Biography

by Andy Kellman

Rotary Connection's psychedelic chamber soul continues to sound ambitious and progressive decades after the group's departure. Instantly recognizable from the dramatic string arrangements of Charles Stepney and the five-octave voice of Minnie Riperton, the group released six albums between 1967 and 1971 that combined rock, soul, and psychedelia to theatrical and occasionally transcendental heights. The racially mixed group never really broke out of the Midwest, a region in which they frequently played out. Their failure to become more than a regional cult act can be partly attributed to their management's decision to spurn a slot at Woodstock in order to play a more lucrative festival in Toronto. Despite some patchy albums and poor management decisions, Rotary Connection's status as an influential cult group has steadily risen since the '70s.

Marshall Chess, son of Leonard Chess, conceived Rotary Connection in 1967 for Cadet Concept -- an upstart subsidiary of his father's Chess label. Chess initially centred the instrumentalists around a trio of musicians from a rock group called the Proper Strangers: drummer Kenny Venegas, bassist Mitch Aliotta, and guitarist Bobby Simms. Sidney Barnes, Minnie Riperton, and Judy Hauf were added as the vocalists. Upon the group's formation, Barnes was already something of a vagabond; his resume as a songwriter, background vocalist, and solo artist was extensive. Riperton was a veteran of the Chess ranks; she worked as a receptionist in the label's Chicago office, had been a member of the Gems, and released material under the name Angela Davis. Chess musical supervisor Charles Stepney -- a legendary composer, arranger, and producer -- was brought in to direct the group. He would also implement the skills of studio musicians from the extended Chess family throughout the group's existence, such as drummer Morris Jennings and guitarists Phil Upchurch, Bobby Christian, and Pete Cosey.

Under Stepney's guidance, Rotary Connection recorded and released their self-titled debut album in late 1967. The group's spacious sound was leavened by Stepney's often gorgeous and lilting string arrangements. The album featured both originals (co-written by Stepney and a number of other songwriters, including Barnes and future Riperton spouse Richard Rudolph) and radical covers of the Rolling Stones' "Ruby Tuesday" and Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone." This became the blueprint for what would follow from the group and, as a stunning (if flawed) debut, the album falls into that old rock trap of being viewed as the only essential one the group made. That's an unfortunate fact, because the group's key factor -- the voice of Minnie Riperton -- wasn't truly given a chance to shine until the second album.

The albums Aladdin, Peace (a Christmas-themed LP), Songs, Dinner Music, and Hey Love were issued between 1968 and 1971. Though the albums include a fair amount of filler, each has some amazingly inspired moments. "Respect," for instance, was a radical reworking of Otis Redding's original; transformed into a duet between Riperton and Barnes, the song's infamous "r-e-s-p-e-c-t" call-out was left out, and the tempo was slowed down to a sultry crawl. Hey Love, bizarrely credited to the New Rotary Connection, would become the group's last record. By that time, Riperton already had a solo masterpiece under her belt -- 1970s Come to My Garden. After the group split, Riperton continued her solo career and became one of the most beloved soul vocalists of the '70s. Breast cancer took her life in 1979, when she was just 31-years-old. Stepney passed away three years prior, at the age of 43.

USA Albums
	The Rotary Connection	Cadet Concept	1968
	Peace	Cadet Concept	1968
	Aladdin	Cadet Concept	1969
	Songs	Cadet Concept	1969
	Dinner Music	Cadet Concept	1970
	Hey, Love **	Cadet Concept	1970
	Texas International Pop Festival 1969	Oh Boy	Unknown
CD's
	Songs & Hey, Love**	BGP	1998
	Aladdin & Dinner Music	Raven Records	1999
	Black Gold: The Very Best Of	Chess	2006
USA Singles
	Turn Me On	Cadet Concept 7000	1967
	Like A Rolling Stone
	Lady Jane	Cadet Concept DJ-1	1968
	Amen
	Ruby Tuesday	Cadet Concept 7002	1968
	Soul Man
	Paper Castle	Cadet Concept 7007	1968
	Teach Me How To Fly
	Aladdin	Cadet Concept 7008	1968
	Magical World
	Peace At Least	Cadet Concept 7009	1968
	Silent Night Chant
	The Weight	Cadet Concept 7014	1969
	Respect
	Memory Band	Cadet Concept 7018	1969
	Want You To Know
	Love Me Now	Cadet Concept 7021	1969
	May Our Amen's Be True
	Stormy Monday Blues	Cadet Concept 7027	1969
	Teach Me How To Fly
	Hey, Love**	Cadet Concept 7028	1970
	If I Sing My Song**
	Living Alone*	Janus(7" Promo)	1975
	Magical World
UK Singles
	Soul Man	Chess CRS8072	1968
	Ruby Tuesday
	The Weight	Chess CRS8103	1969
	Respect
	Want To Know You	Chess CRS8106	1970
	Memory Band
** New Rotary Connection
* Rotary Connection Featuring Minnie Riperton
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