The Main Ingredient
Encyclopedia
The Main Ingredient is an American
soul
and R&B
group best known for their 1972 hit
song
, "Everybody Plays the Fool
".
, New York
in 1964 as a trio called the Poets, composed of lead singer Donald McPherson
, Luther Simmons, Jr., and Panama-born Tony Silvester. They made their first recordings
for Leiber & Stoller's Red Bird
label
, but soon changed their name to the Insiders and signed with RCA
. After a couple of singles
, they changed their name once again in 1968, this time permanently to the Main Ingredient, taking the name from a Coke
bottle.
The Main Ingredient then teamed up with record producer
Bert DeCoteaux. Under his direction, the Main Ingredient reached the R&B
Top 30 for the first time in 1970 with "You've Been My Inspiration." A cover
of The Impressions' "I'm So Proud" broke the Top 20, and "Spinning Around (I Must Be Falling in Love)" went into the Top 10. They scored again with the McPherson-penned black power anthem "Black Seeds Keep on Growing," but tragedy struck in 1971: McPherson, who had suddenly taken ill with leukemia
, died unexpectedly. Stunned, Silvester and Simmons regrouped with new lead singer Cuba Gooding, Sr.
, who had served as a backing vocalist
on some of their previous recordings and had filled in on tour during McPherson's brief illness.
The Gooding era began auspiciously enough with the million-selling smash "Everybody Plays the Fool," which hit number two R&B and number three pop
to become the group's biggest hit. sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
by the R.I.A.A. in September 1972. The accompanying album
, Bitter Sweet, became their first to hit the Top 10 on the R&B album chart; its follow-up, 1973's Afrodisiac
, featured several songs written or co-written by Stevie Wonder
, although it did not produce any huge successes on the singles charts. They peaked at number eight on the R&B chart in 1974 with "Just Don't Want to Be Lonely," which sold over a million copies,
and also reached number ten on the Billboard Hot 100
. The track peaked at number twenty-seven in the UK Singles Chart
in July 1974, although it was their only chart presence in the UK
. In 1975, the group recorded several songs co-written by Leon Ware
, including the R&B Top Ten "Rolling Down a Mountainside." By this point, however, Silvester was harboring other ambitions; he released a solo album called Magic Touch that year, and left the group to form a production team with DeCoteaux.
in 1977, which produced two albums; Simmons, meanwhile, left the music industry to work as a stockbroker. Gooding, Silvester and Simmons reunited as the Main Ingredient in 1979, and recorded two more albums, 1980's Ready for Love and 1981's I Only Have Eyes for You (the latter featured a minor hit in "Evening of Love"). The trio reunited for a second time in 1986, but their Zakia single "Do Me Right" flopped, and Simmons returned to his day job. He was replaced by Jerome Jackson on the 1989 Polydor
album I Just Wanna Love You. In the wake of Aaron Neville
's Top Ten revival of "Everybody Plays the Fool," Gooding resumed his solo career and issued his third album in 1993. Silvester and Simmons re-formed the Main Ingredient in 1999 with new lead singer Carlton Blount; this line-up recorded Pure Magic in 2001.
Silvester died after a six-year struggle with multiple myeloma
on November 27, 2006, at the age of 65.
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...
and R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
group best known for their 1972 hit
Hit record
A hit record is a sound recording, usually in the form of a single or album, that sells a large number of copies or otherwise becomes broadly popular or well-known, through airplay, club play, inclusion in a film or stage play soundtrack, causing it to have "hit" one of the popular chart listings...
song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
, "Everybody Plays the Fool
Everybody Plays the Fool
"Everybody Plays the Fool" is the title of a popular song written by J.R. Bailey, Rudy Clark and Ken Williams. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best R&B Song at the 1973 ceremony....
".
Early history
The group was formed in Akin Wilson HarlemHarlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
, New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1964 as a trio called the Poets, composed of lead singer Donald McPherson
Donald McPherson (disambiguation)
Donald McPherson may refer to:*Donald McPherson , Canadian figure skater*Don McPherson, American academic and former NFL and CFL football quarterback*Don Macpherson, provincial affairs columnist for the Montreal Gazette...
, Luther Simmons, Jr., and Panama-born Tony Silvester. They made their first recordings
Sound recording and reproduction
Sound recording and reproduction is an electrical or mechanical inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording technology are analog recording and digital recording...
for Leiber & Stoller's Red Bird
Red Bird Records
Red Bird Records was a record label started by American pop music songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller in 1964. Though often thought of as a "girl-group" label, female-led acts made up only 40% of the artist roster on Red Bird and its associated labels...
label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, but soon changed their name to the Insiders and signed with RCA
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
. After a couple of singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, they changed their name once again in 1968, this time permanently to the Main Ingredient, taking the name from a Coke
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
bottle.
