The 8th Day
This multi-talented vocal and instrumental group had their biggest hit in 1971 on Holland/Dozier/Holland's Invictus label with the infectious, million-selling "She's Not Just Another Woman", even though the track had, in fact, been recorded some two years earlier with Steve Mancha on lead vocals, making the number sound very like an early 100 Proof Aged In Soul release, a group led by Mancha. For the 1971 follow-up, "You've Got To Crawl (Before You Walk)", lead vocalist Melvin Davis, a long-term Detroit drummer/singer, was recruited, and the rest of the regular line-up of the group became Tony Newton (bass), Carole Stallings (vocals, electric violin), Anita Sherman (vocals, vibes), Michael Anthony (lead guitar), Bruce Nazarian (rhythm guitar, keyboards), Jerry Paul (percussion), Lynn Harter (background vocals) and, somewhat later, Lymon Woodard (organ) and Larry Hutchison (vocals, guitar). Although 8th Day were always correctly regarded as a Detroit group, Stallings and Sherman were from the west coast. The group's first three releases reached the US charts and they cut a superb cover version of 100 Proof's "Too Many Cooks"; however, they soon developed a penchant for quasi-gospel message-songs, aesthetically very good but commercially unsuccessful. When Invictus began to fall apart, the group did likewise. Paul, Nazarian and Newton formed the short-lived Deliverance, cutting one single for NCI. Founder-member Newton then moved to the west coast, joining the Tony Williams' New Lifetime, and later playing with Gary Moore and G-Force and Thelma Hopkins. In the mid-90s Anita Sherman was providing background vocals for artists such as Joe Cocker.
Listen to The 8th Day
at Finetune.
Top Tracks
- She's Not Just Another Woman
- You've Got To Crawl (Before You Walk)
Related Artists
Fans