The Artistics :: “Hope We Have” :: Northern Soul Monday
“Keep on pushing,
don’t look back,
Baby,
I know we can make it
if we’re on the right track.”
Welcome to this Week’s Installment of Northern Soul Monday, featuring the Best in Northern Soul Music Every Month, Every Week, Every Monday.
This Week we bring to you a B-Side that became a Stomping Northern Soul Hit, a Song from The Artistics called “Hope We Have”.
Press Play and have a Listen. You will swear that this is the A-Side, a ready-made Hit set to shoot out the stars and fill up a Northern Soul Dance Floor. Close your eyes and you can see the Dance Floor come alive.
Turn Up the Volume on this Quintessential Northern Soul Delight and see if you can stop yourself from Dancing. We bet you won’t be able to contain it.
The Artistics were an American R&B Vocal Group in the 60’s and 70’s. Their Biggest Hit Song was “I’m Gonna Miss You”, Recorded in 1966, and the A-Side to our Northern Soul Song Featured Today, “Hope We Have”.
The Group was Formed in 1958 at Marshall High School, in Chicago, Illinois, with a Line-Up of Curt Thomas (Lead), Larry Johnson (First Tenor), Jess Bolian (Second Tenor), and Aaron Floyd (Baritone Bass). In 1960 Thomas left and was replaced by Lead Singer Robert Dobyne. The Group Performed at the 1960 Democratic National Convention, and began Singing Backup for Major Lance, including on his Record, “Monkey Time”.
Record Producer Carl Davis signed the Group to Okeh Recrods in 1963, but their early Records were not successful. Dobyne left in 1964, later writing for The Temptations and Recording for Motown though his Recordings were not Released at the time.
Lead Singer duties were then taken over first by Charles Davis, previously of The Dukays, and then by Marvin Smith, previously of The El Dorados.
The Artistics had their First Local Hit with”Get My Hands on Some Lovin'”, Co-Written and First Recorded by Marvin Gaye, and followed it up with a more successful “This Heart of Mine”, written by Barrett Strong. It Reached # 25 on the Billboard R&B Chart following its release in Late 1965. The Group Released an LP, Get My Hands on Some Lovin’, in 1966, with several Tracks Written by Strong, but their next 2 Singles for Okeh were unsuccessful, and they moved to Brunswick Records where Carl Davis had become A&R Director.
“I’m Gonna Miss You”
Their 1st Record on the Label was “I’m Gonna Miss You”, Written by Smith, Bolian, and Johnson for the Group, and Produced by Carl Davis. It rose to # 9 on the Billboard R&B Chart, was # 55 on the Pop Chart by the end of 1966, and had Today’s Song as its B-Side.
Though the Group never achieved big success, their Albums are now regarded as high points of Chicago R&B Recordings of the Time and their Tracks are highly regarded by Fans of Northern Soul.
“Hope We Have”, by The Artistics, is # 11 of the Northern Soul Monday Installments. We hope you enjoyed “Hope You Have”, this Week’s Best of Northern Soul Music Song choice.
What are your thoughts on the Song? Did you Press Play more than once?
