DARROW FLETCHER-THE PAIN GOES DEEPER-THE COMPLETE EARLY YEARS 1965-1971.
DARROW FLETCHER-THE PAIN GOES DEEPER-THE COMPLETE EARLY YEARS 1965-1971.
Once tasted, fame is something every singer wants more of. It’s like a drug, totally addictive. The more success a singer enjoys, the more they crave. Soon, they assume a sense self importance that dwarves their success. Suddenly they’re a parody of their former self. Bombastic and egotistical, they’ll sell your soul for further fame. The music becomes was but a means to an end. What they really wanted to experience was fame. They want people to hang on their every word. Having people hang on your every word boosts their already growing ego. People want to meet them, know them and spend time with them. They hope that some of their success rubs off. All the time, their ego grows. As we know, “ego has a hungry appetite, the more you feed it, the hungrier it gets.” However, nothing lasts forever. Certainly not fame.
Fame can be fleeting, a seductive temptress. All it takes is a couple of hit singles, and a singer’s life is transformed. Having grown to love, need and crave fame, sometimes, it slips through their hands. The hits dry up, their record company drops them and suddenly, concerts are harder to come by. Comebacks fail, the money dries up and all of sudden, they’re back pumping gas. After that, life is never the same. Still they crave fame and recognition. They want people to hang on their every word. Like an addict, the forgotten singer is still hooked on fame. Fame was the worst thing that happened to them. It really was “the best of times, the worst of times.” Dickens words are prophetic and could apply to any number singers. Luckily, they don’t apply to Darrow Fletcher, who not only enjoyed fame, but revisited it later in his career. Darrow’s first brush with fame came between 1965 and 1971, and is documented on Darrow Fletcher-The Pain Goes Deeper-The Complete Early Years 1965-1971. It was recently released by Kent Soul, an imprint of Ace Records, and I’ll tell you about it.
Darrow Fletcher was born in January 1951, in Inkster, Michigan. Aged three, his family moved to Chicago, where his mother married Johnny Haygood. He adopted Darrow and would help Johnny when he made his recording debut, aged just fourteen.
Having been singing since the age of six, Darrow made his recording debut aged just fourteen. He was still at high school, so a minor. This meant he needed someone to chaperone him when he attended recording sessions. Johnny Haygood, his stepfather, was happy to do this. However, when Darrow confided in him that he wanted to make music his career, Johnny decided to help his stepson make his dream a reality
Previously, Johnny was a car salesman, but to help his stepson, decided to enter the music business. He setup a series of companies. This included an independent companies. It would lease its productions to record labels. Johnny also founded a publishing company. With the production and publishing companies in place, Johnny’s company was open for business. He hired songwriter Maurice Simpkins, arranger Burgess Gardner and producer Ted Daniel. This carefully chosen team would guide Darrow Fletcher’s nascent career.
Aged just fourteen, Darrow recorded The Pain Gets A Little Deeper. It was a song written by Darrow and Ted Daniel. The Pain Goes Deeper was leased to New York label, The Groovy Label, which was run by three veterans of the music business. Sam and George Goldner and Kal Rudman had a long and successful track record. Among their success stories were Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers, The Chantels and The Shangri-Las. Groovy was their latest venture. It had been launched earlier in 1965. Unfortunately, it would only released ten singles. One of these was The Pain Gets A Little Deeper.
Released in December 1965, The Pain Gets A Little Deeper gradually climbed the charts. Eventually, it reached number eighty-nine in the US Billboard 100 and number twenty-three in the US R&B Charts. That’s no surprise. From the opening bars, it’s a song that swings. Handclaps, burst of blazing horns and rolls of drums accompany the youthful strains of Darrow Fletcher. His vocal is needy, as it grows in power and passion. Accompanied by an arrangement that grows in drama, the result is a hook-laden track features a vocal oozing in emotion.
