2/5/15 – The Undisputed Truth – Smiling Faces Sometimes – 1971

Video Of The Day

Song Of The Day

The Undisputed Truth (no girl)The Undisputed Truth were producer Norman Whitfield’s personal Psychedelic Soul experiment. The other main ingredients were  – Joe Harris, lead singer with Billie Rae Calvin and Brenda Joyce Evans also on lead and background vocals. As Whitfield also produced The Temptations, songs were recorded by both bands including this No.3 US Hit. The 12.43. original version appears on The Temptations’ Sky’s The Limit album released only a few weeks before The Undisputed Truth’s debut.

The Undisputed Truth TrioClassic protest song, War also appears on The Undisputed Truth’s first album. Originally recorded by The Temptations and thought too controversial for their more conservative fans, it was taken to No.1 on the US charts by Edwin Starr with The Undisputed Truth singers on backing vocals before they released their own version. Ball Of Confusion was another popular song recorded by both The Temptations and The Undisputed Truth under Whitfield, appearing on the debut. I Heard It Through the Grapevine another Whitfield/Strong song made famous by Marvin Gaye, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Gladys Knight And The Pips also appeared.

The Sci-fi white wigs with gold and silver make-up made for quite a spectacle and as the video and photos show they were something to see as well as hear. Billie Rae Calvin and Brenda Joyce Evans left the group in 1975 to be replaced by Virginia “V” McDonald, Tyrone “Big Ty” Douglas, Tyrone “Lil Ty” Barkley, and Calvin “Dhaak” Stephenson.

The UndisputedTruth 4 piece on TV  stageThe Undisputed Truth had reached their creative conclusion, Whitfield left Motown and formed his own Whitfield Records, working with Rose Royce, Junior Walker and Willie Hutch. Sadly he died in 2008 but left behind a treasure trove of inspired musical experimental hybrids, spending his life as a mad musical genius and creative studio research scientist – he co-wrote 61 UK and 92 US hits.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Undisputed_Truth

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Undisputed_Truth_(The_Undisputed_Truth_album)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Whitfield

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