Soul Strutter: Phillip Ballou [2017] - Ain't Nothing Like The Love / Are You For Real [Nefer #SDE30]

Phillip Ballou was born in Pittsburgh in Feb 1950 where he spent his early years singing gospel.

In the 70s he moved to New York and formed the group Revelation with Bennie Diggs and Arthur Freeman (from The New York Community Choir) and Arnold McCuller.

They recorded for RSO, achieving some US R&B chart success with 'You To Me Are Everything' (a cover of The Real Thing's pop hit the same year), 'Feel It' and 'Stand Up'. They also had a disco hit with 'Get Ready For This' which The Brothers 'adpated', as a more instrumental version, as 'Are You Ready For This' which was a huge NS tune back in the day (Blackpool Mecca) and reactivated in recent years. Phillip also sang on albums by NYCC on RCA and continued with Revelation until 1982.

He teamed up with UK soul music journalist David Nathan (Blues & Soul) and John Simmons, a former member of The Reflections (a 70s NY group who recorded on Capitol, whose biggest success was 'Three Steps From True Love' in 1975 written by J.R. Bailey and Ken Williams which sounds a bit like a faster version of Detroit Emeralds 'Do Me Right' to my ears), to write songs for a proposed solo record contract which didn't materialise. One of those songs was 'Ain’t Nothing Like The Love' which got interest from Thom Bell who presented it to The O’Jays but it was turned down by Kenny Gamble. However, John Simmons recorded his own version for a small independent label Sabina in 1981.

Phillip continued touring and recording with James Taylor and Todd Rundgren. He was also on sessions with George Benson, Billy Ocean, Kashif, Nona Hendryx, Jonathan Butler, Teddy Pendergrass and Melba Moore. In 1981 he began recording with Luther Vandross and became a part of Luther’s touring band for many years, as well as singing on Luther's productions for Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick and others. His association with Vandross continued until Luther’s stroke in 2003. He then returned to his gospel roots as Minister of Music at a Brooklyn church and passed away after a stroke a couple of years later, at the age of only 55, in March 2005.

Credit: Info extracted from Super Disco Edits promotional material.

In 2017 Super Disco Edits issued Ballou's previously unreleased version of the song on the Nefer imprint.

John Simmons [1981] - Ain't Nothing Like The Love [Sabina #106]

This is John Simmons' version released in 1981 on Sabina. John Simmons, as mentioned above, was a member of the NY group The Reflections from Harlem which was a quartet and included his brother Edmund, who he co-wrote the ballad 'Trust Me' recorded by Ace Spectrum on their 1975 'Low Rent Rendezvous' album. He became music director for Stephanie Mills but sadly died young, aged 45, in 1989.