My Judgement Day was the B-side to The Pain Gets A Little Deeper. Some DJs preferred Judgement Day. They flipped the single over and played it on radio. This gave Darrow a top twenty hit in Chicago. Written by Maurice Simpkins, It’s a song that paints disturbing picture. It’s a tale of life on the streets of Chi Town, seen through the eyes of a teenager. Emotion fills Darrow’s vocal as he sings of having to avoid gangs, who high of bravado and testosterone, egg each other on. Darrow’s vocal rises, as memories come flooding back, at having to dodge gangs, never knowing when he might be jumped, stabbed or worse. An evocative and poignant song, that sometimes, closely resembles The In Crowd.
Buoyed by the success of his debut single, Darrow headed out on tour. As a fifteen year old, he played the Harlem Apollo. During July 1966, he shared the stage with Stevie Wonder, B.B. King and David Ruffin in Philly. While the tour proved a success, his sophomore single wasn’t.
Darrow’s sophomore single was My Young Misery, which he wrote with Kal Rudman. On its release in 1966, it failed to replicate the success of The Pain Gets A Little Deeper. It explodes into life and is best described as a Northern Soul track full of teenage angst. This suits Darrow, who was still only fifteen. The B-side I’ve Gotta Know Why is quite different. It has a real Motown influence. That’s no surprise, as Darrow was accompanied by some of Motown’s studio band. Having watched his sophomore single flop, Darrow must have feared his career was going to be over before it began.
Gotta Draw The Line was chosen as Darrow’s third single. It was written by Richard Barrett, who managed The Three Degrees. They’d recorded the original. Then when Darrow covered the song, they rereleased the song and enjoyed a minor hit. Sadly, Darrow’s version didn’t chart. That seems strange. His version has a jaunty, breezy arrangement. He’s accompanied by cooing harmonies and stabs of braying horns, as he lays bare his soul. Maurice Simpkins’ I’ve Gotta Know Why was chosen as the B-side. This seems a waste. Here, Darrow delivers one of his best vocals of his nascent career. It’s a much more mature and expressive vocal. Hurt, heartache and bravado meet head on, as a confused Darrow wants and needs to know why his relationship is over. With his third single going the same way as its predecessor, Darrow, Johnny and everyone at Groovy must have wondered if success was just a friend who’d payed a fleeting visit.
That was and wasn’t the case. That Certain Little Something, which was penned by Karl Tarleton, was chosen as Darrow’s fourth single for Groovy. For the B-side, a decision was made to reuse My Judgement Day. It was as if Groovy weren’t willing to spend more money that was necessary on Darrow. Maybe they foresaw what was going to happen on its release in February 1967? Nationally, the single flopped. Regionally, it gave Darrow a minor regional hit. Again, the single deserved to fare better. Darrow’s vocal is sassy and feisty, while the trademark horns punctuate the arrangement. A welcome addition is the B.B. King style guitar riffs. They’re omnipresent on what is, one of Darrow’s finest cuts for Groovy. Sadly, this proved to be Darrow’s final release on Groovy.
Johnny Haygood wasn’t happy with the royalties Darrow was being paid. He’d tried getting a royalty statement from Groovy. When he got it, he wasn’t sure of their accuracy. After all, Darrow’s debut had been a number one song in certain states. With their relationship at breaking point, Johnny decided Darrow deserved better.
Deciding that the best forward was to form his own record company, Johnny founded Jacklyn. He ran the newly formed label out of a record shop he owned on the Windy City’s south side. Using the same arranger, producer and songwriter, it was business as usual. The only difference was, Johnny would know how many copies of a record had been sold.
For his Jacklyn debut, Darrow cut Sitting There That Night. It was a collaboration between Darrow and Johnny. Burgess Gardner and produced by Ted Daniel, it launched the new label. In Chicago alone, Johnny claimed 25,000 copies were sold. Unfortunately, distribution problems meant the nascent label didn’t have a huge hit. It could’ve and should’ve been a massive hit. It’s a song with made in Chi Town written all over it. Think Terry Callier and Curtis Mayfield and you’re not far away. Tender and heartfelt, with chinking guitars accompanying rasping horns and piano, it’s a musical coming of age for Darrow, who produces a career defining performance. Even the B-side, the Maurice Simpkins penned What Have I Got Now is something of a hidden gem. A fusion of influences and genres, it’s exotic, soulful and dramatic. Having rejuvenated his career at Jacklyn, Darrow needed to build on the momentum.
