Black Pearl (Checkmates, Ltd. song)
| "Black Pearl" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Checkmates, Ltd. | ||||
| from the album Love Is All We Have to Give | ||||
| B-side | "Lazy Susan" | |||
| Released | April 1969 (U.S.) July 1969 (AUS) | |||
| Genre | Soul | |||
| Length | 3:25 | |||
| Label | A&M 1053 (U.S.) A&M 2985 (AUS) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Phil Spector, Toni Wine, Irwin Levine | |||
| Producer(s) | Phil Spector | |||
| Checkmates, Ltd. singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Black Pearl" is a song written by Phil Spector, Toni Wine, and Irwin Levine, inspired by the 1968 Sidney Poitier movie For Love of Ivy about Ivy Moore, a maid who after nine years of service leaves to go to secretarial school,[1] performed by Sonny Charles and the Checkmates, Ltd. It reached #8 on the R&B chart, #13 on the Billboard pop chart, and #31 in Australia in 1969.[2] The song was featured on their 1969 album, Love Is All We Have to Give.[3]
The song was produced by Phil Spector and arranged by Perry Botkin, Jr.[4] AllMusic described it as "one of the great Phil Spector productions, a phenomenal song with his extraordinary sound."[5]
The single ranked #66 on Billboard's Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1969.[6]
Chart history[]
Weekly charts[]
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Year-end charts[]
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Other versions[]
- Horace Faith released a version of the song as a single in 1970 which reached #13 on the UK Singles Chart.[15]
- New Zealand group Moana and the Moahunters covered the song for their debut album, Tahi. It peaked at #2 on the New Zealand music charts in 1991.
References[]
- ^ Mick Brown (2007). Tearing Down the Wall of Sound: The Rise and Fall of Phil Spector. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
- ^ Checkmates, Ltd., "Black Pearl" chart positions Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- ^ Checkmates, Ltd., Love Is All We Have to Give Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- ^ Checkmates, Ltd., "Black Pearl" single release Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- ^ "Sonny Charles & the Checkmates, Ltd. / Checkmates Ltd". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
- ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1969". Archived from the original on May 3, 2015. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- ^ Go-Set National Top 40, 6 September 1969
- ^ Flavour of New Zealand, 15 August 1969
- ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ^ Billboard' Hot R&B songs, June 21, 1969
- ^ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, July 19, 1969
- ^ "RPM Top Singles of 1969". Library and Archives Canada. RPM. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- ^ Musicoutfitters.com
- ^ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 27, 1969". Archived from the original on January 25, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
- ^ Horace Faith, "Black Pearl" chart position Retrieved January 26, 2016.
Categories:
- 1969 songs
- 1969 singles
- 1970 singles
- Songs written by Phil Spector
- Songs written by Toni Wine
- Songs written by Irwin Levine
- Checkmates, Ltd. songs
- Horace Faith songs
- Song recordings produced by Phil Spector
- Song recordings with Wall of Sound arrangements
- A&M Records singles
- Bell Records singles
- 1960s single stubs