NB This was originally posted on ModernSoul on 24th August 2009
Darrow Fletcher Haygood was born in Inkster, Detroit on 23rd Jan 1951. His cousin is another Northern Soul heroine Rose Battiste.
A child prodigy, Darrow Fletcher started singing when he was six years old. Everybody predicted stardom for the young crooner, who didn't have a shy bone in his body. He recorded his first record while still a student at Hirsch High School; he later attended South Shore. Ironically, the song turned out to be his most popular recording. "The Pain Gets a Little Deeper" was a rough song for a 14-year-old to get into, or so one would think, but Fletcher belted it out as if he had just gone through a knockdown, drag-out divorce. Travels took him to the celebrated chitlin' circuit, where he shared billings with other hot acts. He appeared on many television shows, not big ones like Dick Clark, but smaller soul shows like Ken Hawkins' World of Soul in Cleveland, OH, and Soul Train when it was Chicago-based.
At least three more singles on Groovy Records didn't come close to equaling the minimal success of his debut; he switched labels again and again, but sales never amounted to much. He recorded some solid singles, though; "Sitting There That Night" was a monster in Chicago, but never got much further than the city limits, due to Jacklyn Records' small budget. He cut "What Good Am I Without You" (1968) for the same label with the same results. Chicago's big city lifestyle, combined with his local success, got him flossy gigs at the Regal Theater with stars such as Stevie Wonder, Jimmy Ruffin, B.B. King, the Radiants, and others. His "The Way of a Man" (B-side of this listing) on Revue Records made CKLW's (Detroit/Windsor) heavy rotation, notching well into the station's Top 20 survey. Pushed and managed by his father, Fletcher tried but never signed to a label with deep pockets. He had two other releases on Revue Records that went totally unnoticed everywhere but at the Fletcher abode. In 1970, "Dolly Baby" b/w "What Is This" dropped on Uni Records, but made no noise. "Now Is the Time for Love" came out on Genna Records, another midget.
After a while, Fletcher gave up the dream. A Darrow Fletcher compilation isn't on the market, and despite all his recordings, he never made an album. Some of his songs can be found from time to time on Northern soul websites playable via Real Audio. Some select cuts are on various Northern soul compilations, mostly imports, which can be hard to come by in the States. Other notable recordings include "What Have I Got," "I've Gotta Know Why," "My Judgement Day," "Gotta Draw the Line," and "My Young Misery," the follow-up to "The Pain Gets a Little Deeper."
Andrew Hamilton, All Music Guide
Since the above was written (some time ago) by Andrew Hamilton, Kent in UK have rectified the compilation situation with the release of 2 CDs:
Crossover Records 1975-79 LA Sessions in 2013
The Pain Gets A Little Deeper - The Complete Early Years 1965-71
There is also another released in 1995 by Belgium's Marginal - which is essentially a collection of 29 sides of his single releases:
What Is This
Since the above was written (some time ago) by Andrew Hamilton, Kent in UK have rectified the compilation situation with the release of 2 CDs:
Crossover Records 1975-79 LA Sessions in 2013
The Pain Gets A Little Deeper - The Complete Early Years 1965-71
There is also another released in 1995 by Belgium's Marginal - which is essentially a collection of 29 sides of his single releases:
What Is This
Links to YouTube will open in a new page.
1966 | The Pain Gets A Little Deeper | Groovy | 3001 | A |
1966 | My Judgement Day | Groovy | 3001 | B |
1966 | My Young Misery | Groovy | 3004 | A |
1966 | I Gotta Know Why | Groovy | 3004 | B |
1966 | Gotta Draw The Line | Groovy | 3007 | A |
1966 | I Gotta Know Why | Groovy | 3007 | B |
1966 | That Certain Little Something | Groovy | 3009 | A |
1966 | My Judgement Day | Groovy | 3009 | B |
1966 | What Have I Got Now | Jacklyn | 1002 | A |
1966 | Sitting There That Night | Jacklyn | 1002 | B |
1967 | Infatuation | Jacklyn | 1003 | A |
1967 | Little Girl | Jacklyn | 1003 | B |
1967 | What Good Am I Without You | Jacklyn | 1006 | A |
1967 | Little Girl | Jacklyn | 1006 | B |
1968 | The Way Of A Man | Revue | 11008 | A |
1968 | I Like The Way I Feel | Revue | 11008 | B |
1968 | Gonna Keep Loving You | Revue | 11023 | A |
1968 | We Can't Go On This Way | Revue | 11023 | B |
1969 | Those Hanging Heartaches | Revue | 11035 | A |
1969 | Sitting There That Night | Revue | 11035 | B |
1970 | I Think I'm Gonna Write A Song | Congress | 6011 | A |
1970 | Sitting There That Night | Congress | 6011 | B |
1970 | When Love Calls | Uni | 55244 | A |
1970 | Changing By The Minute | Uni | 55244 | B |
1971 | What Is This | Uni | 55270 | A |
1971 | Dolly Baby | Uni | 55270 | B |
1971 | Now Is The Time For Love (Part 1) | Genna | 1002 | A |
1971 | Now Is The Time For Love (Part 2) | Genna | 1002 | B |
1975 | Try Something New | Crossover | 980 | A |
1975 | It's No Mistake | Crossover | 980 | B |
1976 | We've Got To Get An Understanding | Crossover | 983 | A |
1976 | This Time I'll Be The Fool | Crossover | 983 | B |
1978 | Improve | Atco | 7083 | A |
1978 | Let's Get Together | Atco | 7083 | B |
1979 | Rising Cost Of Love | Atlantic | 3600 | A |
1979 | Honey, Can I | Atlantic | 3600 | B |
2012 | No Limit | Kent Select | CITY 024 | A |
2012 | What Good Am I Without You | Kent Select | CITY 024 | B |
2018 | (Love Is My) Secret Weapon | Kent Select | CITY 053 | A |
2018 | How Can You Live Without Love | Kent Select | CITY 053 | B |
2019 | (Love Is My) Secret Weapon | Kent | TOWN 173 | A |
2019 | It's No Mistake | Kent | TOWN 173 | A |
2020 | (What Are We Gonna Do About) This Mess | Kent Select | CITY 068 | A |
2020 | Honey, Can I | Kent Select | CITY 068 | B |
Bonus Tracks
A previously unissued track taken from the recent Masterpieces Of Modern Soul compilation entitled
'Hope For Love'.
A few LP only tracks from Crossover Records 1975-79 LA Soul Sessions:'Hope For Love'.
'Sunny'
'(And A) Love Song'
'Election Day'
'Fever'
Darrow appeared at the legendary Cleethorpes Weekender in June 2006.
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