Joshie Armstead

A spirit music evergreen who’s experienced the music business since her past due teens working like a backing vocalist, single singer, songwriter, and record and publishing company owner, you name it she’s completed it. The talented, powered woman gets the drive from the energizer bunny on steroids. Created Josephine “Joshie” Armstead in Yazoo Town, MS, Oct 8, 1944, she leaped through the deep south to become person in the Ikettes in 1961 (at 17) and made an appearance on the dope-beat “I’m Blue (The Gong, Gong Music)” in 1962 with Delores Johnson aka Flora Williams and Eloise Hester, and a Tina Turner wailing in the backdrop. Salt-N-Pepa later modified the song in to the mammoth strike “Shoop.” Departing the Ikettes, she began hanging out Wand/Scepter Information where she befriended Nicholas Ashford and Valerie Simpson and shaped a songwriting group. She also discovered more function than she could deal with in NY as a support vocalist on even more classes than she most likely remembers. Simpson/Ashford/Armstead provided materials to Wand/Scepter’s performers, including both edges of Ronnie Milsap’s pre-country strikes: “NEVER REALLY HAD It SO EXCELLENT” b/w “Let’s Proceed Obtain Stoned,” the second option of which arrived before Ray Charles’ strike version. They had written for Maxine Dark brown, Chuck Jackson, the Shirelles, and much more, including artists beyond New York like the Radiants. Aretha Franklin benefited through the threesome’s creativeness by waxing “Cry Just like a Baby” for Columbia Information. Chocolate & the Kisses and a bunch of others documented their songs aswell. The prolific group was showing indications of splitting; it didn’t help when Armstead started recording with maker Ed Townsend beneath the pseudonym Deena Johnson slicing the singles “The Breaking Stage” (1965) and “I’m a Sad Gal” (1967) on Outrageous Deuce and Simpson Information, respectively. A duet “There’s Gonna Be considered a Showdown,” with Ricky Davis also fell on Simpson. By 1967, Ashford & Simpson acquired agreed upon with Motown Information and started a string of strikes for Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell among others. Ashford & Simpson’s association with Tammi Terrell was organic; they all understood one another from Wand/Scepter. For factors unknown, the group split up and Armstead finished up in Chicago where she wedded Mel Collins. The few formed publishing businesses and labels Gamma and Large Information and cut some sterling spirit on them as well as other Chi-town structured brands, including Garland Green’s big strike “Jealous Sort of Fella,” John Edwards, Syl Johnson, and Ruby Andrews’ charter “Casanova (Your Playing Times Are Over).” Armstead documented for both brands and just a little sound with “PERSONALLY I THINK an Urge Arriving On,” “A Rock Good Enthusiast” (her greatest), and “I AM FIRED UP.” She co-wrote “Jealous Kinda of Fella” (1969) and viewed it soar to quantity 20 for the pop graphs, but apparently the label under no circumstances got paid. The Gamma/Large tracks are available on A Rock Good Enthusiast: A Golden Basic Release, on Collectables Information. She divorced Collins and came back to NY, where she continuing her different entrepreneurships. Her program work credits consist of focusing on albums by David Bromberg, Nina Simone, George Jackson, Archie Shepp, Bob Dylan, Quincy Jones, B.B. Ruler, Max Romeo, and many more. A stint using the Stax subsidiary Gospel Truth created the solitary “I’ve Got the Vibes” b/w “Provide a Small Caring”; her last graph record was “Stumblin’ Blocks, Steppin’ Rocks” on Truth Information. The talented one also do voice focus on the Perform the Circulation bout of Schoolhouse Rock and roll, and had almost 150 songs authorized with BMI. She began Prairie Rose Information in the first ’90s and released “In the proper Place,” nonetheless it sunk for insufficient publicity.