The Friends of Distinction

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The Friends of Distinction
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Years active1968–1975
LabelsRCA Records
Past membersFloyd Butler
Dani McCormick
Harry Elston
Dianne Jackson
Charlene Gibson
Jessica Cleaves
Barbara Jean Love

The Friends of Distinction were an American

hits, "Grazing in the Grass", "Love or Let Me Be Lonely", and "Going in Circles
".

Career

The Friends of Distinction formed in 1968 in Los Angeles with original members Floyd Butler (June 5, 1937 – April 29, 1990), Harry Elston (born November 4, 1938),

The Fifth Dimension
.

The Friends of Distinction were discovered by American football player Jim Brown, who also discovered Earth, Wind & Fire [citation needed], and were signed to RCA Records.

The Friends' first major hit, "

gold record went Top 5 on both the pop and soul charts in the U.S., peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June.[2] The follow-up ballad "Going in Circles" also charted highly, hitting No. 15 in November.[2]

When Love took time off during her pregnancy, Charlene Gibson replaced her, singing lead on the Friends' third hit, "

Check It Out" and a cover of Neil Sedaka's "Time Waits for No One
".

The group quit touring in 1976, and broke up soon afterward. Cleaves sang with Earth, Wind & Fire for a number of years.

"Going in Circles" has been covered by Isaac Hayes, The Gap Band and Luther Vandross, and "Love or Let Me Be Lonely" by Paul Davis.

In 1990, Elston and Butler planned to revive the Friends of Distinction, but Butler suffered a heart attack and died at the age of 52 on April 29 of that year. He had already

Tavares
. Elston formed a new quartet, also called The Friends of Distinction, and the group continues to give live performances.

Jessica Cleaves died on May 2, 2014, from a stroke at the age of 65.[3]

Discography

Studio albums

Year Title Peak chart positions Record label
US Pop
[4] 		US
R&B
[5] 		CAN
[6]
1969 Grazin' 35 10 17 RCA
Highly Distinct 173 14 —
1970 Real Friends 68 9 49
Whatever 179 42 —
1971 Friends & People 166 — —
1973 Love Can Make It Easier — — —
1975 Reviviscence – Live to Light Again — — —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Compilation albums

  • Greatest Hits (1973, RCA Victor)
  • Golden Classics (1989, Collectables)
  • Best of the Friends of Distinction (1996, RCA)
  • Going in Circles (2005, RCA/Sony BMG)

Singles

Year Title Peak chart positions
Certifications
 Album
US Pop
[7] 		US
R&B
[8] 		US
A/C
[9] 		AUS
[10] 		CAN
[6]
1969 "Grazing in the Grass" 3 5 — 98 5 Grazin'
"
Going in Circles
" (A-side) 		15 3 — — 24
"Let Yourself Go" (B-side) 63 — — — 34 Highly Distinct
1970 "Love or Let Me Be Lonely" 6 13 9 55 2 Real Friends
"Time Waits for No One" 60 37 — — 37 Whatever
1971 "I Need You" 79 28 — — — Friends & People
"Down I Go" — — — — —
"Let Me Be" — — — — —
1972 "Love Is the Way of Life (The Humble Stranger)" — — — — — non-album track
"Thumb Tripping (I'll Be Movin' On)" — — — — — Love Can Make It Easier
1973 "Easy Evil" — — — — —
"Love Can Make It Easier" — — — — —
1975 "Honey Baby Theme" — — — — — Honey Baby, Honey Baby
"Love Shack (Opened Up a Shop) Pt. 1" — — — — — Reviviscence – Live to Light Again
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 0-85112-939-0
    .
  2. ^
    ISBN 0-214-20512-6
    .
  3. ^ "Former Earth Wind & Fire and Friends of Distinction singer Jessica Cleaves dies at age 65". Soultracks.com. May 2, 2014. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
  4. ^ "The Friends of Distinction: Billboard 200". Billboard.com. January 22, 2015. Archived from the original on July 14, 2019.
  5. ^ "The Friends of Distinction: Top R&B Albums". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2019.
  6. ^ a b "The Friends of Distinction". Bac-lac.gc.ca. RPM. July 17, 2013.
  7. ^ "The Friends of Distinction: Hot 100". Billboard.com. September 12, 2008. Archived from the original on July 14, 2019.
  8. ^ "The Friends of Distinction: Hot R&B Songs". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2019.
  9. ^ "The Friends of Distinction: Adult Contemporary Songs". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on July 14, 2019.
  10. ISBN 0-646-11917-6
    .
  11. ^ a b "US Certifications > The Friends of Distinction". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 26, 2014.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Friends_of_Distinction&oldid=1201336304"