Jo Armstead

Biography

Singer/songwriter Jo Armstead’s biggest strike was “Rock Cold Fan.” She also co-wrote Ray Charles’ number 1 R&B traditional “Let’s Obtain Stoned” with Ashford and Simpson, Ruby Andrews’ TOP R&B smash “Casanova (Your Playing Times Are Over),” and Garland Green’s yellow metal single “Jealous Sort of Fella.” Created Josephine Armstead on Oct 8, 1944, in Yazoo Town, MS, she became a member of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue in 1961 performing background vocals among the Ikettes who got a 1962 number 3 R&B strike with “I’m Blue (The Gong-Gong Music)” on Atco Information. Relocating to NEW YORK, she started collaborating with Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson who have been staff authors for the posting branch of Scepter/Wand Information. Other Armstead/Ashford/Simpson tracks had been “Too Hot to carry,” “The Footwear Won’t Match,” and “GENUINE” by Betty Everett on VeeJay; the latter was a 1965 quantity 20 R&B strike by Tina Britt on Eastern. In 1967, Armstead shifted to Chicago from NY and formed Large Productions with her fresh spouse, Mel Collins. The label, which released releases for the Large, World, and Gamma imprints, got offices at 56th and Maryland, after that 81st and Cottage Grove. The designer roster included Ruby Andrews, Garland Green, Fenton Robinson, Small Jimmy Scott, Shirley Wahls, Smokey Smothers, and Armstead herself, documenting as Joshie Jo Armstead or Jo Armstead. Their 1st strike, Carl Carlton’s “Stop by My Place,” was documented in Detroit with arranger Mike Terry. Hollandale, MS, indigenous Ruby Andrews’ “Casanova (Your Playing Times Are Over),” released on Ric Williams’ Zodiac label, strike quantity nine R&B in the summertime of 1967. Armstead had written, produced, and documented the Terry-arranged “Rock Cold Enthusiast,” which visited quantity 28 R&B in springtime 1968. Giant’s singular million-selling solitary was Garland Green’s “Jealous Sort of Fella,” that was leased to MCA’s Uni label and peaked at quantity five R&B on Billboard’s graphs in summer season 1969. By 1970, Large was no more active. Armstead came back to NY, but was back Chicago from the past due ’80s, controlling boxer Alonzo Ratliff. Her additional singles had been “I AM FIRED UP,” “There’s VERY FEW Even more,” “I’m Gonna DEMONSTRATE” b/w “I AM FIRED UP” or “NEVER REALLY HAD It SUCH AS THIS,” “This which” b/w “No Better for Ya,” and “Stumblin’ Blocks, Steppin’ Rocks (What Took Me SUCH A LONG TIME)” as Joshie Jo Armstead and “Trip out the Surprise,” both on Stax subsidiary Gospel Truth.

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