Phyllis and Allison Hobbs both met as contestants in a beauty contest in Philadelphia. When both lost, they decided to combine their talents and form a female group. The line-up in 1970 was Allison Hobbs, Phyllis Nelson and Yvette Davis (Davis wrote "How Could I Let You Get Away" for the Spinners which was produced by Thom Bell).
In 1970 their major goal was to get a record deal. The girls didn't have a name for the group at that time. Phyllis wanted to go to San Francisco and try to hook up with Sly and The Family Stone, while Allison wanted to go to Detroit and get with Motown. They ended up going to Detroit in May 1970 only to discover that Motown had just a skeleton crew; the company had already relocated to Los Angeles. They came back to Philadelphia a few months later when Phyllis discovered she was pregnant with her son Marc, (born in January 1971). Yvette, Phyllis and Allison went back to Detroit in the summer of 1971 because Yvette knew Eddie Custus, a Philadelphia native who was now in the group Chairmen Of The Board. The group was recording for Holland-Dozier-Holland's Invictus Records and Custus secured them an audition. Having nervous jitters in front of the A&R person for Invictus, the girls failed their audition and were sent packing. They were told to try their luck with Philadelphia's Gamble and Huff. Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff were not yet a force in the industry so the uninterested girls passed on the idea.
In the summer of 1972, Yvette met Thom Bell who had joined Gamble and Huff's new label. Columbia Records had given the duo a licensing agreement for their newly formed Philadelphia International imprint. The duo were on the cusp of becoming a powerhouse in the music industry. Yvette decided she enjoyed being a staff writer for Philly International and left the group. At that point, Phyllis called on her childhood friend and former high school singing partner, Karen Dempsey. The new line-up made a demo tape in Nelson's bathroom (for it's good acoustics) and took it to Thom Bell; he signed them immediately. However, he kept them under contract without recording them for over a year and a half.
In 1974 the young ladies, eager and unrecorded, left Bell and Philadelphia International to sign with WMOT Records. It was their new label that christened them "Brown Sugar." The label wasted no time in sending them out on tour with Major Harris. Harris was riding the crest of his wildly popular hit "Love Won't Let Me Wait." While on tour Brown Sugar had the opportunity to work with many of their idols, such greats as Marvin Gaye, Earth, Wind & Fire, Blue Magic and The Commodores to name a few. After becoming disillusioned with WMOT who had promised a recording deal but instead kept them on the road, the trio left and did a demo with Vince Montana, Montana had not yet made his mark with the Salsoul Orchestra. It was Vince who introduced them to Fred Disipio. Disipio became their manager and landed them a contract with Capitol Records immediately.
While at Capital Records, Brown Sugar recorded and released three disco singles (45's). Two of which, "The Game Is Over" and "I'm Going Through Changes Now," were produced by Vince Montana. DiSipio, who would face payola charges in the 1980's, was the primary reason the group disbanded in 1977. He hired a male group,The Moments, to produce the group's album (probably to save money because Vince had hit it big with Salsoul Records and his fees had gone up considerably.) The Moments were inexperienced and the studio in Inglewood, NJ owned by Sylvia Robinson of "Pillow Talk" fame was less than top notch. Capitol released one single, "Lay Some Lovin' On Me" and it bombed. Allison moved to Los Angeles, Karen went to work and Phyllis went back to WMOT and formed a duo with the late Brandi Wells. Brandi and Phyllis both auditioned for Yves Desca and Phyllis won the audition. Wells would score her own hit, "Watch Out," with WMOT thereafter.
Phyllis went to Paris to record "Don't Stop The Train" in 1980. Allison Hobbs is quoted as saying: "I recall sitting in her living room listening to how strong her vocals were. It wasn't the voice she normally used. She said Yves was able to bring that out in her. She was desperate to please him as he was her only hope in the music industry. By now, the Philadelphia record labels were not churning out hits any longer." Allison adds: "Phyllis was a musical genius. She arranged all the background vocals when we were Brown Sugar. She was special to me and I loved her like a sister."
Phyllis had a small run of hits beginning with the chart-topper "I Like You." The song was originally done as a mid-tempo number but after a retooling it became a high energy classic. She followed that with the international late-night classic "Move Closer" and another up tempo track "Somewhere In The City." One album followed which did not include the latter and a odd re-recorded version of "Don't Stop The Train." Sales were dismal and Phyllis moved to Los Angeles in 1988 with the hopes of reviving her sagging career. Many demos were recorded but no contracts were forthcoming. Her youngest son, Kenya, holds the masters of many of the demos and they are rumored to have some classic material. Hed eldest son Marc, would rise to fame with Boyz2Men and as a producer in his own right. Phyllis died of breast cancer in 1998, perhaps never realizing how many lives she touched with her music. Luckily we have a marvelous legacy to enjoy, particularly a "Best Of" compilation that was released on Hot Records. I am saddened by her passing, and even more so that I never had the chance to meet or work with someone who was obviously so talented. I want to thank Allison Hobbs for supplying me with this vital information and rare photos and the time she took to write me.......thanks girl! |
