The Lovelites were an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 vocal group, based in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, originally composed of the sisters Patti Hamilton and Rozena Petty plus their friend, Barbara Peterman. In 1967, the trio

Trio (music)

Trio is generally used in any of the following ways:* A group of three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.* The performance of a piece of music by three people.* The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...

 recorded for the local Chicago record label

Record label

In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...

, Bandera Records. In 1968, Peterman left the group, and was replaced by Ardell McDaniel.

One year after the change in lineup, the single, "How Can I Tell My Mom And Dad" was released on Lock Records. The tune, written by lead vocalist Patti Hamilton and record producer

Record producer

A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

 Clarence Johnson, addressed the then taboo subject of teen pregnancy and went on to sell 55,000 copies locally and 400,000 nationally, peaking at #15 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 soul chart

Record chart

A record chart is a ranking of recorded music according to popularity during a given period of time. Examples of music charts are the Hit parade, Hot 100 or Top 40....

, and landing the group a recording contract

Recording contract

A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...

 with the MCA

MCA Records

MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...

-owned, Uni Records

Uni Records

Uni Records was a record label owned by MCA Inc. The brand, which long featured a distinct UNi logo, was established in 1966 by MCA executive Ned Tanen and developed by music industry veteran Russ Regan...

. By this time, the group had also undergone yet another personnel change, as Joni Berlman stepped in for Rozena Petty.

The girls continued working with Johnson as well another producer, Johnny Cameron, and went on to release their only album

Album

An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...

, With Love From The Lovelites. The album was not as well received as the group's previous single and subsequently flopped. After leaving Uni, Johnson started up Lovelites Records, and the group released a handful of singles while, in 1971, Rhonda Grayson replaced Ardell McDaniel.

By 1972, the girls had signed to Cotillion Records

Cotillion Records

Cotillion Records was a subsidiary of Atlantic Records and was active from 1968 through 1985. The label was originally formed as an outlet for blues and deep Southern soul; its first single, Otis Clay's version of "She's About A Mover", reached the R&B charts. Cotillion's catalog quickly expanded...

, where they released two singles billed as Patti & The Lovelites. By 1973, the group had disbanded.

Singles

• "I Found Me A Lover" / "You Better Stop It" - Bandera 2515
• "How Can I Tell My Mom And Dad" / "Hey! Stars Of Tomorrow" (instrumental) - Lock 723
• "My Conscience" / "Man In My Life" - Lovelite 01, 1970
• "Bumpy Road Ahead" / "Love Is Pretty" - Lovelite 02, 1970
• "My Baby Loves Me" / "The Way That You Treat Me Baby" - Lovelite 03, 1970
• "Love So Strong" / "Oh My Love" - Lovelite 1008, 1970
• "How Can I Tell My Mom And Dad" / "Hey! Stars Of Tomorrow" (instrumental) - UNI 55181, 1969
• "Who You Gonna Hurt Now" / "Oh My Love" - UNI 55222, 1969
• "This Love Is Real" / "Oh My Love" - UNI 55242, 1969
• "I'm The One That You Need" / "Love Bandit" - Cotillion 44145, 1972
• "Is This Lovin' In Your Heart" / "We've Got The Real Thing" - Cotillion 44161, 1972
• "Get It Off My Conscience" / "Oh What A Day" - Lovelite 1500, 1975

Albums

• With Love From The Lovelites - UNI 73081, 1969
• This Love Is Real - P-Vine 2904, 1994 (Japan
  Japan
  Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
  
  only)
• The Lovelite Years - Lovelite 1021, 1999

External links

• [ Allmusic.com]
• Soulfulkindamusic.net