Patti Drew "Workin' On A Groovy Thing…" The Best Of (Capitol 1963-1969)

With a 25-track release for a recording artist who had exactly five songs make the U.S. national charts for Capitol Records from 1964 to 1969, one might think that EMI would ensure that it included all five hits and their B-sides. Well, they came close. All five hits are here for Patti Drew, born in Charleston, South Carolina and who just missed becoming a New Year's baby by coming into this world on December 29, 1944.After the family moved first to Nashville and then Evanston, Illinois, Patti and sisters Lorraine and Erma began singing Gospel at church and it just so happened that a colleague of their mother, who also worked for Capitol Records, heard them perform and convinced them to record a tune written by Carlton Black, Tell Him (not the same tune as the 1963 hit by The Exciters). With Black joining them as bass vocalist (he would marry Erma), and calling the act The Drew-Vels, Tell Him barely nudged the Billboard Pop Hot 100 in February 1964 on Capitol F5055 b/w Just Because, both backed by the Don Caron orchestra.
However, two things have to be taken into consideration for the overall poor showing: this was unmistakably a tune that would fit into the R&G genre and it just so happened that Billboard had suspended those charts from late 1963 and throughout all of 1964, so you just know it would have gone much higher on those listings; also, by then in 1964 the British Invasion was underway and only the very best North American acts were finding room on the Pop charts, a situation that would extend into 1965.
Patti then went solo with the tiny Quill Records in 1966, cutting Sufferer/Where Is Daddy? (Quill 101) without national success. She then went back to Capitol and, with both Black and the Caron orchestra (but without her sisters) re-cut Tell Him and this time it reached # 22 R&B and # 85 Hot 100 in October/November 1967 on Capitol 5861 b/w a re-release of the original Just because. Here, we get both versions of Tell Him, as well as the Quill cuts, but not Just Because.
Her next taste of national success didn't come until July/August 1968 when a song co-written by Neil Sedaka, Workin' On A Groovy Thing, peaked at # 34 R&B/# 62 Hot 100 (her best Pop showing) on Capitol 2197 b/w Without A Doubt. The hit side is here but not the B-side. That same December she then had Hard To Handle just make the R&B Top 40 at # 40, and a disappointing # 93 Hot 100 on Capitol 2339 b/w Just Can't Forget About You, and both sides are included. Her final hit, The Love That A Woman Should Give To A Man, ended up at # 38 R&B and # 119 Hot 100 Bubble Under in June 1969 on Capitol 2473 b/w a nice rendition of Save The Last Dance For Me - which is omitted here.
Other tracks in this collection, assembled by Tony Rounce and Bob Fisher who also contributed to the informative liner notes, are either failed singles or culled from her three Capitol LPs (see Comments below which shows the contents of each album with an asterisk (*) preceding those titles included in this release).
Patti apparently quit the business in 1971. (George O’Leary, Allmusic)

trax:
01 Tell Him 02 Stop And Listen 03 I Can't Shake It Loose 04 Where Is Daddy 05 My Lover's Prayer 06 Suffer 07 Keep On Movin' 08 There'll Never Be Another 09 Workin' On A Groovy Thing 10 Beggar For The Blues 11 Fever 12 Hard To Handle 13 Just Can't Forget About You 14 I've Been Here All The Time 15 Midnight Confessions 16 A Guy Like You 17 The Love That A Woman Should Give To A Man 18 He's The One 19 Which One Should I Choose 20 Wild Is Love 21 Hundreds And Thousands Of Guys 22 It's Just A Dream 23 It's My Time (The Drew-Vells, 1964) 24 I've Known (The Drew-Vells, 1964) 25 Tell Him (The Drew-Vells, 1964)
…served by Gyro1966...