R. B. Greaves
R.B. Greaves | |
---|---|
Birth name | Ronald Bertram Aloysius Greaves III |
Born | 28 November 1943 |
Occupation(s) | Singer |
Years active | 1969–1970s |
Labels | Atco Records, Bareback, Sunflower Records |
Ronald Bertram Aloysius Greaves III (28 November 1943 – 27 September 2012)[2] was an American singer who had chart success in 1969 with the pop single "Take a Letter Maria". A number two hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, this single sold one million copies, and it earned gold record certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. Greaves also reached the Top 40 in early 1970 with "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me".[3]
Biography
Greaves was born in 1943 on the
Greaves had built a career both in the
The song is the story of a man who learns of his wife's infidelity and dictates a letter of separation to Maria, his secretary, who the last verse suggests may become his new love. The song has a distinct Latin flavor, complete with a mariachi-style horn section.[citation needed]
The record stayed in the
In the early 1970s, Greaves spent a lot of time in Southern California, and was often accompanied at live shows and on recordings by his longtime friends Phillip John Diaz, a guitarist, and Michael “Papabax” Baxter, a songwriter and keyboardist.
Greaves recorded a series of cover versions as follow-ups, including Burt Bacharach's and Hal David's "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" and Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale".[1] Greaves left the label in the 1970s in favour of Sunflower Records, and then signed to Bareback Records. His only chart release for the latter label was "Margie, Who's Watching the Baby".[5]
Death
Greaves died from
Discography
Albums
Year | Album | Peak chart positions[7] | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | US R&B | |||||
1969 | R.B. Greaves
|
85 | 24 | |||
1977 | R.B. Greaves
|
— | — |
Singles
Year | Single | Peak chart positions[8] | RIAA[9] | Album | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US | US R&B | US AC
|
AUS[10] | CAN | ||||
1969 | " Take a Letter, Maria "
|
2 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 3 | Gold | R.B. Greaves |
1970 | "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" | 27 | 50 | 3 | 48 | 12 | ||
"Fire & Rain" | 82 | — | — | 82 | 74 | Single only | ||
"Georgia Took Her Back" | 88 | — | — | — | 86 | |||
" Whiter Shade of Pale "
|
82 | — | — | — | 85 | |||
1972 | "Margie, Who's Watching the Baby" | 115 | — | — | — | — | ||
1977 | "Who's Watching the Baby (Margie)" | — | 66 | — | — | — | R.B. Greaves (1977) |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not certified
References
- ^ a b c Whitburn, Joel (1992). Fred Weiler (ed.). The Billboard Book of USA Top 40 Hits (5 ed.). Guinness. p. 204.
- ^ Slotnik, Daniel E. (3 October 2012). "R. B. Greaves, Pop Singer, Dies at 68". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
- ^ "R.B. Greaves Always Something There to Remind Me Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on 10 May 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
- ^ ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- ^ "Billboard charted singles" (PDF). Mike Curb website. p. 23. Retrieved 2 August 2009.
- ^ "R.B. Greaves, 'Take a Letter Maria' Writer and Singer, Dies at 68". The Hollywood Reporter. 5 October 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "Album chart listings for R.B. Greaves". AllMusic.
- ^ "Singles chart listings for R.B. Greaves". AllMusic.
- ^ "RIAA search results for R.B. Greaves". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2 August 2009.
- ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
External links
- R. B. Greaves at IMDb
- R. B. Greaves at AllMusic
- R. B. Greaves discography at Discogs