Song:Don't Pull Your Love
Album:The Hit List: 24 hot 100 American Chartbusters of the 1970s
Though it was not their highest chart placing, the 1971 top five hit Don't Pull Your Love is the most memorable song recorded by the pop trio Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds. It's still popular on oldies radio stations. The formation of this group came out of the studio group The T-Bones who scored a hit with No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach's In) in 1965. Liberty Records producer Joe Saraceno wanted to turn The T-Bones into a touring band. He asked Judd Hamilton to do this and he got his brother Dan Hamilton, Joe Frank Carollo and Tommy Reynolds to be The T-Bones. None of them were on the record. Those were studio musicians. They did this and when it ended in 1970, Dan Hamilton, Carollo and Reynolds formed a new band. They called themselves Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds and they signed with Dunhill Records producer Steve Barri. He was behind The Grass Roots and Three Dog Night was also on Dunhill. So they are looking to duplicate that success. Reynolds wrote most of the songs on their 1970 debut album and Hamilton was usually the lead singer. Don't Pull Your Love was written by the veteran songwriting team of Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter. Don't Pull Your Love reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1971. Subsequent singles did not do well. They recorded two albums for Dunhill. Reynolds left in 1972 and a studio musician played on the second album. Then they added drummer Alan Dennison. They signed with Playboy Records but had to keep the old group name. They topped the charts with Fallin' In Love in 1975. There is no Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds comp available on CD. But you can get Don't Pull Your Love on this Ace Records various artists comp. After one more album as Hamilton, Joe Frank & Dennison, they split up for good. Dan Hamilton continued to write songs. He died in 1994. Here's Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds performing Don't Pull Your Love on Solid Gold 1988.
Heard that song a lot on the radio back in the 70's. Loved that song. Have it in my collection. Good oldie. To bad they did not have more success. But there were a lot of bands like them back then. Lots of talent and a one or two hits, then they left the group or the music business outright. Thanks for the Bio and the music Frank. Yours Defshepard.
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