PDA

View Full Version : Beverly Glenn / Gary Glenn


test

jsmith
03-29-2021, 07:01 AM
I know Detroit born Beverly & Gary Glenn were brother & sister and that he toured with her in the 60's / 70's [as a backing singer I believe].
She usually sang gospel [[cutting for the likes of Shalome, Cross, Savoy, Light). But in the mid 60's, she sang secular music and toured with Don Gardner. She even toured Europe with Don [[who was Philly based) and recorded with his band in Sweden.
Gary seemed to go out on his own in the late 60's while still a teenager and based himself in Pittsburgh for a good few years [[68 - 73 ?). He eventually migrated to LA and recorded there for PPL [[1980) and Motown [[1987) before passing aged just 36.
Anyone here have any info on these two and what they got up to [[music wise) in the 60's & early to mid 70's. I know Beverly was back in Detroit by 1970 as she cut her 1st gospel album at United Sound with Ed Wolfrum there in 1970.
A 2nd brother, Robert Glenn, recorded as a backing vocalist with Beverly and then later on with Gary.
I'm after info on her time in Philly and Gary's in Pittsburgh.
18880
18881

jsmith
03-29-2021, 07:21 AM
An extra bit of info on Gary Glenn ... in 1970 he co-composed the song [The Pil & I] with Don Garvin of Pittsburgh based Jerree Records. Their song was recorded by a Canadian outfit BlueByrd. The club ad above has him performing at the time [[1971) fronting the Blue Bird Band -- I guess this is the same outfit who recorded his song.
Later in the 70's Phyllis Hyman [also from Pittsburgh] cut two of his songs.

Bluebrock
03-29-2021, 08:39 AM
I know Detroit born Beverly & Gary Glenn were brother & sister and that he toured with her in the 60's / 70's [as a backing singer I believe].
She usually sang gospel [[cutting for the likes of Shalome, Cross, Savoy, Light). But in the mid 60's, she sang secular music and toured with Don Gardner. She even toured Europe with Don [[who was Philly based) and recorded with his band in Sweden.
Gary seemed to go out on his own in the late 60's while still a teenager and based himself in Pittsburgh for a good few years [[68 - 73 ?). He eventually migrated to LA and recorded there for PPL [[1980) and Motown [[1987) before passing aged just 36.
Anyone here have any info on these two and what they got up to [[music wise) in the 60's & early to mid 70's. I know Beverly was back in Detroit by 1970 as she cut her 1st gospel album at United Sound with Ed Wolfrum there in 1970.
A 2nd brother, Robert Glenn, recorded as a backing vocalist with Beverly and then later on with Gary.
I'm after info on her time in Philly and Gary's in Pittsburgh.
18880
18881

I have Gary Glenn's Motown album from the 80's, and pretty good it was too.
He also worked as a backing vocalist for Diana Ross on a couple of tours. He came across as a nice enough guy, and his early passing came as quite a shock.

glencro
03-29-2021, 11:09 PM
Wow, this is so interesting. I never knew that Beverly was also a secular artist. I grew up in the same church as her but I was a very small kid when she was recording her gospel albums. It was a church founded by I.W. Winans, grandfather of The Winans clan and they were also members there as youngsters so the church was extremely musical. Her mother Bonnie was over the women's choir which my mom was a part of.
I'm a photographer and I ran into Beverly in 2019 while photographing an event. Of course she didn't remember me from the church since I was so young back then but she gave me her number and asked for my card because she said that she's helping her grandson with his music career and he needs a photo shoot. We played phone tag and it never happened. Crazy thing is I can't find her phone number but I know someone who probably has it. Most of her relatives that I knew are deceased now. As mentioned their brother Robert did sing with Diana Ross and Gary was the composer of "Rapture" by Anita Baker. Their brother Richard also sang background for Beverly's earlier gospel recordings but he was a minister who never pursued a music career.

jsmith
04-01-2021, 05:57 AM
Many thanks for that info. I'm guessing that she must have been born around 1948, so was about 7 years old than Gary.