Infatuation was chosen as the followup to Sitting There That Night. Written by Darrow and Maurice Simpkins, the single wasn’t a success. Blamed on poor promotion, it’s a familiar story in the career of Darrow Fletcher, a song should’ve fared better. It didn’t, despite the driving, dramatic arrangement that reflects the Infatuation Darrow’s suffering from. Little Girl which Darrow and Johnny cowrote shows another side to Darrow. A slower, tender and needy vocal, horns envelop Darrow’s pleas, it’s a side of Johnny we should’ve heard more of. However, that wasn’t what Johnny and the Jacklyn team thought was best for Darrow.
What Good Am I Without You proved to be Darrow’s final release for Jackyn. Harry and Mary McNeil cowrote the song with Don Mancha. He was a musical entrepreneur. DJ, producer, manager, label owner and now songwriter, Don had tried everything. However, it was like most of the songs Darrow cut for Jacklyn and before that, Groovy. It was another uptempo track, driven along by a pounding beat. On top of that, sat Darrow’s impassioned vocal, while strings danced above him. Even bringing Mike Terry in to arrange the track didn’t work. It sank without trace. Jacklyn weren’t the record company Darrow needed. What he needed was a major.
There was no disputing Darrow’s talent. The problem was, he’d signed to labels who didn’t have the sales and distribution staff. To get Darrow’s career off the ground required a bigger budget than Groovy or Jacklyn. This is where MCA come in. They entered the market when they bought Decca in 1962. Since then, they’d embarked on an aggressive expansion plan. New labels were formed and new artists signed. Quickly, MCA were a player in soul and R&B. One of their new signings was Darrow Fletcher.
The Way Of A Man marked Darrow’s debut for MCA. It was released on their Revue imprint. Written by Maurice Simpkins and produced by Darrow, it didn’t chart nationally. Back home, it gave Darrow a minor hit in Chicago, showing promise. An outpouring of emotion, Darren’s soulful, heartfelt vocal is accompanied by bluesy horns. The B-side features a lovestruck Darrow on I Like The Way I Feel. Penned by Maurice Simpkins, it surpasses the quality of The Way Of A Man. Why it wasn’t chosen as the single seems strange. At least, Darrow seemed to be maturing with every release. Surely it was only a matter of time before he hit the jackpot?
For his second single for Revue, Those Hanging Heartaches, another Maurice Simpkins’ composition was chosen. On its release this beautiful ballad, where harmonies answered Darrow’s call, it failed to chart. A small crumb of comfort was it gave Darrow a hit in the Chicago charts. This was the last single Darrow released on Revue. Next stop was MCA’s Congress imprint.
Determined to make an impact on the New York based Congress, the Don Mancha composition I Think I’m Gonna Write A Song didn’t disappoint. Released in February 1970, it reached number forty-seven in the US R&B Charts, and gave Darrow a regional hit. A sultry, seductive coming of age from Darrow, it’s a song very much in the same vein as Al Green. As Darrow delivers a breathy vamp, it looks like his luck has changed.
That was the case. When Love Calls was released in July 1970. Written by John Moore and Jack Daniels, who’d established a reputation as successful songwriters, the song was a huge hit in Chicago. Johnny Haygood claimed it sold 65,000 in Chi Town alone. Despite this, this sultry bedroom ballad reached just number fifty-six in the US R&B Charts. What stopped the single being a huge hit was the age old problem, lack of promotion. History was repeating itself in more that one way.