The Main Ingredient then teamed up with record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Bert DeCoteaux. Under his direction, the Main Ingredient reached the 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,...
Top 30 for the first time in 1970 with "You've Been My Inspiration." A cover
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
of The Impressions' "I'm So Proud" broke the Top 20, and "Spinning Around (I Must Be Falling in Love)" went into the Top 10. They scored again with the McPherson-penned black power anthem "Black Seeds Keep on Growing," but tragedy struck in 1971: McPherson, who had suddenly taken ill with leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
, died unexpectedly. Stunned, Silvester and Simmons regrouped with new lead singer Cuba Gooding, Sr.
Cuba Gooding, Sr.
Cuba Gooding, Sr. is the lead singer of the soul group The Main Ingredient, most notable for its two biggest hits, "Everybody Plays the Fool" and "Just Don't Want to Be Lonely" . Gooding also had a brief solo career on Motown Records during the late-1970s and early-1980s...
, who had served as a backing vocalist
Backing vocalist
A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
on some of their previous recordings and had filled in on tour during McPherson's brief illness.
The Gooding era began auspiciously enough with the million-selling smash "Everybody Plays the Fool," which hit number two R&B and number three pop
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...
to become the group's biggest hit. sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the R.I.A.A. in September 1972. The accompanying album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Bitter Sweet, became their first to hit the Top 10 on the R&B album chart; its follow-up, 1973's Afrodisiac
Afrodisiac (Main Ingredient Album)
Afrodisiac is a funk/soul album by The Main Ingredient. Released in 1973 by RCA Victor, the album features several songs written or co-written by Stevie Wonder....
, featured several songs written or co-written by Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, although it did not produce any huge successes on the singles charts. They peaked at number eight on the R&B chart in 1974 with "Just Don't Want to Be Lonely," which sold over a million copies,
and also reached number ten on the 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 track peaked at number twenty-seven in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in July 1974, although it was their only chart presence in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. In 1975, the group recorded several songs co-written by Leon Ware
Leon Ware
Leon Ware is a soul music singer, songwriter and producer. Best known for crafting the hit album, I Want You, originally recorded for Ware, until friend and Motown icon Marvin Gaye was assigned to the album in 1976...
, including the R&B Top Ten "Rolling Down a Mountainside." By this point, however, Silvester was harboring other ambitions; he released a solo album called Magic Touch that year, and left the group to form a production team with DeCoteaux.
Later years
Silvester was replaced by Carl Tompkins, and Gooding departed for a solo career on MotownMotown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
in 1977, which produced two albums; Simmons, meanwhile, left the music industry to work as a stockbroker. Gooding, Silvester and Simmons reunited as the Main Ingredient in 1979, and recorded two more albums, 1980's Ready for Love and 1981's I Only Have Eyes for You (the latter featured a minor hit in "Evening of Love"). The trio reunited for a second time in 1986, but their Zakia single "Do Me Right" flopped, and Simmons returned to his day job. He was replaced by Jerome Jackson on the 1989 Polydor
Polydor Records
Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone...
album I Just Wanna Love You. In the wake of Aaron Neville
Aaron Neville
Aaron Neville is an American soul and R&B singer and musician. He has had four top-20 hits in the United States along with four platinum-certified albums...
's Top Ten revival of "Everybody Plays the Fool," Gooding resumed his solo career and issued his third album in 1993. Silvester and Simmons re-formed the Main Ingredient in 1999 with new lead singer Carlton Blount; this line-up recorded Pure Magic in 2001.
Silvester died after a six-year struggle with multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma
Multiple myeloma , also known as plasma cell myeloma or Kahler's disease , is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell normally responsible for the production of antibodies...
on November 27, 2006, at the age of 65.
