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so WHO is the "female" vocalist on the spinners' "games people play? word on the street has it that the soft sultry voice on this classic song is actually a guy, but he's not a member of the group...anybody know who it was?
this song is puuuuure perfection i don't think it's the guy in this soul train clip http://www.youtube.com/wa...7NkljYEntg [Edited 9/23/07 6:52am] | |
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"Ya see, we're not interested in what you know...but what you are willing to learn. C'mon y'all." | |
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Who? I always that it was the guy. Peace and be wild! | |
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That's clearly a woman. | |
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This has been a mystery for years Producer Thom Bell even talks about it in the Spinners box set ("Chrome Collection") liner notes.He refuses to reveal the lady's identity,saying only that it's a "female singer who was popular at the time but didn't want to be identified".He also hints that it could be one of the guys in the group (!),the result of studio tricks
But yeah,I think it's most likely Barbara Ingram,a popular studio background vocalist at the time.I bet that part was originally intended for Dionne Warwick though.She had just had a Number One single with the Spinners ("Then Came You") and Atlantic Records wanted a Spinners/Warwick duet album. | |
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Fury said: that clip is funny I can't believe he lip-synched the female vocal! | |
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OMG! | |
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theAudience said: Barbara Ingram
tA According to Joel Whitburn's book "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles" -- which is based on the Billboard R&B Singles charts since the 1940s -- the female vocal on The Spinners' "(They Can't Stop It The) Games People Play" was Evette Benton. Benton, Barbara Ingram and Carla Benson were in the same vocal trio that sang on a lot of Philadelphia-based recordings in the 70s and 80s. [Edited 9/24/07 5:50am] THE TRAFFIC JAMMERS, The Org's house band: VAINANDY -- lead singer; NAJEE -- bass; THE AUDIENCE -- guitar; PHUNKDADDY -- rhythm guitar; ALEX de PARIS -- keyboards; Da PRETTYMAN -- keyboards; FUNKENSTEIN -- drums. HOLD ON TO YOUR DRAWERS! | |
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SoulAlive said: Fury said: that clip is funny I can't believe he lip-synched the female vocal! | |
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Najee said: theAudience said: Barbara Ingram
tA According to Joel Whitburn's book "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles" -- which is based on the Billboard R&B Singles charts since the 1940s -- the female vocal on The Spinners' "(They Can't Stop It The) Games People Play" was Evette Benton. Benton, Barbara Ingram and Carla Benson were in the same vocal trio that sang on a lot of Philadelphia-based recordings in the 70s and 80s. [Edited 9/24/07 5:50am] Cool. Thanks for the info. tA Tribal Disorder http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431 "Ya see, we're not interested in what you know...but what you are willing to learn. C'mon y'all." | |
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theAudience said: Cool.
Thanks for the info. tA Hey, we both know it surely wasn't The Spinners' Henry Fambrough with his baritone. On another note, I thought that it was Phillippe Wynn who sang the lead on "(They Can't Stop It The) Games People Play," not Bobby Smith. Their voices sound incredibly similar. [Edited 9/24/07 11:21am] THE TRAFFIC JAMMERS, The Org's house band: VAINANDY -- lead singer; NAJEE -- bass; THE AUDIENCE -- guitar; PHUNKDADDY -- rhythm guitar; ALEX de PARIS -- keyboards; Da PRETTYMAN -- keyboards; FUNKENSTEIN -- drums. HOLD ON TO YOUR DRAWERS! | |
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Najee said: theAudience said: Cool.
Thanks for the info. tA Hey, we both know it surely wasn't The Spinners' Henry Fambrough with his baritone. ... yeah, That's the thing, it chamges depending on the source. In addition to Whitburn, Philly International guitarist and songwriter Bobby Eli also says it was Evette Benson, though others have claimed it was Barbara Ingram...and they're both credited as background vocalists on the song... Not sure about whether that's a real name, fake names seem to abound in the recording studio; Philly songwriter Vinnie Barrett was actually the pen name of Gwendolyn Woolfolk,(everybody thought she was a guy, lol!).... ... [Edited 9/24/07 11:25am] " I've got six things on my mind --you're no longer one of them." - Paddy McAloon, Prefab Sprout | |
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when watching this clip, around the 2:58 mark the girl that's dancing doesn't seem to be dancing to Games People Play | |
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paligap said: ...
yeah, That's the thing, it chamges depending on the source. In addition to Whitburn, Philly International guitarist and songwriter Bobby Eli also says it was Evette Benson, though others have claimed it was Barbara Ingram...and they're both credited as background vocalists on the song... The Sweeties (Barbara Ingram, Evette Benson and Carla Benson) sang backround on quite a few Spinners tracks (they were the background singers on "Could It Be I'm Falling in Love"), so natrually it would be Benson or Ingram (I'm choosing Benson since it is a source citing offered by Billboard magazine). My problem with the issue is why in the world do Thom Bell and the other principals want to make it an unnecessary mystery. [Edited 9/24/07 11:32am] THE TRAFFIC JAMMERS, The Org's house band: VAINANDY -- lead singer; NAJEE -- bass; THE AUDIENCE -- guitar; PHUNKDADDY -- rhythm guitar; ALEX de PARIS -- keyboards; Da PRETTYMAN -- keyboards; FUNKENSTEIN -- drums. HOLD ON TO YOUR DRAWERS! | |
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Najee said: theAudience said: Cool.
Thanks for the info. tA Hey, we both know it surely wasn't The Spinners' Henry Fambrough with his baritone. On another note, I thought that it was Phillippe Wynn who sang the lead on "(They Can't Stop It The) Games People Play," not Bobby Smith. Their voices sound incredibly similar. I totally get that. There are a few of their songs (that I can't name at the moment) where they trade verses and it's hard to tell who's who. tA Tribal Disorder http://www.soundclick.com...dID=182431 "Ya see, we're not interested in what you know...but what you are willing to learn. C'mon y'all." | |
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