Artist:Ollie & The Nightingales
Song:I Got a Sure Thing
Album:Stax 50th Anniversary Celebration
I Got a Sure Thing was a top 20 R&B hit in 1968. It was the biggest hit for Ollie & The Nightingales. They recorded for Stax in the late 60s. They were from Memphis led by Ollie Hoskins. They started out in gospel as The Gospel Writer Juniors. After one 1958 single, they changed their name to The Dixie Nightingales. Hoskins was lead singer. Other members were Willie Neal, Nelson Lesure, Bill Davis and Rochester Neal. After three singles for Nashboro, Al Bell signed them to Stax's new gospel label Chalice. After three singles, Bell convinced Hoskins to try secular music. The group name was changed to Ollie & The Nightingales and Hoskins started calling himself Ollie Nightingale. Willie Neal left and was replaced by Quincy Billops Jr. of The Mad Lads. 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. Hoskins wrote the song with Booker T. Jones and William Bell and Jones produced. When subsequent singles and a 1969 album went nowhere, Hoskins left and recorded as a blues artist in the 80s & 90s. Tommy Tate replaced Hoskins in The Nightingales. But they didn't last long and the other members of The Nightingales joined The Ovations. You can get I Got a Sure Thing on this 2CD various artists budget comp. Ollie Nightingale continued to tour until his death on Oct. 26, 1997 at age 61. Here's Ollie Nightingale performing I Got a Sure Thing at the Poretta Soul Festival in Italy July 24, 1993.
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