Oliver Cheatham [2024] - Don't Pop The Question (If You Can’t Take The Answer) / Good Guys Don’t Make Good Lovers [Soul Junction #SJ555]

Two previously unreleased songs by Oliver Cheatham, until released on 45 by Soul Junction in 2012, are being reissued owing to demand. We are told that initially over 1,000 copies were sold, becoming the label's biggest seller and barely a week passes without the label receiving enquiries about it. There are currently only six for sale on Discogs all with an asking price of over £100.

Soul Junction are repressing 300 copies which go on sale on 5 Apr, so that you don't have to spend over £100 for a copy, but be quick as these will surely sell out fast, not only for the A side but the sweet soul ballad B side has also become sought after by the lowrider scene. 

Both songs were written by Cheatham and his cousin Bill Miller and recorded in Detroit around 1974/75. The A side, "Don't Pop The Question (If You Can’t Take The Answer)" is an in-demand modern soul dancer with the ballad flip "Good Guys Don’t Make Good Lovers".

Cheatham, from Detroit, may be, unfairly, considered a one hit wonder with his 1983 dance hit "Get Down Saturday Night" co-written with One Way's Kevin McCord. However, his career began much earlier than that in the mid 60s as a member of his future brother-in-law's, Allen Cocker, group the Young Sirs who recorded "There’s Something The Matter (With Your Heart)" on Magic City. Some sources state that he was also a member of Mad Dog & The Pups who also recorded on Ernest and Barbara Burt's label.

By 1971, Young Sirs became Butch & The Newports, Butch being Cheatham's nickname, with Cocker and Curtis 'Kippy' Henderson. They recorded just one single, of only five released on Black Rock, the best known from the label being perhaps Little Rena Scott's "I Just Can't Forget About You Baby". One of the sides on Black Rock was later released on another Marvin Figgins label, Grand Junction, under a new name for the group, The Gaslight, who released three singles for the label between 1971-73 and another, final, one later on Polydor in 1975 which Soul Junction maestro Dave Welding informs us was reputedly first released on local label T.E.A.I. 

Cheatham then became lead singer with Sins Of Satan, a group led by DJ/singer/producer Al Perkins (who also produced Al Hudson & The Soul Partners who became One Way), from the mid to late 70s who released three albums and four singles. By 1981 they evolved into Round Trip releasing an album and two singles before being named Oliver with two singles, "Everybody Wants To Be The Boss" and "Make Up Your Mind" in 1982.

His next release was his breakthrough under his own name with "Get Down Saturday Night" in 1983 which peaked at #37 R&B and #38 UK pop chart. A song sampling it was recorded 20 years later as "Make Luv" by Room 5 feat. Oliver Cheatham entering straight in at #1 on the UK pop chart in Apr 2003 staying their for 4 weeks and remaining on the chart for a total of 15 weeks. It was followed by "Music And You" the same year which made UK pop chart Top 40 at #38.

He had a further three R&B chart entries with "SOS" (#35 1986), "Celebrate Our Love" (#87 1986) and a duet with Jocelyn Brown "Turn Out The Lights" (#70 1990)  and recorded six albums before his demise of a heart attack in Nov 2013 aged 65.

The back story to the Soul Junction release, paraphrased from an article Dave Welding published, is this.

The two songs were discovered on an unreleased six track acetate bought on eBay by Italian collector Marco Cavenaghi. The only information on the recording was the name Pam Jackson handwritten on the sleeve, two of the tracks were by a female artist presumed to be Jackson who is unknown. 

Marco passed the acetate to DJ Olindo Di Tizio for radio play. He in turn took several cuts of the songs and passed them to several UK DJs hoping that further exposure would help identify the artist. It eventually fell at the feet of Dave Welding who had an inkling that it may be Oliver Cheatham. He used his contacts in Detroit, namely Janet 'Pixie' Wright a former session singer at Magic City and close friend of Cheatham's, who gave Dave his number. 

Dave called Cheatham and played both songs over the phone and he confirmed with excitement that it was indeed him singing and that he hadn't heard the songs for almost 40 years. After tracking down his cousin Bill Miller, Dave got agreement to lease both songs. 

Bill relayed that the acetate was cut at United Sound Studios, Detroit, after leaving The Gaslight, for a Motown producer's party Bill was invited to. Motown showed no interest in it although Bill later joined Motown as songwriter, arranger, producer, (he wrote "I Feel Sanctified" for Commodores also recorded by Wild Cherry). Bill then tried to get a deal for the record with Buddah without success.

How the acetate ended up on eBay is anyone's guess. Bill assumes that it must have been left at United Sound and sold off when the studio closed.

Available now to pre-order from Soul Junction for release on 5th Apr 2024.

Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.

Details

Rating:	8.4
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Modern Soul / Sweet Soul
Format:	Single / Reissue
Media:	7" Vinyl
Label:	Soul Junction
Cat No:	SJ555
Date:	05/04/2024
Key/BPM:	N/A
Price:	£13

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