From BOBBY KING
Written by Michael Price & Daniel Walsh
Bobby King was an American soul/R&B singer. King first achieved some popularity in the early seventies as half of a singing duo with Terry Evans. Later that same decade, King became a session singer for important acts including Ry Cooder, Maria Muldaur and Boz Scaggs.
In the early eighties, while still working as a live and session vocalist, King released two favorable solo albums. His 1981 self-titled debut was produced by Steve Barri and presented a good number of songs along the lines of Johnny Mathis and Al Jarreau. King delivered an impressive number of high-profile names consisting of Michael Omartian, who arranged the bulk of Bobby King, and Jay Graydon, who crafted a couple of tunes. On those two songs, “A Fool And His Love” and “If You Don’t Want My Love,” Graydon asked his friend David Foster to play acoustic piano.
“A Fool And His Love” was a nice ballad co-written by Michael Price and Daniel Walsh. That song proved to be a nice showcase for King’s gospel-tinged voice while being accompanied by Foster’s masterful work on piano.
The second composition arranged by Graydon, “If You Don’t Want My Love,” was also co-written by Price and Walsh. “If You Don’t Want My Love” was a delicious up-tempo along the lines of the trademark quality pop that the Airplay guys were delivering during those days. “If You Don’t Want My Love” offers another convincing lead vocal by the soul singer while being supported by an array of backing vocalists consisting of Bill and Tamara Champlin, Venette Gloud and Carmen Twillie. The bouncy backing track was delivered by Foster, Graydon and an all-star cast of musicians that included Omartian on keyboards, Abraham Laboriel on bass and Ed Greene on drums.
Although its potential was pretty evident to those who were lucky enough to hear it, Bobby King went mostly unnoticed at the time of its release. To give the album some justice, UK’s soul label, Expansion Records, re-released a single in 2018 from Bobby King. That single included “If You Don’t Want My Love” with another refined mid-tempo titled “Lovers By Night.”
Listen
- Lead Vocals: Bobby King
- Acoustic Piano: David Foster
- Keyboards: Michael Omartian
- Guitars: Jay Graydon
- Bass: Abraham Laboriel
- Drums: Ed Greene
- Percussion: Victor Feldman & Paulinho Da Costa
- Background vocals : Bill Champlin, Venette Gloud, Carmen Twillie, Tamara Champlin, Willie Green Jr., Maxine Willard Waters, Julia Tillman Waters & Stephanie Spruill
- Rhythm Tracks Arranged by Jay Graydon
- Strings & Horns Arranged by Michael Omartian
- Produced by Steve Barri with Michae Price & Daniel Walsh
Lyrics
No Lyrics