* En anglais uniquement
Frequently compared to
Aretha Franklin, singer
Margie Joseph earned neither the fame nor the critical success lavished upon the Queen of Soul, but a series of excellent records for Atlantic during the 1970s nevertheless won her a spot in the pantheon of soul cult favorites.
Margaret Marie Joseph was born in Pascagoula, MS, in 1950 -- she got her start in the church choir, and began pursuing a professional singing career while a student at New Orleans' Dillard University. In 1967,
Joseph made her first demo recordings at the famed Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, soon after signing to the Okeh label -- her debut, "Why Does a Man Have to Lie?," had the misfortune of seeing release around the same time parent label Columbia decided to close Okeh's doors, and promptly sank without a trace. Two years later
Joseph signed with the Stax subsidiary Volt, and with New Orleans soul legend
Willie Tee assuming production duties, she released the underground favorite "One More Chance."
Producer
Freddy Briggs took the helm for
Joseph's next effort, "Your Sweet Loving"; released in the summer of 1970, the single proved a minor R&B chart hit. The following year, she cracked the R&B Top 40 with a cover of
the Supremes' classic "Stop! In the Name of Love," boosting sales of her fine debut LP, Margie Joseph Makes a New Impression, in the process. Another
Supremes cover, "My World Is Empty Without You," formed the centerpiece of her 1972 follow-up, Phase II, but neither the single nor the album attracted much attention, and she soon signed to Atlantic to begin work with famed producer
Arif Mardin, perhaps best-known for his earlier work with
Aretha; indeed,
Joseph's self-titled Atlantic debut was often criticized for its similarities to
Franklin's classic work, although her sweetly plaintive vocals and more supple delivery were actually far more distinctive than detractors gave credit for.
Joseph nevertheless scored an R&B hit in the spring of 1973 with her reading of the
Al Green classic "Let's Stay Together," reaching her commercial zenith later that year when her second Atlantic album,
Sweet Surrender, launched two more hit covers: "Come Lay Some Lovin' on Me" (more successful for
Joseph than for the song's author, Paul Kelly) and "My Love" (a reading of the
Paul McCartney & Wings smash that became her lone Top Ten R&B hit and pop Top 75 entry).
The 1975 album Margie is generally regarded by fans as the creative peak of
Joseph's recording career -- the singles "Words (Are Impossible)" and "I Can't Move No Mountains" are both superb, and with the lovely hit "Stay Still," she earned a rare co-writing credit. A March 1976 live date in Jamaica introduced
Joseph to the vocal group
Blue Magic, and they agreed to record a duet -- included on the 13 Blue Magic Lane album, "What's Come Over Me" would prove her second-biggest R&B chart hit. She moved to the Atlantic subsidiary Cotillion for 1976's
Hear the Words, Feel the Feeling, produced by Motown legend
Lamont Dozier -- the title cut reached the R&B Top 20, and the sessions also yielded the wonderful disco-era seasonal cut "Christmas Gift," included on the Funky Christmas compilation.
Joseph returned to the Atlantic mothership for the
Johnny Bristol-produced
Feeling My Way, but when the singles "Come on Back to Me, Lover" and "I Feel His Love Getting Stronger" failed to generate much airplay, the label released her from her contract.
Joseph landed at the Philadelphia-based WMOT Records, recording an entire LP under the auspices of producer
Dexter Wansel that was shelved after the company went belly-up; at this point, a frustrated
Joseph quit the music business, turning to a teaching career. She returned to performing in 1982, cutting "Knockout" for the tiny HCRC label; the single was a surprise R&B hit, but HCRC went out of business as well, although the setback did allow
Joseph to re-sign with Cotillion, where
Narada Michael Walden agreed to produce her 1984 comeback album, Ready for the Night; the title cut was a minor hit, but again the label terminated her contract. Four years later, she signed with Ichiban to release Stay, her last new material to date, although much of her vintage Stax and Atlantic work has since been reissued on CD. ~ Jason Ankeny