Studio albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Record label | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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... |
|||||
| 1970 | L.T.D. | 200 | — | RCA RCA Records RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label... |
||
| 1971 | Tasteful Soul | 146 | 26 | |||
| Black Seeds | 176 | 35 | ||||
| 1972 | Bitter Sweet | 79 | 10 | |||
| 1973 | Afrodisiac | 132 | 16 | |||
| 1974 | Euphrates River Euphrates River (album) Euphrates River is the sixth album by American singing group The Main Ingredient. Released in 1974, the album charted at number 8 on the Soul albums chart in the U.S.- Track listing :#Euphrates - 4:44... |
52 | 8 | |||
| 1975 | Rolling Down a Mountainside | 90 | 3 | |||
| Shame on the World | 158 | 27 | ||||
| 1977 | Music Maximus | 177 | — | |||
| 1980 | Ready for Love | 207 | 69 | |||
| 1981 | I Only Have Eyes for You | — | — | |||
| 1989 | I Just Wanna Love You | — | 59 | Polydor Polydor Records Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone... |
||
| 2001 | Pure Magic | — | — | Magnatar | ||
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart | ||||||
Compilation albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | Record label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Greatest Hits | 205 | 32 | RCA RCA Records RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label... |
|
| 1976 | Super Hits | 201 | 46 | ||
| 1990 | Golden Classics | — | — | Collectables Collectables Records Collectables is a reissue record label founded in 1980 by Jerry Greene. Greene was previously associated with New York City's Times Square Record Shop, Philadelphia's Record Museum retail chain, and the Lost Nite and Crimson record labels.... |
|
| All Time Greatest Hits | — | — | RCA | ||
| 1996 | A Quiet Storm | — | — | ||
| 2005 | Everybody Plays the Fool: The Best of the Main Ingredient | — | — | Legacy Legacy Recordings Legacy Recordings is Sony Music Entertainment's catalog division. It was founded in 1990 by CBS Records under the leadership of Jerry Shulman, Richard Bauer, Gary Pacheco and Amy Herot to handle reissues of recordings from the vast catalogues of Columbia Records, Epic Records and associated... |
|
| 2007 | The Spinning Around: Singles 1967-1975 | — | — | Kent Ace Records (UK) Ace Records Ltd. was started in 1978. Initially the company only gained permission from the label based in Mississippi to use the name in the UK, but eventually also acquired the rights to publish their recordings. When Chiswick's pop side was licensed to EMI in 1984, Ace switched to more licensing... |
|
| "—" denotes the album failed to chart | |||||
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 |
US A/C |
||||
| 1965 | "I'm Stuck on You" (credited as The Poets) | — | — | — | ||
| 1966 | "Chapel Bells Are Calling" (credited as The Insiders) | — | — | — | ||
| 1967 | "I'm Better Off Without You" (credited as The Insiders) | — | — | — | ||
| "If You Had a Heart" (credited as The Insiders) | — | — | — | |||
| 1969 | "I Was Born to Lose You" | — | — | — | ||
| "Brotherly Love" | — | — | — | |||
| 1970 | "Can't Stand Your Love" | — | — | — | ||
| "You've Been My Inspiration" | 64 | 25 | — | |||
| "I'm Better Off Without You" (re-recorded version) | 91 | — | — | |||
| "I'm So Proud" | 49 | 13 | — | |||
| 1971 | "Spinning Around (I Must Be Falling in Love)" | 52 | 7 | — | ||
| "Black Seeds Keep on Growing" | 97 | 15 | — | |||
| "Another Day Has Come" | — | — | — | |||
| 1972 | "Everybody Plays the Fool Everybody Plays the Fool "Everybody Plays the Fool" is the title of a popular song written by J.R. Bailey, Rudy Clark and Ken Williams. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best R&B Song at the 1973 ceremony.... " |
3 | 2 | 25 | ||
| "You've Got to Take It (If You Want It)" | 46 | 18 | — | |||
| 1973 | "You Can Call Me Rover" | 101 | 34 | — | ||
| "Girl Blue" | 119 | 51 | — | |||
| 1974 | "Just Don't Want to Be Lonely" | 10 | 8 | 42 | ||
| "Happiness Is Just Around the Bend" | 35 | 7 | — | |||
| "California My Way" | 75 | 48 | — | |||
| 1975 | "Rolling Down a Mountainside" | 92 | 7 | — | ||
| "The Good Old Days" | — | 45 | — | |||
| "Shame on the World" | — | 20 | — | |||
| 1976 | "Instant Love" | — | 96 | — | ||
| 1980 | "Think Positive" | — | 69 | — | ||
| "Makes No Diff'rence to Me" | — | — | — | |||
| 1981 | "Evening of Love" | — | — | — | ||
| "I Only Have Eyes for You I Only Have Eyes for You "I Only Have Eyes for You" is a popular song by composer Harry Warren and lyricist Al Dubin, written in 1934 for the film Dames where it was introduced by Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler.... " |
— | — | — | |||
| 1982 | "Party People" | — | — | — | ||
| 1986 | "Do Me Right" | — | 75 | — | ||
| 1989 | "I Just Wanna Love You" | — | 15 | — | ||
| 1990 | "Nothing's Too Good for My Baby" | — | 29 | — | ||
| "—" denotes the single failed to chart | ||||||
External links
- The Main Ingredient on Soul Tracks