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The Spinners – It’s A Shame (1970) #4 R&B, #14 Pop
The Spinners had some mild success while at Motown, with a few R&B hits, but it wasn’t until Stevie Wonder gave them this song (co-written by a barely 20 year old Stevie Wonder and Lee Garrett) that they finally charted big.
Lucky for The Spinners, Motown still virtually ignored the group after this big hit and subsequently dismissed them, so that they were able to move on the Atlantic Records where they ultimately became a huge cross-over success in the music industry!
I, for one, first heard of The Spinners when my first beau introduced me to “It’s A Shame.” I played the grooves off of that 45 rpm whether he was visiting the house or not: it was just so good to listen to and to dance too!
Later, when the group had smash after smash hits at Atlantic — I also wore out those LPs, especially “The Spinners,” “Mighty Love” and “Live!,” while at college. Those are three of the best albums ever released IMHO. Every song was a gem – no duds.
Ah the good old days!
Read up on The Spinners then and now at their Official Web Site.
TRIVA: In addition to “It’s A Shame,” songwriter Lee Garrett also co-wrote Steve Wonder’s #1 R&B hit “Signed, Sealed and Delivered I’m Yours” and Jermaine Jackson’s #1 R&B hit “Let’s Get Serious.”
Musically Yours,
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Filed under: Guy Groups, It's A Shame, Motown/VIP, Pop/R&B, R&B/Motown, Seventies, Stevie Wonder & Lee Garrett, The Spinners
