jo Armstead and Mel Collins. They produced his debut single "Girl I Love You" on Gamma Records, later distributed nationally by Revue Records. His 1969 breakthrough, "Jealous Kind of Fella," reached No. 5 on the Billboard R&B chart, sold a million copies, and peaked at No. 20 on the pop chart.
Green signed with Uni Records (MCA), releasing his self-titled album, but follow-ups underperformed, leading to a move to Cotillion (Atlantic). There, Donny Hathaway produced "Plain and Simple Girl," a Top 20 R&B hit in 1971. He later recorded for Spring, RCA (with producer Leon Haywood), and Ocean-Front, with modest successes like "Let the Good Times Roll" (R&B No. 65) and "Bumpin' and Stompin'" (R&B No. 72).
Relocating to California in 1979, Green married producer Arleen Schesel and released albums on small labels, including a 1983 effort featuring Lamont Dozier. His first new material in 29 years, I Should've Been the One, arrived in 2012 via Special Soul Music. He remains active into his 80s, with a discography spanning Revue, Uni, Cotillion, Spring, RCA, and others.
Garland Green
A2 You Make Me Feel So Good (D. Perry, L. Harper 4:17)
A3 Don't Tell Me, Let Me Guess (Lamont Dozier 4:08)
A4 Always (Lamont Dozier 4:56)
B1 Nobody Ever Came Close (Lamont Dozier 5:22)
B2 System (Lamont Dozier 4.33)
B3 Love's Calling (Lamont Dozier 4:50)
B4 These Arms (Greg Perry 4:56)
Label: Ocean Front Records – OF 100
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1983
Genre: R&B Soul
Style: Eighties Disco Funk Soul
Garland Green's 1983 self-titled album is an obscure, Los Angeles-produced modern soul record released on the independent Ocean-Front Records label. The album is noted for its smooth, slick arrangements by the legendary Motown songwriter Lamont Dozier, which are balanced by Green's raw, soulful vocals.
The album was produced by Lamont Dozier and Arleen Schesel (who later married Green). Dozier was also responsible for the background vocal arrangements, while Hense Howell handled the rhythm arrangements with Dozier.
It's overall sound is very similar to Dozier's own work from the early 1980s, offering a departure from Green's earlier, classic Chicago and Northern soul style. It blends a modern soul feel with a hint of a Southern influence.
The album features a lineup of session musicians, including Freddie Washington on bass, David Williams and Kevin Moore on guitar, and Quintin Denard on drums.
While the album itself did not achieve major national success, it included the single "Trying to Hold On to My Woman," a re-worked version of a song Dozier had a hit with a decade earlier, which peaked at number 63 on the R&B chart.
The album has become something of a collector's item, often available as a used vinyl record album from specialized retailers like Dusty Groove. An expanded version of the LP was released in 1991 on the Love LA Music label.
