Representative Albums: "Right on the Tip of My Tongue", "The Dionn Singles Collection 1966-1969", "The Top and Bottom Singles Collection 1969-1971
Representative Songs: "Right on the Tip of My Tongue", "Dry Your Eyes", "Just Once in a Lifetime
Biography
Among the better Philadelphia soul groups of the '60s and '70s, Brenda & the Tabulations made some fine heartache ballads, particularly "Dry Your Eyes" and "Right on the Tip of My Tongue." The original lineup was lead singer Brenda Payton, Jerry Jones, Eddie Jackson, and Maurice Coates. Bernard Murphy joined in 1969. They became a trio in 1970, featuring Payton, Pat Mercer, and Deborah Martin. "Dry Your Eyes" was their biggest hit, reaching number eight on the R&B chart and number 20 pop in 1967. They continued recording for Dionn until 1969, then Top & Bottom from 1970 to 1973, followed by stints with Epic and Chocolate City. "Right on the Tip of My Tongue" returned them to prominence in 1971, peaking at number ten R&B, and the follow-up, "A Part Of You," was number 14 that same year. The group enjoyed some sporadic success on the disco circuit in the late '70s with the LP I Keep Coming Back for More. The single "Let's Go All the Way (Down)" attracted some international and club interest. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide
Brenda & the Tabulations were an R&Bgroup formed in 1966 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, originally composed of Brenda Payton, Eddie Jackson, Maurice Coates and Jerry Jones.
The group had a distinctive, almost doo-wop sound, especially at the start, featuring Brenda's sweet occasionally rough-edged vocals with smooth background male harmonies. The line-up changed around 1971 with the original three men having departed. Two female backing singers (Pat Mercer and Deborah Martin) were brought in to support Payton.
The group had a series of hits in the late 1960s and early 1970s, mainly in the U.S.soulcharts mostly on small independent labels, Dionn and Top & Bottom, operated by the group's manager, Gilda Woods, the wife of a top radio deejay. However, two were big U.S. pop hits, their first release, "Dry Your Eyes" (pop #20, R&B #2) on Dionn in 1967 and later in 1971, "Right On The Tip Of My Tongue", (pop #23, R&B #5)[1]. The first was written by Brenda with group member Maurice Coates and the latter written and produced by Van McCoy. They released three albums, Dry Your Eyes (1967), Brenda and the Tabulations (1970) and I Keep Coming Back for More (1977).
