Song:Special Lady
Album:The Best Of Ray, Goodman & Brown
The 1979 hit Special Lady is still a bedroom classic today. It was the first single by Ray, Goodman & Brown. They were previously known as The Moments but had to change their name for legal reasons. The Moments began in the mid-60s and had a big hit in 1970 with Love On A Two Way Street on Joe & Sylvia Robinson's Stang label. Al Goodman (born Mar. 31, 1947 in Jackson, MS) and Billy Brown (born June 30, 1946 in Perth Amboy, NJ) joined The Moments in 1969 and Brown sang lead on Love On A Two Way Street. He had previously been with The Broadways and Goodman was working for Stang as a producer. They brought in Harry Ray (born Dec. 15, 1946 in Long Branch, NJ) from The Establishments. The Moments had 27 R & B chart hits through the 70s but they decided to sign with the much larger Polydor label in 1978. They couldn't use The Moments name so they called themselves Ray, Goodman & Brown. Special Lady topped the R & B charts and reached #5 on the pop charts. Their smooth R & B sound continued to have success on the R & B charts. Ray left for a solo career but returned when Ray, Goodman & Brown moved to EMI and had a top ten R & B hit with Take It To The Limit in 1986. This 1996 Polygram comp includes their Polydor and EMI recordings. Harry Ray died in 1992 but Ray, Goodman & Brown continue to tour today and record occasionally. They also sang backup vocals on the Alicia Keys hit You Don't Know My Name. Here is Ray, Goodman & Brown performing Special Lady 1980.
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