"I Know" is a R&B song written and performed by American singer Barbara George

Barbara George

Barbara George was an American R&B singer and songwriter.Born Barbara Ann Smith, she was raised in New Orleans and began singing in a church choir. She was discovered by singer Jessie Hill, who recommended her to record producer, Harold Battiste...

. It was released as her debut single in late 1961. This song became her signature song

Signature song

A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...

 and her only major hit in United States, peaking at number 1 in the Billboard R&B singles chart and number 3 in the Pop Singles chart

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

. The song was later covered by Cher

Cher

Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...

, Ike & Tina Turner

Ike & Tina Turner

Ike & Tina Turner were an American rock & roll and soul duo, made of the husband-and-wife team of Ike Turner and Tina Turner in the 1960s and 1970s. Spanning sixteen years together as a recording group, the duo's repertoire included rock & roll, soul, blues and funk...

, Anne Murray

Anne Murray

Morna Anne Murray CC, ONS is a Canadian singer in pop, country and adult contemporary styles whose albums have sold over 54 million copies....

, Steve Marriott

Steve Marriott

Stephen Peter Marriott , popularly known as Steve Marriott, was an English musician, songwriter, and frontman of several notable rock and roll bands, spanning over two decades...

, Yvonne Fair

Yvonne Fair

Yvonne Fair was an African American singer, best known for her 1976 recording of "It Should Have Been Me".-Biography:...

, Felder's Orioles, and also a Spanish language

Spanish language

Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

 version by Marisela

Marisela

Marisela Marisela Marisela (born in [los angelos california on April 24, 1966, is a Mexican-American singer.Known as the 'Latin Madonna', Marisela recorded her first album at the age of 15 in 1984 and continues to release albums into the 21st century.-Career:...

 was released in 1988.

Background

Barbara George

Barbara George

Barbara George was an American R&B singer and songwriter.Born Barbara Ann Smith, she was raised in New Orleans and began singing in a church choir. She was discovered by singer Jessie Hill, who recommended her to record producer, Harold Battiste...

 began singing as a teen in her Baptist church choir and writing her own original songs. Already married by age 16, she later befriended R&B performer Jessie Hill

Jessie Hill

Jessie Hill was an American R&B and Louisiana blues singer and songwriter, best remembered for the classic song, "Ooh Poo Pah Doo"....

, who wrangled her an audition with saxophonist/arranger

Arranger

In investment banking, an arranger is a provider of funds in the syndication of a debt. They are entitled to syndicate the loan or bond issue, and may be referred to as the "lead underwriter". This is because this entity bears the risk of being able to sell the underlying securities/debt or the...

 Harold Battiste

Harold Battiste

Harold Raymond Battiste, Jr. , is an American music composer, arranger, performer and teacher.He attended New Orleans' Dillard University, earning a B.S. in music in 1953. His first success as a studio arranger was with Sam Cooke’s "You Send Me" in 1957...

's fledgling AFO label. In June 1961, Battiste organized a split recording session for George and fellow AFO artist Prince La La

Prince La La

Prince La La born Lawrence Nelson , from the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, was a songwriter and vocalist who released a couple of classic R&B recordings before his death from a drug overdose at 27....

 at producer Cosimo Matassa

Cosimo Matassa

Cosimo Matassa is an Italian-American recording engineer and studio owner responsible for many R&B and early rock and roll recordings....

's J&M Studios. Backed by New Orleans studio performers including cornetist Melvin Lastie, guitarist Roy Montrell

Roy Montrell

Roy Montrell was a rhythm & blues guitarist who performed as a session musician for many famous artists, as well as performing some of his own songs. His original song " That Mellow Saxophone" has been widely covered by acts including The Stray Cats and Imelda May...

, and drummer John Boudreaux, and George cut the self-penned "I Know (You Don't Love Me No More)", a vibrant, up-tempo number inspired by the traditional hymn "Just a Closer Walk with Thee". Issued via AFO's national distribution deal with Juggy Murray

Juggy Murray

Henry 'Juggy' Murray Jr. was an influential rhythm and blues music producer....

's Sue Records

Sue Records

Sue Records was founded in 1957 by Henry 'Juggy' Murray in New York City.Also within the group was Symbol Records and Sue also financed and distributed A.F.O.Records owned by Harold Battiste in New Orleans....

, "I Know" hit radio and retail in late 1961 and was a national 'crossover' hit, topping the U.S. R&B charts and crossing over to number three on Billboard

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

's pop countdown.

Marisela version

In 1988, American singer Marisela

Marisela

Marisela Marisela Marisela (born in [los angelos california on April 24, 1966, is a Mexican-American singer.Known as the 'Latin Madonna', Marisela recorded her first album at the age of 15 in 1984 and continues to release albums into the 21st century.-Career:...

 recorded a cover version of the song for the soundtrack of the film Salsa

Salsa (1988 film)

Salsa is a 1988 romance film about a lower-class Puerto Rican dancer who decides to improve his lot in life by entering a salsa dancing contest. The film was directed by Boaz Davidson, and stars Robi Rosa, Rodney Harvey, and Angela Alvarado...

. The original version recorded by Marisela was sung in English language

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 and included on the film soundtrack, along with songs by Laura Branigan

Laura Branigan

Laura Ann Branigan was an American singer-songwriter and actress of Italian and Irish ancestry. She is best known in the United States for her 1982 Platinum-certified hit "Gloria" and in Europe for the number-one single "Self Control"...

, Tito Puente

Tito Puente

Tito Puente, , born Ernesto Antonio Puente, was a Latin jazz and Salsa musician. The son of native Puerto Ricans Ernest and Ercilia Puente, of Spanish Harlem in New York City, Puente is often credited as "El Rey de los Timbales" and "The King of Latin Music"...

, Robi Rosa, Wilkins

Wilkins Vélez

German Wilkins Vélez, commonly known as Wilkins , is a Puerto Rican pop music singer and composer.-Early years:Wilkins was born in the city of Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, but raised in Mexico City, Mexico. His father, Germán Vélez Forestier, was a radio announcer and part-time singer...

 and Grupo Niche

Grupo Niche

Grupo Niche is a salsa group founded in 1978 in Bogotá, Colombia. Currently based in Cali, Colombia, it enjoys great popularity throughout Latin America. It was founded by Jairo Varela and Alexis Lozano. Jairo Varela has stayed with the group becoming producer, director, songwriter, vocalist and...

. A Spanish language

Spanish language

Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

 version of the track, produced by Enrique Elizondo, was later included in Marisela's album of the same title, under the title "Ya No". This version became her first number-one single in the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart, temporarily disloging Franco

Franco (singer)

Franco , is a singer that in 1986 peaked at number one in the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks with a cover version of a Lucio Dalla song titled "Toda La Vida"...

's "María

María (Franco song)

"María" is a song written by Marcelo Molina and performed by Cuban singer Franco. It was released in 1988 as a single from Franco's album Definitivo and became his second number-one single in the Billboard Top Latin Songs chart, after "Toda La Vida" in 1986. It ended 1988 as the fourth...

" for one week from the top of the chart.