Belated reports are coming in that Booker Newberry III has died on 5 Apr
2023 aged 67. The sad news was relayed by his younger brother Byron on his facebook page. A musical tribute was held in his hometown of Youngstown, OH, on Sat (15 Apr '23) and his funeral was held today (17 Apr) at New Vision New Day Ministry, Youngstown at 12 noon.
Booker Taliaferro Newberry III is best known to a UK audience for his Top 10 hit "Love Town" in the summer of 1983 which he followed up with "Teddy Bear" which reached #44 in Oct. that year.
He began his career in the 70s with a group called Mystic Nights from
Ohio (unconfirmed). In the mid 70s he moved to Philadelphia and joined Sweet
Thunder who released 3 albums and around 5 singles between 1976-79 on
Fantasy/WMOT. Only two of these singles made any impact on the US R&B
chart, "Baby, I Need Your Love Today" (#21) (regarded as a quiet storm/slow jam classic) and "I Leave You Stronger" (#63), but many will remember the group for "Everybody's Singin' Love Songs" which was a big club tune in the late 70s, which was released in
between the two chart entries, and I'm surprised that it didn't enter
R&B chart. it was their only UK release. Their last single was 'Love's Embrace'.
All Music (which has been cut and pasted into Wiki) claims that Newberry then
joined Impact, but I'm not sure that is correct as the group's releases
were concurrent with Sweet Thunder between 1976-77, unless he sang with
them but they never recorded any further material.
Impact were originally called The Young Vandals/The Vandals (prior to
that The Shades Of Formation) who released 3 singles on The Isley
Brothers' T- Neck label. They broke up in 1970 but reformed in 1975 and
changed their name to Impact when Damon Harris re-joined them from The Temptations, who he joined in 1971.
There is an Impact single listed by Discogs from 1988 but 'if' that's even
the same Impact, which I doubt as 45Cat has them listed separately as from
Washington D.C., Newberry had gone solo by that time releasing an album in
1983 and 1996. Incidentally the Impact 1988 track 'I'm Here' is pretty good, it was written by Al Johnson.
Sweet Thunder
Released three albums (the last two arranged and produced by Larry
James of Fat Larry's Band) and five singles between 1976-79.
Albums
1976 - Above The Clouds (Full Album here)
1978 - Sweet Thunder (Full Album here)
1979 - Horizons
Singles
1976 Honey Bee / Stop What You're Doing [WMOT #WM-4004]
1978 Baby, I Need Your Love Today / I Don't Care What You Say [Fantasy/WMOT #F-826]
1978 Everybody's Singin' Love Songs / Joyful Noise [Fantasy/WMOT #F-836]
1979 I Leave You Stronger / What's The Sound [Fantasy/WMOT #F-860]
1979 Love's Embrace / Rock [Fantasy/WMOT #F-875]
A great 2019 cover of Baby, I Need Your Love Today by Frank Greene. Booker Newberry III also re-recorded it for his 1996 album Power
People see below.
Booker Newberry III
Albums
Singles
His solo singles are a bit sketchy as it would appear that several were
not released in US.
1983 - Boom Boom / Boom Boom (Reprise) [Power Play #PP-1300] (as Newberry US
only)
1983 - Love Town / Doin' What Comes Naturally [Boardwalk #NB 12-183-7]
1983 - Teddy Bear / Teddy Bear (Inst) [Polydor #POSP 637] (UK & Europe only
&2 & 12")
1984 - Shadows / Shower Of Love [Malaco #MAL 28] (UK only 7" & 12 ")
1984 - I Get Romantic [Buzz #VIBE 6T] (UK & Germany only)
1986 - Take A Piece Of Me [Omni #0-96820] (US & UK)
A selection of some of his best tracks and some video performances.
1978 - Baby, I Need Your Love Today
1979 - I Leave You Stronger
I doesn't sound like Newberry on lead vocals (possibly Charles Buie who
co-wrote the song with Larry James (Fat Larry's Band)) on this track
which was their only other R&B chart entry after "Baby I Need Your
Love Today".
1979 - Love's Embrace
Another co-written by Charles Buie and Larry James (Fat Larry's
Band)
1979 - It's You That I Need
An album only track from "Horizons".
1983 - Love Town
1983 - Love Town (Froggy Mix)
Froggy (Steven Howlett) was a big UK soul DJ in the late 70s/early 80s
with a residency at one of he top clubs in the South East 'The Royalty' in
Southgate. He became a member of 'The Soul Mafia' alongside Robbie
Vincent, Chris Hill, who DJ'd at the legendary Caister Weekenders.
1986 - Take A Piece Of Me
Reminds me a bit of of Luther's "Never Too Much".
1996 - Baby
A 1996 re-recorded version of the Sweet Thunder single "Baby, I Need Your Love Today" from 1978.
1997 - Since You've Gone [Society Hill]
A previously unreleased track issued on a compilation CD The Best Of
Society Hill in 2008.
A live performance uploaded to YouTube in 2016. Just three tracks: "Love
Town", a gospel song and the full 9 min version of "Baby I Need Your Love
Today".
A selection of singles and album tracks
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