A Letter to Myself
Encyclopedia
A Letter to Myself is the fifth studio album by American
soul
group The Chi-Lites
, produced and largely written by lead singer Eugene Record
. The album was released in 1973 on the Brunswick
label.
chart and #61 on Billboard Hot 100
. The title track was released as the second single and peaked at #3 on the R&B chart and #33 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was the third of four consecutive Chi-Lites albums to make the R&B
top 5 (reaching #4), but has only a moderate critical reputation, with none of the tracks being considered as strong as the highlights on (For God's Sake) Give More Power to the People
or A Lonely Man
.
Singles
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
group The Chi-Lites
The Chi-Lites
The Chi-Lites are a Chicago-based smooth soul vocal quartet from the early 1970s, one of the few from the period not to come from Memphis or Philadelphia...
, produced and largely written by lead singer Eugene Record
Eugene Record
Eugene Record was the American lead vocalist of the Chicago, Illinois based band, The Chi-Lites, during the 1960s and 1970s.He was born Eugene Booker Record in Chicago...
. The album was released in 1973 on the Brunswick
Brunswick Records
Brunswick Records is a United States based record label. The label is currently distributed by E1 Entertainment.-From 1916:Records under the "Brunswick" label were first produced by the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company...
label.
History
The first single released from the album was "We Need Order" and the song peaked at #13 on the R&BHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart and #61 on Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. The title track was released as the second single and peaked at #3 on the R&B chart and #33 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was the third of four consecutive Chi-Lites albums to make the R&B
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
top 5 (reaching #4), but has only a moderate critical reputation, with none of the tracks being considered as strong as the highlights on (For God's Sake) Give More Power to the People
(For God's Sake) Give More Power to the People
Give More Power to the People is the third studio album by American soul group The Chi-Lites, produced and largely written by lead singer Eugene Record. The album was released in 1971 on the Brunswick label.-History:...
or A Lonely Man
A Lonely Man
A Lonely Man is the fourth studio album by American soul group The Chi-Lites, produced and largely written by lead singer Eugene Record. The album was released in 1972 on the Brunswick label.-History:...
.
Track listing
Personnel
- Eugene RecordEugene RecordEugene Record was the American lead vocalist of the Chicago, Illinois based band, The Chi-Lites, during the 1960s and 1970s.He was born Eugene Booker Record in Chicago...
, Marshall ThompsonMarshall Thompson (Chi-Lites)Marshall Thompson is the leader of the Chicago based singing group, The Chi-Lites. He is the only remaining original member of the group after the death of Robert "Squirrel" Lester on January 22, 2010. He is a talented singer and multi-instrumentalist...
, Robert "Squirrel" Lester, Creadel "Red" Jones – vocals - Thomas (Tom Tom) Washington – piano
- Arthur Hoyle, Raymond Orr, Murray Watson – trumpets
- Murray Watson, Raymond Orr – flugelhorn
- Cliff Davis – baritone saxophone, flute, tenor saxophone, alto saxophone
- Gene Barge – alto saxophone
- Frank Robinson – tenor saxophone, flute
- William A. Adkins – tenor saxophone, piccolo
- Morris Ellis – trombone, bass trombone
- Ethel Merker, Julia M. Studebaker – french horn
- Bobby Christian, Floyd Morris – marimba, tympani, orchestra bells
- Floyd Morris – cello
- Sol Bobrov, Elliot Golab, Edward Green, Gerasim Warutian, Frank Borgognone, Roger Moulton, Johnny Frigo – violins
- Carl Fruh, Roger Malitz, Emil Mittermann – viola
- Eugene Record – electric bass, organ, electric guitar
- William Robinson – electric bass
- Rufus Reid – upright bass
- Cy Touff – harmonica
- Danny Reid – electric guitar
- Ron Steele – acoustic guitar
- Quinton Joseph – drums
Production
- Eugene Record – producer
- Thomas (Tom Tom) Washington – arranger, conductor, associate producer
- Bruce SwedienBruce SwedienBruce Swedien is a Grammy Award-winning audio engineer and music producer. He is known for his work with Quincy Jones.Swedien is a five-time Grammy winner and has been nominated 13 times. He recorded, mixed, and assisted in producing the best-sold album in the world, Thriller by Michael Jackson...
– audio engineer, associate producer - Quinton Joseph – associate producer, director
- Willie Henderson – director
- William Sanders – arranger
Charts
Album| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US R&B Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
||
| 1973 | A Letter to Myself | 50 | 4 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
||
| 1972 | "We Need Order" | 61 | 13 |
| 1973 | "A Letter to Myself" | 33 | 3 |
| "My Heart Just Keeps on Breakin'" | 92 | 46 | |
External links
- A Letter to Myself at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...