Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes

History

The Charlemagnes became The Blue Notes in 1954, with Franklin Peaker on lead, Bernard Williams, Roosevelt Brodie, Jesse Gillis, Jr., and Harold Melvin rounding out the lineup. For years, the group bounced between labels without much traction. A 1960 single called "My Hero" managed a minor hit on Val-ue Records, and 1965’s "Get Out (and Let Me Cry)" broke through as an R&B hit on Landa Records. Through this stretch, members came and went frequently.

Bernard Williams left to form his own group, The Original Blue Notes, and Harold Melvin brought in a new lead singer, John Atkins. In 1970, the band added Teddy Pendergrass as a drummer for their backing group. Pendergrass had sung with a Philadelphia R&B act called The Cadillacs—not the famous New York group from the late 1950s—and when John Atkins quit that same year, Pendergrass stepped up as lead vocalist.

Philadelphia International success and Pendergrass Years

This version of the group—Melvin, Pendergrass, Bernard Wilson, Lawrence Brown, and Lloyd Parks—signed with Gamble & Huff’s Philadelphia International label in 1972. Lloyd Parks was swapped out for Jerry Cummings later that year. Almost immediately after Cummings joined, the Blue Notes started racking up major R&B and pop hits, with several singles and albums selling over a million copies over the next four years. Their most celebrated work includes love songs like 1972’s "If You Don’t Know Me by Now," which hit number one on the Billboard R&B chart and number three on the pop chart, serving as their breakout.

"I Miss You" reached number seven R&B and number fifty-eight pop. "The Love I Lost" went to number one R&B and number seven pop in 1973. They also turned out socially conscious tracks: "Wake Up Everybody" topped the R&B chart and hit number twelve pop in 1975, while "Bad Luck" reached number four R&B and number fifteen pop that same year. "If You Don’t Know Me by Now" sold more than a million copies, earning a gold disc from the RIAA on November 21, 1972.

"Bad Luck" still holds the record for the longest run at number one on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart, staying there for eleven weeks. The group’s fourth number one R&B hit came in 1975 with "Hope That We Can Be Together Soon," featuring vocalist Sharon Paige.