Artist:Ollie & the Nightingales
Song:I Got a Sure Thing
Album:Stax 50: A 50th Anniversary Celebration
I Got a Sure Thing was the only chart single for the R&B vocal group Ollie & the Nightingales in 1968. They recorded briefly for Stax and split up in 1970. The leader of the group was Ollie Haskins billed as Ollie Nighingale. They started out in gospel music first as The Gospel Writer Juniors then as The Dixie Nightingales. Hoskins was lead singer. The other members were Willie Neal, Nelson Lesure, Bill Davis and Rochester Neal. After recording for Nashboro Records in the early 60s, The Dixie Nightingales moved to Stax's Chalice gospel label. After a few singles, Chalice GM Al Bell convinced Haskins that they could have success in secular music. They were renamed Ollie & the Nightingales. Willie Neal didn't like this and left. I Got a Sure Thing was the first single. It reached #17 on the R&B Singles chart and # 73 on the Billboard Hot 100. Booker T. Jones produced and wrote I Got a Sure Thing with Hoskins and William Bell. Then Stax had them record an album. There were two problems. Stax had ended their distribution deal with Atlantic. But Atlantic owned the rights to I Got a Sure Thing and it wasn't on the album. Also, Jones was replaced as producer by Isaac Hayes and David Porter. Why? My guess is Jones was on tour and Stax didn't think the change would make any difference. But the album didn't sell and Hoskins left the group. The remaining members attempted to continue but were unsuccessful and went on to form The Ovations. Hoskins toured and recorded as Ollie Nightingale until his death on Oct. 26, 1997 at age 61. You can get I Got a Sure Thing on this Stax various artists comp. Here's Ollie Nightingale performing I Got a Sure Thing at the Poretta Soul Festival in Italy July 24, 1993.
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