Soul Strutter: NS572 The Wonderettes [1965] - I Feel Strange [Ruby E-5065-A]

Sunday, 12 December 2010

NS572 The Wonderettes [1965] - I Feel Strange [Ruby E-5065-A]

572 The Wonderettes [1965] - I Feel Strange [Ruby E-5065-A]

b/w Wait Until Tonight

Format: 45

Label: Ruby / United Artists

CatNo: E-5065-A / UA-944

Year: 1965

Value:

A cracking mid sixties Detroit sound that could have come straight out of Studio A (Motown).

The Wonderettes was a Detroit girl group founded in 1963 by song-writer Johnny Robert Thornton, and Jack Thomas, and managed by Bob Schwartz (owner of Ruby label, and perhaps Enterprise?).

Members were Rose Johnson-Thornton, Lavernah Williams, and Joan Rutledge

The Wonderettes are a bit of a mystery although it would appear they did a lot of work locally in Detroit backing other artists. The record was originally issued on Ruby and then reissued on United Artists in Sept 1965. They had a few other recordings before falling into obscurity.

After recording on local labels Enterprise (1964) Work Out Fine / Love' Got A Hold On Me and Ruby (1965) I Feel Strange / Wait Until Tonight. I Feel Strange got national release on United Artists presumably afer selling well locally on Ruby. There was a follow-up in 1965 Mend My Broken Heart / And If I Had My Way on United Artists after I Feel Strange made it to the Billboard charts. For this release the name was changed to Rose St. John & The Wonderettes. Another release on Veep I Know The Meaning / Fool Don't Laugh and a final release backing Johnnie Mae Matthews as Johnnie Mae Matthews & The Wonderettes - Cut Me Loose / Lonely You'll Be followed in 1967 even though there doesn't appear to be any backing vocals on Lonely You'll Be!

A few titbits from a discussion on the Soulful Detroit forum

Johnnie Mae Matthews recorded with them but could shed no light on them, Joe Hunter was involved in the Ruby recording but had no idea who they were, Bob Schwartz owned the Ruby label.

The Wonderettes [1965] - Wait Until Tonight [Ruby E-5065-A]

Unfortunately I can only find a low quality clip of the flip until a better one is posted.

The Wonderettes [1964] - Work Out Fine / Love's Got A Hold On Me [Enterprise #E-5025]

They had an earlier release on Detroit label Enterprise:

No YouTube clip available for 'Work Out Fine'

Johnnie Mae Matthews & The Wonderettes [1967] - Lonely You'll Be [Atco # 45-6528 / Art #YT 002]

Strangely there doesn't appear to be any backing vocals on the Johnnie Mae Matthews track (credited as the Wonderettes) but does on the same song recorded by Calvin Williams (with no credits)!