Flip over to the B-side of When Love Calls, and you’ll find the jaunty Changing By The Minute. Like Darrow’s debut single, The Pain Gets A Little Deeper, some DJs preferred the B-side to When Love Calls. This helped sales of the single. With both sides of the single garnering radio play, it’s no surprise it gave Darrow one of the biggest singles of his career. An uptempo song, Darrow struts his way through the songs, soaring harmonies and sweeping strings accompanying him. Ironically, just as Darrow had released what was the most successful single of his spell at MCA, his career there was nearly over.
Dolly Baby was Darrow’s MCA farewell. It’s another song written by Don Mancha. Don supplied the song, while Darrow delivered a vocal that’s almost defiant. Whether he knew his days were numbered at MCA, it’s as if he’s saying: “look at what you’re losing.” Needy, pleading and dripping in emotion, Darrow is accompanied by equally heartfelt and soulful cooing harmonies. This proves a soulful and emotive way to says goodbye to MCA.
Following Darrow’s departure from MCA, Johnny Haygood decided to setup another label. It followed a now familiar pattern. Johnny named Genna after one of his daughters. For Darrow’s label debut, Now Is The Time For Love Pt 1 was chosen. Written by Johnny Moore and Bernard Reed, it was a much more innovative and contemporary song. Laden in drama, it’s a song that straddles the sixties and seventies. Everything from psychedelia, soul, jazz, gospel and funk is thrown into the mix. Add to that lyrics full of biting social comment delivered passionately and sincerely by Darrow and this should’ve marked a new chapter in his career. Sadly, that wasn’t case.
Now Is The Time For Love Pt 1 could’ve and should’ve marked the next chapter in Darrow Fletcher’s career. It innovative song that featured lyrics that were full of social comment. This was the way soul music was heading. Marvin Gaye and Gamble and Huff would be responsible for soul with a social comment. Even Motown had changed. Both Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye were given artistic freedom. This resulted in the best music of their career. Even The Temptations had gone psychedelic, producing music with an important social message. Darrow Fletcher could’ve followed in their footsteps.
All it needed was the right label behind him. With good songwriters supplying him with material, Darrow could make the music come alive. Blessed with a voice that can inject emotion, meaning, and energy into a song, lyrics come alive. It only takes one listen to Darrow Fletcher-The Pain Goes Deeper-The Complete Early Years 1965-1971, which was recently released by Kent Soul, an imprint of Ace Records and you’ll realize this. Whether its sadness or joy, hurt, heartbreak and happiness Darrow Fletcher can deliver this and more. Love songs, breakup songs and makeup songs Darrow delivers them with feeling. However, there’s more to his music than that. He can deliver a Northern Soul stomper. Grabbing the song by the scruff of its neck, he can make a good song a great, and an average song good. Not every singer can do this. Darrow Fletcher could, and did. Sadly, Darrow never enjoyed the success his talent deserved.
Just like many singers, Darrow never matched the success of his debut single The Pain Gets A Little Deeper. He enjoyed just two more US R&B hit single, I Think I’m Gonna Write A Song and When Love Calls. These three songs are the sum and total of the commercial success Darrow Fletcher enjoyed between 1965 and 1971. This is documented on Darrow Fletcher-The Pain Goes Deeper-The Complete Early Years 1965-1971.Granted there were a few regional hits, but nothing that matched the success of his debut single. Darrow was unfortunate. Fame visited him early in his career. He was just fourteen, and too young to enjoy it properly. After that, it made two fleeting visits. He briefly met that seductive temptress that is fame. Like many other singers, he enjoyed a tantalising taste of what fame had to offer. Although he never experienced its delights to the fullest, four years later, Darrow Fletcher glimpsed and tasted fame’s delights once more. Ray Charles rejuvenated his career and Darrow Fletcher did what very few singers do, and rekindled his acquaintance with fame once more. Standout Tracks: The Pain Gets A Little Deeper, The Way Of A Man, I Think I’m Gonna Write A Song and Now Is The Time For Love Pt 1.
DARROW FLETCHER-THE PAIN GOES DEEPER-THE COMPLETE EARLY YEARS 1965-1971.
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