R. B. Greaves
| R.B. Greaves | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Ronald Bertram Aloysius Greaves III |
| Born |
November 28, 1943[1] Georgetown, Guyana |
| Origin | Georgetown, Guyana, but a native-born U.S. citizen |
| Died |
September 27, 2012 (aged 68) Granada Hills, California |
| Genres | Pop music |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1969 - 70s |
| Labels | Atco Records, Bareback, Sunflower Records |
| Associated acts | Sam Cooke |
Ronald Bertram Aloysius "R. B." Greaves III (November 28, 1943 - September 27, 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".
Biography
Greaves was born in 1943 on the U.S. Army Air Forces base at Georgetown, Guyana.[1] A nephew of Sam Cooke, he grew up on a Seminole Indian reservation in the United States, but he moved to England in 1963.[3] Greaves had built a career both in the Caribbean and in the UK, where he performed under the name Sonny Childe with his group The TNTs. His debut recording "Take a Letter, Maria" was released under the name R.B. Greaves and produced by the president of Atlantic Records, Ahmet Ertegün. The song is the story of a man who had learned of his wife's infidelity the night before and then dictates a letter of separation to Maria, his ostensibly Latina secretary, who may, from the words near the end of the last verse, become his new love. This song has a distinct Latin flavor, complete with a mariachi-style horn section.
The record stayed in the Billboard chart for 15 weeks in the United States, selling a million copies. It received gold record certification from the R.I.A.A. on December 11, 1969.[3] By 1970, sales of this song totalled 2.5 million.[3]
Greaves was often accompanied in Southern California and vicinity by his long time guitarist/band leader Phillip John Diaz and keyboardist/songwriter Mike Baxter.
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 favor of Sunflower Records, and then signed to Bareback Records. His only chart release for the latter label was "Margie, Who's Watching the Baby".[4] Greaves died from prostate cancer, in Granada Hills, California, on September 27, 2012 at the age of 68.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | Peak chart positions[5] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | |||||
| 1969 | R.B. Greaves
|
85 | 24 | |||
| 1977 | R.B. Greaves
|
— | — | |||
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions[6] | RIAA[7] | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | US AC | ||||
| 1969 | "Take a Letter Maria" | 2 | 10 | 3 | Gold | R.B. Greaves |
| 1970 | "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" | 27 | 50 | — | — | |
| "Fire & Rain" | 82 | — | — | — | single only | |
| "Georgia Took Her Back" | 88 | — | — | — | ||
| "Whiter Shade of Pale" | 82 | — | — | — | ||
| 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
- 1 2 3 Whitburn, Joel (1992). Fred Weiler, ed. The Billboard Book of USA Top 40 Hits (5 ed.). Guinness. p. 204.
- ↑ "R. B. Greaves, Pop Singer, Dies at 68". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-10-08. (subscription required (help)).
- 1 2 3 Murrells, Joseph (1978). The Book of Golden Discs (2nd ed.). London: Barrie and Jenkins Ltd. p. 259. ISBN 0-214-20512-6.
- ↑ "Billboard charted singles" (PDF). Mike Curb website. p. 23. Retrieved 2009-08-02.
- ↑ "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.