Solar Records Radio Guest The Temprees Wardell Potts Jr Let's Talk Love Zone

Solar Records Radio Guest The Temprees Wardell Potts Jr Let's Talk Love Zone

Originally formed as The Lovemen, the trio - lead singer Jasper "Jabbo" Phillips, whose powerful falsetto featured on most of their recordings, Harold "Scotty" Scott and Deljuan "Del" Calvin - met in the mid-1960s, when they were in junior high school,[1] along with Larry Dodson, future lead singer of The Bar-Kays. The group was first signed to Stax Records in 1970 by producer Josephine Bridges on her 'We Produce' label. Later with the collapse of Stax, they moved briefly in 1976 to Epic Records, (a subsidiary of CBS), for two singles.

The band released three albums, Lovemen," Love Maze'," Temprees 3 on We Produce, mainly produced by Bridges, Stax executive/producer and former Motown engineer Tom Nixon and arranger-producer Lester Snell, a regular collaborator with Isaac Hayes. Their catalog was later re-released on CD,[2][3][4] along with a greatest hits compilation entitled, The Best of the Temprees.[5]

The trio's last hit was 1976's "I Found Love On A Disco Floor," their first release on Epic, again produced by Jo Bridges. .[6]

The band reunited in the 1990s and released a fourth original album on the small Memphis label, High Stacks in 2000 called "Because We Love You," produced by the group. Lead singer Jasper "Jabbo" Phillips died on February 21, 2001.[1] Jabbo was replaced by Del's brother Jerry "JC" Calvin. The Temprees' rendition of "Dedicated To The One I Love" was one of 50 songs featured in the double album box set, Stax 50th Anniversary Celebration in 2007.[7] This song was the group's biggest seller, reaching # 17 R&B and #93 pop in 1972.