Artist:Don Gardner and Dee Dee Ford
Song:I Need Your Lovin'
Album:The Very Best of Don Gardner & Dee Dee Ford
The 1962 single I Need Your Lovin' was a top 20 hit. It was the only big hit for the duo of Don Gardner and Dee Dee Ford. A couple of their other singles charted so they are not technically a one hit wonder. Gardner was a jazz drummer. He was born May 9, 1931 in Philadelphia. He grew up singing in church. He was still in high school when he started playing in local clubs. He first recorded as a singer for Gotham Records in 1949. He also recorded for Cameo, DeLuxe and VAL-UE. Gardner formed his band The Sonotones in 1953 and they played clubs in the Northeast US. When organist Richard "Groove" Holmes left The Sonotones in 1959, Dee Dee Ford replaced him. She was born Wrecial Holloway in 1936 in Minden, LA. Her family moved to Newark, NJ in 1951. She played organ and sang in a gospel group. After Dee Dee joined The Sonotones, they were spotted by Fire Records owner Bobby Robinson and he told Gardner the two could be successful singing together. Robinson owned a New York record store. Gardner and Robinson wrote I Need Your Lovin' and the record reached #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on the R&B Singles chart. Not surprisingly, the record has a real gospel vibe. They recorded an album and toured for a couple of years. But though a couple of songs charted, they were never able to score another big hit. Gardner and Dee Dee split up in 1965. Dee Dee quit the music business. But Gardner continued to tour and record until he died on Sept. 5, 2018 at age 87. This budget CD from Collectables has all of their recordings. Here's a video for I Need Your Lovin' by Don Gardner and Dee Dee Ford.
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