Thursday 23 June 2022

Rosetta Hightower born 23 June 1944

Rosetta Jeanette Hightower (23 June 1944 – 2 August 2014) was an American singer, and the lead singer of the 1960s girl group The Orlons. She was born in Philadelphia.

Her primary fame derived from being the lead singer of The Orlons, the prime American girl group who scored several Top 10 US hits between 1962 and 1964, including "The Wah-Watusi", "Don't Hang Up", "South Street", and "Not Me". In early 1962, The Orlons provided back-up vocals on Dee Dee Sharp's "Mashed Potato Time" (#2 pop, No. 1 R&B). That spring, they recorded "The Wah-Watusi" which, in July 1962, made it in the Billboard charts to the No. 2 spot. 

Around the same time, they recorded back-up vocals on Dee Dee Sharp's second hit, "Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes)" which went to No. 9. The follow-up to "The Wah-Watusi", "Don't Hang Up" reached No. 4 pop and No. 3 R&B in the fall and winter of 1962. The Orlons' first major performance was at New York's Apollo Theatre with The Crystals, Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans, Chuck Jackson, Tommy Hunt, and Gene Chandler. In 1963, they had hits with "South Street" (No. 3 Pop, No. 4 R&B) and "Crossfire" (No. 19 Pop, No. 25 R&B). 

                              

Hightower left the group in the late 1960s to pursue a solo career in the UK. She joined the ranks of the then-popular female session singers who backed many hit songs. This group included Madeline Bell, Lesley Duncan, Kiki Dee, and Sue and Sunny. She recorded with Joe Cocker on his With a Little Help From My Friends album. 

Moving permanently to England in 1970, Hightower married musician-producer Ian Green. She represented the US in Belgium for the first international singing contest ever held. She recorded a few singles and released, in 1971, a couple similarly titled albums. Hightower was by far the best of these, merging rock, soul, and folk-rock with stellar session musicians like Rick Grech, Harold McNair, Jim Price, and Bobby Keys. Although the other LP, Rosetta Hightower, was well done and well sung, it was devoted to Motown covers, rather than to more distinctive material that might have helped her make a name for herself as a solo artist. Also in 1971, she was a backing vocalist for John Lennon's "Power to the People". 

Rosetta Hightower Green died in Clapham, London, on 2 August 2014, aged 70. Her son, Ian Green, Jr., works as Paul Oakenfold's main co-producer and remixer. 

(Edited from AllMusic & Wikipedia) 

 

9 comments:

boppinbob said...

For “Rosetta Hightower – Rosetta Hightower (RPM 1976 remastered)” go here:

https://www.upload.ee/files/14258396/Rosetta_Hightower.rar.html

1 Abraham Martin And John
2 River Deep And Mountain High
3 I Don't Blame You At All
4 Stoned Love
5 Never Can Say Goodbye
6 Friendship Train
7 Ain't No Mountain High Enough
8 Tracks Of My Tears
9 Remember Me
10 Signed Sealed Delivered
11 I Heard It Through The Grapevine
12 Every Little Bit Hurts
Bonus Tracks
13 Pretty Red Balloons (1968)
14 How Can You Mistreat (The One You Love)
15 I Can't Give Back The Love I Feel For You
16 Big Bird
17 What’ll I Do (1969)

Original LP from Redifusion in 1971. Bonus tracks from 1968
Optional bonus track added by me (track 17) from1969.
Looking for her other album.

Guitarradeplastico,scraping oddities said...

Many thanks for Bonus tracks

Bob Mac said...

Thanks for this

Ray said...

Thanks for this, and a link from Funk My Soul site

http://www.easybytez.com/m4sc9y1qbvlu

Rosetta Hightower ‎- 1970 – Hightower

boppinbob said...

Hello Ray, I haven't got an easybytez account so I cant download it as its 8mb over the free download limit!
But thanks for the thought. So near and yet so far.
Regards, Bob

Ray said...

A couple of other links to try..

https://turbobit.net/qfmg68shhkqv.html

https://www22.zippyshare.com/v/Cj4fQkc8/file.html

file is the one from Funk My Soul

Ray

Ray said...

Just in case, i've uploaded to ..

https://www.upload.ee/files/14274478/Rosetta_Hightower__Hightower__1970__.zip.html

Ray

boppinbob said...


Hello Ray, Thanks so much for the links. Any one of the other 3 you gave would have done.
Here's The Track List for "Hightower"(1970):

1. Why
2. True Love Adventure
3. My Back Yard
4. Michael
5. Black Bird
6. One Thousand Nine Hundred & Seventy Years
7. We've All Been Together
8. Time Of Year
9. Selfish Woman
10. What A Day It's Been
11. Another Uneventful Day
12. Rocking Chair

LT said...

Had no luck with any of the above links for the "Hightower" LP but in the meantime funkmysoul has reposted it with a new pixeldrain link. Thank you for this wonderful blog!

https://pixeldrain.com/u/DcVAnHKD