Arlene Bailey – Let's Stay In Love / Closer To You [7]

Media: Mint
Sleeve: Mint

 

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Back-to-back on 45 for the first time, Arlene Bailey’s ‘Let’s Stay In Love’ and ‘Closer To You’. Originally appearing on Bailey’s 1987 debut LP, these two firm favourites sound like they could have been laid down a decade earlier, whilst the rest of the album sounds very much of its time. Both songs were co-written and produced by Arlene and her brother George for A.G.B. Records.

 

Arlene was raised in Boston, Massachusetts, the daughter of Bertha Ridley, who encouraged Arlene's career as a musician. “We always had a piano at home” explains Bailey: “My mother was a self-taught pianist and played beautifully. She first started me on the piano and I just kept dibbling and dabbling with it. I started studying classical singing at the age of 10 and after graduating high school, I went to the New England Conservatory of Music. From there I started doing gigs with different jazz trios in Boston and around upstate New York, it was an exciting time.”

 

During a trip to New York City, Bailey gave tapes and photographs to a booking agent hoping for results. Results came sooner than expected, and within the same week Bailey was booked for an extended engagement in Australia singing at popular nightspots including the Chequers Club in Sydney: “One day my agent called and said Dusty Springfield was booked to appear in town but her voice was too hoarse and she was unable to sing, so the Chequers owner asked if I could fill in for her. Oh my lord..! ...Fill in for Dusty Springfield?! Anyhow, I had a lot of confidence. I gave my musical arrangements to the musicians and sang for one hour. The people gave me a standing ovation and when I was walking off the stage I fell over! My opening song for my encore was ’My Shining Hour’!” When Bailey returned to New York, it wasn’t long before she was back on the road, joining Sammy Davis on his USO tour alongside Roxie Roker and Lola Falana performing for the US troops overseas.

 

The world became Bailey’s stage where she had club and lounge residencies in the Far East, Europe, the Scandinavian Countries, Canada and South America. She also had a cameo appearance with Tony Kendall in the 1969 film, Three Golden Serpents from the Kommissar X film series pictured below.