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Created: Wednesday, 19 August 2015 20:08

Written by Shauna

AUGUST Release - "Sweet Mary"

This release is a special one because it drops exactly EIGHT YEARS after our first release back on August 22, 2015. Time sure flies when you're having fun!

“Sweet Mary” was written by Steve Jablecki and recorded by his band, Wadsworth Mansion. It was released in early 1971 and quickly climbed the charts, peaking at #7 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Wadsworth Mansion went on to release only two more singles, neither of which charted, sealing their status as a one-hit wonder.

Nevertheless, this song has been on my list of possibles for a long time. There’s just so much that’s fun about it, and when the chorus hits we all sing along to “Sweet Mary I’m coming home now, that’s the least I can do.”

As Vic and I were discussing who we thought would be the right voice to record this song, Vic said “wait, I know.” We made a phone call and when that voice came on the other end, Vic asked, “what would say if I said ‘wop-a-dooba do wop-wop-wop’” as he proceeded to sing the intro of the song. The answer on the other end of the line was immediate, “Sweet Mary sent a letter today…” Tony Oxendine was absolutely the right voice for this song and he nails it!

We had also created a rough track in a secondary key, but the range of this song was narrow enough that I was actually singing better to the same track/key. So, similar to “Lion Sleeps Tonight,” we opted not to invest in a second key when the range of the song didn’t require that investment.

CHIC 3088 features Tony Oxendine (courtesy of Royal Records) with an amazing vocal.

To purchase, just head on over to the Chic Boutique for fast and easy mp3 downloads.

Click on the youtube links (to the left) for previews!